Reporter: JIMI MERRELL GREW UP

WITH A TURBULENT HOME FILLED

WITH DRUGS AND STRANGERS.

AFTER HIS MOTHER GOT FED UP,

SHE LEFT AND TOOK JIMMY WITH

HER.

IT WAS A WHOLE NEW

BEGINNING.

IT WAS A WHOLE NEW FAMILY.

THE FIRST SUMMER WE MOVED

IN, I WAS REALLY INTO VIDEO

GAME, THE OLD MATTEL

HAND-HELD GAME.

THE BATTERIES HAD DIED.

I'M LOOKING FOR BATTERIES,

AND I FIND NINE-VOLT

BATTERIES.

AND I FIND THIS LITTLE

BOOKLET, AND IT SAID

SOMETHING ABOUT GOD ON THE

FRONT.

I JUST GRABBED IT.

AT THIS POINT, I HAD NOT

REALLY GONE TO CHURCH AT

ALL, EXCEPT MAYBE BY THE

INVITATION OF A FRIEND.

IT WAS A SIMPLE, BASIC

GOSPEL MESSAGE.

I GOT TO THE END AND I SAID

THE PRAYER WHERE I ASKED

JESUS TO BE MY GOD.

AFTER I FINISHED SAYING THAT

PRAYER, I LEANED BACK IN MY

ROOM, ON THE FLOOR, AND I

REMEMBER JUST HAVING JUST

THIS WARM, GLOWING, TOASTY

MARSHMELLOW, GOOEY FUDGE

BROWNIE FEELING.

I FEEL SO GOOD.

AS I OPENED UP MY EYES, A

VISION OPENED UP BEFORE ME.

WHAT I FOUND WAS A GOLDEN

CLOUD, WHICH I BELIEVED TO

BE THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD CAME

DOWN INTO ME, AND I BEGAN TO

PRAY IN TONGUES.

IT WENT ON FOR FIVE OR 10

MINUTES, AND I HAD NO CLUE

WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

WHEN I FELT LIKE I WAS DONE,

I STOPPED AND I WAS LIKE,

OKAY.

AND I JUST STARTED PLAYING

MY GAME AGAIN.

I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT

IT AGAIN.

AS I STARTING TO GO THROUGH

MY TEENAGED YEARS, NOT EVEN

THINKING ABOUT THAT

EXPERIENCE.

HAVING NO RELATIONSHIP OR

REAL CONCEPT OF WHO GOD IS,

I STARTED DRINKING.

I FAILED MY HIGH SCHOOL

YEARS -- THROUGHOUT MY HIGH

SCHOOL YEARS, THERE WAS DRUG

USE, ALL KINDS OF UNSAVORY

THINGS.

THERE CAME A POINT WHEN I

STARTED HAVING A SPIRITUAL

HUNGER AND I DIDN'T KNOW

WHAT TO DO.

I STARTED GETTING INTO THE

DARK ARTS.

WHEN I SAY "THE DARK ARTS,"

I WAS NOT COMPLETELY

ENTRENCHED, BUT I LOVED TO

READ THINGS ABOUT PSYCHICS.

I LOVED TO READ THINGS ABOUT

GHOSTS.

ABOUT DIFFERENT STRANGE

ENCOUNTERS THAT PEOPLE HAD.

AND I STARTED KIND OF

GETTING INTO PSYCHIC BOOKS

AND READING ABOUT THE

PSYCHIC GIFTINGS AND THIS

AND THAT, THINKING WELL, IF

SOMEBODY HAS THIS KIND OF

GIFT, IT HAS GOT TO BE FROM

GOD.

WHERE ELSE COULD IT COME

FROM.

LATE ONE NIGHT IN MY

BEDROOM, I TURN ON THE

RADIO, AND THERE IS A VERY

FAMOUS BAY AREA PSYCHIC ON,

AND SHE SAID, TONIGHT I'M

GOING TO TEACH YOU HOW TO

MEET YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL.

I'M LIKE, HOW COOL IS THAT.

SHE LEADS YOU THROUGH JUST

THIS BASIC EXERCISE.

YOU PUT ON SOME MUSIC.

YOU TAKE THREE DEEP BREATHS,

AND YOU CLEAR YOUR MIND.

THAT WAS IT.

WHAT IT WAS, YOU COULD TELL

WHEN EVERYTHING WAS

COMPLETELY BLANK.

LIKE IN YOUR MIND, YOU WOULD

START TO SEE LIKE A LITTLE

BIT OF LIGHT.

BEFORE YOU NEW IT, I BEGAN

TO FEEL MY SPIRIT AND MY

SOUL JUST KIND OF COME OUT

OF MY BODY.

IT WENT STRAIGHT UP TO THE

CEILING IN MY BEDROOM, AND

KA-BOOM, IT'S LIKE I'M OUT

AND I'M TRAVELLING.

IT IS WO WHAT PEOPLE CALLED

ASTRAL PROJECTION.

I'M FLYING THROUGH THE AIR.

I'M LIKE CRUISING.

I'M LIKE, WHAT IN THE WORLD

IS GOING ON.

I FEEL WIND AND COLDNESS.

IT IS COMPLETELY DARK.

AS I LOOK DOWN, I COULD SEE

THE TOPS OF PEOPLE'S HEADS,

AND I NOTICE THEY'RE

STARTING TO LOOK UP AT ME,

BUT I NOTICED THEY WERE NOT

PEOPLE.

THEY WERE, LIKE, MONSTERS OR

SOMETHING.

THEY WERE THE DEMONIC.

AND THEY WERE LOOKING UP AT

ME, AND I WAS, LIKE, WHOA.

I STARTED TO GET REALLY

SCARED, AND I DID WHAT THE

PSYCHIC SAID TO DO TO COME

BACK IN IN YOUR BODY.

AND BAM, I'M LIKE BACK IN MY

BED.

AND I'M LIKE, WHAT IN THE

HECK HAPPENED.

THAT WAS ODD.

I'M GOING TO GO TO SLEEP AND

I'M GOING TO FORGET ABOUT

THAT.

EITHER PURPOSEFULLY OR

IGNORANTLY, WHEN WE STEP OUT

OF GOD'S PROTECTION, OR WE

START MESSING AROUND WITH

MEDIUMS, PSYCHICS, WHATEVER,

IT OPENS UP THE DOOR.

WHAT HAPPENED FROM THAT DAY

FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, MY

HIGH SCHOOL YEARS, I WOULD

BE HARASSED BY DARK

SPIRITS.

I WOULD BE SLEEPING IN BED.

ALL OF A SUDDEN I WOULD JUST

FEEL A PRESENCE IN MY

BEDROOM.

AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE WHEN

YOU KNOW SOMEBODY IS STARING

AT YOU.

THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.

I WOULD WAKE UP, AND EACH OF

THESE DIFFERENT NIGHTS THERE

WOULD BE DIFFERENT BEINGS IN

MY ROOM, AROUND MY BED.

SO I HAD TO BE LIKE AN

INDIAN CHIEF.

AND HE LOOKED LIKE HE WANTED

TO HIT ME OR SCRATCH ME, BUT

SOMETHING, LIKE, BLOCKED

HIM.

HE COULDN'T.

, LIKE, THERE WAS THIS

COCOON AROUND ME.

I GOT SCARED AND I WOULD

SWING AND I WOULD SWIPE, AND

THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY GO

AWAY.

SOME WOULD LOOK LIKE OLD

LADIES.

SOME WOULD LOOK LIKE

WITCHES.

SOME WOULD HAVE A SERPENT

KIND OF LOOK TO THEM.

THIS WENT ON FOR MANY, MANY

YEARS.

MANY, MANY YEARS.

I'M ABOUT 18 AT THE TIME

NOW.

I BEGAN WORKING AT AN

INSURANCE COMPANY.

WE WERE ALLOWED TO LISTEN TO

MUSIC, OUR WALKMAN,

WHATEVER.

AND WHEN MY WALKMAN WOULD

GET WARN DOWN BATTERY-WISE,

I COULD STILL PLAY THE

RADIO.

I WOULD START CLICKING

THROUGH THE RADIO STATIONS.

AND F.M.?EFER CA M. NEVER

CAME IN, SO I WOULD LISTEN

TO A.M. AND IT WAS LIKE

METALLICA.

THEY WOULD PLAY 20 SECONDS

OF A SONG, AND THEN A

PREACHER COMES ON AND STARTS

TALKING ABOUT THE MUSIC AND

THE BAND.

I'M LIKE, WHAT, I'M GOING TO

KILL THIS BAND.

WHAT DOES HE KNOW?

HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING

ABOUT THIS.

I'M GOING TO TUNE IN

TOMORROW TO SEE WHAT HE HAS

TO SAY.

I START TUNING IN EVERY DAY,

AND HE'S PREACHING THE

GOSPEL EVERY DAY.

HE STARTS TALKING ABOUT

DELIVERANCE AND YOUR

AUTHORITY IN CHRIST AND

STANDING UP AGAINST DARK

SPIRITS.

KA-CHING, THE DOTS START

COMING TOGETHER.

I HAVE CHRIST IN ME.

EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT WALKING

WITH HIM AT ALL.

I'VE GOT DARK SPIRITS.

THEY'RE COMING AND HAUNTING

AND KEEPING ME UP AT NIGHT.

AND WAIT A MINUTE,

AUTHORITY?

DO I STILL HAVE WHATEVER

THIS AUTHORITY IS THAT THIS

GUY WAS TALKING ABOUT?

I REMEMBER GOING TO MY

APARTMENT AND PRAYING.

AND THE PRAYER THAT I PRAYED

WAS, GOD, I DON'T EVEN KNOW

WHAT KIND OF DOOR IT IS THAT

I OPENED.

I GO, BUT BY THE BLOOD OF

CHRIST I FEEL THAT DOOR SHUT

AND WHATEVER I DID THAT WAS

WRONG, FATHER, I CONFESS IT

TO YOU AS SIN.

AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT WAS

LIKE BAM.

IT STOPPED.

IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.