Why were there so many instances of demon possession in Judea around the time of Jesus?

[Grip Docility]

I've been married to her for 55 years. It isn't easy or fun to admit that a man of 6' is a battered husband to a wife of just 5ft.
But I am. She has succeeded in making our oldest daughter hate me so much she wants nothing more to do with me ever again by twisting a situation in such a manner as to make herself look like the victim.
I go to see a therapist once a week. I am fully aware that I should get out.
But I realize that a trauma bond has me unable to begin to pack up55 years and move out. Yet, I know enough from what I've learned since discovering what I was dealing with 4 years ago.
Besides, any signs that narcisist sees as an attempt to leave can be deadly.
She has made two very real and violent attempts to murder me already.
As I already said, I'm 6ft tall and weighed well over 200 when I first realized she's a covert narcisist, and my weight is now below 140. That's stress from my mind struggling to get itself around the huge issue of narcisism.
We have 3 adult children, 8 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchidren.
Everyone in our family is paying a huge toll because of the situation. I want and need prayers and support, particularly from those acutely familiar with these animals.
I've hinted at problem in many ways on C F. But now I'm telling it like it is and asking for help.
Thank you for so graciously responding to me, Tony. God bless you..
Bill

@tonychanyt

 

[Grafted In]

Yes. But every therapist/counselor has concluded that the problem is me. I haven't forgiven her for an affair 46 years ago.
The problem there is that she doesn't care about my forgiving her and when I show signs that I've accepted with she did, she movee the goalpost.
She did what she did trying to get me to divorce her.
I told her back then and a number of times since that I believe God spoke to my heart. Not an audible voice, but an understanding that if I would just give Him the affair, revealing to me that it was much too heavy for me to carry, that He'd carry it for me and bring His will to pass.
She has told me a number of times that I'm just using religion as an excuse.
My honest opinion I'd that, as she told me 46 years ago, she simply does not want to be my wife.

She just doesn't want to lose her position in the community as being known as 'the good one".

She has thrown many things at me to try to get me ti divorce her.
The counselor before the one I have now told I am the problem.
I got another counselor and he told me he thought the same thing.
About 5 or 6months later he had a "lightbulb" moment when it suddenly dawned on him what was actually going on.
From that moment on, we've been dealing with it as it is, she is a covert narcissist.

I'll write more later. Running late for therapy.

 

[Grip Docility]

Yes. But every therapist/counselor has concluded that the problem is me.

They don't walk in your shoes or feel the depth of love that you are starved of by your companion. They don't see how she gives you hate when you desire love, gives you apathy when you are level or draws close to you when you pull away.

I haven't forgiven her for an affair 46 years ago.

Forgive her for you. I mean this. Demons sense this. Christ didn't teach forgiveness to excuse the evil of the transgression. He taught us forgiveness to free the world of darkness and restore Love.

The problem there is that she doesn't care about my forgiving her and when I show signs that I've accepted with she did, she move the goalpost.

She knows that by her not acknowledging your need to forgive her, that you are held in a prison of pain. You don't need her to forgive her. When she is not around, or even if you have to go somewhere safe from her, write a heartfelt letter to her and God about how deeply you forgive her. Go somewhere safe where you can pray as you burn this letter to symbolize that she will not accept it, yet you have arrived at peace between you and God. This is not a ritual of any kind, but it is a way of letting go of all the bitterness she has tended like a Gardner, within your soul.

She did what she did trying to get me to divorce her.

She broke your heart and willfully hurt you. This seems to be her nature.

I told her back then and a number of times since that I believe God spoke to my heart. Not an audible voice, but an understanding that if I would just give Him the affair, revealing to me that it was much too heavy for me to carry, that He'd carry it for me and bring His will to pass.

God did tell you this. You can't expect "crazy" to support your emotions when that person's emotional needs are met by planting their personal self loathing within those closest to them.

She has told me a number of times that I'm just using religion as an excuse.

She is attempting to stand between you and God and you have allowed her to do so, up to now. By Jesus, I pray and implore you to do what you, yourself know must be done. Recognize that she is hardened of heart, though still your wife, by your choosing. Forgive her, Love her and if you can bear it for the remainder of your life, stay married to her.

My honest opinion I'd that, as she told me 46 years ago, she simply does not want to be my wife.

She is unwilling to find healing and there is more at play than just her. She is holding on to some form of spiritual darkness that she most likely had within her, long before you met her.

She just doesn't want to lose her position in the community as being known as 'the good one".

You serve God and only care about what God thinks of you. If she so chooses to live each day captive to the glory of mankind, that is her own self contrived prison.

She has thrown many things at me to try to get me to divorce her.

The fact that you haven't is a miracle of God.

The counselor before the one I have now told I am the problem.

You don't strike me as a man that shirks personal responsibility. Is that true?

I got another counselor and he told me he thought the same thing.

If they are suggesting that you have the choice to exit that pain through moving on and it is your responsibility for staying in it, they would be right. If they are saying that you are responsible for her hard heart, they are wrong.

About 5 or 6months later he had a "lightbulb" moment when it suddenly dawned on him what was actually going on.

That's one slow therapist.

From that moment on, we've been dealing with it as it is, she is a covert narcissist.

All true evil narcissism is "covert". The spell doesn't work if the person knows that they are being emotionally manipulated. You have permanent damage from living with her for as long as you have. There is a lack of empathy for yourself that is physically impossible to overcome. You need God to heal you. She will be there to attempt to undo everything God does. She will be pouring water on your flame of hope as the Holy Spirit pours oil onto it. You have endured more pain than most can endure.

I'll write more later. Running late for therapy.

I hope and pray that this therapist is quicker on the uptake!

 

[tonychanyt]

I haven't forgiven her for an affair 46 years ago.

See When do we forgive? and follow up there.

 

[RoBo1988]

Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

This verse causes me to wonder: has the world, and sometimes even the church, created a dwelling place for demon possession, by medically explaining away, or "solving" everything under the sun?

Many diseases are caused by environments, and triggers. Looking at King Saul; exalted, then embarrassed, then stripped of his throne. Plenty of opportunities for the devil to get a foothold Ephesians 4:25-27.

I see things like that in the world today.

 

[HTacianas]

This verse causes me to wonder: has the world, and sometimes even the church, created a dwelling place for demon possession, by medically explaining away, or "solving" everything under the sun?

Many diseases are caused by environments, and triggers. Looking at King Saul; exalted, then embarrassed, then stripped of his throne. Plenty of opportunities for the devil to get a foothold Ephesians 4:25-27.

I see things like that in the world today.

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

 

[NBB]

This verse causes me to wonder: has the world, and sometimes even the church, created a dwelling place for demon possession, by medically explaining away, or "solving" everything under the sun?

Many diseases are caused by environments, and triggers. Looking at King Saul; exalted, then embarrassed, then stripped of his throne. Plenty of opportunities for the devil to get a foothold Ephesians 4:25-27.

I see things like that in the world today.

Yes, even in this forum people with spiritual problems are told to go to the psychiatrist or a 'professional'.
OCD for example, i mean i am not an alien, i am just another person, i had it and iit was evil spirits, the intrusive thoughts and certain obsessions i had went away never came back. I am not lying in any way.

 

[Grafted In]

13 years of experience, in a previous marriage, here. There was demonic behavior involved. I don't want to offer any discussion unless you welcome it. You are free to ask questions and you already are now in the prayers of my soul! This is a very painful situation! You have hung in there for more years than I can comprehend!

I am willing to talk about this with you any time any where.
It baffles me how she joined the church I was going to and almost instantly took control of the membership to such an extent that no one questioned her. She ran the same smear campaign as in our community's secular populous.
Not once did anyone in that full gospel church even hinted at demon activity.
Sadly it to the world to point out to me what was really going on.
How can that be?
I know it's spiritual, but it took a phycologist to identify what the church was blind to for over 40 years. Pretty sad.

 

[Grip Docility]

I am willing to talk about this with you any time any where.
It baffles me how she joined the church I was going to and almost instantly took control of the membership to such an extent that no one questioned her. She ran the same smear campaign as in our community's secular populous.
Not once did anyone in that full gospel church even hinted at demon activity.
Sadly it to the world to point out to me what was really going on.
How can that be?
I know it's spiritual, but it took a phycologist to identify what the church was blind to for over 40 years. Pretty sad.

Love is blind. You are welcome to PM me anytime. I will be an ear and would be honored to carry your burden with you as so commanded to Lovingly do by our precious Jesus Christ.

 

[Ted-01]

I am the victim of a violent covert narcisist. This person appeared to behave experienced salvation many years ago but not claims to only care that they know they will go to be em with Jesus at death. No other interest in spiritual matters.
After many, many therapists, I finally found one who's specialty is narcicism, having successfully exited a 10y year relationship with a narcisist. Yet it took him nearly 6 months to recognize I was beeing deeply abused on every level of existance.
He made a deep, personal and honest apology for the fact that his profession had let me down for over 46 years.
That was 4vyears ago and since my abuser is recognizing that I am seeing behind the mask, that person has resorted to violent a busive behavior.
2 times a violent attempt to take my life was prevented due to my quick thinking and my abuser has shown no remorse for those actions.
If anyone thinks they can be of help to me I would be most grateful.
After salvation this person joined the same church as me and quickly took control of those they could and used them as weapons.
I began neglecting church because of this. My abuser has been running a smear campaign against me throughout our community and few believe me when I tell them my side of the story.
This person has just recently began legal action against me to get as much of my wealth as possible while there's still time. I'm 74 and my therapist, though extremely supportive, knows I am frozen in what the world refers to as a trauma bond. The gaslighted, lies and smear campaign have left me with no support from anyone in our small community and I feel trapped and unloved by am God.
Please help if you understand my plight. Until 4 years ago I could not find anyone in my church who knew why I asked the way I did., nor did I. As a result, no one was willing to reach
out to me because I was unanimously the bad one simply because that's what my abuser convinced everyone, when, in fact, I was living in a falsereality very cleverly created and nurtured for decades. Until 4vyears ago I was convinced that I was ThE problem.
Today, I'll accept 50 % if the the blame, but not 51.
If you are hearing and understanding me, please reach out.

Hi Grafted In,
I will try to pray for... I'm very much moved by your post and the simple, courageous act of sharing it with your family of God.

I won't say that I understand your situation/plight because each journey is as different unique as individuals. However, I have been in relationships with narcissists of various levels. The trauma has had profound effects in my life, and like you, the issue (s) weren't discovered until late in life. A lifetime of living with certain "filters" in place built deep roots (of darkness) into the core of my being, but God is working to undo things. For me, it's a slow process, but that I'm growing close to my God, and indeed firmly in the palm of His hand, is the greatest thing ever.

One thing that has made a profound shift in all of this is the notion that... the less I focus on the abuse/abuser/the situation and most importantly, myself... the more God has been able to work with and in me because my focus is now on that one thing alone. But we each must move at our own speed and in our own ways.

Focus on Jesus!

 

[Grafted In]

I went against all of the secular people on YouTube as well as my counselor, and decided to face it head-on.
Big mistake.
She now makes little effort in hiding her contempt for me and has in the past year taken my oldest daughter away from me using false information. My daughter said she no longer wants anything to do with me, but that she isn't going to tell her 2 adult children.
You can't hide hatred from others. They are adults and they see how she feels and how she treats me.
She has become my wife's strongest and most formidable weapon.
It hurts to see what she's doing to all of our family.
Yet, goes about her smear campaign with little or no concern for anyone.
I honestly thought she'd become a born again Christian. My pastor at the time even said my wife had recieved a prayer language at a time I wasn't around.
The stress of trying to reason with unreason is beyond my understanding.
I still struggle, wondering yet if I'm not the whole problem. It's hard to put in words, but I carry a lot of guilt that has been unfairly placed on me, yet I know at the same time that I am sinful, as well. But where reality ends and the insanity begins is so incredibly difficult to define.
I know I'm just babbling, but the pain of betrayal is so deep I'm crying as I type (1 fingered)
74 years old and no idea what to do.
How does one pack up that many years and move on?
She's threatening divorce and I just wish she do it and get it over with.

 

[Grip Docility]

I went against all of the secular people on YouTube as well as my counselor, and decided to face it head-on.
Big mistake.

This was a move for your sanity. You desired to confirm what your heart wouldn't allow you to fully comprehend.

She now makes little effort in hiding her contempt for me and has in the past year taken my oldest daughter away from me using false information.

Children are weapons to people that are Emotional Vampires / Narcissists'.

My daughter said she no longer wants anything to do with me, but that she isn't going to tell her 2 adult children.

This isn't your fault. You trusted your wife for many years to return the Love you had invested in her. She desired to make a bed of strife and weaponize your children.

You can't hide hatred from others. They are adults and they see how she feels and how she treats me.

You're going to need victim counseling. This kind of pain literally reforms your grey matter. You have been the victim of emotional abuse for decades! Prayer and Honesty will carry you through, but I'm so very sorry that you are experiencing this! Just remember that your daughter is simply misled and have compassion for her in light of what her mother is doing to her.

She has become my wife's strongest and most formidable weapon.

You have been a receptacle for your wife's abuse for many years. You are going to have to recognize that she can't have access to your private thoughts, feelings or responses to prevent her from hurting your more. People that do what your wife is doing live off of the response. It gives them a false sense of achievement, control and joy. The best thing you can do for your daughter is to forgive her and let her know that you don't desire to be in conflict with her. Forgive her mother and her from your heart and know that her mother isn't trustworthy. I'm sorry to write this, but it is the only way that you can begin to find peace. It will take you 5 years minimum to begin a full cycle of healing.

It hurts to see what she's doing to all of our family.

I'm so very sorry! I do understand your pain, but I can't comprehend the amplification of it for so many years! All of my heart and prayers in Jesus Christ are with you, brother!

Yet, goes about her smear campaign with little or no concern for anyone.

That is the way of that personality.

I honestly thought she'd become a born again Christian. My pastor at the time even said my wife had received a prayer language at a time I wasn't around.

I'm certain that you desired this for her and hoped. She is persecuting you, so pray for her, for certain, but pray for yourself as well. You are going through more than someone should have to endure from a spouse!

The stress of trying to reason with unreason is beyond my understanding.

You cannot reason with her. I am so very sorry for saying this, but she only looks for emotional in's to further her damage. You are going to have to withdraw your thoughts and emotions from her. She will withdraw more and more the less control that she has over your emotional well being. She may try to draw you back just long enough to hurt you more. You are going to have to be painfully honest with Jesus and yourself about this. Marriage is 50/50. You can't do the other half's half. Forgive her, withdraw and above all, FORGIVE YOURSELF! You've suffered her abuse for far too long. Don't do it for her.

I still struggle, wondering yet if I'm not the whole problem.

Personal responsibility is normally a good thing.... but to heal, you are going to have to come to terms that you are an emotional abuse victim. You can heal and overcome, but you have to be honest with yourself. You've tried all that you can. You have bent over backwards to hold on to the marriage! What she does is not your fault.

It's hard to put in words, but I carry a lot of guilt that has been unfairly placed on me,

It took me 5 years to begin to grow out of a state of emotional PTSD. I would have nightmares about being emotionally abused by my Ex. I would wake up crying, hearing things that were beyond hurtful that were said. I only could move forward when I realized that only apathy was in the heart of my Ex. I refused to admit it to myself for many years. I can't even begin to comprehend the pain that you feel! I Love you Brother in Jesus and send you a genuine understanding hug of sincere empathy from miles away. I am so very sorry for all of your pain!

yet I know at the same time that I am sinful, as well.

We all are. Thank God for Jesus Christ!

But where reality ends and the insanity begins is so incredibly difficult to define.

This exact type of abuse skews reality. The brain literally begins to rest in this very state that you speak of! You need to shift into intensive therapy for what you have experienced as soon as possible. Jesus will be your most important comfort. I promise you.

I know I'm just babbling, but the pain of betrayal is so deep I'm crying as I type (1 fingered)

Brother in Jesus, again, you have a digital hug from afar! I'm so very sorry for your pain! Jesus will get you through this, but you have endured more than I can comprehend! Your honesty is the beginning of a new outlook! Jesus is holding you close! I promise you, this! I'm so sorry for your pain!

74 years old and no idea what to do.

74 years young and a man of Love who truly endured much in the name of Love. You carried the burden of the entire relationship and Jesus saw this! He will restore your soul and He has a specialty for brokenness! He can use you to assist in healing others, because of this deep pain that you have endured! I promise you this! Jesus is, has been and always will be the anchor of your soul! This doesn't change the depth of pain that you are feeling! I mean this... I am so very sorry for all of your suffering, my Brother in Jesus.

How does one pack up that many years and move on?

Through Jesus Christ and all of your siblings in Jesus. I am praying that Jesus builds you a genuine support system that comforts you directly, in His name, with all faith and thank Him for doing this, now!

She's threatening divorce and I just wish she do it and get it over with.

You've finally caught her at her game and she will try every vile trick to regain some form of emotional control over you! Commend yourself in Jesus Christ for patiently enduring what you have for so very long! Please, Brother, say it with me... "I am not responsible for my abuser's choice to abuse me. I forgive her, but forgiveness doesn't mean permission to have access to my heart and soul, any longer. I am now wounded to the point of emotional withdraw and accept that I am Loved by Jesus and thus worthy of recovery from this pain."

I sent you a Private message via the in system mail system if you prefer to talk privately. Whether here or via the private mail system, we are here for you, weeping with you and reminding you that Jesus is weeping with you and holding you close through all of this!