“ It is said that once you have experienced God, there is no going back to what you know is normal.
When I was a child my my mother was heavy into witchcraft, my father worked for a major crime boss in Tampa, Fl. and when he was drunk would get violent. My mother and I lived alone for 5 years after my father left, when I was 3 years old but, my father had us followed and kept tabs on us always.
My mother who was seeking spirituality, did witchcraft during those years, so you can imagine how much evil surrounded us. The Devil would try many times to kill me. But, the hand of God would prevail and still I knew, even as a young child that God was real. I would cry out to him in the night when demons and evil spirits would come to me and God would send angels to stand and protect me.
At the age of 8 years old, I completely gave my life over to God, through his son Jesus. It was at that time my father came back into our lives, he tried to be a better father and husband but eventually went back to the same way he was before.
Now as a young child, I would pray and fast for my father and mother. She gave her heart to God first, then the week my sister Joy was born, a miracle happened, my Father was broken by the Holy Spirit and gave his life completely over to God, never to be the same again.
I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was a real and living God who pulled my father out of the Mafia and made him into one of the greatest men of God to ever live.
In 2006, my father went home to be with God and had changed thousands of lives, through his testimony and walking in the supernatural power of God.
Through the years I have had my ups and downs, even joined the Mormon church once through obliging my ex wife knowing in my heart I was wrong, I compromised and gave in.
The night before I was baptized into the Mormon church, I met the demon ‘Mormon’ in a dream, who runs the Mormon Church and he said to me …” Now you will work for me!”
In his scheme, I quickly rose to become a High priest holder, still knowing I was wrong, God allowed it, until finally He tore me away from that church, after seven years and brought me back to Him, in spirit and truth, almost 10 years ago.
Now I walk in the knowledge and the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and in the calling of God in my life.
My wife and I have a ministry and a magazine, preparing for the greatest Awakening of the true Church, through Revival in these last days.
I wouldn’t trade another lifetime for my relationship with my Father God, The Holy Spirit, and Yeshua (Jesus). He saved me from death countless times, from when I was a missionary in Haiti, at the age of 21 until now.
How could I ever imagine life without him? There is a love between God and I that can never be challenged, or broken for it is upon this rock I stand and I shatter all doubt knowing that I belong to him. God Bless You – Brother Victor A. Padilla .”
Victor Padilla
Vice President/Partner Latin Times Media Inc.,
Latin Times
Latin Times International Ministries, Inc is a ministry
that is dedicated to help people know the Truth about
You may remember Eternal Planner of New York, interviewed me about the New Age in January and you may remember I wrote a blog review of ‘Trumpet Blast Warning‘ by Jason Carter and my bold statement that it was probably the most important book I ever read?!!! Well, now you can hear why!
Eternal Planner interviewed Jason and shared their video …
‘Hey Jason, thanks again for coming on the show. Lisa Haven shared it on Before It’s News and it’s been getting lots of views in a short amount of time. The other clip is on my channel – youtube.com/eternalplanner
Blessings’
On his Facebook, Jason wrote,
“An extract from an interview I did with The Eternal Planner got over 6,100 views on Youtube in just one day! A wake up call is going out across the earth!”
Ex FreeMason, Jay Hortenberry from Ohio, USA, is our 9th guest, on ‘The Supernatural with Laura Maxwell’, on Eternal Radio this Friday & Saturday.
Jay began as a Shriner and shortly later became initiated into Freemasonry.
A candidate being initiated into one of the 33 degrees.
He graduated very quickly through all the degrees, reaching 32nd degree Mason within only one year!
It was then that he discovered the darkest of all the ‘secrets’ of FreeMasonry – that their god, The Great Architect is actually Lucifer, the fallen angel. And that their ‘light’ is actually ‘darkness’. Ray resigned soon after.
Albert Pike – Founder of Freemasonry – Luciferian Quote
So, if you want to know more about the main beliefs behind Freemasonry, it’s roots and links to Luciferianism, the New Age, Occult, New World Order, etc, please tune in to our interview and check out Jay’s page!
You’ll then be more able to discuss these issues with family or school/work mates.
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My interview with Jay airs this Friday, 3rd April’, from 9–10pm, UTC, London Time. It will be repeated on Sat’ 4th, 7–8pm.
It will also be repeated the following Friday and Saturday, at the above times too.
USA listeners, can hear it from 4-5PM EST on Friday and 2-3PM EST on Saturday.
‘The Supernatural with Laura Maxwell’, a TESTIMONY program, on Eternal Radio airs online, every Friday. It’s repeated each Saturday.
Please share online to invite your friends! Each program will also be available soon in an archived file, to be listened to anytime!
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Michael Cummins of Revelation TV, kindly advertised my new radio program :
Please pray for this program, if you feel led. Please pray, that those the Lord wants to reach, through this testimony, will tune in to hear it on Friday or Saturday. Many thanks. All glory to God. God bless you!
Do you remember the book, From Witchcraft to Christ by Doreen Irvine?
While Deborah Hawkins was still trapped in the occult, she was invited to a church, where Doreen was speaking. Doreen met and prayed for Deborah!
But years before, starting from her infancy, Deborah was abused time and time again. Her gran was a Medium, so she was exposed to the supernatural from a young age. Eventually she gave her life to satan.
“Up until this point, I had been a mess, been through multiple trauma, joined a coven and other stuff. Jesus came into the middle of all that mess … When as a young woman, I dabbled with the occult, my soul was in danger, because I did not know Jesus or what Jesus had accomplished for me.
I believed the Father of lies, I was on his ground. But when the name of Jesus was spoken, Satan could not overrule, his power was limited and God’s power through his Son Jesus was sovereign.” Deborah wrote.
Debz kindly gave me extracts from her book, Dark Seeds 3AM, see below. The book is incredible and I’ll be writing a review of it soon. In the near future, she will be a guest on my radio show. I do hope you will tune in to hear her incredible message of Christ’s salvation and hope.
Amazon Description’s of Deborah’s Book:
‘This is a true supernatural story; of one woman’s battle with evil that began in her childhood and how she won against adversity in the end. In this remarkable tale of a life in a seemingly unstoppable downward spiral, our eyes are opened to see a human cocktail of desperation & hope, rejection & love, death & life that will make your heart race. Deborah describes her beginnings as a child subjected to the paranormal. In this remarkable tale of a life in a seemingly unstoppable downward spiral of occultism, drugs, abuse and rebellion, her search for love was shattered. Underneath it all is a palpable, menacing threat of evil that manifests itself physically. Throughout the story are multiple traumas including a miracle of salvation. Deborah Hawkins resides in Eastbourne East Sussex UK. This book is her testimony to the fact that no matter how far you fall or are dragged under, by your own actions or the depravity of others, there is always hope.’
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Debz
Extract from Deborah’s book:
“We arrived at his house, which was set in a small place called Swallownest just a few miles outside of the city. Kevin explained he had been living on his own for a while and was divorced. The area was very quiet which suited me as I had my own reasons for wanting a bit of privacy. I settled in and made myself at home.
The house was rather boring and plain and it wasn’t long before I was painting the walls, adding my own personal touches to the house. I tidied up, cleaned and redecorated a couple of the rooms to suit my own needs. The kitchen was painted black and silver and on the end wall Kevin painted a picture of a traveller walking along a long winding road set in the heart of the country. He said it reminded him of me. In the main bedroom I painted the floor and walls purple. Candles were lit all over the house; I preferred candles to light bulbs as my eyes had developed sensitivity problems to light.
Around the house the smell of incense permeated the air. A few weeks had passed and each day while Kevin was at work, I was left alone to do my own thing, most of the time I read about magic and made a decision to invoke Satan. My mental state at the time was intense. I had felt driven to meet with Satan for some time and nothing could shift that focus. Having read the basics of Witchcraft it bored me. I found myself rebelling against mainstream belief systems. I wanted to meet the master.
So I read further books more in line with the black arts, which became more of an interest. What burned in my heart was a passion to meet with Satan who I now saw as my only father, a compulsion I no longer hid from myself nor understood. It just seemed natural to me. Week after week almost every private moment that I had involved a demand that Satan appear so that an exchange could take place, I poured out my heart’s desires sharing that I wanted power and control and in return my soul was his, I would lay down everything for that exchange to take place, my whole being would become his and I would remain his child.
If there was such a thing as a soul I was going to find out, I couldn’t think of anything more valuable to offer than the whole of me. My history had already shown me that a spirit realm existed and as a child I was terrified, but now I was older and much bolder as my thirst for knowledge had grown. I knew with the way that I had bonded with Polly at the borstal that I was being drawn towards a deeper and darker dimension, as to why I had no idea, I just knew it was happening.
At times I questioned my own sanity, I had so many questions and very few answers. My mind was so set on achieving my goal that I tried to dig up a grave to retrieve a skull to help me concentrate on the spirit realm but the roots of the tree stopped me getting through and I gave up through physical exhaustion. Not once did I share with Kevin what I was doing. When he was at work I would light candles and utter what was on my heart. I no longer wanted to read books that required a formula what was in my heart had as much strength as any ritual.
In the evening I took what opportunity I could to do a short invocation when Kevin was preoccupied elsewhere in the house. When it was dark I would walk through the countryside and I would talk to Satan as if he was next to me. The utterance of his name was constantly upon my lips. Sometimes I would sit under the light of the moon and allow the night to envelop me.
One evening I went to bed around 1:30am, which was early for me. I placed my head down on my pillow and looked at Kevin who was fast asleep, he looked so relaxed. As I drifted off into my own sleep I hoped I would sleep as peacefully as Kevin. It felt like I had only been asleep for a short duration when suddenly my mind became alert, I looked at the alarm clock and noticed the time, it was exactly 3am. Puzzled, I got out of bed sensing that something was about to happen.
My heart began to pound in my chest as I immediately felt a strong pull in the pit of my stomach to go downstairs. I descended down the stairs slowly and noticed that the atmosphere in the house was very cold and heavy. I felt unsettled in myself as I became aware of my surroundings. I knew I was not alone. As I got to the entrance to the kitchen I noticed that as I breathed out the warm air from my lungs my breath hung in the cold night air. My chest felt tight and restricted as I found it difficult to breathe. I entered the kitchen peering into the dark and waited.
As I stood in the kitchen I felt a presence in front of me that defied all logic, it had such magnitude that it was overwhelming. The room became filled in height, width and depth by a spiritual being it gripped tightly like a strong tentacle unwilling to let go, I could not believe the sheer expanse of its Presence. I sensed that what was before me was sinister; projecting a hunger for my soul that created in me a fear and urgency I had never felt before. It was like the end of the world had come in a split second.
I felt so small and insignificant against such an overwhelming force that I slowly backed out of the room. My whole being became consumed by a vile, malevolent energy that I struggled to keep my composure. Within seconds my mind filled with searing pain, I had never felt so cold or so fragile. Inwardly my soul screamed as I felt it being drawn with force out of my body.
I realized that whatever my beliefs were on whether or not I had a soul it was no longer in question; the very core of my being, the centre of who I was, was being sucked out of my body creating an eternal void of utter desolation and detachment. Each step I took required total concentration and immense effort. I no longer wanted to be in the same room as my soul became afflicted with a finality that convinced me I was already damned and I wanted to live.
I knew now that to strike up a bargain with Satan was to allow a presence of such impurity that for it to enter my being meant only one thing death or life within the realms of insanity. As reality kicked in hard I moved to the base of the stairs, pumping with adrenalin panic filled my head, my heart thumping in my chest.
I desperately wanted to run but my legs felt like lead weights. I screamed out aggressively a resounding ‘No’! Making it clear the deal was off. This was not what I had expected. With a concerted effort I ran up the stairs, I had no desire to look behind me; I knew instinctively that I would not survive. My ears hurt as the sound of hooves that pounded the stairs came at a fast pace, cantering hard.
I understood immediately that in the spirit realm Satan had come from such a distance that for the fullness of his presence to reach me required travelling at a speed that no earthly man could envisage, I knew that although there was a projection of his presence here with me it had not come in completeness, yet and I had no doubts that time was running out.
In desperation I ran as if my very life depended on it, the pounding became unbearable; fast and furious hooves hit the stairs with a relentless determination. My mind screamed inside at the thought that I would be truly lost for all time. As I got to the top of the stairs Kevin was already awake, I could see the colour had drained from his face. “What have you done?” Kevin screamed as we both continued to hear the thundering of hooves galloping frantically up the stairs.
It seemed like the noise was magnified to a loudness unbearable to the ears and the distance covered by this raging beast was not like any distance perceived in the human world. Kevin quickly pushed me out the way and shouted with authority that cut the air, “In the name of Jesus get behind me Satan”. Kevin stood there like a strong tower as the words were spoken out with clarity and great strength; we both listened as the sound of hooves clambered back down the stairs at an unbelievable speed finally to disappear.
I sat down on the bed shaking violently realizing how close I had come to losing everything. Kevin sat down next to me; from head to toe his body could not stop shaking either. The atmosphere around us lifted and the temperature in the bedroom became warm again. “I should have burnt your books, we have both been foolish. Did you think that you could invite evil in and not be overpowered without Jesus Christ in your life?”
Kevin seemed angry but also relieved. What possessed you to summon Satan? Satan is fallen angel who can appear in several forms but he can only be in one place at a time, which is why the intensity of his pursuit for you was critical.”
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2 Corinthians 5:17
To read all of Deborah’s book, you can order it directly from her, or from this website link.
Deborah found Jesus, and is now a trained counsellor, project founder, author, speaker, mother and Nana. She has a passion to bring wholeness to others through her written work and speaking engagements. You can contact Deborah Hawkins if you’d like her to consider speaking in your church, or venue. You can call her landline on England 01323 655721 or on her mobile cell number 07840 363486. Or email her on debzj@hotmail.co.uk
UPDATE: Deborah continued in ministry, serving her beloved Saviour and precious people, until she passed away. We are grateful for her life and so glad she is now with her God.
Sometimes when I share others testimonies on Facebook, etc, folks will notice things that can be criticised. I don’t agree with censorship, so I don’t edit testimonies, as it comes from someone else and it’s personal. It’s not my place to correct the person, if I don’t agree with their choice of words.
For example, often myself and others may say we ”dabbled” in the New Age or Occult. I do understand why some may feel the word ‘dabble’ is wrong, as it may seem to trivialise the past involvement.
Perhaps the word ‘dabbling’ isn’t the best word to describe it, but let’s instead focus on the wonderful fact that myself and friends like Deborah Hawkins, were saved from demonic abuse and torment, suicide, etc, because Jesus came & rescued us.
And now Debz life is truly a shining beacon to so many others. She is a trophy of God’s love and grace & I’m so grateful she has answered God’s call to help others. It’d be so easy to hide away forever and lick her wounds, but she has overcome by Christ’s power & helps others come through what she did.
Not many folks are prepared to do that & most run a mile if they meet a person with demonic problems, but she puts aside her own past … with courage she shares embarrassing things of her past to help & minister to others. I’m so thrilled to have Deborah as my friend and sister in Jesus.
‘The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’ Romans 8:18
When Viktor Frankl was sent to Auschwitz, he’d been researching a book on Finding Life’s Meaning. But when his clothes were suddenly taken from him, including the manuscript he’d hidden in his coat lining, he questioned whether his life had real meaning at all.
Then something happened : the Nazis gave him the rags of an inmate who’d just been sent to the gas chamber and Frankl found in the pocket a page containing a Jewish prayer (from Deuteronomy 6:4-5) : ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one God. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’
‘How should I interpret such a coincidence?’ he asked himself, ‘Other than to live my thoughts instead of merely putting them on paper?’
Later he wrote, ‘Nothing in the world will so effectively help you to survive as the knowledge that there is a purpose to your life.’
He who has a ‘why’ to live for, can bear almost any ‘how’. Charles Dickens was lame. So was Handel. Homer was blind. Plato was a hunchback. Sir Walter Scott was paralysed; Paul spent all but seven years of his ministry in prison.
What gave each of these people the stamina to overcome their circumstances? Purpose! Each of them had a dream, fueled by a fire within that could not be extinguished. They had a ‘why’ that was bigger than every ‘how’. Do you?
Pastor James wrote this article from his blog Insightful Old Man, on 12th February. He kindly gave me permission to share it here. It’s placed under Premier’s one minute video below.
‘Islam claims Allah was a Biblical god of the Patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. Is this true?
Was Allah the Biblical God, or a pagan god in Arabia?
Evidence demonstrates that the god, Allah, was in fact a pagan deity; a Moon-god, married to a sun goddess, with the stars as his daughters.
The ancient Sumerians worshiped a Moon-god called ‘Nana’, ‘Suen’ and ‘Asimbabbar’. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and Akkadians called the Moon-god ‘Sin’. ‘Sin’ is the name ‘Suen’ transformed.
Syrians represented the Moon-god by a crescent moon. Egypt and Persia also worshiped the Moon-god, as the Judge of all men and gods.
The Old Testament repeatedly states that Israel was not to worship the Moon-god.
“And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars–all the forces of heaven–don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The LORD your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.” (Deut. 4:19)
“They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.” (Jeremiah 8:2)
Archaeologists have discovered the three daughters of Allah, with the crescent moon above them, in Arabia. Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat are the names given to the three daughters of the Moon-god.
The Arab, in fact, worshiped 360 gods at the Kabah in Mecca, with the Moon-god as their chief deity. Mecca was built as a shrine to the Moon-god.
The Moon-god was called ‘Il’ or ‘Ilah’, meaning ‘the god’, and was shortened to ‘Allah’ before Islam was a religion. Muhammad’s father and uncle have Allah as part of their names. Mohammad made “Ilah’, meaning ‘the god’, into “Allah’, meaning the ‘Supreme Being’. Muhammad made ‘Allah’ the greatest god.
Flag of Turkey
The Arabs worship the Moon-god as the supreme deity. It should not come as a surprise that the symbol of Islam is a crescent moon, that a crescent moon sits on top of their mosques and minarets, and that the crescent moon is found on the flags on all Islamic nations.
Muslims even fast during the month which begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon in the heavens.
Radical Islam is a real threat to Israel and to America –
José María Aznar, a former prime minister of Spain, recalled meeting Khamenei during his time in office in Oct. 2000. “Israel, to him, was a kind of historical cancer, an anomaly, a country to be put in flames and condemned to disappear,” Aznar said. “Khamenei said very clearly that Iran must eliminate Israel and wipe it off the map.”
Chants of “Death to America”, and calling America the ‘Great Satan’, are not just idle words. Here are some quotes from their own prophet and the Quran:
Qur’an:9:5 – “Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.”
Qur’an:8:39 “So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world).”
Ishaq:587 “Our onslaught will not be a weak faltering affair. We shall fight as long as we live. We will fight until you turn to Islam, humbly seeking refuge. We will fight not caring whom we meet. We will fight whether we destroy ancient holdings or newly gotten gains. We have mutilated every opponent. We have driven them violently before us at the command of Allah and Islam. We will fight until our religion is established. And we will plunder them, for they must suffer disgrace.”
Muslims chant prayers five times per day; Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
(God is the greatest, God is the greatest) Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
(God is the greatest, God is the greatest) Ashadu an la ilaha ill Allah
(I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but God) Ashadu an la ilaha ill Allah
(I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but God) Ashadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah
(I bear witness that Muhammad is the prophet of God) Ashadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah (I bear witness that Muhammad is the prophet of God) Hayya’alas salah (Come to prayer,) Hayya’alas salah (Come to prayer,) Hayya’alal falah (Come to success,) Hayya’alal falah (Come to success,) Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
(God is the greatest, God is the greatest) La ilaha ill Allah
(There is no deity but God.)
How Often do you pray for God’s Kingdom to come?
If Christians understand that Muslims are praying to a pagan god, which is a demonic spirit in disguise, then we also understand that there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world calling on demons to take over the world and force all to worship their false god, or die. Yes, there are peaceful Muslims; but all Muslims use the Koran as their Bible, which calls for the death of unbelievers and for all pray to Allah, a moon-god.
Franklin Graham.
Franklin Graham made this statement about Duke University promoting Muslim prayers on their campus :
“As Christianity is being excluded from the public square and followers of Islam are raping, butchering, and beheading Christians, Jews, and anyone who doesn’t submit to their Sharia Islamic law, Duke is promoting this in the name of religious pluralism,” Graham wrote. “I call on the donors and alumni to withhold their support from Duke until this policy is reversed.”
It is time for Christians to lift up their voices in ‘without ceasing’ prayer to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, manifested in the body of Jesus Christ, for mercy upon this world.
I Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always,pray without ceasing,give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Ephesians 6:18, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
Paul and Silas prayed and sang at midnight, until the earthquake opened the prison doors. Prayer was made at the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, for Peter, until the angel unlocked his chains and opened the prison doors. (Acts 16:26 & Acts 12:12)
Believers in Christ are commanded to Pray –
James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
I Corinthians 8:6, “But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.”
We need to pray continually, “May Thy Will be done; May thy Kingdom come; in earth as it is in heaven! Come quickly Lord Jesus!”
An Insider’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare : 30 Battle-Tested Strategies from Behind Enemy Lines, by Kristine McGuire.
My friend Kristine McGuire, an Ex Witch, Ex Medium and Ex Ghost Hunter, asked me to write a review for her new book. After reading it, I was delighted to write the following :
An Insider’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare by Kristine McGuire is a Victory Guide!
‘It covers areas many churches and Christians today sadly neglect – daily obedience to Christ and taking ungodly thoughts captive. As the battle is faced firstly in the mind. We all need to be reminded of these disciplines.Kristine emphasizes putting on our spiritual armor, as in Ephesians 6, isn’t about placing a helmet symbolically on our heads. But literally, by His grace, obeying His commands to daily walk in love, truth, holiness, peace, faith, hope and so on; while refusing to walk in a lack of love, in untruths, sin, worry, doubt, etc.She highlights the importance of praying from Scriptures, as our sword, especially when facing strongholds. Praying them in a meaningful, not a rote way.In the chapter, Overcoming Warrior Weariness, she shares honestly how health issues, including a serious tortuous eye condition challenged her. She encourages readers to find recovery and renewal, in the ‘beauty of the Lord’s presence’, just as she did. From her past experience in the new age, witchcraft and occult, she warns us of unwillingly or willingly, adopting false teachings, just as the Old Testament prophets warned God’s children then. She reminds us of our identity and authority in Christ to overcome.As an Ex Spiritualist myself, I was particularly delighted to read her teaching on familiar spirits, so called ‘ghosts’ and ‘ghost hunting’.As Kristine concluded, whether fighting in literal demonic situations, supernatural warfare, or in ‘everyday trials of life, our spiritual battle call remains the same. As Christians, we are on God’s tactical response team.’
Laura Maxwell, radio host and contributing author of Dancing With The Devil, by Jeff Harshbarger.
‘I am an ex pagan, and I practised witchcraft, yoga, shamanism, I was a trained crystal healer. I wrote e-books on crystals, fairies, chakras, etc. I am now a Christian. I’m starting a blog and writing an e-book about my past and also about my future as a Christian.’
She has kindly gave me permission to share her testimony below. Thank you Samantha!
Life Before I Was Christian.
“I started my spiritual journey looking for a way to heal from sexual abuse. I turned away from Christianity and turned to the new age and paganism. As nearly every one on that path will tell you, I believed there was no devil. I was on a path of love and light.
Once though, I was recommended to a book, which was written by a well respected researcher.
Lucifer AKA false angel of light, Satan, Destroyer, etc.
The book had quite a lot of information about Lucifer. It had a different version to the Christian line of thought. Lucifer was still seen as a fallen angel, but it was said that he fell to earth to save mankind. Lucifer was changed into a Jesus type figure, who had sacrificed himself in order to save mankind.
Yet, he also had differences to Jesus. Instead of being as holy as Jesus, Lucifer was a saviour that had been strongly misunderstood and had been a bit badly done by.
I felt I could connect to him. I felt that I understood him. He was more on my level. Living in the footsteps of Jesus seemed an impossible ideal to live up to. Lucifer seemed more human, more like I was.
As I said I never worshipped Lucifer, but I think if there had been a fight between Lucifer and Jesus I would have been supporting Lucifer …
(Laura’s note : To read about New Age Luciferianism, please see this article by my friend Julia).
Lilith, also known as Kali, Succubus, Jezebel, etc.
… Another figure that I had compassion for was Lilith. Lilith was said to be the first wife of Adam, only she was strong willed and refused to commit to him. This was seen as the ideal woman.
She was also a prostitute. She used sex to be in control of situations. She was empowered and knew her on mind.
The other goddess I was drawn to was Ishtar/Inanna. She was the goddess of fertility, love, war and sex. She also was a prostitute.
As someone who was healing from sexual abuse, this was very confusing. I was trying to reclaim my body as my own, at the same time as believing sacred prostitution was the way to go.
I am not ashamed to say I was always a prude. I didn’t want sex without marriage, I didn’t want to strip naked. I wanted to save myself for marriage. I wanted someone pure in my life, for once.
Yet, I was made to feel as though there was something wrong with me for wanting this. There was part of me that felt I couldn’t be healed until I wasn’t such a prude. I needed to feel empowered for not selling my body.
These teachings were dangerous for me. I am not the only woman to have survived sexual abuse, that means there are others that are like me. I am not alone.
Instead of empowering them, these teachings have the potential to put women into dangerous situations.
Samantha
Christianity has empowered in more ways than anything in my past has done. It has given me a new sense of freedom. I will post more about this in another post. But I do want to say that if you have ever been the victim of sexual abuse, do not think that there is no place for you. God loves you.
When I was a pagan, I thought Christianity was corrupt, and guilty of many cases of sex abuse. Yes, people who called themselves Christians have abused, but Christianity isn’t about those people, there is so much more to it than that.
Just because you have been broken, does not mean that you are not worthy of God. Christianity allowed me to raise my self esteem in a way that paganism didn’t. Christianity has allowed me to see the good in the world, not just the bad.
I give thanks to God every day, that he did not give up on me, and I know that he will never give up on you too.”
NOTE : I mention the importance of people checking out the true source and identity of their so called goddesses, spirit guides, angels, fairies, etc, in my article Test The Spirits. Laura Maxwell.
‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have done it. I have done it beforehand and it has not been a good experience. I decided to look at the video of the Beheading of the 21 Christians in Libya, by Islamic State.
Probably I think ten were beheaded, perhaps they are keeping others back for later. Or perhaps they did kill all 21 but I just didn’t see them all get killed.
I’ve seen the heads in a public park’s railings in Northern Iraq, I’ve seen the butchers house with dead Christian meat, I saw the Jordanian pilot get burned alive. I have seen more Christians killed for being Christians in the last six months than I have ever seen n my life.
These people are worse than Nazi Germany….why? It isn’t yet the volume of murder but even the Nazi’s kept it all under wraps, didn’t boast about it and most of these places of the holocaust only came to light as the war was coming to an end. They would not have dreamed of boasting about it on TV Cinema or radio. Islamic State are parading their evil for the world to see.
This group were all in a hotel I understand. The terrorists came and identified them by their passports ‘Coptic Christian’ and they were taken to end up on a beach being butchered for no other reason than they were Christians. The grieving families are utterly devastated by this evil.
The Jordanese response to the burning alive of their pilot was to shout ‘eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. A phrase from the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran. However in the OT it was used to limit revenge ( Palestinian rockets recently killed two Israelis and Israeli responses killed 1100 Palestinians some 400 of them children.) because unfettered revenge escalates violence.
The NT on the lips of Jesus puts forward a different ethic altogether seen as weak by many Muslims …..Love your enemies, forgive your enemies. The Quran seems to ignore the coming of Jesus and and reverts to an OT situation but without the modifying quality of the Hesed….the loving kindness of God ( revealed later as the Grace of God. It is this ‘eye for an eye ‘ approach that will escalate violence across the region.
The Coptic church is vibrant and strong. It is more orthodox than anything we are familiar with but they regard ‘Evangelicals’ as their friends and they are deeply influenced by western Christianity.
Are there any easy answers?
Nope sorry! However I do wonder if this torrent of violence from ISLAMIC state is causing many Muslims to question their faith and its fruit. The noble and godly behaviour of the Coptic Christians in Egypt I know has won many many friends in the Muslim population. The deposing of the Muslim Brotherhood will I hope ensure that Christians in that land will be treated more fairly. There are twice as many Christians in Egypt as there are Muslims n the UK….not many people know that.
Here though is a video, which highlights the qualitative difference between following Jesus and frankly anyone or anything else.’
We need to pray for everyone to come to salvation in Christ, whether they are Muslims or not, or whether they act like our friends or our enemies. The Bible tells us to forgive all. However, these are some important observations :
“Imagine the Outcry if Christians Beheaded 21 Muslims!” by Franklin Graham. For full article, please see this LINK.
Franklin Graham reiterates the storm is coming. (Courtesy/BGEA)
Franklin Graham.
‘Franklin Graham is not shrinking back in the face of Islamist violence. In fact, he’s growing bolder as the days grow darker.
While President Obama refuses to call the latest victims of radical Islamists “Christians,” the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham took to his Facebook page to respond to the video on Sunday that appeared to show the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians in Lybia.
“The militant Islamic terrorist group ISIS has released a video called “A MESSAGE SIGNED WITH BLOOD TO THE NATION OF THE CROSS” showing the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians who had been kidnapped in Libya,” Graham wrote on his Facebook page.
“Can you imagine the outcry if 21 Muslims had been beheaded by Christians? Where is the universal condemnation by Muslim leaders around the world? As we mourn with the families of those 21 martyrs, we’d better take this warning seriously as these acts of terror will only spread throughout Europe and the United States. If this concerns you like it does me, share this. The storm is coming.”
Our Spiritual Quest 