Overcoming the Power of Darkness

Pastor Balchandra, a servant of Christ from Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh state, has been faithfully following the Lord since he got saved. What began as a sincere response to God’s call has become a powerful testimony of endurance, rejection, spiritual warfare, and unshakable faith.

Some years ago, he felt led to go and minister in Azamgarh. But sadly, his obedience was met with hostility. A false case was filed against him,accusing him under anti-conversion charges and he was arrested and put in prison.

That first imprisonment lasted 32 days. But those days were not just physically difficult, they were spiritually terrifying. The prison was filled with hardened criminals, and Pastor Balchandra recalls a strong presence of evil spirits. For 15 to 20 days, he was in mental turmoil. “My head wasn’t working. I couldn’t think. The enemy attacked my mind badly,” he shared. He was overwhelmed, confused, and spiritually oppressed.

Upon his release on bail, things didn’t get better. When he returned home, he faced rejection from his own family, who turned him away. With nowhere else to go, he moved in with his wife Vandana’s family.

Though they were not believers, they allowed him and his family to stay. He and his family are still living there to this day.

Over the next four years, he was entangled in a legal battle. Every month, he had to appear in court for hearings. With no financial support from churches, which had all been closed, and no home of his own, he began driving a vehicle to support his wife and three children. The pressure was constant, but through prayer and God’s provision, he pressed on.

Then, in 2024, he was sentenced again in the same case. This time, the sentence was harsher—eight months in prison.

This second imprisonment brought even deeper suffering. Once again, he was surrounded by darkness. He experienced continued attacks from
demonic spirits, even as he tried to pray. “There are so many demons inside the prison. When I prayed, they would attack me. At times, I thought I would die.”

But unlike the first time, this time he fought back with prayer and the Word. He began to share the gospel with other inmates. shared the Word, and even gave away his personal Bible to one of the prisoners before he left. “I couldn’t keep the Word to myself,” he said. “I taught them how to
pray and how to tell others about Jesus.”

While he was serving inside, his wife Vandana was facing another kind of persecution. Her mother and relatives, who are not in the Lord, believed he would never come back. They began planning to remarry her off. This devastated Pastor Balchandra when he heard about it. Isolated in prison, he was helpless and heartbroken.

He worried constantly, “I don’t have my own house. If I stay in jail for 6 years, how will my family survive? What will happen to my children without money?”

He and Vandana have two young children together, a five-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. He also has a 14-year-old daughter from his first wife, who passed away earlier. Vandana, his current wife, suffers from eye problems and physical disability. “I married her because I had pity on her,” he says. Their relationship is built on sacrificial love, but the burden of sustaining the family fell completely on his shoulders.

During his time in jail, Vandana would visit when possible and bring him small items to survive. But the mental and emotional toll was great. “I had lost all hope. But I remembered one thing, nothing is impossible with the Lord. I just kept praying and giving my burden to Him.”

It was during this time that Persecution Relief family stepped in by providing financial support to his wife and children during his absence. A sister from the ministry would regularly call Vandana, encouraging her and strengthening her faith.

He is deeply thankful “Because of the prayers of the saints and the support of Persecution Relief, I was able to come out of prison after eight months.”

He still lives with his wife’s parents.  For now, he continues driving to earn for his family. And through it all, he continues to praise the Lord.

“I bless Persecution Relief for the good work they are doing,” he says. “They are still helping us even now because we don’t have a house of our own. They remembered us when no one else did.”

His faith, though tested, remains firm. Though he cannot publicly preach, he knows that God is not finished with him yet.

Prayer Points for Pastor Balchandra and Family:

1. Pray that Pastor Balchandra and his family experience deep
emotional and spiritual healing from the trauma of imprisonment,
rejection, and oppression. May the Lord restore their minds, hearts,
and spirits.

2. Ask the Lord to provide a stable home and consistent financial
support for their family’s needs, including the education and
well-being of their three children.

3. Pray for complete justice and vindication in the ongoing legal case. May God protect him from any further unjust imprisonment or
legal threats, and may truth and righteousness prevail.

4. Lift up Vandana’s family and all who persecuted them, that their eyes may be opened to the gospel and they may come to know the
saving grace of Jesus Christ through the witness of this family.

5. May God open safe doors for ministry and use him mightily in His kingdom, whether behind closed
doors or in the open field.