Bishop, my name is Andrew and I understand the importance of the Holy Spirit, because I came to Church in the same situation as most: my life was destroyed, I was living in someone else’s house, my family was ruined, I was depressed and sick. But through purposes and by remaining loyal with my tithes, I began to solve my problems. I prospered, started a business, opened two stores, was healed and my family was restored. All this was conquered by faith.

Though I now acknowledge I didn’t have the most important thing, which is the Holy Spirit, I was raised as an assistant after remaining firm in the Church for some time. I did the Work of God, but I was empty. I was very helpful, but one day, because of a dispute with a member, my pastor rebuked me. This upset me and I turned away from the Church.

Like every other person that turns away, my life was destroyed, in all aspects. I began having relationships with several women outside of my marriage. One day one of them manifested on the bed while we were having intercourse and the devil started saying all sorts of things about my life, besides physically attacking me too. When this happened, I was in shock, I didn’t know what to do since I had no authority to rebuke evil at that moment. That’s when I understood the level of spiritual misery I found myself in. All the experiences I had in Church flashed through my head. I knew the Word of God, knew the Truth, had done the Work of God, had helped people and now I was there, at the mercy of the devil.

At that moment I thought of God, and the woman came to. I put on my clothes and got out of there; I went straight to the Church. On the way there, various thoughts ran through my mind while I was driving: thoughts that I was going to crash the car and go to hell; thoughts that God would not forgive me, etc. I made it to the Church, but it was closing, the doors were almost all closed. However, the assistants called the pastor after I insisted so much. I showed him the scratches the devil left on me, and explained everything that had happened and that I was a former assistant. He prayed for me and counseled me. I started to attend meetings, but I confess I was still weak, and had desires to return to the world and continue having extramarital affairs. Eventually, I ended up falling again.

But then, the first “Fast of Daniel” came around and I decided to participate wholeheartedly. I abandoned everything that kept me apart from God or took my attention away from Him.

At the time, one of my stores went bankrupt and was closed, so every day, while you prayed on the radio program, I would go there since it was the only place I could be alone with God. And there, while praying with you over the radio, I had my encounter with God, and haven’t been the same person since. On the exterior, I was living the worst moment of my life, because I had lost everything. Moneylenders were threatening to kill me, my things were being repossessed, my son was using drugs, my daughter was in a lesbian relationship and my marriage was destroyed. But at that moment, peace came over me, like I had never felt before. On the outside, my life was a living hell, but it felt as though heaven was in me.

Unlike what I did the first time, this time I gave priority to the spiritual things and, as a result, I was born of God.

Today I am an assistant, I’ve paid all my debts and my family is blessed. I haven’t recovered everything I lost, but now I have the most important thing: the presence of my God.

Thank you bishop for being an instrument used by God to bring us the “Fast of Daniel,” because I believe that without it, I would have been dead right now. And worse, my soul would have been in hell!

Andrew Ramos