Joe and Millie Dawson went to the Amazonian jungles of Venezuela in the 1950's. Joe has gone to be with the Lord, but Millie is still there, serving the Lord. Most of their ten children were born in the jungle. I have written before of some of the exploits of Michael Dawson, who wrote Growing Up Yanomamö. Michael’s older brother, Gary, had a conversation with a village shaman when Gary was only seventeen. I would like to tell you about that conversation.

Gary went to a village that had never been visited by a missionary. As he entered the village he could hear the shamans chanting. When he walked in, it was like someone turned off the switch. It got very quiet. He visited with the people and then spoke with the older, head shaman. Gary told the shaman that he would like to tell him about God.

The shaman became excited when Gary mentioned God. “I know who you are talking about,” said the shaman. “He is the Enemy God. There is no one like Him. (I Samuel 2:2) He is the most powerful of all spirits. He lives in the highest heaven. (II Corinthians 12:2) There is a river there that is crystal clear (The Revelation 22:1) and if you drink the water, you will never die. There are trees there that bear fruit all the time (The Revelation 22:2), and if you eat that fruit you will never get sick and you will never die. There are a lot of beings in that place (The Revelation 5:11) and they make “noise” (praise) all the time (The Revelation 4:8). It is a noisy place, but a happy place. There is no darkness there (The Revelation 21:23). There is no sickness or death there (The Revelation 21:4).”

Bear in mind the above paragraph is a description given by an uneducated man living in Stone-age conditions in the Amazonian jungle. Gary thought that he had read some of the Bible.

He asked the old man how he knew these things. The shaman told him that his evil spirits showed him this beautiful place from far off. They told him that God (whom they called “the Enemy God”) would not share it with man. In fact, they told the shaman that God hated man. This, of course, is the lie of Satan. The Satanic spirits showed the old man the truth, the glory of Heaven, but then lied to him. Are we surprised? The Yanomamö call God “the Enemy God” because that is what they have been told by their evil spirits. We know that God loves us and wants us to be in Heaven with Him.

The old shaman continued his conversation. He told Gary, “You have His spirit within you. When you walked into the village, my spirits said ‘the Spirit of the Enemy God is here.’ They are now outside the village, asking when you will leave so that they may return.”

This observation moved the teenaged Gary. He had questioned his walk with the Lord, and even if he had salvation or not. This conversation showed him that the Holy Spirit dwelled within him, and it was not because of anything he had done or could do. It was because of the unmerited Grace of God.

If you are reading this and have not accepted the free gift of Salvation, please do it now. Contact a Christian, contact a church, contact me. Any Christian will be happy to show you the way. The time is short.

Brothers and Sisters, how very blessed we are. In our insulated, comfortable culture we are not as aware of spirits as are the people who live without medical care or police protection or even knowing if they will have enough food to eat. They are very aware of the spirit world, particularly the evil spirits. We may not be as aware, but be assured, if you have accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. Praise God!