Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
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is this normal | stacey | Wednesday, February 6, 2008 |
Question: Is it normal for someone who has experienced any demonic oppression or possession to feel afterwards that they are walking through a minefield even after they have been delivered? Even though most of the incidents are gone I'm always looking over my shoulder not knowing what to expect next. The enemy still occasionally seems to take potshots at me and I'm always wondering whether or not I'm going to step into another booby-trap or get blind-sided again. I don't want to live this way for the rest of my life. To humor the situation a little it would be nice if there were support groups for the formerly oppressed and possessed. I live in a predominantly middle class southern baptist town and there are very very few churches or ministries that deal with these kinds of things. I met a pastor from south Texas last year who was visiting the church I used to attend and he related to me that he went through an almost identical experience for about 2 years before he dedicated his life to christ. He now pastors a church in a town on the Texas/Mexican border. He also counsels people who are or have been involved in the occult. He said that the area he lives in is heavily infested with occult activity particularly Santeria. I know that my involvement probably opened the door to most of this but I'm also wondering if this is experienced by some people especially if they are being called into some kind of spiritual or religious vocation? As crazy as this sounds I don't regret this experience but I would never ever want to go through it again. It has shown me just how dangerous it is to fool around with these things. It has also shown me just how awesome and powerful God is. God Bless! |
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Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM
Dear Stacey: Yes, it is normal for formerly demonized people to feel like they are walking through a minefield -- at least for a while. It is a normal psychological reaction and depending on the experiences the person had, can even be a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We all need to be "on guard", however, according to the Bible. Those who have been demonized will be more super-sensitive. The super-sensitivity should fade in time and be replaced with a peace that rests in Christ. In more severe cases, however, psychological (or PTSD) counseling may be needed. Those who have been demonized may also need to be very circumspect in a way similar to alcoholics. A recovering alcoholic needs to stay out of bars, parties where alcohol is served, and away from "drinking buddies" or anyone who may influence them to drink. A formerly demonized person needs a similar circumspection by staying away from books, movies, and games that are occultic in theme, avoid any places where these influences are present, and stay away from people who are into the occult, new age, or other spiritually improper activities. It is also possible for demons to return to harass you again. If you are on guard for this and ready to deal with it from a spiritual warfare point-of-view, then you should be able to deal with it. If, however, more serious levels of harassment or oppression reoccurs then one needs to seek out deliverance counseling. It is very important to be living a good Christian life. This will go a long way in keeping demons away, but is not a guarantee of it. There may also still be residue of the demonic attachments still with you. Deliverance usually involves more than just saying a few prayers to be delivered. That is why in our ministry we have a Nine Step process of deliverance. As for support groups, we do have a Spiritual Warfare Discussion Group. It is not a formal "support group" but it has a similar benefit to the members who join it. This BBS group is Catholic and comes from a Catholic perspective, but one does not have to be Catholic to join as long as one is respectful of the Catholic Church. More specifically to your own experience as you are describing it here, there might still be a spirit of fear attached to you. You might try rebuking this spirit of fear (below is a Protestant version of our Rebuking prayer found in the Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog:
God bless, For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.
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