Spiritual warfare is real, but Christians are not afraid - because the word of God tells us, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) 

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In episode 2, the young sales engineer Stanley became a Christian and was baptized in 1975. For Stanley, it was the beginning of his faith journey, not the end. He wanted to be a practicing Christian, one who lives out his faith, not one who is merely a Christian in name nor one who worships God only on Sundays.

Stanley: Do not pay too much attention to what you see with your eyes, for these things are temporal. We should focus our eyes with faith on truth and the Holy Spirit which cannot be seen, so that we can move towards what is eternal.

For people who believe only in things which are visible, only what can be seen is real. But the Bible repeatedly reminds us that there is more than meets the eye. One year after his baptism, young Stanley became vividly aware of this.

One night in 1976, when Stanley was living alone in a rented room, at about twelve midnight, he suddenly felt something squeezing his neck! He could not move or speak and could hardly breathe. His whole body seemed to be paralyzed. The door handle rattled but he did not see anyone coming into the room. He was terrified but did not know what to do. He prayed in his heart, "Jesus, please help me!" In that moment, the grasp around his neck loosened and he saw something fly out the window! Quickly he got up and thanked God.

The next morning, he asked his landlord, "Was anything lost? Are there any signs of breaking in?" The landlord said, “No, no one broke in and nothing is lost.” Stanley thought it must surely be a spiritual attack! In the next two weeks, the same happened again and again, always at about 12 midnight, and each time Stanley prayed, "Jesus, please help me!". And always, after he had prayed in his heart, the attacks stopped. These experiences make Stanley realise how true God’s promises are and that there is power in Jesus’ name!

In John 14:27, Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Stanley: Spiritual warfare is real, but there is salvation in the name of Jesus Christ, because we are of God, and the Holy Spirit in us is greater than anything in this world.

Stanley's mother was a devout Buddhist since childhood. He tried a few times to witness to her but was not able to convince her since she has genuine questions about life. Stanley continued to earnestly pray for his mother's salvation. One day in 1976, Stanley took his mother to church for an evangelistic rally. The speaker at church said, “If a person wants to know and experience Christ, one must not just talk about Him but receive Him in one’s heart. For example, if one wants to know what a durian really tastes like, one has to eat it. Talking about and just describing the durian is useless.”

Stanley's mother understood this simple metaphor and prayed that night to accept Christ as her Saviour. Although she did not fully understand salvation at that time, she experienced joy and peace. After each Navigators discipleship meeting, Stanley returned home and shared what he had learned with his mother. Soon after, the elderly lady was baptized. Stanley was very happy because his mother was his first disciple!

A few months later, Stanley suddenly received a phone call from his sister. Stanley was told that his mother was behaving strangely. She sat alone in silence, in a corner of the house. She seemed in a daze - very unlike her usual self.

After work, Stanley rushed over to his sister’s house to see his mother. She did not greet him warmly nor fuss over him as she normally would. Her eyes were lifeless and she looked downcast. Stanley asked her many questions and finally understood why. His mother had nightmares of a big black shadow in her sleep and she was very fearful.

Stanley decided to take her mother back to his rented place and take care of her personally. Interestingly, when she lived with him, his mother no longer had those nightmares of the dark shadow. Stanley was very happy. But as soon as she left his place and went to stay with one of his  other siblings, the black shadow would return and the strange countenance on her face would return. Stanley continued to pray for a solution.

One day, he read in the Old Testament of how King Saul invited David to play the harp to drive away evil spirits. Stanley had an idea. He was learning to play the guitar at that time. Again he invited his mother to stay with him. That night, Stanley played guitar and sang hymns for his mother as she laid her head on his lap. Stanley also taught her to recite Psalm 23. That night both of them slept soundly. The next morning, Stanley saw his mother smiling again; she regained her cheerfulness. For the next twenty over years, Stanley's mother lived a joyful Christian life able to recite over 100 Bible verses even though she was illiterate. In the year 2000, she passed on peacefully as she sat on a sofa during an afternoon nap at the ripe old age of 90 years.

In this world, it is inevitable that we encounter difficulties and different forms of attacks. Some may come from people and things we can see. But other attacks may come from the evil powers which we cannot see. In these incidents, Stanley put his faith in Jesus Christ. He saw the grace and power of God manifest in his life, in his family, and in the lives of his loved ones. For Stanley, since having Jesus as his heavenly friend and protector, even the darkest night turns bright. He is still a young man, and his life is about to start.

This is the end of episode 3. I will continue Stanley’s exciting story in episode 4 on next Thursday.