Spiritual bondage in East Africa

East Africa (MNN) — East Africa is a region plagued by poverty and disease. These vicious cycles are hard to break and cannot be stopped through humanitarian aid alone. Francis Ssennyajo of Set Free Ministries East Africa says we have to address the spiritual conditions as well.

In many areas of East Africa, communities are dependent on witch doctors. They go to them for medical advice. They go to them for life events ranging from births to putting up new buildings. And they are afraid to neglect the witch doctor’s blessing. Basically, witch doctors run the show.

“The outcome is that individuals kind of sell their birthright of having a sense of ownership about who they are. They kind of lose touch with themselves and surrender to the forces around them as if they don’t have any sense of responsibility as to their destiny,” Ssennyajo says.

And if they believe their actions today have little impact on their future, they’re more likely to make harmful, reckless decisions. And that lack of responsibility actually contributes to the harmful patterns we are talking about.

“When we fail to take responsibility, then other forces will take that responsibility for us. And the outcome is nothing other than the thief coming to steal, to kill, and to destroy,” Ssennyajo says.

Dean Vander Mey, Executive Director of Set Free says one thing they bump into often is the Western mindset that “knowledge is power”.

He says, “Knowledge only puffs up. Wisdom, fear of God, is what sets captives free. Truth sets captives free.”

We could look at the HIV/AIDS epidemic, for example. One of the major reasons the disease spreads so rapidly in parts of Africa is the practice of infidelity. While education on how the disease is transmitted is extremely important, behaviors and hearts have to change, too.

Ssennyajo says witch doctors use the people for their own gain. These communities believe they must go to the witch doctor for everything — and pay — so they lose a lot of their livelihood. Education and actual medical care are not only less important to them, but they become unaffordable. And that’s how the cycle continues.

The spiritual bondage people have under the rule of the witch doctor is why humanitarian aid initiatives are not enough on their own.

“When we focus on poverty in terms of lack of stuff to sell, what has happened over the years even with different organizations supporting the cause of the poor, [is] people end up getting goats, people end up getting things they can use. But these things are sold, and the money [is] again paid to the witch doctor,” Ssennyajo explains.

Freedom in Christ

The hold of the witch doctor, powered by fear, is strong. But that’s where the Gospel comes in. SSennyajo says when people encounter Christ, when the Holy Spirit enters their life, they are freed from this fear and they look at life differently. They see the cause and effect of their actions. They start to take responsibility, and raise their children to do the same. There is motivation to look for a better future for themselves and their children.

This is why Set Free Ministries is sharing the Gospel to various communities throughout East Africa and beyond.

“The thing about Set Free Ministries is their core vision and mission of spiritual freedom, which is the root cause of all our challenges in this life. It doesn’t matter whether you are in the U.S. or in Uganda or elsewhere. Truth about who we are has got to prevail.”

Ssennyajo explains, the only thing that can break the cycles of bondage in anyone’s life “is the power of God to bring about a new person.”

And this new person will live a life that glorifies God.

“That’s where the true life is. That’s where the life in abundance is supposed to be experienced. Anything short of that is just deception.”

Check back for more stories from Set Free Ministries and their work in East Africa.