Growing up in America, I have never had any experience dealing with people possessed with demons. Sure, I had heard missionaries speak about it, but it had never affected me personally. Until this past month, that is.
Malaysia started out as a pretty low key month. Our contact, Pastor Mark, and his family welcomed us to with open arms. One of the first things Pastor Mark and his wife, Auntie Tina, told us was that they wanted us to consider them as our spiritual parents. They are wonderful people and so wise. They invited us into their home and shared their hearts with us. Our ministry for the month, they told us, is working with their Church. We would be teaching English, sharing our testimonies, helping with the Children ministry, going on weekly prayer walks, attending services and whatever else needed to be done.
On Thursday, an opportunity to work at a local orphanage was presented to us. We were informed that it would be teaching English as well as some painting work. My team eagerly jumped at the chance.
When we arrived, we were soon surrounded by the children. There was probably about 15 children living there, all ranging in ages 2 years to 17 years old. The morning quickly went by and soon it was time for the children to go to lunch. As we sat waiting for them to finish, there was a commotion on the opposite side of the room.
A little boy, maybe eight or ten years old, had a chair in his arms and was trying to hit one of the older girls with it. In response, she grabbed him and began to violently shake him, while screaming things into his face. I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but it sounded horrible. A staff member informed us that 1) the little boy was possessed with an evil spirit, and 2) the girl was attempting to cast the demon out.
We watched him, unbelieving. This boy had been playing with us and there had been no evidence of demon possession. Maybe he was just a boy misbehaving?
At this point, the little boy managed to escape from the girl’s grasp and he snatched up two knifes from the kitchen. A staff member wrested the knifes away from him. He then picked up a rubber hose and begin whipping it against his own back. Dani and I pulled him away from the hose. He looked at us. His eyes were staring. His tongue was sticking out partially. He threw himself to the ground where he begin writhing upon the ground. His hands came up over his head, imitating a snake.
“He and the girl snuck into a neighbor’s yard,” explained the staff member. We listened in disbelief as she continued, “there was a tree planted in honor of one of the Hindu idols (a snake). They went to the tree and begin hugging and kissing it. This allowed the demon entrance to their body. They have been like this for the past three months. Sometimes they are normal, but at least once a day the evil spirits manifest themselves. Whenever the boy is corrected, he becomes like this,” she continued.
As horrible as it sounded, this was similar to what Pastor Mark had shared with us about his experience dealing with evil spirits. In the Hindu temples, he told us, people worship and offer themselves to the idols. They are unaware that by doing so, they are opening themselves up to demons.
We knelt down beside him and begin praying for freedom from the demonic oppression. As we prayed, the boy’s eyes rolled back into his head and he seemed to pass out. He regained consciousness and we pulled him to his feet. The demon still had hold of him, as evident in his face and his refusal to speak the name of Jesus Christ. We continued praying and staff members joined us. After what seemed like an eternity, he collapsed. When he opened his eyes, they were normal. There was no evidence of a demon staring back at us. “Leave him with me and go pray for the girl” the director instructed us.
We turned our attention to the girl. This was the girl who had been shaking the boy unmercilessly. She was seventeen years old. She was huddled in a corner watching us. As we walked to her she smiled and stood to her feet. We laid hands on her and begin praying. Instantly she began screaming, her face contorted in rage. Her eyes became small glaring slits, and as I looked into them, I could see the darkness and evilness of the demon inside her. An intense wave of sadness hit my heart. Why would these children choose the darkness, when they could live in freedom and light?
As we prayed the name of Jesus over her, the demon shrieked. We entreated the girl to cry out to Jesus Christ. Instead her mouth slammed shut, refusing to speak. She glared out us hissing and screaming. As I rebuked the demon with the Name of Jesus, the girl made a move like she was going to hit me. I looked into her eyes and realized that I had no fear of the demon. “I am not afraid of you,” I told the evil spirit. “Jesus Christ has already defeated you.
To be Continued…
