A few people had indicated their desire for Bob to pray over them. As Bob went about the room, one couple told him about the woman’s problem with “night terrors.”
Both of them professed to be born-again Christians. The husband went on to describe that virtually every night he would be awakened by his wife’s screaming. She would usually be standing beside the bed screaming and trembling…
He could calm her down by praying. At that point, she would be able to go back to sleep. In general, this type of incident would occur two or three times throughout the night.
The woman spoke with an accent that was new to me. When Bob questioned her, she told him that she was originally from Uganda.
As Bob began to pray, I recognized the format of the prayer he was using. It followed the pattern of one he had included in his book. This was a prayer designed to force demonic spirits to manifest.
And manifest they did.
The woman gave out a loud, blood curdling shriek. She began moving away from Bob with a look of absolute terror on her face until her husband grabbed her and held her in place.
The woman’s face began to contort in grotesque fashion. Her once brown eyes took on a bright yellow glow. This was not the same person we had seen only moments before.
Looking around the room, almost everyone’s eyes were as big as silver dollars. It was obvious most of those present had never seen evil manifest in this fashion. Over half the audience hightailed it out of there.
Over the next several minutes, I watched, spellbound, as Bob would speak the Word of God to this spirit.
In the course of this confrontation, Bob bound the demonic spirit and began to speak quietly with the woman. She recalled that, as a small child in Uganda, her parents had forced her to participate in an occult ceremony and had consecrated her to the evil spirits that they worshipped.
With this knowledge, Bob was able to lead the woman in a prayer of renunciation and then expel the demonic spirits (three of them) from her.
I was watching the Bible literally come to life and jump off the pages.
It was incredible to witness the power of the Word of God as it forced the demonic spirits into total submission and then expelled them from this woman.
The spiritual realm had just undergone a transformation from theory to vivid reality before my eyes.
My wife accompanied me to the second night of Bob’s seminar. On this occasion, there were no manifestations. Bob also announced that he had received a phone call from the Ugandan woman expressing gratitude and telling him that she had experienced her first night of uninterrupted sleep in months.
At the conclusion of the service, we joined with one of Bob’s team in prayer. He identified himself as Louis, a pastor from Ohio.
My wife told him that she had felt as though her prayers were being “blocked.” Louis led us in a prayer and then suggested that I pray over her daily until this force was completely removed.
The following morning, as I was driving along, minding my own business, an image formed in my mind.
There before me was a wall containing a double window. As I watched, the window slowly swung open and then shut. The whole thing lasted just a few seconds.
Through this window I saw a rolling green meadow with a green covered hill in the distance. The intensity of the colors was spectacular, with a richness and depth beyond my ability to describe.
In that same instant, I received an impression of unseen things that totally overwhelmed me. People – everywhere. Smiling and busy. Preparations were underway.
And the POWER. The sense of power was unbelievable. Hidden from view, yet felt through every fiber of my being. Far above and beyond anything imaginable.
It took me several days to fully digest all that I had seen and felt.
Finally, and ever so slowly, it began to dawn on me – I had been given a minuscule glimpse of heaven.
The incredible events of this week raised almost as many questions as they answered. Study, meditation, contemplation and prayer produced many answers. But still one question remained unanswered. Why?
Somewhere along the way, I had gone from merely wanting to know more about God to, as the Bible puts it, “searching with all your heart.” I wasn’t for sure when this change had happened, but now I was committed.
And God had more than responded. John Eldredge talks about the ancient Celtic Christians and their definition of chasing after God’s Spirit as being akin to chasing the wild goose. No one knows where it may lead.
And I especially like the response that Mr. Beaver gives in C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe when he was asked if it was a safe thing to follow after Aslan, “ Safe??? Oh my, no! It’s never safe – but it’s good.”
In other words, it’s a good thing – but it’s definitely a dangerous thing. And I was about to find that out firsthand.
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