Andy's Story Part 2

This is Part 2 of a story I began last week. If you have not already done so, please read Part 1 Here.

After Andy left the group of young witches he was a part of, the spiritual warfare around him got out of control. To understand this, you have to know a few things about those who are drawn into witchcraft and demonic activities.

One of the biggest lures of these groups is that they mimic a family. Much like what you hear of gangs, cults target the disenfranchised and lonely and make them believe they are welcomed into a brotherhood that will never abandon them. They stick to you like glue-until you choose to leave. These people can't allow former members to get out because they have too much information and leave the group vulnerable to exposure. For this reason, when someone leaves, they begin to send spirits to the defector. The other thing you should know is that those involved in witchcraft don't view demons as inherently evil. They believe you can use demons to do your bidding, thus the demons are on your side-except when they are used against you.

When Andy left, the spirits he trusted to help him suddenly attacked him. He began having nightmares in which spirits would drag him across floors. He dreamt about committing evil acts. In his waking hours, he began seeing demons in his home and wherever he went. He was scared and alone. This carried on for some time. He continued cutting as a means of distraction. What he did not realize, what many do not realize, is that cutting is a predominant form of sacrifice to the spirits that were plaguing him. The demons that oppressed him did what demons do best, they worked to destroy God's creation.

Eventually, to use his words, he "got tired of hurting and being in pain." He had been invited to a local church and in an act of desperation, walked in to a Sunday night prayer service. Once he arrived he told God, "if You are real, then You have to prove it to me." When the pastor asked if anyone needed special prayer Andy stepped forward. Andy began to ask God to take away the pain, that was the last thing Andy remembers that night.

I would like to say that was the end of the story, that he found peace and the spirits stayed away, but the door he opened had more consequences. Although he continued to see demons, he was able to resist them and was unafraid.

As the years passed, he never told anyone about his former life. He carried the secret about the molestation, he carried the shame of his experience with witchcraft, he carried the frightening truth of what he saw around him. Eventually, he confided in me the things no one knew. He decided to tell my parents, because they had more understanding of these issues than most and were able to offer counsel.

Throughout our courtship and leading up to our wedding he seemed spiritually strong, although there were moments when we had to refocus. A few months into marriage I started to notice slow changes in his walk. I kept asking questions about where he was in his relationship with Christ, but he either became defensive or hid the truth from me. Although I could discern something was happening, I didn't know what was going on.

Internally Andy was struggling with feelings of abandonment by those he was supposed to be close to. People who had said they would always love him and be there for him seemed to have gone away. These feelings bred bitterness in his heart and that bitterness led to anger. Andy soon found that Ephesians 4 is true, anger gives a "foothold" to the devil.

Slowly, old thoughts began to return, in his weakness he once again heard voices telling him that if he just gave himself over, he could be strong. I can't over emphasize this, it was a slow fade. As is always the case, the devil creeps in quietly, little by little and before you know it, he has you.

Andy would close his eyes and begin to envision the spirits entering his body.

I didn't know the seriousness of what was going on until one Wednesday night returning from church. Andy started arguing with me over nothing. Then he started accusing me of saying things I had never said. This all makes sense now, because the devil is the accuser, but at the time I was totally confused. We walked in the door and went to separate rooms. Soon enough he came storming out of his room and approached me as I lie on the couch. He stared at me, about a foot from my face and said, "they say I have to put a spell on you now." Now, if anyone else said that I would have just looked at them as if they were crazy, but I knew he was serious. It was like a dark cloud had suddenly formed in the room. I could feel a shift in the atmosphere.

This is where I need you to trust me. I know this part sounds crazy, but I need you to realize that I am a very rational, realistic person. I don't go around making everything spiritual. I don't call every bad thing an attack of the devil. It takes A LOT for me to give the devil credit for something, but this happened exactly as I am telling it.

I sat up and asked him "what did you just say?" He again told me his plan. Without a thought, in one motion, as if not in my own control, my hand landed on his head and he landed on the floor. I began to pray. His eyes rolled back and his voice went to an octave I have never heard before. The demon began speaking, sometimes in words I understood, sometimes in demonic tongues. Whatever was speaking through him made it clear that it hated me. It began to speak against me, claiming that I was weak and it would destroy me. I spoke to the spirit commanding it to come out in Jesus's name. Andy's body became stiff as he screamed as if in pain over and over again as I placed my bible on top of him. The Holy Spirit rose up within me. It didn't like that at all. As I prayed in tongues he screamed louder and louder trying to drown me out as I called on the name of the Lord.

There I was, newly married, watching a literal war go on in the body and soul of the man I loved. After some time he let out a massive yell that I was sure would prompt our neighbors to call the police. Suddenly, frantically, his eyes began searching the room and he came back to me. We prayed together for Jesus to once again be the Lord of his life, to forgive him of the sins and thoughts that allowed this to happen, and to break the chains that kept him bound to his former practices.

Andy doesn't remember what he said or did that night. The only thing he remembers is watching something leave our apartment and our final prayer together.

I know that this raises a lot of questions. The most obvious is how was he possessed if he had gotten saved? The answer is uncomfortable. No, I don't believe a Christian can be possessed. They can be under oppression and influence, but light and dark can't exist together. The truth is that the anger that was allowed to grow in his heart overtook his relationship with Christ and left a gaping whole for the devil to enter. The second question will come from those who had heard me speak well of Andy in this time. I'm sure to some it seems like I was lying about him being a good husband and friend. Maybe this is one of those "love covers a multitude of sins" things. I don't hold him responsible for the things he said or did during this time period because it wasn't really him speaking. I know the real Andy always loved me. He was absolutely wrong to allow the devil in, but at the end of the day I pledged to love him no matter what and loving him meant not backing down and letting the devil have him.

This experience is the reason I sometimes come across as hard on certain issues. This is the reason I can't be okay with demonic themed films (once you've lived it, you really don't want to watch it). This is the reason I won't turn a blind eye to young people listening to music that endorses demonic themes. This is the reason I can't just call self-mutilators "attention seekers".

Those doors he opened in his teen years still cause problems. Just last month, while I was at camp, he saw one of his former friends from the "church" at a local shopping area. The young man saw him from across the street and began screaming that Andy was a "traitor". There are still times when he sees something that reminds him of those days and we have to pray for the Lord to guard his heart and mind. And yes, there are times when he sees spirits around us. It is not a life easy to escape.

Again, it is my prayer that all who read this understand that we shared all this (even very embarrassing parts) as a way to open the eyes of those dabbling with anything to do with the enemy. He is still seeking whom he may destroy. He is working in ways we don't always see. We must always be on guard and we must be prepared to fight his attacks.

I love my husband. I will continue to stand by him and fight for him, as he does for me. I believe God has a tremendous purpose for him that is yet to be realized and that all this will be used to the glory of God. No matter where you are or what you have been through, whether by your choice or actions thrust upon you, God is not finished with you yet. His plan surpasses anything we can think or deserve.