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Jesus People Podcast
Episode 27: The Jesus People Podcast | African Missionary: Tear Down Strongholds and Conquer Fear
00:43:09
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- [00:19]
A
Hey, guys. Welcome to the Jesus People podcast. We have the honor of having Carol Ward with us today. So thank you so much for being with us today, Carol.
- [00:27]
B
Thank you, Ryan. It's an honor. Thank you.
- [00:29]
A
And just so you know, I was telling one of my buddies about Carol a few days ago. No, like two days ago. And I was like. He was talking about how he's so passionate about freeing child soldiers in Africa and how the Lord's been putting that on his heart. And I'm like, I know the lady that is like peak Alpha, freeing child soldiers and helping them through their traumas. And the ministry is incredible. I get these newsletters from you, Carol, and it's almost hard to believe the numbers. And so I'm telling my buddy, like. Like, I know this lady, Carol, and I'm just gonna email her. Turns out you're in Dallas, and I email you saying, I'd love to have you on the podcast sometime. Thinking that maybe you'd come into town and be in Florida or somewhere else and we could do it virtually. And she goes, I'm in Dallas. And not just Dallas, the town right next to us. So the Lord is awesome. The Lord's in this. I'm very excited for our conversation.
- [01:20]
B
Amen. It's good to be here and I love talking about it. And so good to see you again, Ryan.
- [01:25]
A
Yes, yes, you as well.
- [01:27]
B
Amen.
- [01:27]
A
So the Jesus People podcast we were just discussing, man, it's just about showcasing what's possible with. With faith in the Lord and what he wants to do in and through us. That quote comes to mind, like, without God, we cannot. Without us, he will not. He loves to use us. He loves to. To move through his children and to partner with us, to see incredible things happen through the world. And right now, there are few people on the planet that I think are seeing the fruit that you're seeing. And I'd love to know, where did that boldness come from? Maybe give us a little bit background of your life, how you grew up, and then take us into your ministry and what you're doing now and just what you're seeing. Cause again, I'm seeing these newsletters come into my email, and the numbers are almost hard to believe. It's staggering what the Lord's doing.
- [02:14]
B
Well, I am third generation missionary and I grew up in the jungles of the Philippines. The children of ISIS were my playmates.
- [02:23]
A
Whoa.
- [02:23]
B
And so it was in the 60s when communism and Islam terrorists were on the move and on the rise. And my father was a Bible translator. So we lived deep in the jungle, and he stayed while others are being executed and evacuated. So I watched on his life. A tremendous amount of faith, tremendous amount of love, and a tremendous amount of boldness. He had no fear. You can't have boldness if you have any fear. And so I realized then that his boldness and spiritual authority came from his love for the people. He was willing to lay his life down. And that's what John 15 talks about. Greater love has no men than this than he lay his life down. So I had that modeled in front of me daily. And that was my growing up. So when I got a call to go to Africa and I served a year in the south where it was peaceful, but I had always prayed, send me where no one wants to go, because my passion is unreached. Territories where getting the gospel is most difficult. Not in comfort zones or not where nine out of 10 missionaries have already gone.
- [03:34]
A
Yeah.
- [03:35]
B
So that was my heart cry, but I didn't know it would be a war zone. Yes.
- [03:40]
A
And one of the gnarliest war zones in the world, if not the gnarliest. Tell us a little bit about that.
- [03:45]
B
Yes. Well, when I got a call to go to the south, then the nationals were the ones saying, please, will you come north? And I said, how come? And they said, because nobody else wants to go. And then I realized that was in the answer to my prayer. So Joseph Kony, the dictator in the north, was demonic at another level. Human sacrifices abducted 50,000 children, turned them into child soldiers, occult mega. And killing his own people. So we were losing almost 1000 people a day in the north. And that was diseases, starvation, famine, ambushes, abductions, you name it. When UN discovered it, after I was already living there, they said it was the worst atrocity they had seen since Hitler.
- [04:32]
A
Whoa.
- [04:32]
B
So it was pretty bad. And that had gone on for 20 years. So that's what I moved into the middle of and didn't know what I was getting into, but said, lord, you're calling me here, so what else can we do?
- [04:44]
A
What does that even look like? You're called to go to this territory that is really terrorized by one man, one demonized man who is abducting children, using them as weapons to kill others, child sacrifice, the whole nine, like, as demonic as it gets. You get this call, you, you have this prayer, send me where no one else wants to go. And then you say, it's right in front of me. What was going on in you internally? And then did you go alone? What did that even look like?
- [05:16]
B
Well, I knew it was the answer to my prayer because I lived every night reading Fox's Book of Martyrs and asking the Lord, would I ever, ever be counted worthy enough to be a martyr? And so he took me seriously, sent me where no one else wanted to go because they were evacuating missions and expats and NGOs doing this during this war. And I went in against government and mission organizations that wouldn't support me to come home in a body bag and so forth. But there's only one thing that gripped me, and I'm far from Apostle Paul, but I can relate to the fact that he said the love of Christ compels me and that there was this driving force in my heart that I'm going to follow Jesus and not let him out of my sight. And he said, he's leaving 99 to go after that one child, that one lost, abducted kid, that one village, that one nation that didn't know Jesus. I'm coming too. I said, lord, wow. So that's how I. That's how I got there. But that was what was just motivating me on a daily basis. I really believe the Great Commandment, which is love the Lord your God, with all of your heart, soul, strength, mind, emotions, and then your neighbor as yourself and leads us to the Great Commission, or it is the driving force between each one of our mission. And so if we don't have that driving force, we can take our uniforms off and be out of there, because fear paralyzes. So when God visited me on the way up, as I went alone, nobody would go with me. And I had fear fighting with fear, because this is a war zone. I'm driving through, bomb vehicles and rebels, jump out, guerrilla warfare, kill, shoot, mow you down and burn the car. And I'm fighting fear. And the Lord said, I can't use you with fear. Fear will paralyze you. And fear has torment. And so I thought, well, I need more faith. He said, you don't need more faith. You're obeying me. You don't have enough love. And he began reading to me first. John 4:18, Perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. And he that fears isn't made perfect in love. And I said, lord, baptize me in love. Then enough love to trust you with my life and enough love to go serve and lay my life down for the people I'm going to see and count it more important than my own self preservation. And he baptized me in love. I've never had fear since. Wow.
- [07:58]
A
So What I'm hearing you say is you're entering war zones, you're seeing people slaughtered in front of your eyes, you're likely being pulled over. I'd love to even hear some of those stories. And what I'm hearing is the Lord convicted you and said, I can't use you if you have fear for me. I hear that. I'm like, I don't have a day that goes by without fear. And what you're saying is the antidote to that is not necessarily more faith. It's love. It's a lost life. It's selflessness. It's seeing the person that is could potentially kill you right in front of you and saying, father, forgive them. They know not what they do. How do I meet their needs still, even though they're about to kill me? Am I hearing that right?
- [08:42]
B
Yes. Yes. Their life becomes more important than your own, which is the gospel. If we really believe the gospel, Paul said, death works in me, so life can work in you. For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. Greater love has no man than this. Than they lay his life down. They love not their life, even unto death. Revelations 12, 11. And you can go on and on in the Scriptures about selflessness in order to win other people to the kingdom. And that's the kind of people I work in the midst in Africa. I'll ask them 250 of them at a time that I work in the midst today, years later, how many of you want to go north and lay your life down? For the gospel may cost you your head execution. And every hand will shoot up instantly, like, here we are, send us. We're ready to die for our faith. And I look at them and I'll go, what made you answer so quickly? And this is what they'll say. Why wouldn't we give what is temporal, which is this body is going to die anyway, to save what is eternal.
- [09:49]
A
Amen.
- [09:50]
B
And that's a thousand more people that we can take to heaven with us, or 500 or however many. And they said, you know, our eternity is secure, theirs is not. And then it reminds me of Jim Elliot's words. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. That's the call of the gospel.
- [10:09]
A
Amen. Wow. So when you see that contrasted with the way we're living in America right now, I mean, I'm seeing a full blown mental health crisis happen. And if I were to give a diagnosis of that, I would say it's, it's because of self Worship, it's because of social media. And I'm the biggest hypocrite of them all. You know, like I'm a Christian social media influencer. And I even feel myself being pulled and having to like fight the algorithm, wanting to go viral and like for, for me to, to pump myself up.
- [10:44]
B
Yes.
- [10:45]
A
Using the Lord's name and using the gospel to do that. It's a daily flesh fight that I have. But then I look and I see 8 out of 10, 10 year olds in America right now. If you ask them, what, what do you want to be when you grow up? They would tell you, social media influencer, it's an epidemic that's happening right now. What do you, what do you see when you look at that contrasted with the way you're currently living in Africa?
- [11:09]
B
Well, a couple things. What you be, what you look at is what you become. Proverbs 23:7. And so when these kids are, are so involved in the focus of social media, which I would say quite a bit of it is not healthy. And they can learn demonic stuff. They can learn trafficking, pornography, witchcraft. I even heard just yesterday that they can teach suicide how to kill yourself on such and such trance. I'm horrified. I thought if the devil isn't rampant over the airwaves, oh my goodness. Because he's after our children as well as adults, but our babies. And the word of God in Philippians 4, 8 challenges us. Whatever is true and right and lovely and good and pure and of a good report. Think on those things. Well, are we allowing our children to think on those things? I say in America we have as many children abducted and more than was ever abducted in this LRA war. 50,000 children. Joseph Kony abducted and turned into child soldiers. Look at our living rooms in America. Our children are being abducted right under our noses with the Internet. Another thing is they have say more about that.
- [12:28]
A
Abducted, meaning they're prisoners to this, this device.
- [12:32]
B
Yes, because what you look at, you become and it's like every time you open a picture in social media, you have taken a picture, a visual picture of it. And to get that off of your mind or to put truth and wholesome and healthy things in your mind instead of that is a human huge job and quite often not successful unless we turn the one off to turn the word of God on. And so right in our living rooms, our children, through television and Internet and all these kind of things are most of the time abducted to evil or just desensitized to good because they become numb. Maybe they're not watching terribly bad things, but we have sacrificed the best for good things. So we'll watch movies and other things that we may say, okay, that's good. But what's the best? Mary chose the best. Sitting at the feet of Jesus. And, you know, our children in Africa hear God clearly. They have dreams and visions, and Jesus comes to speak to them at night, and I'll come see him in the morning. And they go, mama, he came to me. He said this. You can't believe this. And just like it was I. Normal thing, like Samuel, 7 years old, had God talk to him before he came to Eli, or a prophet or, you know, an adult. And so I just take it that's a natural thing. And we've had visitors from America come and say, how does God talk to your children like that? They hear him. I look at him and say, well, they don't have sensory overload, so they have clear hearing. And that communication is normal. And it's supposed to be normal between God and his children.
- [14:18]
A
It's hard to hear the Lord's voice when it's so noisy out. Is that kind of what you're saying?
- [14:21]
B
Yes. Or noisy here. Everybody's got stuff going on in their ears.
- [14:25]
A
And, oh, my gosh, you're speaking to me right now. My screen time's off the charts. And I. Yeah, I guess I would ask you, for me personally, how do I shut out the noise because so much of my life feels like it has to be lived on these devices? What would. What would your. Is that okay? Like, where does it become sin? Or maybe not even sin, but where do you miss the opportunity to hear the Lord's voice because you've got so much noise around you?
- [14:57]
B
Yes.
- [14:58]
A
And how do you discern? Like, because I just want more Jesus. I want those dreams and visions at night. And would you say it might be for me because I've got so much going on that I'm not hearing him as loud as I'd like to?
- [15:10]
B
Yes. And that's usually the case. Look at the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospels. Martha's busy, busy, busy, busy, busy. We could say social media today. We could say Internet. We could say, because that's our lives that revolve around, you know, phones and these devices. Mary is sitting at his feet, hearing him clearly focusing on him. Martha's complaining because Mary's not in her world. And Jesus defends Mary and says, wait a minute, Martha, she chose the best, and it will not be taken away from her. Now I choose not to have a television in my home, and I never did when I was living in America. I choose not to. I choose to not be a part of so much of the social media. Now I have to do administration on the phone because in Africa we have 1,000 staff in 10 countries and I'm the one calling the shots for safety and instructions. I'm like the, the control tower. And so I have to be able to glance at messages that have to do with rescuing lives. But I intentionally, and this is again, it's our decision on a daily basis to be intentional, to turn off the phones and give the Lord however many hours. So I get up very early, like around 4am and I have a good three or four hours with the Lord before I even start the day. Because I want that hearing, his voice to be the loudest and that hearing to be so keen and so developed and so sensitive that I can't miss it. Because in the days we live in, one of the gifts we need the most is the discernment of the Holy spirit. And Isaiah 30 says, you will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it. Well, how many of us hear that? John 10 says, My sheep hear my voice. Isaiah 50 says, I will waken you up morning by morning to be taught by God. And so he wakes me up with scriptures. He nudges me, I don't use an alarm clock. And he'll go with real heavy questions in a very deep sleep like, honey, do you want to, do you want to be a woman after God's own heart? It's like 4:00 in the morning. I thought, what do you mean by that? Talk to me more, Lord, you know, but that's how he wakes me up. He gives me instruction in the night season. David said, my heart instructs me at night. And Song of Solomon, she said, I slept, but my heart stayed awake. So try that because that's a good time to hear his voice when everything else is automatically shut off.
- [17:52]
A
Well, can I be honest with you?
- [17:53]
B
Uh huh.
- [17:54]
A
I don't know that I could do it. You're saying you get up and spend four hours with the Lord every morning. My first thought is, that sounds so boring. I'm being fully honest with you. I don't know that I could actually stay focused for that long one. Why, why can't I? And what does it take to get to that level of communing?
- [18:19]
B
Well, he says in Revelations 3, 20, I'm, I'm knocking. I want that communion with you. You were created, Ryan, for number One purpose is communion with the heart of the Father and through the Holy Spirit. So 1st Corinthians 6. He was joined to the Lord as one. With him, we have to practice our hearing. We have to tune our hearing in to his voice. So I never get bored. Hours can be gone instantly. And I take one Sabbath day a week where I have no phone, no media, no Internet, no computer. I'm sitting at the feet of Jesus. Now, it doesn't get boring because I ask him to teach me his waves, his flow. Moses said, teach me your ways so that I can know you. And so. And he spent hours in the tent of meeting with the Lord, never got bored. So sometimes I worship. Sometimes I'm in the Word, sometimes I journal what he's speaking. Sometimes I just wash his feet, weeping. Sometimes I get up and I do battle for people and lives and children. Spiritual warfare.
- [19:27]
A
What does that mean? How does that practically look?
- [19:29]
B
Stand in the gap. Like, I might walk and take authority. I might lay on the floor on top of maps. I might just be on bended knee, weeping, washing his feet, or feeling like I have contractions, just giving birth for another nation. Because he said, the Spirit of God will groan through you with groanings that can't be uttered. And so. And sometimes I'm walking and pacing and I'm declaring with authority what the word of God says. Like, if I'm praying for somebody in bondage and darkness, spiritually, you know, mental oppression, and I declare the word that. That the word of God go forth, liberate them, free their will, Lord, on this word that. That the truth sets them free, and. And whom the Son sets free is free indeed, so that they can hear the conviction of the Holy Spirit, turn and repent. And so spiritual authority is, when you're standing in the gap for somebody who can't pray for themselves, doesn't know God, or is in a desperate situation, but you use the authority of his word.
- [20:31]
A
Yeah.
- [20:31]
B
That's different than being on the floor feeling like you're giving birth to a baby. You know, the groaning of the Holy Spirit.
- [20:39]
A
Yeah. Wow. So do you feel like that time in the secret place with Jesus, all that time spent, has that unlocked blessing on the ministry?
- [20:51]
B
Incredible. Matthew 6. 6. If you go into your closet and close the door, that's very clear. And pray in secret, I will reward you in the open. So people say, well, I don't hear God and I don't know about these blessings. I say, okay, that's open rewards. Check your secret prayer. Wow, they're connected. They're connected and seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added unto you. What we're seeing in the midst of Africa right now, 22 years later, a thousand indigenous missionaries on their faces. God has done in Chad what took six months. He's. He's done in six months what took six years in South Sudan. It's because of this force momentum of prayer warriors seeking his face. We fast for one week at a time, eight hours a day on our face. We just finished a whole week in Africa praying for America. And so prayer movements are turning into mission movements. And that's why we're seeing the kind of harvest we're seeing.
- [21:56]
A
What do Western Christians miss about going to spiritual battle, about spiritual warfare? Because for me, I look at, there's so many different camps of Christianity, right? There are people who are cessationists that believe that God doesn't even move anymore. You've got the Baptists, you've got the hyper reformed, you've got the hyper charismatic, you've got all these movements. So what does America miss about spiritual warfare and how to contend and how to stand against evil that African Christians understand?
- [22:26]
B
Well, the devil has been successful in making a lot of believers in America believe he doesn't exist. And so if we believe our enemy doesn't even exist, we're going to be caught off guard, you know, blindsided and, and destroyed for a lack of knowledge, as the Bible says. So I teach a lot on spiritual warfare, which means, and each one of these is a complete lesson with lots of scriptures. Know your God. Because Daniel 11:32, those that know their God will do exploits and then know your position in him. We are hidden with Christ inside of God. Colossians 3:3, Psalm 91. Then know your weapons. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Ephesians 6, we have you know all of our armor and weapons described. And then know your enemy. Because the Bible says, don't be ignorant. Don't just chalk it up and say, well, that's correct, you know, coincidence. We drug things and diagnose him things here. And we don't call it demonic activity because we're ignoring ignorant of it. So know your enemy and then know your battle. Because we're given the keys to the kingdom, so we have a strategy for every battle. Just like the Old Testament, David inquired of the Lord and then know your victory. We fight from a place of purchase. Victory. It is finished. As well as Ephesians 1, we're seated with him in heavenly places. So if we fight knowing, hey, Guys, hey, enemy, we already won this thing, you know. You know, we have. We have the authority in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross. So it's a lot of lesson you can download, but the biggest thing is putting it into practice. We must.
- [24:04]
A
So you're healing all these people who have encountered severe trauma, rape, being child soldiers, the worst of the worst, that these people had no choice in the matter that these things have happened to them. What is your strategy for healing them? How do you walk them through spiritual healing?
- [24:21]
B
Well, obviously, it's the Lord that heals them. Of course. Yes. And so we just have the tools, like a doctor would have the right tools at the right time to save lives. So when God brings us traumatized people or we rescue them, you know, out of these trafficking situations or domestic violence or, you know, all kinds of situations you could name that happen in America too. So, same devil. We begin a process, and it's all based on prayer because it has to be the work of the Holy Spirit. But he's called us to intercept and break that cycle of trauma and see the wound healed, see the person set free, and then see their house filled with the truth and the word of God and the love of Jesus. Because even in Matthew, Jesus said, if you. If you throw out the devil or the stronghold of evil or trauma, but you don't feel the house, seven times more can come back. Well, we don't want that to happen. So as we start with prayer and love, Love is what draws people to be healed by Jesus. It's like none of us have to be good enough. Don't worry about it. He loves you exactly like you are, unconditionally. He accepts you and let Jesus put his arms around you. That is the beginning. Beginning of healing. And when somebody can accept that. That they're loved. And there's many verses on that. You know, Zephaniah 3:17 and. And Jeremiah 31:3, I draw you with cords of love that cannot be broken. And just on and on. So then we begin prayer, and we find out where did the trauma come in. And as trauma healing is the first thing we do, trauma counseling is based on forgiveness. We give them the truth. But trauma healing has to be accompanied by deliverance of some kind. Because if there's a wound and a whole bunch of flies have been coming on that wound for a long time, they can have a spirit of suicide. I don't want to live anymore. Of anger and hatred that just possesses them. Well, that has to be.
- [26:30]
A
Yeah. Can you tell me about one of those stories.
- [26:33]
B
Yes, yes. So precious little Dorcas was probably around 10 when she was abducted, trafficked, and she was put in one of these, what they call sex houses. And we have many, many stories of traffic situations as opposed to child soldier situation, but the same kind of healing process, transformation. So when she came, we rescued her. She'd been five years in the same sex house, and it's prostitute out, or you don't have any food. You know, she's a prisoner to that situation. And so politicians, this is the worst scenario possible, but politicians would come at night and say, that's the one I want, because she's a beautiful young girl, and they would rent her out for the night and give her an assignment to go sleep with their political opponent and kill them the same night. Murder. So she started this at 12.
- [27:30]
A
She would kill.
- [27:31]
B
Yes, yes. So that way his hands look clean, but his opponent's dead.
- [27:35]
A
Yeah.
- [27:36]
B
So she had. She had to seduce, prostitute, sleep, murder, all in one night. Night after night, different assignments, and then in and out of prison. You know, she'd get arrested, in and out of prison, and this goes on for five years. That's her. That's her life. That's her beautiful teenage years. And when we rescued her and she came into our home devastated, possessed, traumatized bodies, broken minds broken, you know, and. And. And murdered and killed and prostitute. I mean, you can't imagine the piles of trauma, but that happens here, you know, in these trafficking situations. So the first thing is just loving on her and embracing her, and that draws her to Jesus because he is the best friend and father and lover. He's not going to ever abuse you or forsake you or use you, for that matter, in the way she'd known.
- [28:31]
A
Did she struggle with that as you were trying to embrace her? Because the physical abuse, the sexual abuse is so raw and real. How did you get past that?
- [28:44]
B
It's a persistent love. When I think of the Lord pursuing us with his love, and it's the drawing of the Holy Spirit. John 6. No man comes to the Father unless the Holy Spirit draws her. And her heart would just be pulled. And again and again they said, I've never seen this. I've never felt this before. This is totally different than the kind of love that she had been, you know, subject to, which was nothing but abuse. It wasn't love. It's torment, you know, and so the love of Jesus is pure. The love of Jesus is irresistible. The love of Jesus is true. And you just keep on loving. She'd be Stiff as a board, she'd push away. I mean, you know, that's the natural reaction to somebody who's been abused or wounded or has trust issues or rejection issues. And all of the above, she had. And so it's a matter of time, but you just keep on. And our mamas are very well trained in this. And so that's. That's the kind of girls that I would just first embrace and hold them and love them, not try to push anything on them, but just say, his presence is peace, his presence is healing. And this is the way your Lord loves you and your father, and here's your identity.
- [30:00]
A
Wow. So tell me more about Favor International, the ministry you've started. And I would love to hear about the fruit. I'd love to hear about any stories that you feel like would really encapsulate what the ministry does and who you are and the favor that God has on this ministry.
- [30:16]
B
Amen. Well, I started out alone through prayer. And after the war stopped, nine months later, because he says he causes wars to cease, revival exploded. Nationals came to me, helped me reach my people. I had no agenda, I had no money. But by faith, I said, God, what do you want me to do? And he said, serve their vision. Vision is not about us. It's about what we can do to serve other people. And so one wanted to do an orphanage, another one do a Bible school, another one to do women empowerment, church construction, radio ministry. And so all of that began. And God started teaching me night by night in dreams, now do this, now do this, now do this. And now it's explosive. We had, in the first five years, planted over a thousand churches. 40,000 went through trauma counseling, 500 went through Bible College, 7,000 bush training for pastors, women empowerment. We had a school, we had a radio station, street kids trafficking, you know, coming in for transformation. And so now, 22 years later, as God has answered, taking the missionaries from Uganda to South Sudan doing the same thing. And, you know, when I got up there, I don't know if I've mentioned this story, it is in the book, but it's typical of the places we go. I was going between Uganda and South Sudan and eight hour drive, and I usually drive alone, but this time I had some staff in the car in the front with me. And we were stopped at the border saying, you can't go any farther. There's burned vehicles and dead bodies. The rebels take you off course and they rape and they kill and they loot the car and burn the car, in that order. And I drive through burned vehicles all the time, so I'm very, very aware that this is happening.
- [32:07]
A
Yeah, me too, me too.
- [32:10]
B
And so I get to the border and they go, you can't go any farther. I said, I'm going. I got Bibles and beans and rice and pastors up there. A dying. And we had already started a work up there. And after a while they said, okay, you have to go in a convoy, you know. And they brought military trucks up, up there to run the convoy. Well, you don't stop for four hours. Well, somehow the convoy stopped and sure enough, two big dinka, you know, they're seven foot tall, angry faces. I don't know if I've told you that story before, but they had angry faces with scars on their faces like they do the tribal scarring, you know, and big AK47s because the Rebels killed the soldiers and put on the soldiers uniforms. So when they're in uniform, you don't know who they are, but, but you can tell by their faces. So the, so the convoy stopped. These two big seven guys got on either side of the, of the back seat. They opened the car and jumped in, slammed the door and said, we're your escort. Now I knew that. I knew they were not military and I knew what their intention was. And they do it all day long, which is what? Which is take you off course, rape you, shoot you, and then loot the vehicle and burn it. And that's why we're driving through. That's what they do all day. And so here they are in the car with me. And the one on the left got out his pistol. So he had an AK47 and a pistol and a string of bullets. And he's rolling them around and he shouts to the driver, I mean, hatred. Get off course now. We're your escorts. And I knew exactly what they were going to do. And I said to David, driving, I said, it's one of our nationals. I said, you do exactly what they say. And I had a split second to say, jesus, I'm going to see you real soon. Do you want to say anything to me? And I grabbed the Bible and I flipped around to this guy on my left and I, and I shook it right in his face. And I'm screaming, right? He's sitting right here because they've squeezed me in between them. And I say in his face, I am so glad you're in the car with me today. I said, what is your name? I said, have you ever seen one of these before? And I'm Shaking. Well, he was just, like, totally astounded, Caught off guard. Thought, I'm a mad lady. And then he goes, jacob, a joke, you know, and he kind of spits out his name. And they always have a Western and a Dinka name. I said, jacob, Jacob. I said, do you know that you're in this book? I said, do you know who Jacob is? Let me show you. Turned to Genesis. I said, is this your name? He said, yes. I said, do you know who Jacob is? Do you know who his father is? Do you know his grandfather? Do you know how many kids he has? Oh, let me tell you about his family. You are so famous. I started in Genesis. I'm talking just like this, screaming right in the man's face. And I thought, I'm going back to Adam. And I started in every single Bible story. And I know. And I know them very well. And I. And I kept his attention spellbound three and a half hours. Three and a half hours.
- [34:52]
A
I thought, it's a long sermon.
- [34:54]
B
Yeah, well, one story. Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jonah. And I just went on and on and on and on. And he put his bullet down. He put bullets. He put his pistol down. And I noticed out of the corner of my eye that we were getting right back on track on the road. And I thought, this guy has to stay totally occupied until we reach our destination. Well, it's the power of God's word and the Holy Spirit drawing him. And they began to just soften. They listened to the stories, and then he'd go every once in a while. How come they did that? What they do that for? They love stories, so he's captivated. Well, I came to first, John. I'm going all the way through the Bible, even Jesus's miracles, everything. But I wasn't, you know, I wasn't going to lead him to salvation yet. Till we get to our destination, you.
- [35:40]
A
Got to hold him off a little while so you don't get killed.
- [35:42]
B
Yeah. So he didn't change his mind. So he said, we. I said, we need to walk in the light as Jesus is in light. Forgive one another, so we can have fellowship. This in first John, he goes, oh, that's what our nation needs, isn't it? I said, yes, Jacob, that is. That's why I'm here. He said, why were you here? I was going to kill you. I said, I know you were, but I have a message stronger than death. His name is Jesus. And I've been talking about Jesus. And then I went into the salvation message, and they had both so softened over the three and a half hours of gospel, gospel, gospel, gospel, that when I got to receiving Jesus into their heart. You want to pray with me? Yes. Yes. Both of them prayed to receive Jesus in their heart. By the time we were ready to drop them off, Jacob says, will you come to my village? Will you bring this story? It's the killingest village in South Sudan. I said, you bet I will, Jacob. I took the name of his village. Our missionaries went up immediately, placed, planted a church, got them saved, and now those guys are the missionaries to the ones they were killing. And so as Jacob is getting out of the car, I said, jacob, I'm going to give you this. And he grabbed that Bible and he clutched it like I'd give him a million dollars. And I said, but on one condition. I said, you have to read something every day. He could read about, like a kindergarten, you know, broken. And I said, you have to read something every day, and then you have to tell somebody every day what you read. And he said, I will. I promise you I will. And I said, jacob, you know what that makes you a missionary. I said, you got into this car as a murderer and you got out as a missionary. And that's what God is doing every single day in the places I live. Because I still go where no one wants to go. And we still go through warring tribes, crossfire bullets, ambushes, cannibals, naked headhunters, unreached people groups, Muslim tribes.
- [37:36]
A
Wow. How can people get involved with your organization and learn more?
- [37:40]
B
Our website is www.favor, and that's f A V O R I N t l for international.org. so favorintl.org is a website, and we do have a couple of books. We give them free and they can write to us on the website. Give and find out more. And YouTube also, we have a lot of spiritual warfare and different kinds of teaching on prayer and fasting that people might want to know more about for the battle America is in.
- [38:13]
A
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I would love for you guys to give Favor International a gift and go to that website. Can they give on this website?
- [38:19]
B
Oh, yes.
- [38:20]
A
Okay. Please, guys, if the Holy Spirit's moving you right now, go to this website. Please give. Pray with your wives. Spend some time with the Lord. Commune with him before you determine how you're going to give and give from a cheerful spirit if the Lord's leading you. And then would you give them a gift, Carol? Would you pray for anyone out there? I'd love for you to pray for them in two Ways. One, I'd love for you to pray for them, to commune deeper with the Lord. And then for anyone that's listening to this and is struggling with a lack of forgiveness, or you've got trauma in your past, or you've got bitterness and you feel like you can't fully let go of what was done to you, would you pray for them? And would you even just stand in the gap for them and prophesy over them and go to war against that bitterness and unforgiveness?
- [39:02]
B
Yes. And as I do, I want you to think of a few things and a few people that maybe have been prisoners in your heart. And God wants you to open those cages, open those doors, and just let them go, because that frees yourself. It's not just a matter of freeing them. You become free and the weights are lifted and you fall deeper in love with the great forgiver. So, Lord Jesus, I just thank you. I thank you with all of my heart for everyone listening right now. I thank you that you love them with an everlasting love. And it says you're just drawing them, like reeling them in with an umbilical cord, with cords that cannot be broken, as Jeremiah 31 says. I thank you, Lord Jesus, that you forgive them of everything that they did and everything I. I have done to you by nailing you to the cross with my own sin. You chose to forgive me and ask me that what forgiveness you have given me that I would now give to someone else freely I've received, freely give. And I pray that for everyone listening right now, I ask, Lord Jesus, that every single person that has caused pain, that has caused woundedness and trauma in the lives of every person listening would be drawn to your love and your forgiveness because of the freedom they're going to be given today. And Lord, I thank you that you give it freely, even from the cross. You said forgive them because they don't know what they're doing. And you forgave the thief from the cross and took him to heaven. So, Lord Jesus, I thank you for your healing power and to heal us, to heal minds and hearts that are listening today. But we must be willing to release those that have hurt us, traumatized us, disappointed us, let us down rejection. Lord, I just pray that we would release them from their heart, from. From every heart right now, hearing me, so that the wounds within their hearts could be healed by your fingertips, by your freedom, by your mercy and your loving kindness. I bind every lie and stronghold that would come against the listeners right now to tell them they're not worthy to tell them they can't forgive, to tell them what good is it going to do? In the name of Jesus, I bind every lying spirit right now because the enemy is the father of lies. And. And I bind the power of the devil to rob, steal, kill, and destroy their joy, their faith, their freedom, and their future. I bind that stronghold of the enemy by the power of the blood. Thank you, Jesus, that you said in John 10 you came to give life and life more abundant. And that doesn't mean life in captivity. That means life and freedom. And that each person right now would be able to just say, jesus, I receive your forgiveness. I ask you for your forgiveness. Come into my heart, forgive me and cleanse me of what I've done to you and to others, and set me free so that I can now set others free and be healed. And I believe that today is happening, Lord, in the heart of every hearer and every listener. Because you're faithful, because you came to pay for our healing physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, financially, and to our destiny that we can fulfill the calling you've created us. For each one, in Jesus precious, precious name we pray. Amen.
- [43:02]
A
Thank you, Carol.
- [43:03]
B
Thank you. It's been an honor. Been an honor to be here.
- [43:07]
A
Yes.