March 26, 2025

Test Every Spirit Flashback – A Dream I’m in the midst of a raging sea, on a small boat, bouncing violently with each wave. The wind howls, the water crashes, and the darkness is overwhelming—I can’t see where I’m headed. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, an unexplainable peace fills my heart, as though an unseen hand steadies me. Then, in an instant, the sea disappears. I find myself walking along a narrow path lined with towering mangrove trees on either side. The air is heavy with silence. My feet press against the damp earth, and ahead, the path stretches into the unknown. Then I hear it. Footsteps. Slow, deliberate. Someone is following me. I stop and turn. A man stands a few feet behind me, his face shrouded in shadow. “Come with me,” he says, his voice strangely persuasive, pointing toward a different path leading into thicker darkness. A hesitation grips me, but I respond, “In the name of Jesus, we can go that direction.” The moment I utter His name, something horrifying happens. The man shudders violently. His skin begins to bubble and writhe, as though unseen hands are peeling him apart. Mushrooms burst from his body, his height shrinks, and his once-human form twists into something grotesque and inhuman. The ground trembles, and with a chilling scream, he melts into the earth. Boom! I wake up, my heart pounding. “What type of storms and strange being was that?” ✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵ The Reality of Deception Deception is everywhere. Without the light and wisdom of God’s Word, you will be a victim. Many believe that deception operates only in the physical world, forgetting that the most intense battles happen in the spirit—especially at night. Today, I have two experiences to share with you. It’s more of a testimony. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, often appearing in dreams in the form of a familiar face—a former classmate, a deceased loved one, a friend. His goal? To manipulate and lure people into destruction. Think back to my dream—the man following me on the mangrove path. Had I not tested that spirit with the truth of Jesus’ name, I might have blindly followed him to my doom. 1 John 4:2 says:“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” That encounter was terrifying. Watching a man dissolve into a monstrous form isn’t easy to stomach. But the power of Jesus turned the situation in my favor, exposing the deception for what it was. That victory wasn’t just over the demonic presence—it was also over the storms that had been plotted against me. The Second Encounter Then, it happened again. This time, I was walking in a field inside a strange school. I call it strange because it does not exist in the physical world. A man of African descent, around 30 to 36 years old, appeared before me. Strangely, his body seemed suspended in the air—I could only see his head and shoulders. He spoke: “Your dead relative wants you to visit them.” Immediately, the Word of God came alive within me. Ecclesiastes 9:5 says:“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten.” As I began to speak this verse aloud, the man joined me in completing the statement. I froze. If he knew the truth, why was he trying to deceive me? That’s when the rebuke of Jesus to Peter flashed in my mind:“Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23) I didn’t even utter a word. Right in my heart, I rebuked the devil. The moment I did, his flesh melted off, and what remained was horrifying—his bones and skull glowed like red-hot iron. A Mysterious Encounter with the Dead What followed was even more strange. I found myself standing in a bush, with a road cutting through the middle. Across the road, I saw my deceased grandmother and uncle locked in a fierce argument. The grandmother accused my uncle of killing goats—but I understood that the “goats” symbolized people. Before I could fully comprehend the scene, my grandmother lunged at my uncle, and they began to fight violently. I stood frozen, watching the demonic battle unfold. Then, I had a sudden thought—should I go and help her? Just as I was about to step forward, something shocking happened. My grandmother, who had seemed to be losing, suddenly stabbed my uncle with a panga. He collapsed, lifeless. I stared in disbelief. A dead man dying again? That moment, revelation struck me: these were not my real relatives. They were demonic principalities disguising themselves as my loved ones. Had I crossed the road to intervene, I would have walked into my own destruction. The enemy’s goal was to lure me into a trap that could have led to my death—spiritually or even physically. This is how Satan works. He preys on human emotions, using familiar faces to manipulate people into bondage. Walking in the Truth The key to victory is to walk in the truth of God’s Word. John 17:17 says:“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Without the truth, people are deceived by false prophets during the day and attacked by the devil in the night. What begins as manipulation in the physical world becomes full-blown spiritual warfare in the dream realm. The devil’s strategy is to destroy you completely. But with the Word of God, you can test every spirit, discern deception, and overcome the enemy. Conclusion Many are blind to the spiritual war around them. They lack discernment, and as a result, they fall into deception. But when you live in the truth of God’s Word, you will recognize the enemy even when he comes in disguise. Test every spirit. Do not believe everything you see or hear. For in this age of darkness, the only light that will guide you to safety

THIS IS MY STORY (A testimony about occult and liberation) Flashback The air was thick with the scent of herbs, the distant croaks of frogs blending into the evening chorus. Dusk was creeping in, painting the sky in deep shades of purple and orange. I sat on a small wooden stool, shivering as my mother poured cool water over my head. It wasn’t just water—it was a concoction of leaves, roots, and secret things known only to the elders. A daily ritual, one meant to keep me safe. Around my waist and draped diagonally across my chest was my roll of charms—a collection of small leather pouches tied together with a sturdy thread. It was my protection, my shield, my everything. Then, it happened. The thread gave way, snapping with a faint twick, and the charms tumbled to the ground. I gasped. My mother gasped. The world, in that moment, seemed to stop. I stared at the fallen charms, my heart pounding like a drum. Fear gripped me. Without them, I was exposed. Vulnerable. But then, something within me—something I couldn’t explain—told me to let it be. I went to bed that night, restless and unsure. And when morning came, I rushed outside, my bare feet kicking up dust as I ran to the spot where the charms had fallen. Nothing. Not a single trace of them. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. For the first time in my young life, I felt both terrified and strangely free. ✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵ The Journey of a Lost Soul I was born into the occult. From day one, my tiny body was bathed in herbalist concoctions, my mouth forced open to drink bitter brews meant to “fortify” my spirit. But the real highlight of my childhood? The witchdoctor bling-bling. Oh, yes! A glorious arrangement of charms hugging my waist and slung diagonally across my chest like I was some kind of village warrior. In lower primary, my classmates found it hilarious. One day, as I bent over to pick something, my shirt lifted slightly, exposing the charms. A boy, my best friend at the time, pointed and sneered, “In this world, people still believe in charms?” Ouch. That hit harder than my mother’s wooden spoon. That moment stuck with me like a scar. It was the beginning of my rebellion against the very things that had defined my upbringing. And then, as if the universe had been waiting for my resolve, the thread holding my charms mysteriously lost its grip and fell to the ground. I panicked. Would I survive without them? Would misfortunes swallow me whole? Day by day, nothing happened. No sudden lightning strikes, no mysterious illnesses. Life moved on. But while I abandoned the charms, I was still tangled in the web of the occult. My parents made sure of that. Visiting witchdoctors became second nature, just another part of life. There were countless strange encounters, but today, I will only tell you what is necessary. After my secondary school years, I found myself wrecked in abject poverty, shackled in invisible yokes and bondages I couldn’t explain. Then one day, I met an evangelist in my village center. He spoke of freedom. Of a man named Jesus. When he called for those willing to receive Him, something stirred in me. A compulsion, stronger than anything I had ever felt. I stepped forward, and as he prayed for me, a strange peace settled in my heart. But salvation wasn’t an instant magic wand. I still struggled. Oh, I struggled! From occult practices to sexual immorality—I tell you, I smoked and drank women! Yes, I did. I hopped from one woman to another like a restless bird searching for a nest, only to find emptiness every single time. Many bad things happened to me during that period. Academically, I thrived, but life kept cutting me deep. Losing my mother just when I was about to graduate—how do you even explain that kind of pain? And then, as if the devil wasn’t done with me, I lost my fiancée. Emotional turmoil after emotional turmoil. The kind of storms that could drive a man to madness. After graduation, the struggle continued. Poverty latched onto me like a leech. My weight dropped; I became thin and emaciated. It felt like I was losing every battle. But God had a plan. I was directed to another pastor, a man who carried the fire of God. He prayed for me, and little by little, my health was restored. I found employment. But was I born again? Not yet! I still clung to my old ways, still drank and smoked women like an addict. I chased pleasures that left me emptier than before. But then, the wisdom of the Lord came upon me. I got married. And with that decision, something shifted. It wasn’t long before I received the Spirit of the Lord. Everything changed. From bondage to deliverance. From wandering in darkness to walking in light. The chains that had held me for years broke, one by one. The words of Isaiah 1:18 rang true in my life: “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” And John 8:36 sealed it all: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” This is my story. A story of darkness, of rebellion, of loss. But also a story of redemption. A story of grace. A story of a man who was lost but is now found.