CHAPTER XII - GOD'S PLAN

Every moment I spent with that agony was an eternity. It seemed it had no end. I thought that the facts and events which happened in that small living room were only summarized in that place and in me... But the battle was far greater. It was far greater indeed. The dwelling of the evangelical Christian young ladies who were called by my friends to help me was on the left side of the house where I was. They had a brother, whose name I do not remember. But what I did not know is that he would be the key piece in the conclusion of that night of spiritual battle. It impressed what the women and he himself told me after those events. I will never forget about the words and the expression in their faces when they told me in details everything that happened with that young man in that night.

When one of my friends who were in the living room went to the house next door in order to ask for help, he found one of the young man's sisters listening to Christian songs in the living room. He told her what was happening to me and said that I needed the help from a "believer" person, since the one who was in trouble was asking for that. She immediately called her sister and told her about the occurrence. When they reached the kitchen, they found their brother, who was having supper. And they asked him: "Do not you go there in order to see the boy who is in trouble? He lives next door. He is our neighbor". They invited him several times, but the answer was emphatic: "I do not go. I do not know him. What am I going to do there?" And he continued having his supper alone in the kitchen of his house, while his sisters went to the place where the events were taking place. During his supper, he could not stop thinking about that invitation from his sisters. That question was pounding in his head, when everything seemed quiet.

So, a voice appeared at his back and it said: "Go and see who is there!" He looked back and to the sides, but he could not see anybody. He told me he thought it was something from his imagination or anybody joking. So, he did not care and he continued having supper. But, as he also told me, he was invaded by the fear. He thought to himself: "I am alone at home, my sisters and my mother went out, and who could be doing this?" Even so, he stayed there. When he finished his supper, he went to the living room, in order to listen to songs. But, all of sudden, that voice spoke again: "Go and see who is there!" So, the fear began to turn into fright and he was dominated by it. Because of that, the only thing he felt like to do was going out and sees who was that neighbor who was not feeling good. When he left his house and was going toward where I was, he wondered: "Who is this guy? I do not even know him. I do not even know the reason why I am going to his house!"

When he arrived right in front the house where I was, he decided to go back and not to know who I was. When he turned around, he tried to take the same path that had brought him there. But, to his surprise, he could not carry on. Something like a wall was blocking his passageway. To each step that he took back, he tried to take another step forward. But he could not, since there was an invisible wall blocking the way back to his house. It was as if that wall was pushing him toward inside the house where I was. Since he could not resist anymore, the only choice was to go forward and to go in the house. He would never imagine what was about to happen. That night would also change his history. While he was coming close, I was imprisoned in a pity without knowing how to get out. It was horrible how I was feeling. In the moment he come close, I could feel a great fear taking hold of me. It was as if something terrifying was coming close.

He went in the house, by the door of the downstairs. He reached the stairs and began to go up. In the living room where I was, I screamed in a loud voice: "He is coming! He is coming!" And I began to point to the wall of the living room that led toward the staircase. The question was who was coming. I remember that the people who were there were asking to each other: "What is coming? What does he see?" These questions were due to the fact that there were two walls separating the living room from the staircase. One of the walls was that of the living room itself. The other one was that of a room that was between the staircase and the place where I was. How could I saw something coming close if there were a lot of obstacles? It was impossible in a material way. But, in a supernatural way, I could feel and see. By my spirit, my eyes saw a black and big "thing", which was bringing terror and fear with it. I already knew that it was something demonic. It was something black, big and horrible. It was a death spirit.

That thing was coming close and, when it arrived at the door of the living room, I remember that I was still with my eyes closed. I immediately turned sideways and, in this moment, I remember that I could open my eyes partially. So, I saw the image of a short and slim young man, who was about 18 years old. He was lucid, but he was showing fear in his eyes. I could feel the fear in his spirit. He went in the living room and stayed near his sisters. He was frightened. Everything happened very fast. That weird sensation took hold of me and a voice said to me: "Ask him if he is afraid". I held out my hands toward him and I asked: "Are you afraid? Hold my hand! Hold my hand! Are you afraid, are not you?"

The people who were there were exchanging looks and they were discussing something among them. But I did not care about that conversation. The focus was only on that young man. Something in me was forcing me to pay all my attention to that person. It was as if there was a force focusing on a single objective, which I did not know until then. After my questions, the young man answered right away: "No, I am not afraid! Why do you want that I hold your hand?" I replied: "Yes, you are afraid indeed, I know you are! Give me your hand! Hold my hand!"

Because of my numberless petitions, he came close and held my hand. A touch was enough. When he tried to pull back his hand, it was too late. His hand was stuck to mine. He could not pull it back. All his efforts to pull it back were in vain. It was as if there was glue in our palms. His efforts to set free from that were in vain, since the "glue" was spiritual... When I held the hand of that young man, something began to go out from me by my hand. It was like water flowing from my arm and going toward him. It was as if my arm was a tube or a pipe. Black water was flowing inside my arm toward his body. I had a sensation of setting free. I felt that I was being set free from all that spiritual dirt. But the same was not happening with that boy. He began to moan and roar like an animal, and to gnash his teeth.

Everything happened very fast. In the moment that the last part of that black water was flowing from my body, I could hear a sound like a strong noise coming from my arm. And so that young man fell on the floor, totally possessed by demons, and began to shake and grunt. In the meanwhile, I was thrown to the other side, totally conscious and with all my senses recovered. I looked all around and I saw those people paralyzed with fear, without knowing for sure what was happening. I was immediately sheltered by my friends. They asked me if everything was all right and if I remembered what was happened.

CHAPTER XIII - THE MIRACLE OF FORGIVENESS

In that moment, I bent my head and understood what has really happened to me. I knew that the devil had involved me in a trap from hell in order to kill me and to destroy me completely. I thought immediately that I must say sorry to God for all my sins, since I understood that He had allowed that all this happened to me so that I wake up from the "spiritual sleep"... I implored His forgiveness in that moment. I knew that only He could totally set me free and give me salvation, because I remembered that He had died on the cross for me, in order to save me and set me free. I knew that only He could redeem me and wash me and also to awake the essence of His first love in me, when I accepted Him... And I knew that, if I would not do this immediately, the devil would come back without neither compassion nor mercy on me and he certainly would come with all his fury in order to destroy me.

Thanks to Jesus Christ's death on the cross and to His precious blood that was shed, I could feel the forgiveness and the complete liberty in that moment. It was something tremendous. While that young man was shaken on the floor and was helped by his sisters and by other people who were there, I was crying out for the forgiveness from God. I can affirm for sure that, in that moment, God set me free. I am sure of that because of the following signal that appeared when I was asking for His forgiveness: when I was kneeling down, I felt God speaking to me. It was a great peace full of liberty. I felt His Holy Spirit coming to me. I looked above with my eyes closed and, in spirit, I could contemplate a bright light appearing above my head. In the middle of that light, there was a little white pigeon flying. The peace and the feeling of have been forgiven were unlimited. GLORY TO GOD!!! It was as if I had accepted Christ for the first time in that moment. Together with that feeling, an immense force came to me. A great authority began to fill me and I knew that it came from the Lord Jesus. It was something greater than me that I would not be able to control or stop. However, this time it was something very, very good, which began to take hold of me in such way that I became small before the great anointing that came upon me. HALLELUJAH!!!

My friend Valois and his sister were next to me. Both were holding my shoulders. Inside of me, something was saying that that woman must move away from me. And I said: "Woman! Leave me alone! Move away from here!" I did not know the reason why I was speaking this way. I just obeyed. I was not alone anymore. The Spirit of God was with me. Everything was very real. And it was by the love, forgiveness and mercy of Jesus Christ that I was set free. Pure grace and favor. Things that we do not deserve, but, even so, He concedes us, gives us and donates us. PRAISE THE LORD!!! In that moment, God was using me to do something that, to the man, can be even impossible. But, to the Lord GOD of Israel, it was not, it is not and it will never be impossible.

In that moment, I stood and I was toward the young man who was completely possessed by demonic legions. When I was coming close, the despair of the devil was terrible, since it was not me who was going, but it was the Holy Spirit of God who was going in front of me. And those demons know about it. When I came close, I hold the shoulders of that young man and, in a loud voice, with all the authority that the Lord had given me by His grace and mercy, I said: "Look at me! Look at that light!" I was referring to the light that continued shining in the middle of the living room. But the answer of the enemy was emphatic: "No! Leave me alone! I do not want to look at the light!" In the middle of these words, he growled and grunted. The people there were asking themselves what light was that. They looked for the light and asked themselves, because they did not know for sure what that was. The battle was immense. How could this be happening? In an occasion, I was a victim of the devil and, in another occasion, God was using me to set free a possessed by demons. How could all this be happening?

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth". (Acts 1:8)

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost". (Titus 3:5)

God's things are tremendous, inexplicable and incomprehensible to the natural man or to the one who cannot understand what the spiritual man can feel and comprehend... It would never be possible a demon casts out another demon. Only the power of God can casts out legions of demons. The liberation of the man occurs by means of the confession of his condition and also by means of the real repentance of his wrong attitudes. Jesus has taught us, by His word, that He is the great and powerful God and that, by His name, we will do special miracles. In the book of Mark 3:23-26, we can confirm the facts that I expound here:

"And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end".

In the few moments that God permitted that I found myself, I perceived that I had a few seconds to make a decision. Or I stayed there mediating about what had happened to me and would end up in the lair of the lions again or I repented and cried out for the mercy of God in the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ and would gain a new opportunity to go out from that situation as a winner.

Thanks to the death of God's Lamb on the cross of the Calvary, I could have again the discernment that only the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD is able to give to the sinner. So, I decided to grab that opportunity as someone that makes the last decision in the life. After all, or I continued spiritually dead in the sin or I had a new life full of the power of GOD in JESUS CHRIST. Thanks God, I made the decision more correct that a man or a woman can make in their lives. First, to repent. After that, to ask with sincerity for forgiveness and so to accept JESUS in their lives, after they are cleaned and renovated again.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I could cast out several demons from the body of that young man, everything to the glory of the Sovereign Immortal God. The battle was hard, since there were several legions of demons which were insisting to stay. In that battle, I could count on the help from the sisters of the young man. With all the authority, they fought hard against the enemy. I remember that one of his sisters had the idea of calling a pastor, who was a friend of their family.

I remember that, when I was working hard again in order to cast out one of those demons by the name of the Lord Jesus, a slim tall man went in by the door of the living room. He looked humble and he could be just one more who entered in order to see what was happening. But there was something different in that man. When I looked at him, a voice spoke in my mind: "You can leave everything to him". The man was approaching and getting closer to the possessed young man. I could see the reaction of the enemy: he began to scream and his despair was very higher. So, I understood who that man was. He was a, or, better saying, he was "the" pastor who had been called. I feel calmer, since the spiritual help that we needed had arrived. The arm of God had been reinforced and the victory of the Lord Jesus was inevitable.

That moment had become single in that battle. The pastor held the head of the young man and reprehended one more legion which was there. In few seconds, he seemed to have recovered consciousness. But he stayed with his head bent. Due to his experience, the pastor was holding now the back of the neck of the young man. He looked at me. He knew that something was still going wrong. That legion did not resist. So, he asked the young man the following: "Are you alright?" "Yes", he answered. "Look at me. Say this: the Lord Jesus Christ is my only and sufficient savior". It was as to throw gunpowder on fire. Immediately, the demonic laugh was heard. That legion was pretending to have gone out from the young man. But, when he was requested to confess the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the demons showed themselves again. They said: "They want to pick us up! We will not say this!"

In that moment, the legions that were there began to show themselves. They confessed their defeat before the Most High God. The young man bent his head and looked at where I was. The legions that were in him spoke in a loud voice: "You are really a lucky guy! We did not pick you up because your God got you out!" After saying this, he bent his head and went quiet. Immediately, the Pastor put his hand on the head of the young man and, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he reprehended all those legions and cast them out. When the young man recovered his consciousness, he asked what was happening, what that was and where he was. Right away, the Pastor asked him if everything was alright and requested him to repeat the following statement: "The Lord Jesus Christ is my only and sufficient savior". When he repeated this with conviction, we already knew that Jesus Christ had truly set him free.

Most of the times, God's things are inexplicable. The man, most of the times, thinks that the spiritual world does not exist. He thinks that only the material exists and no way he can be afflicted by the evil forces. In fact, he is underestimating the malevolent and damaging plans of Satan and his angels. Such things seem incoherent nowadays. But, I can affirm it is real. It is so real like to breathe, to see, to hear and to live... The evil forces do exist and they walk around us twenty four hours per day, without any rest, just waiting for a waver in order to throw us to the ground in a split second. They do that by stepping on us and humiliating us with drugs, alcoholic drinks, addictions, immorality, perversity, fornication, proud, vanity, selfishness, incredulity, poverty and all kind of spiritual disease...

Believe it, it happened to me. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had the opportunity to see what happens in the other side and how evil forces act to destroy us. They are not good. They want to damage us and to destroy us. They are always trying to destroy all the wonderful dreams, projects and plans of GOD to your life and to your family. Do not let, do not permit that Satan invades your home, your goods, your house, your church and your children. Believe it; we were made in the image and in the likeness of the Almighty God. This is what His word (Bible) assures us. Because of that, the great anger of our adversary tries to devour us. He will never be able to destroy GOD. So, he tries to destroy us, because GOD loves us unconditionally. Due to my failure and incautiousness, my life was in the claws of Satan. However, it was necessary to feel sorrow and a regret attitude from me, so that I could obtain grace, salvation, forgiveness, peace, renovation and liberation from all that oppression and possession.

CHAPTER XIV - THE FINAL VICTORY

In that same night, after all those events, we went to the house of the evangelical Christian young ladies and of the young man. I am referring to them in such terms because there has been eighteen years after the event and I do not remember their names. I did not take long with them, but it was enough to me not forget each detail, each moment we lived together and the tremendous spiritual experience. Each event, each face and each phrase will never go out from my mind, ever!!! I believe for sure in my heart that the Lord God Almighty kept and will keep in me these memories for ever, so that I can share them with every person and also with you who are reading this book. This is for me not to forget who I was in the past without His presence and who I am today with His presence in my life.

Nowadays, I am 37 years old and I am happy and strengthened to share all these events that I experienced. My will of writing this book came all of sudden. Of course, I was motivated by the Holy Spirit of God that, in a certain night, bothered me so much so that I described each moment of this experience. Nevertheless, I did not know from what point I should begin, since only few facts were clear in my mind. However, after a lively prayer to God and to the Holy Spirit, asking that He write for me, everything became clear and all the facts, people and statements came to my mind right away, so that this work would be fulfilled legitimately through my life.

After finishing this book, everything changed. Few weeks after finishing it, I felt much more motivated to involve me in the work of God. In the present days, I help out with the house of the Lord, where I have the wonderful opportunity of praying for sick people, drug addicts, unemployed people, possessed people, oppressed people, vacillating people in the faith and for all souls who are missing the miracles of God in their lives. I have told this testimony to young people and to all those who need a spiritual renovation. Doing this, I am continuing the purpose of God in my life.

Back to the events, when we arrived in the house, we had a conversation for a few minutes about what had happened and about the things that God had done in that moment. The young man told me all his history, how he was impelled toward the house where I was, what he felt and the reason why everything had happened. He also told me that he was away from the Lord Jesus and that he was deviated from His ways and principles. In one of our conversations, I discovered that the house where I was living was used by people who practiced the Candomblé and that there were always meetings in that house with people incorporated by spirits.
(A Brazilian religion based on African spiritualism).

And it is no marvel that all those things had happened.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28)
The devil tried to destroy me in a place that presumably was of him. But the Lord, trough His immense mercy and grace, set free I and that young man in that place. After our conversation, we bent our heads and confessed one more time the name of the Lord as our only and sufficient savior. We prayed and sang to His glory. In the middle of the prayer, one of the young ladies was taken by the Holy Spirit of God and she began to speak in tongues. Among those words, God said to all of us: "My Holy Spirit is jealous of you. What happened here was permitted by Me so that I could prove that I love you. What you saw is only a tiny part of my power. My Holy Spirit is jealous of you".

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you". (John 14:26)

"What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (I Corinthians 6:19)

After hearing those words, I could understand how God loves us and how He guards the ones who belong to Him. Despite my mistakes and the mistakes of the others who were involved in the events, the Lord could forgive us and, even so, He could love us to the point of not accept to lose us to the enemy of our souls. He always wants us at His presence, enjoying the best He has to offer us. You can have problems and you were not brave to face up to them; or maybe you are also trapped by a force that is bigger than your strength of liberation; or maybe you are distant from paths of the Lord or deviated from the principles of the word of God. The time is now, my beloved. You can cry out now for the name of the Lord Jesus.

>>> Part 4
TheyMetJesus
 
BEYOND THE TUNNEL
By Sandro Rogério Martins dos Santos
Part 3:4