What I am about to relay to you is true. I am an eyewitness. I was there. It is perhaps the most dramatic proof of the existence of a world much bigger than the eye.
First, some background.
Late 70s, early 80s. The initial revival was calming. What was left was prayer. Every Monday night the men of the church in woodsboro would gather in dad's study to pray. 2, 3, 4 hours of steady prayer. Those were amazing times!
Often visitors would join. In this story the visitor was a new Lutheran pastor. He had moved to town, taken over the church, met dad, and joined our prayer group. He was young, late 20 s maybe.
After several weeks he shared with my dad a difficulty he faced. For some odd reason he just couldn't preach in this church. The messages and power of God's words just would not flow. Things would constantly happen, interruptions, problems, etc. Something was causing this to be a deep struggle for him.
We prayed, on a typical Monday night. There was dad, the preacher, myself, my dad's cousin, and daryle. I think my brother might have been present also. In response to prayer, dad gave a prophesy... God spoke.
He told us that a demon had been invited into that church by previous leaders, and was hindering the work of God there. This demon was behind the difficulties. It was strong one, but we could stand up to it and it would leave. There were specific instructions given as to how to do this. We were to walk over (it was across the street) right then, enter the front door of the Chapel, and drive it away through the authority in Jesus name given us. Then the new preacher would be free to do God's work.
So. We agreed to go. The small group prayerfully walked across the street and approached the church. We walked up the steps to the Chapel door, and it was locked. The preacher said he would go around the side to enter and open the door. By God's instruction we should wait to enter the front door.
My dad got proud, and impatient. The constant string of miracles had left him a little bigger than he ought be. The preacher disappeared around the left side of the building, and my dad turned to follow.
We all followed, quietly walking around the side to enter the side door after the preacher. But it was not to be. Our simple act of disobedience gave the demon an opening. What may seem small to us, was in fact disobedience, that which gives power to the enemy.
I watched the preacher enter the side door. My dad was in front of the group, maybe 20 feet from the door. I was behind dad, dad's cousin walked next to me. I remember passing the tree on the side walk when it started.
As the door closed behind the preacher. Something left the building. My dad suddenly was hit in the center of his chest, just as if a ramming log had hit him a a running speed. He was forced back, feet scrambling ahead of him for a hold, arms flailing out front as the invisible post pushed him backward with great force.
A second later he was pushed backwards between his cousin and me. Not knowing what else to do in the moment, our natural reaction was the same... I grabbed one arm and he grabbed the other. I remember being surprised at the force I encountered. My hand slipped past dad's watch and I lost a grip, never really had one. Same with his cousin, a burly farmer. Neither of us could hold dad back from the invisible force driving him backwards.
Then the tree. A couple seconds behind us was the tree. Dad hit the tree flat against his back with a loud thud. Then slowly slipped down as the force driving his chest back let go. It was surreal. Silence. What happened? We were all too shocked to move.
After a few seconds dad tried to move. He basically slumped down, face down on the ground. Fear hit me. Was he ok?
But then the incredible happened. He stretched out flat on the ground as someone lays out a shirt on an knowing board. And he rose. His whole body rose about 3 feet off the ground, straight, floating. Then the spinning. He body started spinning, fast. As he spun he started drifting off across the grass. No one was touching him, he was so ply laying flat but floating and spinning.
His arms were flailing out, as he later recounted, as he spun he passed a water hose laying in the grass. The crazy notion hit him to catch the hose to stop the spinning. His arms and fingers reached but the spinning was too fast. He looked helpless.
We were silent, not knowing what to do. Dad spun and drifted maybe 50 feet across the grass and then stopped spinning. In an instant he was thrown face down, straight into the grass, hard. It was over.
Took a while for his recovery, he could barely walk after. But it was over.
The next day I remember he went back to investigate, and there was the impression of his body spread eagle, smashed into the dirt and grass. It was real.
What happened? Disobedience. Pride. Later praying about it, God revealed that the problem had been his decision to make his own way, kissed of entering the church as instructed. He did his own thing in a seemingly insignificant way. But that was enough disobedience to allow the demon to attack him.
It left, sure enough, but dad was hurt in the process because of pride. He suffered from what appeared to be bruised kidneys and other internal organs. An expensive lesson.
God has a path, a plan. This life is not our own. Following his path is the only safe way to be successful. There is more here than meets the eyes and what we can't see is most real. We must trust.
The enemy is real. He has no authority over us, no power greater than us, as long as we walk with God. In Jesus name, according to the fathers will, we can do anything, go anywhere, stand against anyone. But only so long as we follow his will.
I shall never forget that night. The scene plays in my head often as if it was yesterday. I was there, it is real.
Posted via Blogaway
