Stress, Demons & Freedom - In My Own Bedroom.

I was stressed.  I had a habit of avoiding things in my heart which made me unaware - and besides, guys just don't get stressed.  They get wore out, tired and many other masculine things, but never stressed.

The business I was running was barely a year old, finances were tight due to a recent loss.  I had a truck load of perishable  food that should have been sold that day - it wasn't and I wasn't convinced we were going to be able to.   

    I was also planning a canoe trip as part of a ministry I was a part of.  I had asked another guy to help lead the trip who I really didn't know.  He agreed to help lead.  As we (or 'he' would be more accurate) talked and planned I realized that if I wanted to lead this trip I was going to have to be honest with this individual about the fact that I had asked him to help me lead the trip - not lead it.  My brain was spinning, trying to think of how I was going tell him what I needed to tell him. I was afraid, I didn't want to face conflict.

    It was Wed night and I had just got off the phone after listening to the guy talk for while,  and quite aware of the load that needed to get sold the next day.  I lay down to sleep, sensing something wasn't right in the room but shrugging it off as unimportant.  I drifted off to sleep.  Suddenly I'm wide awake.  The clock shows I've been sleep barely 2 two hours and I realize I never get awake during this time of the night, I'm usually in the deepest part of my sleep.  I KNOW something is weird. I lay awake well over an hour and finally pray myself back to sleep.  Next I find myself standing in the middle of my bedroom.  My small lamp by my bed is on and I see a frog on the wall a few feet above my bed.  I realize it's kinda weird, but I choose to shrug it off - ignore it, its probably nothing.  Looking back I realize that I didn't have any feelings during this time.  I ignore the frog and some time passes.  I'm back in the same spot again looking at a much bigger frog above my bed. It was huge, black, very muscular, and it had very green eyes - reminding me of a cat.  It was staring at me and I still didn't believe it (sometimes I'm a little slow).  I took a couple steps to the side to see if it would turn its head and keep looking at me - it did. Then I found myself back in my bed and in my body again.  I felt this weight above me.  It began to grow - like some unseen pressure was coming down on me. As the pressure intensified I began to squirm, trying to get it off me.  I knew I wasn't going to be able to run from it.  I literally thought I was going to die - something was going to squeeze the life out of me. I began to pray silently and nothing happened.  Then, for some reason I prayed out loud for the blood Jesus to cover me - suddenly it was all over.  I drifted back to sleep.  The next morning found me sitting there crying, thanking God for spilling his blood for my sins. It was as though I got saved all over again. I realized that I would be dead if it wasn't for the blood of Jesus.  

   

Heb 9:22 - without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

This was just one of the many experiences on my journey in the Lord moving me from a trust in, and an emphasis on righteous principals, rules, and lots of self discipline to trusting Jesus Christ and learning to follow him.