Setting Prisoners Free
A year after conducting a conference in the Philippines I received the following letter:
After I retired from being a missionary, I found I had a burden for seeing prisoners in the Manila, Philippines, Correctional Institution for Women come to Christ and help their fellow prisoners find Christ. In this endeavor I was joined by Filipina, an experienced Christian leader who started 15 churches during her 35 years of ministry. However, Filipina and I recently tackled a person who was way beyond our experience.
Her name was Naomi. She was more than 40 years old at the time and had been the terror of the prison, beating people up at will. Even the administration feared her. Naomi had four demon “helpers” who aided her in doing anything she wished. They even blurred the vision of jail guards so that she could walk out of the prison with no one stopping her. It was a year before she returned to prison. During that time, she supposedly murdered seven people.
Unaware of her background, Filipina and I shared the gospel with her and led her to Christ. She professed salvation at our Bible Study and was eager to change, but our trainees had been cruelly persecuted by her for as many as 10 years and did not trust her sincerity. Naomi revealed that when she was 10 years old, her witch doctor grandfather implanted some amulets in her and apparently gave her his psychic legacy. She requested our help to free her from demons, so we took her through the Steps to Freedom in Christ.
Naomi writhed in pain during the process but stuck with it, even though she had severe abdominal pain and could not eat or drink for four days. Finally, the amulets planted by her grandfather were expelled, and her demon assistants appeared to leave. She experienced breakthrough after fasting and praying when she begged the Lord to reveal why the devil was not allowing her to eat and drink. The Lord reminded her of the magic books, amulets, dolls, and other paraphernalia she possessed. She thought about burning them, but fires are not allowed in the prison. So, she loaded them in a travel bag and delivered them to the garbage truck.
Naomi was now totally free and a bold witness for the Lord. Then a miracle happened. She was called to the Justice Department and told that the judges had selected her for release within four months. We have had a spirit of revival, with souls being saved every week. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
Dr. Neil
For Spanish, see http://www.ficmm.org/blog
