A True Miraculous Story Of My Friend Maria
Dear Friend,
Often times I think many of us wonder, "Does having a personal relationship with Jesus really help?" Or, "Would having a relationship with Jesus help?" Or, "What makes Christians so happy?" Or, "What is it that changes in them?"
I'd like to tell a little story that happened recently without giving away too much personal information but I think it's worthy of being shared. This is the story of a friend of mine who accepted Christ as their savior on June 9, 2013.
No one can prove God exists or doesn't exist is what I often hear. But those who pray and have faith always tell of stories of how they feel touched by God.
For over five decades my friend who I will call Maria suffered with much hopelessness and depression. Diagnosed and medicated as a result of extreme trauma.
Having been a victim of satanic cult abuse so severe she was in a constant battle with the devil. And I could see this and I often wondered how she could be freed from this awful torture.
I never met anyone before who had gone through such abuse to tell me about such horrific details which were the tip of the iceberg. Just surviving and staying alive was a monumental accomplishment!
.
Sometimes many of us I think, wonder, "Why am I suffering, why does God allow me to suffer?" There are so many answers to this I will not respond to it now. But as I see with my own eyes, and from what I've experienced, It was the times I suffered the most, I felt closest to God. Why? That's just the way it is. I mean, How can we identify with someone if we haven't walked a mile in their shoes so to speak? I mean, how can we understand what Jesus' Passion and Death was all about if we don't feel a little of it ourselves?
I know it's not desirable or fun to suffer, but I do feel grateful in some way, that God has blessed me with suffering, for if He hadn't I would never have come to call on Him in the first place.
For many years we have been good friends. And I started feeling better and I kept noticing how she hadn't been feeling any better. I had a spiritual awakening and she had not. I kept praying for her, introducing her to prayer and the bible and church. She introduced me to Daystar television. We helped each other. But now I could no longer accept to see her suffer pain which I knew could end and must end.
I knew Maria had expressed on numerous occasions how she wanted to be free of the demonic forces that seemed to surround her since she had experienced being a victim of satanic ritual abuse from age 3-11. (Sorry 8 years, not 11. That was my error now corrected.) . Having been threatened "they" would kill her family and siblings, and dog, she kept silent yet she always wondered how her family didn't seem to know and it was tucked away until years later it came up as very severe PTSD.
What can you say? I spent Saturday night, we had enjoyed a movie that day and she cooked for me as usual. Sunday morning we both got up late, tired. We missed church and I wondered where we could go for an afternoon service. I really had not the patience or attention span before to really listen to her story completely though she'd told me some details. I still don't know them all and really don't want to. But what I hear was just enough for me to grasp what an immense pain she had experienced. How could one heal from that? These feelings, emotions, and memories tortured her day and night on occasion for years on end. She said she was afraid of Jesus because (she was abused by a priest.) She couldn't trust God.
But Maria had this strong attraction to Catholic and Christian television. She over time was praying with me and listening to me read the bible, and attending church with me on occasion. Watching Christian television was a comfort, but she still felt a victim and felt attacked by satan.
How could she not be after what happened? Being so confused, how could she finally turn to God after all the mistrust?
Today was the day.
I woke up that Sunday morning and listened while eating breakfast to many things. I encouraged her to talk about family, life, feelings, situations.
"This has to stop," I thought to myself. I went in private and prayed to God and His Holy Spirit. I felt inside me that she was going to be saved that very day. And I decided I would not give up until it happened.
We prayed, I prayed. I got her on the phone with a wise Christian woman. This was helpful for her. Then I contacted another Christian friend who encouraged us both to come to the church to help. I thought about it and decided it would be a good idea and Maria was eager to go.
As we drove there, a male Christian friend talked on the phone with Maria, while I felt a bit anxious, knowing this was a battle in which Satan would not give up easily. I unceasingly prayed while she talked on the phone with this wise Christian man who drilled her thoroughly and she realized she was not sure she was going to heaven. In fact she told him she was headed straight for hell, because she had not put her trust in Jesus completely.
Why it's so difficult for people to come to Jesus
It's hard to accept a free gift and realize we can do nothing by ourselves and that it is the gift of God.
So, Maria and I went to the church and she enjoyed the service...she told people she was saved. Then we went out to eat and I drove her back home.
I was exhausted. I spoke to her briefly later, but cut the call short. Then a few days later, today, I spoke to her.
She told me...."I feel spiritually healed. I feel loved in my body and soul. I was very broken spirited for a long long time, and my best friend showed me the way to be able to victoriously overcome where I had before been defeated and failed."
Do you understand what it is to be "saved"?
What a transformation. Previously our talks on the phone were about pain and depression. Suddenly this amazing new person (new creature in Christ- Daughter of the King!) was speaking to me, I almost felt awkward....Where was the old Maria? This new Maria is so full of hope and gladness and gratitude and had nothing negative to say. She was even inspirational to me. She was obviously changed, for the better. Amazing Grace!
We cannot explain spiritual changes, but it is the gift of God- If we open the door of our hearts. Sometimes it takes a lot even years of prayer and planting "seeds" until the harvest time comes and one truly believes. This little act of faith is what God wants from us. He wants us to know how much He loves us, how he forgives us, and wants us to say we're sorry for our wrongs and ask Him in, let Him into our hearts. It's that simple yet so complex especially if we have doubts and are/were hurt deeply. It takes courage and faith and willingness to "Let Go" and just trust.
After we do, we experience much joy and peace like never before. Only a someone who has personally experienced this can fully understand that feeling and it has to be nurtured with prayer and God's word the bible on a daily basis. We will never be perfect, but with God working in us and filling us with His Holy Spirit, we become able, through him to accomplish things we never thought we could.
God used many people over the years and on that day to get through to her His love.....which I don't think she thought was possible. But her willingness to explore it and give in to it is what allowed God to work his magic in her and she said she feels like it is magic.
