Bothered by Evil Spirits
A fellow missionary friend here in Thailand recently shared the following story about the influence of evil spirits on Thai people and I think that those of you who pray for us and for the Thai people will find his story insightful. He writes:
"In the west, we often don't think much of what it would be like to be under the domination of spirits. Fear and manipulation of spirits is a constant theme for many Thai.
Late yesterday afternoon, I got a phone call from one of the church members. He was at the church with a high ranking military officer and his wife, who were asking for prayer [although neither of them are Christians]. She claimed that someone had hired various spirit doctors to possess and attack her. She reported having various visions that I'd rather not go into, and that the spirits were taunting her and telling her she was going to die. There was a look in her eye of emptiness and fear, and her husband had a deep look of concern in his face. As we prepared to pray for her, he asked if he should take off his amulets, and we said yes. He proceeded to take off 4 or 5 necklaces filled with amulets and talismans - one necklace with about 15 small amulets, another with 3 or 4 large amulets, and so on. Some of these amulets are no doubt very expensive - but they are only the tip of the iceberg of spirit involvement of Thai people, not just in the military, but from every walk of life (including many teachers). This military officer may have more amulets than the average person, but most Thai have at least one, and they are almost all involved in spirit rituals and paraphenalia.
A recent craze in Thailand illustrates this: A temple in Southern Thailand issued a special release of a particular talisman that is common in that city. Thousands of people crushed in trying to 'rent' these amulets at a 'bargain' price; several people died in the crush. "In one day alone ... the amulet trade produced no less than 100 million baht [over 2.8 million dollars] throughout Nakhon Si Thammarat province [primarily featuring this one amulet]" (Matichon Weekend, cover story, 13-19 April 2007).
I could go on and on about the grip that Satan has on the hearts of Thai people through the spirits. Please pray for us as we preach the freedom found only in Jesus Christ. Please pray for the Thai church as they stand against the lies and attacks of the enemy. Please pray for the Thai people who are under the bondage of spirits, many trying to manipulate the spirits. Please pray for this couple, that they may relinquish all ties to the spirit world and come under the one true Lord, Jesus Christ. "
"In the west, we often don't think much of what it would be like to be under the domination of spirits. Fear and manipulation of spirits is a constant theme for many Thai.
Late yesterday afternoon, I got a phone call from one of the church members. He was at the church with a high ranking military officer and his wife, who were asking for prayer [although neither of them are Christians]. She claimed that someone had hired various spirit doctors to possess and attack her. She reported having various visions that I'd rather not go into, and that the spirits were taunting her and telling her she was going to die. There was a look in her eye of emptiness and fear, and her husband had a deep look of concern in his face. As we prepared to pray for her, he asked if he should take off his amulets, and we said yes. He proceeded to take off 4 or 5 necklaces filled with amulets and talismans - one necklace with about 15 small amulets, another with 3 or 4 large amulets, and so on. Some of these amulets are no doubt very expensive - but they are only the tip of the iceberg of spirit involvement of Thai people, not just in the military, but from every walk of life (including many teachers). This military officer may have more amulets than the average person, but most Thai have at least one, and they are almost all involved in spirit rituals and paraphenalia.
A recent craze in Thailand illustrates this: A temple in Southern Thailand issued a special release of a particular talisman that is common in that city. Thousands of people crushed in trying to 'rent' these amulets at a 'bargain' price; several people died in the crush. "In one day alone ... the amulet trade produced no less than 100 million baht [over 2.8 million dollars] throughout Nakhon Si Thammarat province [primarily featuring this one amulet]" (Matichon Weekend, cover story, 13-19 April 2007).
I could go on and on about the grip that Satan has on the hearts of Thai people through the spirits. Please pray for us as we preach the freedom found only in Jesus Christ. Please pray for the Thai church as they stand against the lies and attacks of the enemy. Please pray for the Thai people who are under the bondage of spirits, many trying to manipulate the spirits. Please pray for this couple, that they may relinquish all ties to the spirit world and come under the one true Lord, Jesus Christ. "