Dear Debbie:

I am so sorry to hear about your son.  The problems that you describe, even the seeing devils and such, could be a result of his substance abuse. He may be falling into mental illness or this could even be the result of brain damage from the drugs. On the other hand what is happening could also be demonic attachment. Demons love to hitchhike on problems that already exist. Your son's behavior may have some other psychological or personal genesis, but demons may like to jump on the problem to make it worse than it has to be.

Unfortunately there is little I can do for him directly unless he were to come to me for help. If he is demonized, and if he wished help, and if he could stay sober, then perhaps I could help.

This is not to say that nothing can be done. There is plenty that we can do for him in prayer. You and your husband have the authority in the spirit to rebuke the demons in your son's life, especially since he seem to be incapacitated to do it for himself.  Although he is an adult, in God's economy he is still in your household and therefore you and your husband have a paterfamilias authority.

Specifically, the Hedge Prayers of a Wayward Person, the Rebuking Prayers, Prayer for our Children, Hedge Prayer of Protection, Resisting Satan's Attack upon our Household are all appropriate. These prayers and others are found in our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog linked below.

I would advise developing a devotion to St. Monica who prayed for years for her son. Her son, St. Augustine, finally came to his senses only a few months before his mother's death.

Perseverance is the key. It is hard as a parent to watch a child deteriorate like this, but we must persevere in faith and prayer and hope that our children will come out of it somehow. The decision to get straight is his, but we can storm heaven with prayer asking God to make every possible effort to convince our child to make the appropriate decisions.

I know this is not much comfort, but it is all that we can do. Perhaps if he is sent to the psychiatric ward while in jail they can detox him sufficiently to explore the possible mental illness problems, or maybe even brain damage problems that could be caused by drug and alcohol abuse.

I might advise that you see a psychiatrist who specializes in drug and alcohol abuse for advise on how to deal with your son. Perhaps such a doctor may be able to tell you what to expect and what not to expect. Maybe there is a chance of a civil commitment in a hospital, or maybe your son will agree to a self-commitment, or maybe you can ask the judge to commit him as part of his sentence. There are many possibilities.

For the possible spiritual/demonological aspects that may be intruding on an already difficult problem, storm heaven with your prayers. Be aggressive in spiritual warfare prayers, but always realize that each person, including your son, has to make his own decisions. God will not force him, He will only guide, encourage, and try to persuade your son. Your son always has the last word, that is, the decision of what he will or will not do.

Do check with some alcohol and drug professional to get a handle on understanding what is going on with your son. I am not an expert in that area. Perhaps your son's bizarre behavior that appears demonic is actually typical with drug abusers, I don't know.

What I do know that such situations tend to attract demonic hitchhikers. Spiritual Warfare prayers are the medicine for that. But even if all the demons are cast away, your son will still have to face the underlying drug dependencies, addictions, possible mental illness or brain problems, and the issues that lead him into drug abuse in the first place. That may be a long road to travel for him.

We will be in prayer for him and for you.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary