Freedom from the Enemy's Control

[olger]

In light of the recent discussion of participating in Wiccan or occultic practices as an outreach method, I thought it would be helpful to consider what is at stake.

Christ's purpose is to give eternal life; Satan's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.

Christ gives eternal life and fulfillment to those who trust in Him and become children of God (John 10:10). Satan's purpose is the opposite. His goal is to steal, kill and destroy in order to rob Christians of fulfillment and to destroy God's influence in their lives.

Paul warns believers in Ephesians 4:27 not to give place to the devil.

The term translated "place" is a Greek word meaning "base of operation or opportunity." Satan is constantly looking for opportunities to set up camp right in our own lives. In the context of this passage, Paul is talking about sinful practices such as lying, anger, stealing, corrupt speech, bitterness, wrath, clamor and malice that allow Satan to gain a foothold within our lives. When we commit sins without confessing them, we give Satan territory that he then uses to seek to control us thereby destroying our effectiveness for the Lord.

We either resist the evil one's influence or we relinquish control to his power.

The enemy cannot take ground without our cooperation and permission. While he can put thoughts in our minds or place temptation in our paths, we choose to either follow or resist. When we give ground to the enemy through yielding to sin, we are actually giving him permission to control that area of our life. In Proverbs 5:22, Solomon describes the enemy's control through immoral activity by saying, "His own iniquities shall take the wicked ... he shall be held by the cords of his sins."

Satan's goals concerning believers are to...

• outwit or take advantage of us. I I Cor. 2:10-14, 1 Peter 5:8

• ensnare us to do his will. 11 Tim. 2:26

• steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10

• confuse us to keep us from understanding God's Word. Mark 4:15

• distort the truth. John 8:44

Sin has a way of enslaving us.

Jesus said, "Everyone who sins is a slave to sin"

(John 8:34). A person who practices sin or is exposed to a sinful pattern may become trapped by that particular sin. As ground is given to the enemy, a person becomes enslaved. Jesus came to free us from the enslavement of sin (John 8:36). Paul warned believers to not allow sin to "reign" (exercise kingly power, control, or dominate them). Each of us has a choice. We can either be enslaved to sin or enslaved to righteousness (Rom. 6:16-17, 22).

The enemy seeks to take control of an individual through...

• rebellion (I Sam. 15:23). Ground is given to the enemy through rebellion in the same way it is given through witchcraft.

• interest or participation in occult activities. Curiosity and participation in seemingly harmless activities lead to more harmful ones until a person is trapped and cannot get free from the control of the enemy.

• Moral failure – Individuals who participate in pornography, prostitution or other immoral activities open their lives to the control of the enemy. Men involved in pornography have broght home demonic problems to their wives. A woman who has been raped by a man in the occult, will many times struggle with occult problems.

• Religious fetishes. Many religious groups, such as Roman Catholic Church sell items that are designed to protect or provide a special blessing.

• Drugs. Drugs open the mind to the enemy’s control.

• Music. The enemy is drawn to a person who listens to music that glorifies satan.

[olger]

Victory from the enslavement of sin and the enemy is possible The word of God gives seven keys to freedom. Freedom from sinful strongholds is possible through:

• Separation from sin (becoming dead to sin…unresponsive). Romans 6:11, Gal. 5:24.

• Intimacy with God/Christ Phil. 1:21, Hebrews 12:1-2, James 4:7-8, Gal. 2:20.

• Resisting the devil James 4:7.

• A yielded life. Romans 6:23, 12:1-2.

• Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5, Col. 3:1-2, Romans 12:2.

• The Word of God…truth. Psalms 119:133, II Tim. 3:16-17.

• Being filled (controlled) by the Holy Spirit. Gal. 5:16, Ephesians 5:18

Victory from the enemy and from enslavement to sin is possible through Christ.

[olger]

Here are some ways that people have opened themselves up to enemy attack. If their parents were involved the same consequences apply to people - as their children. Each area must be confessed and forsaken.

Astral-projection (out of body experiences)

Cast magic spells

Crystal ball

Witchcraft (and Wicca activity)

Table lifting or body lifting

Voodoo

Magic eight ball

Satan worship

Ouija board

Imaginary playmate

Using spells or curses

Mental control of others

Mind control

Automatic writing

Speaking in a trance (demonic trance)

Spirit guides

Visionary dreams

Fortune telling

Ghosts

Tarot cards

Materialization

Palm reading

Clairvoyance

Tea leaves

Mental suggestion

Amulets

Nagging thoughts within

Charms

Hearing voices in your mind

Omens

Mind swapping

Astrology/horoscope

Fetishism (objects of worship)

Hypnosis

Visualization

Seances

Yoga

Black or white magic

Transcendental meditation

Dungeons and dragons

Magic rituals

Fantasy role-playing games

Bloody Mary (seance)

Games involving occult power

Roman Catholic amulets

Occult games involving violence

Occult music (glorifies Satan)

Blood pacts

Demonic tongues

Good luck charms

Association with people in witchcraft

Sexual spirits

Use of magic in healing

New Age medicine

Water witching/dowsing

Acupuncture

Occult books or literature

Consulted a spiritist

Telepathy

Consulted a medium

Indian Occult rituals

Consulted a channeller

-Dance with spirits

Consulted a psychic

-Sweat lodge purification

Trance (out of the body experience)

-Earth worship

Spiritistic healing

-Guardian spirits

-Spirit travel

[cardw]

Wow, that is quite a list.

You are one superstitious person.

A lot of fear there.

[olger]

Have it your way. Lot of reality, friend.

[John317]

I don't think it's olger who is superstitious but he's talking about things that a lot of superstitious people play around with and are attracted to. They're very popular with many millions of people.

Are there things in that list which you are interested in or enjoy playing around with? If so, what are some of them?

[John317]

You are right, olger. Satan and his evil angels take those things as invitations and permission for him to take control, and he does.

There are SDA and non-SDA pastors who sometimes received calls from medical and psychological professionals who ask them to help with people who are beyond the help of those professionals. The people who've needed help-- who realized what was wrong with them--- have included doctors, dentists, lawyers, and even pastors. A large number of these people will tell you that they used to "play" with the kinds of things on your list.

But it's not something to play with-- it's a serious thing. Satan is real, just as real as God is or as real any human being. Both God and the devil do battle over minds and hearts. The difference is Satan uses deception, whereas God only uses the truth.

It's important for us remember that Satan would go among the angels and convince them that he loved Christ when in reality he hated him and wanted to overthrow him. Those are his tactics today.

[Gordon1]

Agreed Olger & John. To the list I would add:

•Television

•Gambling, games of chance

•Pornography

•Recounting one's past sinful practices (advertising Satan's power & merchandise)

[SivartM]

I agree that a lot of the things on your list are bad, olger, but imaginary playmates? What's evil about those? :\

I see a whole lot of superstition and magic widely accepted in Christianity. We have incantations to summon good spirits to protect us from evil spirits, and incantations to make us acceptable to God. The good and evil spirits control pretty much all of our lives trying to win us over to their side. The evil spirits literally possess objects like televisions and entire genres of music. And, of course, they are transferred to us (presumably the evil spirits multiply when rap music is copied; this is why piracy is sin). We have rituals to expel them (well, not all of us; usually only more charismatic people. The rest of us just recite incantations for their removal). A good example is the second post in this thread. It lists guidelines taken from our magic book.

I'm not saying that I don't believe in the Bible or in spirits. I'm just saying... don't think that magic is restricted to pagans and whatnot. We're not as progressive and free of superstition as we'd like to think. A lot of Christians immediately assume that if something is a "spiritual practice" or is related in some way to any other religion, it must be evil. I don't think that doing yoga is going to put your soul at peril unless perhaps you are a convert from Hinduism or something.

[Bravus]

The long discussion of how to dispose of a Bible a while ago smacked strongly of magical reasoning to me...

[cardw]

Have it your way. Lot of reality, friend.

There's not a lot of reality about most of those things on your list.

If these things were really that bad I think we would see a lot more harm coming out of them.

I think it is superstitious to give most of them any credence.

Yoga is hardly the evil underpinning of some secret plan. It is practiced in most health clubs as a series of stretches and core strengthening. An advanced practitioner is an impressive athlete of great poise and beauty.

It helps thousands of people deal with physical pain and stress.

You need to get out more Chief.

[Neil D]

Oooooooo........how scary is satan....

My God is much stronger than your fears....If you would surrender your fears, my God would swell your faith....

Instead, you surrender your fears....How is that going for you?

Kinda fearful? Kinda the begining of dark clouds? Maybe you could trade them for faith....?

[Dottie]

Is not the ultimate goal of yoga "SELF-actualization?"

[cardw]

Actually Yoga comes from a root word meaning "control."

In its philosophical sense it is a way to achieve awareness of one's body in space by restraining the mind from imposing thought forms on the body.

If one is an athlete there is a more American expression called being "in the zone," a place where there is an unconscious awareness of where to be and what to do within a particular sport.

For example if one is playing tennis there is no thought of technique, but the instinctive awareness of how to do a correct serve simply flows. The focus in on the game, not where to place one's body.

This happens in music and in many other artistic expressions when one begins to master a particular art. It is when the practice of a particular art form becomes a part of the instinctual response. There is no longer any thought.

A crude example would be the total lack of thought when someone touches something hot. The arm simply responds instinctively.

Yoga is about mastering the movement of one's body without thought. Practical results are the reduction of stress and gaining the ability to focus one's attention for longer periods of time without effort.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Jude 1:9

If the archangel Michael has a healthy fear of the devil, should we not be even more alert to the spiritistic deceptions that the devil has developed to trap people? Satan is not stupid. When you laugh at him, he is absolutely delighted. When you make fun of the list olger wrote above.... well...please don't do that. He is spot on. One can call it "fear," but it is a healthy fear....just as stopping at a STOP sign is done out of a fear of being hit by a car...it's a healthy fear.

Believe you me, it is not fun to watch things being tossed about by demonic spirits in a room...such as what I witnessed last night.

[cardw]

If the archangel Michael has a healthy fear of the devil, should we not be even more alert to the spiritistic deceptions that the devil has developed to trap people? Satan is not stupid. When you laugh at him, he is absolutely delighted. When you make fun of the list olger wrote above.... well...please don't do that. He is spot on. One can call it "fear," but it is a healthy fear....just as stopping at a STOP sign is done out of a fear of being hit by a car...it's a healthy fear.

Believe you me, it is not fun to watch things being tossed about by demonic spirits in a room...such as what I witnessed last night.

I have witnessed a lot of things like this and the only thing that is harmful is what people make up in their own minds. People can be traumatized by both real trauma and trauma they make up in their own mind. The body doesn't know the difference.

What is often called devil possession is simply a thaw response that is normal to all mammals after being traumatized. It is a normalization that occurs when the danger has passed and is how the body resets. It is only humans that get overwhelmed with this because we have all these superstitions and cultural taboos that create fear around this process.

I have seen it hundreds of times and people emerge calm and relieved when you don't judge it as being weird or harmful. When you are afraid of it, it only locks itself back down into the body.

Here is a short explanation from Peter Levine who has done tremendous work with recovery from post traumatic stress disorder.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

uh huh. "Energy"... and from what power does it come? From within? The "universal energy force"? The

"energy" that is channeled up through the body, the chakras, the ch'i? If all is in "balance" then health is maintained? No need for any atonement because one can do everything through one's own self? uh huh.

Rich, I know what I know from my own experience and from working with experts in the medical and psychological fields. You are welcome to differ and sniff your nose at me, but I'm not going to argue with you....period. End of statement.

Good-bye.

[John317]

What is often called devil possession is simply a thaw response that is normal to all mammals after being traumatized. It is a normalization that occurs when the danger has passed and is how the body resets. It is only humans that get overwhelmed with this because we have all these superstitions and cultural taboos that create fear around this process.

This is your opinion but it is defied by much evidence that you evidently aren't taking into account.

I personally know medical doctors and nurses who've witnessed a woman whose body was picked up by an unseen power and thrown down the stairs in a hospital. She didn't jump but her body was literally picked up and tossed like a rag doll against a wall and down the stairs. The doctor saw it but he wouldn't write about it because he knew that if the medical society saw his report, they would just think he was a nut case and take his medical license away from him. But there are many doctors and psychiatrists who ask for a pastor's help when they realize their patient's main problem is spiritual (i.e., demonic).

There are also medical professionals and lawyers, etc., who've sought help from pastors in order to be free of evil spirits which took control of their minds and bodies. My own father was a pastor who dealt with these phenomena for over 25 years and wrote 6 books on the topic. Google "Vaughn Allen," which was his middle name and the name under which he wrote. His books are widely used in the prisons by people who know they are harassed, controlled, and even possessed by demons and who want to be free of them.

http://www.amazon.com/Victory-Battlefield-Setting-Captives-Free/dp/0945383525

Another of his books that is available is titled, The War Is Real (and So is the Victory). People can order this book though the Adventist Book Center. (It was originally published by the Pacific Press but is now published by Teach Services.)

There's lots of evidence that these things occur but they are not the kind of phenomena that lend themselves to scientific experiment or proof.

While I was a student at a public university, I took a class in religion in America. I told the professor about my father's work as a pastor, and he said he would be interested in having my father come to his class and tell about it. So my father came to the university and did this. Following his talk, there was a question and answer period during which many students participated. Afterwards, the professor told me that he had no doubt that these things occurred, but he said that he had no explanation for why they happened. (I don't know the teacher's personal religious beliefs, or whether he was even a professing Christian.)

I might add here that my dad was a school teacher and school adminstrator for over 40 years before he retired and became a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. To give you a feel for the person I'm talking about, I'll also post two pictures of him here. He died last year at age 93.

As a result of my father's books, he would often get calls and letters from people who said they had a problem and they'd ask him for help. Sometimes he would be called to go hundreds and even thousands of miles to visit these people but most of the time, he merely talked to the people over the phone. I heard some of these conversations many, many times over the course of 20 years. They consisted mostly of my father praying and reading Scripture and talking to the person about Christ and His power. But I also knew some of the people because they would come over to his house or over to the church.

Let me give you just one example of someone who asked for help.

She was a woman who had a lot of allergies, so badly that she could only eat a few kinds of food and had to live in a special environment. She lived in a trailer in Arizona that had been made especially for her so that it wasn't necessary for her to touch anything she was allegeric to, which included many common things, such as carpeting and paint, etc.

This woman (who was a Baptist) believed that the cause of her problem with alergies was spiritual rather than "natural" or medical. She asked my father to come see her. My father and another pastor drove over to Arizona (from California) and talked to this woman. They were of course astounded at what they learned. It was the worst case of alergies they had ever heard of. It seemed that everything this woman touched or was around or ate gave her an alergic reaction, and the reactions could often be very severe, causing her to have to seek medical care. My father said it was about like having to live in an alluminum tin can.

She told my father and the other pastor why she believed her problem was demonic. Most of the time the problem becomes noticeable to the individual for a variety of reasons, but all of them have to do with a loss of control over their lives. Some of them may hear voices telling them to do harm to themselves or other people. At other times, they simply recognize that they aren't in control of their lives any more. It may be due to long periods of depression, inability to sleep, inabilility to read the Bible or to pray, incapacitating headaches, unexplainable pains that move throughout the body, and dozens of other such symptoms. It can be all of these but usually it is several at the same time. (No one is saying that these symptoms are always demonic.)

The woman said that she had been involved in the occult, spiritualism, and realized at the time that it wasn't something she should be doing, but she went ahead and did those things out of curiosity. But something else that is common which she said she experiened is that she was rejected by her father, who often beat her and her mother.

My father and the pastor prayer for her at her house and then drove her over to the pastor's house. They prayed for her there for several hours. That evening she ate food that she hadn't been able to eat in years, and without experiencing any allergic reactions.

She would go on from this point to being free of those allergies and able to move finally into a normal apartment. Eventually was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist church.

If you or any reader of this post has the book, Victory On the Battlefield, Setting Captives Free, the story I've just told you may be found on pages 143 to 146 of that book.

The second pic of him with my oldest sister is the last I made of him.

[cardw]

uh huh. "Energy"... and from what power does it come? From within? The "universal energy force"? The

"energy" that is channeled up through the body, the chakras, the ch'i? If all is in "balance" then health is maintained?

[cardw]

Quote:

This is your opinion but it is defied by much evidence that you evidently aren't taking into account.

Well, I don't really take anecdotal accounts as evidence because there isn't really any evidence for causation. We can observe empirical results, but that doesn't tell us how it works.

This is what Joseph Campbell refers to as the power of myth. We know that beliefs and how we interpret our world has real effects on individuals.

I have observed this type of hypo allergenic response hundreds of times, including people who claim to have been possessed by the devil. Typically there is a long history of sustained threat of and actual violence. There is often a layer of auto accidents, falls, surgeries, and other physical traumatic events.

In some cases the person's belief that they are being attacked produces the same physical responses because the body doesn't differentiate between what is real and what is imagined. This has been show over and over in many different studies.

From the work of Peter Levine and others we have come to know that violence can produce an operant conditioning that programs the subconscious mind to believe that it is in danger all the time, even when danger is not present. And this creates a situation where the brake and the gas pedal are on all the time. It is exhausting and creates a continual state of vigilance. This eventually begins to destroy the immune system and alters the mind.

In the animal kingdom they release this energy in a way that looks like they are possessed, but when they finish the body resets and it eventually recognizes on an emotional level that the danger has passed. I have seen this in horses and dogs many times.

I had a particularly dramatic example with a horse. I began to put pressure into an area on the horse's hip that was hot and vibrating. This horse had a reputation for being difficult to work with and was agitated most of the time. He initially had a difficult time staying still for the treatment. But when I began to zero in on this area of his hip, he began to push back against me. We kind of did this dance for a while and then he began to shake and breath heavily.

Pretty soon his head was down and his eyes were closed and he was very still. After a bit he signaled that the treatment was done by walking away slowly. I headed for the gate in the coral and he began to follow me. When I turned around he came up and placed his head into my chest and held it there for a couple of minutes.

It was a very profound experience. I have seen horses writhe like snakes and do all kinds of things I didn't believe were possible, but the end result has always been a sense of peace and relief.

People do many of the same things with the same results. When you remove fear and judgment and hold a space for people to do what they need to do, the body knows what to do if one simply gets out of the way.

And when this straight jacket of pressure and fear is off the body, then the normal physiological processes return and the body heals itself. But, if you have something stepping on the hose the water can't flow.

To me that is a far more useful way to see this process than the devil is in control.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I happen to believe that anyone who says they have a handle on these types of phenomenon is not aware of the complexity. And this includes saying that the devil is responsible.

You have absolutely no idea of my knowledge base in science. It may possibly exceed yours. Think on that, my fine feathered friend.

Originally Posted By: Rich

to be happy we need to stop focusing on ourselves and engage in an empathetic connection with the world around us.

uh huh... Your whole argument smacks of channeled energy.

****

Your arguments about issues here on the forum are the exact same ones that I and many of my agnostic/atheistic/pagan friends used to use. I do not understand why an acknowledged agnostic would come to a Christian forum and pontificate on why everyone is wrong except his/her views. Does it give one some kind of perverse pleasure?

Have a nice life.

[lazarus]

[cardw]

Originally Posted By: Rich

I happen to believe that anyone who says they have a handle on these types of phenomenon is not aware of the complexity. And this includes saying that the devil is responsible.

You have absolutely no idea of my knowledge base in science. It may possibly exceed yours. Think on that, my fine feathered friend.

[BobRyan]

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Jude 1:9

If the archangel Michael has a healthy fear of the devil, should we not be even more alert to the spiritistic deceptions that the devil has developed to trap people? Satan is not stupid. When you laugh at him, he is absolutely delighted. When you make fun of the list olger wrote above.... well...please don't do that. He is spot on. One can call it "fear," but it is a healthy fear....just as stopping at a STOP sign is done out of a fear of being hit by a car...it's a healthy fear.

Believe you me, it is not fun to watch things being tossed about by demonic spirits in a room...such as what I witnessed last night.

The late Roger Morneau wrote a book "A trip into the Supernatural" that also agrees with your comments above.

in Christ,

Bob

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Bob, I've read some of Morneau's books. While I think he was sincere in what he wrote and obviously thought, I don't necessarily agree with how he presented his materials. In that sense, I think Rich is correct that some aspects of the occult are presented as "unhealthy" fear-based sentiments...

Well, first of all I don't think you are really wishing me a nice life. And second I thought you weren't going to engage with me in this discussion.

Actually, I *do* wish a nice life. I didn't write it as a joke.

Secondly, I "wasn't" going to engage in a discussion with you. But you questioned my knowledge of the Piezo effect, MRI, radiologic, and other *scientifically* documented data. I am quite knowledgeable in this. I wanted to make that very clear.