What I am about to tell you will be hard to believe by most, and even considered ridiculous by some, but if it causes just one person to pray and to seek what I was given then it will be worth it, for Jesus said, "Seek and ye shall find!"

On the night of September 13, 1986, while camping with a friend and my two children, at a place called Sunset Point in Mountain Home State Forest California, and while drunk and under the influence of amphetamines, I repeated a prayer with my friend -- asking Jesus to save me, not really expecting anything. I only said the prayer with the promise of my friend that he would leave me alone if I complied. In the moments following the prayer I had what I first thought was a hallucination. 

Over the campfire just above the flames I saw two swirling shadowy figures struggling with each other as if wrestling. Suddenly they disappeared and immediately I was filled with fear. I didn't know why or by what, but I was never more afraid in my life. I started trembling uncontrollably and I told myself I must have been having a chill. So I drew closer to the fire but the trembling only seemed to grow worse. Finally I got into my sleeping bag and tried to calm myself. Then as though someone had turned off a switch, the fear and trembling left me. 

I felt so empty inside and I realized that my stupor of drunkenness and drugs was gone. My mind was crystal clear! Clear for the first time in years...  Then slowly and steadily a feeling of JOY began growing deep in my chest. The only way I can explain it is that it felt like warm oil being poured through the top of my head and I was an empty glass being filled with liquid happiness and it wouldn't stop. The oil kept pouring and the JOY kept growing till it filled me up and spilled over like a fountain overflowing. 

Just when I felt as though I could not bear anymore, the "filling" started to subside and I looked toward the dark night sky and the fire's flames flickering on the giant redwoods as they disappeared upwards into the darkness, and I yelled, "Oh Please, Don't Stop!"  And the moment I said that, I saw a vision. It wasn't drugs, it wasn't alcohol, IT WAS A VISION. 

I saw myself in a different body standing in front of Jesus. He was a giant and my body's height reached only to his knee. We were both dressed in white robes with gold trim. His garment was long reaching to his ankles while mine was a bit shorter reaching only to my knees. My body was very different, but I somehow knew that it was me. My hair was golden and curly like sheep's wool and my skin was dark and tan, almost golden. My hands were on my hips, fist doubled, and I felt that I had power because I knew that I belonged to Jesus! 

Then the Lord opened his mouth and black printed letters tumbled out and fell like a waterfall onto the ground in front of me, forming words as they touched the ground. I looked down and saw the words and knew somehow that they had power in them. The words were these:  LOVE, JOY, MERCY, TRUTH, HONOR, HOLINESS, FAITH, LONGSUFFERING, HUMILITY, PRAYER, WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING and PATIENCE. (I found out later that the words I saw were in the Bible. I didn't know that at the time because before that night I had never read a Bible or even been inside of a church.) 

I was 33 years old and from that night on I knew that Jesus would be with me and that the Bible is true. Then Jesus looked down at me and showed me a second vision. He showed me the devil, so that I would know Satan and his works. I will not describe him or anything about the second vision at this time. But I will say that Satan assumes many forms and that his true self is the most ugly and foul thing that I have EVER seen. Then the "Power" that I felt inside my newer body was given to me there next to the campfire so that I could defeat Satan's attacks in the future. 

I laid there in my sleeping bag and realized for the first time in my life that God was not only real, but that He had taken the time to save me and show me these wonderful visions. After all this, I thanked God and I asked my friend - who had prayed for me and witnessed these things - why God would do this for me? I asked because I knew that I was worthless and had broken almost every commandment. My friend replied simply, "BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU!"  

I will "never forget" those words or the night of my conversion. I pray that the JOY of the Lord be revealed unto all who read this. Besides, all it takes is one little prayer!  Amen?!

I have been reluctant to post or speak about my second vision because it concerns our enemy the devil and I don't like to even mention him. But it was part of my conversion experience and I pray that in telling it that God will use it for his Glory.

If you would like to read about it, please click here: MERCY & TRUTH 

Thank you and God bless you for taking the time to read my testimony!

Eric Joseph Hankins

PLEASE HELP US HELP YOU SHARE THE BEST NEWS GOD HAS FOR EVERY PERSON BECAUSE...

JESUS DID IT! and...

YOU ARE SO GREATLY NEEDED!

Remember:  All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify God. The money and assets we accumulate, the fame and power we've attained or seek to attain - all of the things of this nature will one day pass away, but those lives of others we impact for Jesus Christ will last for eternity, and we will be rewarded for the part we helped play by impacting those lives ... for eternity. (Matthew 6:19-21 is our assurance)