A Christian Perspective on Demons

I did not write this material to make anyone feel indifferent or uncomfortable if you do not believe in the same beliefs I have on demons. Furthermore, I tried to offer resources that are available and where I got some of my information I just wanted to offer this to help anyone and I am hoping it does. I have been in some bad place and I just hope I can help anyone. Also, sorry my comment is on the long side. Moreover, some of the things that I have written contradict with my Christian of today over the last 2 years I came a long way and I have been truly born again. I hope that I will not scare anyone's point of view on "born again" Christian's because we get a bad wrap sometimes and please do not look down on me or judge me because of the role that I am trying to pursue in being a pastor because of some of my past actions. Again I am just trying and hoping. If you are going to judge my character some of the message may be lost. I honest hope this just helps someone in need and I am not worried that it may reflect on my character The less honest people are with each other the more room the devil has to operate

MOST OF THIS MATERIAL THAT I WROTE IS ARE STATEMENTS OF OPINION

MY BACKGROUND

Hi all, this is quite an interesting story, and I think that I owe it to God and others for me to comment on the story. Let me first say that I am a religious man and try to live my life the most Godly way I can. I am currently a non-domination Christian, and I am studying to be a pastor. I believe in demons and spirits (this is a Pentecostal, a type of Christianity, type of belief). I recently became a Christian over the last 2 years before that I was a non -practicing Catholic and basically an atheist (someone who does not believe in God). Further, I never thought that I would be studying to be a pastor I am 25 years old, and I basically have a bachelor's degree in Business Law and an Associate's in Business Administration. I had all intentions of being a businessman for the rest of my life, but God had different plans for me altogether. Now let me tell you why I had to comment on this story and I hope that God can guide my fingers.

MY STORY- BASICALLY NO SLEEP FOR 6 MONTHS WHY?

I became a Christian basically out of necessity. It all started similarly to this story for me. I had trouble sleeping, to say the least. I was not engaging in sexual activities in my dreams and or being forced to engage in sexual activities with demons I just was not sleeping at all. Basically, I could not sleep for a period of about 6 months; mine you that I was pretty much a sound sleeper for all my life until this point. At this point in my life I was living in complete sin, I was with a girl at the time who was the devil in disguise and this happened during our relationship while I was sleeping next to her in bed most of the time (we were not married, she was previously engaged and had a kid by another man, and I was there something that I am not proud of to this day, but we are all sinner until we met Jesus Christ). But back to the story I could not sleep at all and it felt like every time that I would lay down at night I would be wired. So like any other person would do I watched TV in bed and tried to read and do things to make me relax me to put me to sleep. Okay, I thought to myself during the beginning states of my "insomnia", that was not working (reading and watching TV to try and make me fall a sleep) it is probably just a fluke I'll be cool.

Then, one month when by, and I was still not sleeping. The only thing that gave me comfort was watching TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), and I was not even religious at the time. So I would flip and flip channels and hope that I would fall asleep. Then, not sleeping 2 months. Now it became 3 month and I was growing weaker and weaker by the day I remember that I did not want to do anything at all but sleep and I started to tell some people that I was having trouble sleeping my mom, my girlfriend Joan at the time, who I thank God everyday that I am away from now (that is a whole other story). I started talking to my brother and anyone else as often that I could gain support (my girlfriend was no support- I believe that my girlfriend was the devil, extremely demon possessed to some degree, which I will touch on later in paragraph labeled "DEMON POSSESSED PEOPLE I'VE ENCOUNTERED") So now I started to drink heavily to try and "put myself out" (make myself fall asleep) I would drink to the point of "black-out" (when your body just shuts down from consuming too much alcohol; it's like a body safety feature) and I still could not sleep. Sometimes I would sleep of about a half hour or something, and then I would be back up like I was on speed or something like that (I was not consuming any drugs at the time decides alcohol which is a depressant not a speed, stimulant I never was much of a drug user and to this day I do not use any drugs not just because I am a Christian and I believe that it is a sin or consume alcohol as well). The half hours naps would sometimes some what sober me up so then I would drink more "black-out" again and not fall back to sleep. I remember the 1st night that I kind of slept for the night (about 4-6 hours I think closer to 4 much closer) I drank 1/2 a bottle of vodka and swallowed 6 "Benedill" I asked the pharmacist, an acquaintance of mine at the time, where I worked what "over-the-counter" drug had the strongest sleeping agent and he said "Benedill". I was so happy that I actually fell asleep that night. I tied it again the next night and nothing I could not sleep again.

SLEEP FINALLY! A MIRACLE? THANK YOU JESUS! NEW FOUND FAITH, A NEW LIFE (BEING TRULY BORN AGAIN) AND A NEW PURPOSE

Anyway it took me 3 more months (for a grand total of 6 months) to start regularly sleeping again. The only way that I started sleeping again was through my Lord and now personal Savior Jesus Christ. It was truly a miracle (all things are possible through Christ who strengths me as it is stated in Philippians in the Bible) I slowly started to pray and Jesus put me to sleep even without alcohol or "Benedill" He was the best tranquilizer ever invented. I would go to bed still with Joan (the devil) and I would sleep for the first time since we started going out. I started to sleep every night again regularly, basically by praying, "please Jesus put me to sleep please... God please put me out (to sleep)" and I would say it over and over again, and at this time in knew pretty much nothing about demons (even that, now I believe that I was sharing my bed with one).

But this long time sinner of New York City started to become a Christian through the back door (or should I say through the mattress). And my life started to change, and I stopped going to college for business because I was too tired to go to school or do homework (during my 6 month "insomnia"), although I never failed out (I started to have my sleeping problems around spring break of my junior year in business college, but somehow I still got all B's and C's and one F's in statistics class that semester). I, simply, went on summer break and never went back because I was not sleeping and I ended up working full time delivering pizzas. During the time I was delivering pizza I started to grow in faith little by little and God taught me more and more and send me messengers and saw God perform many miracle for me and hope that God would fix the wrong things in my life put me back in school and have a future again and he did that too just not in the business world like I expected and along the way God send me some messengers along the way when I needed them the most (Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way; Mark 1:2 New American Standard Version) Also, I believe that God has plans for people and that He controls all events in people's lives to either draw them closer to Him or farther form Him

WHEN I FIRST LEARNED OF DEMONS AND WHO OR WHAT THEY ARE?

Two of the most important messengers that pertain to this story that God sent for me was Mr. Harold (the man who truly introduced me to demons) and Gabriel (the man who taught me how to rebuke demons). Between the two of them they taught me that demons existed, that they can jump in and out of people, how to rebuke and the importance of rebuking them, and demons are all of the devil and they operate as all the different faces of the same devil.

Mr. Harold was the first person to teach me about demons (I did not truly know of demons until I met this man and he told me about them). He was a man that would come into the pizza shop that I worked at, and he and I got very friendly talking about religious things because I had became a Christian by this time and he was one too.

Secondly, a more important messenger that God sent was Gabriel, a Haitian man. I met this man by chance (the way that the Lord often works) I recently got my car taken, and I could not longer deliver pizza that is what I was doing for a living when times got bad for me. And what man can deliver pizzas with no car (please tell me that), but I was so blessed in the matter that my boss was letting me drive his mini-van (he also sold me 2 cars for cheap when I needed them to keep delivering- thank you Jesus) Anyway I had to take the bus home one night after delivering, and I met an interesting Haitian man waiting for a bus at a busy terminal in the city. I overheard some girl in distress because she could not find her bus because the bus pick-up locations had recently been changed by the transportation authority. In seeing this I got up and showed her pointing to the bus locater map where her bus was. Then, an African American man saw this and said to me, "Why did you help that girl?" I answered that I was a Christian but hesitated when I said it. He followed by saying to me, "What is a Christian?" And I answered, "One who believes in Jesus Christ..." "Why did you hesitate when you said that you were a Christian," he questioned; and I did not know what to answer. But he continued talking to me and he told me that he was from Haiti and that he had been a preacher since he was 8 years old.

HOW TO REBUKE A DEMON

To make a long story short he taught me more about demons and importantly he taught me how to rebuke them that night. I recall asked him, "How do you rebuke these demons?" And he replied that you rebuke them in the name of Jesus ("I rebuke STATE THE NAME OF THE DEMON OR DEMON- POSSESSED PERSON THAT YOU ARE REBUKING you demon in the name of Jesus Christ through the blood of the lamb who died on the cross" He followed and said that it is important to say in through the "blood of the lamb" and "talk about the cross when rebuking the demon". He followed and said, "That demons do not like to hear about the blood of the lamb and the victory at the cross by Jesus"; furthermore, he continued, "that the devil gets upset and gets mad that you are not worshipping him when people mention the blood of the lamb and the cross and just basically talk about God. Also, he told me that one time he saw a demon trying to coming into him form another man one time and he rebuked it (demons can jump into and out of people at will this Mr. Harold taught me as well and I believe it to be completely true). I was asking him questions and he was answering them we became instantly close. So I asked, "How can you tell if someone has a demon in them?" And he answered, "that a person might show characteristics of anger or getting red in the face when one talks about the blood of the lamb, the cross, and God in general.

SIMILARLY PAUL BILLHEIMER WRITES ABOUT DEMONS AND REBUKING THEM IN DESTINE TO OVERCOME (I bought this book off e-bay for $6.00 and worth every penny too, and IT'S A MUST HAVE IN MY OPINION)

Paul Billheimer writes about demon's in his book Destine to Overcome (a book about the technique of spiritual warfare as Billheimer calls it; it's a great read on demons and the power of prayer/ rebuking in defense) He states that you should single out the demon and rebuke it. For example, Billheimer and I believe that depression is a demon; one would say to rebuke this demon, "I rebuke you depression in the name of Jesus through the blood of the lamb thought Calvary's victory (the place Jesus was crucified). Further, Gabriel taught me "thought the cross" instead of saying "Calvary's victory" I believe that they can be used interchangeably heck use them both to be on the safe side. Billheimer states this on page 46:

When you discover that your trouble is the result of satanic or demonic oppression try speaking directly to the demon or demons, calling them by name and commanding them in the Name of Jesus and upon the basis of Calvary's victory to release you, to take their hands off and go back to the abyss, and stay there thought the blood of Jesus

Further, Billheimer states an interesting observation of what he believes is the cause much mental oppression in Destine to Overcome:

I am convinced that much oppression which we attribute to natural causes such as disposition, temperament, moods, fear and depression is demon inspired (page 42-43)

I had heard by other sources, and I believe, that these demons roam the earth and seek they do not rest until they get a host; as one notices in the medical world there is not clear cause for depression and it can happen form a number of things: drastic changes, lost of a loved one, basically anything can trigger it. But if one cuts there finger you know how it happened and you know how to solve it by putting a bandage on it mental problems are much different and I believe that they are demonic

Further, Billheimer elaborates about demons on a following page:

These evil spirits (demons) are self-conscious personalities who can hear and see and think and feel... They have all the attributes of personality except a body (page 45)

That is why I believe that they take a host in peoples bodies and people do not even know that they are there they think that it is them or it has become them that their personality has changed, but it is actually the demon I believe this with all my heart.

DEMON-POSSESSED PEOPLE I'VE ENCOUNTERED

I believe that many people are demon possessed now a days, some more than others, and people just call them by their medical names schizophrenic's, bipolar, suffers of depression, suffers of anxiety etc.

Three people that I believe were demon possessed that I came into contact with were Joan, my ex-girlfriend, Tina, a girl that I worked with in a pizza shop, and Keith, a cabdriver that I met just to name a few

I believe Joan was very possessed with many demons including: anger, depression, lustful, bi-polarism, self mutilator and suicidal (she would try and slit her wrists when I would try and break-up with her or overdose on some type of drug) I believe that she was a schizophrenic, she was delusional and paranoid (she was extremely paranoid about things; for example, she thought that there was cameras watching her at one of her jobs. Also, she though one of my friends was trying to set me up and people were trying to set up to beat-up one of her friends), obsessed with everything to the point of having obsessive compulsive disorder, extremely possessive, lied all the time (basically a pathological liar), and she abused anything she would get her hands on from diet pills to drugs, recovering anorexic and bulimic. An interesting thing is that Joan tried every drug on the market to help her and none would the only thing that could help Joan was/ is Jesus Christ, but Joan would make rage-filled statements when I would be talking about God and say things in a nasty, cold, very angry, and stern way with her face red:

1) "You know where I think we go when we die! We go into the ground!"

2) "Now that you are holier than thow and you do not sin anymore!"

3) "I believe that Jesus was the greatest story (lied) ever told and the Bible the biggest lie ever written!"

Another demon possessed person that I ran into was a cabdriver named Keith. Whenever I would take a cab home from the pizza shop (when I was without a car) I would usually talk to the cabby to make the time go by quicker. I built an acquaintance type of relationship, with a cabby, who would often take me home, and his name was Keith. One night we were talking about religion and Keith knew that I was a Christian and at that time I knew a lot less then I know today, but when I was talking and he cut me off became instantly cold (turning red in the face) and told me that I need to do some research on the things that I was talking about and he said that he read the Satanic Bible along with the really Bible front to back in a couple of days twice.

And another demon possessed person that I encountered was right after I broke-up with Joan for good (thank you Jesus), I met a girl by the name of Tina who started to work with me at the pizza-shop. To be honest I thought that she was cute; further, I kind of wanted to take her out on a date until I realized that she was just like Joan and equally demon possessed. By this point I was used to dealing with someone extremely demon-possessed regularly because I when out with Joan for a good amount of time (2 years) So I would quiz Tina randomly and see how she would react to learn more about demons. During the time I worked with Tina I saw her in anger flipped-out on a customer and tried to fight them because they were "giving her an attitude" (boy that reminded me of my ex). She had some type of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) she would wear basically new cloths into the pizza shop and some nights she was cooking and get angry rageful if they got dirty or stained. Another time she put bags around a new pair of boots that she bought that she wore to work one day (to keep them clean) (something else Joan would of done. She would get ragefully angry when she would stain and new article of clothing or any clothing in general).

Also, I felt and enormous feeling of lust around her like I just wanted to have sex with her; the only time that I felt that feeling was when I was around Joan (a person, who was the most promiscuous person that I ever met, by age 19 she had sex with 25 men 20 of them in a matter of the six months prior to the time I started dating her some of them were random encounters engaging in sex with men she knew for less then a day. The 6 month period was a period between her ex-finance leaving her and when I came along. Also, I believe that during our time together she cheated on me having sex with 3 other men one of them I believe to be some random man that she met during a fight of ours and had sex with him because she though that I was leaving her)

Another thing that I noticed was there was an intense feeling of depression when I was around Tina I drove her home one night and to her friend's house both which I did not want to but she conned me into driving her. I also felt this feeling during my time with Joan just a leveling depression I felt it when we first stared going out, and I felt that later with her I believe that it was one of her demon jumping out into me. Needless to say I rebuked both Tina and Joan as well.

DEMONS LIST- ONE DEVIL MANY DEMONS

This is a list that I came up with of possible demons, and I hope that it is helpful. This is not and all inclusive list and may not be right, AGAIN THIS IS MY OPINION

1. Lust

2. Anger

3. Any and all mental illness

4. Depression

5. Anxiety

6. Fear (panic)

7. Schizophrenia

8. Bi-Polarism

9. Obsessiveness (obsessive compulsive disorder); by this I mean not just the disorder but obsessing over things too Joan obsessed over everything especially her weight this was the reason for her eating disorder I believe.

10. Any type of addiction (drug addict; to exercise addict)

Some people might say that are not mental illness in some regard hereditary? And I believe the answer would be correctly yes! Stating that demons roam around the earth until they find a host and who people around the most early on in life are their parents around the most their children. I believe that the demons that existed in the parent can enter the child. I believe that most people have many demons in them that they are unaware of it AND WATCH THEY CAN JUMP IN AND OUT OF PEOPLE WITHOUT PEOPLE KNOWING/ FEELING IT

POSSIBLE TRAITS/ CHARACTERISTICS OF DEMON POSSESSED PEOPLE

I kind of developed a demon "test" or "checklist" my knowledge of demons has grown tremendously since I have met Mr. Harold and Gabriel. This is just some of the things that I noticed. Specifically, it is more like a list of observations that I have noticed in my experiences, and I hope that it can be helpful to you too. Further, not all demon possessed people display all these traits they may only display a few. AGAIN THIS IS MY OPINION

1. Red in face when angered

2. Just strange or weird acting; possibly schizophrenic personally traits; paranoia

3. Anger issues: rageful anger; hateful anger; could possibly be violent or attack people

4. OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) or obsessive behavior; obsessive over things: events, people rageful over obsessions

5. Possibly controlling, manipulative

6. Some type of outward appearance of mental problem

7. A hollowness / emptiness in people; hollowness in their eyes, look of emptiness

8. Cold: do not care about things: people, circumstances; possibly accompanied by a sense of hopelessness

9. Incapable of self-control (outburst of anger possibly to point of violence emotional outbursts crying, screaming, and yelling etc.)

10. Unstable; possibly emotionally; mentally

11. Acting psychotic or acting as if one has psychoses

12. Lying all the time; maybe to cover for their actions; just general lying; political lying (lying for power to control things); may seam like a pathological liar

13. Possibly suicidal

14. May appear friendly initially but true personality is cold;

possessed may go from friendly to cold in an instant

Donald Juel writes his "check-list" on page 70 of The Gospel of Mark:

Evidence of demonic possession includes epilepsy-like symptoms (9:20-26), uncontrolled shouting (1:24; 5:7), superhuman feats of strength, and self-mutilation

{the parentheses are in the text of the book and refer the reader to the Gospel of Mark in the Bible where it is located and the reason that he placed these traits}

Joan would get mad and attack me, and I would have a subdue her at times and to be honest sometimes it was hard (superhuman feats of strength) she would also call my parents house yelling and scream stating that I beat her up when actually it was the other way around like she was trying to beat me up (delusional and uncontrolled shouting) self-mutilation she would try and slit her wrist when there was problem

WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE INFECTED WITH A DEMON OR BEING ATTACKED BY A DEMON: STAYING SIN FREE AND DEMON FREE

1. Rebuke it or them (using technique/ techniques listed above)

2. Stand strong in your rebuke (if you are rebuking a person do not associate with them. They may at fist try to associate with you stronger after the rebuke because the devil knows of the rebuke and he will fight it). Symptoms may get worst initially but that is very brief and so follows deliverance

3. Believe that it works have faith in God; if one lacks faith this will not work as effectively as it could (pray to God for faith if lacking)

4. Pray to God to rebuke the demon for you too

5. Repent to God for any sin in your life and remove the sin in your life. We must constantly make sure that our life is pure before Him; further, make sure that there are not any sins habits or attitudes that God may be judging in our lives

if sin is in our life the devil (demons) is legally allowed to sift us (see Luke 22:31; 1 Corinthians. 5:5)

6. Read the Bible (the Bible is the word of God and is the only infallible source of truth), and stay in prayer these are the best medicines for anything supernatural; moreover, PRAYER TO GOD IS OUR SUPERNATURAL WEAPON USE IT!

I BELIEVE WITH AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE SIN IN OUR LIVES THE CHANCE OF A DEMONIC ATTACK WILL LESSEN AND IF WE ARE SUFFERING FROM A DEMONIC ATTACK I THINK THAT IT WILL BREAK MORE EASILY. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REBUKE THESE DEMONS AND NOT LET THEM STAY INTO YOU OR I BELIEVE THE LONGER THAT THEN REMAIN IN YOU THE MORE DANGEROUS IT WILL BE

TESTIMONIES

Billheimer writes in Destine to Overcome on page 40-41:

Since Satan does not have a body and cannot be attacked physically-not in our own power or strength or wisdom but in the Name of Jesus! When at last in hesitation, in fear and trembling, I ventured to speak directly to him (the devil); calling him by name; commanding him and his demons of depression, oppression, affliction and bondage, in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth and upon the basis of His shed blood, to leave me and release me, I discovered immediate release and relief. It was as though the demons of doubt, fear and bondage instantly melted at the Name of Jesus and the blood of the Lamb when the word of command was spoken directly to them. Now, with the word of my testimony, I declared aloud that they had been destroyed by Christ's death and that their claims were cancelled, that they had no right whatever to touch me, that they were trespassers when they attempted to do so. When I did this, commanding them in the Name of Jesus to go, I experienced immediate relief and freedom

I similarly, felt that too. If you do not experience it try again because I promise you that it does work as God as my witness.

HELPFUL BOOKS- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

1. Read the Gospel of Mark in the Bible. (I think that the New American Standard version of the Bible is great get it if you can it is a lot easier to read then the King James in my opinion get it if you do not have one) The Gospel of Mark has a lot of demonic activity in it. Jesus rebuking demons etc.

2. Steve Sampson's Confronting Jezebel (discerning and defeating the spirit of control)

3. Donald Juel's Commentary on the Gospel of Mark

4. Paul Billheimer's Destined to Overcome (A MUST READ in my opinion about this subject) and Destined for the Throne (got it for $3)

Please E-mail me if you have any questions comment or concerns if I can help please let me know demonhelp1 [at] yahoo.com PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE. I just hope that I can help.