Izzy wrote: > But who knows how much is chemical and > how much is spiritual in any given mental illness?
Just because certain symptoms are tied to a chemical basis, this does not mean that spirits are not behind it. Smith Wigglesworth's testimony of being healed of appendicitis involves some people who believed that all sickness was caused by evil spirits. He was about to die, refusing to go to doctors, when these people jumped on his stomach and cast the devil out of him. He was healed, and his testimony is that for any case of appendicitis, he cast the devil out in the same way that they did with him, and God healed those cases every time, according to his testimony. I have cast spirits out of bi-polar people before. One man called me to pray for his co-worker who was at work barking like a dog. By the time I could see him, they had hospitalized him and put him on Haldol. I visited him in the hospital and talked with him, but he was all doped up and I really could do nothing. [Note that I'm not saying such is impossible because years earlier I had ministered to a woman who had lost her mind completely in a rehabilitation facility. A nurse had actually called me to come pray for her. I tried to talk to her, but her mind was completely gone. She made no sense whatsoever. I laid my hands on her head and rebuked the devil that had taken over her mind. After ministering to her for 15 minutes, she fell asleep in her bed and I left. The next week I came back and I glorified the Lord as I found that she was fully restored and in her right mind. Her very first words to me when I walked in the door was, "Praise the Lord!" The nurse told me that she had come to her right mind the very next morning when she had woke up. Hallelujah! Back to the story about the man...] Months later, they released him and he was brought to my house. As I began to pray for him, he began mild convulsing and demons spoke through him. There were seven spirits. The last who spoke through him said that his name was Gunge. I don't know exactly what it means, but the Spirit showed me a meaning of uncleanness and utter wickedness and vileness. The first six spirits came out rather quickly, but the seventh hung on for about 7 hours before he left. The man had vomited many times before he appeared to pass out. This man was a Christian man, by the way. But now, I suppose, we will get back to that definition which none of us seem to agree upon. What is a Christian? I have cast evil spirits out of several Christian women too. As you know, I define a Christian as one who professes to follow Christ, not as someone who is a true believer. Most of these I'm talking about, however, were accepted in their churches and by their families as followers of Christ. Dennis Rader was too, even elected President to represent his Lutheran Christian congregation, so what does that moniker of "Christian" really tell us? My theology leads me to believe that nobody who is abiding in Christ and trusting in him will have problems with evil spirits. I take Psalm 121 seriously. Look at verse 7: Psalms 121:7 (7) The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. Those who have faith and confidence in Christ and his Word have nothing to fear and will have victory over evil spirits. Nevertheless, that is the "perfect world" so to speak. In life, we find some people do fall short, and sometimes those we love the most, and perhaps some of those we respect the most, might fall short and require ministry in ways that we did not expect. Basically, telling me that someone is a Christian does not cause me to dismiss the possibility that they might need deliverance from evil spirits, but those who are trusting in Christ but who might fear that evil spirits might overpower them, I encourage them with Psalm 121 and the like, assuring them that God does not leave them impotent in such situations. I also point out the New Testament passage, 2 Timothy 1:7, that he has given us a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. I think anyone who believes and has faith has power in Christ. I certainly do not expect any evil spirits to be successful in taking over my mind as I get older. Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
