"Is that a guitar?"
I look up and see a girl probably in her twenties smiling at me and right at that moment, I knew she was a little off. She wasn't normal and I could see it and I felt something strange going to take place.
Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting at a train station in Oceanside after taking the Coaster from Old Town there. The Coaster ride was a very interesting ride. It turns out that I and two other people from Point Loma were taking the Coaster this day and we were all going to Oceanside. None of us knew the others were going and I didn't even know one of the girls that I rode with was from Oceanside but nonetheless, we were all going to ride the train together. Definitely a God thing. I'm sure we were all prepared for a train ride alone but we were brought together instead. Small world. Big God.
I had a good time on the Coaster with my old friend and my new friend and after we got off the Coaster we all parted ways. I had to take another train, the Sprinter, over near my house. I sat down at a bench to wait for the Sprinter to arrive and that's where I'll pick up the story again.
"Yeah. It is."
"That's cool. I play bass. What type of music do you like to play?"
"I really only play worship music. I work at a church."
"Oh, so you're a Christian?"
"Yes."
She smiled oddly. There was something in her eyes that I could read that made me think she wasn't well.
I knew at this point that I wasn't in for a normal relaxing train ride. My mind was immediately led to Ephesians 6:11-12
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"
I wasn't going to be wrestling with this girl. There was something inside of her that was not right. I just knew it.
She replied, "That's cool. I believe in Jesus. But I'm not a Christian."
"Oh? How does that work?"
I can't recall exactly what she said here, but she went on to mention that she believed in the other people like Buddha and Mohammed, reasoning that Jesus is just one of many of God's chosen people.
"How did you reach those conclusions?"
She replied, once again with an odd smile, "God told me. I pray to Him all the time. I speak directly to Him."
"Oh really? God wouldn't tell you all that."
Then I continued to speak as God brought me words about how Jesus is the only one of those people who is truly the Son of God. The Bible also came up and she talked about how she doesn't believe in all the Bible because it's written by man. I don't remember exactly what was said after that but I knew that God was taking over and I was in for an interesting ride.
The Sprinter arrived and she turned to see it and then looked back at me and said, "Have a nice day!" with the same smile that she had had from the beginning.
She boarded the train as did I and God led me to sit in the same section as her but not too close. I sat for a while and prayed about what I should do and God directed me towards Scripture. Specifically, to the book of Romans. I'm not exactly sure why that book but what I do know is that God spoke to me in that moment and told me that I needed to pass on His message to her. He wanted me to tell her that she was being tricked by many evil spirits and to read the book of Romans. I knew that wouldn't be an easy thing to say to someone and how would I bring that up?
No sooner than I had thought about that, she came and sat a row across from me and wanted to keep talking. I knew I had to tell her that message but God said wait until you get off the train. She tried to make small talk with me and asked me my name. Her's was Jessica. She tried to give me a CS Lewis book claiming that God told her to give it to me and I hesitantly accepted it.
Seconds later, a man who stenched of alcohol came on the train and sat directly beside me. Now, I had my Bible in my lap from when I was looking up Scripture to show Jessica and this saw the Bible.
"You have your sword! And [pointing to my guitar] the axe!"
He was delusional and not right in the head either. That was obvious. He started to rant about random things and asked me 4 different times, "How are you doing my brother?" He also had a glazed look in his eyes and I knew it was more than him simply being drunk. And I knew that these two people weren't just randomly placed in my life. I just didn't know what to do. I was physically corned because I was sitting in a window seat. But I wasn't afraid, I knew God was with me in these moments.
Jessica asked the drunk man his name and he tried to tell me his name was Artemis something at one point and then Lazareth at another point. Then I think he pulled out an ID that said he was mentally handicapped I believe. His name was Tom Warner.
So there I was, with Tom and Jessica on the train and my stop was coming up soon. My words now, I'm sure, aren't adequately describing what I was going through at the time. I really believe that I was sensing that I was "wrestling" with "spiritual forces of evil" and that Satan had Jessica and Tom in a bind of which they could not set themselves free.
My stop arrived and I knew I had one last moment to say something. I gathered my things and then boldly declared as if I was talking directly to their souls which appeared to contain evil spirits.
I spoke with authority and conviction; my speech was direct, blunt, and cutting in this moment. They were not my words. I didn't think them. They just came out. And I looked them directly in the eyes and I felt this compassion running through me as words came to my lips. I was speaking with love because I had been given a compassion for their souls.
"I want you both to listen to me. You [pointing to Jessica], you are being tricked by many evil spirits. Jesus is the only way. You need to read the book of Romans and learn to believe it. You're being tricked by many evil spirits. And you, [now point at Tom] you are an alcoholic. That is sinful. Seek help and actually keep with it. You need help. I'll pray for both of you."
Then I left the train and continued to pray. I have no idea if my words will do something in either of their lives or if my words will enable them to be set free. I have no idea what they would have talked about once I left or any clue what their interaction would be. All I know is that I was obedient.
I am now reminded of something my youth pastor once preached, "God is more concerned with your obedience that your impact." It doesn't matter what takes place now as much as it matters that I was responsive to His Spirit's leading. I don't know what exactly took place yesterday evening on that train, but I know I did what I was supposed to do.
That is all.
