Jeff honestly believed that Satan had defeated Jesus Christ on the cross and that by serving Satan he was serving the victorious god of this world. However, that was before Jeff met the Man who rose from the grave!
Introduction in Jeff’s own words
“I was an eclectic or self-styled Satanist. In other words, if it worked, I used it. I started out basically a philosophical Satanist; LaVeyan Satanism. When I found out that there was a ‘power’ or demons available, I began to pursue traditional Satanism, while holding on to what worked from LaVey; his self-centered philosophies. I ended up being possessed by demons because I gave myself over to them in exchange for their ‘power’. After coming to Jesus Christ, I was delivered from the demons. Here is my story …”
Trying to end the pain
After four years in Satanism, I was miserable. I had seen everything that Satan had to offer, and still I was miserable. I decided that the only thing left to do, as a “respectable Satanist” was to kill myself. But before I even checked into the motel, I knew that something or someone might cause me to loose my nerve. For company and courage, I took along a bottle of whiskey and a bag of marijuana. I put the rifle to my head but somehow I could not pull the trigger. I knew that the rifle worked, but I just could not pull the trigger!
Trying to commit suicide for the second time
Disgusted with myself, I tried again the next night. On a September night in 1981, I tried to hang myself. I put the rope over a rafter in the garage, and kicked the chair out from under me. I landed on the floor with the rope still tied to the rafter. “What a failure,” I thought, “I can’t even kill myself.”
Seeking the supernatural
The story of my involvement in Satanism is so classic that it’s almost cliché. I was a lonely young man from a dysfunctional family. My father was an alcoholic. Things at home got worse until finally, my parents divorced. I was looking for a place to belong. I was looking for people who would pay attention to me and give me acceptance.
Looking for love
I was looking for love, but I was caught in the middle of a violent house that left me feeling hopeless and frightened. In response, I started looking to the supernatural for courage and for some mystic power over my early existence. I was ripe for such an experience, and for a long time I had been interested in magic and other aspects of the paranormal. Even as a young boy, I knew that there was a spirit realm, and that there had to be a way to tap into it.
Satanism offered me prestige, power and control
My first contact with Satanism came when in 1978; a snowstorm took my hometown by surprise. I was a 17 year old high school senior, and was working in a local store during the storm. I was just beginning to wonder how I would get home that night, when the store’s assistant manager, a young man of just 18, invited me to stay at his apartment, just a short walk away. This young man seemed to have everything that I had ever wanted. This included prestige and power and he gave every indication that he was in control of his life and much older that his 18 years.
Giving my life to Satan
That night, he told me the source of his strength. I was fascinated. He showed me the magic notions and occult objects, which he had accumulated. I was convinced. Later that night, we performed a ceremony, and I gave my life to Satan.
Spells, rituals and desecrating Bibles
After I graduated from high school, my “teacher” and I moved away to attend college. The two of us attempted to begin our own satanic coven. Our coven was to consist of thirteen disciples but we were only able to recruit six, all of them males. The six of us shared a house, where we conducted what I call “free lance” satanic rituals, creating and improvising ceremonies freely. Coven activities included casting spells and desecrating Bibles and any other Christian articles that we could get our hands on.
Where was I headed?
During this time I was in contact with demons on a regular basis, though not with Satan himself. Demons were powerful underlings, that were at my beck and call…or so I thought. Eventually the frightening and distasteful parts of Satanism overshadowed the thrilling parts. I began to worry about where the coven might be headed. I knew that I could not participate in the next step … blood sacrifice. We were heading into the killing of animals in order to desensitize the coven. This may have possibly led down the path to murder. I knew that there were lines that even I would not cross. I wanted out!
My lowest point
I thought, at the time, that the only thing left to do was to kill myself. To my dismay, I failed. Now I know that only Divine intervention could have save me from both the gun and the noose. After returning home, I tried to drink myself into oblivion, but found that the taste of beer turned my stomach. So instead, I lit a cigarette to calm my nerves…but it burned my lips! So finally, I, the Satanist priest in the making, went to my room, lay in my bed and began to cry.
A voice in the silence
I will never in my life forget what happened next. It was late at night. The rest of the coven was out partying so the house was empty. Out of the silence I heard a voice from beside my bed that said “Get Out!” I stopped crying and looked around the room expecting the presence of a demon. This was no demon. The voice moved to the foot of my bed and said again. “Get Out!” I remember being so shaken at the command that I immediately obeyed. I crawled out of the nearest window in my bedroom and onto the driveway…and into the presence of God.
A cry from the heart: Jesus make my life OK!
My knees went weak and I fell on my face, there was no mistaking who this was. Looking up at the sky I pleaded, “Jesus, just make my life O.K.”
Trading darkness for light
I have come a long way from those days in the Satanism. I still believe in a spiritual realm. I believe in both demons and angels, evil and good. I have simply traded darkness for light. The Lord has helped me through complete recovery. I have been married now for 15 years. Together, we instruct others about the dangers of the occult and how to help someone through deliverance. We don’t just work with former Satanists. I know how it feels to be a lonely and confused person, driven to despair. We are here for who ever The Lord would send. My wife and I have begun the work of Refuge Ministries, which is based on Psalm 46:1. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. Jesus Christ is alive and well. He desires to set you free and be present to help you in your times of trouble.
Jeff Harshbarger
Jeff’s interview on the 700 Club
Jeff’s written a book “From Darkness to Light”
