Jesus Overcomes Magic Spells
By John Wood
You may not believe the following story, but it was told to me directly, without any embellishments or dramatic additions, by the one who experienced it firsthand. The teller seemed to find this normal, as if it was expected.
A Hindu lady was quite wealthy and this made her relatives jealous. They hired a sorcerer to place black magic spells on her without her knowledge.
One day the lady came to church while Jason,* one of our Jesus for Asia Bible workers/pastors, was giving the sermon. Pastor Jason watched her slink into the back and hide behind some other ladies. He also noticed that she cried during the entire sermon. When the sermon was over, he called her to come forward. She didn’t want to, but Pastor Jason encouraged her, saying, “Don’t worry, I’m a pastor. I’m here to help you.”
Finally, she came and fell down in front of him and told him about her problem.
She had contracted the dreaded disease of elephantiasis, where the leg swells nearly two to three times the normal size. There is no known cure for this disease. She also had a large open wound in her leg that smelled like rotting flesh.
Pastor Jason prayed for her there in the church and told her, “You have to pray to the living God, also.” He then made an astonishing statement of faith when he told her, “Within a week your wounds will be completely healed and you will give your testimony in this church next Sabbath!”
A couple of days later Pastor Jason went to her house. Even while he was in the doorway, he could sense there was an evil spirit there. When he came to the middle of the house, he felt a lot of heat, like he was standing on a fire, coming up through the packed dirt floor. He asked the lady to dig right there; she dug up a coconut covered with evil strings and some of her hair all tied around it. He told her to take it outside and burn it. When she did, it smelled like burning flesh. He prayed earnestly for her complete healing and then went back home.
That night the Hindu woman had a dream of a bright, shining man coming with many bright shining people. It was a vision of Jesus’ coming. She woke up from her dream and went right over to Pastor Jason’s house, even though it was the middle of the night. She woke him and his wife up to tell them the dream. She said, “I saw this in my dream. I’m so excited! I’m so happy!”
The next Sabbath she came to the church and gave her testimony that Jesus had healed her leg completely! It was normal in size, healthy, and the big wound had healed completely. The only thing that remained was a small scar where the wound had been.
After this happened, she and her whole family accepted Jesus Christ. She is now a living witness in her village. When people hear her story, and see her healed leg, they become eager to learn about Jesus.
Praise the Lord for Jason and all our amazing Bible workers that, by faith and the power of Jesus Christ, are rescuing the lost, releasing the prisoners, and setting the captives free. Stories like this, though not often so dramatic, are happening all over India wherever a Jesus for Asia Bible worker is enabled to go. There are many places that have no Bible worker, no pastor, not even a Christian. Pray for your brothers and sisters of Asia.
Jon Wood is president of Jesus for Asia. Bible worker Jason’s name has been changed for safety reasons.To learn more about Jesus for Asia, click here.
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World Church Prayer Requests
May 19 - 27, 2019
• PRAISE REPORT: Thank you for praying for the Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership in the African country of Burundi. God has heard your prayers. The following good news was just released on May 17th: https://news.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2019-05-17/adventist-detainees-released-from-burundi-prison/ We encourage you to keep praying that God will provide for a helpful resolution to the challenges being faced and for peace and prosperity in Burundi.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please continue to pray for our church members in India and Bangladesh suffering from the recent cyclone Fani. This was strongest tropical cyclone to hit India and Bangladesh in 20 years. Many are dead and the region has been lashed with ferocious winds and torrential downpours.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for ADRA staff and leadership in the region as they continue to respond to the physical and mental needs of the people of India and Bangladesh.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please continue to pray for the Mobile Wellness Clinic scheduled to take place June 2 – 6, 2019, in preparation for a Total Member Involvement event in India. Total Member Involvement evangelistic meetings are scheduled to take place across the country June 12-30, 2019. Pray for people to receive comfort and hope through these meetings!
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the Southern Asia Pacific Division (SSD) this year as they focus on reaching unreached people groups in their urban cities. They hope to establish five Chinese congregations in cities with significant Chinese population and nine pilot projects in nine countries within the SSD
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for other Centers of Influence projects across the more difficult regions of the SSD. Pray for more dedicated laborers for the harvest.