In the spirit

Ever had your kids say there's a monster under the bed? It's easy to dismiss it as an active imagination or bad dream because what else could it be? But what about when you can't sleep yourself because you're so petrified of the erie presence in the room that you sleep with your head under the bed covers. If that's never been a problem for you, I can tell you that was me, and it was terrifying. I first wrote about this nearly two years ago here https://inhisbreeze.blogspot.com/2022/08/whats-in-name.html

As a quick recap, the problem was solved thanks to the help of an occult-practising atheist who gave me a prayer! That prayer and the subsequent removal of the spirits led me to give my life to Jesus.

When people ask how I "came to faith," I rarely share this part of my story, probably because I'm worried about seeing the same reaction on people's faces as I did all those years ago when I was looking for help—fear or cynicism. But it's important not to shy away from the topic. If people can't come to followers of Jesus for help with spiritual problems, where can they turn? Indeed, that's one of the main ways we signpost.

I recently had a vision in the spirit. (Being in the spirit means seeing what's happening in the spirit realm, like in 2 Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha). In the vision, there wasn't much to see, but I heard someone shouting "Trespasser" repeatedly at me. I was scared and wanted to leave, but I heard the Holy Spirit say, "Stay; you're not trespassing. It's a lie to keep you out." Then, looking to my right, I saw a river approaching. It was full of Life. Living waters gathering and growing. As the water meandered through the land, I noticed how barren and dry the land was for the first time, and I wept. I started to grieve for those who were regulars in the spirit but who were there without the River. The place appeared peaceful and tranquil, but it was really just death. I cried out to the Lord to help them escape, and He said, "Look". I turned back to the River, and every place it touched, Life sprang up. Trees, flowers, and grass were all now growing alongside the River, which was getting wider all the time. Then I saw shadows coming out of the wilderness, coming to see the Life in the spirit they hadn't witnessed before. They came in droves to taste and see.

There's a reluctance or hesitancy for Christians in Wales to participate in the spiritual part of Life. A fear of getting it wrong or perhaps even hearing "Trespasser" as I did and believing it's God saying you aren't to be there might be part of this. But this has left a vacuum. The Lord is calling us into the River. There, we go in the spirit only where He directs and leads.

I know what the power of the kingdom of darkness sounds and feels like. The carrot on a stick, the addiction and promise of more power as your ego grows, but never quite knowing where the power comes from, or what price you're going to have to pay down the line...like a loan shark offering to "help someone out", then at a later date when you're in too deep to see a way out, the "repayment" bill arrives. I know how radically different it is to be a daughter of the King, where the cost is made clear upfront; everything! Your Life! Submission to Love. It's an adventure that lasts a lifetime and brings layer upon layer of freedom. The power doesn't ever pretend to belong to us in this Kingdom. I've known from the start that it comes from a name - Jesus. And, of course, Jesus isn't just a name! As a man, He has already defeated Satan. Because Satan isn't an adversary or equal to Jesus as God. The battle isn't between God and the demonic, however much Satan would have us believe that. Hell isn't somewhere he's going to rule. His only chance to rule is here if we let him! It's time for the church to stop being frightened of the demonic. It's time for demons to quake and scream as people enter into worshipful, holy atmospheres. It's Biblical!

I've seen an increase of people being delivered of demons over the past few months... mostly from believers. It's nothing to freak out about! Deliverance isn't going to be quietly happening in the back rooms, but once again, biblically, in public. (It very often looks like coughing, spluttering, throwing up or farting as the demonic leaves, followed by joy, tears and laughter as people are refilled with the Holy Spirit!) It'd be wise to start preparing for what it looks like as it will increase. Teach your children and young people in a way they can understand so they know what to expect. Equip and empower them to help their school friends take authority over those hiding monsters.

If demons have to flee because the name of Jesus is spoken out of the mouth of an atheist, imagine what can happen when believers believe that He really is the name above all names and every knee must bow.

Philippians 2:4-11 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.