"...the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?....
      And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
      And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
      So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
      Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
      But he said unto her.... What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." (Job 2:3-10. See also Job 1:8-22)

When Job's trials finally ended, God richly blessed His faithful servant. Like Job, we, too, can trust our omnipotent Savior to guide us through times of agonizing anguish. Be encouraged by His words below:

"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried  ...be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."  (Rev. 2:10)

My first experience with the forces of darkness took me by surprise. In the spring of 1973, I had joined the new "Compassion Corps" at our evangelical church. My first assignment was to counsel Karen, a young woman with a three-month old baby. She had called the church for help and told the staff member that she was a Christian. She said she suffered from fear, anger and depression as well as mental and spiritual confusion. So the church office gave her my name and phone number.

When Karen called me, I felt utterly inadequate to help her. This distraught young woman had immersed her heart and soul in a satanic cult: a dark spiritual reality that was virtually unknown to most Christian churches. Unaware of the terrifying occult forces that had enveloped her, I invited her to come to my home later that week. I prayed that through my weakness God would show me His strength -- and His victory! 

Using my Bible and concordance, I began my study on angels and demons -- trusting that Satan's malicious trickery would not be an obstacle to God's power and protection.

Keep in mind...

Satan's lures have brought sickness, death, fear and confusion from the beginning of time. That spiritual darkness seemed to diminish during America's first centuries, but the tide has turned! Today's children  face an unthinkable flood of corrupt entertainment. Mind-changing movies, occult computer games, seductive books, and mesmerizing music are fast banishing the good and welcoming the evil!

A few days after her initial phone call, Karen and I were sitting in our kitchen and praying, asking our heavenly Counselor for guidance. He led us for the next seven hours as Karen shared her traumatic personal history, read Scriptures, extended forgiveness to all who had hurt and abused her, confessed her own sins as God brought them to mind, and then praised the God who had begun to heal her. Though she had not yet mentioned her occult connection, she left full of joy, God had indeed touched her, and her heart was singing.

The joy didn't last long. That evening she called me in a state of panic. Her home was in chaos. The baby was screaming, her husband was threatening suicide and she was terrified.

God then prompted me to ask if she had been involved in any occult activities in the past. "Yes," she answered. She was aware of the evil behind that dark seductive power that had been tormenting her.

I knew little about demonic oppression and spiritual bondage, but again God prompted me to ask some questions. First, had she kept any of the objects and symbols that still linked her to the cult?  We asked our Shepherd to help her remember, and she began to list all the objects and clothes in her house that had been used in ritual worship. We prayed that He would guide both Karen and her husband as they sought to do their part in cleansing their home of all occult connections.

When Karen called back the next day, she had completed her search and discarded all relics from her years of bondage. We thanked God, but my concern had deepened. Matthew 12:43-45 and other Scriptures suggested that she might face more battles before she would walk freely in God's victory. Remembering Mark 9:29, I suggested we fast for three days.

Andy, my wise husband, suggested I call our church for help. So I did. The only available pastor was supportive but could offer no advice. He prayed that God would lead me, and we both trusted that He would. Meanwhile I continued in prayer, study and fasting.

Some hours later, the phone rang. A woman I barely remembered meeting at a Christmas gathering introduced herself. She told me that God had prompted her to call me with some advice. She had found my name and phone number on an old Christmas list. A bit skeptical at first, I listened, praying that God would guard me against deception.

"Open your Bible to the blank pages in the back and write down these instructions," she said. "You need to know how to lead someone through deliverance." 

How did she know about Karen?  Neither Andy nor I had told anyone other than our associate pastor. When I told her about my need, she shared my awe at God's amazing ways.

Following her instructions, I wrote three pages of notes. Then we prayed together, and she added an interesting comment. "If you are fasting," she said, "drink juice as well as water. You will need it."

Wow. That was good news. Half a day after starting the fast, I had felt waves of nausea.  God knew something I didn't at that moment: I was pregnant with our third son and desperately needed something more than water in my stomach.

Three days later, on a Thursday, God led us through the steps He had given me through the insightful woman. This time, Karen left my kitchen with the certain knowledge that God was her Savior, King, Lord and Shepherd.

But Karen's battle was still not over. That Sunday night, Dr. Dick Hillis, then the General Director of Overseas Crusades International (OCI) -- spoke at our church. By God's amazing plan and timing, he described the demonic oppression, possession and deliverance he had witnessed on the mission field from 1933 to 1961 in Asia. Then he stressed this warning:

I took God's words to heart. Karen had already memorized some key Scriptures in preparation for spiritual warfare. But we needed to discuss the Armor of God and make sure we were both covered by His protective life.

The next three days went well, but on the fourth night she called again. Her frightened voice exposed the intensity of her battle. When she tried to describe the scary, hideous demons that were pressing in through "the door" of her mind, I, too, could sense the dark presence of evil. Those images reminded me of the gruesome faces now popularized in today's corrupt, mind-changing movie and video entertainment.

Preparing for more nighttime calls, I put some bedding next to the dining room telephone and prayed for God's continual guidance.

By God's grace and power, she was "winning" the battle. Through the next few months, Karen learned how to resist her demonic oppressors through prayer and Scriptures. Hungry for His Word and presence, she grew fast in Christ and became strong in faith and spirit -- ready to fight the spiritual battles we all face in these challenging times. Christ had set her free, and within two years, she was teaching Bible studies and encouraging other women in their faith.