Praise for God's Supernatural Intervention

[Mycroft1325]

Hello Everyone. I haven't actually posted my Testimony here. Perhaps I will at a later time. Meanwhile, this seems to be the best Forum Category for what I will post here. If the Moderators disagree, then please put it where the topic is better suited.

Regardless, I was saved in 1991, at the age of 20. So I have had many decades to work my trust in Jesus Christ out with the appropriate Fear & Trembling. Lots and lots of that. The Fear. And the Trembling, lots of the Trembling. To fall in the hands of the Living God is no metaphor and absolutely no joke.

As the years roll on and the Darkness deepens. It seems to me that the Church needs more edification than ever. Even if our trust in the saving grace of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is rock-solid, *everyone* can use a helpful reminder of the power & mercy of the God we serve.

So, that is my intention here. I would like to compile a thread of examples where God intervened in our lives in an obviously supernatural way. Don't misunderstand, I am NOT saying that only dramatic supernatural interventions matter! We should not be chasing supernatural miracles like an addict chasing his next fix. I just believe that now, more than ever, we need to remember that the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, is a God of Power. All the power, actually & He always uses it perfectly.

Since it's just after Halloween, and to give a good example of what I am talking about, I'll begin here-

(All names have been changed, as I can't speak for anyone but myself.)

In October of 1993 at the age of 22, I was attending College at UW-Stevens Point, Wisconsin. For a bit over a month, I had been friends with a young lady we'll call Jane. Though not dating, it did seem like we might head in that direction & in any event we spent a great deal of time together. She had often remarked about her fascination with the Occult & Supernatural.

She said that if she ever had the chance to use a Ouija board she was definitely going to do it. She also asked me to be with her if that happened. As a Christian since 1991 & an amateur researcher of the Occult, I knew very well that such things were Bad News, but at the time I didn't want to get into a deep discussion as to why. I also did not feel like getting into an argument if I said no & she pressed. So, really believing it would never happen anyway, I told her I promised to be there.

One Week later, not long before Halloween, she comes dashing into my dorm, excitedly telling me that her & her roommate, Brenda & our mutual friend, Dave, had borrowed a Ouija board from someone, so would I please be there, as I'd promised?

Grinning internally, I apologized & said I couldn't make it, as I had an acting rehearsal assignment I was just leaving for.

This was completely true. Visibly hurt, she left, but I wasn't feeling bad about not having to honor my foolish promise. However, as I gathered up my bookwork & prepared to leave, I got a phone call. It was the classmate I was supposed to practice with. He had suddenly come down with a very bad cold & had to cancel. He said he was so sorry for this last minute cancelation, this sickness just came out of nowhere. I told him he had nothing to apologize for, it wasn't his fault. I told him to get well, then hung up the phone.

Well.

Now I had *no* excuse not to go to Jane's room.

I mulled it over briefly & called a friend of mine who was also a believer. Quickly explaining the situation, he suggested God may very well have had a reason for me to be there & if I'm not actually participating, I should be okay. I was already leaning in that direction & since my promise had been to just BE there, not participate, hopefully God wouldn't think I was splitting hairs in that regard.

I went up to Jane & Brenda's room. As an aside, I want to mention that they had lucked out & been assigned a Corner Dorm. Given how the dorms were laid out, all the corner rooms were roughly twice as large as normal, so there was plenty of space for the two of them. I opened the door & it was pitch dark, except for the flashlight Dave was holding over the Ouija board. Jane & Brenda were currently using the Planchet. (That's the Triangle-Shaped widget that moves around the board.)

They all acknowledged me as I entered & I waved to them & went to lay down on the lower of their beds. That bed was facing out into the room, cutting it roughly in half, while the upper bed was perpendicular to it & set against the wall. So I was lying on my stomach, facing the wall opposite the entrance. This allowed me to overlook the situation.

I said nothing, I did nothing, aside from preparing myself to be bored. The kinds of questions Jane & Brenda were asking were the right kinds of nonsense questions perfectly suited to induce boredom. This actually made me feel a bit better, as it didn't look like anything potentially dangerous was happening.

Just as I was thinking about leaving however, something else beat me to it. The Planchet suddenly moved to 'Bye' & as that happened, I felt a very strange pressure suddenly stop. I don't know why I didn't notice it when I first came in the room, but it was impossible to miss when gone. It was very similar to when you're outside on a hot, humid day & suddenly go into a well air-conditioned building. All that heat & humidity is gone & you are now able to relax.

With the removal of this pressure though, the LAST thing I could do was relax. My 'Dog Ears' perked up & I probably did look like that RCA Dog as I cocked my head thinking, "What the heck was that?!" I had no time to consider it however, as Jane & Brenda immediately started the ritual to summon another Spirit.

It didn't take long.

This encounter I remember much more clearly than the first. The Spirit said its name was, "Ani" (pronounced 'Any') and that it was a 19-year old Greek Fisherman who had died in a fishing accident in the Mediterranean back in 1917. With that, Jane & Brenda started asking it personal questions, but these were of a more important nature rather than the silly things from earlier. Brenda's Grandmother was very ill, was she going to die? Jane was very concerned about meeting the Right Man, what should she look for?

Now, as a Christian, I trust that what the Bible is, is just what it claims to be- The Inerrant Word of God. As a Believer, I have a responsibility to relay the truth that I know & to do so as accurately as possible. With that in mind, the Bible says clearly that when we die, we are essentially asleep & know nothing. Aside from extremely rare exceptions, *nobody* is conscious after death. 'Ghosts' as popular culture thinks of them, do not exist. Good Angels, Fallen Angels & the Spirits of dead Hybrids condemned to wander the Earth, comprise the overwhelming majority of Spirits that interact with humans. With that thought in my mind, I suddenly became angry. That anger quickly moved to outright Fury. Whatever this Being was, it certainly wasn't a dead teenage fisherman and it was lying to these innocent young women! Without a doubt it was a lie that could not be tolerated.

Suddenly, the Planchet's responses became jumbled & confused, mere Gibberish. And though afterwards she said she couldn't remember why she did it, Brenda asked, "Is there something in the room that's bothering you?"

With no confusion, the Planchet slowly & deliberately spelled out my first name.

At that instant, I had one of those experiences that seemed to take some time, but must have been only a second or two. Let me try to bring it across-

Now, I am not afraid of human beings. I know there are those who are stronger, smarter, faster than I am. I know there are those who could kill me in a flash with a pencil. But I'm not afraid of them. They still have to put their pants on one leg at a time. They still have to deal with Bathroom essentials, like we all do. They are just like me, flawed & mortal.

But this, 'Thing', whatever it was, terrified me. I guess the best visual representation with how my mind's eye perceived it, would be the scene near the end of the 'Fellowship of the Ring' film, after Frodo puts on the One Ring to escape Boromir. The Eye of Sauron was able now see Frodo & looked down on him, overwhelming with fury. This creature was Ancient. Ancient and *filled* with Malice. Malice layered up like an Onion, year after year, century after century, age after age, deathless in its hatred of humanity. This creature was Ancient, full of power & hate, with an intelligence no human could match & it was now aware of me. It was looking *directly* at me. I was petrified.

But then, some other person, who was inside me, but *not* me, came outside of me. It felt like a Tidal Wave & all my ears could hear was a tremendous Roar. The Holy Spirit of God was there & making no secret of it. I suddenly felt incredibly small, like a little fly, about to get smashed between two enormous Flyswatters. But I was no longer terrified. I was elated, exalted. I remember thinking, "Lord Jesus, if this is where I go out, I'm happy to have been a part of it, Your will be done." But then, though I heard no words, I had the unmistakable impression of someone putting their arm across my shoulders & turning me away. Along with that was the clear feeling of, 'Not now, not yet, now is not the time.'

The next thing I know, I'm driving through the nighttime streets of Stevens Point, listening to a 'Men at Work' album.

I let myself do that for maybe 20 minutes, then returned to the school. When I got back, I found David, Jane & Brenda, downstairs in the Student Lounge, discussing what had happened. They were glad to see me & when I asked them what happened, I was told that once my name was spelled, I suddenly stood up, said, "I'm Outta Here." and left.

Immediately afterwards, Jane & Brenda became almost hysterical with fear, because their hands were glued so tightly to the Planchet it was hurting them. Brenda cried out, asking what was wrong & amidst more gibberish, the phrases, 'Want My Girls', 'Supposed to be Mine', 'Promised', came out as the Planchet moved with painful speed. Then, it flew to 'Bye' and their hands were free. They all immediately came to the lounge where they had stayed, not wanting to go back to their room. They all agreed the Spirit seemed to think Jane & Brenda had been "promised" to it somehow, but it had been denied & was now furious about it.

I explained my end of the story, and though I'd talked about 'Christian Stuff' before, in small ways, I now shared the Gospel with them & reassured them that they could probably return to their room with no fear. Provided they removed the Ouija board & didn't try fooling around with the Occult more. They had already returned the board to its owner & Jane said she would NEVER, Never, EVER do anything like that again! Brenda agreed & Dave thought just being in the area observing the insanity, was bad enough.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Hello Everyone. I haven't actually posted my Testimony here. Perhaps I will at a later time. Meanwhile, this seems to be the best Forum Category for what I will post here. If the Moderators disagree, then please put it where the topic is better suited.

Regardless, I was saved in 1991, at the age of 20. So I have had many decades to work my trust in Jesus Christ out with the appropriate Fear & Trembling. Lots and lots of that. The Fear. And the Trembling, lots of the Trembling. To fall in the hands of the Living God is no metaphor and absolutely no joke.

As the years roll on and the Darkness deepens. It seems to me that the Church needs more edification than ever. Even if our trust in the saving grace of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is rock-solid, *everyone* can use a helpful reminder of the power & mercy of the God we serve.

So, that is my intention here. I would like to compile a thread of examples where God intervened in our lives in an obviously supernatural way. Don't misunderstand, I am NOT saying that only dramatic supernatural interventions matter! We should not be chasing supernatural miracles like an addict chasing his next fix. I just believe that now, more than ever, we need to remember that the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, is a God of Power. All the power, actually & He always uses it perfectly.

Since it's just after Halloween, and to give a good example of what I am talking about, I'll begin here-

(All names have been changed, as I can't speak for anyone but myself.)

In October of 1993 at the age of 22, I was attending College at UW-Stevens Point, Wisconsin. For a bit over a month, I had been friends with a young lady we'll call Jane. Though not dating, it did seem like we might head in that direction & in any event we spent a great deal of time together. She had often remarked about her fascination with the Occult & Supernatural.

She said that if she ever had the chance to use a Ouija board she was definitely going to do it. She also asked me to be with her if that happened. As a Christian since 1991 & an amateur researcher of the Occult, I knew very well that such things were Bad News, but at the time I didn't want to get into a deep discussion as to why. I also did not feel like getting into an argument if I said no & she pressed. So, really believing it would never happen anyway, I told her I promised to be there.

One Week later, not long before Halloween, she comes dashing into my dorm, excitedly telling me that her & her roommate, Brenda & our mutual friend, Dave, had borrowed a Ouija board from someone, so would I please be there, as I'd promised?

Grinning internally, I apologized & said I couldn't make it, as I had an acting rehearsal assignment I was just leaving for.

This was completely true. Visibly hurt, she left, but I wasn't feeling bad about not having to honor my foolish promise. However, as I gathered up my bookwork & prepared to leave, I got a phone call. It was the classmate I was supposed to practice with. He had suddenly come down with a very bad cold & had to cancel. He said he was so sorry for this last minute cancelation, this sickness just came out of nowhere. I told him he had nothing to apologize for, it wasn't his fault. I told him to get well, then hung up the phone.

Well.

Now I had *no* excuse not to go to Jane's room.

I mulled it over briefly & called a friend of mine who was also a believer. Quickly explaining the situation, he suggested God may very well have had a reason for me to be there & if I'm not actually participating, I should be okay. I was already leaning in that direction & since my promise had been to just BE there, not participate, hopefully God wouldn't think I was splitting hairs in that regard.

I went up to Jane & Brenda's room. As an aside, I want to mention that they had lucked out & been assigned a Corner Dorm. Given how the dorms were laid out, all the corner rooms were roughly twice as large as normal, so there was plenty of space for the two of them. I opened the door & it was pitch dark, except for the flashlight Dave was holding over the Ouija board. Jane & Brenda were currently using the Planchet. (That's the Triangle-Shaped widget that moves around the board.)

They all acknowledged me as I entered & I waved to them & went to lay down on the lower of their beds. That bed was facing out into the room, cutting it roughly in half, while the upper bed was perpendicular to it & set against the wall. So I was lying on my stomach, facing the wall opposite the entrance. This allowed me to overlook the situation.

I said nothing, I did nothing, aside from preparing myself to be bored. The kinds of questions Jane & Brenda were asking were the right kinds of nonsense questions perfectly suited to induce boredom. This actually made me feel a bit better, as it didn't look like anything potentially dangerous was happening.

Just as I was thinking about leaving however, something else beat me to it. The Planchet suddenly moved to 'Bye' & as that happened, I felt a very strange pressure suddenly stop. I don't know why I didn't notice it when I first came in the room, but it was impossible to miss when gone. It was very similar to when you're outside on a hot, humid day & suddenly go into a well air-conditioned building. All that heat & humidity is gone & you are now able to relax.

With the removal of this pressure though, the LAST thing I could do was relax. My 'Dog Ears' perked up & I probably did look like that RCA Dog as I cocked my head thinking, "What the heck was that?!" I had no time to consider it however, as Jane & Brenda immediately started the ritual to summon another Spirit.

It didn't take long.

This encounter I remember much more clearly than the first. The Spirit said its name was, "Ani" (pronounced 'Any') and that it was a 19-year old Greek Fisherman who had died in a fishing accident in the Mediterranean back in 1917. With that, Jane & Brenda started asking it personal questions, but these were of a more important nature rather than the silly things from earlier. Brenda's Grandmother was very ill, was she going to die? Jane was very concerned about meeting the Right Man, what should she look for?

Now, as a Christian, I trust that what the Bible is, is just what it claims to be- The Inerrant Word of God. As a Believer, I have a responsibility to relay the truth that I know & to do so as accurately as possible. With that in mind, the Bible says clearly that when we die, we are essentially asleep & know nothing. Aside from extremely rare exceptions, *nobody* is conscious after death. 'Ghosts' as popular culture thinks of them, do not exist. Good Angels, Fallen Angels & the Spirits of dead Hybrids condemned to wander the Earth, comprise the overwhelming majority of Spirits that interact with humans. With that thought in my mind, I suddenly became angry. That anger quickly moved to outright Fury. Whatever this Being was, it certainly wasn't a dead teenage fisherman and it was lying to these innocent young women! Without a doubt it was a lie that could not be tolerated.

Suddenly, the Planchet's responses became jumbled & confused, mere Gibberish. And though afterwards she said she couldn't remember why she did it, Brenda asked, "Is there something in the room that's bothering you?"

With no confusion, the Planchet slowly & deliberately spelled out my first name.

At that instant, I had one of those experiences that seemed to take some time, but must have been only a second or two. Let me try to bring it across-

Now, I am not afraid of human beings. I know there are those who are stronger, smarter, faster than I am. I know there are those who could kill me in a flash with a pencil. But I'm not afraid of them. They still have to put their pants on one leg at a time. They still have to deal with Bathroom essentials, like we all do. They are just like me, flawed & mortal.

But this, 'Thing', whatever it was, terrified me. I guess the best visual representation with how my mind's eye perceived it, would be the scene near the end of the 'Fellowship of the Ring' film, after Frodo puts on the One Ring to escape Boromir. The Eye of Sauron was able now see Frodo & looked down on him, overwhelming with fury. This creature was Ancient. Ancient and *filled* with Malice. Malice layered up like an Onion, year after year, century after century, age after age, deathless in its hatred of humanity. This creature was Ancient, full of power & hate, with an intelligence no human could match & it was now aware of me. It was looking *directly* at me. I was petrified.

But then, some other person, who was inside me, but *not* me, came outside of me. It felt like a Tidal Wave & all my ears could hear was a tremendous Roar. The Holy Spirit of God was there & making no secret of it. I suddenly felt incredibly small, like a little fly, about to get smashed between two enormous Flyswatters. But I was no longer terrified. I was elated, exalted. I remember thinking, "Lord Jesus, if this is where I go out, I'm happy to have been a part of it, Your will be done." But then, though I heard no words, I had the unmistakable impression of someone putting their arm across my shoulders & turning me away. Along with that was the clear feeling of, 'Not now, not yet, now is not the time.'

The next thing I know, I'm driving through the nighttime streets of Stevens Point, listening to a 'Men at Work' album.

I let myself do that for maybe 20 minutes, then returned to the school. When I got back, I found David, Jane & Brenda, downstairs in the Student Lounge, discussing what had happened. They were glad to see me & when I asked them what happened, I was told that once my name was spelled, I suddenly stood up, said, "I'm Outta Here." and left.

Immediately afterwards, Jane & Brenda became almost hysterical with fear, because their hands were glued so tightly to the Planchet it was hurting them. Brenda cried out, asking what was wrong & amidst more gibberish, the phrases, 'Want My Girls', 'Supposed to be Mine', 'Promised', came out as the Planchet moved with painful speed. Then, it flew to 'Bye' and their hands were free. They all immediately came to the lounge where they had stayed, not wanting to go back to their room. They all agreed the Spirit seemed to think Jane & Brenda had been "promised" to it somehow, but it had been denied & was now furious about it.

I explained my end of the story, and though I'd talked about 'Christian Stuff' before, in small ways, I now shared the Gospel with them & reassured them that they could probably return to their room with no fear. Provided they removed the Ouija board & didn't try fooling around with the Occult more. They had already returned the board to its owner & Jane said she would NEVER, Never, EVER do anything like that again! Brenda agreed & Dave thought just being in the area observing the insanity, was bad enough.

Welcome. Thanks for sharing.

 

[YahuahSaves]

To fall in the hands of the Living God is no metaphor and absolutely no joke.

I second that.

As the years roll on and the Darkness deepens. It seems to me that the Church needs more edification than ever.

It absolutely does...

Thanks for sharing your testimony...
Do you think it's possible for the enemy to reveal to someone Jesus is King? Even if they had no clear biblical knowledge, except for being told at some point he is the Son of God?

 

[Mycroft1325]

Hey, thanks for the reply! I was beginning to wonder if anyone would.

*Technically* this isn't my 'Testimony', if by that we're referring to the sequence of events that caused me to repent & be Saved. It's just one of a number of events where the Holy Spirit used me for the benefit of others. (WHICH, I might add, seems to be a key point for when God acts through one of us directly.)

It's an interesting question & that specific one has not occurred to me. Honestly, I'm not sure. Though I have these thoughts which seem to me to be relevant-

Remember in Acts (16?) when the Possessed Slave Girl was shouting after Paul & his crew, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She was telling the absolute truth, but was NOT being helpful to them. If I had to prayerfully guess, I would suspect that she was actually *mocking* them & hoping that those in the area would think she was crazy & connect Paul & the others to that 'Crazy' by association.

For a few decades now I have come to the conclusion that while the Devil cannot *stop* the promulgation of the Bible, he *is* able to put Ideologies out there that we either experience before hearing the truth of Scripture, or are SO attractive to our Sin-Nature that our emotions throttle any competing sense. Either way, those beliefs then become the lens through which we understand God's Word & because it's a distorted lens, we have a distorted understanding & usually not a positive one.

 

[YahuahSaves]

*Technically* this isn't my 'Testimony', if by that we're referring to the sequence of events that caused me to repent & be Saved. It's just one of a number of events where the Holy Spirit used me for the benefit of others. (WHICH, I might add, seems to be a key point for when God acts through one of us directly.)

OK I'm confused, are you the Christian who was in the room during the seance? And if so, and the others heard you say "I'm outta here", but didn't experience the Holy Spirits response, how is it not a personal testimony?

For a few decades now I have come to the conclusion that while the Devil cannot *stop* the promulgation of the Bible, he *is* able to put Ideologies out there that we either experience before hearing the truth of Scripture, or are SO attractive to our Sin-Nature that our emotions throttle any competing sense. Either way, those beliefs then become the lens through which we understand God's Word & because it's a distorted lens, we have a distorted understanding & usually not a positive one.

What if it was a positive experience and it closely matches what the scripture says, but I chose 'the world' instead? Could that still be an attempted trick of the enemy? If there is 1 or 2 particular things that the bible says cannot be true?

I've recently joined the site, because there isn't any Christians around me where I am.
I've been going back over the past a lot, I've asked God about this, but start to feel like I did that day 5 years ago...supernaturally speaking... and it scares me because I don't want to be mistaken and not be following the God of the bible.

 

[Mycroft1325]

It wasn't a Seance. Two female friends of mine were using a Ouija Board, but yes, that would be me.

Perhaps it's just a terminology thing, but I have always understood the word, 'Testimony', in a Christian context to refer *specifically* to whatever events brought you to the feet of the Cross. This confrontation with the Evil Spirit & all subsequent supernatural events I will relate happened after my conversion.

And if so, and the others heard you say "I'm outta here", but didn't experience the Holy Spirits response, how is it not a personal testimony?

Not quite sure what you mean here. Are you asking if my confrontation was a testimony to the 3 other people that were with me? Well, considering that afterwards I shared the Gospel with them, I guess that would fit. But are you referring to them when you say, "...didn't experience the Holy Spirit's response..." ?

As for this-

What if it was a positive experience and it closely matches what the scripture says, but I chose 'the world' instead? Could that still be an attempted trick of the enemy? If there is 1 or 2 particular things that the bible says cannot be true?

Whuf. I always try to be very careful when judging other people's spiritual experiences. Especially on the Interwebs, where our knowledge of each other is extremely limited. Are you saying you had an experience that seemed God-given, but there were a few things... 'Off' with it? Keep in mind this is only my guess at this point, but I would say if anyone had a supernatural experience that at some point had an aspect of it that Scripture CLEARYLY said is wrong, then, yes, I would say the entire encounter is then suspect.

For example, let's say that someone, without doing a seance, or using a Ouija Board, or anything Occult, encounters what seems to be the Spirit of a dead beloved relative. During the encounter, that Spirit tells the person something important, that will either improve their life or help them deal with a problem. Everything about the encounter seems positive and good. Yet, since Scripture is clear that when we die we are essentially asleep & 'know nothing', I would then say the entire encounter becomes suspect.

Now there are EXTREMELY rare exceptions where a person did return spiritually from death (not counting any resurrections). Jesus had two returned persons with him on the mountain & God allowed the Witch of Endor to bring back a Spirit during Saul's time. But those are stupendously specific events & we have context to let us see what happened & why.

I'm sorry to hear there aren't many Believers where you are. Western Culture is now predominantly Materialistic & rapidly heading towards outright Paganism. It's getting harder to find even nominal Christians, much less genuine followers of Christ Jesus. Bear in mind though, that we were told near the End, 'the Love of most will grow cold' & I believe that the growing isolation many feel is a result of that.

Lastly, if your desire is to be a servant of the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, the Ancient of Days, the great, "I Am that I AM" & you know that you must admit your crimes & ask Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the only Begotten Son of God, who died on the Cross for our sins & rose, Bodily, 3 days later to sit at His Father's side to Rule, to save and forgive you? Then, yes, I would say it's a pretty safe bet you are worshipping the True and *Only* God.

 

[YahuahSaves]

Not quite sure what you mean here. Are you asking if my confrontation was a testimony to the 3 other people that were with me? Well, considering that afterwards I shared the Gospel with them, I guess that would fit. But are you referring to them when you say, "...didn't experience the Holy Spirit's response..." ?

I think it's a terminology thing.. I see the word 'testimony' as any experience that testifies to the truth about God and who Jesus is.

I guess I'm curious, did you ever tell your friends of your side of the experience?

For example, let's say that someone, without doing a seance, or using a Ouija Board, or anything Occult, encounters what seems to be the Spirit of a dead beloved relative. During the encounter, that Spirit tells the person something important, that will either improve their life or help them deal with a problem. Everything about the encounter seems positive and good. Yet, since Scripture is clear that when we die we are essentially asleep & 'know nothing', I would then say the entire encounter becomes suspect.

I went through a dark time emotionally and I was trying to 'heal myself' trying to recall blocked memories. 3 days of psychosomatic symptoms and yes, I was 'visited' by a recently deceased loved one. It freaked me out and I wouldn't do what was asked, but later in the day there was a kind of breakthrough moment in my mind and that's the part that I not only experienced God the father (because I already believed in him) but also the Son and holy spirit. The whole episode was Jesus is King and all of creation was declaring his praise. I was shown the reality of the world (earth) and the actual world we live in was much smaller, looked like a city with neon lights and was upside down. I chose the world I knew because I wasn't ready to be different. And to be honest, it was scary to be 'exposed' like that. God really does see everything and nothing is hidden from him. It was extremely vulnerable.
Anyway, my deceased loved one was there after I 'came down' from this experience. It was still positive. But after I started thinking it wasn't real, I entered a very dark place internally.

You know, no matter if it was from God or not, it eventually got me to Jesus and repentance. So satan lost either way.

I'm sorry to hear there aren't many Believers where you are. Western Culture is now predominantly Materialistic & rapidly heading towards outright Paganism. It's getting harder to find even nominal Christians, much less genuine followers of Christ Jesus.

I know right.

Lastly, if your desire is to be a servant of the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, the Ancient of Days, the great, "I Am that I AM" & you know that you must admit your crimes & ask Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the only Begotten Son of God, who died on the Cross for our sins & rose, Bodily, 3 days later to sit at His Father's side to Rule, to save and forgive you? Then, yes, I would say it's a pretty safe bet you are worshipping the True and *Only* God.

Yes, I really hope so. He knows what's in my heart.

 

[Mycroft1325]

Praise for God's Supernatural Intervention #2

Okay, it's been a month since I wrote my first experience being used directly by the Holy Spirit. I debated whether or not I should create a second thread for my second experience, but from what I've read on the site's rules, I think it would be preferred if I put it here, which I am now so doing-

The events that brought about my next experience actually took place very close to my first. Since it concerns an extremely personal tragedy that occurred to people I know, I will not give out an personally identifying information. However, to understand the gravity of the situation, I will have to recount *some* details.

WARNING-

I despise with a passion modern culture, but I still try to respect other people's feelings. So in that light I will say these circumstances might be 'triggering' to some? I hope not and since it is a recounting of God acting directly for the good of those He cares about, keep that in mind.

So. Around October of 1993, a married couple, with whom I was friends with both, had a terrible tragedy happen to them. One night, about 6pm or so, the Wife called her Husband at work & asked if she should walk over to their friend's house, instead of using the car. Since it was a nice night for the season & it was just under 3 blocks, he said sure, it should be fine.

Along the way, she was attacked and... 'Taken Advantage of' by 3 older teenage boys at gunpoint.

Even at the time, it became a BIG political issue VERY quickly. Due to the young men's skin color & socio-economic station, when the State announced they were going to be tried as adults for the crime, there was an explosive outcry of outrage. I can't (or really don't want to) imagine what would have happened NOW in our Cultural Marxist lunacy, but it was bad enough then.

But regardless, all of that fallout is actually secondary. The Wife ended up going to a therapist to help her deal with the trauma & this person told her that she needed to divorce herself from ANYTHING that reminded her of the event. The Wife took that quite literally & ended up divorcing her Husband. The last time I spoke with her one-on-one, I asked why leaving *him* was necessary. He wasn't responsible & had no control over what happened. He loved her a great deal, could that not be a positive, rather than a negative? She deflected, not really answering the question, just saying that she was 'doing what she had to do.'

So, she left, and the Husband was, as one might expect, devastated. Yet it only got worse. In late January of 1994, there was a news article published about the event & included an interview with the Ex-Wife. When I read it, I was stunned, because during it, she said that her Ex-Husband was a terrible person & it was a good thing that she ended up leaving him anyway.

This was a flat-out lie. I could list my own anecdotal reasons why, but it would be redundant, as someone else with more authority ended up making that clear.

I knew how hard that accusation would hit the Husband & a mutual friend did as well. We decided that as soon as we could, we would go to his home & see if we could be of any help. So around a week or so later, we arrived at his house to spend the evening with him.

I will never forget, as soon as we walked in the door, we saw him lounging on a couch, stuffing the butt of a cigarette into a large planter, already filled to bursting with perhaps a hundred or more. I glanced at my friend, he glanced back at me & mouthed the words, "Oh Boy." I nodded slightly in agreement. This was going to be ugly.

I sat down on the floor, as was my habit, as my friend took a nearby chair. We said hello to the Husband, along with a few platitudes, then let him take us where he wanted to go. After perhaps 30 seconds of small-talk, he paused & his face tightened as a wave of anguish washed over him. He struggled mightily to keep himself under control, but it seemed like he was going to lose that struggle. If your heart is not stone-cold dead, there are just some fights like this nobody can win.

He immediately started to blame himself. Saying it was all *his* fault. They lived on the outskirts of a major city, he should have KNOWN it was too dangerous! He NEVER should have told her it was okay to walk! This kind of self-recrimination went on for perhaps less than two minutes.

Then, out of nowhere, I suddenly got angry. VERY angry. I remember hearing the words, "How dare you! How DARE YOU-"

Cut.

From my perspective, the Husband was now suddenly near the top of the stairs to the 2nd floor, running up to his room to have a Cry, I assume. In confusion, I turn to look at the friend who came with me & ask, "What happened?" With Goggled-Eyes like Dinner Plates, he stares at me & whispers, "Praise God. You told him what he needed to hear."

And, this turned out to be exactly true. Like cleaning an infection, the wound in his heart was cleared & true, real healing could begin.

Other than those initial words I heard me say (heard, but did NOT say myself), I remember nothing of that talk. From what I was later told, Indeed, at first, God *was* quite angry at the Husband. Not because he was responsible, but (and this is critical) because he was taking responsibility for something for which he was NOT responsible! Christians often talk about God's Righteous Anger, but we don't often enough consider that unjustified self-blame ticks Him off quite a bit. *I* certainly hadn't thought about that at the time.

But it wasn't just with anger that God spoke to this poor man with. He was also told that as far as this tragedy was concerned, he was free and blameless. That his Wife abandoned her Marriage was her choice and her failing, *He* did well and did all that was required of him. It would hurt, but God was with him.

It was at that point that he ran off & I came back to myself.

I can't recount this event without wanting to tear up a bit myself. Because it made it clear to the 3 of us how deeply and personally the Creator of All is involved in His creation. He is not some vast, abstract and unknowable entity, who stands far off in the great 'Away', but an intimately concerned Master, for which the 'least' of His regard (if one can use such a term) is greater than our most ardent selfless passion.

 

[Mycroft1325]

Well.

My how it seems time can fly by. Over two weeks since I made my last post. I do hope that even if no one else recounts their own similar experiences that someone who needs to know that God can and does directly come into our lives will read these when it will be most beneficial to do so. That's primarily why I am putting these up after all.

So with that said, Encounter #3-

Though as with the others, this was not for me directly, it is the most personal. I suppose I should also warn that as with the 2nd, it deals with a very ugly topic that might be difficult for some to read. It was difficult to *experience*, no question. However, it was an act of our Sovereign Creator, not meant to harm, but to bring light to a dark place.

There is a LOT of backstory that goes with this one though. It involves a previous relationship of mine & that relationship also has aspects that are relevant today, both to our wider culture and for me as an individual & the Marriage I am now in. Which, if I had the strength for it, could snowball into a theological novella. However, for this I will try to just bring up contextual highlights. Hopefully that will be enough.

From 1996->97 I was engaged to a young woman who was a professing Christian. At the tender age of 26, as I was, I was much more ignorant about such things & assumed that if someone claimed to be a Follower of Jesus Christ, then they probably were. I mean, aside from those 'Wolves in Sheep's Clothing', why lie about such a thing?

I had a lot to learn about SELF-Deception. I learned a lot of that in hard ways. This situation was one.

So my (Ex)Fiancee' had a history of being abused. Both as a child & as a young adult. I was not ignorant of such things. My Biological Father had abused both my Mother & Older Brother. According to my Mother, since I was around Two when she divorced him, I had escaped that fate. At least directly. My Brother tried quite hard to pass his abuse on to me, but since I fought him at every turn & eventually 'won', I never considered myself a Victim. My Ex agreed that since I was not 'helpless', I hadn't been abused.

I bring THAT up because it was a highly sensitive topic for her. I hate to say it, but her 'Victimhood' status was almost a badge of honor for her. In a way it was like The One Ring from J.R.R. Tolkien's, "Lord of the Rings". It gave her a sense of power that she used (dare I say, Abused?) at every ready opportunity. It was my fear for her in that regard, that she was becoming what she hated, combined with her very non-inerrant view of Scripture, that ultimately ended our relationship. Her past abuse was also what God used as a means to correct her, with me as the Conduit.

It was very late Summer of '97. I was living in Wisconsin at the time & she had just moved back to her parent's home in Missouri. I was staying with her & her family for a few days, as her Father had recently passed away after a long battle with Cancer. It was the evening after the Wake & we were the only ones in the house at the time. We were relaxing in her Father's overstuffed recliner & I was drifting off, when she suddenly kissed me & began to get... well... let's just say, 'Frisky'. She then leapt off the chair, grabbed my arm & started yanking me up. Given that she was 5'2", about a 110lbs & I was 6'3" & 260lbs, she only moved me because I allowed it.

She led me upstairs to a spare room & pushed me down on the bed. She then pounced on me & made a risque comment. Why I allowed this I was not sure. I was not 'Feelin' it', as they say & had no desire to let things go anywhere. Even if I *had* however, there was something terribly... wrong here. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was a kind of Rapacious Hunger to her actions that, if I was honest, scared me. It scared me quite a bit & that had nothing to do with any impending sin of pre-marital physical intimacy. However, it soon became moot.

Suddenly, with no transition, I was no longer in the room. I was standing in another room, somewhere else entirely. But... wait. No. No. I WAS in the same room! But it was the same room at a different period in TIME. Judging by the decor I guessed mid to late 1970's. What on Earth was going on here? It felt real, even the smell was different. Then I heard a voice coming from one of the corners. I looked & saw a little girl, perhaps 4 years old. Sitting on the floor next to an older boy, perhaps 10-12. I recognized the girl instinctively as my Fiancee', but the boy I did not know.

Then, I made eye contact with my Fiancee' & everything changed. It is hard to describe what happened. When I looked at her, I guess you could say our Spirits 'Locked', or Intertwined. I suddenly FELT everything she was feeling. Again, being there felt completely real, but once I saw her & that happened, it became so much more than some kind of 'Holodeck'-type experience. I wasn't just watching her as a passive observer. In a very real sense I WAS her. Everything she was feeling, *I* felt. Everything that she was experiencing, I was experiencing WITH her.

But I still had my own mind and awareness, so the dread I suddenly felt was all my own. This boy was her older cousin & he was trying to talk her into 'Playing Doctor'.

The ploy worked.

I felt her honest curiosity, I felt her puzzlement. I felt her fear. I felt her pain. But worst of all, worse by far, I felt the emergence of feelings that should have lain dormant for years and years yet and because they came out this way, they grew out twisted and broken. Cancerous.

It. Was. Horrible.

I cried out to God to please, PLEASE, make it stop! I don't want any more of this! I can't STAND any more of this!

After a time, it did stop.

Again, with no transition, I found myself back in what I instantly knew as the Now. But I was now turned around in the bed 180 degrees. My Fiancee' was kneeling on the bed & my head was in her lap. I knew she was calling my name, quite loudly, though it felt very distant. Suddenly I was filled with an overwhelming desire to BREATHE. It was as if I had been underwater far too long & needed air, desperately. So I opened my mouth & took a huge lungful. Then another, and another. My Fiancee's voice got louder with each breath, though by the second she had stopped crying out my name. I looked up at her. I looked up at her adult face, her beautiful adult face. My guts clenched.

She asked me what had happened. I nodded, but asked what she saw. She told me that I had suddenly spasmed, thrashed around (which is how I got turned around on the bed), then went completely limp. Like a Puppet with its strings cut. She said I became cold & clammy. I stopped breathing, I wasn't blinking. My eyes had gone flat. I looked dead. She was afraid I *had* died & was about to call 911, when I came back to myself.

I nodded again. Well, that made sense, didn't it? The Body cannot live without the Spirit. Mine had been taken elsewhere for a time. She asked again what happened. This time I told her.

As Human Beings, we do not live our lives in seconds, minutes, hours or days. We do not live by the clock or the calendar. We live our lives in Moments. And some moments are so powerful, so personal, that we can become 'fixed' on those moments. Stuck in them, if we are not careful. Sadly, all too many of those are negative moments, sad moments, horrifying or terrible moments. Though the aftermath of my journey was not terrible, it was immensely powerful. I will never forget as I recite my experience to her, the tears that fell from her eyes, tears that fell onto my upturned face. I finished. She closed them. More tears fell. Then they opened & she said,

"Where am I ever going to find another Man like you?"

Two months later, she left & our relationship ended.

For some time after, too long really, I had felt like this was an insight God had given me for the purpose of strengthening our relationship. I thought that it was something I was supposed to learn from, to be a better potential Husband to her & that I had failed in that. What I came to realize much later, was that this experience was not for Me.

It was for HER.

One of the cornerstones of her life as I said, was her Victimhood. She used that Victimhood like a Club, beating on anyone she felt did not give her her due. She also used it as a means of separating & isolating herself because, 'No One can understand what I have been through.' Which was something she used on me on more than one occasion. God clearly intended this as a direct refutation of that. Not only did other people understand, HE understood, perfectly.

Looking back, I could also see that She got that point & had gotten it that night. Sadly, she refused the correction. She not only refused it, she moved further away, becoming an avowed Pagan & follower of 'The Mother Goddess.'

My heart still hurts for this Lady & likely always will. But where there is life, there is Hope and I Hope that before her Life ends, she will turn to the only one who can give her the healing & forgiveness that she so desperately needs.

Whew! That was exhausting! More to come...