A few years after reading and trying to live my life like Seth suggested my sister in law invited me to a meeting where a woman was spirit channeling. This group of people were disciples of "The Urantia Book". This was about 1990. I purchased a copy of that book and began attending these meetings weekly on a regular basis. We all thought that we were so special to be part of this. The main spirit that was channeled was named Ham and he would speak through this woman for about an hour and than open the floor for questions and answers. It was quite an experience and the spirit was so full of love and good teachings that we were truly convinced that this was all part of God's plan. That these spirits were sent to us by God to start this group and to see it grow to a world wide movement. We each had a spiritual helper assigned to us. We were encouraged through meditation to communicate to our helper (I always referred to it as my 'thought adjuster'. I look back on it I was I never able to actually channel a spirit but I did feel it's influence on my life. I would sometimes have very vivid dreams about things and I think it would communicate to me that way.
Anyway, to make a long story shorter in August of 1992 a very dear friend of mine who was channeling spirits in the state of Washington had tested the spirits she was directly dealing with. A friend of hers had recently become a "born again" Christian and she had told my friend that she needed to test these spirits to find out if they were really sent by God. We had never experienced any evil coming from these spirits and because the lessons and teachings were all about being a better person in the world we just simply knew that they must be from God. I went to a retreat for the weekend and I had a spiritual experience that had completely convinced me that we were doing exactly what God wanted us to do. My friend called me after I returned and I told her that there is really no reason to test these spirits because they are so loving and kind. She wasn't so convinced probably because she was more intimately connected to them. She prayed to Father God and asked him to reveal the truth about them to her and God honored that request. The spirits were forced to leave her and God convinced her of who they really were from. She called me to tell me about her experience and convinced me to pray and ask God to reveal the truth about them to me. God honored that and I had a dream that night about the most hideous ugly beings you can possible imagine. I woke up knowing without a doubt that we were being deceived.
It is very interesting to look back on this event. I can truly see God working in my life even before I became his child. I was able to feel an evil presence around me to such a degree that I never again want to experience. I had to constantly rebuke them and force them to leave me alone. Only by the power of Jesus was I able to accomplish this. I was down on my face begging for God to make them leave and asking Him to forgive me in believing that they were from Him. The spiritual attack's lasted for several months and decreased in intensity as time went by. I was in constant prayer and God truly protected me through out this whole ordeal.
Shortly after discovering the demons that had moved into my life I read a book by Hal Lindsay called "Satan is alive and well on planet earth". This book changed my life. At the end of the book Mr.. Lindsay explains how to become "born again". I asked God to please reveal to me TRUTH. Do I go back to the Mormon Church or what? I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to please be in my life. God showed me that the only thing I need to know about truth is his Word the Bible. I began reading from it and for the first time in my life it made sense and came alive for me.
I am truly a new creation in Christ and have for nearly ten years seen God work in my life. It will always amaze me that I was so deceived. I wasn't connected with the "Occult" or part of a Satan worshiping group but the result was the same. I was putting my faith and belief in the Father of Lies and headed straight to Hell. Praise God for saving me.
Janice Beakstead
E-mail Janice: janice-beckstead@leavitt.com