Insight on demon possession

[Bluemoon]

I usually post this as a bible study but this one is a topic I would like many people input if possible.

I usually do a bible study each week but this week we have two because this one just came up that we needed to talk about. Anyone with any insight please input. Thank you very much.

http://www.atomichawk.com/message_board/viewtopic.php?t=4535

 

[Ave Maria]

You know, I don't even know if demon possession is possible anymore or not. I guess it's possible but even if it's possible it's still very rare.

 

[getreal52]

Why would Satan allow demons to possess people within a country that doesn't believe he exists? He doesn't that I'm aware of.


In some parts of the mission field (third world countries and such) demon possession is still a grim reality. I could go into more detail but I don't have time.

 

[Highland Watchman]

I dunno... I'd think that demonic possession is more common than we think. It's just that there is a great deal of deception to our Western minds to the spiritual realities because our society closes its eyes and denies its existance... To the modern mindset, demons don't make sense, so we deny them... whether or not they actually exist (which I believe they do...).

However, speaking as a Canadian, a nation that is becoming known as "tolerant" to demonic influence, Satanism, Witchcraft, idolatry, and the like, under the guise of other things, of course... There are a lot of New Age people around, and many people are becoming "spiritual" in the sense that they play around with the spiritual realm.

I'd say demonic possession and oppression is very much alive and present here in North America. It's just that we have put our hands over our eyes, like children playing peek-a-boo, and shouted out "You can't see me!"

 

[Beowulf]

I think Highland Watchman may be right. Also our kids are killing their parents, each other and we ask, "What's gotten into these kids now-a-days?"
Who in their right minds can shoot school children in the back, cut off someone's head or wrap explosives around themselves then detonate it?
We're turning our backs on God and Satan is taking full advantage of that.

 

[Rebirth In Flames]

Exactly. A lot of people think that just because heads aren’t spinning around, or people’s eyes aren’t glowing red, or levitating from the beds, that demonic forces aren’t at work today. We’re not going to see demonology the way that Hollywood tells us.. we see it in other ways.. like people becoming indifferent to the black arts- demons are at work. Demonic forces are responsible for the increase in perversion in the media, for escalated violence and hate around the world, for the slow deterioration of evangelical Christian acceptance within society. Though we don’t physically see the demons, they have never been so active within the hearts of men around the world. When you start looking through events within society through spiritual eyes we have a tendency to get scared, a tendency to get discouraged. But find hope in the fact that no matter how hard demonic forces work and however much they achieve, we’ve already won the fight that really matters. We’ve achieved eternal life. So I say let them work; by going against God, they’re the ones who are making it worse for themselves. As Christians, we have nothing to worry about. This life is but a mere speck in time when we live in light of an eternity with God.

 

[mustang_94]

See if you think this was demonic possession. A lady was doing deliverance on a woman in a church. The young woman probably weighted 100 lbs. A pastor who weighted 240lbs., was observing. As they prayed, the young woman began to scream and grabbed the pastor by his testicles and his shirt and threw him over the alter which was appox. 8ft. off the floor including the stage ht. I personally know the woman and the pastor involved. Here's another I was personally involved in: A man came to our house obviously in distress. He said, I know you are christians and I need help, my demons are killing me. I will give you the short version of what happened, as it went on about 2 hours. I lived with 2 other christian men who became very frightened as the man began to manifest as he tried to talk. I began to bind the spirit and the man would gag and his jaw and throat would distend to look amazingly like a snake. I told one roommate to go to the phone and call every prayer line he could find. The other stood to one side and prayed as I attempted to bind the spirit so that the man could talk. As I gained some control, the man told me he had been in satanism for many years and now wanted out,but the demons had been attacking him continuously. I continued to bind, as I ask the Lord what I should do. He said, I am with you. I ask the man to pray the sinners prayer. It probably took another 20 min. to bind the spirit enough that we could get thru it. One interesting thing that happened, was that I made the mistake of looking him in the eye as I battled this spirit. Never do that. I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left eye, as though a fishhook with someone pulling on it. It scared me because I did not know what had happened. I left the room and ask God what to do. He said, Don't worry I will heal your eye. Just continue. ( Though he did heal my eye, I still have a very visible scar on the iris. Many doctors ask what happened. LOL.) Anyway, we saw a very beautiful deliverance that day. Demonic possesion is alive and well in the world. Let me say this, if you tackle something like, you had better know that you know who you are in Christ. And you better know who He is in you. And NEVER try it alone. I was still a very young Christian when this happened. And only got thru because God honored my Faith. Today, I know much more about these things and would handle things differently. But if you find yourself in the circumstance, Know that God is TRULY GOD and will not leave you without help. And finally, Let me tell you that I still see this man sometimes and while he has a lot of problems (12 yrs.later) he is still in his right mind. All Grace and Glory to our God. AMEN

 

[getreal52]

Mustang - I have read a few of your posts in different sections of the board and I do not believe your stories.


Back to the topic - Demonization and Demon Possesion are two different things.

Personally, I have never encountered a case of demon possession in a biblical sense here in the U.S. in all my years in ministry.

Demonization is all around us though.

 

[Rebirth In Flames]

Mustang should be a writer for Hollywood. The devil isn't going to show himself that blatantly anymore for the very reason that it would prove his existance. He doesn't want people to believe in God or Him- he doesn't want to get people scared because when people get scared they always run to God, and when they run to God he loses. If satan possessed a man in the middle of L.A. and everyone saw it, they would believe in the devil and thus God. Now if the devil creates more lust, pride, greed, etc. within the city- that population will inturn forget all about spiritual realities and thus Satan wins. Demon possession isn't blunt and in your face anymore- demon possession is about making the masses indifferent towards their idea of "God" and instead turning their focus towards themselves and their sinful desires. You got to put things in perspective here.

 

[getreal52]

Mustang should be a writer for Hollywood. The devil isn't going to show himself that blatantly anymore for the very reason that it would prove his existance. He doesn't want people to believe in God or Him- he doesn't want to get people scared because when people get scared they always run to God, and when they run to God he loses. If satan possessed a man in the middle of L.A. and everyone saw it, they would believe in the devil and thus God. Now if the devil creates more lust, pride, greed, etc. within the city- that population will inturn forget all about spiritual realities and thus Satan wins. Demon possession isn't blunt and in your face anymore- demon possession is about making the masses indifferent towards their idea of "God" and instead turning their focus towards themselves and their sinful desires. You got to put things in perspective here.

Thats what I meant when I referred to it as demonization instead of demon possession. Demon possession is blatent and "in your face."

Demonization is Satan clevery gaining a foothold in people's lives therefore causing them to sin without blatenly showing himself to them causing them to be alarmed.

 

[mustang_94]

My friends, I've heard it said that you can argue with a man's opionion, but it is really hard to argue with his experience. Oviously, what you have said is pure speculation. In other words, if you haven't seen it, It ain't real. What great faith! RIF at 21, you already know than more people 3 times your age. WOW. May Jesus shut your mouths and open your minds. P.S. please don't come back quoting scripture because I can teach a parrot to do that. I assure, you any story I tell you will be verifiable. But you still would not believe because you weren't there to see it. I'm sure you both have trouble with scripture since you were't there to see for yourselves. Don't bother to reply.

 

[SoulFly51]

I agree with Getreal52 in that demonization is present in our society here in the U.S.


I do not know anyone personally who has experiance with a true case of demon possession, although I will not say that I do not believe it can't exist today (just that I am not familiar with a case personally).

A great point has been made - we live in a society that does not believe in the power of Satan - why in the world would Satan reveal himself to our society if we already do not believe in him or his power? He has us right where he wants us if we do not believe. Such is the nature of satanism - unbelief.

 

[StevenL]

I have a feeling that, were our modern medical doctors there when Jesus was casting out the demons, they would have stopped all that nonsense and starting writing prescriptions for epilepsy, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, manic-depressive disease, depression, etc....medications and committing people to asylums and hospitals...like we do today instead of actually treating the causes of the problems.

Oh, and Mustang, I've seen demonic manifestions also. They are definitely real. One reason our church people don't see demonic deliverance is quite simple..the same reason that Jesus gave...Unbelief. Demons are just not afraid of "church faith." They are in no way intimidated by our apologetics, hermeneutics..., mental understanding of spiritual things.

 

[mustang_94]

Steven, Thank you.

 

[Bluemoon]

Why would they have possessions in Biblical times and not now? Maybe they call it some kind of disease like schizophrenia. The Bible is given to us to learn from, it taught us the powers of Satan, why would it be gone in todays world?

 

[mustang_94]

I often go places where many christians will never go. I spend a lot of time with street junkies and alcoholics since that is my background. Not to many of these people just wander into a church looking for Jesus. At the point in my life when all I wanted was to die, I told God, that I would do everything I could to tell others not to follow me into hell, until I did die. At the moment I said those words, I had an exprience that it would do no good to tell you about because you would not believe anyway. But, I will tell you he gave me the power to do what I said I would do. I have sometimes fallen down on my end, but he has never not come thru when I was doing his work. I have found the anionting level on my life to be directly related to the need standing in front of me. If for this, I am ridiculed, then I am grateful that he has found me worthy to be tested. I have posted everything (well almost everything) you have seen with my name on it in an attempt to encourage people to believe that God is no respecter of men and that you can be more than you believe you can. If you go in obedience He will go with you. I was taught to share my exprience, strength and hope with people. I am not a pulpit preacher. But I'm a good preacher or so I'm told. I try not to tell you what to do but to tell you what I did and what that has done in my life and the lives of those around me. I want to tell you that I was blessed to baptist my Mother and 2 of my sisters and was able to bring 1 brother, who had strayed, back to the house of God and see him bapisted in the spirit with power. My Father is the only hold-out today and even he will admit he prays now though he still wouldn't go to church. I have seen many wondrous things both in the natural and in the spirit, but I have never seen anything to equal the Fathers first kiss to his new-born child. Now you are not required to believe me about anything. But I hope you will believe the work and I hope you will believe that God gives the power for the work not because you want a spiritual tickle. Have Bible, Will Travel. Laugh out Loud a lot, it's good for you. I have preached myself happy!!!!!!!! Oh, I forgot. Here's a name and phone# where you can check out the deliverance story. He was my roommate at the time. . He is a truck driver and will answer any time he is not asleep. Have a nice day.

 

[StevenL]

'stang, If I told people the things I did and that God did to bring me where I am today with Him, well, I'd probably be locked up and sedated. I've seen some strange things. Thank God He has mercy upon and chooses people like you and me, eh?

 

[EbonNelumbo]

Anyone who doubts that demons are alive and well today are truly misled. I was a recovering anorexic patient like 115 lbs and I tossed this all-state wrestler, Diego, across my school hall and onto the floor. I have been there and I dont even know what happened, all I know is that I was possessed and then I saw people near me praying...

This stuff is VERY real...

 

[mustang_94]

HALLELUJAH!!!! STEVEN I WILL TELL THE WORLD!!!!

 

[Saint2be27]

Amen, Steven, Beany and Mustang...

I have seen 2 demon possessed people. Both times was very evident, the first time I was not the only one who seen it. I was with a sheriff's department cop (a Christian) who seen it as well. I feel God allowed me to see this possession as a warning to get myself and my children to safety. I was a new Christian on both accounts and had never heard or been taught on such a thing. It was definitely a spiritual conflict of spirits.

One interesting point though, my mother in law has schizophrenia and is very much a Christian.

Those of you that want to criticize me, first stop and take a spiritual check...is it coming from a good spirit?