Feeling called by God .... Or am I? *Confused*

[Fiona01]

Okay, I'll make this as short and basic as I can.

For a long time now - longer than I care to remember - I have been gravitating towards literature and studies of deliverence from evil, exorcisms, spiritual warfare, testimonies of people who have experienced spiritual oppression etc. All of those things have been like a magnet. I want to stress to you that I have been - always - in Christ, and these things have been pulling at me for a while.

I have come to wonder - does God have a plan for me involving these things? Somehow could it be that He is showing me I may have a gift/insight/need to be involved somehow in this work?

I don't want to sound paranoid, but on the other hand, because these subjects are dark in nature, I worry that the devil may try and worm his way in and I may be getting mixed messages.

How can I truly know if the Lord has plans about this? I would walk any path the Lord sets before me if I know it's His will - but how do I truly know it? How can I be sure I am not being led down a wrong path?

 

[timf]

How can I truly know if the Lord has plans about this? I would walk any path the Lord sets before me if I know it's His will - but how do I truly know it? How can I be sure I am not being led down a wrong path?

It is very good that you are asking these questions. Many people get a "feeling" and rush into things that turn out to be bad ideas.

If you want to understand occult practices from a Christian perspective you can read the books of Kurt Koch.

Basically there is little that can be done for the sad people suffering from demonic affliction other than their receiving Christ. From Biblical accounts we see devils being driven out similar to healing being given. How sad it would be for any of us to mistakenly offer help to others only to disappoint them and what a mockery we would make of the name of Jesus.

Even if you get confirming advice from friends and older wiser Christians whose wisdom you respect, I would suggest that you limit your activity only to those whom the Lord brings across your path. Many Christians get entangled in things when they go out looking for what they can accomplish on their own. This is because we start to rely on the flesh rather than the Spirit.

 

[alatir]

I think Christians should have a healthy understanding of supernatural things and spiritual warfare. Too often we in the Western world think so "scientifically" that we rule out the possibility of supernatural activity in our world. So in that way God wants you to be aware and discerning.

God Himself is a supernatural being and He should be the focus of our supernatural interests. If are preoccupied only by the demonic forces our spirituality becomes distorted. So make sure that you spend more time in the presence of God and worshipping Him than just studying the dark side.

We should not consciously seek for spiritual battles against the devil. If some spiritual battle comes our way and we meet people who are oppressed by the demonic then we should engage in spiritual warfare with the Word and prayer.

A great book about spiritual warfare that I can recommend is The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson. The author is very helpful in describing how we fight against the devil with the Word of God and rooting ourselves in Christ.

 

[Pal Handy]

Okay, I'll make this as short and basic as I can.

For a long time now - longer than I care to remember - I have been gravitating towards literature and studies of deliverence from evil, exorcisms, spiritual warfare, testimonies of people who have experienced spiritual oppression etc. All of those things have been like a magnet. I want to stress to you that I have been - always - in Christ, and these things have been pulling at me for a while.

I have come to wonder - does God have a plan for me involving these things? Somehow could it be that He is showing me I may have a gift/insight/need to be involved somehow in this work?

I don't want to sound paranoid, but on the other hand, because these subjects are dark in nature, I worry that the devil may try and worm his way in and I may be getting mixed messages.

How can I truly know if the Lord has plans about this? I would walk any path the Lord sets before me if I know it's His will - but how do I truly know it? How can I be sure I am not being led down a wrong path?

I had a dear friend go off into exorcism and deliverance ministry and it ruined his life.

His focus became his knowledge of the demons and how they behaved and
the ways in which different demons would manifest themselves by
different colors of vomit and blah, blah...

His knowledge and pride in that knowledge became a trap that the enemy used to
bring glory to itself as the manifestations became greater and more elaborate.

In the end the the devil gained glory and brought fear into peoples hearts instead
of revealing the power of Christ to cast out demons with just a word so that instead
it became a contest where the pride of those doing the exorcism became their downfall.

Here is my advice...

Focus on your relationship with Christ.

Surrender yourself to Him in word and deed and read His word and
spend time in prayer and ask Him to be your guide and to fill you
with His Holy Spirit.

Any believer who knows Christ can cast out a demon so you need no special
education or knowledge but what you do need is a relationship with God in Christ
through the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit that joins us to God through Jesus Christ and empowers us
to do the works of the Father prepared for us in Jesus Christ.

Give this "draw" towards exorcism to Him and leave it in His hands as you confess to Him
that you are willing to do whatever He wants you to do as long as it brings Him glory,
helps others and not does not bring glory to yourself.

It is this relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit that brings the power of Christ into
our lives to cast out demons, heal the sick and preach the gospel.

The demonstrations of Christ's power is for a purpose.
That purpose is to grab the attention of those who need to hear the gospel
and to cause those who are saved to be encouraged and to have their
faith boosted and to propel them forward to the works of Christ.

A good book to read is called Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray and from
that little book you will see that your path is not what you do but your
goal is Christ and what He has for you to do.

I am not saying that God will not use you in exorcism but I am saying that
the study of that subject is wrong and developing a relationship with
Christ is the key to producing the fruit and good works that God has called
you to in Christ.

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing.

Many want God to empower them and then let them go off and use the
gifts that God gives them to do what they think is best but the proper way is
to develop the relationship with God in Christ through your surrender of your
life, plans and desires and allow God to lead you instead of running out ahead
of Him as you lay out your whole ministry before it even starts.

My friend ended up a broken man in the end because he followed a ministry
instead of following Christ the source of all that is good and acceptable
to the lord in ministry.

Jesus said that His burden is easy and His yoke is light so that when we
follow Him, the ministry He leads us to is more about what He is doing through us
as opposed to what we are doing for Him.

Pray and ask God in Jesus name to fill with the Holy Spirit who is the one
who the Father sent to His Son to empower Him to do the miracles that He did and
this same Holy Spirit is given to us to empower us to walk in the strength and power
of Christ and His works that God has given to us.

Luke 24:49
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you;
but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

for without Me you can do nothing.

 

[Fiona01]

Thank you so much for your replies, that seem to make sense to me. Sometimes, I think, we just need to take a step outside of our own minds and look at the situation from a distance - if God has plans, He will lead the way. I need to trust in that.

I feel all of you are saying things that make sense, so I appreciate your honesty.

I may read the recommended books - they sound interesting

I don't want to do anything that leads me from the road I am walking with the Lord. That is why I am so set on getting this right.

 

[Pal Handy]

Thank you so much for your replies, that seem to make sense to me. Sometimes, I think, we just need to take a step outside of our own minds and look at the situation from a distance - if God has plans, He will lead the way. I need to trust in that.

I feel all of you are saying things that make sense, so I appreciate your honesty.

I may read the recommended books - they sound interesting

I don't want to do anything that leads me from the road I am walking with the Lord. That is why I am so set on getting this right.

Good for you.

Jesus gave His disciples the proper perspective after He sent them out and
they came back with stories of how the power of God was demonstrated
through them...

Luke 10:20
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Christ is everything,
everything else must take its proper place after Him...

 

[Avniel]

I had a dear friend go off into exorcism and deliverance ministry and it ruined his life.

His focus became his knowledge of the demons and how they behaved and
the ways in which different demons would manifest themselves by
different colors of vomit and blah, blah...

His knowledge and pride in that knowledge became a trap that the enemy used to
bring glory to itself as the manifestations became greater and more elaborate.

In the end the the devil gained glory and brought fear into peoples hearts instead
of revealing the power of Christ to cast out demons with just a word so that instead
it became a contest where the pride of those doing the exorcism became their downfall.

Here is my advice...

Focus on your relationship with Christ.

Surrender yourself to Him in word and deed and read His word and
spend time in prayer and ask Him to be your guide and to fill you
with His Holy Spirit.

Any believer who knows Christ can cast out a demon so you need no special
education or knowledge but what you do need is a relationship with God in Christ
through the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit that joins us to God through Jesus Christ and empowers us
to do the works of the Father prepared for us is Jesus Christ.

Give this "draw" towards exorcism to Him and leave it in His hands as you confess to Him
that you are willing to do whatever He wants you to do as long as it brings Him glory,
helps others and not does not bring glory to yourself.

It is this relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit that brings the power of Christ into
our lives to cast out demons, heal the sick and preach the gospel.

The demonstrations of Christ's power is for a purpose.
That purpose is to grab the attention of those who need to hear the gospel
and to cause those who are saved to be encouraged and to have their
faith boosted and to propel them forward to the works of Christ.

A good book to read is called Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray and from
that little book you will see that your path is not what you do but your
goal is Christ and what He has for you to do.

I am not saying that God will not use you in exorcism but I am saying that
the study of that subject is wrong and developing a relationship with
Christ is the key to producing the fruit and good works that God has called
you to in Christ.

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing.

Many want God to empower them and then let them go off and use the
gifts that God gives them to do what they think is best but the proper way is
to develop the relationship with God in Christ through your surrender of your
life, plans and desires and allow God to lead you instead of running out ahead
of Him as you lay out your whole ministry before it even starts.

My friend ended up a broken man in the end because he followed a ministry
instead of following Christ the source of all that is good and acceptable
to the lord in ministry.

Jesus said that His burden is easy and His yoke is light so that when we
follow Him, the ministry He leads us to is more about what He is doing through us
as opposed to what we are doing for Him.

Pray and ask God in Jesus name to fill with the Holy Spirit who is the one
who the Father sent to His Son to empower Him to do the miracles that He did and
this same Holy Spirit is given to us to empower us to walk in the strength and power
of Christ and His works that God has given to us.

Luke 24:49
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you;
but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

for without Me you can do nothing.

Great post gotta love this kid

 

[LilLamb219]

There are pastors and priests who are involved in these things, you might want to search them out on the internet (verify if you can that they are indeed true ministers and not some fly by night type of deal) and e-mail them with questions. They can tell you what to expect and give you guidance.

 

[day time]

Okay, I'll make this as short and basic as I can.

For a long time now - longer than I care to remember - I have been gravitating towards literature and studies of deliverence from evil, exorcisms, spiritual warfare, testimonies of people who have experienced spiritual oppression etc. All of those things have been like a magnet. I want to stress to you that I have been - always - in Christ, and these things have been pulling at me for a while.

I have come to wonder - does God have a plan for me involving these things? Somehow could it be that He is showing me I may have a gift/insight/need to be involved somehow in this work?

I don't want to sound paranoid, but on the other hand, because these subjects are dark in nature, I worry that the devil may try and worm his way in and I may be getting mixed messages.

How can I truly know if the Lord has plans about this? I would walk any path the Lord sets before me if I know it's His will - but how do I truly know it? How can I be sure I am not being led down a wrong path?

Are you *interested* in those things, or are you *drawn to them* ? Do you want to observe them, like watching a moth drawn to the flame ... or are you willing to go into the flame ?

And in what ways do they cause you fear ?

One more question: the moth and the flame ... is there a part of you that feels as though you have that same, dangerous flame, burning within you ?

 

[Peripatetic]

We can't know for sure in your particular case, but I'll share this: a family member of mine became intrigued by such things and it lead to an interest in occult things, which created some distance from God. Thankfully she moved past it, but she now cautions against too much interest in those matters.

 

[lemon-aid stand]

Okay, I'll make this as short and basic as I can.

For a long time now - longer than I care to remember - I have been gravitating towards literature and studies of deliverence from evil, exorcisms, spiritual warfare, testimonies of people who have experienced spiritual oppression etc. All of those things have been like a magnet. I want to stress to you that I have been - always - in Christ, and these things have been pulling at me for a while.

I have come to wonder - does God have a plan for me involving these things? Somehow could it be that He is showing me I may have a gift/insight/need to be involved somehow in this work?

I don't want to sound paranoid, but on the other hand, because these subjects are dark in nature, I worry that the devil may try and worm his way in and I may be getting mixed messages.

How can I truly know if the Lord has plans about this? I would walk any path the Lord sets before me if I know it's His will - but how do I truly know it? How can I be sure I am not being led down a wrong path?

hey fiona.. i gather that you meant longer than you can remember.. the way you put it, with care to remember just isnt fitting for somebady that is asking if God is calling them.. anyhow.. all of these things that you have attributed to yourself, are actually those same attributes of all true christian soldiers.. so, i don't see this as something personal, or above and beyond our duty as a member of the body of Christ.. its awesome that you are on fire for the Lord.. and i mean, "really awesome".. please be careful to not step out on your own or beyond what the Lord is truly asking of you.. this also is another side to the coin.. the devil will have us to believe that we are more than what we really are as a christian soldier.. and this can take our focus off the Christ and start us looking within our self.. even to the point of questioning by what authority we do the things that we do.. remember that he(satan) is a great deceiver.. if he can get you to take your focus off the goal, and of course God's eternal plan for you. then you are licked.. look at who you really are, in retrospect of the cross.. then set Jesus Christ as the standard for you entire life.. if He has a plan of special service for you.. i can assure you that you won't ever need question it.. because He will certainly see any plan of His thru.. and as part of that plan.. He will certainly reveal your part in it, to you.. just wanna add that if we are a living example of who Christ Jesus truly is. then we are doing God's will.. nothing more is necessary... and anything more is works and that is prideful sin.. i hope that this was helpful.. always remember that whatever God's plan of service is for you, or for that matter any of us.. we are wonderfully created in His image, and He loves us completely.. without reserve... loving you in Christ Jesus... dale.. ps> i know that there are some that are going to email me about the works being prideful sin.. so let me just cover that quickly so that we can skip all of that.. what i mean is that if we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit.. then the good works that we do aren't actually our good works.. they are the work of the Holy Spirit that does them thru the obedient servant.. we can do nothing good.. as the bible states, "all of our works are like filthy rags"... this is what i meant.. it is the same as james was saying when he stated that it is by faith plus works that we are saved.. what he is actually saying is that it is by faith that we walk in obedience to the Spirit of God that lives in us, and He(the Holy Spirit), will do the good works in us and thru us..