Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: And what, what seemed to be so innocent and, and so helpful.
Now you're full blown witch, Biblically speaking.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:00:17] Speaker A: Miranda Kellogg, welcome to the Code Red Studio.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:00:21] Speaker A: Well, we've been wanting to do this for a while and finally our schedules aligned and had all the parts in place to make it happen.
Your background is going to be intriguing for everybody. It's going to be scary for some. And so fair warning, if someone is preteen, teen, early teen years, that might be a good idea to watch this with a parent and process it together. The things we're going to talk about are very real.
And. But it can, it can be scary at times because it's so otherworldly and so there's no need to be scared. You know, greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. And probably one of the best ways to fight the enemy is to not be frightened, to, you know, make fun of him. He hates it. He hates it. But nevertheless, fair warning, that's where we're going in this conversation. Because early in your life, you experienced some trauma.
[00:01:32] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:33] Speaker A: And it was terrifying.
And immediately after that, looking for answers, looking for empowerment, you were introduced to what?
[00:01:45] Speaker B: To astrology, which is really the gateway into new age spirituality.
[00:01:51] Speaker A: How would you define astrology?
[00:01:54] Speaker B: I would define it as, you know, hidden knowledge, secret knowledge, almost like divination in a way, because you could use it to look into your future.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: And so you're looking at alignments of the stars.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah. So it's all about how from the moment you're born, from the time of your birth, the location of your birth, where the stars were located in the sky, and how that star alignment, then it tells you, based upon the alignment, what it is.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: And the ancient world, as silly as that sounds, you're looking to the stars and you're looking to the moon for your planting.
[00:02:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: You're planning out seed time and harvest based upon the cycles of the moon. You're figuring out when to go fishing. It affects the harvest of the water. So so many things that the ancients are looking to the sky for answers on navigation.
To them, and to many today, it probably seems like a logical step that maybe there's more there than just solar cycles and the obvious.
And looking for that information has been very seductive to mankind.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:03:24] Speaker A: And even though now knowing what we know, we can kind of laugh it off, roll our eyes at it, some very powerful people have dabbled in astrology.
I just finished, or almost finished with a book that talked about during the Civil War, when some of the most consequential decisions were being made, Mary Todd Lincoln would bring in astrologists and mediums to advise congressmen. And President Lincoln sat in on one of the seances and would be told things that were to him unbelievable that she had that knowledge.
Reagan, Nancy Reagan would plan the President's schedule based upon his star chart and would bring in these famous astrologers. So it's been around for a long time. And for a 14 year old who's been through trauma to be introduced into this world, how did it feel? Did it feel exciting, fun?
[00:04:38] Speaker B: Absolutely. It felt exciting, fun. It gave me empowerment.
I felt like I knew who I was, I was being defined by this information.
It definitely steered me further away from God because at this point, not looking to God for answers, I'm looking at my horoscope and at my star charts and I would use my family's computer to plug in my information on a website and it would be like 10 pages worth of information, very accurate. Some of it would be very accurate as well.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: So it, there was a, there was a sense of validation to it that you're, there's a purpose, there's a purpose.
[00:05:16] Speaker B: You felt like it was very real and true.
[00:05:19] Speaker A: And your friends, are they interested in the same things?
[00:05:23] Speaker B: Yeah, all my friends were interested in astrology. I probably got the deepest into it. I was probably the most intrigued and it definitely felt very innocent too. At that age we weren't trying to gain power, but we were looking for answers and we were growing and learning.
But it definitely got to the point where I would be looking up my friends information, their star chart and if they had any crushes on any little boys, looking up their star chart and kind of seeing how things go. And it can be very manipulative in that sense as well. If you're reading about someone's what you think is their true attributes and how they view things, you can then kind of manipulate a little bit how you talk to them and things like that. So when you're young, I think it's very risky.
[00:06:13] Speaker A: So you.
And at that point in time there weren't any bookstores that would provide information or guidance.
[00:06:21] Speaker B: No, I mean I got all my information through the Internet later on, you know, it was years went down the road. Books were, you know, available at least at Barnes and Noble. At least when I could drive at 16, I could actually drive places and get books, which I did.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: And I point that out because parents, we, at least my generation would look around a kid's room and assume we would see signs of things they're dabbling in. But if it's all online, this can be happening right under your own roof. And what we know now is inviting a very evil spirit that has thoughts, plans, intentions toward your child, your family, into what's supposed to be the safest place in the world.
And so we encourage parents to do what they can without just completely violating the child's privacy, you know, good conversations and allowing them to say what they're thinking without shooting down everything. And totally getting aware of what's going on in a child's life is so important.
So as this is happening and you're learning more, going deeper into that world, drugs began to be introduced as well.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: Yeah, once you're opening your mind to astrology and this other type of knowledge, everything else seems a little bit more intriguing. Started smoking marijuana, which was opening myself up even more later on to dabbling with hallucinogens as well, as were all of my friends in my circle. It seemed very normal at the time at school. It wasn't something, you know, crazy, at least I didn't think so.
[00:08:19] Speaker A: And you, you weren't considered a bad kid or any of those things?
[00:08:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I just was somewhat obedient at the time. I definitely got a rebellious spirit. Spirit. As I was smoking marijuana and dabbling into drugs, I definitely got more rebellious. But I would say most of this went right under my parents noses. I mean, they didn't know what I was doing on the computer. You know, it just was very, you know, I could go, yeah.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: So you, you were in, in the, the trips that you had? Yeah, for the most part, they were just interesting, fun type experiences.
[00:08:57] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely opened me up to spirituality in a sense where it's a different world you're experiencing when you're under hallucinogens. The trees are different, the sun, the moon, the stars, the plants, everything is beautiful and pulsing and it's, I mean, it's really just a deception because you're opening yourself up to the spirit realm and there's no boundaries. Anything can come through. And for the most part, it started out very innocent and fun.
But I did have one, one trip in particular was at a music festival actually. And I had taken too much.
I think it was LSD at the time. And I did lose myself there in that trip. And it did get scary. And that's when I started to think, okay, maybe this stuff isn't just fun and innocent. You know, you start to question like, what if I'm never normal again? You Know, and getting actually scared. And I witnessed this happening to a few of my other friends as well, throughout my life of having bad experiences with drugs. And it really does shake you up a little bit. But it does, it just opens you up, but it opens you up in the same time.
[00:10:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Don't know. Gatekeeper is.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Anything can get in.
[00:10:17] Speaker B: Anything can get in. And once those doors are open, they don't close on their own.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: And the word for witchcraft is a word that means pharmaceuticals. It's the same root word, pharmacia.
[00:10:32] Speaker B: Right.
[00:10:33] Speaker A: Yeah. And so you've got this ancient practice, whether you go to the oracles in Greece or the, the Mayans and Central and South America of, of incorporating hallucinogens, incorporating drugs into this attempt to connect with something bigger than. Bigger than ourselves.
[00:10:59] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: And then with a, with the end goal of manipulating that spirit. But that never happens. You don't manipulate something that's far more powerful than you are.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:12] Speaker A: So it kind of takes you down that hole.
[00:11:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:17] Speaker A: And the drug use is becoming more frequent.
[00:11:20] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:11:21] Speaker A: And at what point did you kind of decide, okay, I need, I need some help here?
[00:11:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I would say it definitely just progress progressed very deep.
I was partying, as all of my friends were at this time, and I had really just hit a place in my life where I hit rock bottom.
And that's when I knew that, like, I needed to get my life in order and I knew that something had to give. So I was around 24 years old at this point. I had, you know, at least 10 years of just partying non stop and just getting myself into more and more mess. And at this point I just decided to just cold turkey and just to get sober changed my life. I thought that's all I needed to do to change my life.
[00:12:14] Speaker A: It was just to stop, which is very dangerous.
[00:12:17] Speaker B: Very dangerous. Yeah.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: Oversight. And you at this point, had you met the lady from Peru?
[00:12:26] Speaker B: This was prior to me, actually. She was a big step into how deep I got into these drugs. Actually, I met her and when I was 20 years old.
[00:12:37] Speaker A: So at 20, you have a friendship with an ex boyfriend?
[00:12:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:43] Speaker A: And he. Did he say, I want you to talk to my grandma? Or like, how did that happen?
[00:12:48] Speaker B: Yeah, he. I think I was at a time where I was kind of figuring myself out or trying to. And he offered that his answer aunt was a witch in Peru, but that she was a good witch. And so I just trusted him and was like, okay, yeah, let's. I'll talk to her. She sounds interesting. At this Point. I had already dabbled in astrology and crystals and just seemed like the next step would be to talk to a psychic. And we he called her up. She did not speak any English, so it was just straight Spanish. And all I had to do was just say hola.
[00:13:26] Speaker A: Hi, my name is Zach Terry and I would like to personally invite you to join me on an unforgettable 12 day journey through the rich Christian history and the stunning landscapes of England and Scotland. We'll explore the heart of London, diving into its iconic landmarks and uncovering the incredible connection to the theological debates that shaped the Protestant Reformation. From Canterbury Cathedral to Stonehenge, every step of this journey will bring history to life.
Walk in the footsteps of the great reformers like John Bunyan, John Wesley and John Knox. Visit the very places where their faith was ignited. We'll even take time to soak in the natural beauty of God's creation with a cruise on Lake Windermere in the breathtaking Scottish Highlands.
From the historic streets of Edinburgh to the majestic Scottish castles, this journey blends history, faith and beauty in a way that you will not forget. Do not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to deepen your faith and experience the story of God's work in history. Reserve your spot today and let's make memories together. For more information, visit zacterry.com events.
[00:14:45] Speaker B: We he called her up, she did not speak any English, so it was just straight Spanish and all I had to do was just say hola. And from that moment I gave her consent to read my entire self and she could tell me my ex boyfriend was translating it all on a piece of paper and she could tell me what I looked like, very detailed of who I was hanging out with, what I did the night before, accurate information.
[00:15:15] Speaker A: And so this, this was your first encounter with someone who was all in.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:15:22] Speaker A: A functioning witch.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: At that point.
[00:15:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: And you kind of in awe of her, her powers?
[00:15:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:32] Speaker A: You get off the phone and do you want to get, follow in her footsteps or what?
[00:15:37] Speaker B: I was honestly, I was impressed by her. I was like, wow, this is a real thing. Like I want to do this, I want to learn how to do this. Because it seemed like, you know, I can't remember word for word what it was, but I remember feeling like it was going to help me what she told me or at least give me validation. So my intent was always to be able to like help myself and help.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: Other people in that world.
There's a sense that everyone can tap into it to a certain degree and then Some people are more naturally gifted in that so that they can tap into the. The psychic world or the deceased spirits or deceased loved ones, whatever it may be.
And you had a natural disposition toward it already?
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:34] Speaker A: Were those senses becoming more attuned with the use of the drugs?
[00:16:39] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah, definitely.
I would say that marijuana opens you up and then the hallucinogens, you're just wide open, you're sensitive, you're more intrigued by the supernatural because you're kind of dabbling in the supernatural at that point. So everything feels very normal.
Yeah. And then speaking to the psychic was just. I would just completely open. I gave her full consent to my energy, to my being, even though she was in Peru, just saying, you know, hola to hurt, gave her permission to myself.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: So from there, how did it progress?
[00:17:20] Speaker B: I would say from that moment, my life got very chaotic. I mean, the partying, the drug use got more and more. My relationship was just tumultuous.
Not long after I talked to her, I did encounter a sleep paralysis, which I didn't know what it was at the time.
[00:17:42] Speaker A: Explain that.
[00:17:44] Speaker B: So I was.
It happened in the middle of the night when I was sleeping and I was with my boyfriend at the time. We weren't Christian, so we lived together. And I woke up in the middle of the night and I was completely paralyzed and I could not breathe. I was essentially getting choked out and it was just evil filled the room, just absolutely unfathomable evil. And just I was so scared. And I remember looking over to him, trying to scream, and nothing would come out. And I used all my force to kind of sit up straight. And when I did my heart, I mean, I was just so freaked out. I woke him up and tried to calm down and ended up driving myself to the ER at 3:30 in the morning. And I was so scared, I was shaking. I thought I had a heart attack. I didn't know. I mean, I didn't have Internet on my phone. There's no way to search this stuff, stuff up. And then the ER was, you know, you didn't have a heart attack. They run all the tests on me. They diagnosed me with just anxiety. So that's what I thought I had at the time. And so.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: And then probably introduce drugs to help.
[00:18:56] Speaker B: With that, of course. So now I have anxiety. Now I have, you know, I'm mixing the alcohol because I was still partying and it was just. It was an absolute disaster.
And then I eventually lived that way for a few years and just.
I hit rock bottom and I was like, something's got to give. I've got to change. And that's when I decided to just cold turkey everything and to get off of everything very irresponsibly.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: We'll come back to the sleep paralysis. Because you had other experiences. How many would you say you had in all three? So you remember them vividly?
[00:19:34] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:19:36] Speaker A: So that's a common experience and it has been for history that when people deal with demons that this sort of thing tends to happen.
I'm not claiming to know why or what they're hoping to accomplish through this, but that sense of powerlessness and bondage that manifests in a very real way happens quite often to people who are in that world. So the drug use continues to escalate. You've got prescription drugs on top, alcohol more and more. Getting into the occult, even though at the time you didn't think of it that way, did you?
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Yeah, not at all. I just would consider myself just spiritual. I didn't know the term occult. I didn't know the term new age. I was just spiritual. And so when you're spiritual, you're into crystals and astrology and drugs and alcohol and just everything is accepted under that umbrella.
[00:20:39] Speaker A: And the crystals, what is the role of the crystal in that world?
[00:20:45] Speaker B: So in that world, crystals have certain healing powers to them. Certain crystals have certain healing powers to them. I was. I ended up becoming a crystal therapist certified, which sounds so crazy, but you learn all about the crystals and certain ones give you certain powers and they.
[00:21:08] Speaker A: So you would decorate with crystals?
[00:21:10] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I had crystals all over my home in my purse, and I keep them in my pocket in my car at all times. I had a crystal or two or three on me at all times.
[00:21:23] Speaker A: When things got rock bottom with the drugs, do you remember a moment in time where you said, I have got to get free from the effect of these drugs?
[00:21:38] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: Tell me about that.
[00:21:40] Speaker B: Yes, I actually.
I woke up one night just on my porch, and I had no way of how I got there. And it wasn't the first time something like that had happened. But I was like, I'm done. I'm done. I. You know, I'm starting to have these realizations that these friends of mine aren't the best of friends that are doing the same stuff, you know? And so I just knew I had to get out or I was going to die. It was really one of those moments. I had lost everything. I had lost my job. I'd lost my relationships.
So that was the moment where I was like, I have got to Change. And that pushed me.
[00:22:21] Speaker A: You're looking for help, you're looking for the exit. And it shouldn't be surprising to us now, but the enemy also offers help and hope in those moments as he masquerades as an angel of light.
[00:22:36] Speaker B: Total deception.
[00:22:37] Speaker A: And so what was that exit for you?
[00:22:39] Speaker B: So for me, getting my life together, I got a new job and I was surrounded by a whole group of new people. And I was working at a health store. And in the health store there was many women who were really deep into the occult and really deep into the new age and practices like that. And I was so weak when I met them. They really took me in and taught me a lot.
[00:23:06] Speaker A: People, people hear things in clips so often. So I want to take some time to just unpack this.
There can be a sense of certain environments that can, can foster the most godly decisions and also foster some really, really evil decisions. And for whatever reason that the holistic world, the health food world has been attractive to both. Some of the godliest people I've ever known that I would trust with anything have been in that world. And they're just very health conscious people.
And at the same time, it's been a strange bedfellow with this, this spread of the occult.
[00:23:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:56] Speaker A: And I think about Christ. Christ, you would see Christ on the mountaintop for the transfiguration, you would see him on a beach. But in the same way that same atmosphere can draw in, you'll see the new age movement flourishing in beach communities like ours and in mountains. And so it's just an observation, no real point to it beyond. Just be aware when you're in those settings, which direction is this, this community leaning?
[00:24:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:32] Speaker A: So that you're not unknowingly influenced by something evil.
[00:24:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:37] Speaker A: So you. But in yours was very clearly leaning toward the occult. Oh yeah, your co workers are encouraging.
How did those conversations go? Would you compare star charts or what does that look like?
[00:24:50] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. Astrology was like, you know, the very starter point of it. You know, at this point everyone had been practicing astrology for like years and years and years. Very easy stuff.
But yeah, we would talk about astrology. Talk about manifesting was very common topic.
The law of attraction was really big.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: That was around when the movie came out.
[00:25:20] Speaker B: Yes, right around the movie came out and everyone's like kind of learning all these practices at once. And these women really took me and they had already done all of this, you know, they're. I'm in my early 20s, they're like in their 50s and 60s, so they've been doing a lot of this for a long time.
[00:25:36] Speaker A: And so there's, that's a, that's another. So you've got the connection between naturopathic healing, holistic wellness, the self help world also has practices. And I don't mean this to say that everyone in that world is evil.
If you're talking about Zig Ziglar, he's been incredibly helpful to me.
Some of those guys are incredibly helpful. They have a lot to say that's, that could be good for you. But that world also can, can be a hiding place for the occult, manifesting the law of attraction, incantations and mantras, that you don't realize it at the time, but this is just plain witchcraft.
[00:26:32] Speaker B: It is plain witchcraft. Yeah.
[00:26:34] Speaker A: And so I would also say, because I know we're going to step into this a little bit, the yoga world, that on one hand, strengthening your body, becoming more flexible, even learning to have clarity of thought, those are all wonderful things and we're very in favor of that. But there can also be an element that has very clear connections to ancient practices, whether it's Hinduism or the occult. And I think innocently, so many people step into these things without eyes wide open, and the next thing they know, they're practicing occult practices and things are happening that they can't explain. You know, so from that world you're wanting to get free.
At what point were you introduced to the doctor that.
[00:27:42] Speaker B: So actually where I was working, I was, I was riddled with anxiety at this point. I was trying to get my life together. I found a little business card hanging up for a natural doctor in Jacksonville, about an hour away. And so I, I called her up and I was like, okay, I want to try this lady. All these other people in my workplace recommended her. And so I was like, okay, it made sense. And so I go out there. I'd never been to a doctor like this before. I mean, it was an old house in the middle of like an abandoned garden, overgrown, really wild. And I just remember like going into this house and she's barefoot, wearing a dress. And I just got this weird feeling. And I walked in, I said hey to her, and she shut the door and locked it behind me. And in my mind I was like, what if this woman kills me? And she said, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. Like anything. I thought she was answering and that's when I was like, oh, okay, she must be psychic. This is normal. Like, this is who I'm dealing with. And it didn't scare me because I had already had.
[00:28:49] Speaker A: That was your people.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: I already had my other psychic experience before, so it just seemed kind of normal and it was intriguing to me. And she got me on essential oils, teas, meditating, grounding, you know, all of those kind of self soothing, teaching me how to self soothe and help self heal. And some of those are good. But it's just when you get into meditation, it can be very dangerous because you're opening your mind. And again, when your mind is open, you have no way to control what comes in and out. And so I'm learning, I'm already in a fragile state now I'm learning how to open myself up even more through meditation that I didn't know really what to do.
[00:29:36] Speaker A: And Scripture teaches that we're to fill our minds with truth and that we meditate on scripture.
So in that sense, chewing on truth, returning to truth, memorizing scripture, being in a state of prayer perpetually of that unbroken conversation between you and the Lord, those are all good and godly things.
But the secular new age approach to meditation is, is emptying your mind, emptying out and keeping not a gatekeeper, everything's wide open to whatever spirit wants to invade at that point. And so you have your encounter with her. She's quite expensive as I recall.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: Yes, she charged me $75 every 15 minutes.
[00:30:34] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:30:34] Speaker B: So 10 years ago, a lot of overhead psychics.
Very much so. I mean, I couldn't keep seeing her. I probably saw her three times and was completely broke and didn't get much help. I learned a little bit, but, you know, learning how to meditate and learning, getting deeper into spirituality, I felt like I could kind of self sustain myself from what I learned from her.
And then being in the atmosphere of a health, an environment, health store of other women who did natural healing practices. And so I was able to just further my, my knowledge.
[00:31:13] Speaker A: And even then you're being introduced to the fact that this can be monetized.
[00:31:18] Speaker B: Oh yeah.
[00:31:19] Speaker A: You know, so someone who has special abilities, there's a market for that. Totally answering questions that people are seeking answers on. So when did that turn toward Reiki and stepping toward that world?
[00:31:37] Speaker B: So I would say probably a few years after learning all I need to learn about meditation and crystals and everything else, it was kind of like Reiki was the next step for me. I remember still during this time, even with meditating and the crystals and the affirmations and law of attraction, all those things, I was still riddled with anxiety. I was still so lost And I remember just like googling Reiki to see if there's anywhere near here, thinking that I would have to drive a while. And sure enough there was a place on the island and I was able to get in the very next day. And woman, very sweet.
[00:32:21] Speaker A: How would you define Reiki?
[00:32:23] Speaker B: Reiki is energy healing. So essentially you're tapping into life force energy from the universe. So the practitioner is taught how to basically siphon this energy through themselves and they channel it into the person, their clients, whatever you want to call them. And it's based off of a chakra system is the belief that there are seven energy centers in your body. And so when an energy center is out of balance, it can, it can cause physical issues, emotional issues, spiritual issues. That's the belief that the chakras. So with Reiki you give those, those chakra centered life force energy and it balances them out so you get into a balanced state After a session you're supposed to do.
[00:33:14] Speaker A: Did you go to Reiki healer?
[00:33:18] Speaker B: I did.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: For yourself to begin with, yeah.
[00:33:21] Speaker B: That's how it started. And it was amazing. I felt euphoric afterwards. I was on a high. Really. I was just like, this is so amazing. And it was very short lived because it's counterfeit healing. But I kept going back for more and more and then I was really inspired by it. This woman's making a lot of money. I think it was $80 a session and your session is maybe an hour or less.
So I was like, I need to learn how to do this for myself to save money. And I could make money, I could help other people. I was getting help from it.
[00:33:57] Speaker A: And at the time, again, this is in your, your perspective at that time. This is all good. Not only was it not evil.
[00:34:06] Speaker B: Oh, not at all.
[00:34:07] Speaker A: It was, you know, so, you know, as people are hearing this, we all know people who dabble in that world. We're not saying that those people are evil witches that try to destroy your life. That's not, they're probably not aware what they're dealing with.
[00:34:29] Speaker B: Yeah, these are some of the nicest, most caring people. You know, my Reiki practitioner was, I would say that I was at the time as well. I just wanted to really help myself and others. You know, I was just deceived. And these people who are into this, they're just very much deceived.
[00:34:48] Speaker A: So as you began to be trained in that world, that's when you, you were able to get more sensitive to what was happening around you and to have patterns that would allow you to get in a certain state.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:35:05] Speaker A: So explain that to us.
[00:35:07] Speaker B: Right, so during, like, the first training, there's several levels to being a Reiki practitioner. And at. I was a. At the top level, Reiki master. So each level was like a whole day's worth of training where they teach you how to see energy, feel energy, manipulate energy, protect your energy, and your. Actually, visually, you're seeing it with your own eyes, learning how to meditate. And when you're doing all of this, you're just opening yourself up more and more and more.
[00:35:38] Speaker A: And this is when you're in a session, you're seeing colors. Are you seeing. Is it like smoke, light? What does it look like?
[00:35:50] Speaker B: So when you begin your session with somebody, you would ask them what's going on? And they would just tell you. I would ask a series of questions.
How are your dreams? How's your love life? How was your anxiety? And by what they answer me, I could tell from there how their chakras were and if they were imbalanced or balanced. And I could see a.
If I got into a meditative state, I could see an energy field around them that it wasn't like I could just look at someone and see it for myself. I was trained to get into a meditative state, and that's how I could access that vantage point.
[00:36:34] Speaker A: In that meditative state, you would encounter personalities.
[00:36:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I could. Oh, yeah. I could see, like, during a Reiki session, I would be in a. Before I would even begin, I would have to put myself into a state. And we had symbols that we would use for the. The session crystals. And through that state, I was an complete open vessel, channeling in this life force energy. And that's where things would come through the sessions without me asking or trying certain angels or what I thought of. Angels, we know they're demons.
Past loved ones. From this person that I didn't know prior to working on them, a name would drop into my consciousness. So at the end of the session, I would, you know, write it all down. During the session, at the very end, I would have a piece of paper, and I would discuss it with my client, and they would just be in awe of the accurate information that I had.
[00:37:43] Speaker A: The main reason that I wrote Parenting in a Culture War is simply because that the world that I grew up in has changed. It's radically different than what we were equipped to talk about and to answer as young people back in the 80s and the 90s. Today, we're faced with things like the LGBTQ movement, the pride movement, that's seeking to take over our communities and even our churches.
And when our young people go into the world, whether it's through public school or college, whatever it may be, if we don't give them answers and a worldview to interpret things around them, they're going to be easy pickings for the enemy.
[00:38:35] Speaker B: Especially if I was referencing somebody who had passed away that they knew that I didn't know. I mean, but I was just so open, anything and everything would come through. And that's really how the demonic realm works. It gives you whatever you want.
[00:38:48] Speaker A: And what seemed to be so innocent and so helpful.
Now you're a full blown witch, biblically speaking.
[00:38:58] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:38:58] Speaker A: And so you're doing the same thing that the aunt in Peru had done.
[00:39:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:03] Speaker A: You're doing this regularly for other people.
It's a skill set that you're becoming better at. You're able to be more sensitive, gain more information as you practice it. And again, very empowering.
People that we've dealt with who have been priests in Santeria were converted to Christ and now they're pastors. They would say money was never a problem. I could ask the demon and he would always had plenty of money, never an issue. And now as a pastor, he was very poor. And so that's a tough sell to people when they're looking at it and saying, oh, when you were doing all these things, it seemed like you had it made. You could be around the people, you wanted all these things. And now that you're following Christ, you don't have the power, you don't have the wealth. And so you can see why a young person would be drawn to that world.
[00:40:13] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:40:14] Speaker A: You feel powerful, but there's always strings attached.
[00:40:17] Speaker B: There's always strings attached. Yeah.
[00:40:19] Speaker A: And so when did that start to become evident to you that this was. That these personalities you were encountering had devices and plans for you?
[00:40:31] Speaker B: You know, I, in a sense, in the back of my mind, I always, after a session with somebody, I would actually think about them and I would check on them the next day and I would almost check on them to make sure they were okay. Whether I wanted to admit it or not at the time, it's like I knew that, like something might have not have been okay. Like, I just knew instinctively like there could have been something more with this.
Because before I would begin a session, I would have to protect myself, and it was very important to protect yourself.
[00:41:10] Speaker A: What were you protecting yourself from?
[00:41:13] Speaker B: From this. From entities, dark spirits.
Because at this point, you're, you're working in the spirit realm. So, but which is okay, but you have the light. This is the belief system. You have the light and the dark. So when you're working in the spirit realm, you want just the light so you protect yourself from the dark. So that's what these meditations are.
[00:41:37] Speaker A: It's, it's a satanic version of good cop, bad cop.
[00:41:41] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:41:42] Speaker A: So they're, they're warning you you need to protect yourself. There's some bad spirits when they are actually the most deceptive and evil.
[00:41:51] Speaker B: Yeah, there is no white and dark.
[00:41:54] Speaker A: There's no good demons.
[00:41:55] Speaker B: Yeah, there's no good demons, but that's how you're sold. And so that's how, you know, my, my Reiki masters would tell me, and so I'd come to them, I was riddled with anxiety and I would, you know, it was really hard for me to really be around just average people because I, I was so sensitive to everything. I could tell what was going on within them, if they were anxious or whatever was going on. I picked up on it instantly. Some people would call that an empath, which is a very popular term right now.
[00:42:30] Speaker A: Numerology began to surface.
[00:42:33] Speaker B: Oh absolutely. Seeing the repeating numbers everywhere, which, that was happening to me pretty early on, even before I got into Reiki, you would see like 11:11 on the clock and then you would see it on a receipt paper, then you would see it on a license plate and you'd see it on a house. And it was just all day, every day. And so when you look up those numbers, they're called angel numbers.
And it's very mainstream, very popular, I mean, especially with the youth they know.
[00:43:04] Speaker A: Oh, it's all over TikTok, all over.
[00:43:06] Speaker B: Tik people, I see them all the time come through at work with little, little their necklaces will say 1111 on it. Or you know, they find this identity within these number sequences. And it's all so demonic. I mean, Satan doesn't care what you do as long as you're not looking to God. So you can look at numbers, you can look at crystals, Reiki, whatever. He doesn't care as long as you're not looking to God for answers.
[00:43:32] Speaker A: I think, and that is such a profound statement and such a good point, that, that even in religion, someone can become so self absorbed in a religion that they miss God. And Satan's fine with that. Absolutely. He doesn't mind if you are far from God in a nightclub or in a Sunday school class. He just wants you far from God.
And so as this continues, as it Progresses.
Were you aware that it wasn't going a good direction at this point?
[00:44:18] Speaker B: No, I was actually becoming more and more powerful. I always had it in the back of my mind, like, I needed to protect myself when I would do these things, but I just always got, you know, instant gratification when I would do those sessions with people, because it's a very real interaction that happens.
I've watched people walk that were injured, but it's counter.
[00:44:44] Speaker A: So healings would happen.
[00:44:46] Speaker B: Absolutely, yeah. Very real healings. I had two in particular, where a woman had injured her back and she couldn't walk without a cane. And so I came to her house and I brought my table over and did Reiki on her, and she popped up and could walk crying.
[00:45:04] Speaker A: At what point did you start to see, like, the shadows?
[00:45:09] Speaker B: And so during this time, as I was getting more and more opened, I was getting more and more anxious, and things were happening.
I started.
One of the ladies I used to work with at the health store, she was involved in Ayurvedic. She was an Ayurvedic practitioner, which is rooted in Hinduism. And so I got involved with her, and she was more of, like, a mentor for me for many years. And she was very proud of me for doing Reiki. And so she really was like, oh, you're doing so good. Keep going. And I was really into, like, herbal remedies and things like that, which is what she did. And so it started off very innocent, which is herbal remedies. And then she introduced me to a Hindu deity and got me working with this Hindu deity, and she assigned this creature, which is a fallen angel, which I didn't know at the time, but I would do mantras with a mala, which is a beaded necklace with a little tassel at the end. It's very popular right now. People wear them. But over 100 beads are on this necklace. And you would recite your mantra each time as you were holding the bead. And she assigned. She told me to do specific yoga poses for this deity as well. And this whole. The deity was to remove obstacles from your life. So not only was I a Reiki practitioner, did all the things, I'm now working with this deity as well. So I'm gaining more and more power. And things started getting really dark the moment I started kind of pulling away from this deity that I had been working with for a few months.
[00:47:00] Speaker A: What caused you to pull away?
[00:47:03] Speaker B: Well, ironically, I got my dream job. This career opened up for me. And like, this deity promises, you get whatever you want. Out remove obstacles for you. And so I get this opportunity for my business. And when that happened, I became very busy, very busy.
I no longer really had time to do my mantras, to do my yoga, to do all these, to serve this deity. And so as I was pulling away, it's when I started getting really, really demonically oppressed. I would have horrible nightmares, and they were always the worst when I was with my husband in bed. So I didn't want to sleep in bed with him because I was so scared. I would. I mean, just crippling nightmares, fearful of the nighttime. I would astral project on accident, which is where you come out of your body. So you'd be sleeping and you could look down and see yourself in the bed. And it's just absolutely, absolutely terrifying to experience that.
[00:48:16] Speaker A: But that's one of those things that are life goals for some of the people who practice these things. And you're doing it accidentally.
[00:48:23] Speaker B: I'm doing it accidentally, yeah. People who are into meditation and the new age spirituality, they strive to astral project. It's a very common practice.
So this was happening to me, which was very scary.
It got so bad to the point where I could no longer sleep with my husband. I was sleeping downstairs on the couch so that I could have all the lights on because I was absolutely terrified to fall asleep at night. And if I. Even if I just missed a couple days where I wasn't doing this mantra to this deity, I would get attacked. So immediately I would start doing my mantra again, and it kind of balanced out a little bit. And then I got busy again with work and I could no longer serve him.
[00:49:09] Speaker A: Were you did the shadows.
I want to hear about that because I haven't heard you talk about it.
[00:49:15] Speaker B: The shadows. So that was happening around this time. I had moved from sleeping upstairs in bed to downstairs. And that is something that I would see kind of constantly at night. And that's why I would sleep with all the lights on. And they are more of almost like a shadow blob that you see in your peripheral. Like you see something moving and you look over and it's gone. I would hear things falling in my kitchen. Like things would fall down. And this is in the middle of the night where all is at rest. And I was just being completely attacked by the spirit realm.
And at the time, I didn't really understand that this was what was going on. I just, you know, I would talk to my mentors or my mentor, which was my Reiki master, and my other mentor, which was the who did ayurvedic healing. And both of them just kind of told me that it was normal and that I was just becoming more and more enlightened. And I'm just shedding the shadow side of myself and. And I'm purging away the darkness. And it was very normalized. So I was like, okay, this is just kind of what my reality is.
But where things took a turn was I was getting ready for work one morning and I got on Instagram, and this one page, I started following. I had followed this girl for a while, and she started sharing about Jesus and.
[00:50:53] Speaker A: And this was someone from that world, from that. Who had been converted to Christ.
[00:50:57] Speaker B: Yes. And it was the first one I had ever heard of. And she didn't live here. She lived far away. She was like an Instagram friend. Huge following her business was New Age practices. She also served deities. She also did Reiki, did all the things that I was into, which is why I followed her. And I turned her on as I was getting ready for work. And she is just talking about how calling all these practices demonic and talking about how Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and just saying all these things. And I honestly just thought she had lost her mind. Just thinking that she was.
[00:51:38] Speaker A: None of this other stuff was weird.
[00:51:40] Speaker B: None of this.
[00:51:41] Speaker A: That was really wacko.
[00:51:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I really did. I felt bad. Bad for her, and I. But I couldn't shake it. And I kept thinking about, like, what if this is real? You know, I started having the gears turning a little bit thanks to her. And I went into work and I had a customer show up, and I would also follow them on the Internet. And she would always post Bible verses, which never made sense to me, but I would see him and I could see her. Life was great. She was peaceful. She had a great marriage, successful. The fruit was good. So I asked her, what church do you go to? Just out of curiosity. And she told me the church. It was like an online church that she watched on Sundays. And I just kind of remembered it and didn't really think much about it, but I was very kind of intrigued. And I just kind of gave God a little bit more thought. And I didn't really know Jesus at all, but I knew that he died on the cross. And I was just kind of. Of thinking more about it. And so that night I went home, you know, again, I had my second sleep paralysis. And it was very scary, a scary experience when that happened.
[00:53:03] Speaker A: Were you. Were you visualizing at that point? Or had that. Was that in your Third.
[00:53:09] Speaker B: So my third. Third was when I actually could perceive the beings. At this point, it was more so. I didn't know it was sleep paralysis either. I thought it was something else. But I woke up in the middle of the night, was getting choked. I was on the couch with all the lights on, and I just used all my force to sit up straight, and I felt the pressure leave. And I was just absolutely terrified.
Absolutely terrified. And I think at that moment was when I, you know, called out to the deity, the mantras, and I think I even maybe called out to God, too. I mean, I was surrounded by crystals. I couldn't understand why this was happening.
[00:53:52] Speaker A: You're kind of grabbing at straws, just.
[00:53:54] Speaker B: Trying to find help, trying to figure it out, because I knew it wasn't a nightmare. It was very. I had experienced it when I was younger, too, and it was the same thing, but even more intense.
[00:54:03] Speaker A: And with evil spirits, we've already said they always come as an angel of light.
It's not uncommon that they enter one's life after a traumatic experience.
The term familiar spirits is used in scripture in the sense that they come to you like family. They're there to help.
And I'm always concerned, even with things like invisible friends that little kids will have that could just be totally.
They're pretending they're making something up, or there could actually be something there. And so many of the people that I've ministered to who've come out of that world would refer to these beings that would visit them during difficult times in life and help get them through it.
But they always, always turn evil, and they have plans that they need you to carry out.
And so you're right on that verge. I mean, can you imagine if Christ had not have intervened, where that would have led? Yeah, I mean, it's getting more real. It's getting more consistent.
You're losing some control over it.
And right at that time, out of left field, comes a Bible verse or comes to somebody's testimony. And I think it was then that you talked to your parents and said, where's that Bible?
[00:55:44] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I saw my parents the next morning, and I remembered I had a little gold necklace when I was a little girl. And I asked my mom if she still had it, and she did. And she was so excited. Put it on my neck immediately. And I asked her if she had a Bible, which she did. She gave it to me.
So I was like, okay, let's try this out. And sure enough, I brought this into my home.
[00:56:12] Speaker A: Were you still practicing the mantras, probably.
[00:56:15] Speaker B: That day, I don't know, I definitely. Probably still was. Honestly, I meditated all day, every day at any opportunity I had. So I know I was still doing that. But now I had a Bible. So now I'm trying to use God and Jesus and I'm using all these other practices.
And that is one thing with the kingdom of darkness, it's a battle. It's complete battle. So as soon as I brought the Bible and the cross into my home, it was an absolute battle.
[00:56:45] Speaker A: Well, and, you know, the scripture says, you know, in the first of the ten commandments, that the Lord your God is one, have no other gods before him. Satan feels the same way.
[00:56:57] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:56:57] Speaker A: Satan does not want any competition. He wants to be the boss in his kingdom. And so suddenly, even in a small way, he was losing some ground.
[00:57:08] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:57:09] Speaker A: You know, at this point, we probably wouldn't say you were fully converted, but you were beginning to make steps in the right direction.
[00:57:17] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:57:17] Speaker A: And for lack of a better term, all hell is breaking loose around you.
[00:57:24] Speaker B: In my house, for sure.
My husband and I, you know, our relationship was struggling. We were fighting. We weren't seeing eye to eye. I definitely felt a little bit like our marriage was a little bit getting attacked.
A lot of things were falling apart. And that night I went to sleep, or tried to, with all the lights on, of course, with my Bible and my crystals and my cross necklace on, just surrounded, Just trying to go to sleep, but being so scared. And that is when I had my last experience with sleep paralysis. I woke up and completely paralyzed. And I could see at this point, I could perceive the beings on me. There were three of them. There was one on my neck, one on my chest, and one on my feet. And I was completely pinned down.
Just.
[00:58:18] Speaker A: Were you seeing, like, small beings or.
[00:58:20] Speaker B: Were you seeing large, big shadows? Like, big dark shadows? Like, not like a human figure, but just dark shadows, what I perceived it to be. But I was completely just getting choked out. And I used all my might to just sit up. And when I did, they were still on me. So I actually.
I got up and ran across the room, and when I did that, they fell off. I felt the release, and I just cried and bawled. And I was at this point, so I was so confused because I have my Bible, I have my cross on. Why is this happening to me?
The next morning, I'm telling my husband about it, and he's, you know, so confused. He doesn't understand. He wasn't in the world that I was in. He doesn't know how the demon, how the demonic worked. And I really had no Christians in my life to really help me understand any of this. Everyone in my life was a witch in the spirituality, or they were alcoholics and they didn't care about it. They had their own vices. So I was really very alone. And I just remembered, you know, he had gone surfing and I was by myself. And I remembered the girl coming into work and telling me what church she went to. And I was at my wit's end and I just remember Googling it and it popped up. And it was the very end of their service where the preacher was, you know, asking if anybody wants freedom, put your hands in the air and kind of led you through this prayer. And I just remember surrendering and just breaking down and just having this moment of like, God, help me, like, you have to. Like, I've tried everything.
And then shortly after that, I had probably the only friend, which was more of an acquaintance at that time, just randomly reached out, which we know God. Nothing's random.
She reached out, asked how I was doing, and I told her I was strengthening my relationship with God. And she was so excited. She's like, well, let's get on a call in a few hours to talk to me. And I was so excited to talk to her. I got off the phone. I had just had this moment with the Lord. She, you know, I'm talking to her. So then I. That's when I started to kind of, okay, let's. Let's figure this out. I started researching all the practices I was involved in, just really on YouTube.
Ex Reiki Master to Christ or New Age to Christ. All these things, all these texts, testimonies of all these people. And I'm starting to understand that what I was experiencing was sleep paralysis and that it's actually demonic and it's spiritual problem. And I'm just learning. The worst one ever that I learned was the crystals. The chakra healing, the meditation are all practices of the church of Satan. And so that I was just so sick to my stomach, I could not believe. I couldn't even. I mean, my intention through all of this was so pure and I had such a good heart. But even the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things. You can't just trust your heart. And here I was.
[01:01:46] Speaker A: Well, you had. And you had been used.
[01:01:49] Speaker B: You had been deceived, totally traumatized full on.
[01:01:53] Speaker A: And then brought into the ranks.
[01:01:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:01:57] Speaker A: To deceive others.
[01:01:59] Speaker B: Oh, and that was the worst. Knowing how far I had led Stray, you know, other people. But I just remember it came time to that call with my friend Becca, and she was like, hey, I'm about to call you. And I had already done went down the rabbit hole. And I told her, I said, hey, it's not a good time. I think I'm having spiritual warfare. I had just learned that word. And she goes, don't worry about it. I'm calling you. You don't have to say anything. And I was like, okay. And she called me and I put her on speaker. She's like, put me on speaker. And just starts praying over me, just with such authority. And she's like, what's going on with you? And she's like, what's going on? And I was explaining these sleep paralysis, what happened to me the night before. And she was like, go to your couch right now where you fell asleep. She's like, I want you on your couch right now. And she's praying over the couch. She's. We go upstairs, you know, she's on the phone on speaker, and I'm just like touching the walls and she's praying. And it was just this out of worldly. And I had experienced a lot in the new age and with Reiki and in the spirit realm, but this was like completely different. I mean, it was. I remember sitting on my couch and she's. And I'm sobbing like, I'm shaking and sobbing, like, full on disgusting, just sobbing. And she's praying and praying, and I just remember, like, putting my hands up and she's just praying over me. And she's like. She's like, God, grab her hands. I don't know what's going on with her hands. I'm going to like, tear up. And she's on the phone and she could tell that my hands were up. And she's like, God, take her. And I was sitting across from the window and it was overcast, and I'm just listening to her pray over me. And like the light shine through the clouds onto my face. It was just like peace filled my room. And it was the first time, I mean, since I was like 14 years old. I was just searching for this. And I just engulfed me.
And I just. I love Becca so much because she did this for me. She, you know, she explained everything in my. It was probably three hours. Three hours of this. And at the end she was like, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God? And came down and died on the cross and rose again three days later. And I was like, I do I do. And she's like, do you give your heart? And I was like, I do. And she had me repeat it. And I just felt it for the first time in my life, like, just gave it all to God. And she told me how repentance worked. And so I was repenting. I was renouncing all these things, which is what, what I hadn't done before, I didn't know about repentance. I didn't know. And so I repented and I did all these things.
[01:04:58] Speaker A: And were there, were, were there things in your home you got rid of that?
[01:05:04] Speaker B: As I got off the phone with her, I gutted my entire house. I mean, I had a whole healing room upstairs set up where I practiced Reiki, where I would take clients. I mean, I just gutted that entire room. Any crystal statue, Buddha, sage picture, all my Reiki certificates that I so proud of, I just threw them all away. I mean, I had four trash bags double bagged full of stuff, you know.
[01:05:35] Speaker A: In the Book of Acts. Same thing happened in Ephesus. When Paul goes through, preaches the gospel, the people turn from the occult to Christ and they burn their, their magic books. All of these, all of these trappings. Yes, they're not meaningless. They, they, they influence and they, yeah, you put your faith in them and that brings power, you know, from the darkness. And so in Cuba, when we would lead someone to Christ who had been in the Santeria religion, one night we, we had preached. A guy gave his life to Jesus. And the, the brothers of the church were also excited. And so the sun setting, and a, A pickup truck pulls up and they said, pastor Zach, you want to go with us? I'm like, where are you going? And they're like, to burn his altar.
And tell me about this.
So the guy has an altar, a Santeria altar, where he made sacrifices and worshiped demons. And as soon as they would give their life to Jesus, that had to go. And they knew it and they were glad to do it. Yeah, but so it was a, it was a fascinating thing to see. Okay, so.
And that's, that's what true repentance looks like. Yeah, it's. It's turning from darkness to light.
[01:07:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:07:02] Speaker A: And so what was the, what was the time frame from that to when we met and you came into First Baptist?
[01:07:11] Speaker B: Yeah, so I got saved in August 2021, and radical change. I mean, I was vegetarian for 15 years. I was vegan for the last few years. When I got saved, I started eating meat again.
[01:07:27] Speaker A: I started, praise God for that.
[01:07:30] Speaker B: I know Well, I started reading the Bible, and in Genesis, God says that, you know, humans, we have dominion over the animals. And how I started looking at everything so differently. I was so disappointed, deceived into thinking, you know, like, these animals are put here for us. Like, God provided them for us to nourish our body, you know, pray over them, thank them. And so my life was just changing, and it was so beautiful. I was sleeping in bed with my husband. Our relationship was restored.
So I. That was August 2021. I got baptized in December 2021. And then I tried.
Scott and I were on a church hunt for. It took a while to find you guys. Actually, y'all were the last church we walked into. We had tried eight different churches. And so I had.
[01:08:20] Speaker A: Coming out of that world, approaching a church.
[01:08:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:08:25] Speaker A: Did. Did you. Did you feel like you needed to find a church that got your background to some degree or kind of? What were you. What were you searching for?
[01:08:34] Speaker B: Absolutely, you know, I was just. I wanted to hear truth. I had been deceived for so long. I wanted to go into a church and hear the Bible and for what it is. I didn't want to hear people's interpretation of it. I had already done that in the New Age. I already knew all of that. So I was on a search. And I just felt like there are great churches around here and where we had looked, but I just. I could go. And I didn't feel convicted. I didn't feel like there's something missing. So we tried First Baptist. I was intimidated because it was so big.
[01:09:15] Speaker A: I was going to ask, was there a reason why we were last on your list?
[01:09:18] Speaker B: I know, no offense. I had never been into a Baptist church. I guess I was maybe being a little judgy. I didn't know what to expect, and it was so big. So I was like, I don't know. So let's try this church, the last one. And we pulled up and we walked in. Everyone was so nice and genuine, and I just felt like, okay. And we walked in, and you were preaching on hell and demons. And right then and there, I was like, finally. Finally I turned to Scott. I'm like, this is our church. He's speaking the truth. Like, he understands what I just gone through. And I hadn't really met anybody, especially any Christian, that understood me, really, any average person didn't understand me. And all my friends were still in New Age, so they cut me off immediately when I started, when I made my transition.
[01:10:13] Speaker A: Isn't that interesting? Because it can seem like such a Warm, affirming, accepting community until you turn to Christ. And suddenly that's the one thing they cannot tolerate.
[01:10:26] Speaker B: Exactly. It's all love and light until you mention Jesus and that fangs are on you. I mean, I lost everybody that was in my life. That was a new age.
[01:10:36] Speaker A: So you came into the church.
This story. Was that 21.
[01:10:42] Speaker B: This was in. In. Yeah, I. We had tried some churches. I don't know what month it was in 2021. Maybe in the spring or summer. We became members, I think in 2022.
Yeah.
[01:10:57] Speaker A: So we. You know, I've. I've watched you guys. Your business has flourished.
I know it's not always easy, but. But you've. You've been a huge asset to the community.
[01:11:09] Speaker B: Thank you.
[01:11:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Through your businesses and through your just presence in our church, you've been faithful. And this story is something you've considered telling before.
[01:11:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:11:23] Speaker A: And I think. Was it last year you tried.
[01:11:25] Speaker B: Yeah, last year I was supposed to be on a very big podcast, and I had so many technical difficulties to the point where it just didn't work out. I mean, and just so much spiritual warfare. And I really believed the lies I was hearing from the enemy, and it just totally didn't do it. But I've been wanting to share this story because I know I wanted to help other people, because all these practices are so mainstream right now. I mean, back when I was into them, you know, you had to drive an hour to get to the bookstore or to get the crystal or whatever you were using for these practices. And now you can walk into TJ Maxx and find crystals and find books and all this stuff. I mean, it's everywhere. Bell's Outlet. I mean, these are on the island, and it's easily accessed for these kids. And that's when it. You know, they're the most sensitive when.
[01:12:18] Speaker A: They'Re young, when they're children, and that when it's monetized. You know, I think about Paul and his journeys. It would be those who built the idols that. That would try to take his life because he was threatening their livelihood.
And that's part of it. If Jesus moves in, then if you've built your world around those practices, it's going to cost you.
Simultaneously, you're going to be dealing with the demons.
[01:12:52] Speaker B: And that's the scary part, you know, and honestly, God. God is just all glory to him. He's so amazing. How he worked in my life and how all the p. All the pieces came together. But I don't think that if I would have experienced that demonic realm if I would have converted, because that's what made it real to me.
[01:13:14] Speaker A: Right.
[01:13:14] Speaker B: You know, it's like the Bible said, God uses everything for his. All things work together, you know, and because I was making money, I was powerful doing all these things, I had to step away from that and humble myself.
And really, I know I lost everybody. People still call me crazy because now I'm a Jesus freak and I don't care. I don't care. It's undeniable what God has done in my life and restored me.
[01:13:45] Speaker A: It's so awesome the influence that you have over the girls at work, at your business.
[01:13:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:13:53] Speaker A: You run the Go Juice.
[01:13:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:13:55] Speaker A: On the island. And then next door is your husband's surf shop.
[01:13:59] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:14:00] Speaker A: And so the coolest little shop. So I want to say first of all to anybody watching, thank you. Go check them out. Our girls love the, the juice. The juice bar.
We went in and did like all of our stocking shopping in the, in the surf shop. So Julie had been many times this first time I been in there and so I'm like, oh, I love it. You know, and so just the influence that you have, you've got these young girls that are looking to you for direction. And you didn't have that at the time. You didn't have a Christian person.
[01:14:31] Speaker B: I didn't.
[01:14:32] Speaker A: That they could look up to and say, you know, I bring questions to or whatever it might be.
But you're giving that to the next generation.
[01:14:41] Speaker B: Yeah. And.
[01:14:42] Speaker A: And so I think we're going to see a lot of warriors for Christ come out of this story and come out of your influence in the years ahead. What would you say to parents who, as they've listened to this, they go, okay, I've seen some of these things in my kids world.
Should they let it go or should they be concerned?
[01:15:08] Speaker B: They should be absolutely concerned. And I would just nip it in the butt right away. And, you know, talk scripture over these kids too. You know, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. That one is such a powerful thing. He is the way. He is the truth. You know, all these practices are lies and deception and you know, remind them of the scripture in Deuteronomy. It says not to seek spiritualist and don't look at the stars for counsel. You know, all these things, you know, and I think if I would have had that, I could have been like, oh, God condemns this, you know.
[01:15:53] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, and you have access to the one who made those stars.
[01:15:57] Speaker B: Right. You know, why worship the Creation when you have the creator.
[01:16:03] Speaker A: I would encourage, I've always told parents, if you found meth in your kid's bedroom, most of us would absolutely freak out. Right. And destroy it. And the kid would note to self, you know, this is a horrible thing. You know, it would have an effect on them.
But when we see our children dabbling in something like the occult, we always want to approach it as well. It's just innocent. I don't want to make a big deal about it. Sometimes the reaction reveals what level of danger it is. And so if you've seen these things in your kid's bedroom or their car, whatever, immediately get engaged with that. Talk to them. Get this out of your home.
[01:17:01] Speaker B: Get it out of your home. Yeah. Because it'll cause issues in that entire household.
[01:17:05] Speaker A: Right. And you have authority as parents to the demon. They do work on a system of open doors and allowances. And as a dad, as a mom, you have authority over the space. And that I don't have if I'm an outsider. You've got the authority. You've got to, you can say what goes there. And you know, we, from an early age, we would over our kids, we would pray for them. We would let Satan know he's not welcome.
[01:17:38] Speaker B: Yes.
[01:17:39] Speaker A: He has no place. This is, this is dedicated to the Lord.
[01:17:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:17:42] Speaker A: And he has no, no rights here.
[01:17:44] Speaker B: And I recommend all parents do that. Pray over their kids and talk to, to their kids and remind them of all these scriptures. You're fearfully and wonderfully made. You know, you're the chosen one. You know God, you're a child of God. And even when you look at just comparing the fruits of the new age and all this stuff, I mean, there's so much stuff. I mean, I spent thousands of dollars on this stuff. In Christianity, all you need is Jesus. It's free. I mean, spend thousands of dollars being a Christian. He paid the price, right?
[01:18:15] Speaker A: He paid the price. And it's a gift to us.
And it's. The second thing I would say is not only eliminate those things from your home, but cultivate a very real walk with the Lord so that when you pray, God answers your prayer, you see results.
Share those with your kids. Let them see that it's not about gaining power for yourself, but it's about being connected to the one who has the power ultimately. And let them see that instinct, that drive to want to connect with something metaphysical, something beyond themselves.
Make sure that your walk and your faith is not just black ink on white paper, but it's living and active and powerful in your life.
[01:19:09] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[01:19:10] Speaker A: So, Miranda, I can't thank you enough for coming in, doing this.
[01:19:13] Speaker B: Thank you.
[01:19:14] Speaker A: You've done a fantastic job communicating your background, your story, and maybe let's close with prayer.
[01:19:20] Speaker B: I love that.
[01:19:21] Speaker A: Father, we just bow before you and thank you, Lord, that you are a deliverer. You are the way, the truth, and the life. Lord Jesus, today we just again celebrate the fact that you have complete victory over the powers of darkness. That a day is coming when Satan and all of his demons will be cast into hell. And until then, may we fight the good fight here on this earth and cover ourselves in your armor and wield the sword of truth, all for the good of the Lord Jesus Christ and his glory. And it's in his name we pray. Amen.
[01:20:05] Speaker B: Amen.
[01:20:07] Speaker A: Thank you.
[01:20:07] Speaker B: Thank you.
[01:20:15] Speaker A: My name is Zack Terry and I am the host of Code Red, where we bring you to the epicenter of some of the most urgent conversations happening around the world regarding the Christian faith and the marketplace of ideas. Never miss an episode by subscribing in your favorite podcast app or by visiting CodeRedTalk.com while you are there, be sure to leave a review and share the content you find with the people in your circle of influence. This is Code Red.
