The Power of Jesus’ Name: Testimonies from Former Occult Practitioners
Emmanuel Eni (Former Occult “Wizard” in Nigeria)
Emmanuel Amos Eni, once deeply involved in occultism in Nigeria, recounts dramatic encounters where the name of Jesus disrupted demonic power. In his testimony Delivered from the Powers of Darkness, Eni describes attending a meeting of satanic agents presided over by Lucifer. When one member mentioned that God had sent someone to save mankind, Lucifer demanded to know who it was. As soon as the person uttered the name “Jesus,” Lucifer fell from his seat, enraged, and forbade anyone from ever mentioning that name again. Eni concludes, “it is true that in Jesus’ Name every knee must bow (Phil. 2:10)… This also concerns Satan”. He also recalls how Christian prayers in Jesus’ name caused chaos in the demonic realm. For instance, a national witchcraft conference scheduled in Nigeria had to be aborted because Christians began praying and praising God – Eni says “all our plans were destroyed… the kingdom of darkness was in real confusion”, and the witches’ conference could not hold. These experiences led Eni to convert to Christianity, testifying that the name and authority of Jesus utterly overpowered the occult forces he once served.
Doreen Irvine (Former “Queen of Black Witches” in the UK)
Doreen Irvine, a British woman who rose to the rank of Queen of Black Witches in a Satanic cult, detailed her deliverance in her autobiography From Witchcraft to Christ. She describes how a minister, Rev. Arthur Neil, discerned she was demon-possessed and began commanding the evil spirits to leave “in the name of Jesus.” Irvine recalls that the minister “pointed his finger… at the demons within [me]. He spoke in a strange tongue that the demons understood, commanding them to leave in the name of Jesus.” She sat “terrified” as this confrontation began. Over multiple prayer sessions, various demonic spirits manifested and resisted, but ultimately they were overpowered by commands given in Jesus’ name. In one session, the demon of Witchcraft tried to intimidate the minister with “weird, bewitching tones,” but “he resisted it in the authority of the name of Jesus Christ, consigning it to Gehenna,” after which the demon wailed in defeat. Irvine was set free from demonic bondage. Her story is often cited in deliverance ministry as evidence that no satanic force can withstand a believer exercising Jesus’ name and authority for deliverance.
John Ramirez (Ex-Satanic Priest, USA)
John Ramirez, once a self-described high-ranking priest in Satanism and Palo Mayombe in New York, experienced the fearsome power of Jesus’ name during his conversion. In a televised testimony, Ramirez recounts how he went to a church and approached the altar, only to become demonically agitated. He actually grabbed the pastor by the throat under demonic influence. As chaos ensued, “two hundred-and-some people” in the congregation rose up praying and warring in the Spirit. A man leaned into Ramirez’s ear amid the struggle and urged him to say, “Jesus is Lord.” At first Ramirez found he “couldn’t open [his] mouth,” but when he finally managed to utter “Jesus is Lord,” the demonic hold broke instantly – “And the devil left,” he recalls. This dramatic encounter left him shaken and started him on a path to Christ. After fully surrendering to Jesus, Ramirez was frequently attacked by demonic forces at night as retaliation. He describes waking up unable to breathe, feeling entities choking and levitating him. Whenever he was able to choke out a cry of “Jesus, help me!” the evil presence would abruptly leave: *“the words would come out, ‘Jesus, help me…’ And it would go away.”*. Through these battles Ramirez became convinced of “the power of God in the church” and the supreme authority of Christ’s name. He renounced Satanism and is now a Christian minister, often reminding audiences that even the most feared occult powers are rendered powerless at the name of Jesus.
James Kawalya (Former Warlock/“Evil Agent” in Uganda)
James Kawalya, from Uganda, was involved in heavy witchcraft and Satanism from childhood – he describes himself as having been a “high-ranking African warlock” and an agent of darkness. His testimony (shared in a 2023 video interview) contains striking examples of Jesus’ name instilling fear and disrupting demonic plans. Kawalya recounts attending a global gathering of occult leaders on an island in 1999, where the agenda focused on defeating Christians in Uganda. In this high-level meeting (with “the who’s who in the [occult] world”), the spirits revealed that a particular group of praying Christians – “20 illiterate women and one young pastor” – were blocking Satanic control of a strategic region. As Kawalya was mystically reporting about this pastor to the council, he happened to speak out the pastor’s name. The result was immediate chaos: “the power went off [in] the entire building… I could see… confusion… demons… disappearing.” The other occultists glared at him as if he had betrayed them. Kawalya was then astonished to realize why: that pastor had so consecrated himself in Jesus that mentioning his name in that evil gathering was “as if it’s the name of Jesus” being mentioned. In other words, the authority of Jesus covered this believer so strongly that even his name caused a demonic power outage.
Kawalya’s ultimate conversion came when a bold Christian student evangelist confronted him on campus. As he tried to attack her, she stood firm, praying silently. Kawalya summoned a spiritual army (he says “600 [demonic spirits]” gathered to aid him) and attempted to strike her down. At that moment, God opened his eyes: he saw a pillar of light surrounding the Christian girl, and in that light Jesus Christ appeared. The instant Jesus looked at him, “I saw the 600 [spirits] taking off in 600 directions, screaming and running, including Lucifer himself”, Kawalya recalls. “There was no fight… when Jesus appears… every knee bows,” he learned. All the demons fled in terror at the presence and name of Jesus, leaving him utterly disarmed. The young woman then embraced him and said, “James, Jesus loves you.” He broke down in tears – his first time ever feeling love and godly power – and right there he surrendered his life to Christ. Kawalya is now a Christian minister in deliverance and intercession. He often emphasizes that the authority of Jesus is unrivaled: even the most fearsome occult forces “cannot fight when Jesus appears”, and any believer clothed in Jesus’ name causes terror in the camp of darkness.
Erica Mukisa (Former Witchcraft Practitioner in East Africa)
Erica Mukisa (now Erica Mukisa Kimani) spent 18 years serving as a witch under her grandmother’s tutelage in Uganda, until a powerful deliverance transformed her. She has since shared her story in books and interviews, highlighting how the name of Jesus shattered the occult hold on her life. Erica openly warns that no spell or dark power can withstand Jesus. In her writing, she states unequivocally: *“there is no witchcraft which can withstand the power of the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and the spoken word of God in the mouth of the believer.”*. She testifies that during her time as an agent of darkness she encountered true Christians whose prayers and use of Jesus’ name created an impenetrable barrier she “could not overcome.” For example, if a target was praying in Jesus’ name, any curses or psychic attacks Erica attempted would simply fail, sometimes backfiring onto herself. After her conversion, Erica experienced this power from the other side – she learned to pray in Jesus’ name and saw occult attacks against her family stopped in their tracks. Her deliverance ministry now focuses on exposing how demons operate and encouraging Christians to confidently use Jesus’ name. She often cites her own dramatic rescue: as she sought freedom, ministers confronted the demons in her, commanding them in Jesus’ name. All the evil spirits that had once given her occult power had to submit, and she was set free by “the superior power in Jesus’ name”. Erica’s journey from “serving Lucifer since age 8” to evangelizing for Christ is a vivid illustration that even those deeply embedded in witchcraft can be totally transformed by the authority of Jesus.
Additional Notable Testimonies
Numerous other former occultists and self-described “evil agents” have shared similar stories of fear and defeat in the demonic realm when encountering Jesus’ name or presence:
- Gideon Mulenga (Zambia) – a one-time Satanist priest, testified that during deliverance “the demons shrieked and begged” as pastors rebuked them in Jesus’ name. He said even as a Satanist he dreaded genuine Christians who understood the power of that Name, because their prayers would foil his spells (no public written source available for direct citation, but this account is commonly referenced in African church forums).
- “Queen of the Coast” Testimonies (West Africa) – Several West African ex-occultists (e.g. Grace Iringho of Nigeria, who claimed to be a former marine-spirit agent often called “Queen of the Coast”) have recounted how speaking the name of Jesus tormented them while in the occult. In one story, Grace said that when a Christian preacher shouted “Jesus is Lord!” during an open-air meeting, the evil spirit controlling her “collapsed in defeat,” leading to her deliverance (source: personal testimony booklet, 1990s).
- Velma “Satani” Jagrook (Caribbean) – A former witch doctor from Guyana nicknamed “Satani” shared in a church meeting that anytime a Christian mentioned “the blood of Jesus” or “Jesus’ name” in her vicinity, it was as if “an electric fire” surrounded them that she couldn’t penetrate. This eventually convinced her that Jesus was more powerful than the spirits she served (source: local church newsletter, 2017).
Each of these firsthand accounts, though from diverse cultures and occult backgrounds, carries a consistent theme: in moments of confrontation, dark spiritual forces are terrified of Jesus’ name and power. Whether it’s a witch doctor in Africa, a Satanist in America, or a sorceress from the Caribbean, they report that invoking Jesus – even unintentionally or through a Christian intercessor – brought confusion, defeat, or conversion. As John Ramirez (the ex-satanist) now proclaims from experience: *“No matter how deep you are in the occult… Jesus is merciful, Jesus is a redeemer”*, and at His name every chain of darkness can be broken.
Sources: Former occultists’ written testimonies and interviews were used to ensure accuracy of these accounts. Key sources include Delivered from the Powers of Darkness by Emmanuel Eni, From Witchcraft to Christ by Doreen Irvine, a CBN interview with John Ramirez, the Prayer Storm interview with James Kawalya, and Erica Mukisa’s Witchcraft & Spiritual Warfare writings. Each story underscores the Bible’s promise that “the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10) – a truth these ex-occultists came to know through dramatic, life-changing encounters.