9/ Attempted Murder
The association with Paul and Julie were to lead to 3 years of visitations to five gaols: Long Bay, Goulburn, Silver Water, Bathurst and Park Lea Maximum Security. Through Paul's eyes the term gaol and criminals took on a different meaning. I am not condoning the actions of criminals, nor am I saying they should not pay for their crimes; it's just that now I no longer see them as statistics, but individuals.
We learnt that inmates committed suicide due to despair and loneliness. Paul pleaded with me to write to some of these inmates. In this way we met J.R. When J.R. was transferred from Long Bay to Bathurst Gaol, we promised to visit him during my holidays. Arrangements for accommodation were made through Rod, a Christian warder.
Rod provided us first with two nights free motel accommodation, then two nights accommodation at the boys' college where he was house-master. The generosity with which he greeted us was overwhelming. Jesus said, "I assure you that anyone who gives you a drink of water because you belong to me will certainly have his reward." (Mark 9:41). This man gave to us, total strangers, a banquet. The table was laden with many varieties of cheeses, vegetables, nuts and fresh bread. Just to make sure that we wouldn't go hungry, Rod had ordered pizza and cheese cake to be delivered as well. The children and I have never forgotten this man's generosity. Unfortunately, we haven't forgotten the horror that followed either.
The old house we were to stay in was occupied by Rod, the Principal and his family, as well as boys occupying a dormitory - the latter two, now on holidays. The architecture indicated that the house would have been built in the late 1800s. There was an old world charm, but also a foreboding uneasiness about the place.
Rod's guided tour of the house revealed some interesting facts, for there was a well under one of the rooms where a dead body had been found. It had never been established whether the death had been accidental, suicide or murder. Rod's reason for changing rooms in the house was also interesting. While sick in bed one day, he had felt as if the walls were closing in on him. Also the cupboard seemed to be coming closer and closer, ready to squash him. There was obviously more to this old house than met the eye.
Between visits to the gaol and the surrounding scenic spots, the days passed pleasantly. J.R. was very happy to have us visit him. Soon three other inmates were invited to the visitors' area. To these four inmates my children and I were the closest they came to having a mother and sisters, especially in J.R's case, since he had been thrown out of home at the age of fourteen.
I never asked the prisoners what their crimes were. Through the love of Jesus I hoped that the vicious cycle of hatred, rejection and fear would be broken. Jesus had turned my life around. I knew he could also give these men a new start in life.
Our second night at the college proved eventful. A friend of Rod's had arrived from Sydney to stay for a few days. In the course of conversation, I shared with them the story about Sandra. The visitor was very sceptical about demonic forces inside a person.
"I'll believe it, when I see it." Little did he realise he would see "it" very shortly - that night.
Around 10 o'clock Rod invited me to see his room. Considering I had already had a guided tour of the house the previous evening, including Rod's room, I decided there must be more to it than a simple invitation. I agreed to go, but insisted on getting my Bible first.
After Rod had closed the door, he slowly turned around and said, "I'm sure you realise I didn't ask you in here to see my room."
I could only manage a numb, "Yes."
"As I listened to you sharing the story of Sandra, I realised I have a similar problem. I would like you to pray for me." This revelation did surprise me a little, but I took it all in my stride - just as well we don't know the future. With the words, "Rod I'll just get my daughter to help me pray," I left the room.
To Malcolm's surprise I asked him to take care of Rachael, while Sonja and I prayed for Rod. As the house was built around a courtyard, it was easy to cross from one room to another, as well as hear what was going on. Little did Malcolm realise that his unbelief would be challenged very shortly.
Rod sat in the chair by the desk, while Sonja and I decided to kneel in prayer. To help my concentration, I closed my eyes; I try not to do that anymore when I pray for somebody. For upon opening my eyes I saw such horror as only seem in bizarre horror movies - only this was for real. Yes, the body of Rod sat before us, but it wasn't him. The eyes were large round stones that glared at us. The face was white and unbelievably evil, resembling granite. The evil which came from Rod was electric. Immediately I started to pray, at this the body before us became even more frightening. I didn't know how to pray; so I just called on Jesus and rebuked Satan. As I commanded the spirit of self-pity to leave him one single tear rolled down his cheek. Why those words came out of my mouth, I don't know, but at least there was a response.
When I stopped praying from time to time, Rod reacted normally. At one stage he told us that the evil spirit had told him to strangle both of us, or throw things at us. There was something, however, which prevented him from touching us. That "something" was the mighty power of God.
l John 4:4 But you belong to God, my children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.
Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit, is greater and more powerful than Satan, or any demonic spirit.
The hours wore on and both Rod and I became very weary. At one stage I suggested that he should lie on the bed to get some rest. Although the battle was spiritual it was effecting him physically. Every time I tried to cast out the demon which was ruling him, his body would change. At one stage his whole body became terribly twisted. As I looked at the grotesque body before me, God said, "Lilly".
"Lilly!" I thought in horror. My thoughts momentarily raced to a young woman sitting in a wheelchair. Her brother had already died from some disease, which had left his body twisted and his tongue speechless. Now Lilly was fast going the way of her brother. "Lord are you trying to tell me that Lilly is not sick due to a physical condition, but dying due to a spiritual condition?" God told me to tell the minister of her mother's church to pray for the daughter, for once the spirit of infirmity had been cast out, she would be healed.
Upon returning to Wollongong I spoke to the minister about what God had shown me. Sadly he never prayed for Lilly and shortly afterwards she died. Lilly's younger brother, until after her death had been a healthy young man. Yet a few months after his sister's death he also developed the same symptoms and eventually died the same horrible death as his brother and sister a few years later. Apparently the spirit of infirmity transferred from one person to the next at their death. If only these people had been prayed for, Jesus would have gladly set them free. Many times we suffer needlessly, if only we knew God's Word and how to apply it to our life.
My, I do digress! Back to Rod. By 12:45 that night, my strength was failing and I could no longer pray. I guess Jesus was right when he said, "this kind needs much prayer and fasting."
As I prepared to leave his room he said in the sweetest, gentlest tone, "Marlies, would you like me to show you the room where the well is?" Immediately the Holy Spirit warned me with a very definite, NO! Although Rod gave the invitation three times, the Holy Spirit just as strongly told me to say no three times. God did not want me, or my daughters, to murdered. The foul spirit that would not leave Rod was a spirit of murder, it wanted to use Rod to kill us. Bearing that fact in mind, Sonja and I decided not to go to sleep that night - which was just as well.
We decide to move to the loungeroom. Malcolm and Rachael had disappeared, they had obviously heard what was going on.
The horror of the past hours was still with us, so prayer and praise seemed like a good idea to help us stay awake. We froze in terror as the door creaked and slowly opened and then closed again. All night we heard footsteps, anticipating any moment that Rod would stand in the doorway with a knife or gun. The hours passed slowly, kitchen doors opened and closed, floor boards creaked, but no human form appeared in the doorway of the loungeroom.
As the darkness disappeared and the dawn broke, we looked at the mist, dancing like ghosts, outside the window. At least these figures we could see. The ghosts who had partied all night in the house, we had only heard.
It was hard to know how much Rod remembered about the previous night, but he wasn't as friendly as he had been when we first arrived. I asked him why he had paced the floor boards so restlessly all night. To that he replied that he hadn't left his bed.
Malcolm had taken Rachael and himself to the dormitory, where he had slept with a baseball bat by his side. He was no longer in doubt that people can be possessed by an evil spirit.
Rod had gotten into this sad state because he had played around in a seance at the age of thirteen. As usual the children like so many other people, believed that there were no evil spirits and that seances don't really work anyway. Well, the seance had worked and the results were still with him ten years later when we met him. The morning after the seance, Rod found himself lying on his back, covered in rosary beads, crosses and Bibles. His friends were too horrified to speak to him. Strangely enough they were covered in bruises. Only months later was Rod able to piece some of the events together. A spirit had taken control of him and he tried to kill his friends. Seances are not to be meddled with, for they leave long-term unpleasant consequences.
I will never forget Rod's kindness; he wasn't evil, rather that which
ruled him. I have prayed for Rod over many years. I know God will set him
free, if he hasn't done so already.
1/ Fiji
2/ Egypt
3/ Israel
4/ Papua New Guinea
5/ Forgive or I cannot forgive you
6/ Jesus still heals today
7/ Suicide
8/ Long Bay Gaol
9/ Attempted murder
10/ Bathurst Gaol
11/ Angels
12/ How to pray
13/ Cords
14/ Counting the cost
15/ The heart condition
16/ Lorraine
17/ Dracula - fact or fiction
18/ If you love me
19/ Being gay
20/ Faith
21/ Roots
22/ Malaysia
23/ Fiji revisited - 1997
24/ What Jesus means to me
25/ My diary entries
26/ Conclusion