Caught Between Two Spiritual Worlds: Honest Truth!

By Reverend Harold A. Vieux

This is a true story, a series of events that transpired in my life which I deemed necessary to expose and by so doing alert others to vigilance. Naturally, the subject matter is sensitive both for me and all parties involved. I can never discount the relevance of demons, deny their reality and their harassing ways. If and when I was to do so, I would magnify the role of human agents. Frequently, even mature Christians underestimate the magnitude of the spiritual warfare enlisted in from the time of the new birth. We are in a severe struggle, persistently and subtly driven by powerful, spiritual opposing forces beyond our comprehension. Often we rely on human resources and fail to use the spiritual source available to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I fell in the fourth generation of my maternal fore-parents lineage to suffer unnecessary heartbreaking consequences because of spiritual ignorance. Since I came to see the light of Jesus Christ, I made up my mind to loose all yokes of bondage over my generation and the ones to come after me should Christ tarry. I now know demonic spirits are to be kept afar and never be trusted. Even though at times through subtlety we may be deceived to think that certain spirits work for the good and well-being of a person, such deception should be seen as a trap, a means of securing the individual into a mesh. Sooner or later, such individual will be caught unaware and conquered. It should never be a surprise how the Devil, the starch enemy of the saints, will use anyone, foe and often those who would be considered ally, to win a person over to cause him to fall. Read on and enjoy this treat to your spiritual health!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449771645

Reverend Harold A. Vieux

Dr. Vieux was born the second of three siblings from a Haitian Roman Catholic family, in Cap-Haitian, Haiti. A naturalized U.S. citizen, he entered the country at the age of 15 years old. He attended schools and began University in Queens, New York. He joined the U. S. Marines and was stationed in California. While in the military, Dr. Vieux visited a Pentecostal Church with a friend and converted to Christ. Honorably discharged from the Marines, he then earned his undergraduate degree in California and proceeded to earn his graduate degrees in several fields in Florida. Dr. Vieux is now a licensed and ordained Pastor as well as a licensed Christian Marriage and Family Therapist doing extensive ministerial and community works. His experience encompasses the regular hosting of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) television’s Creole programs for Haiti. He also hosted a socio-religious program titled “Vision Communautaire” aired in South Florida. Dr Vieux preaches, teaches and lectures in various Haitian, Jamaican, and American churches and does missionary work wherever he feels led. Dr Vieux was the first Haitian-American to serve as Chairman of the Community Relations Board (CRB) of Miami-Dade County in 50 years of existence. Dr. Vieux is the seating President of the Conference of Christian Pastors and Ministers, Inc. and he held membership in several Faith-Based Advisory Boards and in the North Miami Beach Police Department. Dr. Vieux is an honored and recognized member of the prestigious Cambridge WHO’s WHO. Dr. Vieux believes his purpose in life is to work for “The Complete Existence of all humankind”.

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Copyright © 2012 Rev. Dr. Harold A. Vieux, D.Min., LCMFT

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7164-5 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7165-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7166-9 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012919306

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Front cover illustration by Jamaal Younge

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this book are from the Holy Bible primarily from the NKJV (New King James Version) along with TLB (The Living Bible), the NIV Rainbow Study (New International Version Bible), and from the four translation New Testament parallel edition containing: KJV (King James Version), NASB (New American Standard Bible), Charles B. Williams—In The Language Of The People, or William F. Beck—In The Language Of Today.

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/29/2012

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Dedication

1. My Salvation Story

2. Just Who Am I?

3. Regeneration Of The Saints: Count Me In Among The Saved Ones

4. I Am An Escapee!

5. How Am I Being Used For God’s Kingdom?

6. A Call To Perfection: Growing Up To Go Up

7. Slave Only To The Master

8. My Three Viewpoints of Religion

9. The Schwal

10. Category One spirits

11. Category Two spirits

12. Fight The Opposition

13. How Should We Respond To Opposition Or Persecution?

14. Married In A Disadvantaged Condition

15. Deceived By The Most Trusted One: Flesh And Blood

16. The Loving Curse Of My Wife’s Family Fell On Her

17. Bewitched And Abused By My Lover

18. The First Year At The Apartment

19. The Second Year At The Apartment

20. How Did I End Up Leaving After All?

21. I Did Lose My Most Loving Sister!

22. Appropriateness Of Marriage

23. Are You Going Through Something? Or Are You Growing Through Something?

24. What Do I Do In My Time Of Adversity?

25. Do Not Fret, Jehovah-Jireh Will Provide

26. Can You Hang? Really, Can You?

FOREWORD

When Rev. Dr. Harold Vieux asked me to write the foreword for this book Caught Between Two Spiritual Worlds, I was shocked at first. Then I thought what an honor and privilege he has conferred on me. I was humbled that he thought of me to do his book justice in detailing it to you the readers. I first met Dr. Vieux in 2008, as a fellow member of the church we were both attending. During this time, I was on the board and working with a non-profit organization which supported two churches and their schools in Haiti. Dr. Vieux was asked to join our board because he had extensive ties in Haiti. He was in the process of building a church with a school in a small province outside of the capital of Haiti. This meant that he was traveling often to Haiti, and this in turn enabled our organization to have someone who could at times oversee our two schools and deliver monies as they were needed. He enhanced our organization and proved to have good insight.

Dr. Vieux is an ordained Pastor and Official Worker of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist working to ameliorate the plights of others in various ways. He also has been a part of many community related and Christian affiliated boards. He has counseled many children, youth and adults. His qualifications are impeccable. This book is in a sense biographical. It relates his life as it began in Haiti, and how his cultural upbringing is still very much a part of him today. Not only has his culture brought him joy, but he relates the pain and suffering he has endured because of it. The book tells of the spirits good and bad that can invade and change a person’s life course if such is allowed. As Christians, we must stand firm in our walk with God and let nothing interfere with our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The book relates how Dr. Vieux has been pursued and tormented by Satan and the demons. Had he not stood and continues to stand firm and let God lead him, Dr Vieux would have lost his life long ago. As a reader, you will find yourself living through his horrific experiences and wondering how he can still smile and forgive. The benefit of reading this book is knowing that if Dr. Vieux can live, function, and have joy for all that he has had happen, we also can stand firm if we are faithful to God. God does take care of His own. The Bible never said we would not go through fire at some point. We all have trials and tribulations. It is your relationship with God that determines how you will go through. Will you stand firm or will you buckle under the pressures from Satan? This poignant question Dr. Vieux has asked himself many times. Read and look at the fine example Dr. Vieux gives as one Christian who knows His Father and the promises He has made to each of us. Enjoy!

Debra Hankerson

Miami Gardens, Florida

INTRODUCTION

You are about to read the spiritual aspect of my life story. It is my personal biography with a spiritual concentration. In my view, it is an inspirational work where I chronicle the events of my life—both times of difficulty and times of victory—and I share the lessons I have learned along the way with the expressed intention of enlightening my reader on certain spiritual facts of life. Using scripture as well as personal anecdotes, I purposefully demonstrate that no matter what happens in life, the love of God endures. It is an honest recollection of the hard road I traveled. I have come to sincerely believe that there is a purpose for everything a person endures in life. Whether easily deciphered or not, every situation in one’s life happens for a determined end. Moreover, every incident one encounters whether considered good or bad, sweet or sour can be used for a greater good in further benefiting the person’s own life and/or the life of others. I consider a person’s upbringing (or life’s formation) along with a sound and better developed perspective will serve as the main ingredients that differentiate how one individual is able to cope in times of great difficulties compared to another who is not able to cope.

Many people’s hardships begin to trail them early from infancy. For many others, their perplexities may come at a different stage of their life. But in either case, it is well said that a person’s troubles can either make or break the person. The track of my spiritual life, as you will see in this manuscript, has not been easy. Nevertheless, I believe the cumulative troubles and rocky road of my life to date did work to strengthen me and make a better person of me. Through my ordeals, I became a better person with an intense interest in People-helping in lieu of becoming bitter. I developed a strong passion for reaching out to others. It is my earnest prayer that through my personal examples, outlined biblical perspective over life’s issues or professional advices, this book you hold in your hands will meet you where you are at you point of need. My intention is to be practical, clearly showing how Satan will use anyone or anything at his disposal to kill the spiritual life of the Christian. The keeping of my eyes on the Cross of Jesus Christ and the promises of God to date help me to overcome.

Rev. Harold A. Vieux,

D. Min., LCMFT

Miami, Florida

Caught Between Two Spiritual Worlds

Honest Truth!

Is Dedicated In Memory Of:

My Loving Sister Marie Meudth Myrtho Alphonse.

Sis., I will never, ever forget you as long as I have breath. You continue to be so very special and inspiring to me even in your absence. I love you very much.

In Addition

To the many kind individuals to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude:

My three Loving Children: Shelaine, Anthony, and Theodora …

To my dear advisors, colleagues, and friends, Ms. Debra Hankerson and Ms. Gail Seraneau, who were so gracious to do the editing of this manuscript. Thank you Debra and Gail very much for the many hours you spent ensuring that my readers clearly understanding me.

Of course, I would never want to forget my dearest older Jamaican spiritual sister and partner in prayer—Sis. Daphne Isaacs. Sister Isaacs, you helped me in such ways to accomplish this project that you would not believe. Thank God for your support and encouragement. You truly are my honorable, valuable family member, a very special person in the eyes of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And

To the many members of my Christian and earthly families, friends, and well-wishers, I pray that God’s best will be yours forever.

Chapter I

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My Salvation Story

I came from a very seriously religious background. Many would not agree with me, but from my perspective my family was a humble, low key and a very dysfunctional one. It was a family where mostly everyone was acquainted with every Roman Catholic driven spiritual formality and how to implement some of them with the sole purpose of impressing other people or having another day for festivity. By tradition, we were born into the Roman Catholic Church. However, in actuality, when it came to biblically serving God, this was altogether another story for both my close family members and many relatives. We lived in an extended family fashion in our home. In general, my family members knew very little concerning how to apply Godly and/or spiritual beliefs or principles; rather they were often engaged in voodoo practices. However, I do believe that God can lift anyone up from, as is said, the Gutter-most to the utter-most. I believe He has done exactly that for me even though it has not been without severe trials.

Allow me to digress here and explain the originality of the expression Voodoo. The word stems from a phrase in French Veau d’Or which pronounces Vô-door meaning: the Golden Cow that was worshipped at the base of Mount Sinai from Exodus 32:1-9. According to Haitian history, at the beginning, there were the native Arawak Amerindians (also known as the Caribbean Indians) who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492. These people were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. However, in the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island we now call Haiti. Naturally, these various groups spoke their diverse languages. The majority of them could not properly pronounce the word Veau d’Or; thus out of ignorance the people found it easier to utter the word "Voodoo". The end result is that from then on it has become commonplace so that whenever one speaks of voodoo, it is immediately associated with Haiti or the Haitian people. Notwithstanding as Christian believers, we are well aware that the practice of satanic activities, whether termed voodoo or not, is not in any way limited or restricted to the Haitians alone.

Now, in the Old Testament of the Bible, after the children of Israel came out of Egypt, while they were in the desert, Moses was called away by Jehovah God to Mount Sinai for forty days. There was a brief absence of leadership during which time the children of Israel were left without a True Leader. Aaron obviously was ineffective at maintaining a tight ship while Moses was away with God. The people were allowed to do mischief. So, fast forwarding to Haiti; much like when Rachelle brought some figurines of her father from her country which ended up costing her life, we, Haitians, who had come from different African ports and worshipped various strange gods, brought our own gods with us. Those same Voodoo gods that were worshipped then are still worshipped by many today.

When I was a small boy, some of the adults in my family were diligent at sending the children to church on Sunday mornings for mass. That was an unspoken and an unwritten mandate for the children. This trend was done without fail for the most part; yet, the adults would rarely step into the church themselves. These adults, on the other hand, knew how to celebrate any holiday under the sun plus some others that may not have existed on the calendar. They were not immoral or perverted per se; they simply believed church to be a place to selectively visit once a year or to attend weddings and funerals. They would not go to the church for certain events that are considered sacred such as: christenings, baptisms, or first communions; let alone weekly Bible study or midweek services. They would stay at home waiting to Party with everybody else after the ceremonies were over.

Of course, everyone understood the importance of being proper and how to show good manners. One would never be able to tell the depth of politeness and cordiality in my home by the pleasant manner in which members of the family treated one another within the home and other people on the outside. For instance, it was customary for everyone to sit together at meal times, to show respect to strangers, and to be hospitable to all. In our home, during my earlier days, mealtime consisted of a major feast where typically the dining room table had twelve chairs and often we needed additional chairs to accommodate our young neighborhood friends who were playing with us when it was time to eat. I miss the feeling of belonging to a caring family which this particular tradition brought. It was also a time when everyone knew the whereabouts of any missing member of the family during the day. Naturally no friends of ours would be sent home empty bellied. We were fortunate in that we never skipped a meal because of the lack of it; if we did miss a meal, it was strictly by choice or because of someone’s illness.

The only exception to all these adults manifesting pseudo-spirituality was my maternal grandmother, who was a Roman Catholic. She truly was the different one, the lighthouse on the seacoast of our entire family. Although she was a Roman Catholic, yet, contrary to how many Protestants do not regard Roman Catholics as spiritual, my grandmother did her best to live a pure, holy, spiritual life. Her determination and consistency would pose a challenge for certain Protestants of today. As in most African, Afro-Caribbean, or Haitian families, grandma was the central beam that held it all together for the family. She wore many hats—a Poto Mitan as we would say in the Haitian Creole; she was a true center pole. She raised and steered her children right until they grew up and became independent adults. She trusted God and did her best to influence everyone to go in the direction of heavenly wisdom. However, she was not forceful, pushing her belief down anyone’s throat in any way.

My grandma and grandpa were married and together they had five children. Grandpa died while the youngest was in his early teens, and grandma became the true matriarch who raised her children with integrity, dignity, and good character. I thank God for allowing me to live the first fourteen years of my life with my grandmother in Haiti. I recall as a small child I was given the option of living either with my mom in the country or with my grandma in the city. I chose to live in the city; and I would go to my mom for vacation times or sometimes for long weekends. Moreover, after coming to the United States, I was constantly in touch with grandma either in person or over the telephone before she passed away. Praises be to God, my grandma left me with lots of great memories and a sound spiritual base. She was the mother, the adviser, the decision-maker, the seamstress, the provider, etc. for our family.

After the passing of my grandfather, grandma did not remarry. She did not believe re-marrying was for her and she had voluntarily made a vow to my grandpa that she would never introduce her children to a step-father. That had been her personal conviction and she lived by it. She had been a person who truly believed that God created only one man for one woman and no more, no other, ever. Grandma was far from being perfect; but, she tried her best and in the process earned everyone’s respect. I take great comfort in knowing that, by God’s grace I will get to meet with my grandma again in the Sweet by-and-by.

Grandma was not a Learned person educationally or scholarly. Yet, I have always looked at her as one of the wisest and productive person I have ever known. Grandma was the primary instrument God used to influence my life spirituality at a tender age and critical stage. Ultimately, the most favorite thing for grandma to do was to attend church. She would quickly drop anything she was doing to be on time for the church service. It was from grandma that I first learned time discipline. Today, I still do not buy into such ideas as Colored people’s time, Haitian people’s time, or Caribbean people’s time. Such references are clichés that are made in regards to time and are viewed as excuses given by the undisciplined for their tardiness. At any rate, church brought grandma true joy and comfort in life. Because I had been spiritually inclined and close to her, I was able to accompany her to church frequently. As a young boy, many times I would leave my siblings, relatives, and friends kicking a ball and having fun to go with her to mass or to some other church event. Doing so was my treasured gift to grandma. My grandma would speak with me about what heaven will be like some day and as such she would draw me even closer to herself. Now I can understand what is meant by Proverbs chapter twenty-two, verse six, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it (NKJV). Grandma did train the others and me personally very suitably and though I deviated for a short time, I did not depart from the way totally.

Grandma was a person who practiced what she had been learning and teaching others. She cared about people; and she was a true advocate for the less fortunate. She would not allow anyone to be mistreated, and her decisions were, as far as humanly possible, altogether fair. I recall a situation that transpired in our home one Saturday. There were five of us boys living in the home. There were two sets of brothers and we all were cousins. The fifth boy was the son of one of the housemaids. Our parents had travelled to the United States and we were left in the care of grandma. This particular day, after we had completed our school work, we asked grandma for money to go to the movies to see Zoro, our favorite actor at that time. Grandma gladly reached for the money from her purse. She counted what money she had on hand and realized that she was short for one person. Grandma looked up at us and said, I have a problem! We inquired what was wrong. Grandma explained that she did not have enough money for all five of us boys. She wisely left it up to us to resolve the situation. We debated the issue among ourselves and came back as a calculating and unanimous jury to tell grandma we have reached a decision. Good, said grandma, Let me hear it! We cheerfully told her, After much debate, we feel you should give the money you have to those of us who are blood relatives to go to the movies. Oh, is that so? she asked. To our surprise or as a bombshell thrown at us, grandma asked us, What about Aaron, is he in agreement with your decision? If not, what are you four going to do? When we could not give grandma a satisfactory response, she decided that none of us should go to the movies; emphasizing that she did not have enough money for all of us.

Of course, we became furious and started to grumble because we indignantly felt that, Aaron was the son of the maid; he did not have any blood-right to be with us in that situation. There had been no legal mandate that said he had to come along. We had forgotten that before going to do our school work, Aaron had been playing with us a long time and we had been having fun together. To this day, that incident serves me a lesson I will never forget. Grandma did not believe in such separation or prejudices. We were taught we should always treat people, no matter whom they are, with equality and fairness. She definitely did live by the scripture that says, Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them… (Mat.7:12 NKJV). And in accord with Apostle Paul’s statement, perhaps grandma could not articulate the same concept; but in effect, she was saying, Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31 AKJV). That truly was grandma’s pattern of life.

By now, I was about nine or ten years old, and by Haitians standards, I had completed Certificat, which was the first and primary milestone in my education in Haiti. It was equivalent to completing Junior High school. It was at that time that my parents made the decision to bring me to the United States US as a permanent resident. I came to New York, and there I was enrolled as a ninth grader in the school system. In New York I also encountered a major cultural shock for two reasons; one, because of the lifestyle pressures of living in a cold place and being from a tropical climate, two, because of the way people overused their Freedom. In Haiti at the time, we were under the strong hands of the dictator, Papa Doc and his Gooneys. As a result, people had limited freedom to do anything at will. For example, it was not at all acceptable for teens to wear their trousers below the hip or for boys to get their hair braided. Under Papa Doc’s regime, anyone wearing his trousers inappropriately, as seen on the streets, would be arrested for at least a short time and likely to be beaten while in jail; a boy with his hair braided would be made bald on the spot by any Police Officer or a member of the Tonton Macoute.

Anyway, after coming to the United States, for a brief time, Sundays were just like Saturdays in our home. Other than having a break from school on weekends, Sundays seemed to blend together with the weekdays. There was nothing spiritually special or distinctive about those days. There was no religious involvement whatsoever unless, of course, there was a problem that necessitated, in my parents’ views, the attention of a voodoo practitioner. Instead of sending us to church, without hesitation, my parents began to allow us to go over to our friends for parties or similar gatherings. I liked this new way of living, but, it obviously could have turned out to be unprofitable for me. In my High School in those days, there were only eight Haitians attending out of nearly 3,000 students. Because of the excessive use of their Newly found freedom, except for three of us, the rest of the Haitians either got killed or ended up in prison. They allowed their new freedom to get out of control and became deviants and disrespectful both to their parents and outside authorities. They became followers instead of leaders. I could easily have been one of them also.

It was not