Can inanimate objects have spiritual influence?

Jonteel · Jan 2, 2005

The blood of the lamb, and the commanding (in the name of Jesus) of spirits cleaned the house. The icons were unimportant. But, it's probably agreeable that certain items are offensive.

I had a 5th special forces (green beret) patch that had a skull picture embroidered on it. I felt convicted by the spirit to dispose of it. It was the same skull worn by the SS death head group that ran the concentration camps. No wonder the spirit was offended. It went for a swim in the magic fountain. Magic fountain=toilet.

sweetrevival · Jan 2, 2005

I think we are forgetting that evil spirits CAN inhabit things. In both Luke, Matthew and Mark, they talk about Jesus casting out the evil spirits from the crazy man, and the spirits asked to be cast into the swine. So, there is both a case of inhabitation, casting out spirits, and reinhabitation of another object, although in this case the swine were living.

However, 2 Chronicles 31:1 - ....all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars...
Isaiah 2:20 - In the day a man will cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship..
Isaiah 30:22 - You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, and the ornament of your moulded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, "Get away!"
Isaiah 31:7 - For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold - sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

It seems clear that God would have us destroy that which we make an idol of - and many symbols of religions are made of precious metals and are certainly idols. So if we have them in our homes, it would seem safe to say that God would want them removed.

In the first verse, the people of Judah pulled down the high places along with the images. Ephesians 6:12 says - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but agqainst principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the high places."

Therefore if images and icons are connected with the high places, and the high places are the homes of the hosts of wickedness, could it not be said that items we consider to be just items, may well be inhabited with evil spirits.

For we are not the houses we live in, but we do live IN them and venture out to carry the Word of God and spread His touch to the world, why not the same principle with objects and evil spirits?

He put me back together · Jan 3, 2005

Street Smarts said:
Such as curses on antiques or jewlery and other stuff

For the most part, folks who say that an item is cursed are full of superstitious baloney. But there are certain Biblical references to the ritual of destroying that which has been used for evil...such as the breaking into pieces and burial of the golden calf. (it'd be kindof strange for Elohim to say "ok...break up the idol, and put its gold back into your pockets," wouldn't it?) But this is by no means a liscense to go around saying that demons can inhabit a car, or evil spirits live in jewelry. That's just silly and childish. Live without fear. Your house is not a fawcet for demon possession, and your grandmother's pendant isn't bad luck. If you're failing spiritually, the problem isn't an item. The problem is you. Getting rid of items without changing yourself won't get you anywhere.

Do you pray over your house?

Sure. I pray for everything. But that's not due to some fear that a demon's going to pop out because my grandfather died down the hall from where I sleep.

Can you have spiritual principalites over cities?
etc etc

Cities are not inanimate.

Just curious what everyone's take is on this

Is that helpful at all?

JimB · Jan 3, 2005

sweetrevival said:
I think we are forgetting that evil spirits CAN inhabit things. In both Luke, Matthew and Mark, they talk about Jesus casting out the evil spirits from the crazy man, and the spirits asked to be cast into the swine. So, there is both a case of inhabitation, casting out spirits, and reinhabitation of another object, although in this case the swine were living.

However, 2 Chronicles 31:1 - ....all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars...
Isaiah 2:20 - In the day a man will cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship..
Isaiah 30:22 - You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, and the ornament of your moulded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, "Get away!"
Isaiah 31:7 - For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold - sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

It seems clear that God would have us destroy that which we make an idol of - and many symbols of religions are made of precious metals and are certainly idols. So if we have them in our homes, it would seem safe to say that God would want them removed.

In the first verse, the people of Judah pulled down the high places along with the images. Ephesians 6:12 says - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but agqainst principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the high places."

Therefore if images and icons are connected with the high places, and the high places are the homes of the hosts of wickedness, could it not be said that items we consider to be just items, may well be inhabited with evil spirits.

For we are not the houses we live in, but we do live IN them and venture out to carry the Word of God and spread His touch to the world, why not the same principle with objects and evil spirits?

Good response. I do not believe evil spirits, being spirit, necessarily inhabit material things. When the scripture says that spirits were cast out of people it carries the meaning of away from people. The unfortunate use of the adverb out has caused a faulty leap of logic that sees spirits as animate objects living in animate things.

As for the tearing down of idols in the Old Testament, ancient people, even Israelites, were, as primitive people still are today, very superstitious. They, like superstitious believers today, ascribed powers to inanimate objects. God, knowing this weakness, remedied it by ordering that such animate things be destroyed.

For the same reason, if you are superstitious by nature, and see demons in inanimate objects like furniture, buildings, jewelry, art, rocks, etc., then it is probably best that you destroy them.

However, heres the Apostles teaching on the subject.

1 Corinthians 84So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are socalled gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many gods and many lords), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

1 Corinthians 10
18Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Demons inhabiting material objects becomes a matter of conscience, personal belief, conviction, not a reality.

\o/

AudioArtist · Jan 3, 2005

All I can say is, that if you've experienced objects that have caused demonic spiritual events to occur in your home, you have no choice but to accept it as a reality.

I have a few personal stories that clearly point towards the fact that objects-for reasons unnown to me-can attrack strange and frightening spiritual events (and wich are clearly not things of the imagination or mere coinsidence.) However, there is no point in sharing them as they will be another testimony in a thread of many testimonies of people experiencing this phenomina.

Jim, I know logically speaking such stuff SHOULD be thought of as superstitious and has no clear example in the Bible; but the reality is, thousands of people experience hauntings, and some of them occur due to rituals, objects, spells etc. Just because the Bible hasn't listed specific spiritual phenomina (such as poltegiests) doesn't mean demons don't perform those devious tricks; the Bible makes it clear that there are miracles from the Holy Spirit, and counterfeit miracles from other spirits, and that is reason enough for me to trust others' accounts of SPECIFIC experiences of various events that these beings have caused.

JimB · Jan 3, 2005

AudioArtist said:
All I can say is, that if you've experienced objects that have caused demonic spiritual events to occur in your home, you have no choice but to accept it as a reality.
*****

Unless, of course, it was a deception. If Satan can get your focus on inanimate things instead of recognizing his deception for what it is, you are then, ergo, deceived and your spiritual energies diluted.

Deception is Satans only real weapon against believers. It was, after all, the first weapon he used against the human race.

Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Cor 2.11).

\o/

LovingMinistry · Jan 3, 2005

Hisgirl said:
So these stories...which are only a couple of many I have....say to me that the spiritual world can intersect with the natural world in ways that don't always make sense....but instead of arguing about whether or not we believe that....just pray to our Father and ask Him if there is anything offensive to Him in our homes....I did and He hesitated not in pointing out several objects.

Didn't Jesus clense temples by having objects removed? Sorry, I don't have the scripture to support that.

Remember, the spirit world has great control over this physical world, greater than any of us. We have power over oblects, as do spirits. We can't pass trhough an object or be in an object because we are flesh. Spirits use both people, animals, plants and objects. So in answer to the OP, I would say, No, although inanimate objects can have influence on the carnal mind, memories, etc.

But... Is GOD not everywhere and in all things? GOD IS SPIRIT.

JimM,
Does scripture have an account of all things that could EVER happen in it? How could it? I am sure today there are many things being done that would not have an example in the Bible, and probably vice-versa. Can you define deception please? You use the word focus, you mean focus as to our hearts or our spirit, focus of our lives on things instead of GOD. If I see an obect being moved by a spirit, am I just being decieved? Are my senses just lying to me? Did the object really move? Or was I seeing things? Let's come back to the Matrix shal we? What is real?

I agree with AudioArtist.

JimB · Jan 3, 2005

LovingMinistry said:
*****
JimM,
Does scripture have an account of all things that could EVER happen in it? How could it? I am sure today there are many things being done that would not have an example in the Bible, and probably vice-versa. Can you define deception please? You use the word focus, you mean focus as to our hearts or our spirit, focus of our lives on things instead of GOD. If I see an obect being moved by a spirit, am I just being decieved? Are my senses just lying to me? Did the object really move? Or was I seeing things? Let's come back to the Matrix shal we? What is real?

I agree with AudioArtist.

"Does scripture have an account of all things that could EVER happen in it?" Of course it doesnt. Its not a textbook of the universe, but it is a record of all things necessary to believe regarding the faith. The rest, like this thread, is just purely conjecture, theory, superstition, or dread of the unknown. And, yes, I stake my faith and my beliefs on Gods Word, not on your (or my) experiences.

You are not actually faulting me for doing this, are you?

Satan can deceive you by leading you misinterpret experiences (or, worse, interpret them in the manner in which he misleads you). Too much in this thread resembles a psychic, clairvoyant approach to Christianity just as so much speculative end-time prophecy resembles Nostradamus with a John Hagee Prophecy Bible.

From the dictionary: Deception n. 1: To cause to believe what is not true; mislead; 2: To catch by guile; ensnare; 3: To practice deceit. 4: To give a false impression: 5: a misleading falsehood; 6: the act of deceiving 7: an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers; 8: marked by deliberate albeit subtle falsity.

IOW, what Satan does best.

\o/

LovingMinistry · Jan 4, 2005

Thank you for your explanation. Unfortunately there are some parts unanswered.

It is true, Satan definately can decieve you my misinterpretation, the many different versions of the Bible ("re-written" ones) are a proof of that. And we can see and hear things that happen, for example Satan may try to make you believe that he is Jesus in a vision.

It just seems to me that all the references to spiritual activity in this thread, you have said they are the work of Satan's deception, poltergeist or whatever other supernatural events mentioned in this thread. However, these spiritual events can very well be both "good" and "evil". It is just up to us to see it, learn and understand.

Remember, GOD is Spirit and and HE is in all things, Satan is a spirit being, therefore of GOD, just like everything else in the physical and spiritual. GOD is in control, HE knows what Satan will do and when he'll do it, and allows it to happen, all part of GOD's divine plan. We should see that it may be Satan decieving us, but we must remember that GOD allowed it to happen for a reason. Just remember that GOD is there watching it all unfold and watching how we handle the situation and waiting for us to call on HIM for strength and guidance.

Once again, it seems we are deviating from the OP.

JimB · Jan 4, 2005

LovingMinistry said:
Thank you for your explanation. Unfortunately there are some parts unanswered.

It is true, Satan definately can decieve you my misinterpretation, the many different versions of the Bible ("re-written" ones) are a proof of that. And we can see and hear things that happen, for example Satan may try to make you believe that he is Jesus in a vision.

It just seems to me that all the references to spiritual activity in this thread, you have said they are the work of Satan's deception, poltergeist or whatever other supernatural events mentioned in this thread. However, these spiritual events can very well be both "good" and "evil". It is just up to us to see it, learn and understand.

Remember, GOD is Spirit and and HE is in all things, Satan is a spirit being, therefore of GOD, just like everything else in the physical and spiritual. GOD is in control, HE knows what Satan will do and when he'll do it, and allows it to happen, all part of GOD's divine plan. We should see that it may be Satan decieving us, but we must remember that GOD allowed it to happen for a reason. Just remember that GOD is there watching it all unfold and watching how we handle the situation and waiting for us to call on HIM for strength and guidance.

Once again, it seems we are deviating from the OP.

I think the OP asked for opinions on can inanimate objects have influence on spiritual things?

My answer is NO with the qualification that they can influence us spiritually only if we allow them to or if we have been deceived into allowing them to. Thats my point. Inanimate objects are, in themselves, nothing (see Rom. 14.14; 1 Cor. 8.4). They are only what we make them or what we are deceived into making them.

\o/

julian the apostate · Jan 4, 2005

it verges on superstition

Can inanimate objects have spiritual influence?

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