- 14 hours ago
In our daily meditations over the past two or three weeks, we have examined Paul the Apostle's thoughts on the idea that the world is under the influence of unseen dark spirits. We've also looked at the defensive armor God has provided, and now we are focusing on the offensive weapons to break the power of evil. The second offensive weapon of the church is prayer: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
We have a contemporary example of Spirit-led prayer overcoming demonic strongholds in a city in Argentina. In C. Peter Wagner's book, Warfare Prayer, pages 30-34, a story is told about a strategy to reach the city of Resistencia in the northern province of Chaco, Argentina. Ed Silvoso, an Argentinean evangelist, launched a three-year plan to transform the spiritual atmosphere of the city, enabling people to hear and respond to the Gospel. By early 1990, fewer than 6,000 of its 400,000 residents were evangelical believers, representing just 1.5% of the population. He relocated his Harvest Evangelism team to Resistencia and established a foundation of prayer, spiritual warfare, and leadership training that lasted over a year. The people responded positively and wanted to pray at a site in the city center the next day. Silvoso writes,
“A group of 80 marched into the Plaza de Mayo of Buenos Aires, praying for five hours of intense battle against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. The group sensed a spirit of witchcraft and death in the Ministry of Social Welfare building where President Peron's notorious warlock, Jose Lopez Riga, had maintained his office. When the group left the plaza, they felt a sense of victory. The principalities and powers were not destroyed, but warfare prayer had, in some measure, begun to weaken the evil hold on Argentina. Over the city of Resistencia, people all knew the names of the spirits that ruled over the city. The spirit of death, San La Muerte, was perhaps the most powerful.
Many citizens of Resistencia were so devoted to San La Muerte that they had little bone images of his idol surgically implanted under their skin or their nipples, believing the false promise that this would assure them of a "good death." Other spirits of equal rank turned out to be Pombero, a spirit of division who brought terror, especially to children during siesta time and at night; Curapi, a spirit of sexual perversion; the Queen of Heaven, a religious spirit who had perverted the true character of the traditional church; and the spirit of Freemasonry, a cleverly disguised form of occult power. Surprisingly, these spirits' images and activities were depicted on several large folk-art murals in the city's central plaza.”
What was the outcome? Ed Silvoso reports that the growth charts of the churches in Resistencia showed a noticeable upward trend starting in April, when the group prayed in the plaza. In one public event, 250 people were baptized in portable pools. Crowds of nearly 17,000 gathered in an open field for evangelistic meetings, where objects used in occult rituals and witchcraft were burned in a fifty-five-gallon drum each night. Hundreds were physically healed and delivered from demons. At least eighteen new churches were started. Most notably, the evangelical Christian population of Resistencia nearly doubled between 1990 and 2000. Perhaps a sign of weakening territorial spirits over Resistencia was the tragic fate of the high priestess of the San La Muerte cult, the spirit of death. Two weeks before the major evangelistic event and after a prayer session in the city center, her bed caught fire. Interestingly, the flames seemed to be selective. They only consumed the mattress, the woman, and her San La Muerte statue![1]
I definitely do not recommend anyone handling spirits alone in this way. These believers were over eighty people in unity, and the Holy Spirit guided their actions. I use this story to show that these things are real and that Jesus has already won the victory over them at the cross. When the Body of Christ works together under divinely inspired leadership, entire towns and cities are brought to Christ. Are you a part of a biblical expression of Jesus Christ in your town or city? If not, pray and ask the Lord to reveal where you should fellowship. We need each other, as this has always been the pattern. Something special happens when God’s people unite in harmony. You must surround yourself with other believers in Christ. Being with other believers provides a strong defense as a follower of Christ, guarding you against isolation and making you less vulnerable.
The Lord honors and works through those who lean on Him in difficulties and dependence. He longs to show us that He is our Father and well able to answer our heartfelt Spirit-led prayers. Keith Thomas
This meditation is a condensed version of the more in-depth study, "What Are the Believer’s Most Powerful Weapons?"
[1] C. Peter Wagner, Warfare Prayer, Regal Books, Pages 30-34.