Category Archives: Spirit
Book Review: The Path by Rick Joyner – Worth reading!
The Path: Fire on the Mountain, Book One by Rick Joyner
Wow! I LOVED this book. It was so incredibly refreshing to me. So many books I read are just the same stuff, in a slightly different format or from a different author’s perspective.
THIS IS FRESH!
When I was in college, I used to take notes if a book was good. I haven’t done that in many, many years. I took 12 pages of notes on this little book of 200 pages. That should tell you something.
Normally, I like to highlight in a book when something “speaks” to me. This was different. I wanted to write down the statements or concepts that really jumped out at me. I wanted to be able to meditate on them later and share them with others. That’s why I ended up with 12 pages of notes. Then I typed them into my computer for safekeeping because who keeps handwritten notes anymore? And how will I find them when I am looking for them next year? 🙂
Anyway, I’ll give you a synopsis of the book and then some special highlights that I liked. The story is written like an allegory or a parable. There’s no introduction explaining whether this is fiction or whether Rick Joyner experienced this story as a vision. In the Final Quest series (which this book mimics), he said in the intro that those books came as a series of visions he received from the Lord. But this book is silent as to the source. Was it a vision or did Rick write it in story form to illustrate the truths he wanted to convey? No idea. But either way, it’s pretty well written as a story.
It starts with the main character trudging through a dreary wilderness thinking that every step will be his last. He comes across of pool of living water. He drinks some water and suddenly his senses are sharp and clear, he feels rejuvenated and “alive” like he hasn’t felt in years. A man comes and speaks to him. His dialog with this man continues throughout the book and he later refers to him as Elijah, as in the prophet Elijah from the Old Testament of the Bible. Later he also meets someone referred to as Enoch, as in “Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24, The Bible).
Elijah tells him to follow him. They walk for a while and arrive on a beach with a large cruise ship in the water nearby. There are a group of people who ask the main character to lead them through the wilderness. He agrees and off they go. The rest of the book is the story of their journey through the wilderness & their interaction with Elijah and Enoch.
The story line is meant to convey not only their journey, but the spiritual truths they need to “stay on the right path” in following the Lord. The story focuses mostly on their conversations along the way. There are a few areas of tension in the story – they run into lions a few times and then later there is possible division brewing in the group and they have to resolve that. Other than that, it’s mainly a lot of dialog meant to convey spiritual truths.
What I loved about it was that many of the truths presented are not your typical “Sunday school curriculum”. They are MUCH DEEPER than that. They are things I have discovered in my own walk with God, but have rarely if ever heard anyone talk about. I appreciated that Rick was willing to go out on a limb and deal with some tough issues that most people in the Christian faith ignore or deny. He did it in a respectful manner, but he was direct and firm. I like that. I am hoping that since Rick is well-known in the Christian world his book will be read by many. Perhaps it will inspire others to take the trek into the wilderness of true intimacy with Christ.
Here are some quotes or concepts from the book that impacted me – I hope something here will inspire you as well.
In general, leaders have given themselves to building organizations more than building PEOPLE. Great saints are becoming rare. (p. 9)
Your guidance must come from your heart, your spirit. You must see with the eyes of your heart more clearly than you see with your natural eyes or you will not stay on the right path. (p. 13)
You must drink from the living water as soon as you begin to thirst. Even drink when you are not thirsty. Staying close to it will keep you alive and on the path. When you are on the right path, it will always be close to you, so find it, drink it often and never go far from it. This is the MOST BASIC LESSON! (p. 8 & 13)
People are being led to the things of the Lord, but not to the Lord Himself. Many are lukewarm because they have so many distractions. Others are lukewarm because they are worn out from all the hype. Those who repent will be given the grace to change. (p. 19)
It is not just love or just power, but it is the power of love you must have. (p. 25)
To get the full benefit of the wilderness, you need to experience it with others. The purpose of the wilderness is to forge “koinonia”, a bonding together into a single unit that is inseparable, like a human body is inseparable. We will perish in the wilderness without it. It is forged by experience in the wilderness together. It is formed through love for Jesus that causes us to treat each other as we would treat Him (with respect). We must have koinonia for the life of Christ to flow through His body (like blood flowing through a human body). We need each other. I (the leader) may need you more than you need me. Those who have never tasted of this fellowship cannot understand it. To experience His glory and presence together is the greatest bond of all. (p. 52-55, 61, 69)
On this path, we earn to live in two worlds – spiritual and natural. The two worlds were meant to be connected by man. To live in both worlds is the natural state of man. Man is both spirit and flesh. The more you can do this, the more you will become who you were created to be. (p. 66)
We must not allow fear to control us, guide us or influence our decisions. Every day that we stay on course, resisting fear, we will become stronger in the Lord. There are many paths and almost all are very inviting. There is no formula – we follow a Person, not a formula. The right path seems to look harder and may be harder for a time. It is NOT the most inviting. We must have faith to see it, follow the Lord and not our own reasoning. The wrong path looks easier, tempts you to escape your difficulties. It leads to entanglements that few ever get free of. (p. 67-68)
If you see the Lion who lives in you, you will not be afraid of anything else. (p. 79)
The life of a disciple is to be taught by the Master (Jesus). The Lord has a special delight in teaching His people. God does not hide things from us, He hides them FOR us. I learned to hear the Word Himself through whomever He chose to speak or by whatever means. (p. 85-86)
Self-focus and self-centeredness are the nature of the immature. It is hard to find those who care about the deeper things of the Lord. Of those who DO care, few are able to resist worldly distractions to actually pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord – to be taught by Him. (p. 92)
For a truth to become life, it must be applied to our life. As you live what you learn, your words will have the power of life. You will not just teach the truth, but you will impart a love for the truth when it is your life. (p. 93, 102)
There is a lot of teaching today that keeps people self-centered rather than Christ-centered. This keeps them in immaturity. You must come to know the Teacher’s voice, regardless of how He speaks or who He speaks through. You must also learn to obey Him. To obey Him almost always requires risk and disregard for self-interest. When you seek the interests of Christ, then your own selfish interests will begin to seem as small and petty as they really are. (p. 94)
Seal these three things in your heart – to know His voice, to do His will and to abide in Him. These will keep you and they will lead you to the kingdom. (p. 97)
The result of experiencing the manifest presence of God is an insatiable desire for more of Him and a special fellowship (koinonia) with all who experience it. (p. 107)
Many people gave their lives to Christ but were then taught to follow people, movements or certain doctrines and were never led to Him. This leads to disappointment and a shallow, frustrating life – not the abundant life He promises. (p. 120)
We must get so close to Him that we are following HIM, not just principles. We often miss Him because we are looking for Him as we expect Him to be, rather than as He is. (p. 123, 147)
We cannot think of ourselves as better than others, but as servants of those who may not have had our experiences. Do not become proud of the grace you have been given! (p. 149)
The main purpose of the true church is to BE the temple – so we should look for the presence of the Lord. The way we find the true church is not by looking for a church, but by looking for the Lord. It is one thing to be in a place with good teaching, worship and ministry. It is something else when He is the true focus of attention. (p. 152)
Nothing else on earth can ever satisfy you like being in the manifest presence of the Lord. Because we were created to have fellowship with God, this is the deepest yearning of the human heart and nothing else can ever compare to it. (p. 160)
Thank you, Rick Joyner, for writing this book. It was like water in the desert to this thirsty soul. I am so eager for more people to “get” this – to realize that it’s all about HIM! Our focus is not supposed to be on church attendance, programs, good sermons, etc. There is no formula or principles – it’s about following a Person: JESUS. I wish, oh how I wish, more churches would focus on the manifest presence of the Lord because that is what we need more than anything. Why don’t more leaders realize that? Why is there such a drought of the manifest presence of God in our meetings and why doesn’t anyone say anything? It’s like the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes – everyone was afraid to tell the Emperor that he was naked. It’s time for something to change. I hope this new book can start a movement of believers who are not willing to settle for the same old thing in church anymore. We need HIM and only HIM.
Here’s the link to Amazon – you can preview some of the chapters before purchasing the book, if you like.
If you’re interested in the Final Quest series, here is a link to the Final Quest, Book One – free PDF online. Sometimes authors release the first book for free so that you (the reader) can decide whether the series is for you. This one is definitely worth reading. 🙂
You can also purchase the entire Final Quest series on Amazon – Amazon link
You asked to know ahead of time ….
Rating: Educational
This is funny. Ironic really. So many times I have heard people groan in frustration, “I just wish I knew what was coming! I wish I knew what the next step was or what to expect! I feel so frustrated not knowing what to do next. Aargh!”
When we follow the leading of the Spirit, or try to listen to our intuition to guide us, it often feels that way. We are listening, stretching our inner being, waiting for a signal, a sign, something to help us find our way. We often have no idea what to expect. We just keep plodding along, step by step, hoping there’s some direction in the seemingly randomness of our life experiences.
In fact, I’ve heard people reply to this frustration with, “God doesn’t tell you ahead of time what is coming because if you knew, you’d run the other way!”
Or others have said of themselves, “I’m glad I don’t know ahead of time because if I did I’d run ahead and probably mess it up.”
Lots of rationalizations to help us deal with the frustration.
However, I have always wished I knew what was coming ahead of time. I’m sure I’ve asked that question a million times, “What’s next, Lord?” And I’ve expressed my share of frustration over this issue.
Well, guess what? Now, I’ve experienced the flip side of this and it is just as frustrating. Let me explain.
For several weeks now I have felt this inner nudging that I need to call a certain person. I wrote it down as a note to myself. I rehearsed the dialog in my mind – what am I going to say? What do I need to tell them? How will they respond? I’ve done this several times over the last few weeks.
And yet, I cannot find it within myself to make that call. I don’t know why.
I’ve wrestled with – Why can’t I call them? It’s not a big deal. They are a friendly sort of person. I haven’t talked to them in awhile, but that’s not a big deal. The conversation should be pleasant.
Funny, isn’t it?
And then this morning, it dawned on me. It’s not time yet! I don’t know how I knew this, I just “knew”. I felt it inside. I AM supposed to call this person, but just not yet. That’s why I can’t seem to make myself do it. It seemed completely irrational, yet now I understand.
So, to me this is rather ironic. We often wish we knew what the next step was on our path and we get frustrated waiting and wondering what’s next. And yet, when I received the next step ahead of time, it was frustrating for me. I didn’t realize that it wasn’t time yet. I felt this nudge to do it, but I didn’t have the means to accomplish it.
Great insight. Now, I know. If you get a sense of direction, but you feel blocked, then just wait for the right timing.
It’s funny because yesterday when I was trying to figure out what to do next, I literally felt an arm holding me back. It felt like when you are kid and your parent puts an arm across the top of your chest from behind, holding you from going forward. It puzzled me. I felt safe, but I couldn’t move forward. Now, I’m beginning to understand.
Finding your way in the unseen realm is uncertain because you can’t SEE anything. I go mainly by feeling things (i.e. peace or no peace). Sometimes I get an inner “knowing”. Rarely do I get a “sign” or something that’s real obvious. And yet, looking back, things seem to be orchestrated beautifully.
Well, I learned my lesson today. It might help others, so I decided to post it. I’m beginning to get the idea that some things are orchestrated for us and other things are up to us. Wisdom is figuring out which is which. 🙂
Feel free to comment – What are your thoughts on getting direction?
Divine Communion
A. W. Tozer was a man who perceived God in the unseen realm. The words he used to express his relationship with God have often resonated with me. On some deep level, I “get” it. Here are some of my favorite lines from Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God.
“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love …”
“In God we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.”
“God formed us for His pleasure, and so formed us that we, as well as He, can, in divine communion, enjoy the sweet and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities. He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile.”
“A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting our response to His presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality.”
Doesn’t this resonate with you? Doesn’t something within tell you that there’s MORE than you are currently experiencing with your 5 senses? These words of Tozer have inspired me for years.
In the beginning of his book, it says this:
“Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.”
Thank you, A.W., for lighting my candle. I hope I can do the same for others. God is real – I love experiencing His presence and His nearness. Don’t you?
Awaking to the Presence of God
When I woke up this morning, I felt the presence of God in my room. It was a soft feeling – like a warm cloud of love and attention. I was alone in the room. I became aware of it even before I opened my eyes. It was almost as if it was this presence that awakened me. Like God wanted me to wake up so I could enjoy His presence and spend some time with Him.
How cool is that?! 🙂
Have you ever experienced that presence? Some people say they have experienced the “awe” of God when looking at the majesty of the mountains. Some have told me they feel the “peace” of God when walking deep in the forest with no other human beings nearby.
For some reason, it is easier to experience the presence of God when you are alone, I think. For me, I become more aware of it when I’m alone. If my husband had been in the room this morning, my attention might have been on him when I awakened. But since I was alone, the only thing I was aware of was this cloud of Love. It was sooo cool.
There was a time in my life when I really, really wanted to experience the presence of God. It seemed like such a struggle to tune everything else out and just feel His nearness. But then something changed in me a few years ago and now I feel His presence almost every day. It’s absolutely wonderful.
I remember one time I visited a very large historic church in Europe. The stillness inside this huge monument had a feeling to it – I’m not sure how to describe it. Kind of like a deep peacefulness. I sat down and soaked up this feeling for a few minutes. But that feeling does not compare with the close, personal feeling of God’s presence that I had when I woke up this morning.
I thought of this scripture verse, “When I awake, I am still with You.” Psalm 139:18
It is the culmination of a meditation about God’s Presence that starts with these words:
“Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” (139:7-8)
So, if God’s Spirit is everywhere, then why do I notice it more at some times than at other times?
I think because He wants me to know He is there. And maybe first thing in the morning there is nothing competing for my attention – so it’s easier for me to notice His presence. At other times, I might feel it but in the busyness of life, I don’t always take the time to pay attention, slow down and acknowledge Him. I’d like to pay attention more because His presence is really wonderful, you know? 🙂
What do you think? When do YOU notice the presence of God?
Looking for more? This article appears in a free ebook called Intimate Relationship with God – you can download it here. 🙂
Book Review: The Veil by Blake Healy – A Look Behind the Scenes of the Unseen Realm
Amazon link
I recently finished reading The Veil by Blake K Healy. Blake is a good guy. He teaches at the Bethel Atlanta School of Supernatural Ministry. I’ve seen a lot of flaky stuff on the subject of the unseen realm – his book is not like that at all. It’s very real, very believable and very down to earth. I enjoyed reading it. He says he has been able to see clearly the unseen realm since he was a child. He never thought he was different – he thought everyone could see what he saw. Until he reached a certain age where it became obvious to him that he was “different”. I liked his book because he didn’t make me feel excluded because I don’t “see” like he sees. Many people who have special giftings tend to give you that impression. He didn’t put himself on a pedestal at all. In fact, instead he tries to make “seeing” or “perceiving” the unseen realm something anyone can do. He even includes “exercises” in the back of the book to help you get started. Very cool! 🙂
I used the exercise with a friend this weekend and lo and behold, she saw an angel! In my living room, no less. That was cool. But more on that later ….
Here’s some highlights from his book:
Demons have no authority over you unless you give it to them. A demonic entity has no right to act in your life without expressed agreement from you. (p. 37) Lies are the only power that demons have, and lies are only powerful if you believe them. … there is freedom in revealing deception to be deception. (p. 41) … the interesting thing about demonic influence [is] it feels so real when you’re in the middle of it, but the moment you see it clearly it’s no more threatening than a paper-mache bunny. (p.48)
I really like that – Lies are only powerful if you believe them. Wow – so if the only power that demons have is the power we give them by believing their lies, then it should be fairly simple to keep them from influencing us, right? In my life, I have found it very hard to discern the lies I believe – ’cause they don’t LOOK like lies. If I believe them, then I believe they are true, right? If I KNEW it was a lie, then I wouldn’t believe it. It’s kinda complicated, isn’t it?
I’m very glad I discovered this little heart “exercise” called the Lie Detector. That’s in a book called Freedom through Forgiveness by Sandy Walker. It’s on the Resources tab above. I’ll post about that book at another time. Anyway, that little exercise has been majorly helping me find the lies I believe and uprooting them. And as a result, I feel a LOT freer. I had no idea I believed so many lies!
Back to Blake’s book – he says he’s never met anyone who didn’t have a personal angel. That’s kind of cool, isn’t it? 🙂 He says about 30% of the personal angels look like the person they are with. Kind of explains why people told Rhoda it was “Peter’s angel” at the door when Peter was supernaturally released from prison by an angel (Acts 12) – maybe they had seen these look-alike angels before.
I like Blake’s stories – he very simply describes what he sees: in a coffeeshop, in a church service, at a party. It’s very cool. I also really appreciate that he emphasizes that “it’s not about the gift”. It’s about asking the Holy Spirit to teach you and show you what is all around you. Reading his stories gave me a little nudge to start paying attention more. His descriptions stretched my imagination. For instance, here’s one I thought was cool:
Sometimes people would come with cuts and bruises on their faces [in the unseen realm]. As each word was prophesied over them [in prayer ministry], liquid light would form in the air, repairing the cuts and clearing the bruises. (p. 66) [brackets added for clarity]
So, back to my friend seeing the angel in my living room. Blake says that if you want to become more aware of the unseen realm, then pay more attention to it. I knew my friend wanted to become more aware of this realm. We were sitting in my living room with some friends. I told her, “Close your eyes, ask the Holy Spirit where to look. Then open your eyes and ask Him to show you something.” (this is a very brief summary of Blake’s exercise). She did. She opened her eyes and pointed to an area near my bookshelves. She said, “There’s an angel there.” We both smiled.
Then I focused on the area and “saw” a rather large figure. Taller than the people who were there. Then I remembered the last part of Blake’s instruction – ask the Holy Spirit to explain to you what you are seeing. So I did. I got the impression that the angel was there for protection. He was certainly BIG enough. 🙂
Blake says there’s an impartation on his book – in other words, it stirs up your faith to open your heart and believe that you too can see/perceive the unseen realm. I think he’s right. It certainly stirred me up. So if this is an area you’d like to grow in, give his book a look.
Here’s the link to Amazon – you can preview some of the chapters before purchasing it.
Let me know if you decide to read it and what you thought. Or if you have another cool book you’d like to recommend, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks! 🙂
Update Feb 2014: Blake now offers a recording of the his “Seeing in the Spirit – Workshop”: In this workshop Blake shares his testimony and his heart regarding the gift of seeing in the spirit, along with several stories that illustrate the overwhelming love of our God. Over two hours of questions, answers, and keys to growing in the gift of seeing are included in this extended digital version. 4 hours total – mp3 format. Click here to for more info
Video: Experiences of the Unseen Realm
Rating: Educational
I found this episode of “It’s Supernatural” by Sid Roth where he interviews Jonathan Welton about his experiences of seeing the unseen realm. What’s cool is that they illustrate what he describes with actors playing out each scene. That really helps me to understand what Jonathan says he can see.
It’s a nice episode. I think you’ll enjoy it. Be prepared – it’s kinda “out there”.
Jonathan Welton: Seeing in the Spirit
Here’s the original link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6je44kzcCgc
If you go to YouTube and watch the link, I’m sure you’ll find all kinds of other “related videos” too. 🙂
Spiritual Cleansing: Taking a Spiritual Shower Each Day
Rating: Educational
Spiritual cleansing is very important. Occasionally, I see a book that references house cleansing, but rarely do I see any instruction on a personal level. Let me share what I mean. I’ll start with examples of house cleansing and then conclude with personal cleansing.
I had a friend call me when he moved into a new place. He was renting a room from a Christian couple and he wanted to have the house “cleansed”. I don’t recall the details, but I believe the couple had been experiencing some unusual disturbances in the place. When they mentioned this to him, he asked me to come over and help them pray. He knew I was very sensitive to the unseen realm and that perhaps I could assist them.
We prayed prayers of cleansing all over the house. We played worship music while we did this. We put oil on our hands and anointed each window and door. We commanded that anything evil that was there would leave. After this process, both my friend and the couple that were living there said they felt more peace in their house.
I had another friend call and ask for a similar “house cleansing”. She had lived in this particular apartment for some time, but had recently had some bad experiences upstairs in her bedroom. She felt an oppressive darkness and felt something was there, but couldn’t see anything. She asked my brother and I to come and help her pray. We did many of the same things – anointed the doors and windows with oil, played some worship music while we prayed over the house. We even brought worship banners and waved them in different places of the house to remove any “spiritual dust”. Honestly, I don’t know exactly what this does, but it does seem to shift the atmosphere in the house.
Finally, we went up to her room. My brother and I immediately sensed a specific place of evil energy in her room. We went to it. She was amazed because she had not mentioned where it was in the room. My brother sensed there was an open door or portal above the foot of her bed. The Holy Spirit gave him some other insight into why it was there. She prayed some specific things in reference to this and then “closed” that door. We checked on her a week or so later and she said nothing else had happened since we prayed. She was at peace.
My husband and I often pray a general prayer of cleansing over our house before we go to sleep at night. “Lord, would you please remove anything from our house that doesn’t belong here.”
We also pray for personal cleansing, “Lord, please wash us off from anything we might have picked up today.” Believe it or not, most times I actually feel different after this simple prayer. I’ve also made it habit of praying this whenever I suddenly feel weird – irritable for no reason, heaviness without a cause, etc. In fact, we have become so accustomed to the feeling of peace in our home that if either of us gets a little cranky, we pray this for each other. It seems to “clear the air” and keeps us from being influenced by the enemy’s contaminants.
People who have never done this often ask me all kinds of questions about it. I tell them I just do it intuitively – whatever “feels” right as I listen to the Holy Spirit and pray. Because I am so sensitive, I know whether a prayer is effective or not. One minute I feel the tension in the air and then after we pray, it is gone. I don’t know exactly how it works. I just do it, like a little child.
On a humorous note, one night when my husband was very sleepy, he was praying and he said this: “Lord, please wash us off and wash off the house. Wash the cars, the yard and the dog.” I burst out laughing. I said, “Did you just tell the Lord to wash the dog?” I couldn’t believe it. I guess it makes sense – he was trying to cover all the bases. It just sounded very funny to me to ask God to wash our dog. 🙂 However, I remembered that there was a time when Jesus sent a bunch of demons into a herd of pigs so I guess that means you can have a dog that needs to be washed from any evil contaminant.
Do you have any specific ways you like to “wash” in the spirit? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
Elements of the Unseen Realm
Rating: Educational
So what’s in the Unseen Realm? There are quite a few things. Perceiving them varies depending on the situation and your ability to discern them. Obviously, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to show us what is there and why.
Here’s what I think of when I think of the Unseen Realm.
Elements of the Unseen Realm
God the Father
Jesus
The Holy Spirit
Angels – guardian angels, warrior angels, worship angels, healing angels, etc.
Demons – evil spirits of every kind (i.e. unclean spirit, lying spirit, spirit of adultery, spirit of fear, etc.)
Powers – both good and evil ones
Principalities – both good and evil ones
Human spirits
Human souls
Soul-ties
Anointings, Giftings, Callings, Mantles, Spheres of authority
Blessings – current blessings or generational blessings
Curses or assignments – current curses (like a word curse) or generational curses from the past
Objects like listening devices, tracking devices, a sword, a scepter, a crown, armor or clothes, etc.
Structures like portals, doors, windows, etc from this realm to another one
Locations like Sheol, the Second Heaven, the Third Heaven, the Throne Room, etc.
Beings in heaven like the four living creatures, seraphim & cherubim, 24 elders, etc.
Other miscellaneous things like the Tree of Life, Living Water, the River of Life, etc.
I’m sure I’ve left something out – please feel free to add it in the comments below. There is so much in the Unseen Realm – people are often amazed to realize how much we are unaware of.
Backlash and Bloodshed – Freaky!
Rating: Creepy
This memory keeps standing out in my mind so I guess I should share it next. It’s a little “out there” – it creeps me out whenever I think of it.
I was traveling for business. My brother happened to be in the same city, attending the wedding of an extended family member. He called me and said he was very worried about a certain sister’s safety. She had been at the event and then disappeared without telling anyone she was leaving. They later found out she had boarded a bus to go back to her home. This concerned him greatly because she had been telling him she was relieved to be away from home because she was in a very abusive relationship and the man had recently threatened to kill her. No one could understand why she suddenly left to return to him.
My brother is a man of prayer – when he is worried, his first defense is to intercede and ask God to intervene. He asked me to meet him to pray for this sister. We decided to go for a walk – there were too many people in the house and everyone was upset about the situation. We figured being outside would help us clear our heads and enable us to focus better in prayer.
As we walked, he did most of the praying. I just agreed. At one point, I “saw” this very, very large being above us. In comparison to its size, we looked like ants. I could see its legs like large columns going up and up. I sensed that it looked down at us, specifically at my brother, and it was annoyed at his prayers. The attitude conveyed was, “You think you have a right to pray for her safety? She’s mine!”
My brother interceded harder, asking God to save her life and protect her from the violence of the man she was going home to. He’s very bold when he prays. He prays with great authority and obviously he annoyed some very large being that was watching over this situation.
We finished praying. He walked me back to my car and I drove to my hotel. Even though we had closed out our time with prayers of protection and covering for ourselves, I had the uncanny feeling that this being was going to manifest in some way the next day at my job. I prayed about it several times that night, but I could not shake that feeling. I didn’t know what to expect. We had been praying against violence, bloodshed, the spirit of death, etc – anything that seemed related to the attack against this sister.
The next day at work, I was on the alert. I prayed on the way and I prayed when I arrived. I didn’t like knowing that somehow this spirit was going to show itself in my work day, but I was glad I had advance warning. I didn’t feel afraid – I just prayed for grace to know how to deal with it when it happened. For some reason, I didn’t feel I had the authority to block it from manifesting.
I was managing a small office of people. They needed an extra pair of hands to get a job done so the district manager had approved for a temporary labor office to send someone over. The man who arrived surprised me. He looked kind of like Santa Claus – he was older, overweight and had a white beard. The work assignment was physical labor. I explained this to him and asked if he felt he could do the work. I was a little concerned because he looked about ready for retirement, not a full 8 hours of physical labor in the sun of a very hot climate. He said he was fine and I sent him outside to be trained by one of our regular personnel.
About an hour and half later, he came walking into the office holding his left hand in his right hand and said, “Can someone help me please?” We all turned to see him – blood was dripping from his hands as he walked across the floor. I was shocked. Thankfully, the rest of the staff responded immediately. One of the office clerks had nurses training in her background and steered him toward the bathroom so she could see how bad the wound was and clean it up. Another staff member had training in blood borne illnesses and notified me that he knew how to clean up a blood spill correctly and proceeded to do so.
We had never had someone injured in this office before – at least not to my knowledge. We were all quite puzzled in how he could have hurt himself – and after only working for a little over an hour by himself. Thankfully, his wound was not serious. The office clerk got the bleeding stopped and bandaged him up from the first aid kit. I called the temporary labor office and our district manager for instructions on where to send him for treatment. I gave him the information and off he went.
As he left, I could not stop shaking my head. As soon as I ‘d seen the blood dripping on the floor, I’d known. This was a manifestation of that spirit of bloodshed and violence. I was very thankful it had been minor. That spirit seemed intent on intimidating me more than anything else – no real harm was done. The man would recover with a few minor stitches. I don’t know why this played out the way it did, but it made a definite impression on me.
Has anything this strange ever happened to you? What did you do? I’d love to hear stories from other people. I don’t often share these because most people have no frame of reference for something so odd.
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 