Faith that defies fear

Islam dominates the country of Niger, with more than 97 per cent of the population following the faith, and the number of strict or aggressive Muslim groups is increasing. 

The number of those who follow Christ is also increasing, but there is great pressure to remain in — or return to — Islam. New believers feel isolated. But despite difficulties and challenges, there are many encouraging stories from Niger.

Yacouba*, who works with OM in Africa, used to be a Muslim and spend much of his time trying to talk people into converting to Islam. 

“I used to be a vibrant Muslim believer. Before I met Christ, I wanted everybody to become Muslims,” he said. “When I started [talking to people about Jesus] I thought I'll do things by my force with my mind. 

“Now I discover I can no longer use my force, my mind, to do things. I use the power of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge from the Word of God to do things, and this is why I stick to the method of Jesus Christ; living with disciples, teaching them, showing them how to pray, how to depend on the Holy Spirit, how to depend on the word of God to move forward. And this is why I believe now in pouring all that I know into young people, because I believe the future is now if we have young people with us.” 

More important than fear

Yacouba shared that to be a follower of Christ in Niger is to be afraid every day, but said he has learnt that some things are more important than his fear. 

"One of the religious Islamic leaders in my country, when he heard I'm travelling 1,400km for teaching, he said, 'Yacouba, are you not afraid of coming back?' I told him, 'Ten years ago, I would be afraid and stay [at home]. Now I am not afraid because I know I have many other [people like me] across the country.'"

Part of the reason for the increase in disciples in the country is the emphasis on multiplication that Yacouba and other believers encourage. "We said if we train 12 disciples in two years and send them to each make 12 other disciples, we'll find 144 at the end of two years, and if we add two other years, it'll be more than a thousand disciples. This is the same with the churches. 

“The biggest challenges are moving from the traditional church mindset, meaning taking care of members inside the church, to now taking everybody, every member, outside to work on the Kingdom of God. A young convert within six months can become a disciple maker. A few disciples in a village can transform the life of the whole community. 

“Some think this is a kind of miracle, [but] we are trying to tell them our aim is to make sure that [they know that] Jesus [can] use ordinary people to do extraordinary things — people changing the life of others and making the darkness go far. 

“Despite what people are hearing, the country is still open. Muslims are now tired of Islam. The opportunities are there, especially for those who have professional skills, agriculture, teachers, whatever you can do practically. In this part of Africa, we preach with our lives more than [with] what we are saying. You can make disciples even by having a carpentry shop or being a mechanic; you can make a disciple who can then change others." 

A miraculous escape

Yacouba has many stories of what God has done for him and through him over the years, including one of the miraculous escape of an Imam who came to faith in Christ. 

“[He was] living inside a big mosque in a place where Boko Haram is everywhere,” he said. “That Imam gave his life to Christ, and he was discovered by the association. He and his family were frightened to lose their lives. 

“If any [problem] comes, I go to God, and He helps me. I had to remove this Imam from that area [but] there was no way [I could]; I had no plan, no money, nothing. But the Lord provided a solution quickly.  

“That night, after spending time in prayer, I had to find a way to these people, who are 1,600km away from where I am. It's only the wisdom from God that helped me save the lives of these people by removing them from that place. Presently, these leaders are disciples, and they're about to become disciple makers. 

“We know difficulties will come. We know our God is alive and we believe [even] if He hadn't intervened. We know Jesus died for all Muslims and even for all those who are creating difficulties because of the kingdom of darkness. We know the light has come in the darkness and the power of darkness [will] never overcome them.” 

Pray that the Lord would remove every barrier to the knowledge of Him. The spiritual effects of folk Islam and demonic oppression in Niger hinder many from following Christ. Pray for those from a Muslim background who have chosen to follow Jesus; may they persevere and remain faithful amidst all the difficulties they will face. Yacouba asks for prayer for the surrounding countries of Chad, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal. Pray for God to show Himself to the Muslims living in this area and for spiritual change to sweep across the region.