| Author | Message | ||
| Patriar Registered user Username: Patriar Post Number: 156 Registered: 3-2005 |
Has anyone here had any experience with persons who are demon possessed? Patria | ||
| Derrell Registered user Username: Derrell Post Number: 56 Registered: 10-2002 |
How does one even know demon possession? People used to consider paranoia, schizophrenia, depression... most mental and emotional disorders to be evidence of possession. I've heard people say, "His eyes look demonic." "His music sounds demonic." "When he gets mad you can see the demons in him." An acquaintance had a blood disorder that made the whites of his eyes look reddish-brown and they were always glazed over. There were people who said that he was obviously demon possessed... just look at his eyes. Then he got on medication that cleared it up and those people stopped saying he was possessed. | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 958 Registered: 10-2004  |
Patria, yes. I used to be under the hold of a demon possessed woman who started a cult and wrote a bunch of books that she plagiarized from other authors... Sorry, couldn't resist, when the question was asked.  Seriously, though. Jeremy (Message edited by Jeremy on September 07, 2005) | ||
| Derrell Registered user Username: Derrell Post Number: 57 Registered: 10-2002 |
LOL!!!!! | ||
| Javagirl Registered user Username: Javagirl Post Number: 56 Registered: 6-2005 |
Patriar, that is an interesting question, as there are so many interpretations of demon possesion as stated above, and of course others. Im curious as to why you ask. I have the unfortunate experience of having a family member who is involved heavily in the occult, which interestingly started after a student missionary stint in an area known for devil worship. The transformation has been heartbreaking. Physical, emotional, mental, moral, and of course sprititual (in the Christian sense)deterioration which has continued for years. I feel extremely uncomfortable when I am required to be in that home. Witchcraft paraphenelia is everywhere. I feel compelled to pray for protection from demonic forces when in their company. Is this family demon possessed? It certainly appears so, especially since they hold occult meetings there! I can say I feel a demonic presence. I also am aware of the greater power of God. Awhile ago several friends recommended that I read a book called "battlefied of the mind" which stressed the ongoing battle for occupancy of your mind by demonic vs heavenly forces, or at least that was my take. We spent several months focusing on these issues. I began "seeing" or noticing demonic actvity everywhere, and in all types of situations. For me, that was counter-productive. I I believe too much energy and focus was on evidence of demonic activity, which limited my focus on God and evidence of Godly intervention. It reminded me of a college experience where I visited a rigid, back to the basics EGW community, where people would pray constantly to cast out various demons from people, ie the "demons" of pride,lust, nicotine, greed, self-centeredness etc. Oh the shame, when those pesky "demons" would return, and thus prove that one was "demon possessed, and harboring some secret sin" that prevented the excorcism. I guess my point in all this, is that while the Bible is clear about the presence of demons, and I do believe that people can be demon possessed, some more obviously than others,I have found that when I focus too much on these issues, my spiritual life is weakened, rather than strengthened. It was easy for me to get caught up in believing that it is necessary to "fight" a battle with evil constantly. In a way, I came to understand that this battle has already been won, and I didnt need to put the devil centerstage in my life and thoughts. I certainly rebuke the devil at times, but I can rest in the assurance and victory of Christ. I hope this makes sense...Im not sure what you are looking for, but wanted to share some of my experience in this area. | ||
| Brian2 Registered user Username: Brian2 Post Number: 7 Registered: 5-2005 |
I always wonder about stories in the Bible such as the story of the demon possessed boy. The demons would throw him in the water or the "camp" fire. Whith todays medical knowledge it sounds like epilepsy? Or is epilepsy today caused by demons? hmmm | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 2510 Registered: 12-2003  |
Patria, there is a young woman from our church who went as a missionary to India over a year ago. About a year later (last spring) she came home for a few weeks, and she spoke to our Monday evening women's Bible study group. Among other things she talked about the tangibility of spiritual warfare over there. Then she said an interesting thing: "I realize now that a lot of things that happen here are also spiritual warfare, but I didn't recognize it." While her comment was not specifically about demon possession, I believe that all the things Jesus experienced in His ministry are alive and well today. Demon possession hasn't been eradicated just because we have new insights about science. While I don't personally know anyone I would call demon possessed, I have definitely met some whom I believe have sold their souls to evil for the sake of personal gain, etc. In the past, I did know someone whom I'm sure had demonic involvement in their personality. How do I know this? The story is too complicated to share hereólet's just say that I what I experienced was not the manipulation of either mental illness or simply conniving. The person, by the way, experienced subsequently an amazing encounter with Jesus and truth, and those manifestations are gone. (This person also had to pray for the harrassing demons to be gone.) I also believe that just as people can demonize the innocent, calling mental illness demon possession, so to people can miss demonic involvement by calling it mental illness. I also believe there are people who focus on demons and, by playing with exorcisms, make suffering people worse than before. A person who is born again cannot be demon-possessed, but I think we all know that we can be harrassed from the outside! I believe that one of the wonderful things Jesus does for us is to gently reveal to us and then heal the broken areas of our emotions and memories where we are most vulnerable to deception and harrassment. Colleen | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 760 Registered: 3-2005 |
Brian2, That is an interesting point you brought up about epilepsy. I was talking the other day to a neurologist who is a world expert in seizure medicine, and also loves the Lord. I told him about a story where this particular seizure victim I had been told about was incurable with any known seizure medications. A team of prayer warriors who were gifted in deliverance ministry prayed for this victim for an entire night. However, the next morning this person was completely delivered from his seizures. This neurologist confirmed that this was likely a case of demon possession. I think demon possession is much more common in countries where voodoo and other magic arts are practiced, but it is a real phenomenom, but we have to be careful about finding demons everywhere like happens in a lot of unbiblical teaching. Stan | ||
| Patriar Registered user Username: Patriar Post Number: 157 Registered: 3-2005 |
Hi all: Thank you for your input. Yes, I can see that demonic influence is very real. I too believe that demon possession is very real, though take GREAT comfort in the fact that a Christian cannot be demon possessed. When I was an SDA, I was so afraid. Anyway, I just wanted to hear your thoughts. My husband had an encounter with someone today who left him with the impression that at the very least, they were heavily influenced by demons. I guess my specific question is "what does it look like?" My husband and I have each encountered a person in the past 6 months who left us with an unexplicable feeling that they were demon possessed. There were several things that lent to our thinking that way. Grateful for Jesus' covering! Patria | ||
| Patriar Registered user Username: Patriar Post Number: 158 Registered: 3-2005 |
Hi all: Thank you for your input. Yes, I can see that demonic influence is very real. I too believe that demon possession is very real, though take GREAT comfort in the fact that a Christian cannot be demon possessed. When I was an SDA, I was so afraid. Anyway, I just wanted to hear your thoughts. My husband had an encounter with someone today who left him with the impression that at the very least, they were heavily influenced by demons. I guess my specific question is "what does it look like?" My husband and I have each encountered a person in the past 6 months who left us with an unexplicable feeling that they were demon possessed. There were several things that lent to our thinking that way. Grateful for Jesus' covering! Patria Jeremy: LOL! I set myself up for that one! | ||
| Pheeki Registered user Username: Pheeki Post Number: 628 Registered: 1-2003 |
The SDA, Roger Morneau wrote a lot about demons. He seemed to encouter them a lot. We were also played back masking tapes, demon posession tapes back at Academy that had me scared to death. Now a new movie is coming out...the Exorcism of Emily Rose, and supposedly they are playing the actual tape of an exorcism...on the radio and tv. I run to the set to turn it off...and tell my kids to plug their ears!!! I have felt demonic oppression on a few occassions. A couple of times in New Orleans especially and once just visiting a House of Blues gift shop in Orlando. In Jackson Square in N.O., they were openly tarot reading, voodooing, etc. Scary. Praise the Lord, that once you are sealed with the HOLY Spirit...darkness has no claim on you!!!! | ||
| Tisha Registered user Username: Tisha Post Number: 131 Registered: 3-2005 |
I had a very scary experience while at Boarding Academy many years ago. I remember something about putting a key in the Bible, but can't remember just what that was supposed to mean. I had a classmate that was into the ouiji board and we had messed around with it a bit. I was curious, but didn't really believe that it was real. I thought she was just "playing". So, for some reason I tried putting that key in my Bible and then putting it in my locker, wedged between my other school books. The next time I went to my locker, the Bible had burned, not completly, but all along the spine and into some of the pages! None of the other books were burned, not even the ones touching the Bible at the exact place the Bible was burned! I was so scared, I didn't ever again mess with any of that stuff. And I never told anyone what had happened. I still have that Bible as a reminder of how powerful and dangerous "playing" with Satan is. I'm not afraid now because I know I am protected because I am a Christian, and believe that He will keep me safe. But I do have great respect for the dangers of even "innocently" tempting the demons. And Jeremy - I'm still laughing at your comment about being under the hold of a demon possessed woman! Maybe not so far from the truth though! Now that is SCARY! tisha | ||
| Pheeki Registered user Username: Pheeki Post Number: 632 Registered: 1-2003 |
Why do SDA schools allow kids like that to stay there? We had a girl in our SDA grade school who claimed to be a witch and was going to cast a spell on my dog to kill him...I couldn't sleep for weeks. Academy was no better. They all played Dungeons and Dragons,etc. Are these kids even saved? That was a stupid question...I wasn't even saved!!!! I never heard the Gospel until I was 36-years-old! You don't hear it in an SDA church or school! Attending an SDA school, in my opinion, is far worse than public! | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 962 Registered: 10-2004 |
Patria, regarding your question "what does it look like?", I think that demon possession may look different in different instances. For example, maybe demon possession usually looks different in places like America than it does in places like Africa. Maybe the demons can "fit in" with the culture of America and hide better by not showing up in the same way as in other parts of the world. This is only my speculation, though I don't see why demon possession would be way less common among those who are unsaved and under Satan's hold/control in America versus those in other parts of the world. Occultism seems to be very prevalent in SDAism. I think this is further evidence that SDAism was founded in the occult. Here is a very interesting post from awhile back, that Susan_2 posted on here, about a witch that loves Ellen White!
--http://rtinker.powweb.com/discus/discus/messages/11/2501.html#POST33600 Jeremy | ||
| Pheeki Registered user Username: Pheeki Post Number: 637 Registered: 1-2003 |
Creepy! My mom gets vivid (she believes real) dreams that her dead husband comes back and talks to her and she makes him breakfast, etc. But she has extreme guilt because Ellen said that it would be a demon impersonating a loved one to fool them. But then Ellen turns around and did the same thing!!!!!! My mom also said that her dead daughter tried to come back to her in her sleep and talk to her and my mom rejected her and she went away and never came back...all because of Ellen White! Now I don't know what I believe about all this. It truly has me nervous and confounded...but what if God did allow loved ones to talk with you in your dreams to comfort you? They were believers and their Spirits are with Christ...why not? Did Ellen ruin that for us too? Let me just say this...I am not advocating consuling a medium or having a seance to contact the dead...I know that is forbidden in the bible. I am talking about dreams that seem real that a Christian has about dead loved ones...so real that they swear (like Ellen) that they were there in the room. | ||
| Jwd Registered user Username: Jwd Post Number: 92 Registered: 4-2005 |
I have personally only been around one individual who certainly displayed evidence of being demon possessed. It was at the New Jersey Campground. She was a Latino teenager. When she spoke a deep, very loud, gutteral, animal voice was heard. 7 ministers could not hold her down. She was scheduled to be baptized on Sabbath afternoon and on Friday afternoon she wrestled free from several ministers holding her, some were very large men, and ran down a hill, with them following after her. She plunged into the lake and it appeared was trying to drown herself, but they managed to rescue her. Later she quickly tore off her clothes, exposing her naked body before the ministers and in the same animal, gutteral fearful voice, heard throughout the camp several tents away, used very triple xx rated sexual language. They had to wrestle her to cover her up. Then she would relax, come back to reality and speak in her normal femanine voice, unaware of anything she had said or done. She was terribly afraid. The next afternoon, practically the entire camp meeting surrounded the Academy swimming pool as she prepared for baptism. Many ordained ministers surrounded her, but there was no more outcries. Months later, we heard that she had been ommitted to an insane assylum as incurrably insane. It bothered everyone who heard it, for we were convinced by the enormous strength she displayed and that horrible, fearful voice, that she had been demon possessed, and all efforts to successfully drive out the demons by prayer had failed for some reason. It remains a mystery unresolved in my own mind to this day. Was she demon possessed? Was she insane and only displayed her insanity, which we thought was a demon? Jess | ||
| Violet Registered user Username: Violet Post Number: 244 Registered: 2-2001 |
This might get me in trouble, but I have no one else to ask. Do you see the practice of voodoo in New Orleans and the fact that the entire city was flooded has any link? Yes, I do realize there were good people in the city but voodoo is very open in the French Quarter. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 1847 Registered: 3-2004  |
I think it is just a quirk of nature. New Orleans was built below sea level and the levees were built to withstand a category 3 hurricane and Katrina was a category 5. Plus New Orleans and the surrounding area used to be swamp land and there is fill to build houses, roads, etc. God let it happen, for reasons only He knows There are other wicked places where there is slavery and other awful things happening and God sends rain and sun on the just and wicked. Remember, God does not want anyone to perish, but wants all to come to repentance. For myself, I cannot link Katrina to anything except nature taking its course where ever it hits. God you are awesome. Diana | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 2513 Registered: 12-2003 |
Actually, Violet, I rather think that a lot of the chaos and squalor and irrationality and crime we observed was likely related to the spiritual condition of the people there. God wastes nothing and redeems everything we submit to Him. This may yet be a redemptive event (or it may already be, in many cases). Colleen | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 1050 Registered: 7-2003  |
Violet, I have had those same tentative thoughts. Thinking about mardi gras, in particular, for me. Fact is, we'll never know in this life time. People said the same types of things in the early days of aids, until the children started dying. I think we have to leave it as God allowing this to happen, and we can only pray his glory will come out of it. Both in the weaknesses it exposes in our "all powerful" nation and the genuine love that many people, including Christians, have the opportunity to display to those who are hurting. Is God trying to get our nation's attention? Makes you wonder given OK City bombing, school shootings, 9/11, Katrina.... What's next? It warms my heart to see the church buses and vans showing up to help people. In a country that turned their noses up at the idea of government supported church daycares, they gladly take the food and water and other supports those same places offer. I know people want to blame George Bush or the LA governor, or even the mayor of NO, but there are many people in outer parishes who still haven't seen any signs of government assistance...you can't get to them except by boat and they've only seen first responders the last couple of days. This was a huge national disaster. How any of this turns good, only time will tell. Maybe some of those displaced people will end up in a Christian home and hear about the gospel for the first time. Those are the kinds of positive outcomes that could make this seem small in the eternal perspective. Those are the thoughts I try to ponder on ... just waiting to see God in his glory! I don't think it's wrong to wonder or have those thoughts. This is an emotional event, and most of us are trying to cope with all those emotions, as most of us don't see the kind of human suffering we can now see on TV any time. It's kindof an interesting sociological thing to me, that a country innundated with murder tv shows still has compassion when they know it's real. But it has also revealed some of the ugly side of our society...rapes, needless looting (meaning electronics, jewelry, etc.), shootings, and the countless things we don't know about. I pray every day for the victims, and pray that it will not create the racial divisions it seems some are trying to stir. No human steered that storm towards New Orleans...and that whole coastal region (it did hit well beyond NO...). I just trust God has something good in these awful circumstances...and I know that's really easy to say thousands of miles away! There is little else I can do. |
