The Demon spoke out “I know who they all are but I don’t know you”
———————————————————————————————————
My team and I have been in the mountains of Gorkah Nepal for a couple days now, leading classes for a bible retreat of new believers. There were about 10 students from a bible college that our ministry host had started and we were given three subjects to teach on; Discipleship, how to study the Bible and the Gospel story of Jesus. We were soon going to find out that God wanted to show us his power and love not only through what we were sharing but practically so that everyone could see clearly.
The day started like the days before. 5:30 am, my morning chi tea had been handed to me as I was reading through my Proverbs of the day. Nothing seemed off or strange besides the fact that I was still waking up at 5:30 in the morning! Little did I know that the next 24 hours would be some of the most impactful moments of my life.
Breakfast was finished and it was time for our team to join the students to go share what we had learned thus far with some families in the village. Our first stop went by just as many of the house visits we had done before in other countries. However as we began to walk to the next house my bahini ( pronounced boy-nee, which means “sister” in Nepali ) began to feel bad and ended up staying while we went to the next house. A couple testimonies followed by prayer at the next house and we were finished. We stopped back by to pick up the girls who had stayed at the first house and could see that something was not right. My bahini had claw marks on her throat and the sister that was with her said she had done it to herself, however she had no recollection of what had happened. After having made it back to camp and eating lunch, I was sitting with the all my sisters inside the hut alongside our bahini who appeared to be sleeping. We had no idea that she had “gone under”, ( for the lack of a better way to describe it, this is what I will use for the multiple episodes that would ensue ). When the time came for our next class we called to wake her but got nothing in response. The girls began to shake her and scream her name. Nothing. I checked her pulse and saw that she was breathing but we could not get her to wake. We called our host in and we all began to pray. Moments after, I got my first glimpse of demonic possession as she jumped up screaming, kicking and biting trying to get away from us. A couple minutes go by with people fighting to hold her down, trying to keep her from harming herself, and she goes under again. This continued on for the next 24 hours!
It is strange looking back now and realizing that through all moments of biting and fighting, through the running and kicking and even through the spirit speaking through my sisters body, I was never afraid. Instead I was reminded of Psalm 23:4-5, “Even when I walk, through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. For you are close beside me, your rod and your staff protect and comfort me, you prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.” I was also reminded that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in me which is an exhilarating thought! It’s a thought that never really crossed my back in the states. Maybe because we don’t typically see the battles between the spiritual realms so evident back home, or maybe It’s because I don’t even care to look and fight for those who may be oppressed. In either case God revealed to me the power and authority that we as christians inherently walk in when the Holy Spirit lives within us and it was straight from a passage in the Bible.
It was 11 pm by this time. 11 hours of standing guard, worshiping and continuous prayer when two women from the village joined our group for prayer. These two women however had past encounters with this spirit through one of the witches in the village. They began to pray and talk directly to the spirit telling it to leave. Up until that moment my bahinis eyes had been closed, even when our host was talking to it, however when the ladies spoke the spirit opened its eyes and gave a bone chilling stare which was locked onto the women. It then gave a response much like we see in Acts 19 when we see a group of jews traveling around casting out demons in Jesus’s name came across a spirit who replied to them saying, “I know Jesus and I know Paul but who are you?” In our case the spirit said, “I know these other people (referring to our team and others praying) but I don’t know you.” In a strange sense, it was a conformation of the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside not only me but my team and the others there. I believe we see proof of this in Luke 10:19-20 where it says, “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But do don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” You see it’s not by our own power and might that we can cast out demons, it’s because our names are registered in heaven! God has given us power and authority over darkness and I believe the enemy knows that, he knows who we are and the power that lives inside of us because even he know the name and the face of the one true King!
The next 13 hours proved to be some of the worst. Those who tried to get some rest were woken periodically by horrific screeching that filled the mountain side and the valley below. However through the storm God’s glory was revealed! Through the entire 24 hour battle there was persistent prayer, worship and fasting by some and through that faith and persistence God answered his children’s cry’s! Much like we see with the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18:1-8 we see an unjust judge giving a just decision to the widow because of her persistence. Jesus then says, “ Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!” Even though there was no surreal deliverance moment like what you may see in the movies, when the 24 hours came to an end I could see the countenance of my bahini change. A dazzling smile appeared, a smile that I had not seen in the days prior filled our camp! The persistent prayers through the body of christ were answered!
We will never know the mind, timing or reasoning of God. I could have been upset that he didn’t bring immediate healing to my sister but His plans are always greater than mine. I believe through those 24 hours God revealed multiple things! Some of those things being;
1 – He used it to bring our team together which we had just talked about how we could accomplish that the night before.
2 – He gave not only my team but the students real life application. It wasn’t just us telling stories from a book but we got to see the kingdom first hand. We got to see the body of christ working together and how it’s supposed to look.
3 – He showed us the power and authority that we have over darkness.
4 – He gave my sister a powerful testimony.
5 – He showed us the power of prayer and fasting.
6 – Most of all I believe it showed God’s Love and faithfulness towards his children!
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[p] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
