The Soul Redeemer: From Victim to Victory (9 page)

Then she prayed, "Well Lord, please begin revealing the things that have been hidden in the darkness so that people will hear and hopefully repent before it's too late.  And please show us what part we can have in this," Nicole prayed.

Casie said, "Hey girl, I'm telling you that we need an army of God's people to rise up take their places.  And we need a safe place that can minister to the all these needs." 

T
he next morning,
Nicole woke up knowing what she needed to do about the IS painting.  She got dressed and went to Sierra Crest.  Linda, the manager greeted her and asked what she could do for her.

Nicole introduced herself and then said, "I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to get right to the point.  There is a large demon painted on the wall of the old garage at the top of this property, and I would like your permission to paint over it."  There.  She had said it.

Linda's eyes got big.  "What?  I don't want any demons here!  Show me right now!"

As they walked up the hill together, Nicole discovered that Linda was a Christian but had felt very overwhelmed and alone in her job.

They got to the garage, and Nicole briefly explained that this was a depiction of an evil spirit that she believed was a strongman over Sierra Crest and Samaria.  Then she asked if she could pray against it. 

Linda grabbed her hands and said, "Please!" 

So Nicole prayed.  She realized that this building was the highest public building in Samaria.  A high place from which to rule.  It was with great pleasure that she took spiritual authority over this garage, this stronghold, and asked the Holy Spirit to cleanse it from defilement; to move in Himself and anoint it with the blood of Jesus and His presence; to remove IS's rights to be there. 

After some moments, she realized that IS may have been dethroned and displaced from that garage, but she knew that there were too many rights that he could hang onto and that he was still very much in control at Sierra Crest and in the community.

But it was a beginning, a small victory that would lead to many greater victories.  One day, this destroyer would be completely eradicated from Samaria, and Jesus would rule and reign in this town. 

When she was finished praying, Linda hugged her for a long moment, and then said, "I didn't know that there was anybody else who believed like I did.  I've felt so alone here!"

Nicole took hold of Linda's hands again and said, "Well you aren't alone anymore!  What can we do to help?  What do you need?"

"Bible studies!"  Linda didn't even hesitate as she said this. 

"Done!" Nicole exclaimed. 

And just like that, God used a demonic principality to open the door to ministry at Sierra Crest.  She knew that Satan hated that!  She was so excited that she could barely contain herself!

Linda had the maintenance men paint over the depiction of IS that very afternoon, and within a week, there was a women's Bible study, men's Bible study and a children's Bible club in place. 

The New Year was just around the corner, and one morning as Nicole was driving through Samaria on her way to Sierra Crest, she was pulled over by Gary's patrol car.

As he approached her car she said, "Good morning officer.  Did I do something wrong?"

He smiled, "No, nothing like that.  I just had to run something by you that I want you to pray about."

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief.  "Ok, good!  Then I'm glad to see you."  Gary laughed, and she asked, "What's on your mind?"

"I think we are supposed to move BLAZE over to Sierra Crest.  What do you think?"

Her heart jumped and skipped a beat.  "Wow! The only thought that comes to my mind is, yes!  Jesus told me that He was giving us swords to go out outside the walls of the churches.  There are people at Sierra Crest that will never set foot inside a church, but they just might come to a service on their own turf."

"I'm afraid we might loose some of our regular people if we move there," Gary said.  "Sierra Crest doesn't exactly have a good reputation at the moment, and some won't understand why we would move there."

"That's true," she replied.  "But then Jesus didn't always associate with people that the religious community thought He should either.  I'll definitely pray about it!"

By the end of January, BLAZE was meeting at Sierra Crest every Tuesday night to worship and pray.  True to form, some people quit, but many others came.  It wasn't long before the large room was packed to standing room only and lives were changed as God's love penetrated hearts. 

Gary's heart for worship and intercession along with his messages of turning from sin and following Jesus with abandonment of self didn't drive them away.  Instead, the truth of hope, forgiveness, healing and freedom was like water to their dry souls. 

Nicole saw this as the beginning of the prophecy that Jesus was coming, and indeed was here.  And it was becoming evident that the vision of a discipleship center was going to be a very real need in the near future.

A
few nights later,
Nicole had gone to bed before Jake.  She had not fallen asleep yet when she heard a voice as clear as day.  She hadn't thought of Uncle Marcus in years!  Why was she hearing his voice now?  And why did it seem as if he were right next to her in her bedroom? 

And then she knew.  It was as if a door of her memory had just been opened and she remembered the things that had taken place at his house all those years ago.  She suddenly knew that he was at the ritual.  She knew that his were the hands over hers, controlling her as she stabbed the baby in the heart.  She saw it all so clearly now. 

As the memory unfolded, Nicole was no longer an adult, but the little girl stuck under the demon at the ritual, and not just the demon, but Uncle Marcus.  It felt so real that she could even smell him, and in that moment, Nicole knew that this was the invisible man that she had smelled over the course of the years.  Body memories.  Her body had been trying to help her remember.

She didn't want to remember!  The pain was agonizing and incredibly real, and it felt as if she couldn't bear it.

In that moment, Nicole realized that IS still had rights to her body because in her mind, there was still a part of her, the little girl that carried the trauma of this incident, who was still stuck in bondage to that principality. 

Even though she had recalled the incident and had renounced IS, she hadn't known that Uncle Marcus was involved.  The soul ties with him were an open door for IS that allowed him access to her body and soul. 

It was like a light bulb had just been turned on as understanding dawned.  The memories of Uncle Marcus had been buried so deeply and IS had been blinding her to them so that he could continue to hide.

Inside her mind, Nicole was seeing herself as the little girl at the ritual, and Nicole the adult, knew that the pain she was feeling belonged to that part of herself that she had separated off to protect her from this very thing.

"Jesus, help me!" she called out. 

Suddenly, He was there and He came down into the room of Nicole's memory and stood at her head as she was lying on the floor in the circle with IS on top of her.  IS became very afraid, and Jesus just put out his hand and the spirit reluctantly got off of her and unwillingly released her.  Then Jesus reached down and picked her up off that floor and held her tightly in His arms like the Good Shepherd would hold His little lamb, and He took her up with Him, out of that place.  They went up through the roof and it felt like they were flying.  

She heard the demon roar.... "NOOOOOO!"

As they left the place of the ritual forever, Nicole asked Jesus where He was going to take her.  Instead of answering her, He smiled and then set her down inside her own living room next to Jake.  Then Jesus answered and said,
"She doesn't belong with the demon anymore, she belongs to Jake and to Me."  

And then Jesus was gone, and Nicole knew in that instant that she was free from the control of IS!  The terror and pain were gone, and in their place was relief and peace. 

And yet there was still something she felt was left undone, a doorway that she needed to close.  Even though in her mind's eye she could see the little girl part of her in the living room standing near Jake's chair, she was still in bed. 

She got up, went into the living room and sat down on the couch.  The happy little girl walked over to her and climbed up onto her lap; and then she climbed further still, until she was completely inside of Nicole.  Right where she belonged.  There was a feeling of wholeness that had not been there a moment before, and yet she was still troubled.

Jake looked over at his wife.  "What's wrong sweetheart?" he asked. 

She explained what was happening, and in the process she realized that she needed to renounce and break all soul ties with Uncle Marcus even though he had died years ago. 

Jake went over and sat next to his wife on the sofa.

As Nicole asked Jesus to break all those ungodly soul ties, she was suddenly aware that there was a very large spirit in the living room with them.  Whether it was a human spirit, a demonic spirit, or both Nicole didn't know, but in that instant, words began rising from some place deep within her and came out of her mouth with such passion, force and authority that Nicole could not have contained them if she had tried.  She did not know the language that she spoke, but she knew that the spirit's rights to her were being annulled.  After several minutes, it turned and walked out the back of the house. 

She suddenly felt exhausted and fell back against Jake's chest.  But she was released and free from a lifelong bondage!  Nicole looked up at Jake, wondering what he was thinking. 

He just wrapped his arms around her, smiled and said, "Well hon. I'd say that you just did a good job of speaking in tongues." 

They laughed together at that thought.  They both believed in the gift of tongues, but try as she might, pray as she might, Nicole had never been given that gift.  The revelation that it was possible to be filled with the Holy Spirit without that gift was a shocker to some.  

"And another strike against Satan!" Nicole said.  "He had taken me captive but God set me free at exactly the right time for me to recognize and know how to deal with the same strongman in our community!  Once again, God is using Satan's schemes against him and for His own glory!"

"Amen," Jake said as he stood and pulled Nicole to her feet.  "And Lord Jesus, I pray that you will seal Nicole's body, soul and spirit with the blood of the Lamb of God."

"Yes Jesus!" she agreed.  She knew that Satan never gave up easily and that even though this spirit had been displaced from her, there would be others that would pick up its function and try to get her to open the door to them.  She must be on guard.

The other thought that ran through Nicole's mind as she crawled back into bed, was that not only was this a deeper healing, but that scars were being removed.  And she believed that intimacy with her husband would begin to look different.

IS had not considered total defeat in Nicole's life as an option, but that possibility was beginning to dawn upon him as he realized that the last thread that bound her to him was all but broken.  He slinked away to lick his wounds in private. 

The more he thought about it, the more he blamed that imbecile of a man who had taken over Marcus' watch of Nicole.  Daemon's power over her was undetected at this point.  He might be able to use that soul tie in the future…. And there were still the hidden failsafes…He wasn't sure if reactivation had worked or not.  Time would tell. 

He consoled himself with another thought as well.  So he had lost one.  He still had Samaria and would stand his ground, for he had enough sense to know that Nicole and those wearisome intercessors were on the warpath and were too close for comfort! 

He would bring in more demonic resources.  Hmmm.  He needed to have a talk with Anak, the resident giant at the Samaritan Inn who was his cohort in protecting his throne and stronghold over the community. 

"It is time for you to come out of hiding, old boy, and do your thing," he said under his breath.  "We need some major intimidation!" 

IS smiled as he thought that he might even find an opportunity to recapture Nicole if he tried hard enough.      

N
icole was restless.
  Something was stirring deep inside her spirit.  "What do you want me to do Lord Jesus?"  Nicole asked. 

His reply was,
"You are ready now.  You have overcome the evil prince in your life and now it is time to begin the process of unseating the same principality in Samaria."
               

And then a wild thought came into her mind.  But then what else would it be?  She smiled to herself and knew that Jesus wanted her to walk through the Samaritan Inn and pour out the blood of Jesus as she walked.  Immediately a plan began to form. 

Nicole shared the crazy thought with her friend Annie, who was a real estate agent.  She was happy to share in the first step of faith for the Inn, and she made an appointment for a showing.  Casie was not able to go, but Cheryl would be able to join them.

As the day grew closer, Nicole began to realize that she had been assuming that God was going to give the Inn to her and Jake, but God was changing her perspective.  This could not be about one person's plans or purposes.  This was God's place, His heart.  She realized that when He had said that He would give it to her, that he had been speaking collectively, as in His people.                Maybe that's why Jake hadn't gotten on board.  Nicole got down on her knees and confessed her desire for the Inn and her own dreams for it.  She committed it into His hands to do with as He wanted. 

Jake just shook his head when Nicole told him about the plan, and then said, "It'll be interesting to see it.  I've wondered what it's like upstairs."

Nicole smiled and asked, "Would you like to join us?"

"No thank you," he politely responded.

"What, you're afraid you'll fall in love with it?"

"No, I'm afraid to encourage you in your schemes," he smiled and kissed her, then set off for work.

Several weeks later, Nicole, Cheryl and Annie stepped inside the Samaritan Inn.  It had been closed for over a month because business had been so bad.  Nicole was intrigued with the building, but she had her spiritual antennas up, listening for anything that the Lord wanted to show her. 

She was surprised at the quietness.  None of the ghosts made an appearance, and even the Holy Spirit was still.  The impression she had as she walked through the building was a void, a total absence of God.  Emptiness.  Worldliness. 

Well that would change!  She saw a sign that said, "A friendly ghost lives here."  Under her breath Nicole said, "That's a lie.  You are not friendly, you are destruction.  Your days are numbered here, and soon the only ghost that will live here will be the Holy Ghost!" 

As they were finishing the tour, the manager of the Inn that had been showing them around made a statement that confirmed God's word to her.  She said, "You should know that the Inn is the heart of Samaria."

Nicole wanted to jump up and down at the confirmation God had just given her, but instead, she smiled and calmly said, "Yes, I do know that!  And God's heart is to be in the heart of the town.  Truthfully, I don't have the money to buy the Inn, but God is a God of miracles, and if He wants us to have this place, He will provide the money." 

After the manager left them, the three ladies stood outside for a moment longer and prayed.  Nicole asked that the Holy Spirit would come and ignite the blood of Jesus that they had poured out all over the inside of the Inn as they walked through.  They had no idea what that would look like, but as they said goodbye, they were certain that God was doing something.

Nicole walked through the parking lot to her truck.  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a movement and turned toward it.  And that's when she saw it.  It moved out of sight as soon as it realized that she could see it, but she was sure that what she had glimpsed was a giant. 

She stood still looking towards the top right corner of the Inn's property, the spot where it had disappeared.  There was nothing there, and yet she knew that there was.  She took a step closer, and as she did, a giant head appeared as if it were hiding behind something and was peering out around it.  When it saw that Nicole was looking directly at it, it stepped completely out into the open and stood facing her. 

Two things stood out to her.  The physical appearance of this enormous giant spirit with its huge breasts and its shoulder length, reddish, matted hair; and the stance of self-confidence, intimidation, mockery and rage that was barely being contained. 

There they stood, sizing each other up.  She wasn't sure if it professed to be male or female, but it was clearly a bully.  Nicole refused to break eye contact with this giant.  She was not going to let it think that she was backing down or giving in to fear or intimidation, however, she was wondering if anybody else saw what she was seeing.  She was pretty sure that she had heard Annie's and Cheryl's cars leave the parking lot.

"Jesus," Nicole quietly called out.  "What do You want me to do?"

This brought a roaring response from the giant.  "You think that your Jesus will save you?  No one can defeat me!  I Am from the ages past!" 

And then it stooped down and picked up a large stone and hurled it toward Nicole.  As it flew through the air, it became a flaming ball of fire.

She saw it coming, and before she had time to react in fear, it was as if time slowed and Jesus said,
"Nicole, do not fear.  Stand firm!  Raise your shield of faith."

Time returned to normal and she raised her invisible shield.  Just before the fireball hit her, it burned itself out and the ashes fell at her feet.

Nicole said, "I know who you are and you are not I Am.  You are insignificant next to my God, the one, true I Am, and you have already been defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the power of the Resurrection and the Life.  You will not be allowed to continue to claim this ground for much longer.  Just as you lost your control over me, you will loose control over this Inn and all of Samaria."

The giant bully was raging mad!  Its body was puffed up like an overdone body builder's, and its face was contorted in rage.  "You think that I am Incubus Succubus!  Ha, little do you know!  I Am Anak, father of the Nephilim.  I Am a principality of great renown!  My time is coming when I will rule the earth with my sons once again!"

"Nicole,"
came the whisper of the Lord. 
"Look down."

There in the bushes next to her was a plaque, a historical marker that read, "The Jacob Farnsworth Home." 

Of course!  This lot was not originally a part of the Inn.  It had been purchased by the current owner.  Nicole had a knowing, a revelation.  She knew that Anak had been connected with the house that had once stood on this lot and was separate from IS.  But she was seeing a union between the two.

"You may be Anak, but the spirit of Incubus Succubus is all over you.  He is your ruler, isn't he?"

She was interrupted by the giant.  "I AM a principality in my own rights you imbecile!" it growled. 

"Fine.  You may be a principality but I happen to have the Word of the Highest Authority, Father God, that IS is the territorial ruler here, so legally, you are under his authority.  Your camp is on this property, and your hiding place is in the spiritual shadow of the old home that was here." 

Nicole suddenly remembered something she had discovered when she had been researching Samaria's history along with a word of knowledge.  "In fact, this house was a house of harlotry and you were the master of it.  I can see the throne of IS in the air above the Inn.  You both must have been so pleased at the joining of the properties as it strengthened your purposes, and IS appointed you to be guardian of the combined property.  What a nice arrangement you both have.  Well I am here to announce that your hiding place and IS' throne will be destroyed and you will both be defeated and displaced in Jesus' name and by the power of His blood!" Nicole responded.

Nicole could feel the rage building as the giant said, "That is your God's plan, but we have our own plans and we will overcome this time!"

Nicole wanted to ask what it meant because she felt as though this spirit was speaking about something important. But she also knew that they rarely told the truth unless they were boasting or were under orders to speak nothing but the truth to the Holy Spirit.  It was senseless to engage in conversation with the enemy, and could be dangerous. 

The giant must have realized his mistake in speaking those words and in frustration he began growling ferociously as he lunged toward Nicole.  It seemed as if an invisible barrier blocked him, for he suddenly stopped with a momentarily surprised expression on his face, then he viciously began looking around for another rock to hurl. 

Nicole backed away from her foe until she reached her truck.  The last she saw of the giant, it was pacing back and forth as it watched her drive away.  She had a new understanding for the saying, "If looks could kill," for if that were true, she would either be dead or fatally wounded.  Thank God that they couldn't.  Well, they would have to add another name to the list of principalities over Samaria.

IS was about to loose it.  Literally!  It had been many years since he was this frustrated and angry.  Nicole had Anak almost spilling the beans on their end time plans!  Were there no intelligent, effective spirits left in this day and age?  He could hear the song that attributed Goliath's demise at the hand of a mere boy named David being changed to….'Only some measly women, and the giant comes tumbling down.'  Not if he could help it! 

He hadn't planned on activating the first of his ultimate weapons yet, but it was close enough to completion that he decided now was the time to test out his newest and best technological weapon of warfare, one that would destroy Nicole without anyone suspecting. 

If all went according to plan, it would also disengage the revival that was going on in Samaria.  He was feeling better after deciding upon this next course of action.  It would be an experiment, a trial run, a time to fine tune this weapon before it was released on a larger, much grander scale.  When released en mass, this ultimate weapon would destroy every Christian and wipe them off the face of the earth.  The best part…it would be the defining moment in history when his Lord Satan would finally defeat his Enemy and would take his seat upon the throne over all.  Yes, it was time to visit his friends in the Illuminati.

Nicole didn't know which was more surprising; her experience with the demonic spirit or Jake's statement after he got home from work that evening.

"How did it go at the Inn today?  What did you think?" He asked.

She told him about it, explaining the layout and answering his questions while she fixed dinner.

Then he casually mentioned, "I've been thinking more about the Inn.  Maybe we should look into it."

She stopped chopping vegetables and looked up at him.  "What?"  

"Maybe we should think about the Inn."

Her eyes opened wide in surprise.  "I think I'm in shock.  What changed your mind?"

"I don't know.  In the past we have talked about running an Inn or Bed and Breakfast.  It might be something we could do after I retire."

Recovering slightly, Nicole began chopping again and said, "You know that I'm all for checking into it hon, but this would have to be more than a hotel and restaurant.  It would be a place of ministry.  I know that God wants the Samaritan Inn for Himself, and I feel very strongly that it can't be something that we would own.  I mean if God provides the money, we can buy it, but it would be God's and we would just be the managers and caretakers.  He has a plan for it and even though I have thoughts about it, I don't know what God's plans are.  How do you feel about that?"

"I'm open to it.  I really don't know what I think about any of it, I just know that I feel we should look into it."

Nicole ran to him and embraced him with a huge hug.  He hugged her back and said, "I didn't say we would buy it, you know.  I said we could check into it.  So don't get your hopes up."

Nicole responded, "I know.  It just means a lot to me that we can work this through together.  There is something else I should tell you though.  The present owner in the spiritual realm is an evil spirit and we've got to dismantle his rights and evict him before anything can really happen."  She went on to tell Jake about the giant.  "This is going to be a battle you know."

"Ok.  Well I'm sure that the Holy Spirit will guide us."  They knelt down together and prayed, turning themselves, their thoughts and desires, and the Inn over to the One who had already overcome the evil one and who would open impossible looking doors so that His will could be fulfilled.

When the intercessors met the following week, they talked about the Inn.  Nicole was blown away by the things others shared. 

"Well I had a dream about the Inn the other night," Deanne said.  "I walked into it and it wasn't a bar any more.  It was a juice and coffee bar."

Casie and Rachel spoke up at once.  "You're kidding me!"  And, "I can't believe it!"  They both shared their same vision for a business like this, and they both had the same heart for getting rid of the alcohol in the Inn.