by Louise Klodt
Soon inky black clouds of smoke surrounded him. The air began to smell putrid, like sulfur. Fire shot out of his mouth. As he flew high into the air, dark clouds covered him. I hoped he was leaving.
Andron knew better. He took Timmy back inside the cave.
Suddenly the creature swooped down like a bolt of lightning. His speed created a huge gust of wind that nearly blew me off the mountainside. Through the thick fog of black smoke, I could see that he was no longer a dazzling bird. He was changing into something black and terrible.
I sensed imminent danger. My body began to tremble. “What’s happening?” I asked. “Jesus!” I cried out. “Help me! I can’t do this alone!”
The creature flew up and swooped down again. His form was clear now. His fury had caused him to come unglued. He overplayed his hand, and I could see him for what he really was.
I was now facing a huge black dragon. His scaly tail switched back and forth in front of my face. I wished that I had been holding a sword in my hand. I’d have sliced that tail right off.
That gave me an idea, a Jesus idea. I knew it came from the Holy Spirit, and that in itself strengthened me. When Jesus faced the enemy, He didn’t have a physical sword. He used the Word of God as a sword—the sword of the Spirit. I was in a spiritual battle, and I understood that I must rely on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. I asked the Holy Spirit to strengthen me and show me what to do.
Instantly I understood the power of the spoken Word of God. That’s what Jesus used when he faced the enemy. I trusted the Holy Spirit to give me the right words. It was my only hope.
The monster came as close as he could, breathing fire in my face.
I stood my ground, knowing what the serpent had done in Earth’s Garden of Eden. This creature’s disguise as a beautiful bird hadn’t fooled me one bit. I knew who he was and what he was about. I was determined that this unmasked ball of fury would not win.
“You’re a punk kid, and you have no power!” he screamed.
Thinking of David and Goliath, I shouted, “The battle belongs to the Lord. This day you shall go down in defeat.”
The creature flew up and charged down again. His evil eyes were like flaming saucers. A long black tongue flickered out of his mouth. Slyly he said, “You are not immortal, earthling. It is you who shall surely die.”
I thought of Queen Esther. “If I perish, I perish,” I countered. “But I’m not giving up against the likes of you.”
I spoke the Word of God out loud to myself. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Jesus never fails.” At that moment I knew I was not alone on that mountainside. I felt Jesus just as close to me as He was on that field the day of my encounter. Strength rose up on the inside of me.
The creature made another swoop. “I’ve been patient with you long enough, earthling. Now my patience has run out. You shall be consumed with fire!” With that he backed up, breathed in, and blew out as hard as he could. Huge flames shot out of his hideous head.
It was hot all around me, and all I could see was flames and smoke. When he was all done blowing, I took stock of my situation and realized that he had not done any damage at all, not even so much as a singed eyelash.
That shocked him. He was infuriated and tried again. This time he backed up even further and flew at me, blowing enormous flames that literally covered me.
Nothing! Every hair on my head, eyebrows and lashes, all intact. Now I knew it was my turn.
Loudly, and without reserve, I took my authority. “In the name of Jesus,” I shouted, “I command you to return to the pit you came from!”
The creature blew smoke in my face and threatened me with more fire. His black eyes were furious.
“Now!” I shouted, and pointed to his side of the planet.
Poof! He vanished immediately, leaving huge puffs of black smoke behind him. His sudden departure surprised us all.
It took a while for the smoke and hideous smell to go away. Finally the air cleared. Andron came out of the cave holding Timmy. Both of them had eyes as big as saucers.
“I’m amazed,” said Andron. “I’ve never seen anything like that. You don’t know how glad I am that you came.”
I think I have a small inkling,” I said, still shaking. “That was an experience I’ll never forget. And I learned something.”
“What’s that?” asked Andron. I think my mind was too jumbled for him to know what I was thinking.
“Among other things,” I said, “I learned that I still have a lot to learn.”
We both laughed. We needed a laugh. “How is Timmy doing?” I asked.
“The creature had no authority to do him harm.” said Andron. “Timmy is unscathed.”
Timmy hopped down and ran toward me. He was actually happy and giggling. I was relieved that he hadn’t experienced any fear. That would have been a terrible first for Kandalaura.
“You great,” said Timmy. “I do that some day.”
We laughed and headed for our horses.
“I ride with Mikey,” said Timmy. So Andron lifted him up to my lap, and we headed our horses back toward the village.
Timmy’s parents were waiting close to the field in front of their home. When they heard Timmy’s voice holler, “Mommy,” they looked up and saw us. They came running toward us. Timmy slid down and ran to meet them.
“Mommy! Daddy! Mikey save me!” he shouted. Then he stopped, stood up straight, and hollered, “Creature, you go back … now!” And he stuck his arm out straight, pointing to the other side of the planet. He laughed, and he was so cute at what he did that we all laughed too.
“Mikey make creature go home. I do not play with creature any more. I hungry,” he said. With that he jumped into his mother’s arms.
“Timmy,” I said, “it wasn’t me. It was the mighty name of Jesus that drove the creature back. I just took my authority.”
That’s exactly right,” said Timmy’s father. “It sounds like you two have quite a story to share. Perhaps in the morning you can tell us all about it. And we want you both to know how grateful we are for returning our son.”
“Yes,” said Timmy’s Mom. “We knew the creature was lying when he said that our son had gone over to the other side. Still it was difficult. We can’t thank you enough.”
We said our goodbyes and headed for Andron’s house.
“I knew you were supposed to come, and now I know why,” said Andron. “I can’t thank you enough. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Nor have I,” I said. “And I hope I never have to go through something like that again. But if I do, I know now what works. It’s the Word of God. Speaking it out loud and declaring it was important because that’s what the Holy Spirit said to do. Listening to the Holy Spirit and obeying are two important lessons I learned today.
“And I’m learning them right along with you,” said Andron.
“I’ll be better prepared if there’s a next time,” I said. “I remember all the comics I used to read, and all the TV shows I used to watch about super heroes. They were fun, but not for real. God is for real, and He didn’t let me down. Wait till Mom and Dad hear about this one. I hope they’ll let me come back to Kandalaura.”
“They will,” said A
ndron. “They’ll be proud of you and happy for my people.”
We stopped by the little brook that ran beside his house to refresh ourselves. When I saw the jewels at the bottom, I shared mom’s reaction to Andron’s gift of jewels.
“You must fill your pockets again,” said Andron. “Your mom knows what to do with them.”
“She sure does,” I responded. “She’ll be overwhelmed.”
“I’ll take you back in the transport” said Andron. “That way we’ll have a little more time to talk and be together.”
“Sounds good,” I said. Most of Kandalaura was still sleeping. I didn’t want to bother his parents.
We headed back to the transport and took off. I told Andron how much we enjoyed the gifts, including the T-shirts. He smiled his famous smile when I told him how thrilled Ben and Mary had been. I could see the whole thing made him happy. It was good to spend time with Andron again. But time passed all too quickly, and before I knew it, we were landing
We hugged goodbye in the backyard.
“I’ll see you again, bro,” I said.
“I know that for certain,” said Andron. “Till then.”
Once again the transport became a steely marble, this time in a twilight sky.
I was grateful for all the experiences this summer had brought. But inside, I longed for more and trusted that what I was feeling would come to pass. I was still shaken from what had just happened. Unable sleep, I decided to write an entry in my diary I had recently started:
Dear Diary,
I never thought I’d like writing, but now I can practice by writing to you on my computer.
The events of last night left me pretty shaken and way humble. On Kandalaura, they think I’m a hero. Truthfully, if I’d known what was going to happen, I probably wouldn’t have gone. If I had it to do again, I’d like to be better prepared.
I’m just glad I asked Jesus into my heart at kids’ camp. I asked Him to forgive me for every bad thing I’d ever done, and I believed He was real. That was the beginning. But my encounter with Him on Kandalaura has changed everything. I think about Him all the time—how much He loves us and the power of His love. I can’t believe how I nearly passed out at his feet. It was kind of embarrassing, but it was worth it. I’ll never forget Him. No matter what I did or said, He still loved me. He was right beside me on that mountain.
I still have a huge ache in my heart to return to Kandalaura, even more now. I love that place. I can’t wait to go again. The fever hasn’t gone away. That’s for sure.
Getting tired. Time to get some shut-eye.
Signing off for now,
Mike
Notes
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Bonded Together: Mikey and Andron felt like they were just as close as real brothers even though they were from different families.
Dimensions: Height, depth, and width are what make figures three dimensional. Time and space are also dimensions. God has more dimensions than we humans do. He can walk through walls and travel through space. The disciples saw Jesus do these things after God the Father brought Him back to life. Sometimes He causes people to do them. Phillip travelled that way to see the eunuch, and Peter walked on water. People still get healed today and do supernatural things by God’s power. He hasn’t changed.
Discernment: This is the ability to tell the difference between things, such as good and evil.
Futile: This means hopeless to bring any desired results.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit: These are taught in 1 Corinthians 12. Some of the gifts enable a person to have supernatural knowledge, wisdom, or discernment. That means that through the power of the Holy Spirit, you know something you couldn’t possibly have known on your own. The Holy Spirit has to show you. The Holy Spirit showed Mikey that the eagle saw where the creature took Timmy in the story.
Glory of God, the: The glory of God is His presence, His goodness, His splendor, and all the characteristics of God that make Him who He is, such as love, joy, peace, and so on. Andron and Mikey experienced God’s glory at the Glory Pool, at worship, and at the dinner table. Mikey also experienced the glory of God during his encounter with Jesus and at home. Moses experienced God’s glory at the burning bush. The manifest glory of God is when God’s presence comes down from heaven to us through the Holy Spirit. Some describe it as God’s holiness put on display.
Holy Spirit: When Jesus ascended to heaven and left the earth after His resurrection, He left us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside the spirit of everyone who asks Jesus to come into their heart. It’s through Him that we talk to God and sense His presence.
Throne Room: This is the room where a king sits on a throne and rules his kingdom or nation. God has a throne room in heaven. When Mikey visited the cavern, it was so majestic and beautiful that it made him think of God’s throne room in heaven.
Vision: This is something that you see through the power of the Holy Spirit. Visions are not seen with your natural eyes but with spiritual eyes. In his mind, Mikey saw that the eagle knew where Timmy was.
WHERE TO FIND IT IN THE BIBLE
Chapter 1
Creator: Genesis 1
Chapter 2
The Garden of Eden: Genesis 2–3
Christ’s death and resurrection: Matthew 27–28; Mark 15–16; Luke 23–24; John 19–20
Chapter 4
Stars singing: Job 38:7
Chapter 7
Instruments of praise: 2 Samuel 6:5, 1 Chronicles 25:1; 2 Chronicles 5:12; Psalm 150:4–5
Chapter 8
Dance: Psalm 105:4
Chapter 9
Eternal life: John 3:16; 10:28; Romans 6:23
Chapter 10
Trumpets for worship: Psalm 98:6; 2 Chronicles 5:12–14
Chapter 11
No death or disease in heaven: Revelations 21:4
Cloud of glory: 2 Chronicles 5:12–14
Chapter 12
No condemnation: John 3:17
Freedom: Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18
The power of Jesus’s blood to cleanse: Isaiah 1:18; 1 Peter 1:18–19; 1 John 1:9
His righteousness: 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 6:14; 4:24
Gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
God loves children: Luke 18:16
Chapter 15
Phillip and the Eunuch: Acts 8:27–40
The devil disguised: Genesis 3:1
The Holy Spirit: Acts 2:17, 39; Romans 12:11
The story of Esther: The Book of Esther
David and Goliath: 1 Samuel 17
Jesus in the wilderness: Matthew 4:1–11
Resist the devil and he will flee: James 4:7
The devil comes to devour: 1 Peter 5:8
Diary
Receiving Jesus: John 1:12; 3:16
FOR FURTHER READING
The Bible: You may wish to select a youth Bible. There are also translations using modern English such as New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, and others. There are also paraphrases such as the Living Bible or The Message.
Meyers, Lauren E. God Speaks in My Language. Crown Hill, UK: Authentic Books, 2008.
Malarkey, Kevin and Alex. The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven. Nashville, TN: Tyndale House, 2007.
Burpo, Todd. Heaven Is for Real. Nashville, TN: Tho
mas Nelson, 2007.
Kerr, Kat. Revealing Heaven. Maitland, FL: Xulon Press, 2007.
Sigmund, Richard. My Stay in Heaven. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1984.
Roth, Sid and Lonnie Lane. Heaven Is Beyond Your Wildest Expectations. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2012.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Louise Klodt is a former schoolteacher. Presently she is a worship leader, songwriter, Bible teacher, and member of the Bremerton Healing Rooms prayer team. She now resides in the greater Seattle area with her husband. They have two married daughters and six grandchildren. Her passion is to see the body of Christ, no matter what age, come to know the Lord intimately. You can reach Louise by visiting her at Kandalaura.com, or by emailing her at [email protected].
