Transcription
[Music] Chaos would happen around her. Either the house she's living in will burn or would somehow catch on fire or something chaotic where she always would need a place to go. All of a sudden, I now felt this presence, this demonic presence behind me. I turned around, it was the girl. She was there. She's standing. She now looked at me and she was like, "Leave." and her voice everything changed.
One of the key things that really shaped my life in God when it comes to the spiritual realm, the demonic witchcraft and everything was that I had an uncle who was a warlock himself, you know, he was a high priest himself. Um, and this was a man who wanted to wipe out our family. And what shaped my confidence in God was from the very beginning, you know, I'm like, this man has is trying things again, you know. And I said, but in the dream, the wife died. A day or two days later, the wife died. What? Just in real life. In real life, there was no complications. It was not a medical issue. It was nothing. She died. I had seen God reveal things like that in so many ways.
When it now comes to culture, culture unfortunately is something where the kingdom of darkness has mastered how to influence. So even in the Christian spaces, you now have people that what they call weird is what Jesus commissioned us to do. Wow. Because Jesus literally said, "You shall cast out demons." Uh, Satan has infiltrated culture to the point where we have bookstores full of witchcraft. We have movies full of witchcraft. You did a series called modern the modernization of that was what kind of like just got me going. But to be honest, the witchcraft I've experienced in America is much worse than whatever I have seen in Africa.
I remember there's this this young girl and she desired to be in the music industry. They never asked her to sing. They never asked her for a record. It was an encounter. After the encounter, the demon came to her and the contract was open on the deep. The question is how many other people have had such encounters which we don't know about. So, you see the reason that there's a lot of drug addiction, alcohol um drug abuse and you know alcohol addiction and all these things in the industry is because a lot of these people are trying to escape.
This is really amazing and this I believe this is a good point to talk about demonic entry point. God, what are some demonic entry points that we don't because I'm seeing increasingly especially in this generation supposedly committed Christians who love the Lord and then the power of God comes you see all sort kinds of manifestation and you're wondering where is this from? Yeah. I think I think first of all it starts off when we don't live intentionally. The Lord revealed to me that often times there there people that seem mad on the street or things like that and it's not everybody that had a mental case. It's not everybody that demons are taking their mind. That that is the punishment that Satan gives to them. So what he uses them is just to monitor territories with their eyes. Wow.
[Music] Hello everyone and welcome to Beneath the Surface where we have real and raw conversations with relevant voices on every issue looking exploring topical issues and things that are not really you know usually talked about. you know, we have, you know, a befitting guest who is exceptional at what they do. And, you know, she's a pastor, a preacher, uh, but more importantly, she's a mother and a wife, but, you know, she's living the Christian life, uh, in an extraordinary way, even though she's an ordinary person. Today, we have another phenomenal guest with us, Pastor Stephanie Ekafo. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you, pastor. I'm excited to be on here. We're excited to have you on. So, the first thing I want us to talk about, I know you're you're married. I know you have a daughter. I know you have a baby on the way. So, I mean, so you do real life. Okay. But but I I want us to quickly get into, you know, uh the conversation by talking about um first of all, how I got to find out about you. Um I visited um one church LA. Yeah. um where um pastor Tori I believe Robert and his wife Sarah Jiggs Robert uh pastor and then I think it was the day or two after I went on searching for some messages and I noticed you are an associate pastor there and I then ah when I listened to you I thought this lady has a Nigerian accent somewhere there she's American but you know so I mean that's how I got to know about you I guess the first question I I I I want to ask is how you got into leadership. I know we've talked about that, you know, but what was your journey there? Because people tend to see people, you know, uh in the light and they're like, "Oh, wow. These are extraordinary people." But you were an ordinary person that got there. How did you get there?
Yeah. And the thing is, I never even desired to be in ministry. I never had a thought of being a pastor, anything like that. Um, after I encountered the Lord at nine, there was a desire that was birthing in me to really just I wanted people to know the love of God. I wanted people to know who Jesus is, that Jesus is real. And so even though when I encountered him, I knew him first as a father and it took a few years before I now said, "Okay, this is my savior." But when I made that decision that you are also my lord and savior, then for me, my life belongs to Jesus. you know, everything like it was just that I will follow you wherever you lead me, whatever you tell me to do. And so, prior to even attending one church, I was in real estate. Uh, my brother and I, we used to flip properties and that was I was focused on business. I've always had a knack for business since I was a child. I grew up in a single parent home and my mom is, you know, a politician, a businesswoman, and so she's my ro like one of my biggest role models. So, I wanted to be like my mom. So I always wanted to be in so I always did something and so at that time I was just focusing actually I had a whole plan and idea in mind I wanted to do talk show and I wanted my brother and I to have um this home flipping show on there's this channel in America called HGTV and so we wanted to like get into this thing of like brother and sister flipping properties together. So, I had a vision. That was like part of the vision of my life at that point. And then um there was just some moments where I just felt unfulfilled and it was getting louder and louder because there are times in your life where you're not fulfilled, you're not at peace, but you're so distracted that you don't even have enough time to sit with yourself to, you know, discern that. And I just had these moments where it it became so loud to me that I don't think God is pleased with me. It's almost like I'm I'm out of his will for my life. And it was just the mercy and the goodness of God for that conviction to come to my heart. And I'm like, okay, I'm making great money. I'm, you know, I'm enjoy like I thought I was enjoying my life, but I was not I was not I didn't have joy. And so I started I went into a fast. I was like, Lord, something is not right. There's something that you desire of me that maybe I am too busy with my vision of life to discern your vision for me.
If you don't mind my interjection, you were you were living right, successful, but you're still dissatisfied. Yes, there was something that was just not adding up. And so I went on a fast and I was just seeking the Lord and in prayer. At the end of the fast, he encounters me and he tells me to walk away from the business. He gives me instructions in stages. So, this was really I I had no clue what I was getting myself into. He says, "Walk away from the business." And I've always I've lived in California for many years, but at the time I was living in a city called St. Gabriel. And he says, "And move from San Gabriel to downtown Los Angeles." And I was like, "Wait, why?" like what what what am I going there to do? But I just knew that wherever I'm going is where my joy would return to me. There will be fulfillment even though it felt like loss and no sense of direction. But it was like I was just so excited that the voice of God was clear to me again. And so I'm like, "Okay, Lord. Okay, I'm going to walk away from the business." That was a very hard thing to do. My family could not understand. and they were upset with me. Um, they didn't even really want to talk to me. They thought I was like losing it. Like, what are you doing? Um, my brother could not, my brother just had this disappointment. He's like, man, we're supposed to be doing this thing together. You just want to walk away from everything like why? And it was all kinds of things. But I just knew I had to obey the Lord. So, I moved. I found a place in downtown Los Angeles. I moved in there. And when I got there, I was like, "Okay, Lord, what do I do now?" because now I'm living off my savings and I'm like I need to have an understanding an insight of something. And so the next instruction, so one church I had been there once and that was when I was in college and I was visiting um there was a guy who I was dating at the time. I was visiting him in Los Angeles and his friend was like, "Hey, let's all go to church." And so he was the friend tells us he goes to this church called, you know, one and we go there. And I remember just when I went there at the time in college, I was working on a documentary called Fathers in America. Um, cuz it was a film class I was taking and that was the assignment was to, you know, produce, you know, create some kind of storytelling, whatever. So that was the documentary I was working on. And so the moment we walk into the church, so I remember then I was like, "Lord, if this is a church I'm supposed to come back to at some point in my life, let them say they should say something about fathers cuz that was what I was working on." The moment I walk in, someone was given an announcement about the men's ministry, which was called 5,000 Fathers. Wow. So then I was like, "Oh, maybe this is a church I'll come back to." Because at the time from my from the university to the church was like two hours. So I wasn't planning to go there anytime soon. So when I was when I had moved to downtown, the Lord now says he reminded me of that church, this is now years ago. Like the the time difference from when I went to that moment, it was a span of several years. And he says, "Remember that church you I you went to that you asked this specific question?" He says, "Now I want you to go back to that church." And I still couldn't understand the instruction. So, one of my friends was in town and I wasn't really moved to even go there even though the Lord had told me. I thought maybe I could go there at any time. Like, okay, he's just telling me maybe it's to get planted in a local church or something like that. So, we a friend of mine came and it was a Sunday and we I was like, "Oh, let's go to another church I heard about." Wow. When we went to that church, the the church was full. There was a line outside. I was like, "Okay, let's go to this church that the Lord was reminding me to visit called One Church." When we got there, the moment I walked in, the voice of God said to me, "In this house, I would raise you as a minister of the gospel." Wow. Then I said, "Oh, hold up. Is this what you've been planning all along?" Wow. Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh. But the instruction didn't come all at once. Oh, it didn't come all at once. It was literally in stages. Wow. So then I get to the church. I really don't know anyone there. I recognized one person who is a family friend of mine, but everybody else was a stranger. I had I was just like, "What? Like, what am I doing here? You're going to raise me up as a minister of the gospel in this church?" And I just didn't understand what any of it meant. So, I was in prayer and I was like, "Lord, what am I supposed to do with this information?" And then in a dream, he shows me, I want you to serve as an usher and I want you to serve minimum for one year. Wow. Never miss a service, you know, be faithful, be diligent. And I just knew that, okay, I guess that's what I'm going to do. I didn't tell anyone about the Lord sent me here to preach. Like, it was not even what I desired. And during that year, what I didn't realize was that God was cultivating in me a shepherd's heart. M and because I would have so many questions like Lord there people you call to preach don't they come normally come for maybe bloodlines of uh pastors or you know they desire this or things like that and he said it has nothing to do with that. He said first of all there's what I've ordained you to always walk into but that also I'm not looking for you know the the perfect setting. It has to do with your relationship with me. And anything you do on a platform, on a stage, to a person is the overflow of our intimacy. But he's like, I want to take our intimacy from behind the scenes to a public setting. And I I struggled. Um, but that year I went through so many es and flows in life because then I ran out of money. Now I'm experiencing a life I never thought I would experience. you know, just feeling like I'm doing daytoday, not knowing what I'm going to eat one day or the next day. And I didn't know how to even tell my family that because already they were against it. They're like, Stephanie, you're telling us that God told you to leave a lucrative business to be a volunteer at a church. Like, it just it did not make sense to them. And I said, I know you guys don't understand. I would cry myself to sleep. I felt like I didn't have anyone to talk to. And there are times where I'm just like, Lord, I don't want to do this anymore. and he would encounter me and he says for everything that every moment that you felt shame that I will give you glory and that don't worry about your family they would soon understand and all will be reconciled and so there was a confidence in just knowing that the Lord was with me through that process and so during that year he had given me this vision to write a book called Moving Forward and I thought it was ironic because I felt stagnant And I'm like, Lord, how do I write a book of moving forward and have never written a book before? I don't even know what it takes to publish a book. And I'm not even in the mindset of writing such a book. And he says, I will give you the wisdom for this book. And I, you know, I I write the book. And there were other things that led up to that moment, but when I wrote the book, so there was a day where I was um I was heading to the the restroom. My pastor Sarah was heading to the restroom. So, we kind of collided in the restroom and the Lord just continued to show me serve her. And so, I asked her, I was like, "Hey, if there's, you know, hey pastor, if there's anything you need um if that you just need someone to help with or whatever, I'm here to serve." And she said, "You know what? What's your number? Why don't we do lunch together?" I said, "Okay, sure." So, we exchanged numbers and we planned to meet up for lunch. So, prior to that, I had also been writing daily devotionals. So all of this was just how God uses everything. While I was an usher, there was a lady on our team who was going through a lot of things in her life. Just a lot of stress and difficulty and disappointments. And so every morning in my prayer time, I would ask the Lord to give me a word of encouragement for her and I would write it out and I'll send it to her. So one day she says, "Stephanie, those messages you send me have really helped me through and have like helping me renew my faith in God and getting back to a place of just being stronger, you know, in my walk with Christ." But she was like, "But I think you shouldn't only send it to me. You should share it with the team." Wow. So that's how I started writing a daily devotional. So what I would receive from the Lord, yeah, in my prayer time, I would type it up and I would email it to our team. And then um they were now telling me that hey we would like our friends to receive these devotionals. Why don't you put it in some type of um mailing you know um list or something. So I was like okay sure. Then I got Mailchimp and I would put it in there and I would send it and people started sending it to people they knew their colleagues and people were subscribing to receive these devotionals. Then I didn't realize that somehow my pastor was also getting the devotionals. I had no clue. So when I went to meet, now fast forward, when I went to meet with Pastor Sarah for lunch, um, Pastor Trey also came and when he heard my name, he said, "Aren't you the one who sends the devotionals?" I said, "Wait, how do you even know about that? That's that's a secret thing." And he said, "Oh, no. I read them." And so he he just he just we just started talking and everything. And the funny thing was that the Lord had told me, "I'm going to release you to minister in August." So this was after my year was up and but I still kept serving, you know, because I I just I I enjoyed it. And he says, "But now I would release you in August." And that didn't make any sense. I didn't know I don't I didn't know the pastors personally, you know, I was just focusing on my little corner. So when I met with the pastors, you know, I told them asked to meet with you. Yeah. They they said, "Let's, you know, let's meet and everything." change. So, I was thinking I'm just going to have a meeting just to see, you know, how can I serve my pastors in any in any capacity that maybe they need something that was I was thinking that maybe there's something God wanted me to do that was specific to serving them. And next thing we just start talking and he was like, "So, what are you up to? What are you doing?" You know, and everything. So, I told him about the book I just wrote. He was like, "Okay, give me a copy." I gave them a copy of the book and a few weeks after that, this was now the like the end of July. So they reach out to me and he says I want you to minister for midweek service which will be a which was August 5th of that year. He says the message of your book you need to share it with the community. And that was how it started. Wow. And after that, then the Lord started speaking to my pastor and just showing him things concerning me and everything just took off from there. Wow.
So essentially, it's really interesting hearing you, you know, recount your story and journey. But you know, in summary, it's almost like as though your journey is one of, you know, um simple steps of obedience that leads to a significant defining moment. Most of us usually want us, you know, want to hear God and then the next thing we appear at the pit and we're preaching to the whole world. But it was little chunks of obedience. Let's fast forward, you know, a bit and you know, talk about um it's interesting because okay, I listened to a couple of your messages and I thought, wow, she's quite prolific, you know, articulate. And then my wife also listened to your message. She invited you to a women's conference online and that was it. And I, you know, I didn't think much of it. And then some months later, you come up online again and I I listen a bit and then you go into some stuff about some, you know, about casting out demons and I'm like, "Wow." And she's American and she, you know, she believes these things. She, you know, and I listened a bit more. You were talking about witchcraft. You were talking about, you know, your various experiences. I just like the your simplicity. um you didn't complicate the issues and you dealt with those things with authority and so very quickly you know um people like the the reason why I believe I connected with you is because in quote we're prophetic who are prophetic people they're people who essentially can hear the voice of God first of all but you know um but they have special giftings primarily in the you know areas of descending of spirits word of knowledge word of wisdom. So I mean I think it's important to to outline that and everybody in the body has specific gift. So we're not special people. No, we just have special abilities. I always tell people that the most special thing about a Christian is having God in you. In you and that's the key and having God in you then you then discover your purpose in God you know and you're comfortable with it. So, but it was just really very reassuring for me to see somebody who was kind of like, you know, uh had the same giftings and abilities because people like girls are usually seen as weird. Yeah. But it was nice to see a lovely lady, sophisticated, you know, talking about these things. And so I I want I want to talk about, you know, the fact that um I believe God is calling more people to walk in that realm. You might not be a prophet, but God is calling all of us to be prophetic. And it is really fascinating to see someone like you who has become a kingdom functionary and practitioner casting out demons, discerning, you know, uh uh spirits and all of that. I I'd like you to talk about you know how that has played out and especially in your setting which is interesting you know because that setting is not very I don't know you tell me your tell me your experience you know I it all comes down to culture you know so for my experience growing up um and my encounters with the Lord and coming to know him first as a father it just it was normal for me when he would share with me, you know, what life was really about. He would give me glimpse to the spiritual perspective of life beyond what we see. When you start to see the true battle between the kingdom of darkness and you know, and even though we like to say things like, you know, it's not like there's really a battle, but there is a battle, you know, when it comes to both realms concerning the souls of men because Satan is after the souls of men. And so one of the key things that really shaped my life in God when it comes to the spiritual realm, the demonic witchcraft and everything was that I had an uncle who was a warlock himself. You know, he was a high priest himself. Um, and this was a man who wanted to wipe out our family. Wow. Actively this looking to wipe out our family in order to inherit what belonged to my father. Wow. So my father's death wasn't enough. It was now that the existence of his wife and the children were a threat to his agenda. So he would try I mean in the physical he he has sentence. Wow. In the in the spiritual he was trying all manners of things. And what shaped my confidence in God was from the very beginning. So I remember there was a day where I have this dream and I see him and his wife trying to um break into our home. So you know in Nigeria we have fences and how we build our houses and all of that compounds. And so they tried to scale the fence. When they scaled the fence the wife fell and she died. He fell and he broke his leg. And the moment he fell and broke his leg then the voice of the Lord now came and judged him. He said, "The next time you try this, it would be your life." Wow. And I woke up. When I woke up, I I shared the dream with my mom, you know. I'm like, "This man has is trying things again, you know." And I said, "But in the dream, the wife died." A day or two days later, the wife died. What? Just in real life. In real life, there was no complications. It was not a medical issue. It was nothing. She died. And when she did, I said, "No, it's not. It was the judgment of God." Wow. Because of all the things that they've been trying. So years later, you know, this man is now trying things in the natural. But years later, the Holy Spirit awakens me. I'm in America. My mom is in Nigeria. The Holy Spirit wakes me up and tells me, "Your uncle is trying it again." And and the weirdest thing he asked me is there was a language he used that was almost like, "What is your verdict?" I said me I said Lord your jud I'm I'm I'm asking you for your judgment on this matter and I left it there you know I went back to sleep I didn't know that at the same time my mom was at a church service and she was praying and the in the prayer they were just talking about you know whatever Goliath is in your life let the Lord push them to the side let you know that and she was she she just she was in she she felt led to even attend this the prayer service and after the service she had called me and she was just like man Stephanie I went to this prayer service and when I was praying it was not just that I'm hoping that God would do something I felt empowered by the Holy Spirit to pray in the manner I was praying I said mom by the way this is what this is the encounter that I had I said I don't know what this man is trying again but the Lord would deal with it as he sees fit two days later the man passed away What? No. Out of nothing. So what that taught me especially even the with the first time with what happened to the wife. Now my desire is not for people to be dying. I actually I would desire you to encounter the Lord. But that's why you leave things in the hand of God because he knows the beginning, the end from the beginning. So perhaps in the wisdom of God, he knows that these people will never repent, right? And so when that whole thing happened and there are many things that I saw in my childhood. I've seen where um the Lord would reveal to me ahead of time of someone bringing um poisonous food to the house and what type of food it was. I remember there was a lady who um before she even got to the house, the Lord gave me a vision of her that she was going to bring oranges. But those oranges, she has already gone to a witch doctor and they have spoken some incantations and things over the oranges. So that when she comes that tell your mother to throw those oranges away to not even accept them. So I told my mom I saw the particular lady. I said mom this lady is going to come to the house and she's going to bring oranges but those oranges she has already gone to one witch doctor. This lady is not your friend. My mom was like uh really next thing the lady called her. She was like ah you know um are you home this this and that? Like I want to come over to the house. My mom I said no tell her to come. My mom said oh yeah I'm home. I'm home. She came with a bag of oranges. She said, "Oh, I was just at this at the market and you know, I said, "Ah, you love oranges." My mom looked at her and then she looked at me. Mom said, "No, she's okay. She doesn't want the the oranges." Yeah, she's fine. She said, "Ah, no. I bought them for you. I bought them for you." My mom is like, "No, I'm fine." Wow. The lady never let it go. She's like, "So, why didn't you want to eat those oranges? Why is it that you don't want to eat the oranges?" And my mom just laughs about it. But I had seen God reveal things like that in so many ways. So there was always this confidence I had that a witch cannot scare me. You know, rather I want you to either you want to you come to know the Lord or we confront you. But the reason I'm sharing that is that this is supposed to be our normal way of life. Wow. But the problem is that when it now comes to culture and and I and I'm a believer that anything that has the power to influence people in a in a manner that is acceptable across the board, there is a spirit at engineering that system. And so it's either that what is influencing people is going to bring them to a place of freedom or a place of bondage. And culture unfortunately is something where the kingdom of darkness has mastered how to influence. So even in the Christian spaces you now have people that what they call weird is what Jesus commissioned us to do. Wow. Because Jesus literally said you shall cast out demons. You know he he tells us all these things but then we now call it weird. So, how is the instructions of Jesus, the one we call Lord, now is now made to be weird within our own people. Wow. And so, it's it's a deception of culture. And I believe that we're in a generation and I think that is why God is showing that this my my power and my anointing, it doesn't fall on people that just look weird. It looks like everyday people. We go to the mall, we shop, we love fashion, we have hobbies, we but at the same time, we're kingdom people. And so when we are in a room, we should have the ability to discern the spirits in the room. We should have the ability that if someone is is possessed with a demonic spirit, we should know that I can pray for you and that demon can be cast out. So, it's to bring back the culture of the kingdom back into our churches, back into the space, back into what it means to live a normal Christian life.
I I really love this because, you know, like you said earlier, you know, uh people tend to think of people like us as weird. And the theme for for this uh podcast is beneath the surface. And the whole idea is that look, there's a lot more underneath than you see. And then we're also uncovering things behind the scenes and on and that there are powers behind the scenes. So you know witchcraft from all you said it's quite evident that witchcraft is real. We're not we're not obsessed about it. But what I found out is that it seems like as though the devil has succeeded in lulling the church to sleep. Yes. To assume that look you know all is well when the message of the kingdom like I said at the gathering is you know about declaration. is is beyond just the proclamation of a message but demonstrating the kingdom. When whenever Jesus Christ showed up, demons, you know, they they were exposed, you know, they were exposed from behind the scenes. So, I I want us to talk about, you know, um a bit more about first of all, you you mentioned culture. Uh Satan has infiltrated culture to the point where we have bookstores full of witchcraft. We have movies full of witchcraft. you did a series called modern the modernization of that that was what kind of like just got me going. Um how have you in your from your experience? Yeah. Um I know you're a pastor of a church and everything you know. Um and then you also live and work in is it Hollywood? LA. That is the capital of entertainment, media and all of that. I know that there's some kind of intersection between you know uh the entertainment world and people coming in and bringing these things from behind the scenes. I mean you spoke about some experience some time ago um where you were praying for I don't know like prayer meetings in the church and somebody walks walks in. Do you want to tell tell us about some of that because some people might not believe that they say oh it's your African thing and we don't have this. So how does that play out?
Yeah. No, you know, to be honest, growing up in Nigeria, you know, the demonic you you it's like you're familiar with it, you know, because it's like, okay, in within your families, cuz again, most um most Nigerians and West Africans, maybe the Christian in your family started in the maybe three generations before you, maybe some even two generations or one, you know, it's it doesn't really go that far. So, there's a familiarity with it. And because of that familiarity, there is now the deception that all this witchcraft, the occult is an African thing. But to be honest, the witchcraft I've experienced in America is much worse than whatever I have seen in Africa. Wow. In Africa, you have where the enemy partner, the the witchcraft there is on a very low level. It's more personal, you know. Um okay they're trying to block a person from becoming something but it is wickedness jealousy that's what is stirring up the a lot of you know the witchcraft activity there and yes there is also territorial issues where you know if we can keep this nation under captivity um the people will not thrive they will never come to know the lord so there are some there are some highle things that happens there but in the west it is more diabolical because they are the the the agenda of the enemy knowing the influence that the west has on the world. It is very the strategy. It's in the schools. It's in the music you hear. It's in the movies you watch. It's in the language. It's in the dancing. It's in what are day-to-day activities that are literally governed by demonic forces. I remember even when I when I was in LA and the Lord began to show me you know whenever you come into a city cuz that's where he raised me as a minister and he said teach me whenever you come into a city ask me to show you the principality that is reigning over that territory because if you don't know the principality then you would be you know shadow boxing. Yes. And so even when it came to I said Lord reveal to me what who is reigning over this city. And when he showed me even by name and then but what he revealed was not the activity of that principality which was for spiritual fluidity where you can yes do anything do be anything be a Christian put god inside put new age inside put Buddhism inside put every and that's literally what happens in the industry so you have many people where you even see like someone is like oh I you know I serve God or this but they are practicing all manners of things even in Hollywood. The level of the demonic in Hollywood from all these things where even the award shows how these things were organized how these things the the the mindset behind okay let us create this system where the people would have to meet our standard before we give them an award. So even when people think of it, study a lot of the award shows and study some of the awards that are most coveted. Be a lot of the people that got those awards, they had to compromise in some form before they were granted that thing. So it's now like it's just it's Babylon, you know, when you do what we desire. We're looking for talented people. We're looking for people who, you know, you look the part. now we would give you whatever you want but embrace our culture of darkness and let us use you to be the priest wow of darkness in the land. So I've I've been in places, you know, some of the people I mentor when they open up to me, I remember there's this this young girl and she desired to be in the music industry, you know, and that's the thing, Babylon, it it it captivates you. Yeah. Because it shows you gold and and all the things that you can the promises of who you can become. And so this fame and all of this. So this young girl, she she was she and she's so talented. her voice is just a gift onto her but she wanted so bad to be in the industry. She was like, you know, and she was just believing that, you know, she wants to make a break and all of that, but there was a mixture because even though she was a person of faith, her the idol of her life was fame and her ambition. That was the true God she was serving. And so one day she's at the gas station just randomly getting some gas. She's approached by an exec in the music industry. Now, she doesn't have any music out. How does he even know about her? He approaches her and he starts talking to her. He says, "You sing. He has never she's just at the gas station." She wasn't singing. But you know when you you feel like this is my big break, you lose all forms of discernment. And she was like, "Yeah, yeah, I do." He said, "Yeah, you I I know you you know I I" And then without anything, he invites her that he would like for her to come into a meeting, you know. So she's very excited about the meeting and everything. That night she has an encounter with a demonic spirit. Wow. And the spirit is now telling her like presents itself to her tells her its name and it came in the form of a woman. Tells her its name and literally saying if you agree we will give you everything you want. What? That that that's how after just meeting just after meeting that man she has that encounter with that spirit and this is a white lady. Wow. A young white girl. This is not African. This is not anything. This is a young white lady who was trying to looking for a break in the industry the next day. And so she has this encounter and she's really thrown off but she keeps it to herself. The next day she still goes to the meeting. When she went to the meeting, there was already a contract on the table and the only question he asked her, "Did you meet?" He said, "The name of the demon." What? And she said, "Yes." How did you know? He said, "So what is your what what is your decision?" And she got so scared. That's when she now realized there is more to this industry than I think. They never asked her to sing. They never asked her for a record. But can she sing? She has the Her voice is incredible. They never asked for any of that. It was an encounter. After the encounter, the demon came to her. After that, it was now what is your what is your answer? And the pen and the p and the contract was open on the deep. Yeah. The question is how many other people have had such encounters which we don't know about. You see, the reason that there's a lot of drug addiction, alcohol, um, drug abuse, and, you know, alcohol addiction and all these things in the industry is because a lot of these people are trying to escape the pain and the memory of what they had put themselves through because normally what now happens in her case, she ran and that demon tormented her. Wow. But, you know, she was able to get delivered and set free. But many of these cases, some of the cases that we've, it's just that we keep these names of these people private for their, you know, for for their um dignity, for their dignity and knowing that the Lord wants to set them free and the Lord is setting them free. But there are some of these people that they take the deal. And what comes next or prior is sodomy. Wow. Because the enemy wants to break your soul and humiliate you enough. Because the more he can break you, the more you are vulnerable for those demons to host you. Yes. So that's why even when some of these things you see in the media where they talk about, you know, sodomy and all these things, it it's real. Wow. Because some of these people will tell you they're agents. They are high priest of the demonic. Some of a lot of these high executives. So when they meet with you and they said, "Oh, we can give you what deal do you want? What is it that you're looking for? we will give this to you. But then the man will want to sleep with the guy. Wow. And the only reason he wants to do that is that humiliation ritual is to traumatize you and it's so that your soul is a wound in the soul for that demon to have more leverage. Wow.
This is really amazing and this I believe this is a good point to talk about demonic entry point. Yeah, you've just spoken about how demonic agents seek out Christians or even non-believers and try to bring them in. What about Christians and you know ordinary Christians um in church love the Lord. What are some demonic entry points that we do? Because I I'm seeing increasingly especially in this generation supposedly committed Christians who love the Lord and then when the power of God comes you see all such kinds of manifestations and you're wondering where is this from but if you trace it it could be is it the music they listen to the movies they watch of course there are other things and you know tell can you please say some things about some demonic entry points to be carefully about so that we don't allow allow for the enemy to infiltrate.
Yeah. I think f I think first of all it starts off when we don't live intentionally. Yes. You know when a soldier is on a on the enemy's field on enemies territory. Yes. You don't see him without armor. You don't see him just being naive and you know walking around like they are not people. They are not snipers located in different areas looking for when you are vulnerable enough to target you. And so I think that the problem is that a lot of Christians are not living with the intentionality and the consciousness that I am not of the world. I am in the world but I am not of the world. And so they let anything in. So when we talk about demonic entry points there are several things you know even when it just comes to the even to the average believer who never experienced trauma because trauma is an entry point unhealed trauma is an entry point. if that is never addressed before the Lord for the Holy Spirit to really heal you and and bring perspective of what God can do even with that pain. But for the average dayto-day person, your ear gates and your eye gates are entry points. What you listen to and what you watch. So a lot of the music and especially right now you see there's so much distraction with when you have you know apps and all the dance challenges that everyone is doing and when you trending you know what what's trending in this time and you know even in music music has chance. So there are things that we say and you're just you know you're just singing but you don't know that you're chanting you're chanting you're invoking giving agreement to a spirit to say oh you you're welcome here you're come on and so all of a sudden a believer who was never
struggling with lust was never struggling with you know certain you know um infidelities or certain whatever insecurities and things like that. All of a sudden now it's an issue. Now a happily married couple. Now they there's infidelity in the marriage and they can't even trace how did this happen. But some of the songs you're singing are chants a demonic chants laced within the music. You know there are artists that would even that have opened up to even share that that sometimes when they go in the studio something else they have to drink. It's like they cannot be creative unless they are drunk unless they high. And what happens when they hit that moment, another spirit steps in and then that spirit is now what is communicating sound through you. Wow.
And so when believers are not intentional about what am I what is the intake? Because for something to influence you, it has to get in you. So what is what has access in you that is now influencing how you live. It's influencing what shapes your your thinking, your you know how the how you make your decisions, what you're looking at, and then what shapes your appetites. Wow. And so that's the problem that you have. A lot of Christians, their spirit is is like m is almost going through malnutrition, but their flesh is active, is strong. And so there are so many things that they don't even realize they've opened up themselves to. Wow. Wow. Wow. Th this is deep. I guess that's why this is called beneath the surface. But I mean there's a lot of directions we can take this but I I guess maybe we should focus on one or two things before we begin to you know round up which is from what you've said it's evident that believers need to be really discerning not just about the environment but I want I want to pick up on something you said in in the message that you recently preached. You said these were your words that there was a lady around your life and you found out you took in as a friend and but then you found out that this person was on assignment to kill you. Can you tell us about that? You know because I'm also aware that there are extremes where you know um Christians in a bit to be discerning they get suspicious of everybody. How you know how do you balance that? How what how did you move from you know this is a normal person who you love and you were trying to be loving to to the point where you just descend something. Was there something you had to do you know and and how did that play out?
You know I believe that what helps us to not live you know from a place of looking at everyone as in a suspicious way or a fearbased way is knowing that you do life with the Holy Spirit. that the Holy Spirit is a co- lababorer for this life I'm called to live there many times I've encountered witches the Holy Spirit will tell me oh this person is a witch but he's not telling me out of fear he's just awareness and I will go up to them I'll say hi how are you doing I'll shake them I'll introduce myself say Jesus loves you and I'll walk away so it's being ultimately it's about being led by the Lord because often times when you only rely on your human judgment and reasoning there are many people people call witches ah this person has spirit of Jezebel They don't they just maybe going through a bad having a bad day you know like we just name things anyhow label people anyhow and it's it's very it's a it's a big issue even in the body of Christ but it's being led by the Lord so this particular lady um when I was in college she you know the church I was going to um she you know a family had connected her to one of the the the pastors in the church and so they kind of took her in just to make sure that she settled and everything. So, she was also going to the church and we just connected. Um, and it was cool and I saw her as someone who, you know, I was like, "Okay, she's new in this country, you know, I just want to make sure she knows that she can there are people here who can be there for her." Yes. She came, she was from a a country in West Africa. Okay. And I was like, "Okay, there are people that can be here for her and all of those things." Um, so I just I wanted to get close to her so that she just knows that, you know, you're not by yourself, basically. So I I started introducing her to my friends so that she has like a community of friends and all of that. And so we we that's how we just had like you know we grew in that uh friendship and so when I graduated college um and I knew I was going to move from where I was to a different part of the city. So the day that I was moving on know like few days leading up to moving she calls me. She knows that I'm moving cuz when I move, I'm not going to see her as much because it was going to be very far from where she lived with the family and this is a family that this is an awesome awesome family. I mean, God-fearing. These are people that just know and love the Lord. And then she calls me, but what I didn't realize is that every story she said was a lie. She makes up this story about all the things that are going on in the house and about this family. Yes. good family and that she's going to need to move and she doesn't have any place to go. She doesn't know what she's going to do and all that. So, in my mind, I'm like, why? Cuz I just assumed that maybe there was a misunderstanding and okay, maybe it's best that they part ways or something like that because I'm like, this family, these are really good people. So, maybe there's something she did and maybe there was just a misunderstanding. But in my cuz she was already set that she's going to move out. But then my worry for her was like where is she going to move to? So I was like ah if I'm I'm going to be moving to a place my brother and I got we got a place together and I'm like she can come and live with us you know she can be in my room like it's not going to be an issue you know I can make sure she's taken care of at least until she gets her feet on the on the ground. So I asked my brother and he was like you know if it's okay she's he was he didn't have a problem with it. And so I was like oh you can you know I said you know what when I when we move why don't you move with us? Wow. I just I was naive. But now the goodness of God was that morning when I was going to go pick her up, I had a vision where I saw myself washing my hands. And the voice of the Lord said, "Wash your hands off this." Wow. And I knew exactly what he was saying. Do not bring this person to your house. But then I was like, "But Lord, why? She doesn't have any place to go. she's going to need people like this is the righteous thing to do. That situation taught me it took years, but it ingrained in me that the the the posture of Jesus that made that that marked a difference was he only did what he saw his father do. Jesus could be around sick people if and he it's not that he will go it's just like the man by the pool of Bethesda. There were many sick people there, but he went to one man because that was the instruction. And for me, what I've learned is how to not be suspicious of everyone is that you trust the relationship you have with God. That if there's someone that's not supposed to be in your life, he reveals it to you. And you cannot be more righteous than Christ. You cannot be more compassionate than Christ. And I thought, "No, I need to show compassion. I need to show love." And that was just emotional manipulation which later on I learned is one of the key tactics of the demonic. Wow. I took her in. I still went picked her up brought her to the house and for some reason no matter you know she will be there and I would give her some time. My mom had my mom discerned that this girl was evil. The first time my mom met her she had this dis dislike towards her. And my mom is not like that. My mom is a very jovial person, very loving person. But she could not stand this girl. So I already knew that, you know, I was like, this is not going to be healthy. My mom cannot be in this house and you're in this house. I said, you have to you have to figure out where you're going to go. So then she found a place to move to and everything, but my mom could not stand her. She would tell me, Stephanie, you should not be friends with this person. I said, no, mom, you don't understand. You have to be there for people. You need to love people, you know. Nonsense. When my mom would go back to Nigeria, I say, "Okay, you can come back." Wow. My mom is like, "What nonsense?" She'll ask my brother, "Is that girl in that house?" And she did not even know why. And it's unlike my mom. But I wasn't even listening to any of it. So I was still, you know, finally when she was able to move to a place, it would always be that when I'm about to do something, when there's an instruction the Lord has given me of something I need to do, chaos would happen around her. Either the house she's living in will burn or would somehow catch on fire or something chaotic where she always would need a place to go. Wow. And I will be there. Okay, it's fine. You can stay with me. This cycle happened for years where she will find stability when and I never connected the dots right when I'm in really a kyus moment something happens in her life she's back you know to zero and I'm like okay you can come here. So the final thing that happened she was in a place um and something again happened the place burned down. Wow. And I was like okay where is this girl going to go? I was like, "Okay, you can come stay with me." Finally, the Lord now had mercy on me. And there were strange things that she would do, but I never paid attention to it. Like, for example, when she would go use the restroom, and anytime she would need to use the restroom, the Lord is like the the Holy Spirit would wake me up. So I would and I'm like why am I waking up when the moment she she gets up to use the restroom and she will go to the restroom and could be there for hours and I'm like why will somebody be in the restroom for that long for that long? So at first I didn't pay attention to it. Then one day she goes to use the restroom and immediately she went to use the restroom. The Holy Spirit tells me go and knock on the door. And I was like, but that's that's invading someone's privacy. And I'm like, why should I knock on the door? And I went say, okay, I went I knocked on the door. She didn't respond. She didn't say anything. When I now try to open the door, I noticed the door. She didn't lock the door. Okay. When I opened it, she was asleep on the on the on the on the toilet. What? Knocked out. I said, "Is she sleeping?" So, was she tired when she woke up? So I was so confused. I said, "How can somebody be sleeping on the on the toilet? There's a bed in the room somewhere." And that So the next day, the same thing happened. In the middle of the night, she'll go to the restroom. I'll go and check. She has slept off. So I would not be like, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, why are you sleeping on the restroom? This is weird." She said, "Oh, sorry. Sorry. I that she does that. She's so tired. She didn't know." I said, she did it again. Did it again. I said, "Wait, wait, wait. Something is weird." And I said, "Okay, but then you're still trying to think the the best the best." Okay, maybe she needs to see a doctor. Maybe it's not stupid. Then all of a sudden, the Lord now gives me an instruction. And the Lord now tells me, "I need you for 30 days to pack your bags. Don't act like you're going anywhere. Just carry a backpack and meet me. Get an Airbnb and meet me there." I said, "Get an Airbnb and meet you there." I was so confused. And he says, "Don't tell anyone where you're actually going. Just don't even make it look just a backpack when no one is in the house. Just put some few things you need, brush your teeth, you know, little change of clothes, put it in a backpack and meet me in an Airbnb." I was like, "Lord, first," so I started looking for Airbnbs. I'm like, "Okay, I don't even have the extra money for this right now." I was like, "I'm already paying rent. I have all these things that bills. I was working on a project that was, you know, really um financially tasking. I was like, where am I going to get the money to pay Airbnb for 30 days? That's I'm paying day one. It's like a hotel for 30 days and you're paying that and you're paying your rent and I'm paid and I'm paying. I said, Lord, I don't understand. Then one of my best friends called me that same day. She now said, Stephanie, I think the Lord wants us to meet him somewhere. Wow. And I said, what do you mean? She said randomly that someone swed a significant seed into her life out of nowhere and the Lord now gave her an instruction that she and she doesn't live in LA. She had to fly in. Wow. That gave an instruction that she needs to come to LA and we need to meet him somewhere. I told her what the Lord told me. She said no that she will take that money and cover the Airbnb. Wow. So we started searching looking for the Airbnb and there was one particular one. The Lord now said, "This one, I'll meet you there." We got the Airbnb. I packed a little backpack. Nobody knew where I was going. I said, "Oh, I'm just just going somewhere. I'll be back." We went to the Airbnb. The moment we walked in, the presence of God in that place was so tangible. Wow. That I I just dropped to my knees. I said, "Lord, I don't understand what is happening. What are we doing here? Like, what is taking place?" We said, "Okay, let's let's start uh fasting. maybe as as we're fasting we'll figure out what the Lord is saying. So we started fasting but we were not praying as much. We were just fasting. So then I had an encounter with an angel who now said 30 days of prayer and fasting that we need to be very intentional in the prayer aspect not just the fasting. So I said okay. So we started praying we started fasting. Then the girl who was in my house now called my friend now. Then her language started changing. She said, "Why are you summoning me?" Mm- Why are you summoning me? Called your friend that you in the Airbnb as we started praying. She said, "Why are you summoning me?" Did she know? But she she she wasn't aware you'd gone. She she I think she knew she was in town, but she didn't even know the details of all those things. So I was like, "Why are you summoning me?" I did not even connect. I didn't still connect the dots. Wow. I was like, "Lord, what?" I said, "Okay, then because you're still trying to use your own wisdom." Yes. I said, "Oh, maybe God wants us to pray that something has entered her that she needs to be delivered from." [Laughter] It was so much foolishness. Wow. But that thing trained me a lot in warfare. in a very personal way. And so all of a sudden I and I said, "You know what? I think we need to bring her to the NBN." I said, "I think we need to pray for this guy." I said, "Maybe this is the reason we are here." Oh god. And I called, I said, you know, we're in an Airbnb. I think you should come here. She came. Oh god. That was the start of the nightmare. She came. She came. So she came and then we were praying for her. I should have connected all the dots. So my friend spiritual father he said there are many things he wants to share with us but the lord has told him not now that the lord is going to use this cuz we were like why are we here for 30 days? He said the lord is going to teach you through this experience. Wow. But he said when when you have passed the test I will now share with you guys what actually happened. So she came to the Airbnb. So, you know, she was acting very weird. Her language had changed. It's almost as though she no longer had the grace to hide. So, then I'm like, "Oh, we need to pray for her." I said, "The demon has entered this girl." Because you have to understand, pastor, this was someone who, you know, friends, we hang out, we, you know, you shop together, we, you know, do all the, we dance, you know, she cuz she loved to dance. So, we always do this to do all these funny dances and things like that. So then all of a sudden now you're saying summoning, you're saying that um demons are having meetings with you. She she started talking. Oh, so she actually was she started saying things that oh she you know um the other day that some there were six demons that came to sleep with her. I said I said no some something you I said something in your village is tormenting you. We need to pray for you. So then one night we were now praying for her. Something that now stood out to me. So as we were praying I was like you evil spirit get out of this girl and leave this place. The girl got up carried her bags to walk out of the house. I said no not you not you casting the person out this captain is this. Oh wow. So I was like so we started praying. We started praying and as we are praying all kinds of strange activity is happening in the house. when the Lord now finally opened my eyes and even my friend's eyes. So my friend would normally do this prayer walks in the city. And so that morning she left to do her prayer walk while I I was praying in that no the girl was in the living room. I was in the room and I was praying and so while I was praying all of a sudden so my back was turned towards the door all of a sudden I now felt this presence this demonic presence behind me wow I that to the point where I was like wait what is happen what's going on behind me I turned around it was the girl she was there she's standing she now looked at me and she was like leave and her voice everything changed I said wait wait wait Oh, something else is happening here. So, I was I just closed the door. But she was in She was in the room. She was No, she was in the living room. So, there was a hallway from the living room to the bedroom. I was in the bedroom praying with the door open. So, I but my back was turned. Oh, okay. She came from behind and I pointed at me and was like, "Leave." I was like, "Wait." So, I just shut the door and I was scared. Honestly, I said, "God, what's happening? What is happening here?" Because the way she spoke, it wasn't a demon speaking. It was her speaking. And then it finally dawned on me. I said, "Lord, please show me." So, there's been dreams that the Lord had been giving me, visions and encounters. I just couldn't put all the dots together. He now said who did this lady in front because there was a particular dream I had where there was a puppy and the puppy shed its skin to a baby. Then the baby shed it skin back to a puppy. Then he shared his skin back to a baby. So then the Lord was like, there are things that would there are things that are existing in your realm that you don't even know the depths of of of of it yet. He said this person is not who you think they are. Not just about that she was a witch that even there were things that the Lord is still unpacking to me till this day. He was like this is a different kind of creature in front of you. So when I was finally I said, "Lord, who is this person?" He said, "Who this that this person is an ancient witch." Wow. That you're dealing with is not just an ordinary person. She is the problem. Wow. I was not like, "Lord, but how could you not show me all these years?" And he said, "Your disobedience caused you to be blind." Wow. To who she really was, but in my mercy, I have revealed this to you. Wow. I now said, "Oh, now we are dealing with something different." Wow. So I now came out of the room. I now confronted her. I now started praying. As I started praying, she just changed her posture. Started doing incantations. I was like, "So this girl is really what the Lord is saying she is." She now started doing some incantations. Doing some incantations. I started praying and rebuking every incantation she was doing. Then next thing my friend walks in, she changes. And I said, "No, no, no, no. Show yourself. Show yourself." She was like, "What are you talking about? What are you talking about?" I told my friend, I said, "No, no, no." I said, "Come, come, come, come, come. This girl is the problem. This is the She's a witch herself." So, I now brought my friend to the back. When my friend turned her back, the girl now opened her hand and we literally saw what there was some substances that pastor came out of her hand but then it couldn't reach. Yes. So we now started praying. We started praying. We're now asking the Lord give us the wisdom of what to pray for. What what are we supposed to what is the mark we need to hit in this prayer? So the Lord now it was now about um for her to expose the fullness of who she is. So that was not what we started to pray concerning and she just fell on the floor and started shouting started shouting that you know she cannot fail or she can't fail her assignment and she exposed everything how she was on assignment. Wow. To kill us. Just the details of the demonic, how the the enemy was trying to, you know, and that's why Satan knows more about a person than sometimes they even come to know who they really are in God. So her assignment was to terminate the ordination of what God wanted to do through our lives. Wow. But she and then she kept saying, "But why couldn't I why couldn't I reach you? Why couldn't I harm you? Why couldn't I do this? Why couldn't I do that?" And I was just like, Lord, your covering is something else. And then she was now begging us that please, please, please, I cannot leave my children. I cannot leave my children. So in the underworld, there are children. She has a family and everything and that because she will fail her master, which is Satan, that it that he would it's almost like he would disconnect her or something. So I was not like, Lord, what is what is she talking about? Then the Lord now revealed to me that often times they there are people that seem mad on the street or things like that. And it's not everybody that had a mental case. It's not everybody that demons have taken their mind. That that is the punishment that Satan gives to them. So what he uses them is just to monitor territories with their eyes. With their wow. So when they fail their assignment, he makes them go mental. Wo. And all he uses them is just to put them in corner so that let them just monitor the areas and let the demons give him feedback and information. So I was like what is this? What's going on with this girl? So she still had her things in my house. So after it's crazy pastor so after the whole confession she now came back to being coherent but not that she was coherent that she didn't remember. It's that she was coherent and knew she was exposed. So I told her, I said, "Look, let's be civil. We know each other at this point. We don't need to do too much." I said, "Please just meet me at the apartment." Because you know with a witch is different from someone who is demonized. A witch has given their soul. You can't cast out a person's soul. You can cast out a demon, but you can't cast out a soul. So when when they have given the and I and I don't believe that people can sell their souls but you can give full access you can trade your soul for whatever it is. So she has given full access to the demonic. Could she have given her life? I I do you know there are things that I I to be honest there are things I still don't understand that the Lord is still teaching me because I was praying I said but Lord she can give her life to you you know and I still I do believe that she if if she really comes to because she has to choose repentance you can't impart repentance on a person but there were many things the Lord said this case is more complex than you understand you know because there is a level in the demonic where people even know how to shapeshift where they it's not just that they have given access to their souls but you know we see these things in Africa where a human being can turn to a cat dove or not dove they don't even have access to bat or things like that you know but they have given themselves to something deeply corrupt even then they can still come out of it Because there's nothing too too hard for the Lord. But the problem is that their for them to repent from that level is often very hard because even their mind it it takes you know wow and what it takes honestly I think the Lord is still training me on that. So the lady I said okay just come to the house pack up your things and leave. She came to the house and didn't want to leave. She sat down on the ground to whether to start doing her incantations again and honestly in your house in my house at this point I got I said I'm calling 911 you know let the police deal with this one that was the first time I called 911 they didn't pick her up the phone just kept ringing kept ringing so then I said okay I just now I started praying in the spirit I said Lord you finish this battle and when I started praying in the spirit all of a sudden She stood up and ran. Wow. Ran out the house. And then when she ran out the house, the Lord now showed me an angel that was standing at the door that would that would block it from whatever she wants to do. And then I noticed she will come to the door then run back. Come to the door, run back. So then I said, you know what? I will pack your bags for you. Let me I packed everything, put it in boxes, got a moving thing. I put it in a storage. got the storage for 30 days or something. I gave her the key. I said, "Here's the key. When you're ready, that's your storage number. That's that's all the information you need." Wow. Next thing I knew, and I just left it there. And then I was like, "Okay, Lord, you deal with this." So the day I gave her the key, I didn't now know that that had marked the 30th day. Boom. Wo. So then the Lord just showed me many things and then you know so next thing I knew there was there were other things that came out of that situation where the Lord not only handled it but just removed her from the because and which was odd because she was literally on her on in the process of getting her um papers and everything and they don't even know the reason still they just deported her. Wow. But before they did, what was interesting to me was that the Lord said the only reason she was in this territory was to come against you. And now that she's exposed, she will be removed from the territory. Then randomly she got deported. You see even how that was spiritual. So when all of that happened, my friend's spiritual father now called and said he started exposing a few things. He said, "Did you ever notice that when she used the bathroom, she will sleep on the toilet?" Wow. I said, "Yes." I said, "How did you know that?" He said, "Because she didn't fall asleep. She traveled." Traveled. They travel sometimes through feces and you know all of that. They have their portals. He said it wasn't sleep. It was her to travel to give information, feedback, come back to continue her assignment. Wow.
This is really deep, you know. Um, it's so engaging that I I have a sense that we may have to have a part a second part to this. I don't know how the Lord is going to do it, but we have to have a second part because there's a lot more. As we as we close out, I mean two things. The first question I want to ask you and you know we go into the the final bit is at the time were you a pastor at the time when this happened and going on to that is if this is a present day reality or let's put it the possibility that there are people like this around us. You and I know that it is real. Some other people are still well. What advice as we close out will you give an ordinary Christian? Yeah, living in this kind of world where we know that there are things happening beneath the surface and behind the scene, what what advice will you give them going forward? Because some people have heard this and they're like, "Oh, so what do I do? Do I need you know what what what advice will you give them?"
Yeah, I you know, I wasn't even a pastor at the time. I was ministering, but I wasn't hadn't come into like being ordained as a pastor, any of those things. But my advice to people is to take your walk with Christ seriously. Don't do the bare minimum. You see, the scripture talks about how, you know, in a time that you ought to be um teachers, you are still you have you still have need to be taught. So there is times and seasons. There is a season of your life that heaven demands you to be spiritually mature. Yes. But you can choose to remain a child because of the influences around you telling you that this is what we call normal Christian living is just to be a good person. That is not enough. There is a time that you ought to be mature and the mature version of you. You see the problem why many people feel defeated in spiritual warfare is because you don't realize you're in a battle. So the enemy is just winning the victory over you over and over again. Many people don't even have the language to say spiritual warfare. They just feel defeated in life. They just allow life to overcome them because you don't even know that the the season you're in demands for maturity which will bring about discernment, which will bring about wisdom, which will bring about a faith to move in the things of God the way he he tells you to do it. And so my advice to people is that focus on really maturing in your walk with God. Jesus gathered, you know, ordinary men. They were fishermen. They were tax collectors. They were all sorts of random things. In 3 years, he made them mighty apostles. In 3 years, wow. So I look at the average believer and said, if you have walked with God for minimum of three years, what is the fruit of it? If after 3 years of your walk with God, you're still looking for milk. You're still trying to understand the foundational things of faith, something is wrong. It took Jesus 3 years with his disciples to turn them into might not just apostles. These became mighty men of God. Yes, the Judas fall away. Yes, the many disciples, you know, get offended from his teachings and walk away. But at the end of the day, those who walked with him faithfully in those three years, they were the ones who began to spread the gospel with boldness, with power, with authority. And these were ordinary men. Amen. So you as an ordinary person in your faithfulness, in your walk with God after 3 years, what is the fruit? Wow. There should be some signs of maturity that we can see that oh, the Holy Spirit is partnering with you in your walk.
Thank you so much, Pastor Stephanie. So, I guess in summary, what you're saying is that um as Christians, you are admonishing us to be more intentional about our growth, developing spiritual maturity and increase so so that we can increase our spiritual authority. We're not we're not we shouldn't be concerned about is this person a witch or not. As we grow, the spirit of God will will lead us and tell us what to do accordingly, which is the way you were taught. Well, I mean, thank God for this. Like I said, evidently there has to be a part two and and there's so much more to say, but this has been beneath the surface. We're looking at the fact that there's more to life than meets the eye. Uh the Bible puts it this way. It says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against uh principalities and powers. I like the way Derek Prince, you know, quotes it. He says we wrestle not we wrestle against personalities without bodies and to win this war you know you can only win it with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Pastor Stephanie. God bless you. God bless your family and continue to be a gift and a blessing you know to this nation and this generation. Amen. God bless.