The Bible is more than clear: evil is real. But what does that mean, and how can it impact human souls, hearts, and minds? There’s a lot of debate and discussion about evil in today’s world. A thorough examination of the Old and New Testaments says this isn’t new, as Jesus and the apostles dealt with demonic forces throughout the Bible.

As culture delights in these themes, here are some amazing stories of heart transformation and change. The people in these stories are former psychics, Satanists, witches and people who dabbled in the occult, experienced turmoil, but found Jesus.

Amy Stamatis

Amy Stamatis was a healthy wife, mother, and nurse until something bizarre happened. She told “The Playing With Fire” podcast that she told her husband she thought she was having a nervous breakdown and doing some outlandish things. Ultimately, she was put in a psychiatric hospital, with doctors saying they’d never seen anything like this before. Overwhelmed with sudden suicidal inclinations, Amy dropped herself from a two-story window and almost died. However, a stranger who, under the direction of God, helped heal her.

Cindy and Amy never met, but Cindy said she felt God tell her to help Amy. She went to a prayer vigil for Amy, but then she went to the hospital to perform a deliverance on Amy to cast a demon out of her, as she had cast out several demons in people before. Initially, no one would let Cindy in because only certain people could visit, but at the prayer vigil, one of Amy’s best friends invited her to visit Amy with her. So Cindy got her anointing oil out of her purse and laid hands on Amy’s head to cast the demon out of her. She said when she took her hands off Amy, everything changed immediately, and she hasn’t experienced anything similar since.

Ivani

From a scary childhood of “seeing shadow people” to 38 years as a medium who lived in the midst of evil without even knowing it, Ivani found herself on a disturbing trek that ended in a deliverance that changed her life. Ivani was born in Brazil and says she comes from a background of healers and mediums because that was their religion. They went to church for traditional reasons, like weddings and baptisms, but for no other reason. In her teens, she started leaving herself open to spirits instead of trying to ward them off and exploring her gifts.

As time passed, Ivani eventually came to the United States, got married and started a family, but she never stopped exploring her gifts and even introduced them to her children. However, all of this came to a head during a chance encounter with a Christian pastor in her parent’s printing shop. The pastor introduced Ivani’s sister to Christ, and she shared some issues she was going through with the pastor. The two prayed together, and Ivani’s sister accepted Christ that day. She wanted Ivani to meet the pastor, but Ivani was hesitant. However, Ivani and the pastor eventually met, and everything shifted.

Ivani believed spirits were taking over her house, so her husband recommended that the pastor come and cleanse the house. She agreed but refused to hear about the church. As the prayer starts, Ivani says she experienced an intense possession. The pastor was trying to expel the demon, but Ivani believed it was her spirit guide and refused to let go. Essentially, she lost consciousness, but her sister says the pastor tried to anoint Ivani’s body with oil, but she wouldn’t let him. Suddenly, Ivani’s body flew back, and she fell to the floor. She opened her eyes and instantly felt healed, seeing the world in a way she never had before.

Brian Cole

In his childhood, Brian Cole was desperate for adoration and love and eventually found himself hanging out with older kids who happened to be Satanists. These encounters set him on a 33-year journey into the occult and Satanism. He said he would sit and allow himself to be possessed by the occult and started writing things. He didn’t believe Jesus existed and considered the Bible as another mythology book. He added that one of his most significant religions was hating Christians. Eventually, Cole had to spend some time in jail, but his journey of hating Christians ended when he found “The Case For Christ” mysteriously lying on his jail room floor. Now, he’s a pastor who speaks out against the dangers of evil.

Sarah Anne Sumpolec

Sarah Anne Sumpolec used to be a teenage witch, and the chaos she let in after being led into the practice by her dad overwhelmed her life and almost caused her to commit suicide. She once wrote that she conducted seances, collected crystals, and built an altar in her room to worship the gods and goddesses of her choice. She used Tarot, read incantations, cast spells and took on an entirely new identity. She was proud to be a witch. She may be a Christian today, but her journey to Christianity was anything but easy.

Jenn Nizza

A former psychic whose encounter with tarot card reading as a child led her on a voyage into new-age practices, and the occult shared a severe warning about the dangers and deception she encountered. Jenn Nizza spent most of her life communicating with what she thought were the dead loved ones of her clients and doing readings until a chance encounter with Jesus changed everything.

She said there’s no good in talking to a psychic, adding that they’ll camouflage themselves as your deceased loved ones. According to Nizza, when it seems like dad, mom, or grandma and you’re crying with your client, that seems good and comfortable, but she believes that mediums are convening evil.

Ben Atkins

U.K.-based pastor Ben Atkins says he wasn’t always a believer. In fact, he went through a dreadful journey that took him to the depths of a Satanic worldview before he found hope in Christ. The occult led him to experience diabolic nightmares. Atkins said he was seeing demons that were entering him, causing him to slip deeper and deeper into depression. At that point, he started having suicidal ideations because he saw no way out. In his mind, he would rather kill himself than allow Satan to do it, winning back some power. Then, he found Jesus, and everything changed.

These stories just go to show that the occult is real, and if you let it, the evils of the world can trap you and make you feel like you have nowhere to go. However, Jesus is always the answer, and He will change your life if you let Him in.