The Foe in the Foyer - Christianity Today

A few hours before our Sunday evening service, I received an urgent call from a staff member: "We need you here! We've got a young woman here with her fiancé … and she's convulsing … it's spiritual stuff!"

I advised him to call 911 and said I'd be right over.

Ten minutes later, I walked into the foyer of our church's building. A small group of people stood near a young woman seated in a chair. Some of them were praying, a few with hands on her shoulders. I watched her body repeatedly stiffen and relax.

Maybe this is a seizure, I thought, but maybe not …

I sensed something unnatural in the room. The entire foyer felt filled with a dark and oppressive presence.

Since an ambulance crew hadn't shown up, I was pretty sure no one had called 911. Later I would learn that the young woman and her fiancé had gone to a local hospital and a few other churches earlier that day but were unable to get help.

I sighed and walked toward the young woman, stopping next to Bob Till—one of the older adults in the foyer and a missionary with Greater Europe Mission. Bob was in town visiting family. Leanor, his daughter-in-law and staff member at my church, was also in the foyer.

"Bob," I said, "this isn't just physical, is it?"

Bob simply shook his head—no.

I suddenly felt overwhelmed with compassion for this young woman—and anger over what a demonic spirit might be doing to her.

Scripture after Scripture about spiritual warfare flooded my head. I felt a surge of confidence. I looked at the woman and shouted, "In Jesus' name, stop shaking her!"

Her body froze dead still for a moment. Then her head turned slowly my way. I stared into empty, vacant eyes. It was like the lights were on but nobody was home.

The group gathered around her slowly backed away. I stepped closer. "In the name of Jesus Christ, leave her!"

No response.

"In the name of Jesus Christ," I said firmly and loudly, "I command you to leave this woman!"

After a moment of tense stillness, a guttural, unearthly voice came out of her mouth: "NO! She's mine!"

Oh man, oh man. I thought, I am not backing down. I took a step closer and commanded, "In Jesus' name, you have to come out of her!"

"No, I won't!"

I had no desire to get into an argument with a lying spirit, but I shouted, "Look, you know as well as I do that you have to come out in the name of Jesus, and I am going to stay here until you do!"

At this point, I was getting concerned. Obviously, my heart went out to this poor woman. I also thought, What if people start coming into church soon, and we're still here in the foyer, that's not going to be good …

Those who had backed away drew close again. They began praying intensely for her deliverance.

Leanor suddenly stepped past me and pressed her hands firmly on the woman's shoulders.

While I couldn't exactly hear what Leanor was saying, I knew she was praying. I did pick up one phrase—"little girl inside." As I listened more carefully, I could tell she was praying for the release of the helpless "little girl" held hostage by this demonic force.

Sometime during Leanor's prayer, the woman slid from her chair and collapsed on the floor, as if she'd melted like warm butter. She started sobbing. The dark, oppressive presence that had filled the room disappeared.

A couple of us helped the young woman to her feet. We prayed for her.

While relieved and thankful for the work God had performed, I was deeply concerned for her spiritual condition and the possibility of further demonic attack. Jesus made it clear that a "house unoccupied, swept clean" of one evil spirit is open to greater attack from "seven other spirits more wicked than" the first (Matt. 12:44-45). I asked Leanor and one of the older women to go into another room with the young woman and pray for her salvation.

Though we never saw the woman or her fiancé after that night, I hope and pray for her continued protection, and relationship with her Deliverer.

She reminded me that our spiritual battles sometimes become visible, and that our enemy will go to great lengths to keep people under his control. I won't easily forget this.

And I will never look at our foyer quite the same way again.

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

Mike Sares is pastor of Scum of the Earth Church in Denver, Colorado.