If you’ve been following Christ Jesus for very long and studying your Bible, then you are probably already very familiar with the following passage. It’s been the topic of many a sermon, Bible Study, Christian book, and devotion.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
– Ephesians 6:10-12
The book of Ephesians was a letter from Paul the Apostle to the church at Ephesus, and in it he reminded them of the very real spiritual battle that affects the life of every believer. Using the beautiful illustrative metaphor of the Armor of God, Paul’s letter to the Ephesus church continued on to explain how they could withstand the schemes of the enemy, that is Satan and his demons (the enemies of our souls), all of which is equally applicable to our lives and Christian walk today.
You may or may not be aware that sometimes the Lord will allow his followers a glimpse into the spiritual realm. This can serve to heighten our awareness of the enemy’s tactics, reveal a need to cast an evil spirit out of a person or place, or to aid us in an intercessory prayer strategy, etc.
With that said, I now want to share with you a personal testimony of a very real supernatural event that occurred earlier this year. I am not sharing this event to explain or debate spiritual gifts or their purpose. I am sharing it simply to illustrate the power of Jesus’ name.
My husband and I were visiting some family members who had been going through some very difficult circumstances. After a few days of family time, we were on our last evening together, as Jason and I would be heading home the next morning. After playing several rounds of the game Farkle, we all noticed that it was getting late and decided it was time for bed.
Jason and I had settled into the bed in the guest room. I had a few tasks related to Hope of a Nation (the ministry we founded and direct) to take care of on my laptop before I called it a night. The time was now between 1:30 and 2 am. Jason was sound asleep to my left, facing away from me. I turned off the light and carefully lay down, trying not to wake him. Not long after my head hit the pillow, something happened that is a bit challenging to describe.
You know how sometimes when you’re driving you start thinking about something and your mind drifts, and for lack of any better terminology, in your mind’s “eye” you see what you’re thinking about quite vividly?
Well, a few minutes after my head hit the pillow and with my eyes closed, I simultaneously experienced a feeling and saw something very vividly in my mind’s “eye” or “in the spirit” as we often phrase it, but unlike the example of daydreaming I gave above, this was not a creation of my mind. It was sudden, obtrusive, and unexpected.
What I saw (with my eyes closed) was something coming at me, dashing at my face. It was grotesque looking, and I had the feeling that it was wanting to smother me. I instantly recognized it as a demonic attack, as this was not the first time I had experienced such an event. It quickly shrank back, realizing I recognized it for what it was, then it changed its appearance to look like my husband, and it started moving toward me again, this time reaching toward me as though to hug me. I, however, was very much aware that Jason had not moved. He was still asleep facing away from me.
Almost instantly, I sensed something very large on his side of the bed, and for some reason my thoughts went to a praying mantis. The demon was crouching but hovering over Jason and looking my way. I couldn’t see the full body, but the head was large and oblong, similar in shape to a mantis's head, and it kind of wagged its head the way a praying mantis does when defending itself.
I started praying under my breath (to not wake Jason), “Anything here that is not of the Lord Jesus Christ and his heavenly host of angels, leave now in Jesus’ name.” Then I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to speak it out loud, so I did so. I didn’t say it very loudly, just enough to be audible.
The next morning as we began our drive home, I shared this experience with my husband. To my surprise, he said something to the effect of, “Wait. You saw it too?” He thought he had just dreamed it. A conversation then ensued, and he explained to me what he experienced. In his dream, there was a creature standing next to his side of the bed, parallel to him. It was crouching, and he felt as though it was sizing him up; assessing whether or not he posed a threat.
Then, suddenly, Jason saw a huge sword swoop down and cut the head off the creature. The sword came from my direction and was about a foot wide. It was so long that he couldn't see the hilt (handle) nor who was wielding it. For the sword to be long enough to reach past his shoulder and still reach the creature and for him to not see the hilt, he estimated that the sword must have been at least 8 feet long. Immediately after the sword came down, he heard me verbally cast the demon out, and unbeknownst to me, it woke Jason up when I did so.
So just to recap, I was awake when all of this happened, and Jason was asleep and saw it in the form of a dream. But did you catch the most amazing part? Jason said that the sword came down before he heard me cast it out.
Remember? First, I cast it out under my breath. Then the Holy Spirit prompted me to say it again audibly. This served as a time marker so that Jason could share with me that immediately before he heard me cast it out, the sword had already come down. So, the moment I cast it out under my breath, it was done! Hallelujah! Jesus’s name is powerful!
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
– Luke 10:17
The power doesn’t lie in how loud we say it. It doesn’t lie in how animated we are when we say it. It doesn’t lie in us stomping our feet, waving our hands, or pointing our fingers. The power lies in Jesus’ name! What a gift from the Holy Spirit for us to simultaneously witness that power in such a profound way!
I hope you find encouragement in this. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior and are living for him, then you have the authority to use his name to cast out the enemy!
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
– Luke 10:18-20
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
– Mark 16:15-18
