Helpful Visions: The Fourteenth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Intended for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints
Religion
Helpful Visions: The Fourteenth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Intended for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints
Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines
"I think you are my little brother Teddy; but it is so long since I saw
you that I had almost forgotten how you looked."
Then the thought came into my mind that I must ask him some question. I
said:
"Teddy, have you seen our Heavenly Father yet?"
He answered in the sweet voice of a child:
"No--but I shall see Him."
I noticed that he was trembling, and that from his eyes there went a
glance of fear to the open door. I asked again:
"Have you brought any message to me?"
To this question he answered, "Yes," shaking at the time more violently
with fear; but he turned his glance from the door and his eyes looked
straight into mine, and he came nestling into my arms. He lifted the
fore finger of his right hand toward my face and said:
"Only be true!"
He turned his head, still with that frightened glance, at the open
door, and this time I also looked. And I saw an evil spirit standing
just outside and shaking its fist at the little one, and bearing on
its face a demoniacal scowl. Its whole bearing and gesture implied the
words, "Don't you dare to give that message!"
When I saw this, I said to Teddy:
"Have no fear--I know how to drive him away."
For even in my dream I seemed to understand what power the evil one
possessed and how he could be rebuked. And I seemed now to have got
back my faith and the power of my calling. I strode to the door and
stood close to the wicked spirit. I raised my arm to the square, with
my hand open and the palm extended toward him, saying at the same time:
"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the
living God, I command you to be gone."
He looked at me with a hateful glare, but slowly walked three or four
steps down the stairway which was there. Then he stopped, folded his
arms, and, looking at me defiantly, cried:
"I will not go! I will not go! I will not go!"
I said:
"You will go."
And then I followed him down, again standing close to him. Again I
brought my arm to the square and repeated my solemn adjuration. He
walked down the stairs and took refuge in a corner. This time he
assumed a most resolute mien. His face expressed intense malice and
hatred. He cried:
"I will not go--you shall not drive me away!"
For the last time I invoked that supreme name of our Lord Jesus, and
then the demon--shaking his hands at me still in a threatening manner,
fled with a look of baffled rage on his hideous countenance.
I returned to the room and found that Teddy was gone.
Weak and exhausted I climbed back into my bed and seemed to fall
asleep; and at the very instant when I seemed to lapse into slumber I
awoke with a start and heard the sound of a jolly song.
Instead of the dry parched feeling which had enveloped my whole being
when I fell asleep, I was now in a delicious perspiration. From my face
the sweat was rolling in little streams. This seemed as pleasant to me
as a flood of water to a thirsty desert.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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