“He told her that since she got baptized against his wishes, he would kill her if she returned home. Please pray for my sister Jorani and my brother-in-law Saran,” Sabin requested one morning during staff worship.
Not long after Sabin started working with us, she had asked us to pray for her sister, Jorani, because she wanted to be a Christian, but her husband was against it. We prayed that the way would open for her to follow Jesus. We did not know how serious her sister was until she showed up at church one weekend after deciding it was time to start following Jesus.
However, after Jorani got baptized, her husband was angry and made her walk the long road out to the fields instead of giving her a ride on the motorbike. She started staying in their field house so she could work with their crops while she continued to pursue a relationship with Jesus.
Jorani also began coming to church regularly, enjoying Christian fellowship. It was at this point that her husband told her that if she went back to their village house, he would kill her. Of course, we prayed for Jorani and Saran that morning and have continued to pray and to encourage Jorani.
One morning, I asked Sabin why Saran is so angry about Jorani becoming a Christian. She said that Saran had tried to study the Bible before, but told her that whenever he would read the Bible, he would get a bad headache (often a sign of demon harassment). He said that when he worships Arak (Satan), he knows what to do. If he has a problem with the spirits, he can offer sacrifices, and they lift the curse. Because of this, Saran believes that he holds a certain amount of power over the spirits to manipulate things in his favor. He does not understand Christianity and how giving up his ability to manipulate the spirits gives more freedom and happiness. So he lives under the power of the spirits with the illusion that it is he who has the power to influence them, and he is scared to lose that ability.
After we started praying, Saran calmed down and accepted Jorani back to their village house. Jorani continues to study the Bible with Sabin and our group of missionaries, and she is growing in her relationship with Jesus. Now we are all praying for Saran. Please join us in praying that he will see clearly how the spirits hold him in bondage and that he will accept the freedom that Jesus lovingly offers.
