Fear & Doubt - Victory 6C
It was the middle of the night, there was banging on the gate, from deep sleep we woke up and saw a couple out side the compound. They used to come to the church we were taking care of .
We knew the lady was sick and disappeared from the home without a cause,no body knew what had happened to her for a few months We prayed much for this family, at last they found her in a distant city which was not at all connected to the family or their relations.
When they found her they knew that she was completely starved and never ate any thing for many many days. I do not remember how they got her home. But I sat with her and spend many hours, in counselling and praying with her.
My husband was counselling the husband, and her parents and children. Every body was in fear. That night they were here, because she was behaving strangely . She was trying to vomit all through the night squeezing her throat, making louder noise with her voice. Gurgling loudly with man's voice. She was restless and shouting in between ;terrorizing the family roaring like some animals.
I was told by her, that she was travelling in a train, and some women beside her made her swoon , and took her to an agency in the mountains of Vizayanagaram district. She was made to sit in front of fire and lemons and red chillies. she was made to bite the neck of the hens and cocks and kill them and drink the fresh blood . She was terrorized with so many terrible things she was made to do.
I did not insist her to describe those things, on the other hand I stopped her to dwell on those experiences, I told her to remember the sacrifice did by our Saviour Jesus Christ. She tried to be queer and tried to bring fear in me. But I told her , I will never be afraid of her , Because Jesus Christ is living in me, He shed blood for me and forgave all my sins. She has to obey the word of God, and she obliged to do whatever I told her. So we prayed together and she was calmed down.
Many years passed away, she is quiet normal now, later she confessed all her sins, fasted and prayed for forgiveness, and the Lord assured His forgiveness through the word of God. Now after all these years, she is now a obedient wife and loving mother.
That middle of the night, when she was brought to our home, where my little children sleeping in the next room, I faced the devil in her face to face. She was threatening me and my husband, but the blood of Christ was our shield, in the name of Jesus Christ the demon ran away from her.
Another incident:--- That was a village of fisher men, there were no rules of morality in this village. First time when I talked to them I was shocked to the core. ''a couple choosing another couple and exchanging the spouses is the rule of the day.'' There was no sin ,everything is right for them. The women can choose any man even after the marriage, so is the man. He can keep any number of women, even married women. Everything could be done in broad day light, everything is public, no sham.
When I went to conduct women's meeting I was shocked and disturbed utterly. Did not know what to tell them. How to inculcate the chaste life of Jesus Christ, His love. When people donot believe in sin , when people never think of values or morality of life, how to tell them that Jesus wants to forgive them? Only Holy Spirit of God can bring the conviction of sin, His righteousness, and judgment after the death. We see now a days, many people do not believe the life after the death, They take this life is all that . They want to enjoy it, take revenge on others, kill others , or kill themselves. Because they never have any conviction that after the death there is judgment. So these fishermen and women were living in deep sin. When I first went to their villages, I visualized Jesus going to the fishermen, Peter, John, Andrew, felt deep love for these illiterate villagers. But when I started to speak to them individually the lives were in utter darkness. I wondered why Jesus particularly chose fishermen as His disciples.
Because of the way they live, there were many instances of Devil possession, most of them end up their lives by suicides or live in fear constantly, there is no hope in life. They do not know why they were living and for what they living. Fish , Prawns dry fish , dry prawns, selling and eating , living in dirt and squalor and disease is normal life.
Some of them were not able to come to the Lord because they were possessed by evil one. But I saw the fishermen at Galilee, the disciples of our Lord, in them. I enouraged my husband and the little team of workers, to love them and give the word of God to these illiterates.
one boy was touched by the Lord, I named him Peter, he became a preacher, but the rude and crude nature of these people was very difficult to be reformed.
The evil possessed men and women used to come to the church and stay in the church in Eluru day and night. Some times they used to shout loudly and fell on the ground and crawl on the floor like snakes wriggling, all over.
But the Name of Jesus and His blood was powerful and redeemed them. It was so difficult to hold them physically, they were so robust and furious. such times the men who were converted used to come help us in stopping them to run around.
Another instance:- We were phoned by the HQ that day, " Brother, we are praying for a girl, she is highly educated, a lecturer in Chemistry in an esteemed college, mother of three children., ran away from home. She is evil possessed, and behaves very furiously certain times, Even not hesitating to beat her husband or any one who try to help her. She does not stay in one place, she runs from one place to another, like lightening. She is evil possessed and hates all the children of God. Talks very badly about the servants of God. The family live in Bangalore, but we do not know where she is now. Please pray for her. All of us in Madras are praying for her. you too pray for her." We do not know why Dr. Jayasingh specially called us and told my husband to pray for her. But .....
We took the instruction of Dr. Jayasingh, literally, and we started to pray every day, we also were praying in Wednesday and Saturday fasting prayers in the church that the lady should reach the family again.
That was the Sunday morning. My husband was on the Pulpit, as usual I was in the last chair, behind the congregation; suddenly a coolie woman with a steel tin carrier who usually go to the fields , came and sat beside me.
I had a sudden insight that 'this is the woman for whom we were praying', at that moment I looked at my husband, who was on the dais he was looking at me, and made sign inconspicuously,saying 'this woman might be the one for whom we were praying for'
The sign made by him could be understood 'only by me'
I cannot explain how and why now, but its a language between two hearts who could pray with one heart and one accord.
So I was careful to protect this woman,
'I MUST HELP THIS WOMAN,
She is none else but the same lecturer,( I am not mentioning her name here, though I know it) She suddenly turned towards me and asked me where to go for toilet. All my doubts vanished about her identity, and I knew that she is the one, for whom we were praying for.
I called one woman by name Sugunamma and told her to go with the woman to the toilet. I called her husband, venkatarao from the men side, I told him to call Elisha rao and Krupa rao and come down ,
Meanwhile I quickly took the Bible of the woman and looked into it, its English Bible with her name on one corner top of the Book
Its her name. I knew at once the hand of God, now its our duty to protect her and give her back to her husband. I too went down near the toilets, by the time she came out, her disposition completely changed, she was looking at us suspiciously, and tried to escape from us and run away, but our strong brothers were at the gate guarding her, from running out.
I took her hand in mine and took her upstairs to the place where we sat. During the service she kept quiet, once the church service was over, she started to run away like a lightening, and no one could stop her. she ran on the road, our brothers and my husband on scooters,followed her but she was running so fast, and lastly outwitted them and could not be found by them.
It took almost two hours, disappointed, my husband came home. we had our lunch, at about 4 pm those brothers went again and brought her when somebody told them she was hiding behind some water tap post in a street.
Meanwhile we informed about her in Hq and to her husband, He said he started his journey to our place to fetch her back.
When she was not willing to come with the brothers, I advised them give police complaint take her to the Police station and keep her there till her husband comes.
But by 10 pm a police constable came to our home and told us that they could not keep 'women' in the police station in the nights. therefore we have to come and take her back with us. she behaved very politely in the police station, very strange of her.
Where to bring her? No body dare enough to take her in. I told my husband, 'bring her to our home, I will take care of her" So he with the help of other brothers went to the station and brought her home. My husband and I myself kept awake for long time with her. My little children were to be taken care too. my husband was too tired by 2 am.
So I told him I will be with her, the rest of the night. She was keeping on talking to me whole night. she told me many of her tales of vagabondism.. there was not much connection in her conversation, by morning her husband came home. He was so grateful to us and thanking us for the way we took care of her.
I told him, 'Brother, we have not done any thing great, its our duty to do so, you are like my own brother, the blood of Jesus bounded us together, consider me as your own sister, wont we do the same when we are related as sister and brother"
Later after a few years I met him, actually I forgot what I told him that time, but he reminded me the above words I spoke to him, then remembered it. He came all the way from Bangalore to console me in my deep distress and loss.
Now still she is staying in the home. her elder daughter became my good friend later, she invited me for her marriage. Even today the same bond between us is sustaining, though we do not talk much or write to one another or meet.
Recently when my heathen relations were in troubles this brother accepted to go to them and pray for them. Yesterday also my relative attempted to commit suicide she was in the hospital, when they asked him to come and pray he accepted to go and pray for them. Now that girl is all right. though he prayed from his own home.
Power of prayer is astonishing, you will never knew the result of prayer, it is beyond what you think, or imagine, Great things happen and the sequence of the things would be so astonishing to understand.
( You might be wondering how come a woman , like me is so dare enough to deal with the evil possessed people. For every incident that happens in our lives, there would be some meaning and reason in it. When we are the children of God nothing will happen to us without His permission, You remember that Jesus promised us not even one single hair will fall from our head without His permission. God brings us to the situation where we can learn of Him much more. While going through the process we may not understand why it was happening to us. But God knew why we were put in that situation. I will record my personal encounter with the Evil one, and How God taught me to be victorious in His name.)
