Disclaimer: My aim here is not to give anyone the heebie-jeebies. I hate being scared! I can’t even watch commercials for horror movies! I am just relaying experiences I have had, because they strengthen my faith in the spiritual world, which pushes me to press as close as I can into Jesus.
Ok, here we go.
I have looked into the eyes of a demon before (I’m not even talking about my ex here). Many moons ago, when I was still waitressing, I had a table of four people sit down mid-afternoon, and they were weird with a capital “W”. Two ladies and two men. All of them seemed kooky and out of it, but when the older black man in dingy overalls looked up to order, his eyes were off. Slimy. Reptile-like. I don’t know really how to explain it, except I had the distinct impression there was somebody else in there. Later when I walked back by, they had astrology charts spread out all over the table. I will never forget how creeped out I was by them.
Around the same time period, I had a coworker come to me and tell me she had been seeing demons in her apartment when she would go home between shifts and try to nap in the afternoon. She said her boyfriend had first encountered them, and then they’d followed him to her apartment. At times, they would enter her body and she would feel supernaturally strong. I asked if it felt good, to which she said, “No, it was definitely evil.” I took a chance and offered to pray for her right then and there. She wasn’t a believer, but I’m guessing she thought it wouldn’t hurt! We went to the bakery closet at work, and I prayed for Jesus to protect her. A few days later, I asked how things were going, and she said she could still see the demons, but no longer able to possess her. A step in the right direction, I guess! We didn’t talk about it much after that. I’m sure she was weirded out by the whole situation and just wanted to forget about it. Later, she ended up moving away and when she came back to visit I asked her about it. She said she had been diagnosed with sleep paralysis, and that since she’d been taking medication she hadn’t seen anything. My question, then and now is: If it was just a medical condition, how was her boyfriend able to see them?
I myself have felt a strong demonic presence twice. Once was in a gorgeous hotel on the beach in Hilton Head. Probably the poshest room I’ve ever slept in. There was nothing scary about it (other than the nightly rate). As I was falling asleep, though, I felt the unmistakable, tangible presence of evil pressing in on me from all sides. I couldn’t look! There was no way I was opening my eyes! All I could do was hoarsely whisper Jesus’ name over and over until it went away. I learned the next day as we checked out (not one moment too soon!) that 75% of the hotel staff was Jamaican. Jamaica has a pervasive voodoo culture, so my guess is that some of the employees had invited a host of unseen friends along with them. The same exact thing happened in my bedroom in the Fan a few years later after we’d been to the International Thanksgiving dinner at VCU and I had taken the opportunity to share the Gospel with a young Muslim college student. The best way to relay what a demonic presence feels like?Imagine someone who hates you intensely, and would love nothing better than to slit your throat, hovering over you, two inches from your face. It sucks. But God protected me once again and at the repeated name of Jesus the demon(s) had to leave.
In 2010 I was part of a mission trip to Haiti, where voodoo and witchcraft run rampant. One day on a prayer walk through the community, to continue on our path, we had to cross the yard of a house where a loud, rhythmic drumbeat signified that a voodoo ceremony was currently in session. Apparently, during these get-togethers, the practitioners call down demons to possess their bodies, and, once the transaction has occurred, the possessed can beat the drums continuously without stopping. As we prayed, the drumbeat halted three times, and Pastor Junior, whose father had been a voodoo priest, told us our prayers were interrupting the demonic flow. My friend Justin, whose team was there on a medical mission trip from Kentucky, later told us that one of the interpreters showed him an eerie phenomena a few nights before, which the Haitians called “Lugeron”: bright red flashes of light streaking through the sky down into the villages. Demons.
Isn’t it funny that we proudly say we believe in God, but are at the same time hesitant to acknowledge the existence of the demonic? Even though they are all throughout the Bible? Even though Jesus and his crew dealt with them on a regular basis?
Again, I am sharing my experiences because I want to testify firsthand to the reality of the spiritual realm. We can’t usually see demons, but we can see the evidence of evil all over the world and throughout time, all the way back to the Garden of Eden! I am not what you’d label “charismatic”, either in personality or denomination, but those suckers are real!
While we shouldn’t dwell on our enemy, or blame Satan for everything that goes wrong, it is wise to remember he exists, so that we can always be on guard.
Ang
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” ~Ephesians 6:10-18
