"My Dreams
Became Nightmares"
Testimony of "Michael"
I really enjoyed
your website, actually I really didn't, spiritual warfare is
not something that is much fun. I thank you for having this
site, and I will keep you in my prayers, you are doing an
excellent job.
I am terrified by these types of events, literally. I am a
born again Christian (age of 13, and repented several times
since). I have had reoccurring nightmares of paralysis that
seemed so life, exhausting and frustrating. To the point, I
did not want to even go to sleep. It started when I was
20(actually in High School), when I moved in with my
girlfriend at the time. Even though I knew this was wrong.
Several months after this, I began to have nightmares of
not being able to move, which I just thought were because of
stress. She would mention that in the middle of sleeping,
sometimes I would raise up (and it would be during these
dreams where I would feel trapped but I would try to move).
I figured that this was just the beginning of sleep
walking.
I don't have any occult pasts, however, I have some Family
from Pt. Pleasant West Virginia, which is the scariest place
in the world. And I have an Aunt who claims to have seen
many UFOs. And another Aunt whose house is haunted (her
houses, it follows her).
My girlfriend moved away after that year. I moved to
another place, and don't remember having too many more of
the dreams. Actually I should digress, I remember having
some of these dreams during high school, most of the time,
when I would be 'back sliding'. Always the same, dream
within a dream feeling, that included paralysis. One thing
that was constant about the dreams, was that I knew I was
asleep even in my dreams, but something was telling me to
get up, get up, something is here, its in the house you have
to get up. I would use my mind to try to wake myself up,
and move my body. eventually waking up . I was so afraid
evening in the dream like state, that I would be forced to
be 'awake' but unable to move forever. Still am. I had a
water bed at the time, and would notice when I had these
dreams that were probably related to me getting pinned
against the head board or tangled in the covers. I would
tell people that, and they would agree.
After College I moved into an apt. with my best friend.
Mind you, I am and always will be the biggest chicken in
the world. So before I move in anywhere, I go into each
room and closet by myself to see how it feels. At this
point I was back in line, and reading my bible daily. The
first night in that room, I was awakened in the middle of
the night by something kicking my mattress, not the box
spring but the mattress. I knew enough then, about
spiritual warfare, to read my bible, and pray in the name of
Jesus. I figured who ever lived there before was into
something they should not be. No problem whatsoever from
that point on. My mom, was always a very spiritual
Christian woman. She prayed and prayed. I had an older
brother who was into Heavy Metal rock, and his room just
felt different. I stayed in that room when I moved back
home for awhile after college. And I never slept in there
without the light on. My mom always teased me, because she
said, there was nothing there. In that room, I had those
same nightmares though. I had that in here, because I know
I am a big chicken, and that the mind can be very powerful.
My mother would tell me, if you didn't do anything wrong
during the day you would not have to worry at night.
So I go stay with my Aunt in Florida, whose houses were
haunted. I was only there a week. At this point in my
life, I always sleep with the light on, always, no matter
what. I had the same can't move dream 2-3 times in her
house that week. But I was under a lot of stress with the
move, so I blew it off.
Several years go by, have the dreams every now and then, but
try to map them all back to stress related incidents, or
just getting wrapped up in my blankets. However, they are
so terrifying, that some nights I would not even go back to
sleep. I would rather just be tired, than have to endure
that dream, or the thought of it.
I moved into a one bedroom apt. Around 1995. Dreams came
and went, but more frequently. I was a full time member of
a church, going to singles activities, really try to witness
to others. Then I met a young lady, I became engaged to,
however we did not behave as we should have. It ended. But
during that time, the dreams were very strong. In fact, I
got so fed up with it, I really began to pray and read my
bible. And one night while working out (since I felt that
the paralysis could be overcome by being stronger, mentally
and physically, I worked out a lot, I really felt like my
mind could move my body in my dream and that would bring me
out), I heard a voice in my head say, why do you not depend
on ME for strength during those dreams. I felt like hitting
myself on the head, I cannot believe I had not thought of
that. After all, these were all stress related, but God can
do anything. So that very night, I was determined to use
the name of Jesus. Also, I always fought like crazy in
these dreams, although my body was stiff as a board, my mind
was working overtime (very strenuous, always very mentally
taxing to say the least). But this night, I was not going
to fight back instead of using my power I was going to call
on Jesus.
As I went to bed that night, I was so confident and
relieved. I went to bed, and sure enough, the dream came.
But this time, in my mind, I said I am not fighting back.
And for the first time (even though my mom always said it
was the devil), this force said you better fight, you know
who this is, kind of like you don't know what you are
dealing with. Immediately I felt like I was curled up into
a ball, and this force went around me like a box that got
tighter and tighter, I though I was done for sure, but did
not fight it. This was all happening very fast. But in my
mind, I just said, I am not fighting this battle, it is
Jesus Battle.
At that point (in my dream still), I felt my body shoot up
from the bed at something faster than light speed for a
second I thought I had been killed, but as soon as I hit the
ceiling, I came back down, and woke up. Ever since that
night, those dreams have come and gone, unfortunately, I
still try to fight it with my mind and body, before calling
on the Lord at times(it's like I forget, and want to do it
myself). I am a very independent person, so I feel like God
has used this to make me realize there are something's you
can not fight on your own.
I read my bible every day, but I still sleep with a light
on. Even though I know that Jesus will always save me from
these dreams, I dread the thought of having them, if I knew
for sure I was going to have one. I would stay up all night
to avoid it. If I had enough money, I would pay to have
someone watch me sleep at night so they could wake me up, if
it looked like I was struggling.
Oh, sorry for being all over the place. But I worked with a
lady during my engagement time, who was into Chinese
Astrology, although she proclaimed to be a Christian.
Nicest lady in the world, and I would always try to witness
to her, and that is when the dreams came back really strong.
One night, I did read through one of her books, just as a
joke. I didn't have a dream that night, but I sure felt
something in my apt. But like I said I am a big chicken,
and I immediately told her to never tell me anything else
about me, using that stuff again. We are still friends, but
I know better than to mess around with anything like that.
When I was 2, A snake was coming up our sidewalk towards my
sister and I, our dog Rex was in its way. My Mom had gone
to a psychic the week before. She always said that is what
that was from . As crazy as it sounds, I believe her. I do
not like to even mess with that stuff. I never allow friend
or co workers to even tell me a horoscope out of the
newspaper, and warn them of what I consider to be very
dangerous. I believe those are the channels the devil uses
to get into our lives, because most people think they are
harmless. I was also very lucky, as a middle school, my
pastor told me that drugs were the way the devil could
easily gain control of you, he painted the picture so well
it scared me away from drugs.
I don't believe I was every abducted by aliens, but I will
say this, the dreams I have/had sure are very similar to
what they describe. And I do believe my dreams not to be
from God, I believe he uses them to strengthen me, and make
sure I am depending on him, and not myself. However, I
don't wish anything like that on anyone. My prayers will go
out to everyone who endures this, it is so frustrating and
it feels so real I can not completely describe it in words.
I have many many dreams, most of which are wonderful, but
these are so completely different. And I always wake feeling
exhausted, like I never went to sleep at all, I really,
really hate them.
God Bless your website, and I will keep these people in my
prayers. I can not begin to imagine how they can cope with
this without Christ, my experiences with the dreams are
frustrating enough, to imagine some of the things they have
had to endure makes me cry, it is a very helpless feeling.