New York City has a long, eventful past and the city's West Village is no exception. Riotous gangs, murderous politicians, drunk writers and nutty speak-easy owners have all made their mark on this corner of Manhattan and some think that they never really left.
And while New York is not one of the many cities known for their fabulous ghost tours, you can still find a few good ones. In the West Village, the best way to do a tour is with beer. So I recently took part in a haunted pub tour -- orchestrated by a friend of mine in celebration of her 30th birthday.
The group of us met in front of a Starbucks before the sun went down and were greeted by a man in a top, long black cape and a cane. He was a tour guide from Ghosts of New York but he was ready to have a few beers, too. From the moment we shook his hand, he had stories for us about places in the immediate vicinity.
The first official stop was in front of one of the city's most romantic restaurants: One If By Land, Two If By Sea. The restaurant was once the carriage house of infamous Vice President Aaron Burr. According to our guide, Burr still hangs out there along with his daughter (who was lost at sea) and an unidentified man who some believe to be one of Burr's servants. Burr's daughter sometimes steals women's earrings and supposedly once pushed someone down the stairs.
Sad but there are people who call themselves Christians today who do not believe that evil exists. This is rather unbelievable but true. Aliens and ghosts can most assuredly fall into the demonic category. While, as Christians, we should not join tours about ghosts or entertain the demonic by viewing movies that dwell in these dark realms, we do know that we have authority over these spirits if they should cross our paths. We should cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus and we know that the very name of Jesus causes the demonic to be brought to fear (they have their fear, we have ours...ours is more effective when used on evil).
Having said all that, it is important to grow in the Lord. One demon once said," Jesus, I know. Paul, I know. Who are you?" And then he kicked the tar out of somebody! Actually, it says the demon overcame them (we are supposed to be the overcomers, not the demons! Yet, part of your victory is in the Shield of Faith!- can't have faith when you have fear, no room for both).
I am reminded of the disciples in the ship with the waves rolling around them. It must have been pretty horrible because fear was starting to grip them and they called for the Lord who was sleeping. What did Jesus do? He calmed the waters with His words.
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The disciples DID have other options, they could have evacuated the boat and tried to head for shore- they probably would have died. They could have just given up and let "fate" set their course- their boat probably would have been torn to bits. What did they do? They called on Jesus.
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And remember this- as long as they were in the boat with Jesus- they were safe. Despite the waves, they were ok with Jesus in the boat. Lesson? The waves may be tossing all around you, friend, but stay in the boat if Jesus is there because everything is going to be ok when He Speaks. Don't run, call on Him (when running away from a problem leads you to running away from Jesus, that is not the solution- think Jonah).
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The battles are ahead- we should put on the full armor of God and humbly seek Him. The goal is to leave this life with an impression upon the spirit world. If the evil ones know your name, you probably did your job.
