When Darkness Reveals Itself: Demonic Manifestations

In this episode, I start with a brief recap of a time when a stranger recorded me and screamed at me in a cemetery while I was visiting my dad's grave. From there, I move into conversations about demonic manifestations and what they might look like in the world we live in. As Christians, we have authority over demons through Christ, so that's good news! I hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Hey, welcome back to the Dissatisfied Podcast. I am Rochelle Smith. Thanks for tuning in again. I really appreciate it. If you listened to episode three, that was the episode where I talked about my journey back to my hometown, to the house I grew up in. And if you haven't listened to that episode, I would really encourage you to go listen to that one. It was a really cool journey that the Lord took me on. So anyway, I went back to my hometown a couple hours away from where I'm at now. Went back to the house I grew up in. And that is also the house that my dad killed himself in. And I was 20 years old at the time. And before I drove out to my house that day, I had stopped at my dad's graveside in town. And I'm going to tell you this story really quick again because it's just crazy. And it has a lot to do with what we're going to talk about. So the Lord took me on this journey back to my hometown, to that house, and he did this for lots of reasons. And I don't have time to go into all the details, so go back and listen to that, episode three. But God was truly in every single detail. It was one of those defining moments in my life, this whole journey thing. So I drive to Jacksonville. That's my hometown. And what's funny is I had not even planned to go to my dad's graveside that day. Honestly, I think in 30 years I had maybe been there 10 times. But during my drive, I felt the Lord tell me to go. So that's the first place I stopped when I got into my hometown. So I pull in, and this cemetery is huge. So thankfully there wasn't a person in sight. I felt like I had the whole place to myself. And my dad's graveside sits pretty far back in the cemetery, almost to the to the back, all the way to the back. So I get to it and I pull my car over, you know, on the tiny little road, and I made sure to leave plenty of space for people to go around. Although I honestly figured I wouldn't have to worry about it because there was nobody around. And it's a huge cemetery. Like who's gonna, who's gonna be right where I'm at? What are the odds? So I get out and I stand at my dad's grave and I start talking to the Lord and I start talking to my dad. And honestly, in in 30 years, I have never done that. I've been I've been out there to his grave. I've put flowers out there, I've gone a few times with my family, but honestly, not very often. So there I was standing at the grave, talking to the Lord, talking to my dad. And I'm about two minutes into that process, and I hear something. So I turn around and I see a truck pulling on this same little road. And my dad's headstone is literally one of the first ones off the tiny little road. So I was just a few feet from my car, and I'm thinking, really? In this entire cemetery, this car is coming this way. But then he just pulls behind my car and he sits there. And then I feel kind of mad because I'm like, really, God, of all days and times, this is when someone else is coming right to this same section in this massive cemetery. What are the odds of that? But the guy never got out. So he's just sitting there in his truck, and I was trying to pretend like it wasn't a big deal, but then I started to feel uncomfortable. So I turned and I looked at him, and then I kind of waved him on to go around my car thinking, you know, maybe he thought he couldn't get around me or something. So after that, I don't know, maybe five to ten seconds after that, he aggressively turns and whips his car past mine, and then he turns down the next little lane that's like ten feet from me to the side, and he's holding his phone pointed at me like he's recording me. So that's when I started to feel a little freaked out. But in my mind, I was also thinking, well, maybe he's trying to find a grave and he can't find it, so he's on FaceTime with somebody. So I keep watching him, and then he turns again and he goes down the next lane like he's going back. So now he's maybe 30 feet or something like that away from me, and he's still holding his phone pointed at me. And he stops the truck, so he's, you know, directly to my side now, and he leans his head out the window and he yells at me and he says, Stop effing stalking me. I have your license plate. I know you're stalking me. And then he aggressively drives off. Needless to say, that freaked me out. So I said, Okay, dad, I'll be back another day. And I got in my car and I got the heck out of there because I thought, what if he comes back and shoots me? I mean, this was insane what had just happened. So I got in my car, I was rebuking demons, I was pleading the blood of Jesus over myself, and I got out of there. Thankfully, he did not follow me. Maybe he was trying to, I don't know, but he didn't. And, you know, some people would say, Oh, Rochelle, that's just a random, weird thing that happened. And no, it it was definitely weird, but it was not random. Because there I was going on this journey with God back to places and areas and memories that held significant loss and pain for me. And every step of the way, every song I listened to, every moment of this journey, I could feel God's presence with me, leading me. So, number one, of course the enemy's gonna want to put a wrench in that plan. But number two, it was a manifestation through some random dude in a town two hours from where I live now, and the manifestation was the enemy showing his feelings towards me, that I'm coming after him. I'm taking ground back from the enemy. So I guess I was kind of stalking him. Stalking the enemy, because I'm gonna take back some stuff that belongs to me. But the point is that it was a demonic manifestation. There is no other explanation, especially when you're a Christian and you are aware of the spirit realm. And as we talk about manifestations, just know that it's simply a word that means to appear or to reveal. So when we talk about demonic manifestations, we're saying something demonic is being revealed. And, you know, just look around. We're living in a time where we have demonic activity pretty much on every side of us, and it's probably just gonna keep rising, it's gonna keep getting worse and worse, which shouldn't be surprising, I guess. I mean, the reality is the level of evil is probably still on par with what we read about in the Bible, but I think it's the scale of evil that seems like it's evolved. And the concerning thing is how complacent Christians seem to be about it. And you know, maybe it's because there's so much satanic stuff in our face all the time when it comes to life nowadays and music and movies, Hollywood, the news, politics, all of it. So it's not that we don't see it. We can see the obvious forms of witchcraft and satanic worship happening, but I think most of us feel like we can't really do anything about it. So we become kind of complacent. And I admit it does feel overwhelming at times because it feels like we're surrounded by it, like we can't escape it. And the reality is we can't escape it. It is not going away until Jesus comes back. So we're gonna have to learn to deal with it and learn to deal with it God's way. I think over the years it's been these subtle increases by the enemy pushing the envelope, right? He just takes a little bit more ground and then a little bit more ground. And what happens is we just become immune to it over time. And there is so much confusion, there's so much chaos right now. There is such a battle against the truth. And unfortunately, so many people are buying the lies, which then opens a door to demonic spirits. For instance, we have a society now where many people think that it's okay to terminate babies in the womb. And when you stand up for the lives of these babies, oftentimes you will see people manifest in anger and in rage, and sometimes violence. I actually follow a few people who I consider to be very brave people on social media who go to college campuses or they go to abortion clinics, you know, outside of an abortion clinic, and they're there to spread awareness about abortions. But they usually have, you know, big signs that have pictures of aborted babies at different stages, and it's pretty shocking to see those things. And what they do is they try to have conversations with people in the hopes that minds will be changed. And you know, these guys are peaceful, they are kind, but if you want to see some demonic manifestations, go watch some of those videos. The aggression, the rage, the violence that comes out of some of these people when they're confronted with the truth is crazy. But it exposes the darkness inside of them and so they react. And let me ask you this why do you think someone who is speaking the truth about abortion would cause a lot of people to go into these fits of rage, to become violent? Well, it's because abortion is directly tied to the demonic. It's human sacrifice, just like they did in the Old Testament. They would sacrifice their babies to Molech and Baal. False gods, Molech and Baal. And we know who's behind those, it's Satan. So in the Old Testament, they would take the babies and they would put them on an altar at the statue of the false god, and they would set the altar on fire. Or they would set the baby on the statue itself and do it that way. And it's possible they did it other ways, but that's as far as I read to that point. And during the sacrifices, drums would surround the area and they would play loudly to drown out the screams. And nowadays, the sacrifice takes place in the womb. Nowadays there's no need for drums to drown out the screams because the screams are silenced inside the womb. But the level of brainwashing that it's taken to achieve this level of evil done at the hands of the ones who were created to be the mothers, the protectors, is unlike anything I think we've ever seen. And to have advanced technology now that can show each stage of the baby as it develops in the womb, and for women and men to continue to argue that it's just a clump of cells proves that it's cognitive dissonance. People are uncomfortable with the truth, so they know it's the truth, but they don't like it. So they try to justify it, they try to excuse it, and then they reinterpret the facts to support their own belief. And I'm not going to stay on this subject any longer after I say this. I got saved about 24 years ago, and I had a very real born-again experience. And I am ashamed to tell you that it was not until about 10 years ago that I actually started to pay attention to the issue of abortion. And the Lord started to deal with me on it because even after I had kids, I would kind of avoid the subject. And I even remember saying things like, Well, you know, it's not my decision. Who am I to tell a woman what to do? So I would take a position that really wasn't a position. I would just regurgitate some things I'd heard over the years that would keep me safe. You know, don't, it doesn't involve me, it has nothing to do with me. What a lie. Because, oh, how it does have to do with me. And it does have to do with you. It has to do with all of us who claim that we are Christ followers. So God began to deal with me on that subject, and I saw the truth of it very quickly, and I did a real hard 180 turn. So the issue of abortion is probably the most significant issue of our time, and I would say it's the most demonic. It's modern-day human sacrifice being done right in front of us for all the world to see, and it's called health care. That's pretty demonic. Okay, moving on. Another area where you will see full-on demonic manifestations is with street preaching. So there are still street preachers, and I follow a few of them on social media, and some of the things these guys encounter are nuts. So their videos show people who literally freak out at the name of Jesus. They go nuts when they hear the gospel preached, when these preachers are saying, you know, repent because we're all sinners and we need Jesus and He died for your sins. And there are people that will assault these guys. There's people who will grab their microphones and kick over their speakers, people who get in their faces and they'll just scream at the top of their lungs, like they're possessed, which they probably are. And this is happening in America and other places. But what causes that kind of reaction in people to react violently when they hear the name of Jesus or when the Bible is being preached? What causes them to physically and verbally act out in rage? It's something in them. And we know it's demonic as Christians. Something in them cannot stand the truth and the light of Christ, so it reacts. And when you read about the accounts of people who were demonized in scripture, the enemy's intent was and is always to harm. So there's the story of the boy who was demonized and he had seizures, the demon was giving him seizures, and the demon would throw him into fire and water, trying to kill him. And then many times demons would cause sickness and disease. They would cause people to be isolated and tormented, like the guy who was possessed by legion, because there were many in this one guy. And this is what the Bible says about that one. It says, This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones. And then when Jesus asked his name, he said, We are legion, for we are many. And the demons begged Jesus not to send them away out of the area, they asked to be sent into a nearby herd of pigs. And so Jesus obliged, and then what happens is the demons cause those pigs to run over the side of a cliff and die. So again, when demons are involved, there will be destruction, there will be death and torment. And remember, Jesus said the devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He says he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. The enemy is destructive and violent. That's just who he is. The end goal is always destruction. Now, of course, we have to be very aware because the Bible also says that the devil sometimes comes as an angel of light. But even then, the objective is destruction. So, you know, there's clear signs of demonic manifestations that happen through people. And as Christians, we should be able to identify that when someone is demonized. So, you know, the obvious signs would be if someone reacts aggressively or violently to the name of Jesus or when the Bible is being preached. But sometimes the manifestation is a little bit subdued, like in a video I saw recently of this woman who was preaching the gospel in a public area. She was outside, and as she was preaching, another woman came forward just a few feet from the woman who was preaching, and this woman bent down in front of the preacher and she drew an inverted pentagram, which is the symbol that the satanic temple and church of Satan used. So that was clearly an attempt at using witchcraft, but the preacher saw what this woman did and began to rebuke her in the name of Jesus. She was pleading the blood of Jesus over the area and the word of God. And the video shows that woman walking away. There's also videos that I've seen where someone approaches the street preacher, and this, you know, they seem fine. They seem calm and like they're just a normal person. So they approach the street preacher, they reach their hand out for a handshake, or they open their arms like they want a hug. And usually the preacher will say no, thank you. Because these street preachers have encountered this stuff so often that they understand and know now that when someone wants a handshake or a hug, many times it's because they are trying to transfer spirits. And I know that sounds pretty wild, but it's something that they do in witchcraft. They try to transfer a curse. And yes, I know that the blood of Jesus covers us and we are protected by God, but I also believe that God gives us this discernment for a reason, and we need to be using our discernment. And here's the reality. If you're a Christian who is walking with the Lord and you are going where you feel God wants you to go, and you're saying what you feel God wants you to say, more than likely there's going to be times when you are confronted with some sort of demonic manifestation. And you know what? Sometimes it shows up like a strange guy yelling at you in the cemetery. Like it did me. Now, because of Jesus, we should not fear those things because he has given us authority. That's what he tells us. So let's look at Luke chapter ten, verse seventeen, starting in verse seventeen. It says the seventy two returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. Jesus replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirit submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. This is the scripture that I opened up to on the night that I was crying out to God and asking him specifically if demons really had to listen to me when I used his name. At his name did they really have to leave? So after I was saved, I had several years that I was having horrible demonic dreams. One time I was even choked in the middle of the night by a demon, for real, choked by a demon. And it was just felt like torment for many years after I got saved with these crazy dreams. So one night after I was married and I had Brennan, he was a baby, and I woke up from a horrible demonic nightmare, yet again, and I was so sick of it and so tired of it, and I got really emotional. And I got up and I was walking around my house and praying and just crying out to God. And I asked him, I said, Do they have to leave? And that was the scripture I opened up to. Literally, just opened the Bible, my eyes fell right to Luke 10, verse 17. The 72 returned and said, Even the demons submit to us in your name. So that That was another defining moment in my life where I moved out of doubt to full belief that I have authority through Christ over demons. And I think that that's one of the biggest battles for Christians is believing in the authority that we've been given through Christ. And let's remember that doesn't mean just having authority over demons on the outside. It means having authority over the demonic attacks, the oppression, the lies that come against ourselves, against our minds. You know, as Christians, let's not be deceived into believing that we can never be influenced by demons. There are doorways that we can open that invite that stuff in. What we watch, what we listen to, abuse, addictions, even things that we say. The Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. So our words are powerful, and they can either align with the things of God or they can align with the lies of the enemy. That's why in 2 Corinthians it tells us to take every thought captive, because our thoughts will turn into words and they'll turn into actions. And we will manifest what consumes us. Which that makes me think of my dad and my brother. Because, you know, a pretty significant demonic manifestation is suicide. It's a manifestation of a spirit of murder. And you don't get to that place without it first starting in your mind, in your thoughts. And I would say that about people reacting in rage and violence against the truth of abortion or at the name of Jesus being preached. You don't get to that place without your thoughts first being taken over by the enemy. You know, if you're married and you have an affair, guess what? That's a manifestation. Don't get me wrong here, it's a choice, but it's still a manifestation of what you've already entertained in your mind. If you have an issue with yelling and screaming and acting out when you're mad, that's a manifestation. Again, you're choosing that, but it's still a manifestation of what you're in bondage to. If you look at porn or you go to strip clubs and you have lust issues, that's a manifestation. Yes, you're still choosing those things, but you're manifesting what you've opened yourself up to. Same goes for gossip. If you gossip all the time, you're manifesting something. Sorry to tell you. And every single one of those things starts in your mind. So we have to remember there are different types of demonic manifestation, but there's one source. And that source is who Jesus called the Father of Lice. And I talk a lot about discernment for a reason. This is why. Because we need God-given discernment to know if and when we are dealing with something demonic. And then we need to deal with it in the name of Jesus. We need to pray. We need to pray the word of God over ourselves and others. Also, as Christians, we need to hold each other accountable. You know, if you have a friend who is a Christian who's dabbling in things that they shouldn't be, you need to speak up. And I want to close by sharing a quick story. So I met with a friend yesterday for breakfast, and we hadn't gotten together for quite a while. And she is the sweetest, kindest person. She loves the Lord, and she has been through a lot. But at breakfast, she was sharing with me that she had visited a tarot card reader because she was just in this place where she was really seeking some insight on what she was going through. And I just sat and I listened, and I did not say much about it. Even though the Bible makes it very clear that we should stay away from sorcery, witchcraft, divination. But as I said, I just sat there and I listened. And we had a good breakfast, and that was it. And then last night, I had a dream. Kind of a nightmare. And it's been quite a while since I've had a dream like this. So in my dream, I was at what seemed to be a school gymnasium. And there's quite a few people there. It was kind of a fun feeling type of atmosphere. And specifically, I remember seeing a few people that I know in real life dabble in witchcraft. And at the very end of the gym from where I was standing, I saw this older woman who resembled my friend that I had breakfast with. Almost like it could have been a mother or an aunt or a grandmother. And when I locked eyes with her, with this lady, she became demonic and she started sprinting towards me in the gym. It was terrifying. Not fun. These dreams are not fun. And in my dream, my first thought was to run. But I didn't. What I did in the dream is I ran towards her also. And I remember feeling really scared in the dream, but I ran towards her. And when we got to each other, she started to manifest and speak in a demonic voice. But in the dream, I put my fingers on her forehead and I put my hand on her upper back. And I began to prophesy and I began to pray for deliverance. And I woke up. Do you think that that dream, do you think that was a coincidence that I had that dream the same night after I'd met my friend for breakfast? And she told me about the tarot cards, and I chose not to say anything. So the entire day today, I have felt so off. I have felt sad. I have felt worried. I have felt fearful, anxious, to the point that when I went for my walk earlier, I was just praying and saying to the Lord, What is this? Why am I feeling this? And you know what? The Holy Spirit showed me. He showed me it's because I did not speak up and correct my friend and encourage her in what the Bible says about witchcraft, which includes tarot cards. And I was being affected by that. So I pled the blood of Jesus over myself. And then I had to text my friend. And I just reminded her of what the Bible says. I reminded her that the Bible doesn't warn against those things because they necessarily get it wrong, but that God warns us because many times they get it right, but it's by the wrong spirit. And that's a way that you open yourself up to demonic activity. That's a way you can open yourself up to be demonized when you mess with that stuff. So, you know, if you're a Christian, you've got to stay on the path. We are in a day where evil is called good and good is called evil, and we need to make sure that our hearts are right before the Lord because He wants to use us to bring truth to people, to help deliver people, to help bring His light to people that are in darkness. And we're not going to be able to do that very well if we aren't keeping our own house clean. So go get in the Word of God, encourage yourself in it, stand firm in your faith, and be excited and expectant for the opportunities that God will bring your way to show his goodness, his love, and his power in your own life and in the people's lives around you. Amen. I hope you tune in next week. Thanks for listening.