Former high-ranking occultist John Ramirez says he spent years believing the devil was the greatest spiritual power there was. Then he encountered an authority that even the forces of darkness could not override.
Jesus Christ.
In a recent interview with Pastor Vlad Savchuk, Ramirez revisited his dramatic journey out of the occult.
One experience, Ramirez says, shattered his beliefs about the spiritual realm.
Before coming to Christ, Ramirez says a woman approached him, wanting another woman—who was a Christian—dead. Ramirez claims he prepared an elaborate occult ritual and expected his witchcraft to work.
Except the woman didn’t die.
Weeks passed. Nothing happened.
Then Ramirez says the devil told him the mission had to be aborted.
“God said, ‘Leave her alone. Take your hands off her. Mission aborted,'” Ramirez recalled.
For a man who says he once believed the devil stood at the top of the spiritual hierarchy, the moment was staggering. Ramirez says he suddenly realized an authority could overrule the very power he had served.
“I thought … the devil was the biggest thing ever,” Ramirez said, until someone “overrule[d] him.”
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Yet Ramirez’s warning to Christians goes beyond obvious manifestations of evil. He says one of Satan’s greatest weapons is making darkness look desirable.
“The devil will give you something that looks like light,” Ramirez warned.
According to Ramirez, occult practices could sometimes appear to produce the very things people wanted: money, jobs, opportunities or protection. But he says those apparent benefits were nothing more than bait designed to create deeper spiritual bondage.
“The devil gave you a bait in order to own you,” he said.
Ramirez’s testimony becomes even more chilling when he describes what allegedly happened after he surrendered his life to Christ.
For 30 days, Ramirez says he endured terrifying spiritual attacks. He claims demonic entities tormented him at night while people from his former occult circles turned against him.
Ramirez says the devil told him why he needed to die: “If I don’t kill you, you’re going to tell the people my secrets of my demonic kingdom.”
But 25 years later, Ramirez is still preaching Jesus.
Perhaps that’s the most important part of his testimony.
Ramirez doesn’t tell these stories simply to put darkness on display. He says he wants people to see the One who walked straight into that darkness and pulled him out.
“Who came in the darkness and got me out?” Ramirez asked.
For Christians praying for someone who appears hopelessly trapped, Ramirez’s story carries a powerful reminder: Darkness may be real, but it does not get the final word.
Jesus does.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
