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KIRK'S TESTIMONY

My name is Kirk Blackden, I live in Seattle Washington. I'm originally from the small town of Snow Hill, in Maryland. I was 30 years old on March 21, 2000. I grew up in a religious family and went to church on a regular basis. When I was just ten years old, a male family friend that lived with us, began to sexually molest me. I was afraid to tell anyone and this went on for years. When I became a teenager I lived a bisexual life style and my relationship with the Lord suffered. 

The Spring of 1999 I had started to attend church meetings again, and I went to a conference with my friend Beverly at a church near my home. She knew the speaker, Pastor Sefu, a prophet, from Eritrea, Africa. During the meeting I went forward and rededicated my life to the Lord, and to living a Christian life style. Later in the meeting I began to go into demonic manifestations, and deceiving spirits began to speak out of me in foreign languages. 

What happened next is a miracle of God. Pastor Sefu's little wife, Tsage, came over to me and said "We are going to get to the bottom of this". Then I was taken into a back room in the church, we were there for quite a while. The demons were cast out of me in the name of Jesus, but it was not without a fight! 

The demons were causing me to bang my head against the wall, I was choking, thrashing around and struggling. The demons were controlling my hands and I was scratching my face. I was exhausted from the battle, finally Tsage said "Kirk do you really want the demons to be gone?" I said "Yes, Yes!!" She then said "Kirk, you must say demons in the name of Jesus be gone! go!" So I said "demons in the name of Jesus be gone." All of the sudden a peace came over me. 

My friends later told me, that when I went back into the church sanctuary, the whole countenance of my face had changed!  They could see right away that I had been delivered from the demons.  Praise the Lord God for miracles! I have been free from the spirit of homosexuality since that experience of deliverance last June. When satan tries to tempt me, I go right to the word of God, or to Reverend Sherrie's web pages for encouragement.  Since I've been delivered, the Lord God has given me a real peace that passes all earthly understanding.  Because He delivered me from the demons of homosexuality, I know that He has other great and blessed things for me.

I was invited to go with John Lewis and some other brothers and sisters that were traveling with him a week later where he did a conference in Idaho. The first night I went up for prayer, the power of God fell on me as he prayed for me. I received more deliverance and was baptized in the power of the Holy Ghost and started to speak in tongues. Two night later John asked me to give my testimony, many people were blest as they heard what the Lord had done for me. 

When satan or my flesh tries to tempt me, I go right to the Word of God, or to other uplifting Christian literature for encouragement. Since I've been delivered, the Lord God has given me a real peace that passes all earthly understanding. Because He delivered me from the demons and homosexuality, I know that He has other great and blessed things for me. 

Since Jesus has set me free I have been blest to travel with Age To Age Ministries (John Lewis) sharing my testimony. I have share at various meetings in Washington State, Idaho, and in Hawaii. I have also been invited to speak by other ministries. I want share my experience to encourage others who may still be struggling and to let them know that there is hope in Christ Jesus, for forgiveness, deliverance and peace. 

I am sharing my experience to encourage others who may still be struggling and to let them know that there is hope in Christ Jesus, for forgiveness, deliverance and peace.
 
Your friend and brother in the Lord,

Kirk Blackden

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KIRK'S STORY

I remember meeting Kirk around the early summer of 1993. His mother called me and asked me to come and pray for her son. She said that he was very depressed and had thoughts of suicide. I agreed to come and meet with him. After arriving at the house that evening, I noticed someone sitting on the sofa, I spoke to the person and continue to talk to Kirk's mother. 

After a few minutes I asked her if her son was present, she then pointed to the slight built person with long platinum blonde hair on the sofa. I did a triple take because I was for sure that this was a young lady, even though the person was dressed in pants. It took a moment before my mind could process this. 

Kirk Before His Encounter  With YAHUSHUA

Kirk was very open to the Good News of Jesus and starved for love. I assured him that God loved him in spite of him being gay. He had a desire to serve God, but had experienced much judgment, condemnation, and criticism from the Body of Christ. 

Kirk started coming to our Upper Room Home Meetings on Friday's and was very much involved. He had decided that he would not cross-dress any more. Our Home Meeting Fellowship was very inter-denominational, and one very immature, critical, self righteous believer made Kirk feel very uncomfortable. In his eyes Kirk was not changing fast enough, plus, he had not transformed into a jock. 

Because of the very unChrist like behavior of others, Kirk was made to feel that God did not love him. He became an open target for the old lifestyle to return, so he went back to the community that accepted him until Summer of 1999. 

I really thank our brother Kirk for having the courage to share very intimate parts about his life. Most people in the Gay, Lesbian, and Transsexual Community remain unreached by the message of Love that Jesus brought. Instead, they are greeted with harassment, violence and condemnation by people that say they represent God. This is not the God of the Bible, it is the god that narrow minded, self righteous, homophobic religious people have created. Kirk, and many others that walk different, talk different, bend their wrist, look different, or choose to have sex with someone of their same sex are being driven away from the God who loves them, by religious people. Kirk and many others have experienced rape, beatings (gay bashing, and some even killed because they appear different on the outside. All of this is done in the name of God by twisting the holy scriptures to be politically or theologically correct. 

I remember several years ago after a late Friday night home meeting, it was about 4:00 am there was a knock at the door. I woke up rushing to the door feeling it must be an emergency. As I open the door I saw a bloody mess standing in front of me. It was Kirk. His face was filled with bruises and cuts, his hair was bloody and he had marks on his body. He stood there crying and said, I didn't know where to go. I stood in utter shock for a moment. Without thinking I grabbed him as he came in, held him and started to weep. As I wept and cried out to God for him, he began to comfort me; assuring me that he would be alright. Kirk had been repeatedly raped and beaten by several young men, and dragged through the black berry bushes. A few other brothers and I help pick out the thorns, and got him all cleaned up. 

A photo of Kirk after he was cleaned up. This photo does not show the extent of his injuries.

I am writing this to make true believer aware of the need to be real Christians, and to make us aware that there is a community out there that must be reached. They are the Lazarus Generation! Most of the religious world have given up on them and would rather see them die of AIDS or some horrible disease. Is that how God feels??? The next time you see a obviously gay man, a dykish woman, weird looking person, or that relative you can't seem to admit that he or she is gay (funny-queer-sick): think, what would Jesus do. See that person as a child of God, your brother, sister, son, or daughter and let them know God loves them. 

God loves you in spite of what you may have gone through, even if no one knows and you're too ashamed to tell anyone. You could be a man, woman, boy or girl. Maybe you were molested or raped and you have carried that pain around silently suffering. Or maybe you have desires and attractions to the same sex and you feel condemnation and guilt. Maybe past experiences or abuse have caused you not to be able to love yourself or others properly--and you struggle with Anger. 

God Loves You just the way you are, He love you so much He wont leave you the way that you are. He is able to change you! He wants to help you love yourself, even the areas of yourself that your are afraid to look at and terrified if others even had a clue. 

Please pray this prayer with me...

Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus. You made me and know everything about me. Sometime I don't understand myself, I am filled with hurt and pain, I am afraid. I am afraid of what others may say or think. Help Me! Forgive me for everything I have done and I forgive those that have hurt me. I realize it was not my fault, it is not my fault. Take away the guilt, shame, and condemnation that I have allowed others to place on me and that I have placed on myself. Fill me with your Love, Peace, and Joy. Heal every deep hurt and wound. I accept your forgiveness and love. 

I know that you are not the way that religion has portrayed you. You are love. I realized that I am not a freak of nature, a curse, or doomed to hell. You love me and you have always loved me, and will never stop loving me. 

Father, help me to not be afraid any more, and to love myself. Thank you for Salvation, Deliverance. I am Free because you made me Free. Thank you Jesus! I Am Clean! I Am your Child.

Amen.

Below is a photo of Kirk and friends (Beverly, Marcel and Vladimir) at the Feast of Tabernacles 2000 in Hawaii. Kirk is the guy in the white shirt. Look what the Lord has done!! There is nothing to hard for God. No life too broken that cannot be fixed by the Masters Hand. 

2 Corinthians 5:17  
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

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