Posted: 03/20/2010 at 11:01pm | IP Logged

Lessons from An Unconventional War

by Steve Loopstra and Lisa Otis, The Sentinel Group

The Sentinel Group's DVD, An Unconventional War, is the story of God’s response to unqualified obedience and targeted desperate prayer. This amazing story demonstrates in real terms, the power of prayer and the partnership between church and state to resolve a decades-long conflict. There are powerful lessons to be learned from these saints in Uganda that can help all of us as we plead and pray and seek God for the transformation of our own lives and our communities.


UNQUALIFIED OBEDIENCE

AWERE, UGANDA - In Northern Uganda, a rebel army had spread fear, destruction and bloodshed for nearly twenty years. Under the leadership of rebel leader, Joseph Kony, the Acholi homeland was a place of unimaginable terror and darkness. Daily ambushes, bombings, and kidnappings caused thousands to flee to the south to avoid the violence. Newspapers were filled with reports of terror and child abductions. Each day at dusk, tens of thousands of people, mostly children, would make their way under the cover of darkness to find protection in the South.

For the people who lived in that region, fear was a constant companion. The signature tactic of the rebel army was to kidnap young children and turn them into killing machines and sex slaves. Ugandan government officials estimate that as many as 30,000 children had been plucked from their parents' grasp.

For those like Angelina Atyem, whose daughter Charlotte was kidnapped in the middle of the night by rebel soldiers, resentment and hatred were constant companions. Resentment and hatred would be natural reactions to the brutality that was inflicted upon those who were abducted by the rebel army known as “The Lord’s Resistance Army.” Young girls who were kidnapped were given as the wives and sex slaves of the rebel commanders. Girls as young as 12 and 13 years old were bearing the children of these rebel officers. Kony himself was said to have had as many as 54 wives, with whom he had countless children. And when a young girl lost favor with her “husband” she would be executed. No wonder that the parents of these abducted children found themselves filled with anger, bitterness, and resentment.

As family members gathered to pray and ask the Lord for the safe return of their children, God had a message for them, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” But in the words of Angelina, “…and we wanted that rest, and that rest was – We had to be broken, you know. Our pride, our resentment, our fight against our own brothers had to be broken. We realized, unless we reconcile with our fellow man, we will not be able to get anything from the Living God.” This lesson did not come easily for Angelina. When she received word that her daughter was pregnant out in the bush, her bitterness and anger only grew more intense.

After an angry outburst against a visitor from that region, the Lord spoke to Angelina, and said, “Angelina, is that why you’re praying? Then don’t pray. You have not forgiven. You are not getting anything. You have nothing to get because bitterness and resentment and anger have clouded your mind.” This word sent her into a season of intense prayer until forgiveness finally filled her heart. She began to pray prayers of forgiveness for Kony and those who had abducted her daughter. Soon the families came together and began to repent, forgive, and pray. And as their prayers rose to heaven, God began to answer. In miraculous ways, the children began to be released, and return home.

These joyous reunions were a testimony to the importance of unqualified obedience and forgiveness in the process of transformation. God’s work of transformation in lives and in communities requires a people who are willing to obey the Lord no matter how difficult it may seem or how contrary to their human feelings. In Deuteronomy 5:29, the Lord expresses this desire of His heart when He states, “O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children.” When Angelina and the other parents began to obey the Lord in forgiving their children’s captors and releasing their own bitterness, God responded by doing what seemed like the impossible: the release of their children. Unqualified obedience is a key principle to seeing transformation in any situation.

TARGETED PRAYER

The conflict with the “Lord’s Resistance Army” had gone on for nearly twenty years. It seemed that the Ugandan military could not make any headway against this rebel army. Throughout the 1990’s, Uganda’s military grew increasingly frustrated by its inability to subdue the L. R. A. Given their superior fire power, and training, it did not make sense how they could not overcome the rebels. Mysterious things would happen. Many times, Kony and his forces would be surrounded, but would mysteriously escape. The spirits would routinely inform Kony of government raids. Many times, it seemed that Kony already knew when the government forces would be coming and even how many government troops there were. He could even tell the exact route that the U. P. D. F would be using to attack them. It was becoming very evident that this was not a conventional war. There were strong forces of evil at work. Many former rebels confirmed the L. R. A.’s strong reliance upon witchcraft. Although Kony would frequent many ritual sites throughout the northern bush, he had his greatest spiritual ties in sites in the Aware and Kilak hills. Every six months he would return to these locations to renew his spiritual powers.

As conditions continued to worsen, church leaders in Uganda began to realize that the forces of darkness were firmly in control in the North. They were facing an enemy that would not be defeated by military means. Church leaders and intercessors began to understand the history of idolatry and the link between idolatry and the suffering of the land. The whole body of Christ in Uganda was called to a month of fasting and prayer to prepare for Operation Gideon, a spiritual war on idolatry and witchcraft in the North. This would mean getting to the root of these spiritual forces. Teams of select believers would be dispatched to each of the L. R. A. ritual sites to do spiritual warfare and destroy these sites in the Name of the Lord. These were very dangerous places, and the risks were considerable. Many were not willing to go, realizing the dangers. Because of the importance of the mission, and the associated dangers, it was decided that the military would provide armored escorts for the intercessors.

The team's first stop was Aware Hill, a prime source of Kony’s coveted sacred water. The accompanying soldiers were well aware of the danger of this place and were reluctant to go. They told of one of the commanders who had already died there. In March of 2003, Operation Gideon began on the Aware Hill. Rev. Julius Oyet described the scene. “We all held hands and shouted, ‘The Lord is God, The Lord is God,’ and covenanted this place back to the Lord by a symbol of prayer.” “After that we scooped out the water and drained it completely.” This demonstration of God’s power brought the escort detachment to their knees in submission to the Lord.

The next target was an active altar containing human remains. The body was unearthed, burned and the site cleansed in prayer.

A third site was in the Kilak Hills and could only be reached by helicopter. The Kilak Hills have very strong spirit ties to the Acholi people. The forces of darkness were so strong in this place that leaves drifting over the water there would instantly wither. Once again the intercessors prayed and broke the power of darkness in that place. And once again the accompanying troops were so overwhelmed with God’s presence that they were baptized in that very water. The powers of darkness were broken through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a result of this strategic and targeted intercession, Kony’s links to the powers of darkness were greatly disturbed. At one point he finally told his commanders that the spirits had left him. This was the beginning of the turning point in the war with the L. R. A. After years of seeming invincibility, Kony’s magic had finally worn off. This was a powerful demonstration of the necessity of clear and targeted prayer against the roots of evil in our communities.

If we are to see transformation come to our communities, we must recognize, as the Ugandan church did, that many of the difficulties and conflicts in our communities have spiritual roots. We must also learn how to identify these roots of darkness and wage spiritual warfare in Jesus' Name. Prayer must be Biblical and targeted in order to destroy the foundations of darkness in our communities. In community after community, where believers have applied these principles with humility, unity and diligence, God has given powerful transformational breakthroughs.