A few years before I met Alex in person he had a huge attack by the demons trying to kill him. At this time he was placed in a treatment center for three months. During that experience he was sometimes catatonic. Merriam Webster defines it as:
Definition of CATATONIC
1
: of, relating to, being, resembling, or affected by schizophrenia characterized especially by a marked psychomotor disturbance that may involve stupor or mutism, negativism, rigidity, purposeless excitement, and inappropriate or bizarre posturing.
2
: characterized by a marked lack of movement, activity, or expression
He had the most advanced stages of insanity. I had even witnessed times where he stood still unable to move or suddenly a limb would go paralyzed. Other times his coordination would suddenly go wobbly to the point where he could not even stand up. He would grow frustrated that he could not so much as hold utensils or be coordinated enough to make breakfast for himself.
He had many aches and pains, especially back aches; yet no medical tests ever detected any problem. He described his bones and joints hurting. At other times he felt as if he could not feel parts of his body or that he felt like his joints were not even connected. He had little to no appetite and had to force himself to eat. All of the food he ate would taste like chemicals to him. He could barely stand the smell of food. He grew thin and very weak. If you turn to a passage in Job Chapter 33 you will see this condition described and why God would allow such a terrible thing to happen to a person. But, also you will see the dramatic healing that can follow when a person turns to God with their whole heart.
Job 33: 15-29 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers. If there be a messenger with him, an interperter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favorable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness. He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things woreth God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
These demons are nasty, they are wicked and they are downright dangerous. Their mission is to kill, steal and destroy. At that time Alex and I hadn't met in person but I had known him as a friend over the Internet. Then suddenly he disappeared for over a year. During that year I felt as if Alex had just disappeared from the face of the earth. I cannot explain it to you. But, it's as if he wasn't even alive. I hadn't heard word from him but remembered to pray whenever God would lay it on my heart to pray. Then about a year later this thought suddenly passed right through my mind about him, "He's dead."
So then I pondered that for a while wondering if it was true. Then suddenly I felt led to pray, "If he's dead then I pray he gets raised from the dead in Jesus name!" Then I heard from him a month or so later. He told me a story so incredibly awful. He had been stuck in a treatment center and they gave him only a mattress to sleep on, on the floor. Each morning when he woke up he'd hear crows cawing outside then feel these invisible claws tearing up his soul inside. And each day was like that. He felt as if he were living in another dimension, not even here on earth. Like his body was here, but his spirit was in a kind of hell. This is what being catatonic feels like.
So let me now tell you this. With demons this incredibly evil and wicked, shouldn't deliverance become a lifestyle? This is what got Alex in trouble after his first real deliverance at Hegewisch Church. He thought it was going to be smooth sailing after that. He thought maybe he had a few demons and that was it, he didn't have any more than that. When in reality he had probably hundreds more. He thought he could sin in more mild ways and not be bothered with fighting demons anymore. He had a new lease on life just to enjoy his life now so he thought. Not so. Demons try to either kill you and if they can't do that they can make you useless to the kingdom of God by a variety of means. Demons won't bother to attack people in the "world" to this degree because they already have them. They put their energies on people that can be a potential threat to them. And now that Alex is better, he's a real threat. They lost. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus who loved us, but we have to fight! The Bible says that we will reap a harvest if we faint not. So that also shows how we might feel like by the time we reap that harvest, on the verge of fainting!
Jesus is the one that is the ransom for the dying soul talked about in Job chatper 33. All other methods are like putting a band-aid on an infectious wound. Jesus is the deliverer and the healer. He will come and make sense of all of the confusion because the Bible says that God is not the author of confusion. He will make your crooked paths straight.
Jesus taught us to pray. The disciples asked Jesus, "Master, how should we pray?" Then he led them in the now famous OUR FATHER prayer. How does that prayer go? Do you remember?
Matthew 6:9-13 KJV
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. They kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Jesus told us to pray to be delivered from evil. Just like you have to thank him for your daily bread, you pray to be delivered of evil. Anyone who has problems so severe that they are in advanced stages of insanity like you have read in this testimony should really contact any of the deliverance ministries listed in our directory for help. If problems are less severe and just beginning, don't wait until it gets worse.
Today Alex lives a happy and productive life. He faces each day with joy in his heart. Your loved one is so precious, if he or she is suffering, please urge them to get help right away. Also realize that they have forces inside of them that try to prevent them from reaching out and getting the help they need. Be patient but also be firm in a loving and persistent way. Remember, the Bible says, "Love never gives up!" (1 Corinthians 13:7).
The Video below is Alex in his own words describing his miraculous transformation. It's a message he sent to Jay Bartlett. Jay did receive some backlash from casting these demons out. His vocal cords were attacked and he couldn't speak after that. The doctor's told Jay that he could not speak for six months in order for his vocal cords to properly heal. Jay had to cancel about six months worth of deliverance meetings he had planned. We kept him in prayer and he was able to recover in only a few months. The message Alex gave him was a word that he would recover sooner and get back to work.
Click here for next Chapter - Alex's Adventures