TESTIMONY 12: MY EXPERIENCE WITH SPIRITUAL ATTACKS

Today I write about my experience with spiritual attacks. It's quite lengthy, so make yourself some tea, maybe a snack as well and get comfortable, because you are about to read an online book lol the best thing about it though, is that it is the truth... and it's free! I share these attacks to remind you of the battle taking place in the spiritual realm everyday, so that you can become more aware of it and no longer be a victim to it, because you have the authority! You see, whether you are aware of it or not the enemy of God tries to stop you from worshipping the one eternal God everyday of your life, because he wants you to worship him, he wants you to listen to him.You become fully aware of it when you have the Holy Spirit inside you and then of course you also become a target of the enemy of God, let me explain why though.

In my last post I mentioned that if you sin, you are like Adam and Eve, who listened to the devil by eating the fruit that God told them not to eat. This means that when you sin, you are not listening to God. When you sin you are listening to the devil, therefore you are following his way of teaching. And so when you sin you are giving the devil power over you and your life. The devil specially targets born again Christians (who forget to pray and put on their armour) because He knows that he has lost control of them and his job (and the job of his workers) is to keep trying to tempt us so that we fall back into sin. You see one more person who is saved by Christ is one more person that will be entering the Kingdom of God when they die! So all he wants is to drag you back into drinking and sinning. He uses people who still follow him (to tempt you or discourage you) and his target is your mind. The devil and his workers try their best to speak lies into your mind, so that they can get you to doubt what God has said in His Word - just like in the beginning. The devil made Eve doubt what God had said and then she gave in and sinned. (We have a choice to give in or resist). The enemy of God uses your mind, because he knows that thoughts bring about emotions and emotions bring about actions and you need to know it too!

I have been getting a few attacks since the day I was saved. The first one was the worst, because I didn't know what was happening lol It took place in Sun City. I had travelled to Sun City to take part in Idols South Africa's theatre week stage, from the beginning to the end of that trip I had really negative thoughts in my mind, not your average negative thoughts, they were basically make-believe thoughts about myself and the people around me. Before the trip I was feeling confident, I thought to myself "I can actually win Idols you know, it's easy, and I can use it to bring people close to God, I feel like they will listen to me if I have this title" but as soon as I landed there and we entered the stage area something came over me. My mind just flooded to a point where I couldn't figure out what was real and what wasn't. It's really hard to explain, but my mind was telling me to believe things that were not true, very delusional thoughts and I felt like I couldn't trust anyone around me. At that time I wasn't strong as a Christian. Throughout this whole Idols experience, the one I was so excited about, I was giving the devil power over me to manipulate my mind - because I was believing all his lies. On the first day I allowed fear into my mind and countless insecurities about myself, like if someone spoke to me I would try and find a hidden meaning to what they were saying like they were secretly insulting me. I even found it hard to sit around the dinner table and engage with people I just wanted to be silent and pay these negative thoughts all of my attention. It's such a hard thing to explain, but basically I had lost touch with reality and couldn't take Idols or people seriously and I just wanted to go home to Cape Town, immediately. I wanted my mommy lol

My Idols audition

On the second day, the day I got knocked off of Idols, I made the decision that I wasn't going to let fear control me and I tried my best to do better on stage while still thinking all these distracting thoughts. You have no idea how hard this was for me, and all I kept thinking was that if I just went home and saw my family again everything would be fine (but what I really needed to be doing all along was praying for protection, and reading the Word of God - which I was not doing). When the judges made their decision and sent myself and Trevor (the other person in my group) home, all of the people voted out went into the same room where we all waited hours until everybody else voted out on the day arrived. In the meantime someone had started a discussion about witchcraft, talking about what they had witnessed in their churches of people shaking, demons being rebuked etc. This was the first time I was really hearing about how real all of this is in our world. I curiously listened, but didn't pay too much attention to it, mostly because I kept disbelieving, I only wanted to believe in the good, not the bad because ain't nobody got time for that lol

Later I started feeling an intense FEAR of getting back onto a plane and so I asked the organizers if there was any way I could perhaps instead take a bus from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein, and they said they would arrange it, but they didn't. They gave me my flight details the next day. After a 2 hour bus trip to the airport and a couple hours of waiting I made my way to my plane and was shocked at the size of it. Already having a sudden fear of flight I then still had to get on my first SMALL plane lol when I was seated inside I asked the man next to me "Have you travelled on these small planes before?" lol "Yes I have, are you scared?" "I just haven't been on a plane this small before. Don't you feel turbulence more on these small planes?" "It's not that bad, it's better than a big plane." I found some closure in those echoing words, but they soon echoed away. As soon as the plane took off the biggest fear came over me. I had to close my window cover, because I couldn't bare to watch how high we were. (I had traveled to Johannesburg, Durban, New York, London and Paris before this flight and was fine) I sat back deep in my seat, my hands started shaking, my heart was beating hard and my chest was tense. I just kept telling myself  "This is it" lol "this is how I am dying, this plane is going down and I am about to die." I then added "Father God, please don't let this plane go down, I'm not ready to die I have so much to do, please. In Jesus name. Amen." When we landed safely in Bloemfontein I celebrated with the person next to me lol I thought I was in the clear for a few minutes, but turned out that I had just arrived at the destination of the peak of this evil experience.

When I arrived inside my brothers soccer house I realized that I had literally not eaten anything throughout the entire day (I wasn't hungry at all, I had just completely lost my appetite) and it was dark outside already but we decided to walk. We walked to a steers nearby and I noticed that as my brother was talking to me I struggled to put my sentences together. I could hardly speak I just kept saying "I feel weird hey. I don't know what's wrong but I feel weird." I thought maybe I just need to eat something (again not praying for protection or reading the Word). When our food arrived I had this split second of hope "everything's going to be fine now" until I put the food in my mouth and couldn't taste anything. It don't know what paper tastes like, but it tasted like paper. The thought of swallowing something that didn't taste like anything made me feel sick and I couldn't eat it. "I need water Seby, I can't taste this food I'm not going to be able to eat it." "Sydney, force it, because I don't know what to do if you pass out, mom and dad are only coming tomorrow, what would I do?" I ate about 3 chips, took one bite of the burger and forced it down and that's all I could get in me without throwing up. The walk back was the worst, I started seeing purple light everywhere in the darkness. My mind was a place of torment and I couldn't walk anymore because I felt as though I were about to faint. Again I thought: "This is it" lol Sebastian then lifted me up and carried me on his back. I then started feeling just, unsafe and began worrying that someone would jump out of the bush with a knife and attack us, at that point I started praying for protection. "Father God, what is happening to me? Am I dying? I can't die here in Bloemfontein in the street! I'm not ready to die God please!! Protect me against evil, please I need you God!!" When we got back to the house I finished two bottles of water and decided to sleep, but as soon as I closed my eyes I saw a familiar face and it looked really evil and I'm not sure if it had anything to do with overhearing those witchcraft stories or if they were a warning sign, but something inside me told me to say a prayer against witchcraft immediately. I didn't know what to say though? So I pulled out my cellphone and searched for a prayer on Google (lol) and I found the longest most effective prayer ever: Prayer against evil I went to the bathroom to be alone and said this prayer and immediately felt 1000 times better. I could sleep, and woke up alive the next day, so great. When my parents arrived I told them what had happened. I celebrate now though, looking at the growth I received out of this experience. You can either Give Glory to the devil by constantly complaining about how he has ruined your life, or you can give Glory to God for all He has brought you through, for how He has strengthened you, rescued you, corrected you and taught you. Below is a picture taken in Bloemfontein with my brother the next day after the attack.

I had a few attacks after this one, but now you can see how God uses it. So yesterday I got Kelly (the girl who told me she had a vision about me) at a casting and she was talking about how she had witnessed a woman being possessed and mentioned that she had too been getting attacks. "When last have you been attacked?" she asked "Well it happened once recently while having dinner with my family, I had to leave the table to pray. Other than that it hasn't happened in a while." "When it happens you are to pray and read the word of God. Just know that we have nothing to worry about. The devil wants us to fear." she said and I agreed. After the casting my brother and I headed to Mcdonalds in Kloof street. While we were eating I noticed a man walk into Mcdonalds to use the bathroom. Something told me there was something evil about him. I watched him as he walked all the way to the bathroom. He was a dark-skinned man dressed as if he could live on the street in a worn out grey sweat pants and a black top. He looked troubled and in a daze, like he was on autopilot. A while later he left and I started feeling strange. I felt weak and fear filled my mind again. I started praying in my head directing my prayer to any evil spirits I cannot see. "You have no power over me. I am a child of the Most Powerful. I am protected by the blood of Jesus Christ and no weapon formed against me will prosper in Jesus name." I was feeling better, but not 100% better, so I told my brother "let's go to the car I feel like sleeping." We got into the car and as we were pulling out I saw that man again standing in the parking lot only he was saying things to himself while looking at my brother's car. I starred at him while he did it and he suddenly looked up directly into my eyes through the front window and stopped saying things, with a slight evil grin on his face. He looked so familiar to me at that point, but I don't think it was his face I think it was the way he smiled that seemed familiar to me. I said a prayer against him and for my brother's car and messaged another person who always prays for me to pray against this attack I was having. The person I messaged said that they had just been thinking about me and wanted to message me and that God places thoughts in our minds to help others, because we are all connected through Christ. And yes, there are evil people in this world - but God is faithful. I would like to that my Father God for these experiences and thank Him for protecting me and giving me these testimonies that I can share with the world. I know this is just the beginning. The message: Do NOT stop praying!!!! When you wake up in the morning get on your knees and pray for protection, put on your armour and you will be fine. Until my next post, here is a video on Spiritual Warfare (if you too are experiencing spiritual attacks) you can do more research by searching the net, its everywhere if you just look, but rather focus on the Word of God - it's sufficient. This video below was very helpful when it comes to witchcraft attacks though, so it will definitely help you too, enjoy! May God bless you, guide you and protect you, in Jesus name! Amen

TESTIMONY 11: I WAS BAPTIZED

On 21 September 2014, I was baptized again (I was baptized as a baby, but I obviously had no idea what was happening then lol). My heart had been longing to get baptized "again" for quite some time since I said the salvation prayer and I had been coming across a Bible verse saying you must be born again, a lot, I had also been hearing of people getting baptized, and then my church (both Hillsong and The Bay) announced that they would be doing baptisms services. I took it as a clear sign, that perhaps I should get baptized lol I am so happy I made this decision. There's just something beautiful about leaving your old life, old self and old ways in the past and becoming a new person, with new ways. On 21 September 2014 the old Sydney died, and I was born again! I now leave behind all of my sins, and choose (now that my eyes are opened) to try my best to live a godly life like Christ, and through Christ. You see, thousands of years ago when Adam and Eve sinned the first time the devil took authority over them and all who do the same, because when they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree they were not listening to God Who said "Do not eat it" they were listening to the devil who said "Eat it" And so if you sin you are not listening to God who says "You must not sin" you are listening to the devil who says "You must sin" and since God's Kingdom is a Kingdom for people who obey God, those who listen to the devil will not enter it. But the good news is that:

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only

begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

(John 3:16)

God had a plan to save people and He sent His angel Gabriel to a virgin woman named Mary, who was highly favoured by God for being so pure, to tell her that she would be having a child and that He will be named Jesus and he will save his people from their sins. When Jesus came into the world and died on the cross, His was made to be a sacrifice for all of our sins, so that we can come back to God. And Jesus Christ is our example, and he was baptized (Matthew 3:13-17) and so as he taught, we must also be baptized (John 3:1-21). And below is a picture taken by Hillsong Church Cape Town of my baptism:

I remember quite some time back I had tears in my eyes as I read the story of Noah in the Bible, how God chose to save him and his family only, because he was righteous. I had tears in my eyes, because I kept thinking negative thoughts like "Now because of all the things I did in my life, all those drunk nights, I will never be righteous, because of these actions I chose. If I had just avoided drinking and nightclubs I would never have walked that path. It's too late for me, because I already did it.  If the world were to end tonight, I would not be saved from the flood" I went to sleep feeling down that night and the next morning, still feeling low I started thinking about it again in the car on the way home. "Why did I do all those things. Now I will never be righteous. God can't I just take it all away so why am I even trying" Immediately I looked out the widow to my left and there stood a sign in the distance against a wall "You do not have to be great to start. You just have to start to be great." I felt immediate motivation that I had been lacking all along and felt it was a sign from God telling me "Yes Sydney, there is a way." I smiled. Later I was lead to finding out about Hillsong's baptisms and I'm happy I have this second chance and I learned that God can wipe our sins away.

"I will be merciful toward their iniquities, 

and I will remember their sins no more."

(Hebrews 8:12)

Thank God for His Mercy, that He forgives our sins and wipes them away - that is true forgiveness. As it is written, God's will is not for people to perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) Praise be to God!