BOOKS

Walking In Shadows is the debut book by author Travis Verge.

Shadows Exposed will be out soon.  I am currently in the process of making some changes to Walking in Shadows, based on some new findings and experiences.  I thought I was fighting in the spiritual battle for the soul of the young woman in my book, when now God has revealed that Satan was after my soul all along.

Please pray for this ministry as the spiritual battle is getting intense.  I knew that Satan would have a plan to destroy me and this book because of how the book exposes him and his deceptions.  We are all in a spiritual battle, and we cannot give up. May this glorify God as people continue to seek and learn about Jesus Christ.

Shadows Exposed
Table of Contents

Preface
The Shadow of Satan
The Shadow of the True Church
The Shadow of Suffering
The Shadow of Purpose
The Shadow of Salvation
Some Other Ways Satan Deceives
The Shadow Where We Least Expect It
The Existence of Satan
The Existence of Evil Spirits
The Existence of the Holy Spirit
Understanding the Power of the Spirit Today
Interpreting Scripture Correctly
Walking in the Light
Conclusion
Endnotes

Shadows Exposed
Introduction

Are you ready for a study that will change the way you view God and Satan, as well as your life and others?

This book is written to expose Satan and His deceptions in the world today. Now is the time for a book that will challenge your thinking and, at times, leave you breathless and begging for more.

I believe you will gain some knowledge and insights and that I can shed some light through the use of the scriptures, so the shadows will be exposed. This book will stretch your view of the world we live in while strengthening your understanding of God. I am convinced that the more we learn of the dark world, the more we will believe that God truly exists and He holds all the power.

Through my experiences with people involved in the Satanic occult and in professed Devil worshipers, God has revealed himself to me in ways which are unfathomable. I struggle with painting a clear picture for you of the one implanted in my mind that illustrates the experiences I have had, but the canvass is set.

Many of us live our lives in the shadows. The shadows represent living among the world’s deception and lies due to our own ignorance. This ignorance is simply because we have always believed what we have heard without examining the scriptures to see if what we have heard is true. The shadows I am referring to in this book are false beliefs based on inaccurate teachings that we have heard and possibly in the experiences we have personally had or been told about.

God did not intend for us to live in the shadows because he gave us the light of the world and His Spirit so we could behold truth. God did not give us the Bible and say, while laughing, “Ha, Ha, figure this out.”

I recently heard a quote that speaks perfectly to this book, “You don’t need to fear shadows because it means there is a light shining nearby.”

This is not a book that is intended to instill fear of evil with knowledge, but rather the objective is to prove that shadows do exist and that we may be walking in them without even realizing it.

In this world, when we are standing in a shadow outdoors, we are unable to see the sun. Likewise, when we are in the shadow of deception, we are also unable to see the Son. May this book help us see Christ, the source of true light, so that the shadows can dissipate in our lives and we can be in direct contact with the true light of Christ. Remember, if we are in the shadows, the true shining light is close by. Together, let us see the true light of Christ and allow the ever-present God to expose the shadows.

Shadows Exposed
Excerpt

Jesus’s Peace in the Storms

Have you ever wondered if anything rattled Jesus? The demons did not frighten Him, the storms did not scare Him, and death itself did not bring out the selfishness in Jesus. Jesus experienced a peace in life that I believe we all desire. Jesus was not exempt from suffering by any means, but He successfully overcame any situation of suffering that came to His way. Jesus probably suffered the loss of His earthly father as a teenager. He experienced poor relationships with His half-brothers and half-sisters, as they refused to believe in Him before His resurrection. He experienced the storms of temptation and the storms of betrayal. He understood what it meant to not have a place to lay His head at night. He knew what it felt like to be hungry to the point of starvation. He experienced suffering as people wanted to kill Him, as people mocked Him, as they beat Him, and as they finally crucified Him in a shameful death. In this section, I want us to see the calmness of Jesus in the storms and unlock the secret to what gave Him this peace in the storms.

First of all, Jesus never seemed to be scared in the actual storms. Remember the story where Jesus is asleep on the boat and these disciples, who were experienced fishermen, were afraid that the boat was going down and the ship would sink. They are calling out (or should we say screaming) for Jesus to wake up and help. I can see Jesus calmly getting up and taking care of the situation. Do you remember what Jesus said to His apostles after He calmed the storm? His words are expressed in Mark 4:40, where it says, “And He said to them, ‘Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?’” Jesus acted as if there was no need for them to fear or be afraid. Why was Jesus not fearful?

The story of Jesus walking on water shows a trust and confidence in the storms. This great miraculous story is taken from Matthew 14:25-31, where it says,

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.” “Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

This shows us so much about the faith and calmness of Jesus compared to Peter. Jesus did not sink because He did not doubt. Remember, Peter was afraid as he looked at the wind and waves. Jesus was walking calmly in the midst of the wind and waves, yet He was not afraid. One of the gospels says that Jesus was intending to pass them by as He was walking on the water. Jesus was taking an early morning stroll on the water without any fear, because He had just been in the presence of God.

One of the most graphic stories of demon possession is taken from Mark 5:5-10, where it says:

And constantly night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and gashing himself with stones. And seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!" For He had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he said to Him, "My name is Legion; for we are many." And he began to entreat Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

This man was full of so many demons that he would beat himself to try and stop the torment. The gospels refer to this man as being naked, cut from the rocks, and extremely strong. This man comes running at Jesus. What would be your first impulse or reaction of this crazy man running at you naked and screaming? Jesus was not afraid as He spoke to this man and released him from the captivity of Satan. Satan did not fear Satan but always had trust in God. Over and over Jesus appears to not fear but, rather, love and trust.

So what was the secret for Jesus time and time again? I believe the secret was Jesus’s prayer life to the Father. I have mentioned this earlier in the book, but Jesus put prayer time with His Father over food and sleep. As seen in the walking on water story, Jesus had just come from an almost all night prayer session with His Father. Jesus did not doubt because He knew His Father and knew that His Father could and do anything for Him. Peter had this same Father, but Peter just didn’t know Him the way Jesus did. Jesus had invested His entire life knowing the Father. Did regular prayer keep Him trusting? Did this time set apart with God continually remind Him of who was really in control? I believe it did! Jesus walked on water because of His trust and His relationship to the Father. When Peter had this faith and trust, he walked on water also.

If you want peace in the storms, you are going to have to walk as Jesus walked. You are going to have to make talking to God and listening to God a regular pattern in your life. This time will not be timed or hurried, just as Jesus did not see prayer as an action that needed to get done that day, but as a lifestyle and something Jesus lived and relished. You are going to have to see time with God as more filling than food and more restful than sleep. You are going to have to discipline yourself to be dependent on God as you are dependent on air to breathe. I believe Jesus confirms to us that prayer is the secret to peace.

Living many years in Florida, we have experienced a number of hurricanes. There is what’s called the eye in the storm or the eye in the hurricane. This eye can be miles long, and as a fierce hurricane is going directly over you, you can find yourself in the eye of the storm. No clouds above you and no wind or rain, yet the storms are all around you. The storm is all around you, yet you experience calmness. I see prayer as experiencing the calmness in eye of the storm. The bigger we see our problems, the smaller God appears, but the bigger we see God, the smaller our problems appear. If you want calm in your life, you need to get close to the one who has the power to calm. Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God. Where there is “no prayer,” there will be “no peace.”

Travis’ book was translated by Gohar Bhatti in the Urdu language of Pakistan and distributed in the Universities and churches.