Hey all, its been a while. My heavy schedule has gotten the best of me and finding time to write blogs has been difficult. I have big news to share with you all! First I will fill you in with what you should expect for the future of this blog.
From here on out it is my intention to put out a blog on the second and forth weekend of every month. My last few blogs were apologetic blogs answering 78 questions posed to Christians by a popular atheist you tuber. I would like to see that series through to the end. If you haven't seen them yet I encourage you to read back over the last three blogs.
For Christmas this year my mom and dad gave me a journaling Bible to illustrate. If you are unfamiliar with the growing trend you can see a glimpse of what people are doing by searching "Illustrated Faith" It really is a beautiful movement.
I have already finished two spreads and hope to share with you my progress as I study through and illustrate the Bible. I have pushed myself to read and illustrate it page by page, and I hope you will enjoy following along.
Now for the big announcement. This year I have decided to pursue a calling I have felt for some time. I believe that God has given me a gift of teaching. My love for the Word and study and my tendency to talk too much has both gotten me into a lot of trouble and been used by God to his glory. Because I do not feel that leadership is a gift I have been given (though that is often given with the gift of teaching) I feel like one of the best ways for me to pursue that gift is to write both in blogs and in book form.
Because of this I have decided to pursue my dream of becoming a published author. I have two projects I am currently working on. The first is a fantasy trilogy that has been growing in my mind and my writing since I was twelve. It is entitled "Smoke, Fire and Ash". If you are interested in following the progress on that you can look into another blog I am writing entitled "The Vow" at orenvow.blogspot.com.
I tried a variety of different subjects for my breakout Christian Non-fiction, however I never felt released to pursue any of them until the Lord reminded me of my desire to share my experiences with Spiritual warfare.
I am going to be writing this book on the subject of Satan and Demons. It may seem like an odd choice for a first book, and is in fact very daunting for me. It is one thing writing a theological book with both feet on the ground. It is another thing sharing the deeply personal and easily ridiculed experiences that have shaped this book. I have seen that our culture in particular has a lot of misconceptions on the subject however, and I must be obedient if I feel the Lord wants me to address it.
My hope with the book is that I can finish the first draft this year between the first and second draft of my fantasy book, which is in it's final chapters as we speak. After some edits I will be looking for a few Christians who I trust who might be willing to read the book and check the theology and writing. If all is well I will complete the final edits before self-publishing the book. The current plan is that I will be publishing the book on Kindle first and using the money from the sales to publish paper-back copies. If the Lord is willing I will be using the sales from this book to fulfill my desire to support some Christian ministries I am invested in. I will be using a "reverse tithe" method, keeping 10% to invest back into my writing and art, and donating the remaining 90% into Christian ministries. Some of these ministries might include my Church, Sent Church in Sanford FL, and "Unearthed" a ministry that fights human trafficking through media, distribution of funds to existing ministries in need, and the creation of resources for churches.
What has caused me to want to write on the subject. A more complete testimony of my experiences will be included in the book, but I will explain briefly to you.
I remember being terrified of the dark as a child. Apparently most people are afraid of the dark because of what they cannot see and therefore imagine in the dark. However, when I was a child I very vividly saw what I called monsters walking through my room.
I would often sit awake on my bed watching as monsters milling about. I was afraid to close my eyes or turn away because on an early occasion when I had done so a monster had laid it's hand on my shoulder.
As I grew older I dismissed most stories of demons. Though I believed they existed, I did not feel like people were telling the truth when they talked about seeing demons or feeling them. All the while I was plagued with bizarre nightmares, sleepwalking and hearing voices during the night. Most of these were terrifying experiences, but became a family joke when I recounted them. I didn't want to let on how truly terrifying they were, or relieve it in the telling.
As I grew older these symptoms got worse and began to include complete spiritual and emotional break-downs and occasional waking sights of demons. During this time a friend suggested that what was happening was not just my subconscious but active demonic oppression.
After this suggestion I searched for books, sermons and articles on Satan and demons. I found that most of the resources I found were based not on Bible study and exegesis but on experience and conjecture. Most sources prescribed exorcisms with specialists and treated demonic oppression as if it were a disease that needed a certified spiritual doctor to fix.
After trying a variety of these remedies with both terrifying and hilarious results, I was more terrified and disappointed then ever. I was struggling with an eating disorder, panic attacks, a multitude of unaddressed sin habits and I was loosing sleep with almost nightly demonic dreams and visions.
Finally, God stepped in and showed me His presences through the same thing that was so plaguing me: Nightmares. Two, specifically. After this point I threw out most of the teaching on demons and opened my Bible.
Since this time my experiences have been few and far between and all without fear. When demons enter my dreams I cast them out in the name of Christ. When I wake to see them I feel no fear but follow the Biblical prescription for such times: the name of Christ and prayer.
I have come to resent much of the teaching on Satan and demons, which drags believers away from the power of the Cross to that of incantations, self-help and humanism. Christians have become enslaved to fear and to false teachers, more ensnared by their attempts to flee the enemy than by the actions of the enemy.
This is why this book is one that I have always wanted to write, though I never expected it to be my first book. I hope you will follow along, open your Bibles, and learn what is meant by "spiritual warfare".
If you want to follow me as a writer you can find me on Twitter under the name @J23hawkE and on my FB page at Jill E Purrazzi. If you have any stories or thoughts on the subject of Satan, demons, and Spiritual Warfare, I would love to hear anything you have to tell. Please message me your stories and thoughts! I may even include some of them in the book, with your permission of course.
I hope that you will keep me in your prayers, that I will listen to the voice of God and not veer into false teaching. Pray that God will use this book or stop my writing it.
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