Last Sunday afternoon a group of SOS students met with fellow believers from Oelwein to do Street Ministry. We split up into groups of three and four to go out and pray and give away food for those who needed it.
I teamed up with 3 Jr. /Sr. High students, Emma, Maddie, and Jamie who I would find out later to be VERY gifted girls. As we began our walk into a neighborhood, we went door to door without anyone answering their door. Finally someone answered their door but turned us away. Feeling the struggle I said to the girls “Hey you know sometimes the enemy does this. We need to just continue on and persevere because if we can help just one person here in Oelwein, that would make this trip all the worthwhile.” We prayed together asking the Holy Spirit to help us find our way.
We were walking by a house and Jamie said, “I think we’re supposed to go to that door.” The four of us walked up to the door and knocked. A lady named Janet opened the door. I began by saying, “Hi, we are followers of Jesus and are out praying for people and giving away groceries. Is there anything we could pray for you?”
She immediately invited us in, something no one else had done which made us a bit hesitant. I led the way into the living room with the girls right behind me and there sat Jim in a wheelchair. He was very thin, no shirt, and had a tube sticking out of his chest. Janet shared that he was dying, that his body was shutting down from an illness and alcohol abuse. I introduced myself to Jim and asked if I could lay a hand on him and pray. He told us that his whole body was in pain and he wanted help.
I began to pray “Thank you Papa God for always hearing me. I began to pray by the authority of Jesus Christ and bound the spirit of death and infirmity. I then commanded the pain in Jim’s body to go away. Right then, Jim informed us that all his pain was gone. Praise God! – but there was still a heaviness in the room.
Janet began crying. I asked the girls if they had a word or would like to pray. Emma spoke up with joy in her heart. She shared that before coming to Oelwein, their SOS group had prayed and that she had seen a monster label and there it was – stuck on the TV stand. We knew we were in the right place.
Janet looked at me and asked if I would pray for her. I began praying for God’s peace. Jamie said “I see a teddy bear. I think it signifies comfort?” Janet looked up and said “My son Damien has teddy bears all over his room and on all of his shelves.” She told us that her son was suffering from illness. I sensed that there were generational issues. I began praying for that.
At that moment Janet began to heave – over and over and over again uncontrollably. Somehow I knew this was demonic and I spoke against it. Janet shook violently. A new presence filled the room. The presence of God filled the room. There was power! The girls stood their ground as the Holy Spirit took over. I burst out into praying in tongues and speaking in Jesus’ authority. Jamie also joined me in praying in tongues.
Then I said, “I BIND THIS DEMON FROM MANIFESTING! I COMMAND THIS DEMON TO GET OUT IN THE NAME OF JESUS!” and as I finished saying that Janet arched forward and then she made this unnatural roar. More power filled the room. I prayed again, “ANGELS I ASK YOU TO SWEEP ALL DEMONS FROM THIS HOUSE. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE SATAN SO GET OUT!!!”
The atmosphere in the room was no longer heavy. Peace filled the room. The four of us looked at each other in awe of what just happened. Janet was apologizing for nearly throwing up. We sat her down and continued to pray blessings and peace into her life and into their home.
I don’t think either Janet or Jim were aware of what just happened. It was as if God froze time as light fought darkness victoriously. We thanked them for letting us pray for them and then we gave Janet and Jim the groceries we had carried in. Once outside we all said, “What just happened?”
We were all alive with excitement. I stopped and turned to the girls and looked each one of them in their eyes and said “I am so proud of each and every one of you. God loves you so much! We just delivered a person from a demon!”
The girls laughed with excitement. We made a group circle outside of Jim and Janet’s home and praised and thanked God for this great victory. We all jumped up in the air and threw fist bumps with pure joy and excitement rejoicing in the experience God gave us as we formed an everlasting relationship with one another. Praise God!