Fear in the Night

You cannot be involved in front-line mission work that is advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ and not expect opposition. It will come, it is only a matter of when. Unreached places, places where Jesus is not known, are places where Satan and his demons have had dominion for many years. They absolutely do not want the light of the Gospel to shine in!

The Gavamas People

I had a conversation with a friend of mine the other night about the ministry in Papua New Guinea that we will be going into. He brought up a concern, which was certainly a valid one that each and every missionary should take into consideration. As I thought about this concern later that night, I was not able to sleep because I was beginning to be consumed with fear. As fear of this kind is not something that is a common occurrence in my life, I began to pray about my fear. Although I think it is hard to say with certainty what was going on, I feel that I may have been under spiritual attack.

I began to pray to my Father, asking Him to remove anything demonic from oppressing me into fear. Almost immediately I felt a deep sense of peace in the all-powerful God who is my Father. That fear was gone, praise the Lord!

"My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:5-8

As I peacefully lay in bed, my mind turned once again to Papua New Guinea. The people there are animists, meaning that they worship demons and spirits. Their lives are ruled by fear, of which I had experienced a tiny piece of that night. Many tribes have yet to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, which means they will continue to live in fear of those demons and spirits without any hope at all. This is why we go! That God would be glorified by us bringing the light of Christ to a dark and dying world!