Originally posted in a previous blog on December 6, 2006.
Ephesians 6:11 – 12 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
As we humans tend to do or believe everything to one extreme or another, I am going to divide us into 2 groups. 1 – Those who blame satan for everything bad in their lives. 2 – Those who pretend satan doesn’t exist. Which one are you? Hopefully, by the end of this, you may lean more toward the middle somewhere.
You cannot read the verses above without coming to an understanding that satan is indeed real and that we – as Christians – are at war with him and his hordes of demons. However, these verses do not remove the fact that we are pretty good at sinning on our own (ref. Romans 3:23) . Nor do they remove the fact that our God tests us and disciplines us in order to grow us into the Christians He wants us to be.
So … what does a satanic attack look like and how can we stand against them? I wish I had the one perfect answer for you, but I do not. However, what I can offer are my own personal struggles and how I deal with them.
There are many things that happen in my life that are bad that are simply results from the sins in my life that come from being a sinner … such as debt, weight gain, snapping at my kids, laughing at my wife when she runs into an exercise bike because she didn’t turn on the light – not that this ever happened … and I made sure she was ok first. I do not go around giving satan credit for these. I beat myself up about them. I ask God to change me and strengthen me to make be better. I discipline myself to overcome these.
So, from where do the satanic attacks come. For me, I find that satanic attacks are more frequently mental attacks. I say “for me” because “for Job” they were definitely physical attacks. But in my case, they are mental. Small things will happen around me (things that are everyday type things), and I will begin having thoughts that make the small situation into something it is not … and was never going to be. These thoughts could be classified as lustful, power-hungry, greedy, selfish, etc. I believe that these are real satanic attacks on me to get me to follow through with decisions that will be divisive or hurtful to those close to me. I cannot describe them much more than that. I finish by saying I have come to recognize them as attacks because try as I may … I am unable to simply dismiss them and start thinking of something new. The barrage continues.
There are only 2 things that I have found that help me during these times. Prayer and the Bible! I talk to God about what is happening. I voice my concerns. And I read His Word searching for answers to what I am dealing with.
I feel as if I have typed a bunch of rubbish above. I hope that is not the case. I hope that in these words, you have found some kind of truth or hope that can help you continue in your Christian walk.
Go with God,
Donald B
Hello,
This may sound crazy to you… I have not always been a true christian, raised as catholic, not really going to church except Christmas and Easter (family).
I was a victim of crime, home invasion…man with knife in middle of the night, husband was able to retieve knife, with GODS HELP!
I seriously felt satan and GOD in my bedroom that night (5 years ago). Also felt good spirit of some sort, leave me a few days later.
God must of felt I could take care of the rest on my own, even though I did not think so. I did.
Following day, my husband gave me the bible, while we were staying at a hotel, due to I was not going back to the evil presence in our home. I read it from begining to end. Then read student bible to comprehend better, from begiining to end.
Big picture of Jesus on my livingroom wall, gives me comfort in this world.
HERE’S MY PROBLEM…..SATAN ATTACKS ME ON A DAILY BASIS.
Told you this will sound crazy to you…He messes with my thoughts, hates it when I read the bible, and everytime I do, something happens, confusing my mind, messing with my godly thoughts, hates it when I recite “The Lords Prayer”, which I do to protect myself from him. My life was never messy like it is now, prior to being a Christain and loving God and Jesus as I do.
Any suggestions?
I know he is a very intelligent being, and know when I am being attacked, and know he is watching for my reaction.
Help if you can,
Patty
Patty …
I don’t think you are crazy, and I would never minimalize any one’s experience. Satan is real and his demons are real. Spiritual attacks are real. It’s a known fact that Satan and his horde are out to get us.
Ephesians 6:10 – 18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
I have a couple of things I would like to point out to you though.
Satan may be intelligent, but he is not omnipresence. That means he can’t be every where at the same time … like God. He’s not God!
So, be careful when you say Satan is attacking you. He can only go after one person at a time since he’s not omnipresence. And for me … I would feel like I was elevating myself if I said Satan were attacking me.
Now his demons … that’s another story. I firmly believe that play havoc in our lives on a daily basis to break our focus from what is important … SERVING JESUS CHRIST!!!
For instance … today I was having a great time studying Ephesians 1 in my car before work. All of a sudden, a car alarm in a car just in front of me starts going off. I do get distracted for about 15 seconds and then, it hits me. This is a distraction to take me out of the Word. So, I give it to God and do my best to ignore the alarm.
Final point I have for you. Spiritual battles are real! Spiritual forces are real! But we have God on our side! He will fight our battles. We can rest secure in knowing that there is nothing those demons can do that can break my relationship with Christ.
Check out this quote …
“Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th century preacher in England, once told the story that one night as he was sleeping, his bed began to shake. He thought it was a thunderstorm, but he said, “When I woke up and looked, there was Satan standing at the foot of my bed. Satan himself was shaking my bed. I looked at him and said, ‘Oh, it’s only you,’ and I rolled over and went back to sleep.”
Final suggestion … read Romans 8 and meditate on that for a while!
Go with God,
Donald B
I feel like there are demons attacking me. This sounds like I probably have a mental ilness but I really believe in heaven, God, Jesus, Satan, demons, and hell. I believe that demons bother because they see I am getting closer to the Lord and His spirit is in me. I am doing better and better in my life with respects to prayer, faith, bible readings and testifying. I use the power of the Lord to get me through the trials and tribulations of this world. Just as soon as I start to feel better about my life, it seems, I start to get attacked from all sides and it drives me crazy. I am trying to remain patient and to count on the Lord’s protection and now I am having nightmares that cause me to be afraid to go to sleep. Now, I am tired at work and school. I will continue to pray and be faithful in the Lord because I have come to recognize the obstacles in my life as futile attempts by demons to make me stop believing or to tempt me to react in anger or revenge to the people in my life that cause opposition. But I will continue to live my life in peace and refuse to react in the way Satan wants me to react. I choose to live the way Jesus wants me to react.
Laila Hamideh
simple…. resist the evil or satan… it will flee from u…. try to be perfect in all manners…. think n medidate on word of god….. don’t think much about satan…just aware of it… finally the best way of opposing is neglecting…. bye…. praise the lord…. jesus christ….
i am writing today about my 16 year old daughter .She is such a good girl but saten or his demons have attacked her all summer long she will feel good for a while and then she is just a trembling crying mess. she thinks shes losing her mind. He tells her she is serving him (not God) and now he is putting horrible cuss word in her head she has been rasied in church and is a christain. we have prauyed and prayed and dont understand why she is going through this I am a widow and have to work sometimes going to work on as little as 1 hour of sleep or less because she is scared when im a sleep. can u give some advise on how to deal with this. school has started and she is very miserable but is pushing herself to go anyway
Cathy,
I too have a 16 year old daughter. So, I can say that I have seen a lot of moodiness from her from time to time. However, it seems that what you are dealing with has gone a little further than simple moodiness.
As I am not a professional counselor and considering the fact that you are doing this as a widow … I would suggest bringing in outside resources to help you.
Are you in church? If so, talk with your pastor. Even better, speak with the youth pastor of the church. Don’t be hindered from reaching out to your church body due to fear of rejection or from worries about how you will be perceived. God put the church in place for times such as this.
Finally … persever in prayer! Ask others to pray with you. Reach out to the people God has placed in your life. Don’t let pride get in the way.
If you aren’t sure who to speak with, ask God. He will provide!
Go with God,
Donald B
I too have experienced these attacks!! ,its still happens quite often even in prayer !!and when i became reborn ,they suddenly appeared …started ,i too thought i might be going mad or that these thoughts were comming from me!
Tonight i went onto the net ,just to see if other christians might be experiencing the same attacks in the mind that i am experiencing ,i found enough …so many , there must be thousands ,millions ..i dont know how many. All i know is that there is a war going on ,and satan doesnt like me because i belong to the lord or any other of gods children.
…PRAISE GOD OUR FATHER ….THIS STRENGTHENS MY FAITH EVEN MORE AS IT CONFIRMS I AM A CHILD OF GOD.
Stand strong knowing that god is the VICTOR.
Praise God. -Henry Carruthers-South Africa.
I too have been under these attacks. It all started when I decided to get closer to the Lord. That’s when doubts about God’s existance started coming to me. Then, doubts about Jesus. I finally came to the realization that I needed to get saved, and did.
That’s when the fireworks really started! The doubts still came, but then faded away. My battle is blasphemous feelings and thoughts. I say feelings and thoughts, because the thought seems to come through a feeling. It started when I would read my bible. I’m talking about disgusting stuff people, stuff like “Why do you need to worship God? He is full of Himself and power hungry” or “So your God’s child huh? Well you know how satan fell, and you’re going to do the same thing after you die and get kicked out of heaven”
Needless to say these thoughts scared me so badly and I just knew I was going to Hell. Then, God showed me beautiful things. I had a spiritual moment so real that my senses were sharper than they’ve ever been. All of nature seemed to amaze me, even the trees! All of God’s creation seemed to dance together and praise Him! It was the most beautiful experience of my life.
Then, after that mountain, I went back into the valley. Thoughts like @#$@# Jesus, or @#$@# God! Now I talked to my preacher, and he just looked at me like I was strange for having these feelings and thoughts. That just made me more scared and I felt like i’m possessed by a demon or something. However, I know that i’m not. Because I have felt the presence of Jesus with me at different times through all of this. I just refuse to believe the devil’s lies. I am a child of the King, bought and paid for with the precious blood of Jesus!
I am going through the same thing right now. I have finally found a church where I feel at home. I’m dedicated to doing a bible study/journaling every day following along the reading plan of my church. Even though I look forward to it, when I actually sit down to do it my head will be filled with thoughts of “come on, let’s just go lay down. watching TV sounds like fun! want to go for a run? let’s get outside!” ANYTHING to get me away from my Bible. Once I actually start it goes away and I can finally remember that I really enjoy it.
I’m going to be baptized on Sunday. I can feel a presence that is trying to convince me to not do it. It’s something I really want to do! Usually when I get a really bad feeling about something I don’t do it. But this time I recognize that this doubt and fear are being amplified. There is a small part of me that is nervous about having that much attention on me, but that shouldn’t stop me from doing what I want to do!
I am happy to report that my blashpemous thoughts and feeling have subsided; every now and then they seem to come back, though not as strong. However, I have a long history of pornography and lust, which satan tried to tempt me with a couple of weeks ago. I have been clean every since I came to Jesus, but then all of a sudden these powerful temptations hit me. “It right there on the PC” “Nobody will ever know” “God will forgive you” “Just one video won’t hurt”
I prayed and gave it to the Lord and you know what?…It worked. The devil fled and Jesus kept me from falling. I love Him so much. It reminded me of the verse where Paul said the Jesus would make us to stand. Praise Him!
Demonic attacks are very real…as many have confirmed here. I’m going through some horrendous attacks…like Jason’s and worse.
DON’T own those thoughts Jason…they’re not yours…they’re from the enemy.. and he wants you to feel condemned about them… he’ll plant thoughts in our minds and then point an accusing finger at us about them to make us feel guilty….once again…don’t own them. These are one of many of the tactics of the enemies hordes.
Hang in there all.
Here’s a couple of very good sermons on this topic from Pastor Brian Broderson of Calvary Chapel-Costa Mesa. :
TEXT>
http://www3.calvarychapel.com/library/brodersen-brian/studies-books/49-EPH-2002/49-EPH-006-010d-text.htm
AUDIO>
http://www.higherpraise.com/mp3sermons/04274.htm
JASON… here is a quote/copy & paste from the text version of the sermon above….
“Charles Spurgeon, the great Victorian preacher, was plagued by these kinds of things, and so much so, that finally after a long struggle he went to his grandfather who was also a minister. And he confessed to him all of these evil thoughts that were running through his mind. And his grandfather said, “Let me ask you a question. Do you delight in these thoughts?” And he said, “No I hate them.” And his grandfather said, “Then don’t own them. They’re not yours. They belong to the devil.”
Have you ever been praying, and suddenly had your mind assaulted by blasphemous thoughts? Have you ever been worshipping and had pornographic images flash across your mind? Have you ever gone through a period of time when your mind was obsessed by deplorable thoughts, thoughts that sickened and oppressed you, thoughts that you longed to be delivered from? If so, know this, you’re not alone. Many of God’s faithful servants have experienced similar things. And you know, it just seems like in certain times this kind of activity is heightened.”
B—-
I too suffer from these attacks.. They are extremely frustrating. I try to banish them, but they don’t budge. I trust you can imagine how painful, destructive (to one’s self), sickening and sinful they can get. After all, the extent the devil can go to is quite extreme. Thank God, I have my rock. My bible and the Lord help me get through it, which is a perfect counter to any intrusive thought I may experience. I would – in all honesty – prefer the devil to manifest and attack me that way, but instead – as you might expect – the most damaging and vulnerable part is struck.
I probably sound like a lunatic and if that is the case, then ignore me. I just thought I’d share my experiences. How ever helpful that is.
JM …
Just don’t want you to feel ignored. You DO NOT sound like a lunatic. What I have learned is what you seem to have learned. The only way to find freedom from this kind of life is to completely give yourself to Jesus Christ and His will.
Go with God,
Donald B
I find this blog refreshing. Beyond any doubt, it confirms that my struggles against the forces of darkness in this vane world are also the struggles of many. Thanks, and keep the good wordlk
Ok yeah im only 15 and this is so weird.for 3 years me and 1 of my cousins(he is 14) have been talking and hanging out togather.he is christian and has been.well in in october 2007 some time ago he asked me if i was religous.i told him i believed in god and the devil and hell but didnt really pay attention.he explained many things and in great detail.i believed it all with no doubt and for some reason felt better knowing about that.a few months passed and we came to january of 2008.i was sitting playing crysis a pc game when a strange thought literaly showed up for no more than 2 seconds and was gone but the impact it left was really strong.it told me to hurt someone.it was weird because i never have even got in a fight with sombody in my life.innitialy i hated myself for it and went into a deep depression.4 days passed and i called my cousin and slowly got on that topic.and it was weird he said he gets them too.i innitialy thought against my original beliefs…it must be the games.but then i thought ok wait a sec.what are the odds of 2 people,not blood related,1 who has fought people before,and one that hasnt,and i dont know about him but i myself im easy going.
i came to two people.
a guy that is gonna be a psyciatrist told me that i had a free mind,i think it because im affraid to think it and i also have add so my thoughts race anyway so its simply amplified and if i dont want to do it i wont im in control.
my cousins mom says i need to read my bible more.
note.i believe it is either demons or satan heres why.im adopted so what are the odds id meet sombody else who has the same problem in the same family.and what are the odds i just became christian and other new christians too are having thought like problems.i think its our fears satan tackles i mean im not affraid of doubts or death.im only affraid of hurting people as ive always been very careful to others.
seriously scientific odds are too huge to put on this web page soo.i believe it must be a larger force.
Hello, I am researching spiritual warfare for it seems to be a constant in my life.
I attend a wonderful church. It is very different from the one in which I was raised, but I believe that I am called to this church. Last night I was introduced to the idea that Satan wants to kill me! And that I need not make any decisions in my life, at this moment, because I am under attack. This is not the first time that Satan has sent his demons after me. I have had horrible incidences with him. What concerns me is the rest of my life. I am without work and cannot seem to find a job. I am in serious debt. I have gained tremendous weight. I am lonely because of my financial situation. And now this? I am not placing blame on Satan for my lack of income and work and I am the one that put fork to mouth too many times. But, Is it possible that God wants me in this situation? Could God want me here so that He can get my full attention? And, what can I do about this battle that I am under?
Thank you in advance for any advice that you may have.
I just want to thank the Lord for you all, I have been under attack off and on for about a year, the enemy puts the worst thoughts in my head, things about my God and, my Jesus, and His precious Spirit, things that give me anxiety because I don’t want them in my head, the enemy tries to make me think they are me, he changes you into eyes and wispers in my ear, and I stress out, Jason I know how you feel when you said the thought and the feeling, I hate it, but when it starts to get bad I get mad, and I stand on the Word of God, and when you have done all you can do, just stand, please know that i am fighting the battle with you all, may the Lord Jesus fill you all with His spirit, and His love fill your hearts.
Hi everyone,
I came to this site because I realized that I too have been under attack by demons. The other day, I was completely sinless for about 23 or so hours and was the closest to our Lord that I have ever been. Then, the next day I found myself doubting the validity of scripture, the existence of God, etc. My foundation was literally crumbling. I didn’t understand what was happening.
I prayed about it and realized that I was indeed under attack. I am so thankful for all of your testimonies. God bless all of you and I really hope that, with our Lord and prayer, these attacks will be less and less influential…
Hello all,
Barry here again….I just wanted to submit a variation of one of the links I submitted earlier… being that I noticed that the “AUDIO” link isn’t working properly.
Here is a new link…it has the same “TEXT” sermon listed, but at the top of the page…in BLUE…are AUDIO links….for those who don’t want to read through the whole sermon, but would rather listen to it.
I’ll be praying for you all (some more)….and please do the same for me.
Be strong…persevere…God will deliver us.
Barry
Oops… here’s the link:
http://www3.calvarychapel.com/library/brodersen-brian/studies-books/49-EPH-2002/49-EPH-006-010d.htm
Hello All
I was raised a catholic and I have been going to church my entire life. I however did not understand the point of going to church. I rarely prayed for myself nor read the bible. I basically I did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I am praying to receive Jesus in my life although sometimes I struggle with lack of faith. I have had Satanic attacks in my life but this time I believe that am under a serious attack. I have these very crazy thoughts telling me to do harmful things like hurting my two children and husband and some very very crazy things!!!!
When I read the bible and pray, I get some relief but this is usually short-lived. The evil voice usually comes back immediately telling me that I am Satanic. I try very hard to ignore it but I feel a lot of pain inside me. I am writing my Ph.D. in Economics and I can hardly concetrate on my work once these attacks begin.
Please fellow christians help on how to deal with my situation and how I can pray for faith. How I should make use of the sciptures to enhance my relationship with God.
Thanks
Hi Mary,
Yes, you are clearly under attack. You have to persevere and fight through.
I’ll be praying for you. The enemy’s laid various trips/wiles on me…and I persevered through them…and he’ll give up on those tactics once he see’s you are thoroughly no longer bothered by them…as horrible as they are…remember they’re his garbarge thoughts/suggestions, not yours!…so just rebuke him in your mind and persevere forward.
Listen to the audio sermon link I listed above. It’s helpful to hear a pastor, who’s experienced these things expound on it.
1 Peter 4:12 NRSV 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
1 Peter 5:8-11 NKJV 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, STEADFAST in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Oh my goodness! This may sound so weird, but here it goes. This blog was published in 2006 and here I am, TWO YEARS LATER, reading it.
The blog, has changed my day and hopefully my life. Recently, well, yesterday, I was attacked by Satan. He placed a thought inside my head that I would NEVER believe to be real, but I dwelt on his words and it ended up destroying my life…for a day. But when you’re in spiritual battle, a day feels like a life time, you know what I’m saying?! That one thought made me question and doubt everything about what God had been teaching me, and it really was a life reuiner.
But, searching for insight and wisdom, I asked God to forgive me for my thoughts, and you DONALD, God spoke to me through you. I also sometimes make little situations into giant ones and I beat myself up over it all of the time. It’s even worse because I am called to the mission field and believing the lies of Satan only made me feel worse.
i prayed the prayer you mentions half way through. For God to strengthen me and change me and to disciple me. It’s not easy for a 19 year old college student called to serve God with my life, but I am trying. I would like you to know how much I am thanking God for your words. They’ve really helped me through this.
Love in Christ
Kim B …
As you can tell by the comments in this blog, we are not alone. What I am learning more and more is that there is a simple way to overcome satan and his attacks. Simple to say that is.
The simple way is to get to know God more and more each day. If I can be disciplined enough to spend time with God everyday (sometimes, more time is needed than on other days), these attacks are a little easier to deal with.
I don’t believe they will ever stop … that is … at least until I get to heaven. But as they continue to come, I can come to know my God more and more everyday … and thus, minimize the effect of these attacks on my life.
I believe satan’s main desire is simply to get us to quit. He doesn’t want us telling people about Jesus, he doesn’t want us on the mission field, he doesn’t want us serving in our churches and so on. So he attacks us – is successful at times – and then rubs that success in our face to make us feel guilty enough or weak enough to give in and quit.
If we can only remember that our God loves us no matter what … satan will be overcome. Jesus wants us to succeed, and He will help us succeed. We just have to get back up after we fall down.
Go with God,
Donald B
Hey all….here’s another good website I came across on this subject:
http://www.abideinchrist.com/selah/sep19.html
Stand firm!
In Christ.
Barry
I have found Joyce Meyers book called Battlefield of the mind really amazing.
It will show you how to renew your mind and set yourself free with God’s help
There also needs to bea confession of your sin in your life and forgiving of those who have hurt you.The other thing to do is to renounce all ties to things you have done to give satan access to your life like visiting fortune tellers,doing drugs,porn,hypnotism etcAlso break any generational curses by praying the blood of Jesus over your family and yourself.Satan wants to destroy you and make you think you are crazy but Jesus wants to set you free and give you peace and liberty.
check out http://www.lpm.org.za for sermon notes on how to be free
Blessings
Nicky
I am 19, in my first year of college, and recently born again Christian. I am ADD, my mind has always been a bit scattered. Only now, it seems to be an opening for the enemy. I know that forces other than that of god DO exist. The night I got saved, I stepped out of the car and started into my house. The minute I walked in, the air felt heavy. I could feel something not of god lingering around me. However, I took shelter in knowing god already fought the battle for me. Recently, actually as of last night, I have been bombarded with perverted words and thoughts that aren’t from me. I got 2 hours of sleep. I was up until 3 reading my bible. I finally fell asleep, only to wake up at about 530, once again flooded with these thoughts. I have a feeling this is only the beginning, but am believing that will deliver me, as he did a month ago. Your words give me hope. God bless you. -JadedSunshine
Well, I have been reading this with great interest. I was raised a good little Southern Baptist girl, church is no stranger to me. I am a registered nurse and have worked extensively with psychiatric emergencies. It was during my time working at a state mental hospital in Chattanooga that really began to feel oppressed spiritually. I spiraled into a ravenous addiction to drugs, suffered some health problems, and literally felt the need to pray for protection. Now, I will admit that I obviously made some poor choices in friends, co-workers, etc. during this time in my life. But I never had addiction issues – I was married, had small children until then. Happy to say I have been clean for 4 years and am in a better place. A former youth minister suggested a book about oppression and I feel this is a real and dangerous threat. God Bless you & your sweet family – you do great work I’m sure. And thank you for your service to our country.
Im not suicidal at all,but ;when I m in a high place like a big bridge or a high building or cliff, I become panicy to the point Im afaid I will jump to releive the panic.This has got to be satan making me think Im trapped and suicide is the only way out.I have always resisted but Im afaid someday ,in a moment of weakness ,I may actually jump
the perverted thoughts r only the beginning. theres lots more. and its not easy to handle. it can be really really hard. I have learned a lot from demonic attacks.
OK, here’s my story. I lead a Bible Distribution team in my church who go out regularly, door to door, and offer a family bible to the lost and unchurched families in our community. I find that during the period leading up to and for a period afterwards of the date we choose to do the distribution, a number of difficult things arise in my/our lives. Unexplained anger from family and friends, leading situations that entice you to make wrong choices, physical accidents, the list could go on. I found also that I am fighting a few large battles in my life that start to go off the rails during these times. Sometimes I attribute these things to just life happening but often the frequency with which they occur and the increase in numbers of these issues especially just before we go out makes me wonder….. There are some things that happen that are absolultely bizarre, such as errors made on important documents that directly affect my life and tempt me to be bitter. I try to talk with the Lord about this but sometimes I feel so empty inside. I hang on with my faith for dear life, however….
Let me tell my story[i am very young by the way,even though this may be or sound long] Of course,i started out totally uninformed like everyone else,only praying in problems sin being nothing to me….. Then i moved to Florida….and i ended up going to church and that’s when things started up. After joining the church[there was a serious miricle incident in which the sun never looked bigger while i was going to(unwillingly) going to visit another church( i ended up turning around,back to the old church.....on time)] and getting baptised i started looking up and getting curious about the lord. Then i made an attempt to stop sinning…..altogether,simply asking for forgiveness when i do end up sinning[i am still doing this by the way,it's not that hard]. Then after this things seemed to be going very well…..but then i encountered some huge ”road blocks”,because basically[you may find this disgusting] i had been looking at porn[sometimes] and masturbating[very,very often pretty much daily or weekly if i was somewhere new/not home]. But i went around and knocked those blocks over[there were more than simply those two,believe me] and being a guy i had[as still do] have a problem with lust and committing adultery in my heart[read Matthew 5:28]. So then, trying to tackle these things i was able to identify my sins on the spot,ask for forgiveness and had a really good feeling for a while…..but then I got ”aroused” and masturbated one day,it wasn’t even worth it,and it happened again and I was really upset because I was deliberetely disobeying GOD and it gave me no gain,and it meant the devil and his demons still had me bound,and you cant go to heaven like that. Afterwards the devil and/or his demons [almost]TOTALLY destroyed my foundation and I was sinning left n’right,couldn’t pinpoint what sins I had done,I was praying less and my good feeling left and i felt really bad and dissapointed. So i got back on track[my good feeling never came back(as of today) though]. Then,everything changed.
Either the devil or his demons started attacking me,the whole day. I was ”aroused” that day so i knew the devil was going to play his ace,he[or his demon(s)] must have really tried that day because they had tried lust,lieing,bad thoughts,distractions…..everything. The devil even tried to make me masturbate & look at porn that day…..but i wasn’t going to let him win,I was more determined that time,so basically I put my hands on the cover,and tried to go to sleep. The devil tried a few failing tricks but i caught on to them fast enough[thanks to the lord of course!!!!]. Anyway the last thing he did was so slick,I almost fell for it
My hands got cold.
And i was just about to put them under the cover for warmth…when God came in and gave me the thought…..”If i put them under the covers….i know what’s going to happen. And thankfully there were a few more blankets right in front of me,so i put on over my hands and tried to go to sleep again.
Then the devil and his demons either gave up[don't really think so] or God came in,because my ”arousal ” went away by quite an amount and i finally was tired enough to get some sleep.
Well,today the devil’s demons attacked again,they were just less severe.
To everyone who’s being spiritually attacked,i say to you Pray for me and we need to also pray for each other….,ask God for help all the way through…and don’t let up,satan wants you to give up and be unhappy and despair and blame GOD but…
KEEP BELIEVING IN GOD,NEVER GIVE UP ON HIM!!!!
GOD
LOVES
YOU!!!
Thank you Landis. I believe God has used your words to speak to me – “don’t let up, Satan wants you to give up and be unhappy and despair and BLAME God but… Keep Believing in God, Never Give Up on Him!!!!” I have struggled for years with suicidal thoughts that rise up in me due to what I take as rejection from those who mean the most to me – it once was my mother, now it is my husband. Are these people really rejecting me? No. For some reason I can’t handle disappointing them. It causes me to hate myself and makes me want to harm myself. I know that God has the power to brake any bondage to sin we have. I know the problem is never on God’s part but on ours. Today when I was tempted with self-destructive thoughts, I remember the thought coming into my mind “God has failed you. He can’t help you and it’s useless calling upon Him.” To my shame, I believed it. I know the wonderful things he is doing in my life. He has been such a friend and comforter to me. Guiding me and convicting me. Bringing victory in areas I thought I wouldn’t see. I was stuck in legalism all my life. Getting saved over and over again – thinking perfection was the key and if I wasn’t God must not love me. He has taught me I can’t earn God’s favor – even though I had heard it all my life. He can never love me more and He can never love me less. He also cannot not love me! He is such an amazing God. Worthy of all our praise. Since God has broke the chains of legalism in my life – I have experienced such a wonderful relationship with Him. Thank you Landis for your encouraging word. I was so wrong in allowing those thoughts in and knew I was. The problem I need to confront now is the suicidal thoughts. I know they stem from my selfishness. I care so much about what people think of me. I want God to deliver me so badly from my evil heart. I believe God is teaching me to never even trust myself. He says in his word the heart is deceitful so in remembering that – and taking the encouragement and rebuke(blaming God) from your words – I am going to seek God’s forgiveness and grace. I was trying to blame God for not helping me, but I am the problem for helping me. God is the solution for all our problems and all our needs. Never ever look to anyone or anything other than God and His word.
For years now I have struggled with feelings of being rejected, judged, mocked, shunned, ignored, etc. by other Christians. I don’t feel this way around everyone. There are some christian people I feel very close to and accepted by. However, in every church, camp, or group situation there are always a few people who seem to act a certain way, sometimes just by a look, that makes me feel like they are accusing me of not being a Christian. I’ve read that others feel that Satan puts doubts in their heads as to their belief in Christ but I’m finding with me he is constantly using other Christians to create this doubt in me. I will think that if “God’s people” act this way towards me than may be it’s an indicator of how God feels about me. May be I’m not really a part of God’ family and that’s why these people are actting so cold. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. I have such a hard time with the 2nd part that I question my whole faith and whether it’s genuine. The hardest part is it sometimes seems like the people that appear to be the most spirtual are the ones that I get this vibe from. It also makes me wonder what I’m doing wrong. I know I’m not perfect but I not deliberatly living a life of sin. Lately I have just been meditating on Philipians 4 :8 and focusing on what that really means. I know that Satan has been using this to really keep me in bondage but sometimes it just all feels so real – that it is just because there is something wrong with me and I’m not part of God’ family.
Hey Carol,
You are a child of God…..He loves you.
Like in high school…there’s always people who “hang out” with people in their “click”.
And yes, the enemy will use that to bring division and discouragement to a believer/believers….and make them think that they’re somehow outside the body of Christ….. don’t buy into that.
Fellow Christians should reach out to everybody in the body….so it’s probably them lacking in spiritual maturity…… just forgive them and pray for them and don’t hold it against them.
Love in Christ.
Barry