"It seems to me that you're in trouble now," Deanne said.
It stopped laughing and began calling the three ladies all kinds of foul names.
"I've had enough of this!" Casie said. "Holy Spirit, please come into this room and bring Your Spirit of Truth."
The unclean spirit got quiet and its eyes began moving in a darting motion as it seemed to be watching something going back and forth in front of it. Gary came into the room at that moment and the demon roared, "You can't come in here!"
"I can, I will, and I am," he said as he stepped closer to the bed. "In Jesus' Name I bind you and command you to be silent."
The demon tried to open Megan's mouth, but it was if it had been sewn shut.
"So what's happening ladies?" Gary asked.
"Megan woke up and when she found out that she was disconnected, this demon took over," Casie explained. They told Gary what it had said about its assignment.
"Holy Spirit," Gary prayed, "we ask for your truth, wisdom and discernment so that we can cancel the assignment that this spirit has been functioning under against You and Your Kingdom."
"I believe it was telling the truth in part," Casie said. "But there is some deeper purpose."
"It was murder," Liz said.
At that, Megan's lips opened and the spirit cried out proudly, "Yes, you idiots! I'm going to kill all of you. So unsuspecting and just sitting there praying to your God in your Friday morning prayer group. Next Friday, Megan will bring the gun and when you have your eyes closed, bang, bang, bang, you're dead, dead, dead!"
It laughed out loud at the fear it expected to find on their faces, but when it looked up at them, they were full of perfect peace and it stopped laughing. "Didn't you hear what I said? Megan's going to kill you, all of you and put a stop to this pathetic intercessory prayer!"
Gary said, "It seems to me that you better take a closer look at your situation. You're in no position to do anything to anybody anymore. But thank you for telling the truth."
The demon tried to say something else, but the angels must have been holding its mouth closed like they did when Daniel had been in the lion's den.
"Ok," Deanne said. "My question is, what do we do now? Is a clone a human being with a spirit? I'm sure she's got a soul. Even animals have souls. But can we kick demons out of her? Does she have free will like humans do? And what happens if we kick them out and then they come back stronger? I just don't know."
"I think I better call Jake. It's time to bring him in on this," Gary said. "In the mean time, Holy Spirit, we ask You to guard and keep Megan from harm and to prepare her for the plans you have for her."
He looked over at Casie and winked. "It's going to be ok, sweetheart." He checked his phone. "We're back on line. God's timing is always perfect because it wasn't on when I drove up five minutes ago." Then he went out to make the call to Jake.
Liz pulled a chair up beside Deanne and the ladies began to pray out loud for Megan. They prayed that the love of Jesus would fill the room and Megan's heart and mind. They sang songs of Jesus' love. They spoke encouraging, hopeful words over her, words of truth, freedom, joy and peace. And suddenly Megan said, "Would you please sing that last song again?"
They just looked at her with their mouths hanging open. "Sure," Liz finally managed, and they began singing, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…."
Megan closed her eyes and let the words saturate her mind. When the song was over, she looked into the eyes of the two ladies who had so lovingly prayed for her. "I am thirsty now. Could I have a drink please?"
Liz said, "Of course!" She came back into the room a minute later with a plastic cup of cold water and wondered if this niceness was a trick and if she would take advantage of the contact to grab hold of her. But she refused to be the hostage of fear or intimidation, and she smiled as she handed the cup through the invisible barrier that was keeping Megan on the bed. Megan sat up, reached out and took the cup. "Thank you," she said as she drank the whole glass down and handed it back.
She lay back against the pillow. "I'm guessing that Jake drugged me."
Unsure how to best answer her, Casie said, "Jake will be here after a while and you can talk to him about that."
"I don't blame you for being cautious with me. I know I'm not nice. It feels really weird without my connections and the voices inside my head telling me what to say and do."
"Megan," Casie asked. "Do you mind if we ask you some questions?"
"I don't know if I can answer them, but you can ask."
Casie was thoughtful, and then proceeded. "Do you ever remember a time when you weren't connected?"
"No," she answered. "For as long as I can remember, they've always been there."
"Have you ever been able to make choices of your own?"
Megan was quiet a minute as she thought about this. "I do make choices, but every choice I make must be appropriate and fit accordingly within the parameters of my assignment. I am flawed and do tend to think for myself. I failed this assignment." She hung her head as if ashamed. "I don't know what they'll do with me now. This was a big job. I was the first, you know."
Casie, Liz and Deanne looked at each other, and then back at Megan, wondering how far they should take this line of conversation. Deanne spoke up. "What do you mean the first? The first to do what?"
Megan looked at her with sudden fear. "I don't know if I should have said that." She edged her way down under the covers until all that was showing were her eyes and her fingertips which were grasping the top edge of the blanket. It was as if she were willing herself to shrink out of sight. More to herself than anyone else, she stifled a cry and said, "I don't know what to do without my connections. I'm going to be in so much trouble!"
Casie leaned over and laid her hand softly on Megan's forehead. "There is someone you can be connected to instantly who is good and kind and always loving."
She looked up at Casie with a question in her eyes, and Casie said, "Jesus loves you Megan. He loves you so much that He didn't want you to have to be punished anymore, so He took your punishment for you when He died on the cross."
Casie had been a little worried about the reaction they might get when she mentioned Jesus, but so far so good.
She continued. "Jesus is God, and nothing could keep Him from the people He loved, so He came back to life after three days. He's alive, Megan, because He loves you and wants to have a connection with you."
Megan hadn't moved but she said, "They told me that Jesus was a very bad man and that He's dead. What makes you believe He came back to life?"
"It says it right here in God's Word."
"Well, I don't know that I believe God's Word, but you make Him sound nice. At any rate, He wouldn't care about me. I'm not a people. I'm a clone. I have a job to do and that's all." Then as an afterthought she asked, "Will Jesus help me to do my job? If He is alive and nice, and if He'd help me, maybe I wouldn't get in trouble."
"My guess is that even though you are a clone, you are still a person. You are flesh and blood. Look at you! You have hair," Casie playfully ruffled the hair on Megan's head. "You have ears that hear, eyes that see, and a nose that smells," Casie said as she lightly tweaked Megan's nose like she would a child's even though it was covered up. They could see in Megan's eyes that she was smiling. "You have a mouth that talks and smiles, a brain that is very smart and a mind that can make choices; you have a heart that has feelings…No matter how you were conceived, I'm pretty sure you're a person, Megan."
Liz spoke up. "Yes, I agree. And as for your job, well you have been assigned a job that is against everything that Jesus stands for. God is love, and every job He assigns has to fit within His love, so I'm pretty sure that He would not help you to carry out your old job. He would take that one away from you and give you new one. One that would be good and helpful to Him and to others."
Megan's nose and then mouth appeared as she slowly pushed the blankets down to her neck. "You think that I'm a person?" Her forehead was w
rinkled in thought. "And you think that God is bigger than Lucifer?"
"Yes, we believe that you are a person, Megan, and we know that God is more powerful than Lucifer. He created Lucifer," Casie said.
"I thought that Lucifer was the creator."
Liz picked up the Bible. "Read this right here, Megan. Genesis 1:1."
Megan sat up and read, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
Liz then turned to Isaiah 14 beginning with verse 12 and asked Megan to read about Lucifer's fall from heaven.
"Well, I'm not sure exactly what to believe right now," Megan said after reading the scriptures. "But what I do know is that Lucifer's plan for me is not going so well, and you people who serve God seem to be more powerful. And you are nice and good….I have Nicole's memories you know…" she got quiet and seemed to be searching for something inside her mind.
Casie said, "No we didn't know that."
"I can see a difference between you guys, including Jake, and my connections. They are all about themselves. I am to obey and serve them, and blindly do whatever they tell me. Your connection is different…."
"That's because it is based on love, not control," Casie said.
Megan was thoughtful as she still seemed to be looking inside herself. "Yes, I can see what you mean."
They heard the front door open and Gary called out, "We're here."
"Come on in," Casie said.
Jake stopped in the doorway instead of following Gary into the room. He was unsure how he would be received. He looked at the lady sitting up in the bed and she just looked back at him, neither one sure how to proceed.
Suddenly, Megan broke the silence. "Hi, I'm Megan," she held out her hand to Jake and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I thought maybe we could start over."
He looked at her a moment longer, then stepped over to the bed, took her hand in his and smiled in return. "Hi Megan. Thank you for being truthful with me as to your identity."
She cocked her head to one side. "How did you know I wasn't Nicole?"
"That first night when I looked into your eyes, I didn't see my wife. That was the first clue of several."
"Huh."
"But I have to say that you are so much like her. Of course you share the same DNA."
"That's it!" Casie exclaimed! "Megan, you are your own person apart from your connections and apart from Nicole. While you can function without your connections, you can't be separated from your DNA, which is the same as Nicole's. Nicole's DNA cries out for God, for that connection with Him through His Son, Jesus. Do you sense that same desperate desire in yourself, Megan?"
Megan looked as if she were thinking about this when her head flew back and her eyes rolled into her head.
"You leave her alone, you ****!" The murderous spirit was in control again and tried to leap at Casie, but was once again knocked back onto the bed as the invisible barrier stopped it.
"This is the Jezebel spirit," Liz said.
Casie agreed. "And it's working with Murder. Ok, Jezebel and all working under her, I command you in Jesus' name to go down. I want to talk to Megan."
"No! You can't make us."
"Well the Holy Spirit can."
A flash of fear fell over the spirit's face and Megan's head fell forward. Then there was a tormented look on her face. Megan was back.
"Megan, look at me," Casie said. Then she asked "Are you aware of what just happened here?"
"Yes." Megan started to hang her head in shame, but Casie lifted it back up and turned her head so that she could keep looking into her eyes.
"It's ok, sweet heart, that is not you. That is an evil spirit that is controlling you and tormenting you."
"Yes, I know. I have relied on her to help me carry out my assignment."
"Ok. The time has come for you to make a choice."
Megan's eyes grew wide in fright.
Casie explained, "That's right, you will have to choose who you are going to serve. We can help you be free from this evil spirit and any others that are controlling you, but you have to choose to be free from them. And you would have to choose to be connected to Jesus instead of your old connections. You would basically be changing your citizenship from the kingdom of darkness, hatred, violence, manipulation, control…to the Kingdom of light, love, freedom, joy, peace, hope…."
"And Jesus would keep me safe from my handler? He's very evil. I know I'll be in very bad trouble if he catches me."
Gary spoke up. "Jesus will be your shield and defender. And we will do everything we can to protect you as well. We can't promise you that you will never be hurt. But we can promise you that Jesus will always be with you and His Holy Spirit will be your guide and tell you what to do."
"And Jesus would give me a new job? I've never considered that possibility before. I've never thought about liking or not liking my job or my life…that wasn't allowed. But now as I think about it, I don't like my job. I'm not happy. I want to be happy."
Liz said, "Jesus has a perfect job for you, and when you do it, you will find that you are happy and fulfilled."
Megan was quiet a moment, then she said, "I choose Jesus."
She barely got those words out when the vile spirit reared its ugly head again. "You can't have her, she's mine! I birthed this one and you have no right to take her from me!"
Casie said, "We have every right because she chooses Jesus and is born again."
"She has no rights and she is not allowed to choose. She's a clone, not a person!" The intensity of the spirit let them know that they were all on the right track.
Jake said, "I believe that I am to take authority over this spirit and to pray for her deliverance." He suddenly looked a bit startled. Had he really said that?
Gary slapped him on the back. "Go for it, brother."
Jake stood on the right side of the bed near Megan's head and the others surrounded the bed.
The spirit began to curse.
Jake said, "In Jesus' name I bind your mouth shut, you evil spirit. I will speak with Megan right now."
"I'm here," she said in a weak voice.
Jake began to question his sanity as the thoughts that were forming in his mind were contradictory to any he wanted to claim; however, the word "claim" was a key, and he knew that he must continue. He rubbed his forehead as if hoping that the thing he was about to say would vanish.
"Megan, you are as the flesh and blood of my wife. You have no human parents. Those who have claimed you have used you for evil purposes. I believe that you need parents who will love you and care for you."
He looked over at Casie as if he wasn't sure if he were crazy or not, but she just looked back at him with a huge smile and began nodding her head in encouragement. He decided he better continue with this thought that had taken over his mind even if it sounded weird.
"If you are willing to renounce the soul ties to your spiritual parents and your handler who have filled that perverted roll in your life, Nicole and I would like to claim you as our daughter. We will love and care for you."
Megan, who had been staring straight ahead, turned her head towards Jake to see if he meant what he said. It seemed preposterous, like some sick joke to her.
"You can't be serious!" she exclaimed. "I have been terrible to you and to Nicole. Besides, what makes you think she would agree to this?"
Jake just smiled. "I know my wife, and even though she may have to work through some feelings, she will love you. My guess is that God's already working on her heart. Forgiveness is a way of life for her. And for me. I choose to forgive you, Megan. Do you choose to accept my forgiveness?"
She turned her head and looked straight ahead again while she thought about that. "I don't know this forgiveness. It is a new concept to me. To forgive means that you don't hold anything against me anymore?"
"Yes, that's right. Like when you held your hand out to me when I first got here. You could have been angry that I drugged you, but you were willing to start over."
/> "And you could be angry with me for…so many things. But you are willing to start over?"
"Yes. And God could be angry at all of us for so many things, but He is always willing to forgive us, to start over when we repent, ask Him to forgive us and then accept it by entering into a new relationship with Him based on His love for us."
"No punishment?"
"No. He already took the punishment for our sins and for all the sin in the world."
"Oh yes…when He died on the cross."
"That's right. Megan, if you choose Jesus, you need a new family. Nicole and I would like to be that for you. Will you allow us to claim you? To adopt you into our family?"
Tears began trickling down her face. She wiped them away and said, "Sorry, I know I shouldn't do that."
Liz said, "What? Not cry? Girl, we do a lot of that around here. It's fine! I'll get the Kleenex…I think I need one too."
"Me too," Casie said as she wiped at her own eyes.
Megan looked up at Jake. "Yes. Yes, I'll accept your offer and allow you to claim me. But can I be a sister instead of a daughter?"
He laughed, "Yes of course! How old are you anyways?"
Megan did not answer. Casie took hold of her arm. "What is it sweetie? What's going on?"
"It's telling me that it is going to kill me. I can't belong to a family. I'm different, not like you…"
Jake stepped in. "That's a lie Megan. Don't believe it. I think it's time to get rid of this tormenter."
He placed his hand on Megan's head and proclaimed, "In Jesus' name I claim Megan in the spiritual and physical realm as my sister. In Jesus' name and by the power of His blood, I bind this foul spirit. I take captive the Jezebel spirit, murder, suicide, witchcraft, manipulation and control, anger, hatred, violence, seduction….and any other cohorts. I command you to be bound together, and in Jesus' name, I command you to release Megan. You will not hurt her in any way, and I call for angels to come and escort you to Jesus' feet to wait for His judgment of you. So in Jesus' name, go now."
There was another blood curdling scream that came from the pit of Megan's stomach, and then it was quiet. Everybody was waiting to see if Jezebel was going to take over again, but then Megan said, "I feel so weird! Like empty, and it's so quiet." They breathed a sigh of relief.
The Soul Redeemer: From Victim to Victory Page 33