The Soul Redeemer: From Victim to Victory

by Bowser, Nancy

As she walked past it praying that God would show her how to pray, Nicole distinctly heard, "Stop. Climb up the side of the building."

  She did stop, but she shook her head in disbelief as if there was a bad connection somewhere in there. She looked around to see if someone might have said the words or if anyone else had heard what she did, but there was no one close by. Deciding that she must have been mistaken, she continued walking.

  After just a few more steps, she heard the words again, and this time a little louder. "STOP. Climb up the side of the building."

  Nicole stopped again and looked around, then looked up at the building. It was a two story brick building with several windows on the ground floor and on the second level as well.

  "Lord, is that You? What in the world is going on?"

  "Climb up the side of the building."

  "Jesus, ordinary people don't climb buildings. Spider man does, but he's a comic book character! I don't even qualify as an ordinary person because I am terrified of heights. Surely you are not telling me to climb this building!" Nicole reasoned.

  There was no voice that answered her this time, just a pounding inside her body as her heart responded to the command. She knew that she was being told to do the impossible.

  As she visualized herself climbing the wall, she wondered what would happen if someone saw her! She could see it now....The six o'clock news would report, "A crazy lady was taken into custody this afternoon after being rescued by the local fire department. The charges are attempted breaking and entering into a business through a 2nd story window of a brick building. Witnesses say that she had climbed up the side of the building without help of any kind and was caught looking into the window. They also said that she is known for doing obnoxious things like praying for people and expecting results. There is a possibility that she'll be admitted to the psychiatric unit for evaluation…."

  "That's it, isn't it Lord?" Nicole realized as she stood there looking up at the building. "You want me to look inside the window!"

  Before she had time to think, she went over to the side of the building and placed her hands flat against it. "Lord, if this is really You telling me to do this, then give me strong hands and feet and a capable body."

  "…By my God I can leap over a wall." The verse in Psalm 18:29 that she had read just that morning came to her mind. She heard Jesus say, "I'm not asking you to leap over the wall, just to climb it. Put one hand up high, then one foot up. Then the other hand and the other foot…."

  Nicole looked at Jo. He looked back at her as if to say, "If we're going to be here awhile, I'll just go take a nap." He slowly walked over to the shade near the entrance to the building and gradually let himself down with a sigh, and then laid his heavy head between his front feet. He looked at her one more time then closed his eyes.

  "Ok then Lord. But You're going with me!" Nicole reached up as high as she could with one hand and one foot, then the other hand and foot, and she began to scale the wall. It was not hard at all! Why had she thought it would be impossible? It was so easy that she wondered why people weren't climbing walls all the time. But then she remembered that it was easy only because she had ignored the fear and stepped out…rather up…on faith. It would be nearly humanly impossible, but this just proved that with God all things are possible when He says to do them.

  Nicole looked up and saw that she was nearly to the window and that there was a small ledge under it. When she reached it, she hoisted herself up onto it and willingly chose not to look down. She was doing exceptionally well and didn't want to invite fear to make her dizzy. She did look inside the window and almost jumped when she saw that there was a man and woman inside. She clung more tightly to the bricks and the thought came to her that she didn't need to worry. The Lord had gotten her to this place and He would protect her and make her invisible if necessary.

  The dimly lit room looked like a small café, and on the brick wall behind the bar in the midst of shelves full of liquor was a red neon sign that said "Rosie's Bar and Grill."

  Nicole had no idea that this was here! The room was filled with round tables covered in red checked table cloths, and over in one corner stood a pool table. She saw an old jukebox standing at the end of what appeared to be the skeleton of a salad bar cart and wondered if Dean Martin's sexy voice filling the air as he sang Everybody Loves Somebody was due to that ancient artifact. The thought that crossed her mind was that Gary and Ray would not be happy to have another establishment serving alcohol in town. Did they know about it?

  Nicole noticed the lack of people and realized that the business must not be open yet. She turned her attention back to the two people in the room. The man was sitting at a round table with his back almost to her, but she could see just a bit of the side of his face. The woman was standing behind him, rubbing his shoulders.

  As Nicole watched, the Lord said, "Listen to them." She was ready to argue because logically, there was no way she could hear them speaking, but then she remembered that there was nothing logical about any of this! So Nicole quieted her own thoughts and concentrated on watching and listening.

  She clearly heard the woman say, "They are almost in place. He wants us to try another angle first for several reasons. We haven't been able to test the subject yet, and if we can buy some more time it would work out better in the long run."

  The man reacted in anger as he jumped up and faced the woman. "We don't have any room for error here! I say forget the testing and let's just do it!" he ordered.

  "Calm down Daemon," the woman said as she turned him back around and pushed him into the chair. She continued to rub his shoulders. "The biggest reason we need to do it this way is that we need information. This plan will give us opportunity to get the downloads we need."

  "I don't want this thing botched up, or there'll be hell to pay!" said the man.

  "Don't worry; it's practically a foolproof plan."

  "It's the 'practically' that worries me." Then in resignation he asked, "When is the first strike?"

  The woman replied, "Tomorrow."

  The voices faded until Nicole couldn't hear them anymore, and suddenly she found herself back on the sidewalk in front of the building looking up at it just as she had done before she climbed up it, and Jo was still sleeping in the shade of the doorway. What had just happened here? Had she just scaled a brick wall and looked into the building like she thought she had?

  And why had she not heard about Rosie's Bar and Grill? That wasn't something you could hide in a small town like this! She went to the door of the building and found it unlocked. "Stay here, Jo. I'll be right back." Just as Nicole stepped inside the hallway, Heather, the Chamber of Commerce lady stepped out of her shop.

  "Hello Nicole. What brings you here?"

  What should she say? "Hey Heather. I was just climbing up the wall outside, and when I looked in the window I saw the new bar and grill upstairs. Just thought I'd go up and check it out." No, that wouldn't do….

  "Hey Heather. I thought I heard that there is a new bar and grill upstairs called Rosie's. I thought I would go check it out." She hoped that sounded ok.

  Heather looked surprised. "I think you must be mistaken. There's nothing upstairs except a lot of junk. It's just storage. Did they specifically say that it was upstairs? I haven't heard of a Rosie's around here, or a bar and grill, but you know that new businesses are always coming and going in the old gas station down the road."

  "I'm pretty sure they said upstairs, and in this very building."

  Heather had always been very helpful, and today was no exception. "Well I have a key. Let's go up and look around," she said as she pulled her keys out of her purse and locked her door.

  "It doesn't look like anybody's been up here lately," Heather said as they climbed the dusty staircase. "I'll have to ask John to clean the stairs next time he's here."

  "Is there another entrance to the upstairs?" Nicole asked.

  "Nope, this is it."

  They reached the top and Heather un
locked the one and only door. Nicole stood looking into the large room filled with boxes, old furniture and other stuff that looked like it hadn't been touched in a long time. The musty air indicated that nothing had been aired out in a long while.

  "No Rosie's Bar and Grill here," Heather said. "It sounds like a nice idea though."

  When they exited the building, Jo was right where Nicole had left him. "Thanks for humoring me, Heather. I appreciate it."

  "No problem. I was just thinking that we really should clean out that room. It looks like a fire hazard," Heather said. "See you later."

  "Yeah. Have a good night," Nicole replied. "Come on Jo. Let's go to the park. I need to sit down and think for a minute."

  Jo's ears perked up at the word "park." He lazily stood to his feet and stretched, then trotted after Nicole to his favorite play ground, hoping that there would be some children that he could follow around for awhile.

  Nicole sat on the bench, glad that there was no one in the park to talk to. She knew what and who she had seen inside that window. She knew what she had heard. She didn't understand it, but she remembered every word of it. She knew she had been there looking in and listening. And she knew that she had climbed a building!

  Maybe the question was, had it been her body or her spirit that had climbed it? And if it was her spirit and not her body, had she been transported to an entirely different place as she climbed?

  Nicole believed that things like this were possible. She believed that God had created the human spirit with the ability to travel outside the physical body to another location with the help of the Holy Spirit under His guidance and direction, to be used for Him and His purposes. The apostle Paul said, "I know a man in Christ who…—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—… was caught up to the third heaven" (2 Corinthians 12:2).

  She also understood that Satan had taken advantage of this ability and perverted it just like everything else he did. Astral projection was one of the things he used to further his own evil plans and purposes.

  So she believed that it was possible that she had climbed up a building in her spirit with the help of God's Spirit for His specific purpose. And it didn't really matter whether she had done it in her spirit or her body, and it didn't matter which building it had been. What did matter was that God was trying to tell her something and she was getting lost in the supernatural way that He had been relaying the message to her.

  "I'm sorry Lord. What is it that You want me to understand? I know what they said, but it just doesn't make sense to me."

  All was quiet. Hummm. A plan and a strike. What was this about? Who was being targeted? Still no answer came. Nicole went home and prayed. She asked for covering and protection over anyone and anything that came to her mind. Then she left it in the Lord's hands. God would reveal everything in His time and way.

  Nicole fell into bed that night, completely exhausted and slept straight through till morning.

  CHAPTER 11

  TEMPTATION

  After Nicole opened the Inn the following morning, she ran over to the post office to pick up a package. On her way back, a man that she didn't recognize was walking towards her, and when their eyes met, he looked a little surprised. She smiled at him then started to cross the street. The man took a few more steps, then stopped and called out to Nicole.

  "Excuse me ma'am."

  Nicole turned and looked back at him. "Yes?"

  He took a step closer to her then stopped. "Megan?"

  "No. I'm sorry. I’m not Megan," she replied.

  "Surly you are," he insisted.

  "No sir, you are mistaken. I have one of those faces that many people seem to think they recognize," Nicole answered. "Have a good day." She smiled again and prepared to step into the crosswalk.

  Again he stopped her. "Wait! Megan, why won't you to talk to me?"

  Nicole was beginning to get frustrated. She turned back around to the tall, dark haired man and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know you. I need to get to work now."

  He had come close enough to take hold of Nicole's arm, but refrained from touching her. He just looked intently into her eyes and then smiled sadly. "Maybe you aren't who I thought you were, but you could be her twin! The resemblance is extraordinary! Here, let me introduce myself." He pulled a card out of his shirt pocket to hand to her and said, "I am Peter Chavel, fashion designer. You may have heard of the Chavel line of clothing."

  Nicole reached out and accepted his card. As she read his name on the card she answered, "I'm sorry, I haven't heard of your clothing line. I am not much into fashion or keeping up with that sort of thing Mr. Chavel. But welcome to our community. I hope you enjoy your visit." She held out the card to give back to him.

  "Please, keep my card, for I hope you will call me. And you are…."

  She didn't really want to engage in this conversation, but didn't want to be rude either. "Nicole."

  "Ah, Nicole." He nodded his head slightly in her direction. "I mistakenly thought you were Megan, one of the ladies who model for my company. She became ill this last year and was forced to quit work. It was most unfortunate for me because she was one of our best. Even after watching you more closely for this minute, I am certain that you could pass for her. I know this may sound forward, but please, will you consider an interview?"

  Brushing off his persistence she answered, "That is kind of you Mr. Chavel, but no. I really must get to work now."

  "I understand. You don't know me and I must appear to you as a crazy man. But truly, I do hope you will at least consider calling me so that we could talk about this further. I am certain that I have something to offer that would be of great benefit to you."

  He smiled kindly at her, and this time when he offered his hand, she lightly took hold of it. He gently squeezed it and said, "Good day Nicole."

  As she turned and stepped into the street, she could feel his eyes on her as if they were burning through her body and into her soul.

  What a strange encounter! And even stranger was the fact that she couldn't seem to get Mr. Chavel or the conversation with him out of her mind. There was something familiar about him that seemed to draw her to him, and yet she was certain that she didn't know him.

  Throughout the morning she kept wondering what that life would be like. She had never considered such a job as modeling, probably for several reasons, but mainly because she had never considered herself beautiful. At times she felt pretty, but she had way too many flaws to fit into the world of fashion. She was petite, but too short. And even though she was petite, her arms were too big, always had been. She was muscular, and had decided that God had made her that way because she was to be a strong worker and warrior. Her hands were too large for her body and had no hint of the delicate nature that model's hands should have. Her neck was not slim and well defined like most models. And then there was the age factor. She was fifty four years old for goodness sake! She knew that she looked more like forty something, but still, models were supposed to be young.

  Nicole had gone into town to pick up some supplies and she kept fingering the card in her pocket and arguing with herself about why she should stop thinking about such a crazy proposition. But she continued to wonder what it would be like to be dressed in nice clothes and to feel beautiful. Maybe she should call Mr. Chavel and just go for the interview. She didn't understand it, but decided that if she interviewed, they would reject her and then she could get on with her real life.

  When Nicole arrived back at the Inn and had unloaded the supplies, it was noon and she had decided to call Mr. Chavel just so that she could get past these obsessive lines of thought. When he answered, she said, "Hello Mr. Chavel. This is Nicole."

  "Ah, Nicole. I am so glad that you called. I am certain that you have many questions that I would be honored to answer. Would you like to get together to talk?"

  Did she? Was she really going to do this? She walked from the kitchen into the bar before she answered
, and the voice on the other end inquired, "Nicole?"

  "Yes, Mr. Chavel. I would like to make an appointment."

  "Very good. I will be in town until very early tomorrow morning. Would you be able to come by my suite this afternoon? I am staying at the Samaritan Inn."

  Nicole's heart was racing now. She walked to the front guest register and saw that he had indeed checked into the hotel. When she looked up from the register, she saw him sitting in the dining room. "Mr. Chavel, one moment please." She hung up the phone and walked toward him. She saw him pull his phone away from his ear and look at it questioningly.

  She approached his table and said, "Hello Mr. Chavel."

  He looked surprised, then pleased. He stood and reached out to take her hand in greeting. "Nicole! What a pleasant surprise! Please join me." All charm, he pulled out the chair across from his and waited for her to be seated before he sat back down. He continued, "This is quite a coincidence, meeting you here."

  "I work here."

  "Ah. Let's see, where were we in our conversation? Oh yes, we were setting up an appointment. What time do you finish your work here?"

  "I will be free by 4:30, but I don't feel comfortable going up to your suite," Nicole said.

  Mr. Chavel smiled and said, "Yes, I understand. The talk of the small town. I can assure you that this is strictly professional business, Nicole. Would it make a difference if you knew that my assistant, Mrs. Smith, will be there? She will be arriving any minute now and has reserved a room here as well for the night. We could even speak out on the balcony patio if that would make you feel more comfortable."

  "Yes, that would be ok." Nicole stood and said, "I will see you then. Enjoy your stay at the Inn, Mr. Chavel." She turned and walked back toward the kitchen to put the supplies away.

  Should she tell Jake or Casie about this? Yes, but she decided that she would wait until after the meeting today. After all, she couldn't fathom this working out. But then why was she even pursuing it? She really didn't know. Maybe things would become more clear after the interview.