Spiritual Warfare
I
eventually stopped asking these
and other questions to the youth pastor because
he didn't have the answers and seemed to be getting frustrated and demoralized
as the weeks wore on.
He did mention other Americans besides Charles Kraft whom he said were the leading theologians in spiritual warfare,
but not all of their works had been translated into his native Korean. So
I looked up their names online and discovered an entire realm of ministry
dubbed,
'spiritual warfare.'
Many of these leaders in spiritual warfare had elaborate techniques and prayers, some very detailed, including one that ran seventeen pages when printed, for casting out demons, breaking 'generational curses,' severing 'soul ties,' etc., that were new to me. I wanted but didn't have the time to qualify them in detail, as we were in pitched spiritual battle daily. So I printed their prayers and commands for casting out demons that passed a quick review and brought them to the youth pastor's house, like a soldier grabbing whatever ammunition he can find in the rear and running back to the frontline, and used them with him to minister to Kristin. We also fasted for up to three days a number of times.
Waging spiritual warfare was hard on me and the youth pastor, but it was much, much harder on Kristin. For us, the spiritual warfare took place in her room; for her, it took place inside her body. She coughed up incredible amounts of saliva and phlegm, said her stomach hurt, her voice grew hoarse, and when we commanded the demons to come out of her, her thorax often bulged outward so violently and so much that I was afraid her sternum and/or ribs may crack. Moreover, after twelve hours of casting out demons, I could at least leave and have a real break for the next twelve hours, and the youth pastor could at least go downstairs to his room. But Kristin had to sleep in the room where we had waged spiritual warfare.
Yet, she was resolute, tenacious, courageous, never complained, and prayed the sweetest prayers when it was her turn to pray before, during and after the sessions. I had never before heard anyone cry out to Jesus and cling to Him with such desperation, fervor and sweetness.
Breakthroughs of sorts - and painful ones - took place when Kristin began to have flashbacks of her childhood during the sessions. When she had told me early on that her father had abused her physically and emotionally, I had asked her if he had also abused her sexually, and she had said no. Now, she was having flashbacks of being raped by her father, and the flashbacks went farther and farther back to when she was younger and younger. She cried much. The youth pastor and I became furious and indignant at her father. We tried to comfort and encourage her as best as two men could.
The fourth week, the youth pastor informed me and Kristin that he and his family need to return to Korea for a while. On the one hand, I hoped that he would offer to let Kristin continue to stay at his house during their absence so that at least I could continue to go and minister to her, but he didn't. On the other hand, I was wary of a single man and a single woman being alone in his house, so perhaps he was wary of it as well.
So I began to spend the mornings walking around the city visiting guest houses in search of one that had rooms with walls thick enough for spiritual warfare, but found none. Two days before their departure date, I was out again when the youth pastor called. He said Kristin had asked him to take her with him and his family to Korea, where three large churches, he said, have been praying for her, and where he also had his "mentor pastor," who had taught him spiritual warfare and who can cast all demons out of Kristin in one session. So what did I think?
This was the first time that the youth pastor had mentioned any church, let alone three large churches, in Korea praying for Kristin, or his "mentor pastor," especially one who was so gifted in spiritual warfare. The news couldn't have been better, so I told him that was fantastic and praised the Lord for a solution far better than the one for which I had been praying.
When I arrived at the youth pastor's house that afternoon, Kristin didn't seem as excited as I thought she would be. She actually seemed somewhat distant, but I didn't have the time to dwell on it. The women at the Korean church had given her many items of clothes (She didn't bring many clothes from China because I had told her to pack for just a week), and the youth pastor said he wasn't sure if she should leave some of them behind as she may return after having all of the demons cast out in Korea. He also said that she didn't have a suitcase big enough to fit all of the clothes.
I told him that after the spiritual warfare has been won in Korea, the Lord may have her serve in Korea or return to China directly from there, so she should take everything with her. He agreed, so I went and bought her a full-sized suitcase. He also mentioned that her one-way flight to Korea had cost a little over $500. He was already doing so much for her and was going to cover her expenses while in Korea, so a French brother and I pitched in to cover her flight. When I handed him the $500 for her flight, he didn't seem happy, but I didn't think much about it.
Kristin remained rather unexcited and distant, even at the airport as she left for Korea. But I knew that she would be beyond happy in a few days and was very excited for her. I returned from the airport and slept soundly for the first time in over a month. It had been the most challenging and exhausting month of my life, but victory drew nigh.