The Prodigal Years

Today I drifted back, just briefly, to my prodigal years. I spent 10 + years married to someone who is the opposite of my husband now in every way. During that time, there were so many crazy things that happened to me and around me, that now looking back it just seems like it happened to someone else I know.

Maybe I don't even know that person, maybe I've just heard of her. Either way, I am blessed to live under God's restoring power and my life is full, joyful, simple and good. But I drifted back today....

I was living in California, about 22 years old at the time, in a huge house with my then husband and 4 of his 9 brothers. They were always mooching off of us and moving in, causing problems constantly in many ways. This particular night I had arrived home from work to find one of the brothers in a drug induced freak-out! The other brothers were yelling at him, telling him to leave or go somewhere else, (not because they were drug-free by any means, just because the one was out of control and everyone was scared!) He didn't leave. Instead he went upstairs to his bedroom where he continued to rant and rave, punching the walls, screaming, "I'm going to kill you, just kill me, I want to die, I can't, I can't..." and so on.

I started to feel the frenzy of the house, so I went upstairs quietly and sat outside his closed bedroom door. I started to pray, "In the name and power of Jesus, through the blood that was shed on the cross, I command you Satan to leave this boy, this room, this house, immediately." I kept praying these few words out loud but in a hushed whisper. Slowly the brother began to slow his pacing and lower his voice, I could hear him sucking air like it was hard to breathe...I kept praying....I heard him sit on the bed and start sobbing. Then he lye on the bed and fell asleep and I could hear him snoring. All in about 10 minutes maybe.

I remember this for two pivitol reasons. One, I was a little scared but the power that I felt was overwhelming, I knew that what I was doing was going to change what he was doing, I knew...without doubt...there are demons. Secondly, I was not living my life for the Lord at the time, still I could grasp the power that we have as believers available to us, and so, I knew that despite whatever else people may think, you CANNOT lose your salvation....ever.

As this applies to the general theme of The Big Picture, demons and drugs are related. I'm not saying everyone who does drugs is possessed, but it's just the simplicity of not being so ignorant as to think that the powers of darkness aren't related to all of the darkness around us.