"I  had seen various ministers on Christian  television  programs speak  in tongues, give words of knowledge, prophesy,  even  heal people of their physical problems. I wanted God to be part of  my life like He was part of theirs.. One TV minister would even talk about  the gift of tongues being the subsequent evidence  of  the born-again experience. I knew I qualified for that because I  had Christ in my heart. So, I expectantly waited for His hand to move the same way in my life. I looked forward to those moments with a secret hope that the Lord might have a special word just for  me, through  [my roommate] especially since  something  supernatural would  happen  each time during Bible studies and  activities  in Word of Faith and other churches.
"A  spirit would come over my friend as we prayed. It was a  holy one,  I  thought. I watched the reaction as her  breathing  would change  and  get deeper. Her torso moved back and  forth  as  she yielded to the spirit's will. Then, her hands would raise and the words  would come. Beautiful words. Spiritual words.  Words  that spoke of beauty of the courts of Heaven. I was amazed!
"My friend would also see visions. There were tingling sensations in her hands as if she possessed the power to heal. The "Lord" we prayed  to would further extend his grace by  directly  answering our  questions through her. Another presence would come  over us bringing  a lovely, light feeling and a release of laughter  from our  souls. It was as if angels had come down to minister to  us. This "Lord" we were experiencing gave much personal attention and I felt privileged to be a part of it.
"One evening as we were praying she turned to me and said with  a knowing  assurance,  "You  want to be a prophet."  I  thought  to myself,  of course I do, anything to show that I was accepted  by God!  We are supposed to desire spiritual gifts, aren't we?..  So she laid her hand on my shoulder and prayed for me to receive the gift  of prophecy. I echoed to the "Lord" my willingness  to  receive. That's when things really began. Transference of  spirits. All  those  incredible things I saw in her came to me.  I  didn't feel  a thing at first, but they were there. Except  the  spirits that came were not from God at all. They were from Satan, spirits sent to counterfeit the true gifts of the Spirit and deceive  the Church. And I was totally unaware of it.
"It  took months of discovery and practice to understand  exactly what "Lord" (who I didn't know was false) was saying through  his "gifts"  that  began to develop in me. What a precious  thing  (I thought) it was to hear "that still small voice" the Bible  talks about.  I rejoiced in ignorance that I could  finally  hear  his voice like so many Christians said they could.
"I began sharing.. people began to approach me asking for prophecy..  until one day the pastor asked if I would come to  his  office..  he did not have a witness in his spirit that what  I  was saying  was entirely of the Lord. He wanted me to spend  time  in prayer for six months.. I knew another pastor.. the  congregation gasped in awe as I spoke out the words given to me..
"Things  started to change after that. I started to hear  voices, thoughts  in my mind, other than my "jesus". There was a  mocking voice, a sexually perverted voice. Another one threatened me  and imitated voices of people I knew. I didn't know what was happening. I thought I was being attacked by Satan and his army because the  "Lord" had so gifted me for a special mission.  I  couldn't control their thoughts going through my mind and they were beginning  to  take  over. I was so frightened. Week  after  week  the battle for my mind continued. I struggled to find the voice of my "Lord"  to follow once again, but the were too many voices in  my head.
"In  desperation I drove out to a deserted area on the edge of  a canyon...  and  cried out, "Jesus, help me!.. and for  the  first time,  the  real Jesus spoke to me and said, "I only  offer  you truth."..  Not  comprehending the meaning I repeated  the  words. "You only offer me truth? Truth? What is the truth, Jesus?  [The Word of God].
"The spirit I had been listening to for the past nine months  was not Jesus, was not my Lord at all, but in fact, a demon. I was in shock.. too horrifying to face.. The battle since then has been a difficult  one...  Christ has led me through repentance  for  the sins  of witchcraft, wrong desires and has shown me  the  broken areas of my heart and the idols I have worshiped instead of Him.. His  wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit are real, are active  in our day, and will humbly yield to the light of thorough  examination. Seek Him, the Truth, through the Word and in prayer. Christ is  waiting  to help. Thank you, Gayle Rogers."  (excerpts  taken from Today, The Bible & You, October 1998)