"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Proverbs 25:11

“TESTIMONY”
FROM BRIAN REYNOLDS

Every testimony of Jesus Christ working in someone's life is a life changing event that is supernaturally charged to change a person from A to Z & all for Christ's glory & honor to be showcased. It is a privelege to share a fantastic life changing testimony from Brian Reynolds, here with you today.



My name is Brian Reynolds, and I've been born again, saved, and washed by the Blood of the Lamb since I was around ten or so. My testimony leading up to salvation isn't anything extraordinary, though I do remember like it was yesterday when the burdens of this world were lifted from my shoulders. Even at that age, when I'd not yet faced the world enough to pile up a ton of worldly baggage, there was a lift and a spiritual gladness that kept me smiling for quite some time afterwards.

I've never forgotten it, and that experience is tucked into my helmet of salvation, as a constant reminder all these years later, of the fatherly love I felt from him as he washed me clean. You see, my mother had lead me to the Lord. She herself had become extremely close to the Father a few years earlier (which shortly thereafter cost her her marriage by the way,) and was always an unmovable presence spiritually. So without a doubt, I'm a product of a praying steadfast mother.

Yes the Lord changed me that day, however, I was still very young, and it wasn't long before I forsook anything that the Lord did for me that day. I was a stiff necked, stubborn, unruly, rebellious, and mouthy kid to say the least. And I'm talking about after I was saved, just think about what my mother had to deal with before that!

My love for the Lord dwindled down into a memory within months. As I look back, I can see what was going on. Spiritual doors were being left wide open for demonic attack and would eventually result in possession.
Within about a year, I was doing drugs, drinking, and smoking. Yeah I got all of that into my system early at about eleven years old. Hard Rock/Heavy Metal music was blaring almost everywhere I went, just inundating my senses with the messages that groups like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Danzig, and others of their ilk would convey.

It never occurred to me that nearly everything that I had become involved with was so against the Lord. I knew that he loved me and I was saved, so as far as I could see it (through the vast wisdom and knowledge of a pre-teen,) I was all set to move on and trash my life as I saw fit.

I was more than a handful in those days, exhibiting raging anger issues, complete disregard for anyone else (unless they were friends just as thick into issues as I had become,) and became downright hateful toward my mother and her friends, who, by the way, were also Christians.

Not long after, any music I'd hear that was Christian in any way, would cause for me to either have to leave the room, or do whatever it took to shut it off. I can recall the intensity of the hatred for that music. I didn't know why, nor did I care

Bottom line is, I had become possessed. Many people don't believe that can happen to someone who has accepted the Lord Jesus, and has invited him in. I beg to differ. Some may say, "Well, that means that you weren't saved!"

That's not true at all. I was saved, but my free will caused for the Father to step back and allow me to suffer the fruits of my decisions, actions, and sin. The thing is, I knew even then, that the Lord was with me. Not only with me, but would not leave me alone when I was involved with doing something that was outstandingly wrong.

Others may say that I wasn't possessed, but instead oppressed. Well, I can say with certainty, that wasn't the case at all. I was both saved and possessed. I mean sure, I could have been demonically oppressed several times over, but that doesn't cancel out possession, it's just a different peel of the onion.

I'd get massive waves of conviction at times, that I'd never attribute to myself as I recall my attitude during those days. I knew that I knew that I knew, I was saved, but just stopped caring about it. Converting into Satanism or blatantly jumping ship from the Father to a cult or other religion was never a thought. It was obvious to me that doing so would anger the Lord, and I'd be in trouble. Honestly, I really thought I wasn't doing any wrong spiritually.

Let's bump it up a little to when I was around thirteen years old. My mother at that point was being trained in many different ways to conduct spiritual warfare, which for her anyways, answered a ton of questions about me and my behavior. I didn't give her the time of day about any of it, but the Lord had her in preparation for something that was from way out of nowhere ...

I hung around with a allot of people in those days, but had a small core of friends that ranged from 13-16 years old. At that time, they began hanging out with someone in the neighborhood that was into witchcraft, and they thought that was a cool thing to dabble around with.

Fortunately I stayed away from this person for several reasons. Looking back, divine intervention at it's finest. But eventually my friends wound up with their hands on a Ouija board, and began using it to conjure up whatever would answer them. (Please understand, I'm trying my best to make a long story short!)
Inevitably, they got what they were asking for, and it terrified them all. A couple of them found themselves doing things that they normally wouldn't have, enough to actually be troubling to them. Thank God that they recognized that they had a huge problem on their hands, but having no real clue what they were messing with, they only knew of one person in the whole neighborhood that might know what to do. And that person was my mother.

All three of these guys one after the other came to speak with my mother, and one by one were eventually brought to the Lord and delivered from a whole slew of different demonic entities. It started with the oldest, and the others followed suit.

That left me in a strange place. My closest friends at that time were changing before my very eyes, and I knew it was a good thing, but didn't feel good about it. Soon, they'd be lecturing me about listening to my mother and telling me I needed to be delivered even more than they did! Who are these people!!!

Finally, after around three months of my friends being delivered, I gave up and allowed for my mother to pray over me to see if I needed deliverance. I remember the first few minutes, and the last few minutes, but everything in between I had no memory of.

When she was done, she filled me in on a couple of things I did and said, different voices I spoke with, making symbols with my hands, sliding across the bed into the wall, etc... All the normal stuff right? When all was said and done, I really didn't notice any difference.

But even though I didn't notice, everyone around me certainly did. One day, I realized that I wasn't infuriated with my mother's music. I thought, hmm, interesting... Things didn't make me as infuriated, I'd think a little more about things, I'd pray to the Lord and became more interested in him.

Was I perfect? No way, not by a long shot! And this isn't to say that I suddenly made all of the right choices either. I was 13 at the time, and had all kinds of opportunities to be stupid thereafter, which I took advantage of, and never really did have what some would consider a "normal" life after that. But what's "normal" anyways?

All of this was approximately thirty years ago. Sometimes I think that it's better to come out of darkness and into the light of Christ at a later age, so the before and after is much more contrast and more memorable. Because being saved at such a young age, it's tough for me to have that contrast. But when I start thinking that it would have been better to have been saved later in years, the Lord tells me "Well, I didn't think it would have been better ..."

That goes to show, the Lord was in control then, he's in control now, and will be in control in the future. As I recall all of this, I am amazed at how the Father was working all things to come together. That's what he does, and I am ever grateful to him for causing for me to know him, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through his Spirit.

© Brian Reynolds

Brian Reynolds is the producer of the Supernatural Truth in Christ website, and has authored Not of this World: Out of the Mire and Kingdom of Darkness in a Fallen World. He lives with his family in New Hampshire and spends time in ministry helping others to find Biblical answers to spiritual questions.