Spiritual Warfare

When I Lived in Houston, Tx. in June of 2005, I struggled with drug addiction. I had just gotten out of an intensive treatment program, where I met a Jewish friend and had discussed Jesus. My friend Eric was discharged a week before me and we both met up at a half-way condominium. My house manager, my roommate, was using and getting away with it. I had 18 months clean at the time, and was having the obsession to use. I asked God for help not to, but didn't feel He was listening.

One night I prayed, "God I've always understood that I'm supposed to go through Him in order to get to you..." As I did, I fell into a meditation and saw Jesus in my mind, as clear as day. He slowly looked at me, crying, and said I'm not just crying for you, but everyone in the world like you, who can't believe in Me. I immediately cried, feeling sorrow, but a love I'd never experienced before!

The next day, I felt so rested and happy. I couldn't wait to tell my friend Eric about my experience. Well, we walked down the street to a convenient store to get cigarettes and I could tell he doubted the whole thing. He just said, "Yeah, I believe that you believe and, Jesus was just a prophet you know". I was frustrated at him. The store on the right wasn't busy and was expensive. However the convenient store on the left was hopping with customers and others just hanging out. After Eric went into the store it dawned on me that people were selling drugs right there and the owners were apparently letting them. Now, really mad and frustrated I told Eric, "you knew they're selling drugs here didn't you?" "Yeah", he said. "well if you hang around the barber shop, you're eventually going to get a haircut, and I don't want one.

We both stood in our parking lot and I said, "Eric, maybe we shouldn't be friends..." "I'm sorry you feel that way, maybe so. So we both parted and went to our own buildings. Next, as I was going down my hallway, there were three very young girls laying on dirty carpet. One was eating Frito's, the other a Coke. The leader told the others, "Man, I'd like to have some of him". Me, I thought shame on them, they're not old enough for sex, that's the devil. At that time I was about to go in my place down the hall, and was compelled to shout, "Crack kills..." They all jumped up at once cussed me like sailors. I said, "this is a war on drugs..."

The three ran off and I went inside.

I suddenly realized that I had to go to an on property meeting, but didn't know where. It was at Eric's condo, wouldn't you know? As I walked outside I heard a loud voice, coming from apartments across the street. Someone on a mega-phone, very angry shouting obscenities about God and Jesus. Words you wouldn't believe. People down the street, that Friday, could hear him all the way down the block to the convenient stores.

When I got to Eric's apartment, I found twice as many there as should have been. About 35, packed in Eric's living room. It was an NA meeting. The chair person looked like Mr. T. I didn't know him. "OK, let's get started..." Eric was the first to say, "Eric, I'm an addict". I was last to introduce myself. "My name is David and I just want to say..." "Wait", Mr.T said. "We just want to know one thing, David..." "what did you tell those girls. "All I said was Crack kills..." "Well, we believe you, and as far as that **** goes, he's being taken care of as we speak.

I believe that the girls were in fact that dealer devil's daughters and they had rushed back to tell their dad that news. As for the extra guys in the meeting, they came from across the street where that devil was slandering God and Jesus.

Shaken, and emotionally exhausted, I fellowship-ed a bit after that meeting. Eric, started cooking fajitas and invited me to stay for supper. "No", I said, "I'm going back to my place, I've had enough for one day..." Now it was about 6:30 that evening and getting dark outside. It was overcast and cloudy. Out of the blue was a donut shaped cloud with sunlight shining through it's hole... Onto a Baptist church cross, painted gold. It was fiery gold! I hit my knees right there and cried, thanking God for helping me to believe in Jesus!

I rushed back to Eric's to get him to witness this phenomena. He reluctantly came to see what I wanted him to see. He stood out there in the parking lot with me and looked, dumbfounded, and said, "Wow". "Yeah Wow, believe me now..."

The moral to my story, be careful what you ask for, you might get it. Of course I started to think this spiritual experience was for me, but then I remembered what Jesus told me, when I saw Him that night before; "I'm not just crying for you, but everyone just like you that can't believe in Me..." All of this really happened, and God did in fact make a believer, not just out of me, but everyone else that heard that devil and later saw that cross!