1 John 4:4 says, Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Believer isn’t it great to have a HE in you who is greater!!
A Southern Asian pastor told this story to a conference:
“Upon embarking on a missionary journey to local colonies in the region, I was granted permission by the chief to enter a tribe to preach the gospel. This is a dangerous adventure, as there are anti-conversion laws set in place to stop evangelism. After getting set up, I gave it my best shot, preached the gospel, explained Jesus’ death for our sins, and resurrection, offer of salvation and eternal life. I explained how to respond, why to respond, and that now was the time to respond. We also showed the Jesus film as part of our outreach. Then it came time to make an appeal, the offer to accept Jesus was put to every member… Not one person responded. Not one.
I began to pack away our gear, hoping I had been a good ambassador for Jesus whilst continuing to pray. The chief approached me and asked me to have a meal with them and stay the night but in the morning, I was not welcome and would have to leave.
After the meal, I went to the tent and stayed the night. I slept well and in the morning woke to some commotion outside the tent. I peered out to find a lot of the tribes members staring back at me in amazement. One said the chief wants to see you. I thought great, maybe he has had a dream about Jesus, or God has spoken to him during the night! Jesus revealing Himself in dreams is not uncommon with those we are trying to reach.
When I approached the chief, I gleefully asked, well, did God speak to you, did you have a dream? What has happened? The chief looked me straight in the face and said “No”, my heart dropped. But the chief continued, “You remember the meal we gave you last night?” “Yes,” I said. “Well”, said the chief, “we laced that meal with so much poison that you should be dead. But you aren’t, so now I want to know about this Jesus that you talk about! He must be real, He has saved your life!”
What an amazing story of how God reached a tribe!
Mark 16:18 is true, “they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Where is God leading you today to reach out? He will be with you. Do not fear, “Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world”.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for all You have done for us. Thank You for Your true and living Word. Greater is He who lives in me than he who is in the world. Lord, open my eyes today to where You are working and help me be Your hands, feet and mouth to those who need it today. This is all for You, Jesus. Amen.