This is the story of an intercessor who grew up in a home with great evil, but saw the power greater than the devil himself. This is a story of the supernatural power of God overcoming the powers of darkness but to believe in the supernatural power of God. 

The Bible says in Revelation 12:11, “They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” We know that Jesus Christ is the victorious one, the champion of our faith. He overcame death, hell, and the world (see John 16:33). Nothing can or will ever be added to the cross. We overcome by the word of our testimony. Texas State Prayer Leader Donna is living proof.

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When we have our times of weekly prayer with IFA Texas, Donna boldly decrees God’s Word. She takes the lead when we mention demonic powers at work in our nation or witches casting spells. Often, she will laugh at the schemes of the enemy. She says, “We will not fear or give him more attention than he deserves. We are going to take authority.” Because she has faced and lived through the darkness and been delivered and preserved by God, He has given her the courage to confront it. 

Many people wrongly believe Christian homes are free of conflicts. This is rarely the case. Donna’s home was a mixture of light and darkness. Her maternal side had a godly lineage, as her great-grandfather was a Revivalist, Pastor, and church planter. He even hosted the ministry of Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth at his church. Her great-grandfather was known for his Christ-like ministry, accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles, with authority over the devil.

Donna’s father was raised religiously; however, he suffered physically and emotionally at the hands of his grandparents and wicked aunt. Because his father became wounded and shell-shocked mentally during WWII, he could no longer care for his children who had to live with their grandparents and aunt in a cruel and abusive environment. The grandparents and aunt made it impossible for the children to have a relationship with their mother.  

Religion in the household benefitted the adults and harmed the children in the name of God. The children were forced to follow religious rules, work to produce tithes, and were punished more severely and cruelly than all the other children in the household. Because of this, Donna’s father had great resentment toward God, Jesus, church, and religion. All the pain and rejection led him down a very dark and hateful path. He developed a deep-seated hatred of God. All the pain and rejection led him down a very dark and hateful path.

Donna’s mother, on the other hand, was the opposite; even with similar family brokenness, she was raised in a Holy Spirit-filled home where unconditional love was always present. Both of Donna’s parents were raised with the help of grandparents and families, and both households claimed to be God-fearing, yet the families were drastically different.  Donna’s mom’s family was how full of love. Her mother often shared about her great-grandfather walking in revival and helping plant churches throughout Arkansas. Her family was part of the early eldership of the Assemblies of God. Donna heard of testimonies like her grandmother’s back being broken as a child and miraculously healed by God.

Donna said, “It felt like such an injustice for mom to be with my dad. It was undeserved. My mother was filled with joy. She was so loving and sweet; everywhere she went, she was such a presence of hope that impacted people. My dad, on the other hand, was full of strife, selfishness, and hatred.”

“I am the youngest of four, but I learned the difference between the two spiritual worlds as a young girl. I watched my father conjure up demons and felt the presence of evil and fear.  He was so full of pride (just like the devil) that he refused to sacrifice animals as he felt this was inferior worship to him. He wanted to be (and vowed to be) the vessel; because of this, he had a powerful evil presence that gave him authority.”

Donna recalls her dad liking the power he received from the demonic realm. “There was an authentic presence of evil. There was much spiritual warfare in our home, but one area in our house, close to the dining area, always remained unharmed and untouched by the destructive rages. That one area had a picture of Jesus (later a picture of the rapture) and an Open Bible.  My mom would make sure the scriptures were available and the only answer for our daily lives, even when we weren’t sure what kind of day we would have. My mom read the Word. We learned to rely on and pray the Word. It was always about drawing near to Him. He protected us, and he heard our prayers,” she said.

“I found myself amazed by the power the devil gives to people. My dad would do wicked things and never get caught. Traffic stops, DUIs, various arrests for violence, fighting, and domestic abuse, and yet he and the people were let go without warning. We saw people get beat, but nothing happened, even with CPS or government interference. He demanded that his children follow his darkness and taught them wickedness. You were punished or mocked if you didn’t choose to.  Even the authorities were too afraid to intervene. The demonic presence was that strong. I wasn’t amazed, that is to say, impressed by the devil’s power or protection, but I wondered why other people would get caught for such things and why some didn’t. I would ask, ‘Why God?’ I realized that the devil does ‘protect’ his people, but they always pay the price for it,” Donna said.

“To show his vow and be fully consumed, my father tattooed a large colored image of Satan that went across his entire chest to his belt area. Those eyes felt like they were staring at you.  He was constantly shirtless, and we had to see a picture of Satan daily and throughout all of this violence and abuse. The older we got, the more my mom taught us spiritual principles from the Word of God. We weren’t exempt from violence. Sometimes, we had to escape by crawling out of windows. There were even many near-death experiences, but God blocked every single one and spared our lives. It gave me the confidence to trust God because He is my Father.”

“We were sent to church but were never allowed to be a part of it.  We could never make relationships with people in the church, and who could even understand?  We knew both spiritual worlds lived at our house.  We were allowed to play with cousins or an occasional neighbor.  We were not allowed to speak of anything. My mom prayed and stood on God’s promises for her children and husband through all this. She had believed that no power in hell was too great for God. She and her ‘unconditional love’ enabled him in many ways, but I also saw the power of her faith and love. She refused to believe he couldn’t be saved.”

But God

 In 1988, when Donna’s son was born, her father unexpectedly showed up at the hospital.  Donna had no contact with him and was not expecting to allow him to see his grandson. He was overwhelmed with love for his brand-new grandson and desired to be with family. Something extraordinary happened, and love entered in. It was an astounding transformation by love in their family, brought in through grandchildren. God’s forgiveness and love overcame the evil. Eventually, Donna’s father surrendered his life to Jesus. She saw him break ties with the devil. He renounced his vow with the devil as he burned the “head of Satan” off that tattoo. He was forever altering the devil’s power and face in his life. His hatred, violence, and all the manifested characteristics of Satan were broken. He encountered and embraced the goodness and unconditional love of God.

Donna said, “I believe he saw the love of God and the power of forgiveness through my mother. If it weren’t for my mother’s unconditional love and testimony, he may have never been saved or our family. We saw firsthand the power of God’s love through Jesus, which is much greater than any evil force. The love of God is the most powerful force on earth. Nothing else can melt the hardest of hearts. It draws us to God. When people genuinely encounter the love of God, they no longer want to serve the enemy of their souls.”

“My father was abused and hurt by religion. He was broken and wounded. He had a longing for something only God could fill. This is where the lying devil comes in, and he takes that pain, manipulates it, and offers something in exchange for those who are willing. Because my dad was broken, he tried to break down his own family. But we saw God’s hand of protection over us, and no curse ever touched us. He kept us. I forgave my dad and was blessed to watch God change his heart and become a loving grandfather to his grandchildren until he passed. Only God could do something so great. What the devil meant for evil, God turned for His good. He tried to kill, separate us through strife, and extinguish our souls, but he lost. Our entire family has been born again!” 

Intercessor, no matter what we face, victory belongs to Jesus. Donna offers us some advice and encouragement.

Sharpen your sword. Although fiery trials marked Donna’s life, so did the Word of God. They read, studied, prayed, and stood on it regularly. She said the Word was their shield and guard (see 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Proverbs 30:5). 

Prayer is powerful. Prayer is our heavenly connection to our Father. Jesus, the Intercessor, tore the veil of separation. Instead of approaching His throne with fear or shame, we can approach Him boldly as sons and daughters. (see Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:20-21, Jeremiah 33:3). When in doubt, pray it out. 

You have authority. Everything Jesus did was marked by authority, whether he taught, healed, or cast out demons. He taught his disciples to do the same, evident in the Book of Acts. We are commanded to do so as well. The devil hopes that Christians can remain ignorant. He doesn’t want you to exercise your authority. He’s already a defeated foe. There is power in the name and blood of Jesus. There’s power in the scriptures; even Jesus would say to the devil, ‘It is written.’ The devil may be the god of this world, but the Bible says Jesus is the true ruler of the world, and we are seated in heavenly places with him. (see Ephesians 2:6, John 12:30-31, Colossians 2:13-14).  

No one is beyond God’s reach. Donna’s father was abusive and was also a victim of abuse. He didn’t ask for anything he went through as a young boy, but it led him to choose a life of darkness. The love of God drew him to His real Father. Nothing is too hard for God (see Jeremiah 32:27 ). We do not know what is in man’s heart; only God knows. But we are often quick to judge someone we deem sinful. Even the most “wicked sinner” has a story. They, too, were created in the image of God, and Jesus died for them. Which means salvation is available (see 2 Peter 3:9, Hebrews 7:23-24, Romans 10:13). 

Donna is a strong leader of IFA Texas. She prays with great authority and compassion. She is moved for those bound by darkness and those in seemingly impossible situations because she has lived them. This is what God does. He gives beauty for ashes! In Donna’s case, she is not afraid of the demonic, having seen it and watched God win. 

Your ministry will often come from where you have been restored. You’ve heard the saying, “Hurt people, hurt people.” This is true; until Jesus delivers us, these cycles will repeat themselves. Broken people will break other people, even loved ones. However, healed people want to see others made whole. Delivered people want to see others experience freedom. Saved people want to serve people and see them saved.

Like Donna, your story may have started badly, but the moment you gave your life to Jesus, he took over your story. A prostitute (Rahab) and a woman from a cursed bloodline (Ruth) are both in the genealogy of the Messiah. God rewrote their story. The Bible is filled with imperfect men and women, yet they surrendered their lives to God in obedience, and He used them to fulfill His purpose.

 You have probably endured some tough things, perhaps thinking you couldn’t go on, yet you are still here. You were created in God’s image on purpose and with purpose, so live like it. There is breath in your lungs and a beating heart within you. It would be a shame for you to quit. Dare to hope in God again. Pick up your sword, shake off the dust, and get back up. 

We are in a moment when we must be about the Father’s business, which will always be soul-winning, and you don’t have to be a pastor to do it. Make the most of every opportunity. You have Jesus Christ, the answer to this world’s hurt, confusion, and evil. You have something even the prophets of old didn’t have: the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, living in you. Lift your head, child of God, and believe He has given You everything you need and go. 

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

What has God done for you? Let’s encourage one another in the comments. 

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share.