Yamialpha said:
I've been dealing with a struggle for a long period of time concerning something about myself. I have posted a thread concerning this before. I've been asking God what the answer is, but I can't seem to find His answer. Is it possible that Satan is influencing me so that I will do this, and that there is really nothing to my question except being an accessory to Satan? Could God really be answering me and Satan is making it impossible for me to hear? How do I know whether Satan is or is not influencing this? Any suggestions, comments, or criticism is greatly appreciated, as I am desperate.
Your personal tag on your post indicates that you are a Christian. No offense, but I try never to assume anything when offering advice and council. If you are the Lord's all you need do is resist the devil and he will flee from you. The easiest and fastest way to drive Satan, or demonic influence away is by sincere honest and open praise of the Lord, the more vocal the better.
As a Christian, the more severe forms of demonic influence can only effect you if you open the door to it. No, not like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, we're talking real evil powers at work. There are three forms of demonic influence that are possible. These are, listed from least to most dangerous; demonic influence, demonic obsession and demonic possession. All three, for a Christian have to be invited into you life.
The problem lies in that it doesn't take much of an invitation to get the ball rolling. Demonic influence is the least powerful form. You find yourself plagued with odd out of character thoughts or focusing on sins or evil that would normal repulse you. You can open the door to this by actions thatmay appear as innocent as consulting a "Magic 8 Ball" believing that you can get direction from it. Reading your horoscope, seeing a fortune teller or Tarot card reader. By actions which seek to gain information or insight from some supernatural means other than Scripture you invite evil into your life.
I experienced demonic influence while in Bible college. I had to do a paper on Demonic influence, obsession and Possession in the life of believer's. While doing the research I had trouble reading and studying my Bible, praying and definitely preaching. My mind would wonder and I couldn't focus. I experienced horrible nightmares during the entire project. The worst came at the end.
I am ancient enough that I had to do this paper on and old mechanical typewriter using carbon paper to make copies. I finished typing the final draft about three hours before I had to turn it in. I put both copies in folders and put them in my briefcase. When I got to class all I had in my briefcase was the carbon paper. Both copies were gone. I found them 2 days later in a drawer in my desk at the Church I was Pastoring. I had never even worked on the paper there, much less taken them down there after finishing typing them.
After turning in the copies to my professor, I trashed all my notes and prayed asking the Lord to purge any demonic influence I had invited in while researching the paper. After that all the craziness stopped, completely.
The second, and more powerful activity is demonic obsession. This usually starts simply also. Demonic influence that isn't rejected and rebuked becomes an overwhelming obsession. The thinking of the individual may actually be controlled to the point that it is hard to delineate between obsession and possession. Morbid thoughts of death or killing may constantly on the obsessed individuals mind.
Possession most often occures from an active participation in occultic activity. Seances, wiccan practice, black magic, consulting a medium. All of these things invite demonic control into your life. There are many who would argue that Christians can't be possessed. However, in I Corinthians Paul talks about turning over a believer living in an adulterous relationship with his father's wife to Satan for the destruction of his body and the salvation of his soul. This sounds like possession to me. Missionaries who serve in countries where the is a lot of occultic practice relate many stories of Christians being possessed.
The point of all this is that unless you have opened yourself up to demonic activity in this or a similar manner, chances are your problem isn't Satan. It sounds like you are giving Satan more credit than he is due, and way too much thought.
Not having seen your other post regarding your problem I can only advise generally. If this is a problem with overcoming a sin or temptation in your life and you are praying that the Lord deliver you from the problem, your answer is easy. It isn't Satan or a demon that is keeping you from hearing God's response. You are experiencing God's response. Are you familiar with the passage: No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to b tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
If we pray asking to be delivered from a temptation God's response is to bring that temptation into our lives ove and over again until we see and grasp the way of escape that He has provided. If you are in this situation and aren't aware that this is how God answers prayer for overcoming temptation, it can certainlly look like either God isn't answering or Satan is stopping the answer from getting through. I assure you that isn't the case.
I hope that this helps.