Hey guys I am in need of prayer. The past few months i have been having this presence that seems to come upon me at different times throughout the week or every other week and it seems to try to paralize my body or attack my body and weaken. I can feel the presence come upon me and i just woke up from feeling something try holding me down in my bed. Earlier today I started having struggles with my memory again. I talked to one of my deacons about some of this stuff on wednesday and it seems to still persist. I have been praying more fervently not only from my deliverance but also the salvation of my wife and my family that I live with and their deliverance from their sins and bondage. My Mom and her drinking and my brother and his drug problem. I spent a long time in prayer today with the Lord. But, to be honest with I have been struggling with my faith for some time now. It just seems like the more i pray and seek the Lord at times the demonic attacks still come upon me. I just dont understand, has the lord gave me over or just allowing me to have this thorn in the flesh or is it because i am living in a bad environment. I really don't know. I dont want to quit, please keep me in your prayer. John
demonic oppression
praying John.
Greetings John
James 4 v7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. But read the rest of the chapter too .
Some more Scriptures (from "Desiring God")
Hebrews 4:16 - Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 7:25 - He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 11:6 - Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who draws near to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
The devil could also influence you through certain music, videos, books, meditation, "relaxing" exercises, like Yoga etc.
It is important to look at all those areas as well.
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
http://www.crossroad.to/HisWord/verses/topics/victory.htm
Will pray for you - blessings!
John have you been to your dr for a full physical including blood work?
John, your living situation is a mess and you are right now ill equipped to navigate that mess. I don't know that what you are going through is "demonic oppression", although I am sure the enemy takes delight in your plight.
Keep praying, keep in the Word, keep in fellowship.
Move somewhere with just you and your wife. Another city even. Your mother's drinking and your brother's drug use are not your problem. You are way more than concerned for them. You are wallowing in their mire. You are no good to them as things are. You need separation and time to get perspective from the Lord.
Move somewhere with just you and your wife. Another city even. Your mother's drinking and your brother's drug use are not your problem. You are way more than concerned for them. You are wallowing in their mire. You are no good to them as things are. You need separation and time to get perspective from the Lord.
I believe the above is sound counsel if the Lord would open the doors and confirm this.
I know I have counselled you to do this before, please go through this entire document and read it aloud, praying everything outloud: http://www.antiocha2.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Steps-To-Freedom-In-Christ.pdf
Take steps with any object also in your home that could be opening a door with the enemy.
Hey guys sorry for taking so long to get back to you. Yes, I went to doctor a few months back and got two tests done the only thing they found wrong was my vitamin d levels were low. I have tried examine what could be wrong for a long time if you knew I sometimes freak out over the smallest bad thoughts I have. But, I have noticed my thinking gets bad with too much caffeine and sugar. So I do need to slow down on that and I need to sleep better which is affected my thinking to. A few years ago when I was having the back issues I starred taking some medicine for anxiety and at first it seemed to helped slightly and then I started having really bad thoughts and became very tired all the time and I made the decision to stop taking it and trust God. That was in early 2013 and I got a lot better, but then it has been this past year my problems have started up again and it really began to happen around Christmas of 2015 when I became burned out from everything. I was working for two years at Wal-Mart and I hadn't had a vacation yet. I had just finally began to be healed by the Lord slowly from my health problems with my back and was able to work again, but I was dead set I didn't want to fall again from where I was so when I started working again at Wal-Mart it was truly a blessing. A month before I got the job at Wal-Mart I started attending first Baptist church of lockport and I have been their since. Also I started finding healing especially with my quiet times with the Lord in prayer and reading scripture. Which I still do but with new job not as frequent or not as long as before. But anyways I kind of took a legalistic stand with these things in fear that if I didn't go to church or do my devotions that the Lord was going to come down on me with chastizement or I was going to open doors to demonic spirits so I made sure I made every church service and almost every bible study and Sunday school class, I made sure I did my devotionals every day at lunch at work or I prayed, I made sure I didn't look or rarely communicate with any girl in fear I was going to fall again and I tried to live perfect to the point every thought that was bad I confessed it instantly even if the devil put it their. I was afraid I was going to be chastised. But this was what I was doing everyday and if I didn't do it I became fearful of what would happen. So a year ago I just got burned out and felt bad I was burned out. I found some encouragement in the life of rich Mullins from the movie ragamuffin just to have freedom in my life. Which then I got I believe a revelation from God in the summer that I have been believing lies about God and everything so that it is something I think I one of my main problems is I keep believing I am going to get punished by god
Have you done this brother?
I know I have counselled you to do this before, please go through this entire document and read it aloud, praying everything outloud: http://www.antiocha2.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Steps-To-Freedom-In-Christ.pdf
I mean everything I do I have had this mind set and the scary thing that I get attacked by what I thought was God but now know is evil spirits from wrong belief but it is got so bad when I start walking in the truth or not believe the lies I get oppressed so my thoughts become out of control and I start feeling physical attacks from a presence that weakens my body or comes down upon me and then my body losing feeling. I at times have been fearful of expressing everything on hear out of fear of chastizement too. I cant even work anymore because I start working too hard and the evil presence weakens my body at work so I start working slow and I don't get my productivity numbers so then I could get fired. I am so fearful and at times I start getting my mind on Christ and I notice but then it like these evil spirits overpower me get weak again. It is .so frustrating. I am in fear of going to another church. But anyways I am a mess I do I appreciate your prayers and wisdom. If I do keep my job I wont have money to move out sadly. Thank you so much for hearing me
Hey Greg, yes I have gone through this I could go through it again. Appreciate it brother.
Do you think things like crosses even or books can cause oppression? I have got rid of books that have false teaching and any occult things like tarot cards before, but didn't notice anything. I have wondered if it is superstitious. I noticed I started getting really oppressed when I ever I start looking into the one world government or new world order stuff.
Let me share a relevant anecdote with you, bible4life -
One of my family members won a "dragon" plush toy from a theme park years ago. I would feel anxious whenever I saw the dragon, as if there was an "evil presence" to the it. However, the plush toy was not mine, and I could not get rid of it.
One day, I realized the anxiety I had towards the plush toy was not due to any intrinsic evil attached to the dragon, but was rooted in my beliefs about it.
Now, I'm very familiar with dragons due to my ethnicity and absolutely had no problems with them in the past, even in my early Christian days. But some Christians I'm acquainted with believe that all dragons were symbolic of Satan, and advocated discarding all such items. Those beliefs rubbed off on me, and thenceforth I developed an anxiety towards dragons.
I don't believe there is an "evil presence" to the dragon plush toy anymore - I even deliberately hugged it a few times. I do not deny the reality of evil spirits (good on you for getting rid of tarot cards), but even if they were around, Satan has no hold over the believer and there is absolutely no ground for anxiety. To the contrary, evil spirits should be afraid of those who are in Jesus Christ.
So it's been an interesting episode with the plush toy. There was nothing really wrong with the toy, no spiritual dimension to it - the anxiety was entirely rooted in my beliefs about the toy. Indeed, you call it a superstition. Once I changed my beliefs, the anxiety dissipated.
Some questions for you to ponder:
1. Do you believe that God loves you, and fully accepts you?
2. Do you believe that God has fully forgiven you, and is pleased to keep you as His son?
3. Do you believe that God wants to bless you, and live life in the expectation of being blessed by Him? Or do you think God is out to punish you, or inflict you with pain and confusion?
4. You have asked for prayer many times, but what do you want God to do in your life? - Get rid of the thoughts? Change your anxiety instantly?
5. How do you imagine "normal" life would look like, when you are no longer obsessing over your thoughts or demons? What would you be doing then on a daily, moment-by-moment basis?
Look forward to reading your point-by-point responses to these questions.
Hey brother I will try responding to those questions.
1. I believe it is God's nature to love and because of that he loves me and I do believe he accepts me in the work and person of Christ only. But, my struggle has been that i go back and forth thinking i lost my salvation because of everything I am experiencing.
2. I believe God can forgive and forgives all sin because of Christ death on the cross and resurrection, but I struggle believing he can forgive me because I don't sense his presence like I use to so I at times fear he left me.
3. At times I am confused, when i read the word or others books or writing I look see God's great mercy and love for us, but then I again look at my affliction I go through and wonder if I did something wrong at times. I guess it is a inner struggle with me where some days I believe it and other days I have these immense struggles and wonder if someone saved could experience this.
4. I want to know I am forgiven and that I am truly am saved and know what I am experiencing if its from him or from demons or just me and my health.
5. I probably would too vocal of a christian and try to reach out to as many people as possible. I would try to enjoy every moment of my life and I would flee sin with a passion.
Hey guys please continue to keep me in prayer another round of oppression from the enemy has started coming on me again and having a hard time getting through this.
Okay John, praying. And also that you would find the keys out of this place.
Thanks brother. I feel as if their are evil spirits in my chest area and throat area I can feel something that is affecting. I know that sounds crazy to some but i believe their are evil spirits in my flesh. I dont think they possess my spirit, but I do believe their in my body, a few years ago I felt them come in when I was trying to resist them. But, the reason why i say that is because they are weaking my body or try to take over it or something and I can feel a presence, my problem is I dont know what is causing this, but anyways I appreciate your prayers, right now I am going through a terrible struggle, my body is so weak.
John do feel this sensation during the day when fully awake or when you are in bed?
I feel it in both places
Bible4life,
You *feel* that there are evil spirits in your body, but the truth is that it's all in your mind.
Those feelings are a product of anxiety and fear (likely rooted in wrong beliefs about God and about yourself). That's something which is very apparent in your earlier post about how you have begun to feel oppressed by even crosses and books.
I came across this quote by a secular neuroscientist recently, which ties into what I said: "The thalamus (in the brain) makes no distinction between inner and outer realities, and thus any idea, if contemplated long enough, will take on a semblance of reality. Your belief becomes neurologically real, and your brain will respond accordingly."
You have been obsessing over demons for years. Stop that.
How about just forgetting everything about demons, and fix your mind on happy and positive things - particularly God, who loves you very much and has already fully accepted you?
I have another question for you: when you think about God, what kind of God are you imagining?
A God who is angry and impossible to please? Or a God who is abounding in love and faithfulness, and actually *likes* having you as His son?
John,
The demonic attacks will cease when the
demons are cast out by the authority of
the name of Jesus. Counceling is not going
to do this. You need to find some mature
brothers that know their authority in Jesus
Christ, and that minister deliverance to
those that are being oppressed by demons.
Yes, Christians can be oppressed, not
possessed by demons. Your part will be to
repent, and renounce what has opened
the door so that all the legal ground that
is giving the enemy access to your life
can be removed.
I look high and low in the Scriptures and find no direct support for anything any of us recommend. Let me be clear: the Scriptures are clear. WE are not. And, John Beechy, you are looking everywhere for deliverance except to the Lord Jesus Christ alone who is the Living Word of God.
Every time someone lovingly or gently suggests something, you've got one or more reasons why it won't work for you, hasn't worked for you, how your life situation is just too difficult or impossible to manage and you just want Jesus to say a word over you through some flesh and blood human so you can be done with it.
I'm with Yuehan. Stop it. You are a man. God made you for Himself. If you won't do what you should and can with the Biblical counsel you have received, why do you expect God to do some sort of deliverance for you? You won't even obey Him in the little things.
If I'm out of line, I invite correction and scolding. Man, I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm trying to lovingly get in your face and speak words of life to you. Get on your face like a man and repent like one. We all do that. We have to. Quit looking inside your own skin to see what's wrong with you. You continue to try and diagnose yourself. You act as one who thinks he can just figure it all out and if you could just figure it out, all trouble would fade.
You do not know up from down, left from right. I'm pleading with you hard because, friend, you are blind. You don't have enough sight to even begin to understand yourself. You need to quit trying to figure out what's oppressing, what's depressing, etc. You just don't have the equipment to discern all that or to just basically understand it. I don't know if that's your fault or if it is just the way things have unfolded in your life or some of both. I'd guess some of both.
But, when a man is in a pit of miry clay, wallowing in it never gets him out of it. And, getting a short term foothold only makes you a muddy mess of a man in still in a hole.
Our opinions are not your solution. Just yesterday, I thought how pitiful we are that we are not like Peter and John who could simply say, "Such as I have I give unto thee, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk," and see it happen lickety-split. We are living far below that. I hate to admit it but we are. We're no use to you with our typing and advice. And, sometimes I wonder if we are not making you worse by pitching in with it. Seems to me like our feedback almost addicts you to more engrossed tales of oppression, etc. This is a carousel and you are riding 1,000 miles to nowhere on it.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we are all so concerned FOR you that we'll stand around you and clap while you ride the merry go round. We're not helping you.
We can't. We don't have the power. We don't have the fellowship. We don't have the authority over you spiritually in a body of believers to speak to the dominions and authorities on your behalf, we don't have the ability to remit sins for you, we don't have anything but our best intentions and our prayers. But, if we take what you are saying as truth about yourself, this kind does not come out but by prayer and fasting, and by the authority of the church of Jesus and your accountability to it. We are that in our places and people, but we are not that together here.
AbideinHim has given a fine piece of advice. I have given you my own advice before. Our brother Greg has done so. You've been encouraged in these threads by everyone on this forum, pretty much, as far as I can tell. I believe most of us would open a vein for you if it meant your deliverance and liberty and joy in Jesus. We have nothing left to give you but the same things we already do give you.
I'm willing and ready to keep doing that and I am certain these loving and sweet people in this forum will do so for you. But, John, I can't help but wonder -- what will YOU do?
Jesus, put a spirit of truth on the lips of John Beechy. We are nothing. But, You said that the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart. Cause the truth of John Beechy to be spoken by himself here. Not truth as he thinks it or sees it, but the facts of his life. He doesn't owe us, and it isn't from any obligation of John that I ask this, Lord; it is for this purpose -- that You show John Beechy Yourself in the middle of the heap of his life, and that his honesty "aloud" here clears his own mind so that HE can be open before You, Lord. Give him the sight and the insight and, Lord, the willing spirit to be made right and to stand. Please have mercy on me for harshness, Lord. I don't mean to be. I just don't know any other way to get through this fog for John.
Do you know anyone who has the gift of discernment John? It would be good if you went to find a minister who has experience of deliverance. Then they can at least minister to your needs wether they are spiritual or just in the emotional realm.
That should really be the important thing to do at the moment.
You can email some of us if you want to.
God Bless.
John,
I haven't read all the responses, if someone has mentioned this... :(
I'm not saying you are not doing any of the following and you know that I definitely believe in casting out demons but 95% of them can be run out when we devote time to prayer and the reading of the Word.
Is there someone you can pray regularly with (in person or on the phone)? Is there someone that you can do Bible studies with on a regular basis?
I'm going to pray that God sends you that someone or someones who can spend time with the Lord.
God bless you John
Lisa
Brother John,
So many praying for you to be set free. God will surely answer.
When I lived in VA I was blessed to know and fellowship with some wonderful believers in Mennonite circles. Since half of them were Yoder's and the other half Beechy's (slight exaggeration 🙂) I'm wondering if you are of that background. I saw many of my Mennonite friends there struggle with condemnation over things, some sinful, others not sinful at all but only traditional. As I also came out of a religious background emphasizing the law I have also struggled with condemnation even as a believer in Christ and felt like God would never forgive me of some things.
This is a huge lie and inroad from the enemy of our souls to reinforce negative thoughts and can indeed be confirmed by demons . The Lord has given me some verses that I sometimes sing to reinforce Truth in my spirit.
One is 2 Tim. 1:6,7 'Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the laying on of my hands for God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.'
And the other scripture I repeatedly resist the enemy with is Romans 8:1-4 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free, from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.'
And you are in Christ,brother John Beechy, and walking after the Spirit as KJV puts it.
The Lord will teach you to walk in the freedom of the Spirit and instruct you in the way you should go as you lay down those old haunting voices and speak the truth.
If I am incorrect here, forgive me, but may God speak to others. Thank you Lord for setting us free from our pasts and giving us life every day. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.
Sister L
Guys, I don't know what is wrong with me and I know I have been going through this endless cycle for a long time and i have been guessing to what could be causing this for sometime and I thought it might be bitterness and anger because noticed that i become bitter so easy, and then on sunday I talked to a minister and he is not sure but thinks some of my issues resolve around the fact after hearing my struggles that I dont believe God can forgive me for my past sins that I committed with my wife before we were married and because I married someone who was not born again and he thinks that could be a root issue. What he said seemed to make sense because I have always struggled with that particular sin in the past. Yes, a part of me has seen God as against me at times and not willing to forgive me and to chastize me when I sin. I have talked to so many people, but I don't know if anyone can help me, this something I am going to have to have to let the Lord deliver me from. Their have been many times when I have tried trusting the Lord alone for these struggles I have been going through, many times I have, butthen sometimes it becomes so hard and like last week i became so weak and afraid I guess i didnt see my prayer to be answered so easiily so i needed others to lift me up. Not to say i was right in doing that. My dad does have Amish and Mennonite family in Indiana. But, I have talked to people at my church in Lockport and sat downnd they have prayed and prayed for me to and I had one man even rebuke the devil once. I also am going to see a pastoral counselor march 1st through my sisters church.I dont their something wrong with my own heart, actually I know their is a lot of sin in my heart, most of its inward and mental struggles to to living the christian life. I am emotionally a reck with my work, I need to get away from work for some time, my job is very demanding. I no longer workat walmart, now the Dollar Tree Warehouse. The pay is great but, man ever since I started working their in November I have been so oppressed, the first day in orientation I started losing feeling in my body for no apparent reason, but I had to trust that the Lord would get me through it and I couldnt run in fear, but I trusted him and it went away. But, this job expects me to have high numbers for my job, so your rushing really fast all the time to get your numbers and I told myself I wouldn't fall into this working so fast as if my life depended upon it, but then I got caught up in it in fear of losing my job and so i start rushing and then i get angry and frustrated and then many times that is when i feel this presence come down on me that like attacks and weakens my body, it is the same presence that has attacked me in my car when i am driving to. So then i slowed down my working habits because everytime i work fast it seems like those attacks come which then I dont get my numbers and their threatening me my job and then the people at work look down on me as if no body which is true, but i seem to been getting very bitter about it because i know i can do better, but dont because of these struggles of mine. I just got a new job offer though and I found out the man is a believer and we were talking about our faith together, so I am a little excited about that,but I will be losing almost 4 dollars an hour to start, but i think it is worth it. But, guys I need to trust in Christ alone as the broher said this is something I have been thinking about for sometime, but does that mean I never ask for prayer, that has confused me. I appreciate your wisdom and prayers and yes I do pray daily and read the word or something to do with the Lord like a book or documentary or music everyday, i am not the best at expressing everything in words. Love you guys in Christ
a
Bible4life,
I can identify with aspects of your struggle. I can remember a time when when I felt very oppressed, to the point that I could not get out of bed, and even had trouble holding a pen.
Looking back, it was because I was not rooted in the love of God, and did not fully trust the finished work of Jesus on the cross. That made me vulnerable to spiritual attacks.
I'm glad you have begun to recognize what the "root issue" is. In all your sharings, it is apparent that you are not confident in the finished work of the cross. Well, you need to start trusting that God has fully accepted you - not by your works or performance, but solely on the basis of what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross. It is totally unmerited, that's why it's called grace.
Your "root issue" is really a form of unbelief. That, in turn, has made you vulnerable to various kinds of oppression.
Yes, there's a spiritual element - but let's not overplay that. The main issue is not the oppression or the demonic attacks, it is your unbelief: (i) You do not fully trust in Jesus' work on the cross; (ii) You do not trust the character of the real God (who is the opposite of the angry, condemning, and unforgiving deity of your creation).
Given that the oppression is merely a symptom of your unbelief - you cannot just "pray" for the symptoms to go away. You have to make an active choice to adopt a correct view of God, and believe in Jesus' finished work on the cross for you.
Also: be discerning as to what you receive into your being - (i) Only choose to receive that which comes from God; (ii) Don't receive things that do not originate from God. Should the oppressive attacks or negative feelings come again, just say, "Those are not of God", and don't receive them.
One thing which I'd like to point out is that faith doesn't have anything to do with feelings.
You have spoken that you no longer feel the presence of God as you did in the past. But that does not change the fact that God is with you, and that He loves you. And guess what? Most of us here don't feel God tangibly all the time anyway.
Faith is about trusting in God, irrespective of your feelings. Your desire to "feel God's presence" is really wanting to "see" before trusting Him - and that is the opposite of faith.
Bible4life - Make a choice to trust God and what He says in the Bible, in spite of whatever you're feeling or experiencing.
Here's a short anecdote from my life:
One day, I felt like a loser. I had all kinds of self-centered, idolatrous expectations (which I was not meeting anyway). I felt down, and very oppressed.
So while lying on the couch, I prayed to God. I was honest with Him - told him about all my ungodly desires, and asked Him to help me to find my security in Him.
Very soon, I heard God saying to me - "I have always loved you, even when you were a child." The oppression lifted, and I was very happy for the rest of the day.
When the next day came around, I did not hear God speaking tangibly in the same way. But does that mean His words to me the day before was no longer valid?
God's statement of love to me remained just as valid. It did not depend on whether I tangibly heard him, felt His presence, or experience positive feelings. Why? Because the truth of God's love for me was contained in the pages of the Bible.
And it was up to me to make an active choice to trust His Word.
Really glad that you are seeing people for help John. Thanks also for hanging around here and for sharing more of your story. It sounds like what you are believing to be attacks could probably be prompted by your fear that God would condemn you for becoming angry though. I'm not sure if thats what you feel about it? It sounds like an anxiety thing youre experiencing there.
God isnt like that, He's an incredibly loving Father to you. Always willing to forgive a heart that just wants to follow his Lord.
A battered reed he will not break and smoking flax he will not quench. Mathew 12v20.
Ive been in that place where a wrong idea of the Lord can condemn our hearts. I used to think I would be frowned upon by the Lord if I forgot to write Jesus with a capital J in a letter to somebody
ps. Just seen Yeuhans posts, there's some good advice there.
No offence to you John but you have used the terms I, me, and my over 73 times in your last post. Thats most likely your major problem.
It would be nice if there was a category on these forums if people could ask for help in their walk with the Lord. But only a set group of people could answer. I'm not asking to be part of it by the way.
I just think you have to put yourself on the line and expect a certain amount of wrath just to receive some help.
You are right I have become very self focused. I dont want to be, trust me I dont.
You know what has been a sense of encouragement which has been a small light for me is the testimony and music by Dennis Jernigan. His music speaks a lot of the loving Father we have just as you guys have spoken to me about a lot. To be set free and know his love. One of his songs has really touched me is "It's Gonna be Alright Child". His music is beutiful and his testimony is very inspiring and hopeful for those struggling. Thanks guys for your help.
Yes, John!!!!
I just watched this story of Dennis Jernigan too
What a glorious testimony of God's love and a changed life. Inspired me to speak more of the Lord's redemptive love in my own life.
It's called 'Sing Over Me' if anyone hasn't seen it.
Sister Leslie
I am actually going right now to see a minister from a church I went to on sunday.
We're all praying for you !
We are praying for you brother John ðŸ™