Episode 15: An Encounter Story: Freedom from Demonic Torture

Summary The podcast episode from Between Heaven and Earth, hosted by Justin and Amy Howard, features a powerful testimony from Ashley Nute, a longtime friend and fellow believer. Ashley shares her journey from a traumatic childhood marked by intense demonic oppression and spiritual warfare to finding deliverance and freedom through a transformative encounter weekend. Raised in a broken family with generational trauma, Native American spiritual influences, and abuse, Ashley endured years of nightly terror and demonic visitation that deeply affected her faith and life. Despite her early belief in God, she struggled with doubt and confusion about His goodness as the darkness of her experiences deepened. Ashley recounts how her life changed after a desperate, fearful moment while nursing her baby, when she confronted a terrifying demonic presence in her home. She and her husband, Adam, attempted to rid their environment of spiritual invitations to darkness but found no lasting relief. The turning point came when she attended what she thought was a typical women’s retreat, which turned out to be an intense encounter weekend focused on deliverance and healing. There, Ashley experienced profound ministry led by two deliverance ministers, Maria and JC, who helped her dismantle family curses, rejection, and spiritual strongholds through prayer and inner healing. This encounter brought a radical shift in Ashley’s life—she was filled with the Holy Spirit, experienced deep joy, and began to rebuild her understanding of God, moving away from legalistic and hurtful doctrines towards a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. She emphasizes that freedom from demonic bondage is often much closer than people think—sometimes just seconds away—and encourages others struggling with spiritual oppression to seek help and not give up hope. The episode closes with a prayer for listeners who may be afflicted and an invitation to access spiritual guidance and deliverance support through the Encounter Culture community and One Life Group counseling services. Highlights 🙏 Ashley’s testimony reveals the reality of spiritual warfare and deliverance in modern Christian life.🌪️ Childhood trauma and generational curses deeply affected Ashley’s spiritual and emotional health.💔 Despite early faith, Ashley struggled with doubt and confusion about God’s goodness.🔥 A terrifying demonic encounter while nursing her baby catalyzed her pursuit of freedom.✝️ An encounter weekend with deliverance ministers led to radical inner healing and deliverance.🌟 Ashley experienced filling with the Holy Spirit and newfound joy post-deliverance.🤝 The podcast encourages listeners facing spiritual oppression to seek prayer ministry and support. Key Insights 👶 Early spiritual sensitivity combined with generational trauma creates a vulnerable environment for demonic oppression. Ashley’s story illustrates how open doors in family history—such as untreated generational abuse, addiction, and occult involvement—can invite spiritual strongholds. This highlights the importance of understanding generational spiritual dynamics when addressing deliverance and healing.🌙 Demonic oppression can manifest with tangible, terrifying physical and emotional symptoms. Ashley describes paralysis, night terrors, auditory hallucinations of rushing wind and screeching, and violent demonic aggression. Such experiences challenge Western skepticism about spiritual warfare and emphasize the need for the Church to develop a robust theological and practical framework to address these realities.🤐 Silence and shame around spiritual oppression can exacerbate trauma. Ashley’s early experiences were dismissed or misunderstood in her legalistic church setting, leaving her isolated and without tools for healing. This underscores the critical need for churches to provide safe spaces and knowledgeable ministry for those suffering from spiritual and emotional trauma.💥 Deliverance ministry, especially when empowered by the Holy Spirit, can bring rapid and profound transformation. The encounter weekend ministry led by Maria and JC compressed years of healing into hours, involving breaking generational curses, renouncing demonic agreements, and repentance. The reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance and the ministry’s confidence in God’s power were pivotal to Ashley’s breakthrough.🌈 Experiencing the Holy Spirit’s filling and joy post-deliverance redefines one’s relationship with God. Ashley’s joy and laughter after deliverance contrasted sharply with her previous fear and confusion, illustrating the transformative power of God’s presence beyond legalistic religion. This shift also helped her rebuild her theology around God’s goodness and freedom.🕊️ Freedom from spiritual bondage is accessible and often much nearer than people realize. Ashley’s encouragement that one can be “30 seconds away from ...