We just finished several posts about confronting the lies of an anti-Christ spirit. Last week I shared the story of a man healed from chronic pain and multiple problems when I confronted the lie that an anti-Christ spirit was whispering to me. This week, I’ll start the story of God’s salvation in my life.

A Troubled Child

I suffered a lot of mental anguish as a child. I’m not sure how the demonic oppression started. I had Christian parents who loved me. I didn’t suffer any great abuse, like many children do. There was quite a bit of economic stress and instability, however. We once lost our home and had to move in with my grandmother. And I had a lot of trouble making friends. Other kids picked on me all the time when I went to public school.

I began stealing when I was really young. I felt like it wasn’t fair that I couldn’t get a job to make money and buy things. I stole from my parents and I shoplifted.

I also had fits of rage. I was rebellious to my parents and very angry. Much of what angered me was injustice. I emphasized with people who were wronged. But the anger and hatred for oppressors consumed me.

I read through nearly all of the Bible when I was seven years old. My mom taught us scripture and sang worship songs with us at night. I loved some parts of the Bible, but others terrified me.

I often thought about killing myself, but I was too afraid that I would go to hell if I did. I wasn’t sure if God existed, but I didn’t want to take chances. I remember sitting cross-legged in the middle of a field, contemplating the possibilities of creationism or evolution. I decided that evolution was impossible, but it seemed like creationism was also impossible. If there was a God who created everything, where did he come from?

There were many times that I just cried for hours. It felt like demons were choking me. I prayed the “salvation prayer” many times, asking God to forgive my sins, but I didn’t feel any different. I tried to stop stealing and being so angry, but I failed again and again. It felt like I couldn’t change. I wished I knew that there wasn’t a God or a hell so that I could just kill myself and escape life.

“Why Don’t I Pray For Your Back?”

 One morning, when I was about nine years old, I woke up with bad back pain. I had woken up with a sore back before, after sleeping at a weird angle. But this was different. Something was seriously out of place, and it really hurt.

My mom was going to give me a haircut that morning. Sitting on the stool waiting for my haircut, I said “Mom, my back is killing me!”

She responded, “Why don’t I pray for it?” I didn’t know what good that would do. I didn’t expect anything to happen. But I said something like “Whatever.”

Mom put her hand on my back and said “In Jesus’ name, pain go. Be healed.”

I felt something like a ball of energy rolling up and down my spine. “Mom, what are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything. Jesus is healing you.”

She had to use the bathroom before she gave me a haircut. When she walked away, I still felt the thing rolling up and down my spine. Then I realized that she really wasn’t doing anything. It was God! The sensation gradually subsided, and all the pain was gone. My back was in place!

God Is Real

 I was convinced. Now I knew that God existed.

On the one hand, it was really special to experience such a tangible touch from God. Later, I told my friends “I know that God is real. I felt his hand on my back.”

On the other hand, I was even more afraid of going to hell. I knew that I really had to change, but I felt like I couldn’t.

Next week, I’ll share the story of another turning point-having lunch with my dad. After that I’ll share the story of how I was born again and became a different person.

P.S. I later learned that my parents had attended meetings with Charles and Francis Hunter before I was born. Charles and Francis taught them to minister to the sick. After the training they had each row of people stand up and hold hands. They walked down between the rows of people, touching the person on the end of each row. As they they touched the person on the end of each row, the power of God went through the row. The whole row of people fell straight down into their seats-one row after another.

I’m glad that Charles and Francis taught my parents to minister healing.