Sonnie’s Porch

This story may be too late for  Halloween but I will share it anyway.

I don’t see myself as religious but I consider myself fairly spiritual. Though I believe on demon possession, whenever I hear stories of one, I dismiss it as hearsay arguing that perhaps the person concern may only have mental disturbance.

Until I faced off with one.

It was more than a decade ago, I was working with college students in the youth group of our church when I had an interesting but learning experience about spirit beings. After a days work visiting campuses, a youth leader and myself dropped by in the youth office to leave our report, it’s past 7 PM then. Suddenly, the church phone rang. There was no one in the office at that time, so I took the call. At the other line is a desperate man requesting for an urgent home visit because her sister is allegedly demon possessed. I told him he could be mistaken, since the man said her sister is grieving for the lost of her husband. Nevertheless, we promised to visit them since their place is not too far from where we are.

Upon arriving at their place, I was met by a frightened man, and he ushered us into their living room where a woman was tied in a wooden chair. She looked like the typical woman in horror movies. The man said, “brod, can I untie her so you can speak to my sister?”

Before I can say yes, the woman looked at me, her eyes rolled then spoke… “huwag kang lalapit sa kin!” (don’t go near me!) in a deep yet firm voice of a man”.  She then spit on me.

I almost ran (I wanted to) !

But the youth leader with me, though afraid,  is confident that I know what I am doing. The relatives of the woman, on the other hand, believed on my initial prognosis that she could be just suffering from mental anguish.

I was humbled , and afraid… so I uttered a silent prayer, I said  “Lord, these people only got me to help them, please don’t fail them… and help me PLEASEEEE”.

The woman momentarily lost consciousness, then she requested to be untied. The people in the house looked at me, I said no. The woman’s countenance and voice changed again shouted at the top of her (his) voice and tried to break loose causing the wooden chair to be slightly broken.

All I know is to follow Jesus example when He cast out demons, so I spoke to the demon and said ” In Jesus name, leave her now!”

To my surprise, the demon replied back. “You can not cast me out, she gave me permission to live in her body”. Since demons are liars, I did not engage in conversation, instead, placed my hand on the woman’s head and prayed in tongues. I saw that this caused the woman (or the demon) great discomfort.. shouting, shirking, attempting to get loose, spitting on us and attempting to bite us too. She lost consciousness again.

Suddenly, the woman looked at me with teary eyes a voice of a woman came out begging for help. She said “hirap na hirap na ako, parang awa nyo na, tulungan nyo ko” (I’m in anguish and pain, I beg you, please help me). I told her to follow me in a simple prayer. “Jesus”, I said, “forgive me for my sins, and I accept you as my personal Lord and Saviour”.

She struggled to say the word Jesus, I can see she was being strangled by something that I can’t see. But marks are all over her neck, and we can’t do anything. She struggles to say every word and is catching her breath.  After she uttered the word “I accept you as my personal Lord and Saviour”, she passed out.

I thought she died.

After a few minutes, she regained consciousness and requested for water. I instructed the relatives to untie her. Her countenance changed, as if a heavy burden was lifted from her. Curious of what happened, I asked the family why the demon said s/he was given permission to possess her. I asked them what they are doing lately?  They replied, since her husband died, she set up a corner in her room where she placed the picture of her husband. Talked to him regularly there, offered the picture food and other gifts and begged the picture of the husband to manifest itself and live with her.

Since, at that time,  I’m done with my theology class on Angels and Demons, I shared with them a type of demon called familiar spirits. They are like guardian angels who follow us wherever we are. They knew almost everything about us. This familiar spirits manifest itself when a love one passed away. The familiar spirit emulates the image, the voice, the habits of a dead person and make it’s presence felt so the living, who were left behind, will be deceived to believing that they encountered the spirit of a dead love one.

The people there thought I did great, they have no idea how frightened I was, and clueless on what to do. Specially when the demon refused to follow my demand to leave in Jesus name. It was supernatural, I was just led by the Holy Spirit.

You may ask, “why am I blogging about this?”

Well, whether we like it or not, there is such a thing as spirit world and spirit beings. And by recognizing this and heeding on spiritual principles, it can help us make better decisions about family, life, love, work etc. It’s not spookiness, rather practical.

I acknowledge I am a Jesus freak, a term others use to make fun of Christians. I am no fanatic, but a believer of Jesus words and works. This does not mean that I have turned off my brain and do not believe on science and use of logic. That is stupid.

But if others are as bold to come forward and declare their non belief to the Divine, then why should I be ashamed of my Faith? It’s neither funny or a crime to be a believer, as others depict, is it?

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