28 December, 2003

Dear Children,

Now as much as I hate to say it, the title of today's sermonet is not The Demons Of Cristo Rey And The City Of El Paso, Texas! (1/25/04) as I had originally planned, but instead "A Christian Marriage Outside The Law!" Because it was shortly after our last sermonet of Charles Nieman's 'Abundant Living Faith' Is Dead! (7/27/03) that all Hell kinda like broke loose in the Hallman family concerning my lovely new wife Sandy. And seeing how I was waiting for the proper time to introduce her, God says that proper time has finally arrived. You see God has destined that Sandy and I be "as one" in the FMHCCI Ministry, but Satan is doing all within his power to split us apart. The battle has become very intense to say the least, and the time has come to pull out the heavy artillery.

So are you ready for this one? Well I hope so, because what the Lord has given us to say in this message, will, without a doubt, fly directly in the face of the apostate church world of today. In other words we're gonna make a whole lot of so-called "Christians" very angry by telling the Truth about "The Living God" Who wants each and every individual to not only hear Him but also obey Him, at all cost, and regardless of whatever the "legalistic church" world might think. Because reading from John chapter 10 verse 14 and 27 we find the Words of Jesus when He said: "I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine...My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

Now when it comes to God's "Salvation Process", the most important thing a person can do - after having accepted Jesus' "Perfect Blood Sacrifice" as payment for their sins - is to just "hear God and obey God in all things"...just as Proverbs 3:5-8 warns us to do: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

In other words it's the responsibility of the Christian to not let anything get in the way when it comes to their being obedient to the Heavenly Father! Through faith in "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" the Christian has the Power needed to overcome all "sin nature" within them, but they can only be "overcomers in Christ" by obeying God's Word as He specifically directs His Word to them:

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:11-13)

Because when it comes to the church world of today, it's this thing about a Believer "not being controlled (born) by the desires of man" which also includes the Believer "not being controlled (born) by the desires of men or women in the church", whether it be those in the congregation or the pastor himself. I mean it's right about the time that we as Christians start "blindly" obeying "what thus saith the Brethren" that we can fall into a very deep pit called "legalism"...which is so accurately defined as "a strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code in such a way that free choice is restricted." In other words legalism is when the word of "Christian man" tries to stop the Believer from obeying the Word of God.

Legalism

Legalism, what an ugly word! In fact let me give you a good example of the way it works, and let me do it through the actions of the one (Satan) who originally designed it: "Then the devil taketh him [Jesus] up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Matthew 4:5-7)

Now if you care to look it up you'll find that the words Satan was using to tempt Jesus with was none other than the Words of God as found in Psalm 91:11-12. Satan was using God's very own Words in his efforts to get Jesus to commit a sin which would therefore destroy all hopes of Him saving a world full of sinners from the everlasting fires of Hell. In other words Satan tried to be legalistic with Jesus. He tried to use God's Word as law. However, after Jesus said "It is written again" He quoted yet another Scripture to show that the one Satan had quoted did not apply to Him in that particular situation. So you see legalism could have destroyed our opportunity for salvation way back then with Jesus...and it can still destroy our opportunity for salvation even today!

Sandra Lee Smith

And, having said all that, let's continue on with the sermonet of today "A Christian Marriage Outside The Law!" Because it was on the 12th of September, 2003, that I met Sandra (Sandy) Lee Smith through a brother in Christ who was at the time giving me shelter in his home. I was "homeless for Jesus", and through this act of obedience I met my lovely wife-to-be!

However, let's not get ahead of the story. Because it was at the time of our first meeting that the only attraction I had for Sandy was that of a "Brother in Christ" trying to help untangle the mind of a dear sweet Christian Sister who had been bound-up in the chains of legalistic religion. Without a doubt, Sandy loved the Lord but she had gotten to the place where she was no longer successfully "hearing God and obeying God in all things". Sandy was in one more messed-up condition, and Father God wanted me to help her get back on track for the Lord!

Well for the next seven days that's exactly what I did. Sandy and I spent lots of time together as she poured out her heart to me. She found great comfort in the fact that I understood her situation of not being able to "relate" to many other Christians. In fact most other Christians would tell her - in a legalistic sort of way might I add - that the things she was "hearing from God" were not at all actually from God... and they would even use the Scriptures to try and prove it! And you see the reason I could so readily identify with Sandy's situation of "not being understood" is because, just like her, I too am a prophet.

So Sandy and I fellowshipped and prayed together in One Spirit, talking about the many and varied "crazy things" that we'd both been called to do as prophets. And it was during this time together, working for the Lord (we even had the opportunity to conduct two deliverances in families concerning witchcraft), that my Heavenly Father put a spiritual love in me for Sandy that was straight from Throne of God (I didn't ask for it but He sure did give it to me). That's the way it went for one full week, then on the morning of the 19th Father God "dropped the bomb" by informing me that He had chosen Sandy for me and me for Sandy...and that we were to become man and wife!

She's The One

Now you'll just have to believe me when I say that after my last wife of 25 years, who likewise divorced me for being "Fool Crazy For Jesus!" (see sermonet Fool Crazy! (4/27/97), I was not any too crazy about getting married again. I had already had enough of it, and had even gone to the point of telling the Father that I wasn't about to get married again unless He first Personally pointed His Finger at my new "wife-to-be" and told me that she was the one that He had chosen.

Well Father God didn't do exactly that, but then again He didn't miss it by much. Because you see over the past few years my Heavenly Father has sent prophets to encourage me with a Word that He was going to give me a wife who would not only love me "in Christ" but also be the wife that I needed in order for me to carry-out the purpose of the FMH Children's Club International. But anyway, it was the final combination of Father God filling me with His Spirit to love Sandy and then telling me that I was to marry her that made this thing about getting married a done deal.

I knew that I knew that I knew that Sandy was to be my next wife, and on the 19th of September I informed her of what the Father had instructed me to do by asking her to be my wife. Well Sandy confirmed that the Lord had been showing her the same thing, however, I cautiously went on to say that I had a very sneaky suspicion Father God was going to have us "become as one" in such a way that might be "normal" for two prophets but very "abnormal" for the rest of the church world. In fact I somehow felt that our marriage was going to be used as a testimony to help others escape the entrapment of legalism in the Christian church. (See "5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License" for more.)

Go Marry A Wife Of Whoredoms

Now before we go any further with our real-life story, let me first give you another real good example of "A Christian Marriage Outside The Law!" from the book of Hosea chapter 1 verses 1-3:

"The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take thee a wife of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, [departing] from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim..."

So what do you think about that? Well in order to get the full impact of that short little Scripture we first need to do a little digging, and why not start with this fellow named Hosea.

Hosea was a prophet whose name means "salvation". Now as it turns out, the "wild and crazy" thing that Father God had chosen Prophet Hosea to do was to "Go, take thee a wife of whoredoms!"...and the reason that Father God did this was so that the nation of Israel could "see it with their own eyes" the real-life adventure that was happening between God's chosen people (Israel) and God Himself. Hosea played the part of God (Savior) and Gomer played the part of Israel (whore). Because in reality, when God called and married the nation of Israel (chose them for His very own) she (the nation of Israel) was nothing but a woman prostituting herself with other gods (a whore).

Now, even though we wont cover all the Scripture today, the way the story turns out is that, after their marriage, Gomer has three kids by Hosea and then heads on back out into her "wild and wicked ways" of whoredom. What a kicker! However, after this unthinkable dirty deed takes place, Father God goes on to command Hosea to "buy her back" again as his wife, and make a contract with her so that she would never go back to her former lovers (gods). So you see the experience that Hosea had to "live out" was used not only to show Israel her wicked ways but also teach her that she must turn away from her other gods and come back to the One and Only True God.

Laws Against Whoredom

Heart-breaking story, right? Poor Hosea, how much he must have suffered! But do we really understand the suffering that Prophet Hosea endured...especially the suffering that he endured from the church? Well, just in case you didn't know it, a "wife of whoredoms" was something that the church did not tolerate...it was law!

"Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness." (Leviticus 19:29)

So when it comes to the part about God commanding Hosea to "Go, take thee a wife of whoredoms!", just how do you think Hosea felt when he thought back on this law? What would the church say? I mean, after all, Father God forbade the Israelites to allow their daughters to become prostitutes because it was the heathen custom, way back then, to use this sinful act as a form of worship to the heathen gods. The female would sell her body for sex and then offer the money received to the heathen idols (gods). How disgusting!

Then there's yet another law concerning whoredom that was put in place in order to help everyone understand what God means by the word "holy". Even though this law was directed at the priest it really shows what is necessary for all who're striving to be holy for God: "They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God." (Leviticus 21:7)

And while we're on the subject of priest, this law was concerning the daughters of the priest if they choose to become a whore (their bodies were to be burned after having first been stoned): "And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire." (Leviticus 21:8)

Now even though that particular law applied to the priest and their "daughters of whoredom", God's law for the common people was just short of the fire: "But if this thing be true, [and the tokens of] virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put away evil from among you." (Deuteronomy 22:20-21)

You see the death penalty was commanded by God for any daughters of the nation of Israel committing "sex outside of marriage", because it was one of Satan's strongest means of receiving the worship of God's chosen people: "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God." (Deuteronomy 23:17-18)

And just to firm-up what the law has already said, Proverbs 23:26-28 goes on to finalize it with: "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. For a whore [is] a deep ditch; and a strange woman [is] a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as [for] a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men."

Going Against The Law

Now, without a doubt, I think we can all agree that marrying a whore is not the thing for a child of God to do! God's law commands that "You shall not tolerate a whore of the daughters of Israel to live!"... but yet He tells Prophet Hosea (who loves the Lord) to "Go and marry a whore!" You see God went against His own law in order to prove a point to His beloved nation of Israel. In other words, our relationship with the father is very personal indeed, and when it comes to the sheep (believing Christian) following the Shepherd (Father God), we all, just as Prophet Hosea, had better make sure that we not only hear God but also obey God regardless of what the "law loving legalistic church world" might think!

In fact when it comes to this discussion of "Hosea going against God's law by obeying God and marrying Gomer", Matthew Henry does a very nice job in his commentary of confirming that the only thing that matters in a Christian's life is "hearing God and obeying God whenever He speaks!" It's all about recognizing the voice of God, and then just doing whatever He says to do, regardless of what others might say or think. That's what Matthew Henry said, and the following is how he said it:

"To marry such a one [Gomer/whore] was not evil in itself (malum in se), but only incidentally evil (malum per accidens), not prudent, decent, or expedient, and therefore forbidden to the priest, and which, if it were really done, would be an affliction to the prophet [Hosea] (it is threatened as a curse on Amaziah that his wife should be a harlot, Amos 7:17), but not a sin when God commanded it for a holy end; nay, if commanded it was his duty, and he [Hosea] must trust God with his reputation."

And God Said

Well getting back to the story of me and my lovely bride, that last comment concerning me getting married to Sandy was, without a doubt, one more gross understatement:

"...I had a very sneaky suspicion Father God was going to have us "become as one" in such a way that might be "normal" for two prophets but very "abnormal" for the rest of the church world. In fact I somehow felt that our marriage was going to be used as a testimony to help others escape the entrapment of legalism in the Christian church."

In fact looking back with hindsight, I think I would even go so far as to say that what I said was "the understatement of all times!" I mean there was no way in the world that even "crazy old me" would have figured that Sandy and I would be getting married the very next day - even though Sandy was not legally divorced from her previous husband - but yet that was what Father God was telling us to do! Talk about "going against the law-loving legalistic church!"

Well before we get into that "very special wedding" - the one that Father God had planned for the two of us - let me first of all tell you just a little bit more about Sandy's previous husband. Sandy married Mr. "X" for all the wrong reasons, just as I had married my previous wife Annie. Sandy's marriage wasn't of God, and the closer she got to God the further her husband went into Satanism! However, unlike myself, when Mr. "X's" witchcraft really began to work on Sandy she wasn't strong enough in the Lord to escape it. You see he was deep into the ways of Satan, which even included homosexuality, and the resulting demonic presence was draining Sandy of her Spiritual strength. In fact the Lord had repeatedly instructed Sandy to separate herself from her unequal partner, but yet many legalistic Christian pastors and friends advised her, through scriptures I might add, that the Lord didn't like divorce...and that she must stick it out for the long haul. God had instructed Sandy on what she must do but yet the church world convinced her to do just the opposite.

Well that very legalistic advice from a church world with "good intentions" almost cost Sandy her life. The demonic powers in Sandy's husband and house slowly overcame her not only spiritually but also physically, even to the point of a tumor which began to hemorrhage. Even though Sandy was too weak to even walk - flat on her back because of blood loss - it was when her husband finally refused to call for medical attention that she took matters in her own hands...and just in time to save her own life.

Leave And Don't Turn Back

However, after Sandy's recovery from surgery the situation with her husband didn't get any better. There were strange things happening all around her - in the spiritual world of darkness - and the Lord spoke it even louder that she must not delay her leaving any longer...she must get out of that house and away from her husband now!

Well glory be to God that Sandy was finally able to "hear God and obey God" in this matter. Because as a result of it Sandy and her youngest daughter Sandy left the house of Mr. "X", with only a very few belongings in hand, and took up shelter in her pastor's house even though they had to sleep on the floor (Centro Cristiano Esmirna, Sunrise Center, 8500 Dyer, Suite 34, El Paso, Texas 79904).

Now even though Sandy and daughter had a "safe" place to stay, the religious debate continued over whether Sandy should leave her husband or not. The legalism didn't stop, but God saw to it that Sandy and the pastor's wife paid a little visit to the house of Mr. "X" just so the pastor's wife could hear the facts for herself. And what she was able to hear - with her own two ears I might add - was Mr. "X" telling Sandy, in no uncertain terms, that if she wanted a Christian husband then she should go marry a pastor.

The Wedding

All right, so in a very few words that was the situation with Sandy before I met her...and then came our wedding day. Sandy felt it in her heart that God was telling us to become "man and wife", however, the crazy way in which He was telling us to do it was just a little bit hard for her to accept. I mean, after all, most Christians would never believe that God would tell us to get married without first getting Sandy a documented legal divorce.

So what was she going to do? Well the only logical thing that Sandy could come up with was to seek God on who it was to marry us and then give it a try. If this same minister of the gospel, that was chosen by God to marry us, would marry us - knowing Sandy's undivorced condition - then we would get hitched.

Well, as it turned out, the lovely lady minister that was chosen for the job was one who Sandy had known for some time. In fact this same Sister had prayed over Sandy in her time of desperation, and, because of the spiritual insight that the Lord had given her concerning Sandy, she knew full well the calling that God had for Sandy's life and likewise what she was suffering because of her husband. So on Saturday the 20th of September, Sandy and I knocked on the door of God's chosen minister's apartment and then explained what the Lord had chosen her to do.

Now words can't explain the battle that ensued in this minister's mind as she struggled to be obedient to the task that God had set before her. She knew that God had called her for such a time as this, but she also knew what the church would say if they found out what she had done. Legalism within the church would tear her to shreds, but yet God had spoken His Word to her through Malachi 4:2 - "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

You see this minister had a physical problem - one that caused her great pain and suffering - and it came about because of an earlier act of disobedience to God's Word. However healing comes through obedience to God's Word, and this was not only what God wanted for her life but also what she so desperately desired. The struggle was intense - you could see it on the minister's face - until she finally got up out of her chair, went to her bedroom, and returned with her mother's wedding ring.

The minister then went on to tell us that there are only two things she wants to do when she gets to Heaven; first of all she wants to kiss the feet of Jesus her Savior and then spend time talking with her mother who went on to be with the Lord before her. That's what she said, and then this minister of the gospel continued on by performing a brief wedding ceremony that was finalized when she inserted her mother's wedding ring on Sandy's finger...and she did it in such a way that we both knew it was through much Holy Spirit conviction - as in take that Satan! In fact the presence of God was so strong during our wedding that Sandy and I could only weep under the anointing of the Holy Spirit during the entire ceremony.

The Honeymoon

It was awesome, to say the least, to be able to obey God in such a strong test. However, our test was only just getting started. Because as we returned to the Brother's house in which I was staying we found a note from him asking me to find other accommodations. I was no longer welcomed in his house and, with only a few dollars to our names, Sandy and I were without a place to stay.

So what were we to do? Well we called out to God, and the directive that He gave me was to sleep in the car at El Paso's Memorial Park...and that's exactly what we did. A night by the train tracks, watching the trains go by. What a night!

The very next morning (Sunday), after a quick wash-up at McDonald's, we attended a church that neither of us had ever attended before, just as the Lord directed, and we even performed in our calling of prophet. This was our first opportunity to present ourselves as "man and wife", and I was starting to see Sandy weaken ever so slightly under the circumstances. God had put us together in a very unusual way in order to test our faith, but Satan and the world around us was going to do everything in it's evil power to drive us apart.

After church the Lord directed us to take what little cash we had between the two of us and spend the night at a local "Motel 6". The shower was very nice, and after seeking the Lord in prayer we then consummated our marriage by coming together as man and wife.

Junk Food Demon

Monday morning came with good news from the Lord that we could have one more honeymoon night at "Motel 6". However it was during the course of the day, as we walked past a vending machine at the motel, that Sandy was attacked by a "junk food demon". And even though I'm sure that many will not believe such a demon exists, I, for one, can attest to the horrible look that came on Sandy's face when the demon took hold. It was like all of the sudden I had a wife that I didn't know. And although I couldn't convince her not to buy anything, it was after her purchase that the Holy Spirit convicted her in such a powerful way that she took the package of "mini donuts" and squeezed them in her hand. The result was a greasy doughy mess oooozing from between her fingers. It was then that the Father spoke His Words of Truth - "And this was what you were about to put in your stomach!" - that identified just one of the many demons that plagued her life.

That was Monday, and then Tuesday kept us busy as we transferred her youngest daughter Sandy to a school in Las Cruces, NM, where her older daughter Jasmine lived. Jasmine had volunteered to take care of her younger sister while Sandy and I continued on with our ministry. This was God's way of allowing Sandy and me to be unrestricted to His calling...and we both knew it without a doubt.

From Las Cruces the Lord took us on a journey to heal a crippled man, but because of the man's wife we didn't even get the opportunity to pray with him. With very little cash on hand the Lord had us spend the night in the car, on top of Franklin Mountain, at a roadside park.

A Home With Wheels

Now for several days the Lord had been showing Sandy a vision of the two of us moving around from place to place while living in some sort of moveable housing. Along with that vision the Lord had also been directing Sandy to stop by and see a Sister in Christ that she hadn't seen for several years. So Wednesday afternoon we stopped by the house that the Sister used to live in but only found it vacant. However, as we were about to drive off Sandy called my attention to a very small (6x10) camping trailer across the street with a "for sale" sign attached to it.

Well I took a look at this very humble dwelling and tried my best to forget what I had seen. It was not at all what I was looking for in a home, but Sandy persisted and we finally went across the street to check it out. As God would have it, the lady who came out to show us the camper turned out to be our first convert after having become man and wife. Her name was Sylvia, and, although she was once walking with Christ, circumstances in her church and her life had caused her to backslide. So after looking at the "deal of a lifetime" - a $300 camper - we had the awesome opportunity to pray with Sylvia and lead her back to Christ.

Glory! What a turn of events, but then comes the night and us without a place to spend it...that is except for sleeping in the car in the "Motel 6" parking lot. What a night that was! And to add insult to injury, it was somewhere around 3:00 in the morning that I had to take Sandy to the hospital with a severe tooth ache. After much prayer and seeking of God we were finally directed to seek medical attention. Praise God for doctors when God chooses to use them!

Thursday morning brought a new day with God directing us to sell Sandy's car for $675, keep my truck, and buy the camper for $300. At first Sandy had a hard time grasping God's low selling price for her car, but after visiting just one car lot she saw the light. From there we went to Sylvia's with the news, and it just so happened that she was planing to buy a car for her son. So as it worked out (God's Perfect Plan) Sylvia took the car, sold us the camper, and gave us $375 in return.

For the following eleven (11) nights the Lord blessed us with accommodations at "Motel 6". During the night we had a place to lay our heads and during the day Father God kept us busy ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ to lost souls. In fact Sylvia and her family turned out to be a full-time ministry all of it's own! Many in her family would eventually be blessed by our ministry. God was using Sandy and me in a great way, but it only came about through our on-going dedication to first seek His will through fasting and prayer and then just doing whatever He told us to do. And it was due to the fact that the Father had told Sandy that she must be "submissive" to me in all things of the Lord, that most often she would walk with me in obedience even though she wasn't sure where we were going. God showed her that I was a man of God who she could trust with her life, and time and time again He proved it through the resulting "fruits" of our obedience to His Word.

My Healing

In fact it was during this short period of time at "Motel 6" that the Lord also used Sandy to heal my body of a life-long ailment. You see in the middle of the night Father God would wake Sandy from her sleep and instruct her to pray over my sleeping body for healing and deliverance. Sandy said sometimes it would get rather crazy as my body would jump and twist during these awesome times of prayer. But anyway, Father God had Sandy focus her prayers on a particular part of my body; a ballooned artery in my leg. I was born with a circulation problem in my left leg, but as the years progressed the problem got increasingly worse. By the time Sandy and I became man and wife the artery looked as though it was going to explode at any minute. However, after a few nights of prayer, the Lord did surgery in three different spots along the artery, and the problem was finally corrected. Glory be to God!

Shacking Up

Well after the luxurious accommodations of "Motel 6" came the next big test in our marriage. Because you see the Father then commanded us to move into a very "seedy" little motel called "The Sister". In fact it was because of it's very low prices and location (next to a military base) that it became an excellent spot for many to "make love" even though not legally married. It's what's commonly called "shacking up", and most folks (especially church-goers) knew exactly what went on there. So here we were - a married couple who loved the Lord - living in a motel used for committing "whoredoms", married without either a "legal marriage license" or Sandy's divorce, and all because Father God said "Just do it!"

What a test "The Sister Motel" turned out to be! For about three weeks we lived in that very uncomfortable environment as God slowly but surely set Sandy free from the chains of Christian legalism that had bound her for so long. Sandy was being delivered, and she continued shouting that she was being set free, but the price she was having to pay was very high indeed. The thoughts of "what are people saying about us" played on her mind all too often, just as I'm sure they did Prophet Hosea in his situation. She was in the battle for her life, and the question in my mind was "Would she continue to obey God at all cost?" I prayed that she would.

However along with God's testing came God's blessings. Because it was during this same period of time at "The Sister" that the Father not only used us to heal the sick and deliver captive souls from demons (witches and witchcraft even) but He also allowed us to bring many souls into the kingdom of God through their acceptance of the Blood of Jesus. I mean these experiences were most often happening in rapid succession. As we would be returning from one meeting the Lord would direct us into a convenience store along the way in order to lead two more souls to Christ. It was truly one more blessed experience to say the least.

Jezebel Demon

And seeing how we've just mentioned "demons and deliverance", this is as good a time as any to talk about some of these demons that Sandy was delivered from during our stay at "The Sister Motel". Because it was after one more very hard day working as prophets (Sunday, the 12th of October) that the Lord instructed me to show Sandy a "Jimmy Swaggart Home Church Video" that I had in my truck. Well the Spirit of God moved during that video in a powerful way - and Sandy got blessed - however something else got stirred-up in her that I wasn't even aware of.

Because the very next day Sandy was very moody - so much so that I sought God for direction - and Revelation 3:1-2 was what He gave me specifically for her: "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God."

So what did it all mean? Well it didn't take me to awful long to find out. Because that night the Lord had me play another "Jimmy Swaggart Home Church Video", but this time Sandy got violently sick. And, as I prayed through for her recovery, a demonic spirit was expelled out of her mouth: in other words she threw up a demonic spirit! In fact the spirit that attacked her was a "Jezebel spirit" that she picked-up from the JSM Video as she watched Frances Swaggart minister in all of her finery (flashy clothes, heavy makeup, fancy jewelry, dyed hair, and face lift). [For more information on this subject see Is Jimmy Swaggart's Wife Frances Really Uncovered? (5/5/02) and Covenant With Jezebel And Witchcraft In The Church!]

You see one of the things that Father God was referring to in His Scripture of Revelation 3:2 to Sandy - "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God." - was this spirit of Jezebel that she hadn't been completely set free from herself. Because at one time in her life Sandy was a model - complete with all the finest clothes, make-up, and jewelry - and it was this spirit that she picked-up while modeling that she continued to carry on along with her after accepting Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

And why was this? Well the very next morning, as I sought God's direction on this same question, Father God gave me Colossians 1:11 as His answer. However, for the sake of clarity let's pick it up with verse 9 and go through 13: "For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son..."

So did you catch the Father's message to Sandy? Well let me help you out. It all goes back to that very simple word "Obedience!", and Matthew 7:21 even sums it up rather nicely in one simple verse: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

You see when Christians get tangled up in "legalistic Christianity" they tend to go through the motions of being a Christian without really being changed into the likeness of Jesus. Because the truth of the matter is that it's only God's Word, specifically directed to each individual (His Perfect Will), that's going to bring about the changes in that Believer as they walk-out in obedience to it. And when it comes to my dear wife Sandy, her long-time association with "legalistic Christianity" left her very vulnerable to the demons of darkness...and likewise the stark reality of those two remaining verses in Matthew 7:22-23: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

In other words, God commanded Sandy and me to become man and wife, in the manner which we did (His Perfect Will for our lives), so that Sandy could die to "legalistic Christianity" and become "born-again" in His Spirit...but it sure wasn't going to be easy!

Baby Killing Demon

Now, let's get back to our situation at "The Sister" motel. Because it was only two days after the "Frances Swaggart demon" that the Lord commanded me to anoint Sandy's body with oil and pray over her for seven (7) days consecutively. Well that's what I did, and then it was on day seven (7) that I found out why. Because it was on that particular day, as I lay my oil anointed hands on her stomach, that a "child-killing demon" reared his ugly head. Sandy started burping violently, so much so that I thought she was going to throw up. As I continued to pray against this demon spirit, in the Name of Jesus, he finally came out and left Sandy at peace. You see this was just another demon that had become a part of Sandy during her younger years, after being convinced by others to have seven (7) abortions on her yet unborn children. The proof was being put before my very own eyes that her walk with "legalistic Christianity" had in no way set her free from demon spirits.

Roxanne

But continuing on, it was during this same period of time that Sandy received some of her strongest attacks from the enemy as he tried to convince her that we were not "joined together by God as man and wife". In fact Satan used one of those she loved the most, her sister Roxanne, to do this devilish deed over the phone.

Because you see Sandy knew in her spirit that her sister Roxanne was very weak in the Lord, and likewise needed Sandy's spiritual strength in order to help her get through her own marriage problems. Roxanne was having a rough time of it, but when Sandy called to help the "drowning victim" it was that same "drowning victim" that almost drowned her. I mean what happened during that particular phone conversation was everything but what Sandy needed. Roxanne pelted her with Scripture after Scripture in her attempt to prove through the "law" that Sandy was living with me in sin.

Well, after Sandy had had enough, she turned the phone over to me so that I could have a go of it. And, as the Lord would have it, the proof Scripture that I gave to Roxanne as being God's Scriptural reason for our marriage - He gave it to us Personally - is found in I Corinthians 7:13-15: "And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such [cases]: but God has called us to peace."

So do you think Roxanne bought it? Not even! And likewise it was because of this very strong attack, from the one that Sandy loves so much, that the Father gave Sandy the following scripture as a warning: "If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-27)

Maria

The Father made it abundantly clear that Sandy must not let anyone come between her and His Will for her life! However, it was only a few days later that one of Roxanne's friends Maria - a Christian wrestling with the spirit of lesbianism - came by our motel room and basically "cursed us and our ministry" because of our "sinful relationship". And get this, Maria did what she did while using the same Scripture that God gave us as proof that we were married by God and not living in sin (I Corinthians 7:13-15).

The Shaking

The day after "the curse" was Sunday, and Father God took us to a Spirit-filled Hispanic church to receive a blessing. Well without a doubt the Holy Spirit moved on us during the "praise and worship service" in a mighty way, and He even moved on Sandy in such a way as I would have never ever imagined. In fact if I would not have seen it with my own two eyes I would have never believed it actually happened. Because what I saw was Sandy being violently "shaken" three times (physically/her body) as the Father dealt with her for allowing the things of this world to so easily corrupt her: He tried His best to shake some sense in her! Without a doubt, Sandy was having the struggle of her life and Father God was doing all He could to straighten her out real quick.

Moving On

Throughout all the trials and testing God continued to use us in our ministry to heal the sick, deliver the captives, and bring many souls into the kingdom of God. Then it was on the 29th of October, after not having received enough cash donations to continue on at "The Sister Motel", that the Lord informed us it was time to clean up the camper and move on in.

Now let me try and help you understand exactly what this "camper" thing is all about. It was built somewhere around 1968, has two bench seats, a table, stove, sink, and refrigerator that doesn't work...and all of this is squeezed into a 6x10 foot camper shell. It has no bathroom whatsoever (commode or shower), and the bench seats fold out into a 6x6 foot bed after you move the table out of the way.

Well that's the camper, and it was one of the same families that we ministered to "in the Lord" who likewise made the offer for us to park it on their property and use their electricity, water, and bathroom facilities for free...and that's exactly what we did.

Without a doubt there was lots of adjusting that had to be done with this new lifestyle. My biggest problem was having to deal with the lack of bathroom privileges in the camper. However, the one thing that continued to haunt Sandy was the way in which Father God had joined us together in marriage. She was having a very hard time "confessing" to others that "we were married by God Almighty even though she had never been formally divorced." The bewitching words of so many legalistic Christians were starting to take their toll on our marriage.

The Trap

From there on out we had days with great victories in Jesus, and others where the enemy almost beat us to the ground. Sandy continued to contact her sister Roxanne until one day the Lord allowed us to go to her apartment. Our reason for being there was to help her regain her focus on Christ. Roxanne's life was in chaos, and her three children needed our help desperately.

As time went on we spent increasing amounts of time with Roxanne, her children, and her mom. It seemed as though we were making a positive impact on their lives, but Roxanne's belief that Sandy and I were "living in sin" didn't change. However, as Father God would have it, He used a very special Four Square minister to preach a very special Word to Sandy on the 9th of November. It was really our first time hearing this minister preach, and when he got up to give his message he confessed that the Spirit of God was giving him a new sermon - one that he hadn't even prepared for - and it was for someone very special.

Well would you care to guess who that special someone was? It was for my lovely wife Sandy who was likewise being brutally attacked from all sides for doing what God had called us to do...which even included allowing her younger daughter Sandy to move in with her older daughter Jasmine. The talk of "what a bad mother Sandy was" tore at her heart, but then came God's encouragement through that very special sermon. Because you see the message preached was all about Hebrews chapter 11 - Faith!!! And the one example that rang loud and clear in Sandy's ears was that of Abraham who God commanded to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Sandy, just as Abraham, was being tested through her very own child Sandy, but this was what God had demanded that she do.

What a service, but I forget to tell you about the prayer before the message. Because it was during this same service that a Sister in Christ was led by the Lord to pray over Sandy with the prophetic Word that Sandy must "seek God in all things!" In fact she went on to say that God has given us a ministry but Sandy must continue to seek Him in order for it to be accomplished.

So God encouraged Sandy in many different ways, and then came the invitation to drive down to San Antonio, Texas, to spend Thanksgiving with Sandy's brother Bobby. Although I was suffering with one more bad tooth-ache, which ended up lasting for two whole weeks, I first prayed about it and then the six of us (Roxanne, her three children, Sandy, and me) made the trip. We left on Wednesday and returned the following Sunday. However it was on Friday night, before our return trip to El Paso, that we had to rush Sandy to the hospital following an attack from the enemy...demon gastritis?

On our return to El Paso, the time we spent with Roxanne and family was almost all our waking hours. We slept in the camper but showered, ate, and worked on the ministry sermonet Charles Nieman's 'Abundant Living Faith' Is Dead! during our time at Roxanne's apartment. In fact besides her salvation, one of the reasons I was willing to spend so much time at Roxanne's was because of my love to stay clean (the shower). However, looking back in time, I'll have to admit that the convenience of a shower was used by the devil to make me a little too comfortable in that very dangerous environment. So as the days went by Sandy and I started drifting further and further apart spiritually, but I just couldn't identify the reason why.

Barbara

And that's the way it was until the 3rd of December when a Christian neighbor (Barbara) came over looking for someone to act as an assisted caretaker. Well, even though I answered the door, Sandy came running from another room after she heard the news from Barbara. Sandy announced, without us even seeking the Lord together in prayer, that this was the job she had been praying for.

Now it's right about here that I'm going to do a flashback in this story to the time when I first met Sandy. She had taken a job as an assisted caretaker, and she had only done it because the pastor and his wife (who she was staying with) had said, in a legalistic sort of way, that the Word of God states that if she's able to work then she needs to have a job. Well, even though the Lord had been telling her that He would provide for her if she would only do the ministry work that He had called her to do, she buckled under and obeyed the preacher and his wife instead of God (Legalism #201). And it was only one week after taking the job that the Holy Spirit convicted her of her sin in such a strong way that she never went back to her job.

So here we were again. Sandy wanted us to have a "steady income" so she started working four (4) hours a day with Barbara, or should I say two. Because you see Barbara was promising Sandy that she would get paid for four (4) hours every day even though she would only have to work one (1) or two (2). And every day, when her work was finished, Sandy would always come and get me so that the three of us could have Christian fellowship and prayer at Barbara's.

It all seemed too good to be true, and that's about the time Sister Barbara mentioned the church that she belongs to (Unity Missionary Baptist, 4601 Maxwell, El Paso, Texas 79904). I could not believe my ears! Because you see it was back in 1998 that the Lord took me to that same church just so that I could have a divine appointment with the pastor and his son (see sermonet Revival At The Car Wash! (6/7/98)). And boy oh boy, did I ever find out what that church was all about.

So, I was starting to smell a skunk in the woodpile, and it had the very strong scent of a Christian legalist. Because as we continued with Barbara's "fellowship sessions" we became privileged to hear the story many times of how she, years earlier, had been "shacking up" with a married man while playing the role of a Christian. She said that every time she would go to church the preacher would always be preaching on "shacking up" until she finally got convicted and straightened up her life.

Well it all sounded real good until the truth started coming out concerning how much of God's Word she really knew. According to her she got on her knees every morning in her prayer room at 5:00, and there was always gospel music playing throughout the day, but yet it was some of the key Scriptures in the Bible that she had little or no knowledge of. And then came the bomb!

The Bomb

It was one week exactly to the day, from the time that Sandy started working with Barbara, that I knew there was going to be trouble. I had told Sandy early that morning that we were no longer in One Spirit and that we needed to do something real quick in order to get back on track. We urgently needed to talk and she needed to speak the truth about what was bothering her!

Well that morning she went to work at Barbara's and returned a few hours later inviting me to fellowship with Barbara. When I walked into the room I could feel the spirit in the air...and it wasn't the Spirit of God! I then shared with them the Scripture that the Lord had given me, only minutes before, concerning my problems with Sandy: "But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

It was right about then, with tears in her eyes, that Sandy confessed she could no longer live with me in sin. She wouldn't be going back with me until we could legally become man and wife. That was what she said and Barbara was right there to back her up. I said a few words in justification of "our marriage being from God" - we were not shacking up - but very quickly sensed that it was falling on death ears. I left the apartment without Sandy and sought the Lord on what I should do next.

As directed by the Lord, I went straight to the apartment of the minister who married us. Broken in spirit I poured out my heart concerning the problem that Sandy was having, and was likewise given counsel and prayer. We sought the Lord together that His Will be done in this matter, and - as directed by the Lord - I then personally began a time of very serious fasting and prayer for Sandy.

The Meeting

From there I went to a very cold camper and tried my best to pray. I had a rough time of it but the Lord instructed me to show up at Roxanne's apartment at 9:00 the next morning...and that's exactly what I did. I rang the doorbell and then saw Sandy with tears in her eyes as she opened the door. Sandy stood in the doorway while very cautiously choosing her words to speak; Roxanne was sitting in the livingroom behind her. As I continued to question her on what we were going to do next with our marriage, Sandy gradually moved out onto the porch area and very secretively invited me to meet her at school the next morning. I was no longer allowed in Roxanne's apartment, however Sandy would be taking one of the kids to school the very next day. The meeting was arranged and agreed upon!

Later on in the day, the Lord directed me to visit the minister that had married us in order to update her on the current situation with Sandy. Her and her husband welcomed me into their apartment, they both prayed for me, and she then asked me to pray for her. She went on to say that there's been times, during this great adventure with Sandy and me, that she's been tempted to believe that I am not a prophet (she calls me Elijah). But, she went on to say, the Lord had showed her, as I walked through her door just minutes before, that I must pray for her in my calling as a prophet, because I am a prophet, and that's exactly what I did next.

Well the fellowship and prayer was great, and then I got blessed. Because, as I was walking out the door to leave, the minister put $9.00 in my hand and said that the Lord had told her husband that I needed the money for gas. Only God in His glory knew that just that morning I had spent my last $3.00 on gas. Glory be to God for His "just in time provisions"!

From there I returned to a very cold and lonely camper to seek God in prayer. The first thing He instructed me to do was to read the article that He'd had me copy concerning "spiritual warfare" and "Protecting The Environment" (see http://power2serve.net). Well as I read through this very enlightening material the Lord brought it to my attention that we had never prayed-over and anointed the camper with oil. He said that Sandy and I hadn't "cleaned our camper of demon spirits" - our environment had been compromised - and this was one of the primary causes of our becoming so weak during the spiritual battle.

Well I jumped to the occasion and did exactly as I was told; I anointed the camper with prayer and oil. I then sat down and took notes as the Lord instructed me on what I was to say in my meeting with Sandy the following morning.

Reunion

It was shortly after 8:00, on Friday morning, the 12th of December, that Sandy and I met in the school parking lot for a talk. We first prayed together and I then presented her with the copy of "Protecting The Environment". I gave her a brief understanding of not only what it was all about, but how God had spoken through it, just the night before, concerning the spirits in the camper. Well she was truly amazed! Because you see it was just about the same time the night before that Father God had showed her the very same thing concerning the camper. It was almost like Father God had instructed the both of us, at the same time, with very similar words, and even though we were miles apart, on how spirits in the camper were dragging us down. That one really blew her away!

And then the Father had me continue on with our talk by relating His very special Scripture for this very special occasion. Because in I Kings chapter 13, the story is told of the "good prophet" who gets sidetracked by the "old prophet" and likewise ends up losing his life "in the Lord". The Scriptural message was directed at Barbara (the old prophet) as she worked Satan's witchcraft on Sandy (the good prophet) by trying to convince her that our God-called relationship was nothing less than "shacking up" and living in sin.

Then for Roxanne the Lord chose II Kings 15:17-21. In this Scripture, Menahem (Roxanne), the king of Judah, starts working his evil magic on God's chosen people by selling out to the enemy instead of trusting in God for protection. King Menahem was one of the bigger contributors, so to speak, when it came to the destruction of God's Temple. He sold out on the things of God in exchange for his own personal glory. And the very interesting thing about Menahem's (Roxanne's) story is that it all took place during the time of Hosea. In other words Menahem was one of those that Hosea was up against as he prophesied against the nation of Israel. Interesting how the Lord put this all together!

And finally, for Sandy herself, the Lord chose Psalm 106. It was a very serious warning to her about what happens to a Believer after God has delivered them from the enemy at the Red Sea - "And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left." - but yet they're not willing to finish out their walk through the wilderness - "And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them."

What a powerful Word from the Lord! And it was right about at this point in our conversation that the Lord instructed me to move on out of the school parking lot because we had been there too long. I then asked Sandy if she was willing to continue our talk at the Chevron station down the street, and she agreed.

Well we met at Chevron and continued to share what we though had caused us all the problems during the past few days. I admitted to being weak in the flesh concerning the desires for my "daily showers" (Sandy was very contented taking "chicken bathes" in the camper sink), and also not being sensitive enough to her "fragile" nature. She admitted to a few mistakes of her own, and then agreed that it was God's Will that we be together. What the Father had given both Sandy and me the night before, concerning the spirits in our camper, had reconfirmed to her that our partnership was all of God and not the flesh. Glory!

We were back on track for Jesus! So Sandy took Roxanne's car back to the apartment and gave her the news. From there the Lord took us to share our victory celebration with Sandy's mom first (she was at work but wasn't too happy with the news), and later on to the minister who married us. We had a glorious celebration and then it was time to return to a cold camper. The weather was chilly to say the least, and our propane tank was almost empty. Heating the camper was not an option, so Sandy suggested that we sleep in half the bed that we would normally use. In other words pull out only one side of the bed which is just three (3) feet wide.

Now I'll have to admit that the idea didn't thrill me at all...however the proof in the sleeping did. Because you see it was only enough room for Sandy and me if we slept very close together, and that's what we did, and that's how we stayed nice and warm all night long! It was a very good night to be back together!

The Killer Blast

The next day was bitter sweet to say the least. We were back together but Sandy felt a strong need to call her daughter. We prayed about it and went to the library to check our e-mails and use the telephone. Well the call didn't go through at first, but when it did the explosion was devastating. Because the news that Sandy got from her older daughter Jasmine was enough to knock any mother to her knees.

You see the way the conversation went was that Sandy asked Jasmine when she could see Sandy (Jr.) again. She was trying to arrange the time and place for us to meet, but then came the unmerciful attack from the enemy. Because in so many words Jasmine told her mother (Sandy) that as far as she was concerned Sandy (Jr.) didn't need to be around a mother like her. Jasmine was whole heartedly against our marriage, and she was going to do everything in her power - as in using Sandy (Jr.) - to tear us apart. Sandy had a choice to make; either give up on me or give up on her daughter(s).

Sandy held her composure very well until we got in the car...and then all Hell broke loose! I really thought that Sandy was either going to have a stroke or lose her mind! The torment that she was experiencing was beyond belief! She was begging me to take her to her mothers, but just what was I going to do?

Well I prayed like never before and the Lord said "Go to the mountain and pray!" So I proceeded to drive while trying to console Sandy at the same time. She was loosing it "Big Time!" And although I was tempted to take her to her mothers, just as she was requesting, I stayed the course and drove on up to God's chosen place of prayer. I pulled the truck into our special prayer location, poured a large amount of oil in my hands, and began an hour long session of prayer and laying on of hands for Sandy.

As I prayed in tongues the Lord instructed me to try and get Sandy to speak in her prayer language too. Sandy would normally pray long and hard in tongues, however, because of our most recent battles she had allowed the devil to stop her Heaven-sent prayer language. Well even though I wasn't able to see Sandy completely set free, she did whisper some tongues in prayer. She had regained her composure somewhat, and the Lord instructed me to head on back to the camper after a few stops along the way.

At the camper the Lord told me to put on a Jimmy Swaggart "praise and worship video" which I did, and without a doubt I heard God speaking to Sandy through that video in a powerful way. It was beautiful, to say the least, but Sandy didn't receive it as she should have. Minutes later she was once again begging me to take her to see her mother.

I prayed and sought God's guidance. It was His Will that Sandy stay the night, and then the both of us meet Sylvia at church the next day and together seek God in prayer. Our first convert (Sylvia) was on fire for the Lord and God now wanted to use her to help Sandy. After that I was to take her to see her mom if she still desired to do so. That was what the Father wanted, but Sandy couldn't seem to agree to it. So I finally gave in and took her to see her mom but neither her nor Roxanne was at home. We waited around for well over an hour until Sandy finally said "let's go back to the camper".

The next morning was rough, but after much prayer I was able to see a very strong move of God take place on Sandy. She started speaking in tongues more freely, and I knew some sort of deliverance had taken place when God gave me the entire chapter of Psalm 116 as it related to her: "...The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul..."

The Compromise

However, by the time we had progressed to this point in our story it was too late to go to church. And having been in the confines of our very small camper all morning Sandy asked if we could go for a ride. Well I pray about it and the Lord showed us where to go. As God would have it, our return trip that afternoon brought us right by the apartment of "Roxanne and Mom". As we approached it Sandy asked if she could spend a little time visiting with her mom.

Without a doubt it was not my will that Sandy go into the enemy's territory, but after praying over it the Lord said let her go. I then gave Sandy a final briefing on all that the Lord had showed us concerning our life: We are prophets, who God has joined together as man and wife, and the ministry He has given us demands that we must be willing to leave our families behind. I then asked if she really intended to stay only a few minutes and return to me, and she confirmed it to be her intentions.

Well Sandy went in and I waited in the truck while interceding in prayer for her. However it was somewhere around a half an hour later that Roxanne came out to give me $5 from her mom for gas along with some very bad news. Sandy had completely broken down - lost it so to speak - and would not be returning to live with me. I requested that Sandy at least come out and tell me to my face, but after waiting for another half an hour I took Sandy's belongings to the door and headed back to the camper alone.

The Commission

What a heart-breaking, soul-crushing day that was; December 14, 2003! Only three months and two days after God had Divinely brought us together Satan successfully tore us apart. And, after having prayed with Sylvia the very next day, I received my orders from the Almighty to put the story of "Bruce and Sandy" in print. The time had come to "speak to the world" what Sandy had been so unwilling to confess to others, and the reason was not only for the sake of Sandy but also for all those who're caught-up in legalistic Christianity just like her.

Jasmine And Ben Swan

Now even though it seems as though I've just written a book, in reality I've only scratched the surface of our present-day, real-life story on Hosea. And although there were many "legalistic Christians" who were used by Satan to put doubt and unbelief in Sandy's mind during her time of testing, the two most prominent ones were her daughter and son-in-law; Jasmine and Ben Swan. So, just as the Lord has directed, the time has come to speak God's truth concerning the both of them.

My first meeting with Jasmine and Ben was on the 16th of September - four days after having met Sandy - when the three of us (Sandy, Sandy Jr., and me) drove to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to visit them. Sandy was very nervous in that she had already earned the label of an "out of control religious nut" from the both of them. I mean after all, Sandy is a prophet who would sometimes speak God's truth rather boldly, and even though it caused much pain to both her daughter and son-in-law!

And just what do you think it was that God would have Sandy to speak to them about? Well the truth of the matter is that Sandy had always wanted Jasmine to marry a pastor, and that's exactly what she did several years back. However, even though Ben has been an associate pastor, and is now a practicing youth minister, his love for the world has taken him far from the pathway that the Lord has destined him to be on.

In fact it's because of Ben's continued love relationship with the world, and likewise rejection of God's Truth for his life, that the Father gave me Scripture for him while in prayer with Sandy on the 26th of September. Because you see what He gave me concerning Ben was a very strong Word of judgment against him as found in chapter 19 of the book of Jeremiah. And, as Sandy and I read through this very gruesome prediction for Ben, we began to weep and sob with much Holy Ghost conviction. We could actually feel the harsh nature of God's judgment on Ben because of his continued rejection of the Lord:

"...Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me...Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter...and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beast of the earth...And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them...Thus saith the LORD of host, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words."

What a powerful Word from God against someone who "appears" to be so godly! Because the truth of the matter is that most folks in this area (El Paso/Las Cruces) have been fooled into believing that Ben Swan is a saint. You see not only is he a reporter/anchor-man for Fox News channel 14 (http://www.kfoxtv.com), but he's also the youth minister for Trinity-First United Methodist Church at 810 North Oregon, El Paso, Texas (http://www.trinity-first.org). And it's only due to the publicity generated concerning his "most holy lifestyle as minister" that far too many folks believe he is a "full-time man of God".

However, the Lord has commissioned me to speak the uncompromising truth concerning this "make-believe man of God". Because as we pointed out in our sermonet Homosexuals In The Church: Fact Or Fiction? (12/14/97), the United Methodist Church has been infiltrated with men possessing the spirit of homosexuality... and Ben and his pastor Dr. Stephen Lowell Swisher are no exceptions. Sandy has spoken this truth to me concerning her son-in-law Ben, and God Almighty has not only confirmed it to me but likewise given me the rest:

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10)

So, once again, what do you think happens to the woman who's married to a man who traffics in demons? I mean after all, Sandy was in that situation with her "X" husband, and it almost destroyed her life, so should it be any different with her daughter Jasmine?

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?...Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (II Corinthians 6:14-18)

So should Jasmine be exempt from the above warning? Well the very obvious answer is NO! And as the truth would have it, even though she came to the Lord at an early time in her life, Jasmine's now way-ward husband is dragging her down into the pit of Hell...and her mother Sandy even admitted it. Because it was on the 15th of November, after an unplanned meeting at Roxanne's apartment with Jasmine and Sandy Jr., that my dear wife confessed, with tears I might add, that her daughter had turned into a witch. Jasmine was working witchcraft on her mother Sandy, by trying to take possession of Sandy Jr. as her own daughter, and Sandy knew it.

The Kicker

What a story, right? Well the fact of the matter is that here I sit, without my wife, because the Devil was able to entice her to fall down and worship other gods... even though she knew them to be idols. Because by taking it back to the story of Hosea we can see the correlation of his story and my life with Sandy through a deeper understanding of the word whoredom. Not only can it mean "to have sex with other men" but it can also, in the case of Sandy, mean "to worship other gods". And by going back to the Scripture that God used to warn my wife Sandy about the "other gods in her life", it's verse 28 that we all need to pay very close attention to:

"If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?" (Luke 14:26-28)

So, the question is "How many Christians really understand the cost of building a saving relationship with Christ when they first say yes to Jesus?" How many Christians really understand God's Salvation Process that Jesus made available through His own Precious Blood?

Well in Matthew 11:12 we should be able to come to a better understanding of that question through Jesus' own Words: "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

And by reading from Dake's Annotated Reference Bible we can come to a deeper understanding of that particular Scripture and it's one more very powerful word "violent":

"Greek biazo, to use force, to force one's way into a thing. The idea here is that before John the kingdom could only be viewed in the light of prophecy, but now it was preached, men pressing into it with ardor resembling violence or desperation. They appeared as if they would seize it by force (v 12; Luke 16:16). (Matthew 10:34-39). It [the word violent] expresses the earnestness that men must have in getting rid of sin, all satanic powers, the world, and in standing true when relatives oppose them."

Now did you catch that last sentence? It's all about "counting the cost" of having a "Saving Relationship with Jesus Christ" which even includes forsaking our children and family if it becomes necessary: It [the word violent] expresses the earnestness that men must have in getting rid of sin, all satanic powers, the world, and in standing true when relatives oppose them.

Counting The Cost

And having said all that let me just add one more real-life story as found in Rebecca Brown's book "He Came To Set The Captives Free". As you read through it please keep in mind the question of "just how bad did Sandy have it?":

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The mastership of Jesus is absolute:

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:37-38

You will be directly challenged by Satan on this issue. Are you willing to put the Lord Jesus Christ before everything and everyone else? If Jesus does not come before your loved ones, then your hopes of escaping Satan are empty. Satan will use your loved ones to keep you in bondage. Let me give you an example of what I mean.

We had the privilege of working with a beautiful negro couple whom we will call "the Blacks." They were both in their late 20s, were very intelligent, and had reached a fairly high position within The Brotherhood locally. They committed their lives to Jesus and refused to serve Satan any longer. We advised them to move out of the state, but they were understandably hesitant to do so as Mr. Black had a very good paying job. They had two children, a girl four years old, and a boy two years old. They experienced a terrible test of their commitment to Jesus.

About 6 months after they came out of Satanism, Mr. & Mrs. Black and their 4-year-old daughter were kidnaped by The Brotherhood. They were taken to a meeting where their little girl was literally skinned alive before their horrified eyes. They were told repeatedly that the torture of their daughter would be stopped only if they both renounced Jesus Christ and proclaimed Satan as Lord and agreed to serve Satan again.

Despite the unspeakable anguish they experienced as they were forced to watch their beloved child being tortured and hear her screams of agony, they held firm. They had put Jesus first in their lives and would not deny His Lordship. Finally their little girl died and they were released by their captors. A week later, their son became violently ill. He was hospitalized and seen by the leading specialist in the area - all to no avail. He died within 48 hours, the doctors never did find out what was wrong with him. He was obviously killed by witchcraft. Again, Mr. & Mrs. Black stood firm and continued to serve Jesus.

Shortly after the double tragedy they moved out of the state. We stayed in touch with them occasionally. Two years later, Mrs. Black gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Mr. Black was studying to become a minister. (Rebecca Brown, MD - "He Came To Set The Captives Free")

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Pray For Sandy

Well I have done as the Lord has requested! I have put my neck on the chopping block in order to rescue my wife from the jaws of death. My heart's desire is to be back with the one God has given to me (and me to her) so that we can serve him through the FMHCCI ministry. God has great plans for the two of us. In fact it was on the 22nd of September, two days after our marriage and likewise after a very hard time of testing, that the Lord gave us the following Words of His Promise:

"For these Brothers that have looked down on you, they shall be looking up at you. For you are My children, and I am your King. You have passed the test!"

Please pray for us (Sandy and me) that the ending of Hosea's story will also be the ending of ours and we will both pass this big test together: "...and Hosea was then commanded by God to buy her back as his wife once again, and to make a contract that she would never go after former lovers."

The life of a prophet is tough indeed, but seeing how the calling is straight from the Lord there's not much else for us to do but just walk-out in it. In other words, regardless of whatever the "legalistic Christians" might say, we must "Keep on keeping The Faith In Jesus!"

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)

Update:

Adding insult to injury, it was on the 3rd of January, 2004, that it became necessary for me to make another move. You see about a week earlier the Brother and his wife (Jerry and Kathy) had asked me to find another location to park our camper, and one of the reasons for their request was that "Sandy and Bruce's marriage outside the law" wasn't of God. And just to refresh your memory on Jerry and Kathy, it was only a few days after we were married that the Lord used Sandy and me to bring Kathy back to the Lord...and then He used us to bring her redneck husband Jerry to Jesus for the first time (see Moving On). It was a few weeks after that when Jerry offered us a spot in their yard to park our camper.

Now, skipping lots of details, it was as I was about to drive off on the morning of the 3rd, with camper in tow, that Jerry made sure to underscore the fact that Christians can't be living outside the law. He made sure I understood that he believed Sandy and I were not man and wife in the Eyes of God but married in sin.

However, due to the fact that the camper tag has expired, and the lights don't work, Jerry and Kathy followed me to the next leg of my journey. And during that short little drive the Lord spoke to me concerning the piece of paper that Jerry and Kathy had given me earlier that morning out of obedience to God Almighty. Because you see that same piece of paper was a legal document, hand written on a piece of notebook paper by the both of them, in which Jerry sold me the camper on the 31st of December, 2003, for $200.

Now, in reality, the camper was sold to us by Jerry's father on the 25th of September, 2003, for $300 - and it was done with a proper title! However, due to circumstances beyond my control the Lord saw to it that Jerry provided me with the bill of sale in my name with a very recent date...and the reason he was able to do this was because the camper tags were in his name.

So, without a doubt, Jerry went outside the law by doing what God commanded him to do. And it was by the time we made it to our destination that morning that the Lord had me relate this little fact to him: "God told Jerry to go outside the law in order to help me out and Jerry obeyed. As directed by the Father Jerry "lied"."

What a set-up! God vindicated Sandy and me right there on the spot. He proved to Brother Jerry and Sister Kathy that He can do whatever He pleases - even when it comes to the law - because He is God!!!

In fact carrying on with that same train of thought, the scribes and Pharisees also tried to trap Jesus with the "law"...but He didn't take the bait:

"And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus...said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (John 8:1-11)

Update:

The following e-mail entitled "Greater is HE!" was received from Sister Angie Wall on the 11th of February, 2004:

Good Morning Brother Bruce

I wanted to update you on my evening last night, very interesting. I was in my prayer closet praying for you and Sandy and I kept getting scripture and ideas about curses and witchcraft from Numbers. Is it scriptural that curses can come against a child of God? Even Balaam could not curse the children of Israel and had to trick them to bring them under a curse. I know rebellion and disobedience will bring a curse but can other people bring a curse against my husband and me if we are being obedient? The other thing is that after I prayed for you and your wife, I was attacked physically. My legs broke out in itching hives and I had to strongly resist the attack. I don't understand what is going on but I do trust Jesus and I know He has a plan and a purpose for us all. I dreamed last night of a Bible principle and remember waking up thinking God was giving me revelation but when I woke up, I can not remember what it was that I was dreaming. I think it has something to do with a deep well-type hole...

[See My Natural Wife Was Annie...But My Spiritual Wife Is Sandy! (3/14/04) for a deeper understanding of these curses against the child of God.]

Update:

The following e-mail was received from Sister Sallie Crews on the 28th of October, 2004:

...Can I write a letter to sandy and it be Emailed to her? I would like for her to know how many of us love her in the lord and are lifting her up before the lord. And especially for her and her youngest daughter"s protection against the enemy. Sandy please be careful as satan will use your own family to bring you down. I pray God will put a hedge around you and your child,, and that he will deliver your other daughter and son-n-law from satanic bondage. I feel that your daughter only joined her husband because of the love she has for him in her heart. Love can be blind sometimes as in her case. Sandy ,if you have ever, ever in your life been strong,, be that NOW because you are fighting for your grown daughter"s soul!!! Also your first husband has a soul that needs rescueing too. Unless the lord told me not to pray for him( and he hasn"t so far) I will be fasting and praying for all of your family. First for those that are in the satanic mess and then for protection for those that are not. Sandy you have no idea of the evil that people will do and be blindly influenced into by the satanic occult. We love you in the lord and we are praying for you my little sister in god"s army,

salliecrews

PS. sandy, fast, fast, and pray, like you have never done before in your life,, because these only come out by fasting and prayer. Remember, that there is no power greater than the Lord" jesus christ and our father god, and through him, and by him we have ALL power against THE ENEMY.

(Continuation of that e-mail only a few hours later:)

Brother Bruce since I contacted you last I have been praying and binding and casting down strong holds and etc. I didn"t go to sleep until almost 4AM this morning and then I had to turn around and get back up at 7:30 AM and take one of my sons to work,, and I have been up ever since. NOW! getting back to what I was going to tell you was that as I began to come against demonic spirits concerning sandy"s x husband and her grown daughter and son in law,,, and even asking jesus to put a hedge around sandy herself and her youngest daughter,, I could feel the forces of evil and I got chill bumps all over me. I reconized what it was and BOY! did I start commanding them to flee out of my home and off of my property and also the same thing for my two son"s home that live togeather next door. Brother its going to take a lot of fasting and praying I feel. We are going to the family reunion this week end and afterwards I will do some more fasting . I have really, really ejoyed reading the material from Faith Tabernackle. I am fixing to pray with my husband and do some bible reading in a few minutes. Keep the faith and please don"t get discouraged. Love as a sister in the lord"s army.

salliecrews

[See My Natural Wife Was Annie...But My Spiritual Wife Is Sandy! (3/14/04) for a deeper understanding of these curses against the child of God.]