Freedom from that Old Serpent

An India TV Ministry story

Mrs. Kamala lay in her bed and fell asleep. In her dream that night, she walked into the home of a family she had never met, at least not in person. 

Viswanathan had recently called the India TV Ministry, where Mrs. Kamala serves as a prayer warrior. He and his family were overwhelmed with the problems in their life. His wife, Nagavalli, was six months pregnant with her third child, and she had recently suffered from a stroke, possibly due to a heart condition or tobacco use. Her left arm and leg were paralyzed, so she could no longer work.

Viswanathan was a daily laborer earning less than $5 a day. He struggled with tobacco and alcohol addiction which took up a portion of his meager income. The family only had enough money to eat one meal a day.

The family was home one day watching TV when they happened to find our India TV Ministry’s program. Although they were Hindu, Viswanathan and his wife were intrigued by the message about the goodness of Jesus. The message seemed to speak to all the problems they had faced. At the end of the program, he called the number on the screen. 

Mrs. Kamala answered and prayed with him. He and his wife started to call regularly for prayer, sharing the burdens that lay heavy on their hearts.

As Mrs. Kamala, in her dream, looked around Vishwanathan and Nagavalli’s house, she noticed a serpent slithering to the household shrine. There, one of Nagavalli’s ancestors bowed to the snake and worshiped it.

The following day, Mrs. Kamala called Nagavalli. “Does your family have a history of snake worship?” she asked.

“Yes, that is true,” Nagavalli answered. “My family has worshipped snakes for many generations. I was even named in honor of them.”

Mrs. Kamala praised God for the revelation He had given her. She saw that Satan was trying to hold on to the worship he had been receiving, in the form of snake worship, from Nagavalli’s family. He would surely try to keep them from following Jesus, but Jesus would be victorious.

Mrs. Kamala and another TV ministry team member earnestly interceded for the family and continued to study the Bible with them. Viswanathan and Nagavalli were uneducated, but their son, who was studying in seventh grade, helped them read the Bible verses Mrs. Kamala shared.

Viswanathan and his family wanted to start going to church. They didn’t have a Seventh-day Adventist church nearby, so they began attending a local Sunday-keeping church.

One Sunday, the pastor requested 1000 rupees, or $15, as an offering, but they had no money to give. The pastor cursed them, saying she would have difficulty delivering her baby. Mrs. Nagavalli was so upset; she wanted to die, but God spoke to her through her son and encouraged her.

“Why are you feeling bad? We have learned from the Bible that Jesus Christ is with us, and he will not leave us. Jesus Christ will help you and give you strength.

The following day, she called the TV ministry team, and they comforted her with the Word of God. She was so happy. They continued to teach her family more about the Bible, including creation and the Sabbath. 

Viswanathan and Nagavalli invited the TV ministry team to her home. They traveled nearly 300 miles to visit her family, and everyone was happy to see them. Nagavalli showed them the place in her home where the household shrine had been, the same place Mrs. Kamala had seen in her dream. She told them that her family had thrown away all their idols and had given up their bad habits. They wanted to be baptized. She said she wished for her son to become a pastor someday to lead people like her to Jesus.

Our India TV team connected her to a local pastor who started a small worship service with Viswanathan and Nagavalli’s family every Sabbath evening. The more they learned about Jesus, the more their lives changed, and their joy increased. 

One day as Nagavalli was home alone, she fell. She prayed to God and heard a voice whisper to her, “Get up, get up!” and she did. She could walk again! People in their village started to notice how God had changed the family’s lives and began to ask questions. Some even started to join the worship services and received Bible studies.

A couple of months later, our India TV Ministry team and some team members from the U.S. came for the family’s baptism. Nagavalli was so excited to be baptized, but she went into labor the evening before. Despite her health issues and the curse from the pastor, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Viswanathan and her son were baptized the next day, and Nagavalli was baptized three weeks later. They became the first family to be baptized as a result of our India TV Ministry. Viswanathan decided to change his name to Abraham, and Nagavalli changed her name to Nagome. The influence of the serpent was gone from their lives. God was victorious. Now Abraham, Nagome, and their family are happily living for Jesus.

We are so grateful to God for using our India TV Ministry to share Jesus with people in places where there is no one else to do it. Since this time, this ministry has had dozens of baptisms. The JFA Prayer Warriors are giving more than 100 Bible studies every week. 

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