Due to rejection and extreme loneliness, I’d found myself on a very dark road—first getting involved in witchcraft, followed by voodoo. My goal was not to hurt anyone, but to find a life partner. It started in a very slow, subtle way but ended up being too much for me to handle.

I was always the only one in my family and peer group without a serious relationship. The men I fell for left me after getting what they wanted, each one leaving me more bruised and love-starved than the one before.

I grew up in church, but left angrily when it seemed like God never answered my prayers. It appeared to me that people who totally “disregarded” God had more companionship than I did. I decided that being “good” was a waste of time and that I had to take matters into my own hands.

Needless to say, witchcraft and voodoo brought all the wrong results: men who emotionally and verbally abused me, months of isolation and loneliness, obsessive thinking, and unplanned demonic activity in my life. I also experienced anxiety, soul-draining depression, and fear.

There was even a point in time when an evil spirit tried to inhabit me during a “baptism” by a voodoo priestess, but Jesus would not allow it to happen. The voodoo priestess was shocked because she said this had never happened to her before. I believe this was because I accepted Christ before leaving church.

Whenever I practiced magic, my thoughts were, “What about Jesus?” For years, I was straddling the fence—remembering Jesus, but trying to force my will and desire through spells.

One day, I watched a sermon by Joseph Prince and it grabbed my attention. Normally, my anger toward God would have turned me away, but something kept my attention. Pastor Prince delivered the message of Jesus with such love and enthusiasm. He spoke of Jesus’ character in a way that made Him loving, trustworthy, kind, and as someone who desires good things for me. This stirred something inside me because it was such a different perspective of Jesus.

Pastor Prince’s personal relationship with Jesus provoked me to jealousy. A seed was planted in me and I started to notice my concentration waning in my spells. My heart was not in them anymore, but I persisted because psychics and tarot readers told me how “close” I was to achieving my goal of total commitment from the man I was involved with.

But my interest in the man started to wane too. It didn’t seem right that I had to spiritually convince someone to be with me. I started to question why I would want to be with him in the first place. This went on for about a year after I first came across Pastor Prince’s Destined To Reign television broadcast.

One day, I chanced upon a video about an ex-satanist coming to Christ. I was fearful to hear the message, but watched the video anyway. The man described his deep involvement with dark spirits—it was a lot deeper than mine—and how fearful those spirits were of Jesus and His followers.

The ex-satanist’s testimony rang deep inside me. I also felt embarrassed about being seduced into practicing magic due to fear of loneliness and the desire for a companion.

Magic had become an obsession that was destroying me, draining me of my energy and self-worth. I did things I never thought I would do, just to gain the love of another human being—all to no avail. I allowed the man to treat me poorly and lead me on because I believed that he was my soul mate. Being with him was my only goal. The desire for a companion became an idol I held above God.

After watching the testimony of the ex-satanist, I prayed to Jesus, asking Him to forgive me for sinning against God. The first thing I asked was for His will to be done in the toxic relationship. I also asked Jesus for protection while helping me get out of the toxic relationship and all the magic.

Two weeks later, after a particular episode of mistreatment that I could not ignore or dismiss, I left the relationship. I saw the truth of what it was—an on-and-off, six-year, toxic relationship without any real commitment from the man.

I also rid my house of all witchcraft-related items and even threw away furniture on which I cast spells. I cut off all communication with psychics, tarot readers, and the voodoo priestess. I stopped reading horoscopes and threw away DVDs and music CDs that had any ties to spell casting. I divorced magic with my mouth and heart, and submitted my will to Jesus whenever I prayed.

I started listening to Pastor Joseph Prince talk about God’s grace for hours, just to keep my mind off my old lifestyle. I started talking about Jesus with people whom I knew were Christians. I started listening to the Bible on CD and reading scriptures little by little. In April 2013, I started going to a local Bible-teaching church. I also have been partaking of the Holy Communion. This was after listening to Joseph Prince’s CD sermons about healing. Even though I am still single and there are moments when I still cry from loneliness, I am confident that God can bring me a husband who is right for me. For one thing, I am no longer working against His will in my life. I am grateful to Jesus for getting me out of my dangerous past. I feel Jesus healing the brokenness of my heart and spirit. Indeed, HE has been my most faithful friend. Even though I left Him, He never left me. I knew there were plenty of times in the past when dark spirits could have hurt me, but Jesus protected me.

Also, Jesus has shown me why my previous desires were so limiting. I am grateful that He never allowed me to get what I was performing magic for. I am grateful that the toxic relationship is out of my life! I wouldn’t have been able to say the same thing a year ago, but now I know that Jesus loves me so much that He closed that dark chapter of my life.

Where my concentration used to be on spells and magic, now it is directed to seeing the true character of Jesus—how merciful, compassionate, and loving HE is. I love listening to Pastor Prince’s sermons because he shows Jesus’ eagerness to develop real relationships with us, instead of merely keeping us out of hell. I find myself confessing scriptures over my life and relying on Jesus for even the smallest provision, because now I understand that He cares for me.

Jesus has also answered many prayers for me, for example, giving me the ability to quit smoking without any medication. May my testimony encourage anyone who feels trapped by witchcraft and magic. No matter how strong your desire is to have what you want, remember how much Jesus loves you and that He desires the best for you.

Do not waste years of your life, like I did, in a mediocre situation that you have to constantly fuel by useless incantations. God will not withhold any good thing from those who are righteous in Christ Jesus.