Tonight, I had one of the most intense encounters with the unseen realm of angels and demons that I've ever had in my life. My best friend and I were sitting in his Jeep, having a really intense talk about God and the plans He has for us. It wasn't just broad-based, "Jesus has awesome plans for us" talk, it was us being accountable for each others' faults and speaking the truth in love to each other. Apparently, this was enough to peak Satan's interest and send something to check on us and freak me out. A demon came to my house tonight. For a 17-year-old girl.
I was sitting in the passenger side, facing my house, away from a patch of trees on the other side of our driveway, and as we were talking, I got this really sudden, really intense fear that something was behind me. You know that feeling when you're watching a scary movie and the killer is standing behind them but they don't know it? That's how scared I was. I tried to ignore it, because teenage girls get scared of the dark and scared of stupid things they shouldn't be scared of, but I could not shake this feeling. It was similar to the fear I had when our youth group did a walk-through of a simulated hell, and I got so overwhelmed that I started to cast out the fake demons in the name of Jesus. Tonight, I was so scared I couldn't force myself to say the words on my heart.
I stopped my friend in the middle of his sentence and told him I was terrified. I told him that I was probably being paranoid and afraid of nothing, but that I couldn't shake it. I put my head on his shoulder and started to cry, and he started to pray over me. He was praising God for being our Victor, for being the Almighty God, and for the fact that anything that stands in our way or tries to cause us fear has to flee in the name of Christ. I can't make this stuff up guys. As quickly as that crippling fear came over me, it vanished. Whatever evil was watching me, it was gone.
We talked about what had just happened once we were done wiping the tears from our eyes, and he told me that he had asked God for discernment to know if it was just a weird feeling or if there was something there, and God revealed to him that there was actually something evil near us. He said he felt my fear and saw something, in the way that humans usually see angels or demons. We don't usually get to see the details of them, because they're so overwhelming and terrifying that it would be unbearable for us to look at them. But as scary as angels and demons are, our God is bigger.
This is something a lot of people avoid talking about because when you really think about it, this stuff is scary. Really scary. In the words of my friend, "There's a reason the shepherds were afraid when they saw the angel of the Lord." God has an army of these things. An army of Cupids wouldn't really be that intimidating in battle. And demons are just angels who have chosen to follow Satan instead of God, so they're just as impressive, except they are pure evil, and knowing that should frighten you enough to keep you awake at night thinking about the big picture.
The good news is that as believers, once you accept Christ into your heart, you accept His power into your life as well. You have the God of the universe dwelling inside your very body. If you tell a demon to leave your presence, it has to leave, by the power of Christ. So while they might be frightening, we don't have to fear them. Chances are, the first time you encounter a demon or an angel, you won't handle the situation very well. (Or maybe that's just me . . .) Don't be discouraged! Once you get a better feel for what your dealing with, or even just seeing someone else deal with it (like in my case), it will better prepare you for the next time something like that happens. Whatever you do, though, don't be deceived. The realm of angels and demons lays just beyond our vision. There is heavenly warfare all around you, all the time. Be on your guard, and never ignore a feeling if you know something isn't right. Pray for discernment, and if it's just paranoia, pray for peace. If it's something else, speak the name of the Lord. There is power in the name of the Lord.
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