Promises Kept

Before I actually encountered the demonic, I had a flawed theology about it. Even though I was a pastor, I saw the whole thing kind of like flying saucers—yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it. Well, that all changed when a person in our church had a troubling case of demonization. Working with her was the first of multiple encounters I had with the demonic over a span of four or five years.

I remember one of these cases in particular, where we were helping a family that had been plagued by demonic forces. The wife was pregnant, and at one point, suddenly a demonic voice within her started screaming, “The baby is mine! The baby is mine!”

We ended up baptizing this young woman and there was an incredible breakthrough. She professed her faith in Christ and when she came up out of the water, there was just an amazing release. Then on the day that we dedicated that baby to the Lord, there was unbelievable resistance. The woman started thrashing around, almost as if she was having seizures. She was able to pull herself together to get on the platform that day. But it stopped completely right at the point that she and her husband dedicated their baby to the Lord. It really opened my eyes to the significance of things like baptism and dedication.

There’s an incredible calm in the moments after someone is delivered … Suddenly you hear the clock on the wall ticking, the building creaking.

There’s an incredible calm in the moments after someone is delivered. Once the demons leave, there’s just this feeling of peace that envelops the room. Everybody in the room feels it, a great quietness, and a sense of sacredness. Suddenly you hear the clock ticking on the wall, the building creaking; you can hear every single sound.

A few years ago I received a letter from that girl that we dedicated as a baby. She was now 18, and in the letter she told how her mom and dad recently sat down and shared the whole story with her. She was writing to tell us how grateful she was. She wanted us to know that she loved Jesus Christ with all her heart. She was about to leave on a missions trip and asked if we would be her prayer partners. What an unbelievable letter to get! All these years God had his hand on her, protecting her, and making good on the vows made at that dedication. We praised God for being faithful and keeping his promises.

To go deeper, see our recommended resources on spiritual warfare.

-Bob Page senior pastor, Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake, Illinois