I am teaching seminary students this week on the subject of “Spiritual Warfare,” drawing upon my own experiences in Southeast Asia. My first question to the students: what happened to all those demons Jesus sent out of poor souls when He walked this earth? Do they exist today? Do they influence people for evil, and hinder the spread of the Gospel? I had collected (and printed) four-pages of Scripture passages relating to this and handed each of them a summary about the devil and demons. The students were stunned! A surprising amount of the New Testament refers to what the apostle Paul called the “spiritual forces of wickedness.”

My next step was to help the students become aware of the battle. I began by pointing out occult beliefs and practices among people today, as with the domovoy in their own Slavic culture. (These are small creatures who live in houses, roughly equivalent to elves or fairies). Ah, yes — the students knew of this belief. Muslims have similar creatures called jinn, Filipinos have dwende, the Chinese have zao jun, and so on.

Belief in supernatural spirits is worldwide, I explained. Although some may call these beliefs “meaningless superstitions,” I believe that behind each one is a demonic deception. Our students need to face the reality of the spiritual battle and learn how to deal with the enemy so they will not become defenseless victims. “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

One of our students, now working in a Muslim nation in Central Asia, was recently arrested for teaching youth about Christ. The “forces of wickedness” poured on the persecution, but God’s people prayed, and He answered in a miraculous way! This young man was released from prison and allowed to remain in his host country, where he continues to bravely fight the battle for Truth. Our Enemy and his helpers may do their worst, but we have Christ living in us!

Pray for our students. They need training, they need prayer, and they need God’s help as they build the Kingdom for His glory.

Rich Strahm