From Spiritualism to Christianity: A Story of God's Power and Deliverance

Charlotte shares her testimony of how God opened her eyes and called her out of darkness to His marvellous light, from the power of Satan to God.

GROWING UP IN A HOME WITHOUT GOD

I believed in God as a child. My family did not. We never went to church or even spoke of Jesus. My belief must have come from the primary school I attended. I remember learning about God, singing hymns, and praying. Whenever I would get into trouble as a child, I would tearfully ask my mother if God was watching. My childhood was difficult at best.

There was lots of pain, chaos, and bullying from family members and at school. All the adults in my life had been abused in one way or another. So the cycle of abuse continued, and we were in the firing line.

Around the age of 10, my father decided I was too old to be believing in God, and said I needed to question my faith and become more scientific. So I did, and he succeeded. I became just like him, believing in nothing.

Witchcraft, spiritualism, new age, and secrets were a big part of my mother's side of the family. They tried to involve me, but thankfully I did not entertain it for too long. We were surrounded by false idols and idolatry. My mother's mother and auntie were captivated by the mysticism and mythology of ancient Egyptian deities, and the pagan idol: the green man. Everywhere you looked, the wall, the floor, the ceilings, there was some kind of homage to a deity.

I was always around it growing up. At the age of 13, I was introduced to Tarot cards. My family wanted to teach me how to read them. My grandmother used to get paid for reading Tarot cards. And she’d also join secret meetings in the village. They never really spoke too much about it.

Amongst the chaos of that home, there was a tiny, fabricated box filled with Bible scrolls. I became fascinated with this beautiful and frankly out of place little box. Over the years I began to rely on the wisdom in those tiny scrolls. Each one I picked seemed to always perfectly fit the circumstance or mood I so happened to be in.

DARKNESS CONTINUED IN TEENAGE YEARS

In my early teenage years my parents broke up, and my father suffered a nervous breakdown. I became his support. Not fully understanding what was happening, we lost the house and were forced into hostels.

My father never really recovered. As I got older, I learned that my mother and father would take drugs together, and my father soon introduced me to this world. It became a way for us to cope with pain and rejection. Depression and anxiety set in. I sought validation and acceptance from people that could never give it, and found only people who saw my need and used it against me. Drugs and alcohol kept me numb. I walked around with a God-shaped hole in my heart, but never knew it.

My mother’s side of the family started to die off: my mother, grandmother, grandfather. This is where it gets really dark. There's a lot of suffering and death on my mother's side of the family. Over a 10-year period, they all succumbed to a very aggressive form of cancer.

Around the age of 18-19, I was living with my father. My addictions got worse, my depression became darker, my anxiety almost uncontrollable.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD'S LOVE

One night I was high and alone, filled with shame, panic, and fear. I tried to distract myself from how I was feeling, but nothing was working. So I turned the TV on and landed on a preacher who spoke of God's love and mercy. I can’t put into words the beauty of God’s love, and that just pierced through everything that I was feeling. Instantly, my fear was gone. Calm settled over me supernaturally.

I turned the channel over to test this theory. The panic returned immediately. Even after this beautiful demonstration of God's love and grace, I still walked my own path.

ADDICTIONS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY

I went from being very depressed (I used to suffer horrific depressions), anxious, and addicted, to the point where my depressions used to get so bad that I couldn't move from where I was sitting. I couldn't look after myself. The only reason I would get up and move was for the dog. So I'd sit in a dark room for weeks on end on my phone, which is another trick from the enemy. And I was drinking myself to death. I was so lost. Everything that I did was fake. The drinking was a fake happiness. The drugs were a fake happiness. Shopping was a fake happiness.

COVID IMPACT - WONDERING WHAT HAPPENS IN THE WORLD

After some years of fighting my addictions, I somehow managed to walk away from the drug use, but I used alcohol to take its place. When Covid hit, my workplace decided I was an at-risk employee due to mild asthma. We were told we would receive full pay for 6 weeks, but we could not work during this time. As you can imagine, I did not protest too much. In the end we were off work for over a year. Reality set in; I couldn't go anywhere, do anything, or see anyone. Any interactions with others were strange and fear-filled. For a long time, I felt something was strange and odd in this world. Things never really made sense. Our world is getting darker and more confusing, and yet no one was really talking about it.

A SUDDEN REALIZATION

During Covid (2021) was the perfect time to seek answers. I fell into conspiracy theories, and after years of research the veil was lifted. One morning, a small but firm voice came within and said, “If the devil exists, then God must also.” A switch flipped my ‘’Aha’’ moment.

I felt relief, absolute relief, when that little voice said that God must exist. I felt relief because I went through a dark time. I nearly lost my mind; it was bad, horrific.

SEARCHING FOR GOD

My research turned to God immediately. I became obsessed with Him. Every piece of literature, videos, and all studies brought me to the truth. Over and over again, the Holy Spirit guided me to the true day of the Sabbath, why God says not to consume certain foods, Sunday being the 1st day of the week, etc. The revelations kept coming.

SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT CHURCH

Armed with this, I began my search for the right church, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church popped up immediately.

I typed in which denomination celebrates the Sabbath on a Saturday, and Seventh-day Adventist Church came up. Then I looked to find what's the nearest church, and that's when I contacted the Pastor in a bit of a panic. I just spilled my guts and said, I've done all this research about the devil. I know he exists. And then I've done all this research about God. And he confirmed my new-found truth and beliefs.

GOD AND THE ENEMY FIGHTING OVER MY SOUL

When I came to God, the evil presence began troubling me at home. Also, unfortunately, my drinking continued, and now I had a real target on my back from the enemy. I became so ashamed of my drinking. I allowed it to create a massive divide between myself and God. Pulling away from Him in my mind was the only option, and things spiralled rapidly.

But something had shifted since the revelations and guidance from the Holy Spirit: I couldn't stop thinking about God. He was always at the forefront of my mind. Unconsciously for a while, I was making the decision to trust Him, and by then I decided to pour the alcohol I had left down the sink and said, ‘’God, this is it! I trust you! Please help me!’’ Naturally, I was expecting some illness to follow, cutting my alcohol intake off. But nothing arrived. A craving would come along, and immediately I'd ask Jesus to help me. The craving went. In an instant.

GOD'S DELIVERANCE IN MY LIFE

I was addicted to drugs and alcohol for a long time and had a God-shaped hole in my heart. I believed the lies of the enemy about me in this world and walked in total darkness. I was lost, lonely, and always seeking something. But I didn’t know what I was seeking, because in my mind God didn't exist. So this hole that I had, I'd fill it with drugs and alcohol. I’d fill it with relationships. But there was still something missing.

Today I am completely sober because of God’s love, His grace, and His forgiveness. Everything makes sense now. He has shown me the light and the truth. He has saved my life, over and over again. I know love now, the love of God!

Now I have joy! I know peace! I know truth! It's such a turn, such a turnaround! I struggle to put into words how amazing the transformation is and what He's done for me. He saved me many times, over and over!

In present, Charlotte has ongoing Bible Studies in preparation for her baptism. She has decided to commit her heart and life to her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is her story, testifying of God’s love, mercy and power to save her from the power of darkness.