Chris Garcia’s journey into the supernatural didn’t begin with chasing signs and wonders—it began with a hunger to know God. Raised in a Roman Catholic household, Garcia grew up feeling an unusual pull toward God from an early age. “I always felt when I was born, as early as I can remember, that God had called me,” he said in a powerful in-person interview during Media Day 2025 presented by Charisma Media, with Jennifer Bagnaschi of Deep Believer.
At just 12 years old, Garcia encountered the presence of the Lord in a profound way, but it wasn’t until he clearly heard the Gospel at age 16 that everything changed. “When I heard the gospel clearly preached—sin separates us from God, we need to repent, receive Jesus, become born again—that’s when I dropped everything and received Christ,” he shared.
Although he was drawn to religious life and even considered the priesthood, Garcia now realizes that what he had as a child was only a partial understanding. “We had something, but not the fullness of the gospel,” he said. Even within Catholicism, Garcia remembers moments when the Holy Spirit moved on him. Once, while the priest spoke on the Stations of the Cross, “the whole front row of children including myself began to weep profusely.” Another time, during communion, both he and his mother were overwhelmed with emotion, weeping with no explanation.
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But darkness also loomed in Garcia’s early years. Both sides of his family were deeply involved in witchcraft—Santería, spiritualism and mediumship. “My grandmother was a medium. My uncles were all priests of Santería,” he explained. Though his parents chose not to practice, the influence lingered. He recalled seeing unsettling objects at relatives’ homes—statues, candles and even coconuts with chalked faces meant to cast spells or bring protection.
This spiritual inheritance opened doors to demonic oppression in his life. As a child, Garcia experienced frequent sleep paralysis and terrifying visions. “I literally saw demons like two times as a 12-year-old,” he said. One encounter included a dark smudge on the wall that suddenly “popped out,” sending him into a panic. Despite his fear, worship music gave him courage. “I remember going into the room and saying, ‘I’m not afraid of you. I’m gonna sleep in this room and you’re gonna leave me alone.’”
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In the week leading up to his salvation, Garcia was tormented nightly. “Demons would come and visit me… I would go into sleep paralysis. I would feel hands pulling me out of my body, tugging me, hitting me,” he recounted. On the final night, a large being entered through his window and straddled him as he cried out to God.
That moment became the turning point. Garcia surrendered to Jesus the very next day. Since then, he has had four significant out-of-body encounters with the Lord—including seeing Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. In another powerful moment, Garcia saw in an epic vision a battle happening between his spirit and flesh.
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“I saw my spirit fighting my flesh, like they were wrestling like Olympic wrestlers. And I saw this in my sleep,” Garcia recounts.
His journey reveals the reality of spiritual warfare and the unmatched power of the gospel to break generational chains and usher in divine purpose. Garcia’s experiences serve as a striking reminder that the supernatural is not reserved for the pages of Scripture—it’s active, present and closer than many realize. In a time when darkness is celebrated and spiritual deception runs rampant, testimonies like Garcia’s call believers back to awe, discernment and unwavering intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
