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Inside Story: Fighting With Scripture ~ Part 3

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Fighting With Scripture: Part 3

By Andrew McChesney

That night, Almira woke up after having another nightmare, and she resolved to go to the Seventh-day Adventist church the next Sabbath. But in the morning, she thought, “I’m not a Christian. I can’t go there.” The following night, she had another nightmare, and she struggled again over what to do. On Sabbath, she went to the Adventist church.

Safe in Jesus: Part 2 By Andrew McChesney One afternoon, 16-year-old Almira decided to take a nap after returning home from school, exhausted from months of fitful nights. She lay down on a couch, her face to the open door of the room. She was at home alone. Suddenly, she sensed the presence in the room. Looking toward the door, she saw the presence for the first time. He looked like a gray cloud, completely obscuring the doorway. Almira didn’t know why, but she understood that something terrible would happen if she even blinked. She stared at the doorway for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she had to blink. In that split second, the gray cloud darted to her. Almira felt like she was entombed in a giant stone, helpless and unable to move. She struggled to breathe. She pleaded with good forces for help. There was no response. At that moment, she remembered a prayer that she had memorized. It was a non-Christian prayer associated her ancestors’ traditional religion. She recited it. For a moment, she was free and could breathe. But then the presence captured her again. She repeated the prayer again and again. She was released and recaptured, released and recaptured. Growing weary of the struggle, she frantically wondered what she could do to save herself. Abruptly, she remembered that one of the Russian teachers at the supernatural courses had mentioned Jesus Christ was more powerful than all good and evil forces. The thought flashed into her mind to call upon Jesus. She opened her mouth to speak. She only managed to utter the first syllable of Jesus’ name, and the gray cloud fled. She felt like Jesus had entered the room and thrown the evil captor off her. Almira had no doubt that she needed Jesus. But how? She was not a Christian. So, she went to her ancestors’ traditional place of worship for two months. She began to sleep better, so she decided that Jesus must also visit that place of worship. Then her older sister, Faniya, came home with two friends whom Almira had never seen before. She learned that day that Faniya had started going to a Seventh-day Adventist church located on the same street as their apartment building. The two friends were members of the Adventist Church. Almira related her story to the Adventist girls. “That is Satan,” one girl said. The other girl said Almira had entered Satan’s territory by taking the classes on the supernatural. “But Jesus is on your side,” she said. “Only He can free you from Satan’s power.” Read more about Almira next week. Thank you for your mission offerings that help spread the gospel in Russia and around the world.

Image © Pacific Press

After several weeks, Almira’s parents found out that she was attending the church every Sabbath, and they forbade her from going. Other relatives heard and implored her not to go. Neighbors saw her walking to the church on Sabbaths and purposely came out of their apartment buildings to scold her. Going to church became a deeply unpleasant battle every Sabbath. But Almira enjoyed worshiping at the church, and she kept on going. She was learning about Jesus and finding peace in Him.

But at home the evil presence persisted. The spirit kept coming at night. Almira began to pray out loud, “In the name of the blood of Jesus Christ, protect me from Satan so I can sleep.” She prayed the prayer every night for three months. The prayers dispelled the spirit, but she remained scared.

She told the Adventist pastor about her fears, and he suggested that she also read the Bible out loud. Whenever she sensed the spirit, she opened her Bible to Isaiah 43:1-28. She especially liked the promise, “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: ’Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.’ . Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life” (Isaiah 43:1-4, NKJV).

She also found comfort in Isaiah 49:24-25, which says, “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? But thus says the Lord: ’Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children.’”

One night, she confessed all her sins out loud to Jesus. After that, she slept better than she had in a long time.

Finally, Almira stopped being afraid. When she read the Bible and prayed, the spirit always left. She realized that even though the spirit was stronger than her, Jesus was stronger than them both.

Read more about Almira next week. Thank you for your mission offerings that help spread the gospel in Russia and around the world.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

 

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-fighting-with-scripture-part-3/

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