Apostle Demontae Edmonds had a “supernatural” encounter with God when he was 10 years old that changed his life. He now travels the world sharing and teaching about the miraculous power of God.

The author, spiritual coach and international speaker will be in Bermuda for the Prophetic Glory Encounter Conference on November 11 and 12. While here he will share his experience coming into prophetic ministry and help others to experience the “glory of God”.

Mr Edmonds is the founder of Freedom 4 the Nations, a US-based ministry dedicated to “revealing the glory of God throughout the earth”.

He was raised in the Baptist Church from a young child. At 10, his parents divorced.

“It was a rough time in my young life,” he said. “The Lord walked into my bedroom and visited me at 10 years old and it terrified me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything. His presence enveloped me, and every molecule of my body came alive.

“I thought He was coming to kill me, but He actually came to let me know there was a calling on my life. When He left the room, I jumped out of the bed and began to pray. I said ‘Lord, I know that was you but please don’t do that again!’”

The encounter left an undeniable impact on young Mr Edmonds and, although he didn’t fully understand it, he was for ever changed as a result.

“I always knew that God was real but when you encounter Him in this way it just leaves a different mark on you, and you want others to know God in that type of way.”

A typical teenager, Mr Edmonds strayed from the church in his adolescence. At age 21 he felt the calling to return to it. What he found was something incredible.

“God led me to a ministry that intimidated me. They were speaking in tongues, laying hands and prophesying. It was spooky to me. I didn’t grow up in a church with this type of stuff. But I had read about it in the Bible and was intrigued by it.”

After much reluctance, Mr Edmonds finally decided to surrender to the call to ministry that he had felt since he was a child.

“I was about 22 or 23 and my co-worker, Marjorie Caines, who just happened to be a Bermudian, came to me with a message that she received from God through the night. The Lord said he needed me and was calling me to ministry. She was the first person who confirmed that call into ministry that I had felt all along.”

Over the years he and Ms Caines kept in contact. A few years ago, Mr Edmonds felt led to pray for Bermuda specifically.

“God gave me a word for Bermuda about what He wanted to do in the community and with young people. I shared this with Marjorie and it led to us hosting an evening of prayer on Zoom in October last year.”

The upcoming conference will build on last year’s virtual event. The conference will have both a worship component and a prophetic ministry.

Mr Edmonds describes his prophetic ministry as accessing a higher “dimension to God” and a “great awakening”.

“Prophecy unlocks hidden areas in our life that the enemy often exploits to keep us in bondage and captivity. Now God can step in and cause people to have more joy, peace and the abundant life that Jesus promised.

“Many of us that are in church still have areas of our lives that we feel are overlooked. We feel like God is not hearing us or seeing us. But when we receive that prophetic word, we know that God is still with us and it gives us hope.”

Over the duration of his career in ministry, Mr Edmonds has been featured on many national and international television and radio broadcasts, including CBN News, TBN and iHeart Radio.

His mission is to equip and empower current and future leaders and to reveal the glory of God throughout the Earth.

The conference is being held at Evening Light Pentecostal Church and is open to the public. There will be nightly services on November 11 and 12, when there will also be a special spiritual warfare seminar at 11am.

Mr Edmonds is confident that God will “move through the atmosphere” at the event.

“I am hopeful that God will manifest his glory in a way that people are not looking to man – a preacher or a prophet – but they are looking directly to God.

“When He makes Himself real to you in a personal way it changes your life, it changes your family, and it changes the community around you.”