Orry (18) - My older brother Ethan is married to Kim and because of how close I am with her, she is also my sister. Not only in this life, but now for all Eternity. On Sunday, June 17, 2012, after a day of church, fellowship and service, I called my 25 year old brother to wish him a Happy Father’s Day, and just tell him I love him.
After listening to what I thought was my brother venting for almost twenty minutes, I suddenly felt this urgent need to tell my brother about Jesus. I had this strange but awesome feeling of boldness and courage for my brother. Hearing Ethan tell me that he felt run down and tired of being in such a bad situation with his wife and kids and having to take care of our grandma while my mom, younger sister and I are in Augusta, Georgia on a mission trip broke my heart. He told me that he felt like leaving and not looking back. Ethan said, "I have the keys in my pocket; I could leave right now and be gone forever." At that moment I felt the Holy Spirit flow into me and give me that boldness. I stopped Ethan from talking and I told him that it's not him feeling like this but the devil whispering into his ear and getting him to feel that way because Satan doesn’t want me to tell you this. I said, "Satan had me feeling the exact same way before I got on the plane to fly out here, bro. He was telling me to give up, just walk away from my faith, it’s not even real. Satan tried to convince me so I wouldn't stretch some kid’s shoes yesterday, so I wouldn’t share this with you right now. The Devil had you feeling like this so you won’t accept Jesus into your heart right now. I'm not saying this because I'm in Georgia on a mission trip, or because I go to church three times a week, but because I am your brother and I love you. So Ethan let me ask you, if you were to die tomorrow, would you go to heaven?"
Ethan replied by saying, "I don't know. I'm a good person and I try to do well, and I know that there is a God, but I don't know." I told Ethan right there that the only way for him to go to Heaven was for him to invite Jesus into his heart and accept Him as his Lord and Savior. With both of us crying by now, Ethan told me he wanted to invite Jesus into his life, so I led Ethan in the prayer of salvation. I know for a fact that the Holy Spirit was speaking through me, because I didn’t have a script and I don’t exactly remember what I said in that prayer. But I told Ethan as soon as we finished, "Dude, it does not matter what you have done. All the bad stuff you told me you did, all the bad stuff you haven’t told me you did! None of it matters, nothing you've done, nothing you’re doing, nothing you are ever going to do matters anymore because you meant that prayer in your heart."
By now, I sounded like a little girl and Ethan had to get his kids in the car and drive 40 minutes across town back to our grandma. We said bye, he thanked me and after I prayed and thanked God we hung up. I rejoiced and dropped to my knees because I was going to see my brother in Heaven. I immediately went to my mom and told her. I was crying so much my shirt was collecting tears, and we hugged and thanked God for what He did.
Not 15 minutes later did my sister Kim call me frantically telling me I had to talk to Ethan. She tried to hand Ethan the phone but he wouldn’t talk, any sound he made sounded muffled and not from him. I told Kim just hold up the phone to him, and began commanding the evil spirit to leave my brother alone. "In the name of Jesus Christ I bind you, and command you to go in the authority of His name. You have no power over Ethan and although I am over a thousand miles away the Holy Spirit is not, and Jesus himself is not! They are in the car with Ethan; In His name GO right now!" And just like that, Ethan came to and took the phone. He was confused and told me he was scared. He said, "For some reason Orry I just felt like jumping out of the car on the highway." I told Ethan, "That was not God. He loves you and would never want that. That was the enemy and the Bible says that Heaven is throwing a party because you meant that prayer. Satan is furious that you meant it and will try to scare you out of it, but the devil can't touch you, he has nothing on you anymore because you are a child of God. As long as you call on the name of Jesus Christ and take authority over the enemy, he will not harm you, but you must command it in the name of Jesus to go."
Ethan was again on the verge of tears, but he believed what I was telling him and he asked me "Are you serious about everything I have ever done?" I told Ethan, "I promise you that Jesus has forgiven you for all of it and there is absolutely no doubt that He loves you."
Ethan told me that he loved me and that he wanted me to tell mom and our sister that he loves them too, and he thanked me for everything I've done and he had to go take care of his kids and wife. I told him just before he hung up to get the Bible under my bed and read some of it. You don’t have to read a whole bunch, and you don’t have to do it tonight, just open it up and read some before I get back from Georgia and to start in the book of John!
It was so amazing to have the boldness to do this after six years of being too scared of rejection. Thank God for the Holy Spirit empowering me to be a witness!
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