Step behind enemy lines and see how the unseen world shapes your daily life. Hosts Adam and Diana Clay, missionaries with over 20 years of experience serving in Voodoo, Santeria, and animism cultures, help Christians discern challenges, stand firm, and confront the schemes opposing God’s purposes. Each episode equips you to reclaim your God-given authority, walk in your calling, advance God’s kingdom, and live on mission to fulfill the Great Commission.
spiritualrecon.substack.com (https://spiritualrecon.substack.com/s/podcast?utm_medium=podcast)
Witch Doctors, Territorial Spirits & Spiritual Warfare in the Amazon | Travis Burkhalter (ep. 33)
🎥 Watch the Full Episode on YouTube
Prefer to watch the conversation? Join Adam, Diana, and returning guest Travis Burkhalter for the full video episode on YouTube.
What happens when you enter a place where people believe spirits control the rivers, the jungle, and the land itself?
Where witch doctors hold spiritual influence.
Where fear of the unseen realm shapes everyday life.
And where following Jesus can mean turning away from spiritual powers people have trusted for generations.
In this episode of Spiritual Recon, we’re joined again by missionary Travis Burkhalter, who spent years serving among indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest and now works with indigenous people in Colombia.
Travis shares stories of territorial spirits, witch doctors, strange encounters, and spiritual opposition from his years in the Amazon.
But this conversation goes beyond the supernatural stories.
It’s about recognizing how the enemy works, seeing where God is already moving, and learning what it means to follow Jesus into the battle.
Because the enemy doesn’t always work through obvious spiritual manifestations.
Sometimes he works through fear.
Sometimes through deception.
And sometimes through distorted understandings of the gospel that leave people using Christian language without truly following Jesus as King.
Yet even in places where darkness seems deeply entrenched, God is already at work.
And He’s inviting His people to join Him.
🔍 In This Episode
* Stories of territorial spirits believed to control parts of the Amazon jungle and rivers
* Witch doctors, animism, and the fear that shapes everyday life
* Strange accounts of two-headed snakes, animal spirits, and supernatural encounters
* Spiritual opposition and the challenges Travis and his team faced in the Amazon
* How distorted understandings of the gospel can leave people trapped in fear
* Why discipleship requires more than simply sharing information
* How Bible storytelling and modeling Jesus helped indigenous believers grow in faith
* The story of a woman involved in witchcraft who eventually turned from the spirits to follow Jesus
* How spiritual warfare takes different forms among indigenous communities in Colombia
* What these experiences teach us about recognizing the enemy’s strategies in our own communities
One of the most important themes in this conversation is that understanding spiritual warfare is only part of the mission.
We can learn about territorial spirits.
We can recognize patterns of deception.
We can study the ways the enemy seeks to keep people in darkness.
But if that knowledge doesn’t lead us to love people, make disciples, and follow Jesus into the places He’s sending us, we’ve missed the point.
The goal isn’t simply to recognize darkness. It’s to follow Jesus into the places where He’s calling us to push it back.
And that brings us to a question worth asking:
Are we learning to recognize the battle so we can talk about it, or so we can actually step into our calling?
🎙️ About Spiritual Recon
Spiritual Recon explores the biblical supernatural worldview and what it means to follow Jesus as King, make disciples, and push back darkness.
Our mission:
UNDERSTAND THE BATTLE. STEP INTO YOUR CALLING. PUSH BACK DARKNESS.
🌐
https://spiritualrecon.org
Get full access to Spiritual Recon Community at spiritualrecon.substack.com/subscribe (https://spiritualrecon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
21 Oct 2026
6 Marks of a People Who Push Back Darkness (Ep. 32)
🎥 Watch the Full Episode on YouTube
Prefer to watch the conversation? Join Adam and Diana for the full video episode on YouTube.
What does it actually look like to become a people who push back darkness?
Not just understand the unseen battle.
Not just recognize the powers at work.
But actually follow Jesus into the places where He’s sending us.
As we begin Season 2 of Spiritual Recon, we’re shifting the conversation from understanding the battle to becoming a people who live on mission.
Because the goal has never been simply to know more about the unseen realm.
The goal is to follow Jesus as King, make disciples, and push back darkness wherever He’s placed us.
In this episode, we explore six characteristics of a people on mission, drawing from Alan Hirsch’s missional DNA framework.
🔍 In This Episode
* Why everything begins with Jesus as King
* Why making disciples is central to pushing back darkness
* What it means to live missionally and incarnationally
* How organic communities grow and multiply
* Why we need a community formed around a shared mission
* How APEST equips the whole body to participate in Jesus’ mission
* What this means for the next season of Spiritual Recon
But this isn’t just about understanding six characteristics.
It’s about asking whether we’re actually living as the people Jesus has called us to be.
Because pushing back darkness isn’t just about confronting spiritual activity.
It’s about following Jesus, making disciples, and living as a people sent into the world.
And that brings us back to the question:
Are you pushing back darkness where God has placed you?
👉 Join the Spiritual Recon Community
We’re building something beyond the podcast.
Spiritual Recon is a community of people learning to follow Jesus, understand the unseen battle, and live on mission wherever God has placed them.
Through trainings, conversations, and opportunities to connect, we’re helping people move beyond simply learning about the battle and begin stepping into their calling.
Whether you’re serving overseas, leading a community, or simply wanting to live more intentionally on mission where you are, we’d love for you to be part of the conversation.
👉 Explore our community and upcoming trainings:
https://spiritualrecon.org (https://spiritualrecon.org)
🎙️ About Spiritual Recon
Spiritual Recon is hosted by Adam and Diana Clay, missionaries serving in the Dominican Republic.
We explore the biblical supernatural worldview and what it means to follow Jesus as King, make disciples, and live on mission where the unseen realm intersects with everyday life.
Our mission:
UNDERSTAND THE BATTLE. STEP INTO YOUR CALLING. PUSH BACK DARKNESS.
🌐 Website:
https://spiritualrecon.org (https://spiritualrecon.org)
📩 Contact: SpiritualReconPodcast@gmail.com (mailto:SpiritualReconPodcast@gmail.com)
👉 Subscribe to Spiritual Recon for more conversations about understanding the unseen battle and becoming a people who live on mission.
Get full access to Spiritual Recon Community at spiritualrecon.substack.com/subscribe (https://spiritualrecon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
20 May 2026
Episode 31: A New Chapter Begins — Building Something Deeper
In this short update episode, Adam and Diana share where things are headed next for Spiritual Recon.
Over the next couple of months, we’ll be preparing for the launch of the Spiritual Recon Equipping Community this August while continuing to release weekly “Recon Briefings” and occasional long-form conversations focused on spiritual warfare, discipleship, mission, APEST, and equipping believers to live fully on mission as image-bearers of God.
To be the first to hear updates and learn more about the Spiritual Recon Equipping Community, visit:
https://www.SpiritualRecon.org
Thank you for being part of this journey with us
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