Epic Testament

By Serenity Cross

Pastor Mike, an angel warrior, was chosen by God to protect his people from the demonic spirits battling to steal more souls. As he battles the spirits and sends them back to hell, his daughter and predecessor Missy is fighting her own battles with insecurity and finding her purpose. The demons are getter stronger. The end is approaching. Will Missy realize her purpose in time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Serenity Cross
• Release date: Oct 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311961433

Book preview

Epic

Testament

By: Serenity Cross

Epic Testament

By: Serenity Cross

Smashwords Edition

Cover design by Eric Brown

Copyright © 2013 Tabitha Taylor

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes) prior to written permission must be obtained by contacting the author at [e-mail]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.

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EPIC TESTAMENT

This book is dedicated to Ariana and Robert.

Mommy loves you.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 2—MISSY

CHAPTER 3—MISSY

CHAPTER 4—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 5—MISSY

CHAPTER 6—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 7—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 8—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 9—MISSY

CHAPTER 10—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 11—MISSY

CHAPTER 12—MISSY

CHAPTER 13—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 14—MISSY

CHAPTER 15—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 16—MISSY

CHAPTER 17—MISSY

CHAPTER 18—MISSY

CHAPTER 19—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 20—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 21—MISSY

CHAPTER 22—PASTOR MIKE

CHAPTER 23—MISSY

Introduction

Witches, goblins, vampires…do they exist? I cannot be sure because I haven’t encountered them yet. But demons…yes, demons are very real and they do exist. My name is Mike, and I was called to lead God’s people; to protect God’s people. Prior to my calling, I may have faltered in my belief of an invisible war; an ongoing battle among spirits fighting to overcome and steal souls. But demons…demons are very real. And if demons are real then, perhaps, witches, goblins, vampires and every other type of evil creature also exists. Perhaps, we share this world with both the seen and unseen.

Perhaps?

For all who don’t believe perhaps gives hope. Hope that this war is not real. Hope that we don’t need protection because there is no danger. In truth, the invisible war is real and soon it won’t be invisible.

The question is: how long will I be able to fight? I feel the time is near for me to pass the baton. But Missy, my first born predecessor, isn’t ready. She doesn’t believe. And her unbelief hinders her ability to fight. I need her to believe. The world needs her to believe.

The end is approaching.

Unbelief…blindness…will not make the battle nonexistent. It will only make you more susceptible. The war may be invisible for now, but the demons are getting stronger. Soon all will see what we have been fighting for so long. The question is: will you be ready?

Join me in this epic battle told from viewpoints of Pastor Mike and his daughter, Missy. Enter their minds, feel their insecurities and fears as they find themselves and each other. Experience the unveiling of the invisible war between the Heaven and Hell. And Earth…Earth is the battlefield.

Choose ye this day whom ye will serve…

CHAPTER 1—PASTOR MIKE

No Johnny! Please stop! Put the knife down! I could hear the mother screaming from the driveway. A few minutes ago, Johnny’s mother called my office frantic about her ten year old’s odd behavior. She said, although he has always been a handful, his behavior lately was extremely out of control. He refused to go to school claiming to already know all the wonders of the world. He would chew his food, but spit it out violently and refuse to eat. Now, he is chasing her with a knife. At this moment, she is locked in her bedroom where she called me from five minutes ago. She thinks he must be possessed. Most local calls are not possessions, but out of control kids. However, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Considering the circumstances, I let myself in. I’d have to test Johnny to see if he is really the victim of a possession. First, I’d have to catch him.

Johnny, it is Pastor Mike. Where are you?

I’m here, I’m there, I’m everywhere. He said, as I saw him run by in my peripheral vision.

Well aren’t you gonna come greet me?

No! I heard his footsteps clacking rapidly.

Will you speak to me if I catch you?

You can’t catch me. I’m the gingerbread man.

Today must be a day for riddles. I got really quiet and ducked behind the sofa and waited. Johnny has so much energy that he is bound to come running by any minute. A couple of minutes later he did just that. I grabbed him and pulled the knife from his grip.

Johnny, is that you Kiddo?

No, it’s not Johnny. It’s Freddie.

I decided to humor him. Ok Freddie, you must be the demon. Well it’s time for you to get out of Johnny.

No! Never! He said squirming with all his might.

Johnny, if you can hear me, I have to get Freddie out or he will hurt you. I brought some old railroad spikes. I showed them to him. This may hurt a lot but, after the burning is over, the demon will be gone. I just have to use my hammer and nail these through your palms. Hold as still as you can and we’ll get that demon. Boy did Johnny sober up.

No! No! Please don’t nail that in my hand! It’s me, Pastor Mike! It’s Johnny!

It was so hard not to laugh at the terror on Johnny’s face when he thought I’d drive spikes through his hand. I knew there was no demon when I caught him. He wasn’t strong enough.

I asked him why he was pretending to be possessed. He responded his friend’s little brother was doing it and he didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do.

After I got his mother to come out her bedroom, I sat down and counseled both of them. We closed in prayer and I left.

I can’t understand why parents allow these kids to do whatever they want as a child then want to control them as a teenager. Granted Johnny is not a teenager, but, at the rate he is going, he will be an extremely rebellious one.

When he was a younger child, I remember his parents always let him have and do whatever he wanted. They used to say things like He’s just a kid. We don’t take it personal because we know he doesn’t know any better.

While the couple used to attend the church, they left after a series I did on matters of the home. I talked about marriage, commitment and parenting. Needless to say, the parenting lesson was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The husband seemed most bothered by the series.

In the series, I was harping on how we laugh at the smart comments of our four year old yet want to slap the mouth of the fourteen year old. With kids, you have to start how you want to finish. A behavior that may only require a small correction as a child may require a serious, life changing intervention as an adolescent.

I get a lot of criticism for how strict I am on my kids. Perhaps I deserve it; I make no claim to being a perfect parent. My concern is not for my children’s lives on Earth, but for their eternity in Heaven. If my kids dislike me or my choices on Earth, I find comfort in the fact that we may be able to discuss it together in Heaven.

The values we instill in our children may seem smothered at times, but they will never leave them. One day, when they are caught in a circumstance, they will remember what we told them. They’ll recap that Sunday school lesson taught to them in church. Even if the scripture only sticks through repetition and not meaning, the memory will be there nonetheless. There will come a time when the memory will help them, maybe even save or change their life. It is all about sowing the seed.

As I was walking to my truck, I saw a little boy, maybe five years old, across the street. He had his back to me so I couldn’t see what he was doing. He caught my eye because he was standing really still. Perhaps he was holding or looking at something, yet it was still amazing to see someone his age being so motionless. I shook it off and got in my truck.

Before I closed the door, I heard someone say Goodbye Minister. The voice sounded like that of a taunting old man. There was no one around that could have produced it. It was just me and the boy. Something strange is going on.

I got out of my truck and walked towards the boy. He didn’t move a muscle. Son? I said. When he didn’t respond, I decided to circle around him. I walked slowly, trying not to startle him. The boy remained as a statue. Once I had aligned myself with him only a few feet over, I leaned forward to see the front of him. He was covered in blood and holding what remained of an animal of some sort.

As soon as the image of bloody animal registered to me, he cocked his head to the side in a weird position revealing his red eyes. His black pupils dilated abnormally with excitement as he charged me with the butcher’s knife he was holding.

I knew I had to be careful not to hurt the boy, but the demon had to go. When he got close enough to me, I extended my arms and touched his chest.

Demon, get out of him in the name of Jesus. I said quickly. The boy fell down.

Kids are the easiest to depossess. Their bodies are just too weak and willing to be obedient when required in a stern way. They are also easy to possess because they have a natural rebellion.

My arm hurt. I looked down and noticed I was bleeding. He had stabbed me. Another war wound.

I carried the boy inside. His mother had locked herself in her bathroom with her cordless phone, but the demon had cut the wires so she couldn’t call anybody.

The boy’s older brother, who was currently at school, had opted not to come home the last couple of nights to avoid his little brother’s weird new behavior. He tried to tell people about his brother’s possession, but of course no one believed him.

His mother had waited too late to call for help because she thought she could talk the boy down (not knowing he was a demon). Today, it all seemed to explode.

I guess Johnny was telling the truth about his friend. Yet, I wonder if Johnny was just mocking the boy, or if he was being controlled by him prior to my catching him. If the demon was able to control Johnny without inhabiting him, it would mean they are progressing.

As a pastor, days like these are not very unusual. We are in constant warfare. Sometimes it may be in prayer or counseling, other times are more physically involved like casting out demons. It’s all in the job description.

People expect Pastors not be afraid of anything but God expects all of his children to be fearless. Someone once told me Fear is having faith in the enemy. The more I considered the statement, the more truth I was able to see in it. For example, my wife fears snakes. If she were to see one, she would scream and run away (maybe even hyperventilate). Such reactions confirm that she believes, given the opportunity, the snake will bite her, it will hurt, and she may even die. Her belief in this outweighs her belief that, given the opportunity, the snake will not bite, it will not hurt, and she will not die because God is protecting her.

Sometimes we allow the more visible problem to overshadow our faith in God. When we see bad things about to happen, we panic and cry out. Yet when we aren’t looking for a savior, but a provider, we increase our faith level. Once we reach the point where we have exhausted all avenues of intervention or control. We hurry to place our faith in the miracle. Oh I just believe the Lord is going to bless me. We can trust or hope him to heal a terminal illness, or give us a house but we don’t trust him to divert a snake. We also tend to have increased faith after the bad occurs. What if we did not wait to have faith in God? What if we did not have to be forced to trust him through bad circumstances and desperation? What if we had faith in God whether it is for the seen or the unseen?

The enemy needs our faith just like God. The difference is he will try to gain it by any means necessary. He will steal, kill, and destroy everything so that you will fear him. Fear of sending your kids to school because anything could happen. Fear of going to sleep because you may not wake up. Fear of riding a plane because it may go down. Fear of choosing God at a young age because you may lose all your friends. Fear of loving because you may get hurt. Fear. Fear. FEAR. As long as you have fear, you will never be able to reach the levels where God wants to use you.

You cannot have faith in both God and Satan. Fear is one of the devil’s most subtle attacks. It is the reason we are cautioned not to speak our fears out loud. Satan will use your fear against you.

Fear is another one of the many things we gained from the curse on Adam and Eve. When God created us, he created us to be in dominion over the Earth. He never intended for us to live in fear. I choose not to live in fear. I place my trust in God so that he may use me in any way he needs me. I realize not everyone is at my level of faith. Therefore, I don’t mind allowing God to use me as their visible comfort.

Beep. Beep. Beep. What is that noise? My phone. I forgot I set a reminder about the meeting. Is it really eleven o’ clock already? I really must have gotten lost in my devotion and reflection today.

I have been looking forward to this meeting all week. I enjoy getting together with my colleagues and hearing what God is doing in their lives and churches. Sometimes we find God is giving us the same visions and messages to preach. Other times, we receive encouragement and advice as we journey on another’s familiar territory.

A couple of them relocated to other states, yet they still fly in for the meeting when possible. I was responsible for securing the location for the meeting this month. I chose to reserve a room at one of our favorite restaurants. I could not pass