Awakening: The Deep Sleep (The Deep Sleep Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

dark, forbidding river. It looked terrible. I shivered when I realized that everything around us, even the air and sky, seemed to match the river with its feeling of forthcoming dread as we stepped into it.
    “The sky darkened and the air grew heavy and thick. An ominous foreboding swept over me and I suddenly felt uncertainty. I stopped with my hand still in His. Naturally, I didn’t want to enter such a place, but the Lord beckoned me ‘Please come.’
    “Jesus wrapped His arm tightly through mine and led me further into the river. The water was tangibly dark with a thick blackness. As if you could reach out and touch its inkiness, the all-consuming cold of the river clung to me and seemed to want to penetrate my soul. As we waded into the water up to our necks, I felt emptiness rising from the vapors of the river.
    “Occasionally, I wanted to grab hold of a log I saw floating in the water and cling to it for safety, but Jesus wouldn’t let me. I realized there was something in me that did not yet fully trust Him. The fearfulness of the river made me question His goodness toward me, since He was leading me into such a dark and frightful place.
    “He felt the thoughts of my heart, but did not rebuke me. He was patient with me in spite of my scattered, fearful feelings, and drew me closer to His side.
    “As we walked, I saw people in the water who seemed to dwell in the river, as if they belonged to it. They were alive, yet they seemed lifeless. Surrounding each person were sinister creatures of darkness guarding them, holding them captive to the dark river.
    “The demonic creatures possessively held tightly to each human they controlled. It seemed as if it would be easy for the people to have gotten away from the creatures, but they didn’t realize this and didn’t try to break free from their grasp.
    “One particular person watched me walk with Jesus and I saw a jealous longing to be with Jesus in his eyes. I knew he wanted to be walking with Jesus through this dark place. He believed it to be impossible, but continued to watch us longingly. I stared back at the man for some time while I continued to walk with Jesus as He led me through the water.
    “We finally reached an embankment and pulled ourselves out of the river, but the black water clung to me as if it were a living creature obeying its master by doing so. Soon, however, the water retreated back into the river and I knew in my heart the Lord had commanded it to do so.
    “Once the water had retreated, the Lord raised me to my feet and led me by the hand down the sandy bank of the river. On one side of us was the treacherous black water and on the other, a thick menacing forest. The trees in the forest seemed lifeless with no leaves on them, yet they were alive with a hostile presence of their own.
    “The river was repugnant, but not as frightening as the forest, which seemed filled with hatred. Jesus was unmoved by the trees, but their coldness terrified me and He kept me near the river’s edge. It was a more difficult and narrow path to follow, but at this time He was keenly focused on the river.
    “With my hand in His, I followed Jesus around the edge of the forest until we came to a sharp bend in the river. We came across a small boat tied to a log at the turn in the river. He motioned for me to get in as He untied the boat from its mooring.
    “As we entered the boat, I was suddenly able to see the river clearly, and I saw that the water was filled withpeople. Though they literally surrounded the small boat, they did not seem to understand its purpose. They looked to us for help as we approached them, yet shied away from us when we got near them.
    “The river was teeming with people herded like cattle, it seemed to me, smashed together, pushed through the river and crashing into one another without any realization of what they were doing. They were, indeed … lost. So very lost.
    “I looked into the eyes of a young girl close to me near the