From Hidden Battles: Episode #11 – “The Accidental Handshake”, March 12, 2025

“Hey everybody, I’m Anne-Marie Michaelis, a Christian author and coach. Welcome to the Hidden Battles Podcast, a weekly podcast about the hidden battles of spiritual warfare and the struggles that go on in our minds and hearts, and the truth to overcoming these hidden battles. My life was radically transformed during a supernatural encounter with Jesus.

God allowed my eyes to be spiritually opened long enough to see the truth of these hidden battles and to scare the rebellion against him right out of me. In each episode, I share a true story about a real life experience, a teaching, and a final takeaway. This podcast will reveal the hidden battles that lurk in our minds and hearts, and the way out.

Hidden Battles, revealing what the enemy does not want you to know. Please take a moment to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to my channel on YouTube, at GodDesign LLC. Podcasts are available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

For a free download of my memoir, visit my website at goddesign.org.”

Today in this episode called “The Accidental Handshake”, I’ll share a disturbing story from my memoir that happened as I was coming out of one season of my life and entering another. A new season that would turn into what I call “hell on earth”. What was coming would become the nightmare from hell, literally.  Could this story have been the catalyst that led to this massive shift in seasons?  I don’t know. 

I had not yet gotten entangled with the person I call my “nemesis,” which was the last and very worst toxic relationship I was in before I encountered Jesus. So, I was not aware of any “spiritual battles” even at this season of my life (keyword “aware”). I was a typical worldly secular thinking person who called myself (if asked) a Catholic.  I was focused on my earthly life and not a spiritual life. 

My Story

I call it “The Accidental Handshake” because of one of my favorite early scriptures: “You cannot drink from the Lord’s cup and the cup of demons, thereby becoming partners with them.” This, along with a few other scriptures warning us about our choices, makes it clear that a critical decision needs to be made before it’s too late.  I did not know any of this at the time, so things went the long hard way for me.

Now for the story from my memoir. 

The title of my memoir’s story is “Cursing Spewing from My Tongue, Mind, & Heart: The Mind and Heart at Its Worst”.  Or a better title now that I have more awareness is what I have called this episode – “The Accidental Handshake”.

There was a man I was with for a while before the person I call my “nemesis”. This man was very special to me, yet the feelings were not reciprocated. He did quite a bit of traveling, and when he would travel, I would only hear from him a little, if at all. He promised to call me when he got to his destination but would not call.

I often would not get a call until late at night or the next day. This happened so many times that I was about to lose my mind, wondering what was going on that he could completely put me out of his mind like this each time he’d take these trips.

So one trip was to be a very long fourteen-day trip. I dreaded this trip and begged him not to go. I knew I would be upset, wondering what was going on and why he didn’t call or answer his cell phone. I would drive myself crazy because, deep down, I felt like he was cheating. I tried convincing myself that he couldn’t possibly cheat on someone. I tried to convince myself that he was just very absent-minded. But it wasn’t working any longer. I couldn’t keep doing this with him.

So the day of the long trip came, and again, the promise that he’d call me when he arrived. Five o’clock came and went; he would have been there by then. Six o’clock, seven o’clock, tick-tock it went. I tried calling his cell phone, but there was no answer as usual. I started to feel my blood pressure rise. I had had enough. I was done. I became so enraged at the disrespect. I was sitting on my bedroom floor crying and getting angrier by the minute.

I reached for this collectible porcelain doll. With uncontrollable rage, crying, swearing, and thinking about this person not calling again, I tore the foot off the doll. I then whipped it and the doll against the wall.

A couple of hours later, I got a call from him. He said he broke his foot playing basketball at the hotel. They were flying him back to Michigan. It was the first bone he had ever broken.

Was this a coincidence? I don’t know. But the power of the tongue can speak blessings and curses. Sometimes it is tough to tame, especially when hurting, angry, and tempted to curse others. It’s not easy.

The story in my memoir ends here. However, now that I have more in-depth knowledge of what happened, I’d like to expand on this story because from this point onward, the season of my life changed to something I would never have imagined. 

I had opened a door and had given Satan a massive foothold to take things to a whole new level.  I had an accidental handshake with the demonic.  Did I know this?  No.  But I do now, and for the record, I repent my sins as quickly as I realize them. Should I remember anything from my past or as I stumble in my present, I ask for forgiveness and try to do better moving forward. 

What does God’s Word say about this “accidental handshake”?

Let’s start with what God’s Word says about the slippery slope of anger.  Anger that is not restrained, not controlled, or not put to rest, because it leads to many sins. This is where I started slipping out of control into the accidental handshake with the enemy. It doesn’t have to be anger, it can be any sin you make a practice out of doing.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (AMP)

26 Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. 

27 And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness]. 

Again, it’s not just anger.  It can be any form of sin.  Here in Galatians, we get some more examples of practicing sins that will prevent us from inheriting the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21 (AMP)

19 Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], 21 envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

OK WOW.  So, I don’t know where to start with sin because I had much of this going on back then, in one way or another just as many people do. 

We’ll revisit all this sin stuff and what to do about it at the end.

So let’s focus in on the power of the tongue. 

James 3:3-12 (MSG) The Tongue Is a Fire-A Wanton Killer

3-5 A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

5-6 It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

7-10 This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

10-12 My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?

So, what does this have to do with me tearing off my porcelain doll’s foot and my intentions towards the person causing me such anguish, breaking their foot within the same timeframe as my unholy intention?

Well, our words and intentions carry power.  Power united with God for good.  We see this when praying powerfully with all our heart, mind, and spirit, united with the Holy Spirit and aligned with God’s Will—the powerful prayer of a believer.  God’s blessings are beyond the scope of our imagination and eternal for those who believe and surrender to Christ.

We can also choose to align ourselves with the enemy who we’re warned wants to steal, kill, and destroy us.  We can obtain power united with Satan and his dominion of darkness.  Satan is in the blessing business too (however his blessings are both limited and temporary).  All I had to do was accidentally align my mouth and heart intention to evil and voila, rip the doll foot off, and watch what happens in the natural—a demonstration of the power that Satan has currently in this world. 

According to scripture, we could call what happened a curse.  We could categorize this under witchcraft and guess what?  This is considered repulsive to the Lord, because we align ourselves with Satan and have partnered with demons whether knowingly or unknowingly.  There are numerous scriptures I could share regarding all this but here is one example of God’s warning.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (AMP)

10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire [as a sacrifice], one who uses divination and fortune-telling, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a charm or spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or a necromancer [who seeks the dead]. 12 For everyone who does these things is utterly repulsive to the Lord; and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

If you’re talking to “spirit-guides” …  if you’re visiting or you are a psychic or medium … if you’re using ouija boards, tarot cards, or other witchcraft types of things … if you worship idols (and this is an entire podcast on what that means in today’s society) … or many other doctrines of demons we are warned about – consider God’s warnings in His word carefully. 

One other thing before I end with the reflections.  When I realized what happened back then, I was petrified.  One thing I knew inside my being is that this was NOT GOOD.  Did I know the scripture? No.  But I knew inside my being, this was VERY BAD.  I threw the doll away and didn’t think about it again … until I met my nemesis.  When I met him, it was a season of complete darkness and the temptation to have very bad intentions like this story towards him, popped up often.  But so did the unveiling of the spiritual realm and the truth regarding the hidden battles.  God is good.  He opened my eyes and let me choose.  Darkness or light.  Evil or Good.  Satan and this world or God and Jesus.  Watch your life flip right side up in ways you cannot imagine when you choose Jesus.

Now for reflections.

Who or what are you controlled by?   Uncontrolled Emotions (fear, confusion, grief, guilt, anger, anxiety, worry, stress, something else).

Who or what are you controlled by?  Greed (more money, sex, bigger, better house or car or something else).

Who or what are you controlled by?  Addiction (chronic gossip, gambling, technology, shopping, sex/lust, alcohol, drugs, food, something else).

Who or what are you controlled by?  Your Self (self-indulgent, arrogance, pride, self-centeredness, haughty attitude, something else).

Who or what are you controlled by? Are you controlled by the Holy Spirit because you are surrendered to Jesus !!!  

In this story, I shared that it was an “anger” and “rebellion”; now, it is the Holy Spirit and Jesus and my life is TRANSFORMED.

Acts 19:19-20 (AMP)

18 Many of those who had become believers were coming, confessing and disclosing their [former sinful] practices. 19 And many of those who had practiced magical arts collected their books and [throwing book after book on the pile] began burning them in front of everyone. They calculated their value and found it to be 50,000 pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] was growing greatly and prevailing.

This is good news, even if you are practicing sin now.  Sin is sin.  Your sin or sins can be forgiven.  You can be made new.  STOP partnering with demons.  Tell Satan a loud NO.  Take all your sinful stuff and BURN IT! 

I learned about what Yoga poses meant from a friend of mine and was floored.  I ended up researching it myself and found the same information.  It’s not just “stretching” … it is an ancient practice derived from India, believed to be the path to spiritual growth and enlightenment.  Yoga originated as a spiritual practice deeply rooted in Hinduism.  So, I burned all the yoga books, repented, and asked for forgiveness.  Why?  I’ve seen the dominion of darkness.  I have felt the power of evil. Why would I dabble into a Hinduism practice when I know the one true God and Jesus – my Lord and Savior who saved and delivered me – literally. Scripture tells us NOT to be testing God. 

So, time is running out and we do not have a guarantee we’ll wake up tomorrow.  If you’re done playing games and are ready to surrender to Christ, let’s pray a prayer of salvation and begin your commitment to walk with Jesus and accept Him into your mind, heart, and every facet of your life!  Pray this prayer with me with all your mind and heart.

Heavenly Father, I come to you as a sinner in need of Your grace. I repent of my sins and confess openly with my lips that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart that He died and rose from the grave for my sins. Lord Jesus, I invite you into my life and ask for the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart; to be my teacher, counselor, comforter, and helper in all areas of my life. May Your will be done in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   

If you prayed this prayer of salvation, this is the first step and a very important and good step in beginning your walk with Jesus.  Relationships take effort and communication, keep the communication channel open with Jesus so you can start building your relationship and hear what He has in store for you.

Hey, friends, that wraps up today’s Hidden Battles Podcast. A transcript along with additional devotionals for this week’s podcast, as well as my memoir, are available for free download on my website at goddesign.org, or check out some of my other books that you may find helpful. If you liked this episode, please share with others.

Hidden Battles, revealing what the enemy does not want you to know. Never stop praying, never give up, and I’ll see you next week.”