Symptoms of Possible Bondage
When
the illness gets worse:
Deliverance can be
just like pouring antiseptic on an open wound; it will be painful for a
short time and then the pain will leave. (Ex. Petra and the screaming lady)
After one is
healed, it can be that the next day is very painful. (Ex. When someone
is healed who has never walked much, then the muscles can become very painful
etc..)
Just before the demon
comes out: The person gets worse until finally the healing comes. The
client may feel he can take no more; but often that is what the demon feels,
put onto the client. Client may fail to turn up as a result. Demons
may also cause physical and psychological illness which needs medical treatment
afterwards. (From the book: “An Exorcist Tells His Story”)
Sometimes when the
Holy Spirit heals – He can shake up our body and soul – it is like pulling out
a deep root. Sometimes there is pain, sometimes He brings a big change in our
lives. Sometimes it will seem that our situation or illness is getting worse.
This is the battle with the devil who will hold on to the person. He will try
and imitate the sick feelings or pain to try and retake the lost territory – he
will try and break the new found faith and trust.
An example: If you would wake up one morning and find
someone in your home – you take authority and send the person away. But then,
the next morning his is in your house
again! Why? Because when you send someone out of your house you always
need to lock the door! You need to break the bonds. Just like a
computer malware virus will keep track of you IP address and keep a connection
open with your computer until you break it with an anti-virus program. “I break
this bondage in the Name of Jesus!”
Indeed, the demons may (and more than likely will) try to return.
Scripture speaks of what demons do once they are cast out:
Now when the
unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking
rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which
I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than
itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes
worse than the first. (Matthew
12: 43-45).
Do not leave your
house (heart) “unoccupied, swept and put in order”; rather be filled with
the Holy Spirit.
We can never let
down our guard. As a final instruction, remember the teaching of Paul in Ephesians
6:10-18: We do not go about our day without putting on our clothes. Do
not go into the world with the spiritual cloths of God's armor.[1]
After a person
receives a healing or deliverance and the exact symptom returns, it is always
demonic. The person needs to command the pain to leave in Jesus’ Name!
(Witness of Rob from whiplash pain returning).
·
Demons will do everything to convince you that you are
ill for some other reason.
You need to persevere, if necessary for years. Blessings have the effect God
wants, and that depends more on the will of the patient than on the exorcisms
themselves. Confession and communion are very strong. Demons want you
to believe that God is not capable of freeing you, and that He is not with you.
Good
idea to have backup prayer group during exorcism.
It is hard
sometimes to distinguish between deliverance and healing, except that
drugs have no effect on spiritual ills. Demonic interference can however cause psychiatric illness which
needs conventional treatment. (From
the book: “An Exorcist Tells His Story”)
A reason for delayed
deliverance is that “hooks” may be
present in a person's life that need to be removed before deliverance can be
completed. “Hooks” are various behaviors and
circumstances, attitudes and ideas, or emotional attachments that allow demons
to “hang on” to a person's life.
Some examples
of these hooks include,
but are not limited to...
Behaviors or
Circumstances: involvement
in astrology or the occult, the New Age, membership in heterodox or heretical
groups, sexual sins (fornication, masturbation, adultery, pornography,
homosexual sin, “living together without marriage”), other sinful lifestyles,
maintaining friendships that are harmful.
Attitudes and
Ideas: rebelliousness
or a spirit of disobedience against some Church teaching, holding heterodox[2] or
heretical viewpoints, pride, prejudice against certain people, gossip,
selfishness, un-charity, lack of compassion or love toward others.
Emotional
Attachments: this
area is perhaps the most common “hook”, after that of sexual sins[3] and
pride— unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, hopelessness, despair.
Deliverance is
rarely possible, or unlikely to be permanent, if any of these or any
number of other “hooks” remain in our lives. To find freedom, we must locate and remove all the
“hooks”. Any “hook” in our life can be the excuse the demons use to hang on to
us.
Searching for
“hooks” in our lives can be very difficult both to recognize them and to
overcome them. It can also be emotionally painful, but it is critically needed
if we are to find freedom and healing. A Deliverance
Counselor can be very helpful, and sometimes critically necessary,
to assist a person in finding and ridding themselves of these “hooks”. (Seeing
that we have been believing a lie)
Where
is my focus? Mostly
on myself. Doing my own will without Jesus.
I
could be focusing on good things – but it is still focusing on myself. The yeast of the Pharisees (Mark 8:15) And the yeast of Herod. In other
words: the yeast of the law and the yeast of politics. Following religious laws
that bring us guilt and anxiety and politics that we go along with the world
culture and norms worrying about what others think about my actions.
Experiences:
Uncontrollable
desires
Hearing
voices or sounds
Hearing
a swishing sound
Seeing
red eyes all around you
Unexplainable
pains in stomach or head aches
Pains
that go away when prayed over and then come back again.
Extreme cold on the spot where you laid your hands on when
praying over the person
The pain moves
from one place to another when prayed over
Yearlong pain in
stomach was gone when prayed over for Reiki spirit to leave
Demons tend to attack a person at 5
points:
Health - can cause physical and psychological
illness. Some are transitory, especially in head and stomach; can include
lumps, cuts, bruises; make sign of cross and sprinkle with holy waters. Cysts
and tumours can also go with exorcism.
Relationships - arguments, broken relationships between
people who love each other, inability to form lasting relationships with
members of opposite sex.
Work - inability to find or keep a job;
business failure for no apparent reason
Joie de vivre (Carefree enjoyment of life) - depression
Desire to die - desperation, suicide; can always be
overcome if person places self under protection of church; one prayer
sufficient.
Resentment
towards God and others in
our life is also an open door for evil to come in. Physical sickness can
be the consequence of a bitter spirit or by letting ourselves be dominated by
discouragement.
To some, sickness
can be a way of life. It can even be a way to get attention or sympathy. In the
state of emotional sadness, a very hurt feeling, some will find a familiar
friend from the past with whom to share in a false comfort only to distract the
focus from dealing with the situation and turning to God for help. By focusing
on God, you put Him above the situation resulting in a release of His grace and
peace.
Living in fear
and anxiety can be one of the greatest causes of sickness. It is no wonder that Jesus has given us
His gift of peace and encouragement in the Scriptures:
“Do not be
anxious about anything, but “in” *
every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (* In every situation give thanks not
for every situation give thanks)
Oppression: Normal attack from outside – as sickness
and disease, persecutions, trials, poverty, etc. But more extreme
oppression examples: a non-baptized person not active in his or her faith would be
very weak; whereas contrastingly, a baptized individual active in their faith
and regularly receiving the Sacraments would be extremely well fortified. Some
signs and symptoms include (but are not limited to): things happening around
them such as objects being moved (apportation); severe and repeated
temptation; shadow figures being seen; offensive odors that are not
naturally caused; inciting of fear, anxiety, worry and panic; children or pets
may see or hear things; knocking or rapping—especially in numbers of three;
hearing one’s name being called; etc.
Obsession: A voluntary or involuntary doorway that has
been opened in the mind. The person is still in control
but suffers on many different physical and emotional levels. Some symptoms
of obsession can be: confusion of reasoning. hopelessness, reclusiveness or
extreme isolation (either real or isolated in feelings); insomnia; nightmares
depression (severe); voices and being talked to by voices that suggest very
lewd or disgusting acts; thoughts of or attempts at suicide or to hurt oneself
or others; obsessive sexual or lewd thoughts or desires, and so forth. The
demons will try and reveal themselves by trying to make you afraid at
night. Obsession needs deliverance.
Possession: demon(s) gain
access not only to the body but also aspects of thinking & the will.
They move into the soul but cannot control the soul, it is mainly an effect on
the body, but the will is degraded to a significant degree. Some
possessed people can function, but have many problems. Others who are severely
possessed cannot function well at all. For example, they would not be able to
drive a car, or take care of their personal hygiene needs, etc. Scripture and
experience teaches us that there are various degrees within possession.
With “Complete Possession”, a person’s will has been submerged and is no
longer able to resist. This is also called “Total
Possession.” There are two basic categories of possession: 1)
Involuntary Possession; 2) Voluntary Possession. Involuntary possession
means that the person afflicted was not overtly asking for the Devil or a demon
to possess him or her. This is indeed the case, however, with Voluntary
Possession; known as Diabolic Subjugation or Dependence.
Possession is not
contagious, either for the family, nor for those present at the exorcism, nor
for the place in which it carried out. Hardened sin or swearing is much more
dangerous.
Sometimes one
blessing a week is necessary for several months or longer. Danger they get
discouraged and give up.
Domestic
animals seem to be sensitive to demonic presences in house.
Effects of the
exorcism:
If demonic
activity is present
they will always notice an improvement. If there is no activity during
the prayer time and no noticeable benefit afterwards then the demonic is
probably not involved.
Demonic may emerge
only gradually, and improvement will not come till the full effects have been
manifested.
Collaboration
of patient is fundamental to success; attributes 90% to patient, only 10% to the
deliverance minister. Need
for patient to pursue Christian life, especially prayer.
Obstacles to
healing:
Irregular
matrimonial situation,
failure to forgive, failure to be reconciled.
The New Testament
clearly distinguishes between the ill and the demonised.
Worst cases are
those who have had a spell placed on them.
Most often
affected are young people; it often turns out when older people are involved
that the demonic interference goes back to childhood or even before birth.
He thinks one of
the reasons God permits demonic interference is because it acts as a stimulus
to Christian life.
During exorcism,
do whatever produces the biggest reaction from the demon - sprinkle with holy
water, blow at it (in use since patristic times), use music or
incense. Demons are sensitive to sight as a Crucifix and the Word
of God..
Where to send
the demons: - to the
foot of the cross, to receive their destination from Christ.
Water
Benefits:
forgiveness of sin, defence against devil, gift of divine protection. Prayer
over the water adds other effects - power to chase demons away
Oil
Dis-empowers
demons; renders their attacks useless.
Salt
Protects places
from demonic presence or influence. Scatter it on threshold and 4 corners of
room.
For houses can
also burn incense which has been blessed; has always been regarded effective
against evil spirits as well as an element of praise and adoration to God.
If clothes are
sprinkled with blessed water; demonised person will rip them off.
Witchcraft
Is an attempt to
harm another person through the intermediary of the devil.
Spells and black
magic are ways of doing it.
Black magic,
witchcraft, satanic rites
Curses; commonest are curses placed by
parents/grandparents on children
Evil eye: (Vaskania [Greek Orthodox])
Vaskania is simply
a phenomenon that was accepted by primitive people as fact. They believed that
certain people have such powerful feelings of jealousy and envy, that when they
looked on some beautiful object or individual it brought destruction. Vaskania is recognized by the Church as the
jealousy and envy of some people for things they do not possess, such as
beauty, youth, courage or any other blessing. The Church essentially
rejected Vaskania as contradicting the concept of divine providence. The
prayers of the Church to avert the evil eye are, however, a silent recognition
of this phenomenon as a morbid feeling of envy. The Church forbids people to go
to "readers" or other individuals for use of magical rituals to
overcome the evil eye. These readers take advantage of the weakness of
superstitious people and destroy them spiritually and financially by playing
upon their imagination.
There is also a
secret rite performed by superstitious people to avert the evil eye, which verges
on magic. Though the Church encourages even the laity to pray and
exorcise evil, it rejects magical practices and rites. This secret rite is
described as follows: "The exorcist (not a priest but an old woman)
prepares a vial of olive oil and a small glass of water. She dips a
finger in the oil, rubs it in a sign of the cross on the victim's forehead and
lets one drop fall onto the water; she repeats the process, making a cross on
the forehead, on the chin and both cheeks. If the devil is indeed present,
the four drops of oil in the water join to form the ellipsoid shape of an eye.
The ritual then calls for the reading of prayers and repeating the four signs
of the Cross; the drops of oil will not join in the water, but will
disperse."
Spells – common:
Direct (they eat or drink something prepared with
a curse) or indirect (curses placed on possessions, photos, images).
Produces vexation[4] or
possession.
[Think the level
of pre-Christian pagan superstitions and practices probably higher in Italy
than here].
More on magic
2 types: imitative
and contagious. First uses ex. dolls to represent the person; second based on
physical contact, and uses something belonging to the person. Strongest
witchcraft in his experience is from Brazil and Africa, and based on magic and
contact with spirits.
Who can dismiss
demons?
Jesus gave
power to dismiss demons to all those who believe in him and act in the power
of his Name. These are prayers of liberation, or private prayers. Exorcists
are appointed to use specific sacramentals and to act as representatives of the
Church.
[1] Ephesians 6:10-18: Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.
[2] Not conforming with accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs. "heterodox views": Agnostic, unbelieving, heathen, rebellious, dissident.
[3] In the New Testament, the word most often translated “sexual immorality” is porneia. This word is also translated as “whoredom,” “fornication,” and “idolatry.” It means “a surrendering of sexual purity”, and it is primarily used of premarital sexual relations. From this Greek word we get the English word pornography, stemming from the concept of “selling off.” Sexual immorality is the “selling off” of sexual purity and involves any type of sexual expression outside the boundaries of a biblically defined marriage relationship (Matthew 19:4–5).
[4] Vexation ... anything that causes distress ... irritations... distractions ... restlessness... troubles ... annoyances... deception and lies... harassment... arguments... violence... abuse... suppression... maltreatment ... cramped in lifestyle ... confusion... afflictions ... no where to turn ... alarmed ... exasperated ... possessed with devils ... possessed by people ... tossed like a paper in the wind ... tortured .. worn out by over work... burnt out... pressure...Vexations cause inner wounds ... often they take a long time to heal... Chasing a false expectation can cause vexation in a person's spirit... Ecclesiastes 1:14-17 ... 2:11, 17,22,26... 4:4, 6,16... 6:9...Pursuing after vanity can cause vexations... One of the major causes of vexation is "the wandering of the desire" or "the chasing after the wind"... (6:9) The "wandering of the desire" is simply "fantasizing"... Proverbs 28:19 talks of "the person who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty" (NIV) A fantasy is "a wandering desire". It will waste away your life ... cause vexation of spirit... Fantasies are never achieved... There is a difference between a fantasy and God given desires...