One week ago I had the most amazing spiritual experiences of my life. It was totally amazing! And when I say amazing...I MEAN AMAZING! God answered every thing we were asking for during the FAST! AND I MEAN EVERYTHING!
Let me begin my story...
Ashley, Perry, Chanali and I went to Alabama to minister at a High School Camp there. The vast majority of the students and leaders of this camp, were skeptics or had no experience with demonic manifestations, spiritual warfare and/or the spiritual gifts. The first Day of the Camp and the Spirit moved, the alter was filled with kids crying out to God. Service ended up lasting late into the night.
The second night a girl had an "asthma attack" while sitting down during worship. Her asthma attack actually served as a opening for a move of God, as the kids started praying for her and crying out to God. God started opening widows for healing, breaking of sin, and blessing to flow down!
During the third night something happens that starts to raise up our red flags. One of the leaders has a seizure, at the height of worship. A bunch of us go over to her to hold her legs and arms and also pray for her. The worship music continued to play blaring loud. Suddenly she starts kicking, and struggling with those holding her arms! Then she goes back into have the seizure. Later that night she shared with the group. She explained how she heard Josh Deter, Ryland Wilson, James Alexander and myself praying for her, while the seizure was going on. Now here the crazy thing...we were all praying under our breath or praying in our heads while her seizure was going on...and the music was blaring...she couldn't hear us with her natural ears if she tried! Service continues...this time a girl has a panic attack again at a peak in worship and can't calm down. More kids get delivered, another move of God happens.
By now red flags are going up for us four. This seems like something more than physical alignments or something triggered by emotional distress. And how could this young woman hear us praying for her.
That next day (Thursday) Ashley, Perry, Chanali, Jeremy, Ryland and myself pray over the campgrounds and over the area we are going to have our last and final service of the camp for a few hours. The service was to be held in a clearing in the middle of the woods. Ryland senses that we there will be spiritual warfare, and hears a word from God that there will be angels encamped around the area 20 feet in the woods. Worship starts very awkwardly, Grantland the worship leaders has lost his voice, and is struggling to project. Many of the campers aren't singing, instead just staring. After worship we take communion, and I start to preach. The message I planned to preach on that night was simple: The Disciplines and Discipleship. Who knew I wouldn't even get through the second point. I simple begin speaking about confession. I call the Youth pastors, leaders, and ministers to come up and ask them if anyone of them would like to share a time when they had to confess something. To my surprise every leader confesses something. Then I open an opportunity for the students to come up and confess to these leaders who have laid there hearts bare for them. Its a very moving time, as there are many tears shed as the students start bringing everything to the light. While the time of confession started dwindling down, I began to start to discuss another one of the disciplines when one of the boys starts dry heaving and then throwing up uncontrollably. I realize that he is purging, and share this with the kids. Then it gets worse his eyes change and he starts screaming and speaking in other voices. I stop speaking and go over to minister to him. Definitely a demon...actually 13 of them. That night 3 more kids manifested demons. Throwing up, kicking, punching, scratching, biting, screaming in multi voices and much more came out of these three. All of them had deep issues concerning family. Issues of abuse, abandonment, lost, repressed emotions and un-forgiveness. I had never witnessed that many demonic manifestation all at one time.
We were pressed to cast of demon, in the Name of Jesus Christ in the dark. There were only torches to provide light. With bible and flash lights we searched for scriptures dealing with the demons manifesting. quickly moving from place to place barefoot, in the Spirit of Almighty God. I felt absolutely no fear. I've encountered demonic presences before, and they have freaked me out. But not this time. PERSONAL MINISTRY POWER. A boldness that only God gives. An intuneness that is only from Him. All four of us battled that night and the next day. Two out of the four delivered. The other two, we cast a bunch out but they still had open windows, and weren't filled with the spirit.
We prayed for it, and it was given. And that's not even the best part yet...because we haven't even gotten to Sunday yet!
Oh and I CANNOT FORGET! THE KEY INGREDIENT TO DEFEAT THE DEMONS! THE NAME OF JESUS. THE SCRIPTURE. THE BLOOD. AND LOVE!!! It was Love that broke their holds on the kids! A simple hug from a mother, a father. Them forgiving people that had done them so wrong. LOVE. Jesus is the Solution...and Love is the Means.
To be continued...