THE NIGHT JESUS PROTECTED ME

THE NIGHT JESUS PROTECTED ME



Sometime in the late 80”s I had an encounter a dark presence that I cannot fathom. The experience was so dark, cold and eerie that I am baffled and scared until now. Truth is this experience strengthened my Faith and relationship with Jesus. Though, up to now, I still falter once in a while. But in my life ,the fact remains that I do believe in the evil around us and the more I believe that one’s faith in Jesus protects us from the evil spirits. Let me recall the incident.



It was late in 1989, I was still a regular featured actor in the long running TV series AGILA on Channel two. I remember and love the memories of working with the late Ate Helen Vela.



I grew up in a catholic school and I believe St. Anthony School has laid a firm foundation in my Catholic faith.



Ate Helen Vela, Introduced me to a closer a Christian relationship with Jesus. Every time I arrive at the taping of AGILA, she is there to talk to me about Jesus. We would sit in a corner and pray together. It was then when I really discovered the power of prayer. One time she gave me a copy of the book, BONDAGE BREAKER by Niel Anderson.



I was living alone that time and was hooked up with all vices and I guess the wrong crowd. Well it was the time of my life when I was totally free and carefree, for that matter. Yet the non-stop night life and reckless parties was getting quite monotonous and the excitement was waning if not boring. I was beginning to feel a void…an emptiness inside me. Hence when I get to scan the Bondage Breaker, I thought this is perhaps a good book to start rediscovering myself.



The night I was to read the Bondage Breaker, I set up everything I would need for the next morning’s taping. I had a call time at the studio at 6am…thus I prepared all my costumes, winded up my old but reliable alarm clock, prepared myself for a rather early night…if going to bed at 10pm is early.



Let me draw a picture of where I live so you may have a better idea. My grandparent’s house was a small but cozy place. We have a steel gate that leads to a one-small-car garage and right pass it is a small garden with the traditional steel garden set, a little grotto where Mama Mary stood in prayer leading to the main door. In my living room I have a dog that just gave birth to 6 cute little puppies. Our living room goes straight to the dining area cum kitchen. At the middle of our house is a four-step-stair that leads straight to an altar that is lighted 24/7. The door to the left leads to my bedroom and the door to the right leads to my grandparent’s room. Since I am alone (my grandpa has passed away several years ago and my grandma is having a grand time in the state with her children) I was using their bedroom which is bigger and cooler and has a bigger bed. The bed is set close to the window beside a vacant lot where I house at least 50 pigeons. How I love their cooing particular at night and all this accentuated by the rushing of the water in a small drainage canal where water continuously drips. Thanks to the light from the street lamp post I get this nice cool wash of free light that passes through the window. The bedroom door remains ajar. Hey this is an old house so some of the wooden doors have expanded thus making it impossible to close it in a tight fit. But this little opening from the door serves a great purpose. I get a nice ray of light coming from our altar light.



I winded my old reliable alarm clock, set it to explode at 5am. I pulled the string from my also old but reliable lampshade just above the bed’s headboard. I turned on the equally old but reliable fan and enjoyed the cool air. I sat down in bed and set myself to read. I can’t help but take a look out the window because there is a little commotion among the pigeons. Darn rats are probably planning an ambush. But the birds cooing and the dripping of water is indeed a refreshing sound.



So I got to the business of reading. The book is quite an easy read. It gave insights on the common faults that keep us in bondage with sin. I actually felt that the book was directly talking to me until I came upon the chapter that talks about the lurking evil presence. It was rather scary. The book mentioned that 3:00am is the time when the evil spirits freely roam around. Well I can’t help thinking about the times when I’m still out at in the red light district at three in the morning and partying like crazy or partying as if there won’t be another tomorrow.



Underneath the chapter is a prayer that specifically helps one under attack by the evil spirits. I even highlighted the prayer with an orange pen. The book also invited me to pray before going to sleep. I took a glance at my alarm clock and it reads a few minutes past midnight. I read a prayer from the book and whispered my own little prayer. And I started my travel to dream land.



I fell asleep instantly. A dreamless slumber.



I don’t really know how long I was asleep when I was awakened by the banging in out steel gate. At first I can’t comprehend the sound. But when the cobwebs of sleep were taken off my eyes and brain I realized that someone was indeed banging our steel gate. I sat up in bed only to realize that I can feel coldness in the room. A strange coldness. I tried to stand up but then I felt a weird sensation. The banging on the gate has stopped. But I can feel an eerie quietness enveloping my whole surrounding. I cannot hear the anything from my pigeon coop and even the continuous water dripping that is music to my ears is gone. More eerie is I felt a darkness slowly enveloping my whole surrounding. I cannot see the light from the altar that sneaks from the door left ajar. Even the light from the lamp post outside was gone. Then I heard my dog and her puppies whining. It was not the sound of hungry pups but it was the cry of fear.



By this time I am very very scared. I know something is in the house I just don’t really know what it is. My instinct told me to look for the book and read the prayer. I turned around to get it but it was not there. I know exactly where I placed it…above my head on top of the head board. But it was not there. I searched under the pillows, the sheets, but it is nowhere to be found. The darkness is even getting darker. I was in panic mode by this time.



I closed my eyes and prayed aloud. I prayed so loud that I think my neighbors can hear me. I prayed the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, and The Glory Be. Repeatedly I said, Jesus is my Protector, In The name of Jesus leave me alone. I might have repeated this several hundred times until I felt the wind from the electric fan and I heard my dog and her pups quiet down. Then all the sounds rushed in, the pigeons cooed, the dripping water reverberated. As I slowly open my eyes, I saw the light from the altar and the light from the lamp post washed my room with its romantic white glow. The coldness was gone. Then the final sound came, a loud bang from the steel gate as if someone really really pissed off walked out.



My breathing came back to normal.



Then I looked at the headboard and there lies my copy of the Bondage Breaker, exactly where I placed it. What really scared me was when I looked at my alarm clock; it stopped exactly at 3:00am.



I was not able to go back to sleep. I stood up and opened all the light in our house and sat down in bed and prayed like I have never prayed before.



I alternately read and prayed till 5:00am and got off to the studio for my taping. I was eager to death to talk to Ate Helen.



The late charismatic Ate Helen Vela listened to my story without batting an eyelash. After I have told what I need to tell, she took both my hands into her and started praying. I can no longer remember her exact words but in effect she said that now I am truly protected by Jesus. She told me that because of my strong faith I was saved from that 3am encounter. She emphasized that I truly have a strong relationship with Jesus because she said that the evil spirit that I encountered is truly a powerful one. But my strong Catholic foundation is more powerful.



That time I really did not comprehend the full impact of my encounter. What I learned from it is that there are indeed unseen forces around us waiting to pound on us and that believing in Jesus is a shield against then.



This happened some two decades ago but every time I think about it, it remains fresh in my mind. This is the first time I am writing this experience and I tell you, just writing it gives me the creeps. But today I believe I am stronger in my faith and with my relationship with the Almighty God.



Though still, every now and then, I still stumble but with Jesus’ help I pick myself up and learn from my mistakes and try to be better.



I now can honestly say with pride and confidence,



Jesus Loves Us and God Is Truly Good.





Dodos De lal Cruz

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