You may not believe in the powers of witchcraft and occultism. I do
and the Bible isn’t silent on the subject either. Ever wondered how the magicians of
Pharaoh turned their sticks into live snakes? Exodus
7:10-12
During my last mission trip to now South Sudan; on the very first night of
my arrival, I had a most horrific and unforgettable midnight visitation.
Tired from the long road trip from Kampala, I was looking forward to a good
night’s sleep after unpacking my stuff, meeting a handful of friends and
disciples that came to welcome me.
That night, the weather was cool and my entire being needed rest. But just
before I dozed off around 1.30am, I heard something I imagined to be a big bird
land on my roof.
I knew I was not dreaming. Instinctively, I reached for my flashlight but
couldn’t find it. I’d not brought it out from the rest of my stuff. Night birds
like owls roam our area a lot and make very annoying sounds that steal some precious minutes of sleep. But I felt this
was something much bigger, something sinister.
As I lay still, trying to figure out what it was by the sounds it would make,
I began to hear scuffles on the roof. It was like a fight between creatures with claws and a tail. The scratching of claws
and flapping around of what I imagined to be a tail on the roof continued for over
15minutes that seemed like hours. Their movements told me these were big
creatures that could weigh at least 40kgs.
I live cautiously but rarely panicky. That night, I was terrified. The
struggle raged until the “creatures” fell off the roof and landed
hard on the ground beside my window, still “wrestling”.
Within the confines of my well netted bed, I was praying, speaking
in tongues and quoting scriptures. Suddenly, the scuffles ceased. There was a tense calm, so serene it seemed the crickets were silent too and all I
could hear was my heart hammering away.
Then I heard an audible voice I’ll never forget, “They
came for you. They want you but I have you. Nothing will harm or hurt you here.
You are mine.” This statement was repeated to my hearing five times. I don’t know when and how I slept off.
At dawn, I went by that window where the “creatures” fell, hoping
to see something lying dead but I saw nothing. No marks, no foot prints, nothing. I
spent more time than usual, praising and worshiping the Lord that morning.
A mixture of feelings trailed me that week; sometimes I felt like an
endangered species needing a “government decree” to
keep me from poachers [I
had it here]; at other times, I felt like an invincible warrior, destined
for victory [I
had it here too].
It evokes great joy and courage, knowing we have partners praying for our
welfare out there. Better still, acknowledging the unfailing promise of the
Lord’s power, presence and protection as we battle the hordes of hell should motivate us to dare more
boldly.
Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations …And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew
28:18-20

In 


Imagine the vast number of returnees from the North who once
Often, when we think we’ve figured out how and when
The Bible Study topic for that day was “The Holy Spirit and You”, and
When Rev Yemi Ayodele and I arrived at the conference hall, we were
“Did we make the same mistake again, seeing that a
It was taken me longer than usual to
each day, students from various schools and other
Questions could say
The interactive nature of this meeting encouraged
“Who is God?”
“What does Jesus mean by saying he has come to