MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL
ABNORMALITIES
ur mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being depends on
our stability and having a balanced life. For a lot of people, the
mind is a battlefield. Double-mindedness tosses them to and fro
because they do not commit all their ways unto the Lord. If a
person is not grounded in the word of God they can lose faith in God
and can be subject to spiritual oppression.
There is reason to believe there is demonic oppression
when the following symptoms discussed occur. The oppression stems
from occult experiments, subscription to the devil, the transference
of spirits from one person to another, or the visitation of iniquity
because of their ancestry.
The visitation of iniquity comes from the curses of the
law. The people are not guilty of the sin but the tendency to
weaken to certain temptations in an area of their life can cloud
their personalities. Non-believers and backsliders are subject to
this form of oppression. When a believer walks away from the Spirit
they become subject to the law. This happens because of a hardening
of their heart and continual disobedience to the call for repentance
on their part. Only after coming to Christ and returning to the way
of the cross will they find emotional and mental stability again.
He became our curse for us to set us free, for it is written,
'Cursed is he that is hung on a tree.' He died on the cross so that
we would be able to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit and be
set free from the power of sin. We are dead to the power of sin ‘in
Christ’.
When a born-again, a spirit-filled person, in other words,
a Christian, exercises their gifts, the peace of God and His
anointing will be there. It is the Holy Spirit who manifests these
gifts through the people. Do not take the peace of God or His
presence in the anointing for granted. The Scriptures warn us to
watch out for counterfeits. There are people who believe in the
baptism of the Holy Spirit but still walk in darkness. The walk
they have is a counterfeit, always bringing strife and division
because they have never repented through Godly-sorrow for their past
deeds of darkness. Either the occult involvement, or a life of
unrepentant habitual sin, allows the demonic realm to oppress them.
They all have the same problems and symptoms. There are no fruits
in their life. They resist obeying the Word of God or making a
commitment to follow Jesus.
When anyone displays any unnatural abilities, outside of
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we should be cautious. The gifts of
God will always bring Him glory and will bring the peace that
surpasses understanding to us. The spoken word that of knowledge,
wisdom, or prophecy will always be for the edification, exhortation,
and comfort of the church. The spirit of all prophecy is the
revelation of our Lord. However, we do not need to see a
supernatural manifestation to accept a person as a follower of
Christ. We only need to see the fruits of the Spirit in their life
to know they are God’s children.
We are ambassadors of Christ. So when we go to a new
fellowship we should be well mannered and diplomatic. We should
establish a good rapport by presenting our credentials to the
elders, this being our testimony of the Lord's saving graces in our
life. We need not be in total agreement with their doctrines.
However, all doctrines need to agree with the basic foundation
stones of Christianity to establish them. The fellowship must also
hold onto the belief that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of
God.
The wisdom of God reveals the truth and the plan we are to
emulate: Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. There is
therefore no reason to believe we ever need to minister alone.
There is no reason to be a ‘Lone Ranger’. However, we can trust God
if there is a need to minister alone, and He alone enables us to do
so. The Holy Spirit never leaves us, nor will He ever forsake us.
Any person desiring help can wait until a prayer partner is found to
assist. Then, it is advisable to start a prayer chain. A prayer
chain is simply a group of believers who are mature enough to pray
until the Holy Spirit releases the captive from bondage. When the
burden lifts we know in our heart that God has set another person
free from the oppressor. The people who God calls to minister
to the oppressed should also pray for themselves. Prayer and
fasting is sometimes a necessity when the Holy Spirit directs us to
do so. Jesus was very emphatic when He taught the disciples that
some spirits only come out with prayer and fasting. So when the
symptoms are present, we should pray and fast.
We have an assurance, through the witness of the Holy
Spirit, of being in God's will, and we will maintain our peace if we
continue in Him. God gave us the victory through our Lord Jesus, but
did not promise a release from spiritual, mental, or emotional
conflicts. When there are symptoms, this is reason enough to seek
counseling. The symptoms are what the good doctor will treat.
Praise God! Our Lord Jesus Christ is our Great Physician!
In the ministry, there is sometimes a problem of
attributing too many problems to the enemy. For this reason God's
gives some members of the church the gift of discernment. It is an
independent judgment from the Holy Spirit and lets our heart and
mind know about spiritual matters. When we are ready to minister,
we will be able to know the difference between our inner voice, and
the enemy's. When we put on the full armor of God, and the Holy
Spirit leads us, we will have the witness of peace that surpasses
all understanding and His anointing to lead us. His love will
always cast out all fears we have; for God gives us a Spirit of
Love, Power and a Sound Mind. The peace of God in our heart is the
way we can spiritually check ourselves out before we try to
minister.
The ministry of reconciliation is part of our purpose on
the earth. There are many people suffering from spiritual
afflictions. We see the effects and influences in an increasing
number of people in society.
The Lord can heal anyone. When the Lord moves in a life
to heal, it may be instantaneous or gradual. We may never know the
reason for His work in one life more than in others. However, we
know He is not a respecter of persons.
There are scriptures that tell us how extremely important
the 'heart condition' is. God knows the 'heart condition' of people
desiring help and only God knows how to move a person's heart. God
is God! Who knows the mind of God that they may advise Him? He is
the Author and Finisher of our trusting relationship with Him.
Faith comes out of trusting God and taking Him at His
Word. God knows the hearts of people who love Him and He calls them
according to His purpose. His Word assures that He works out all
things for our good and prepares good works for us to walk into.
God knows the people who trust Him with their life. This is one of
the reasons God allows or asks a righteous person to suffer. God
may call upon us to suffer for the people who will find salvation
through our witness. Trust God; only He knows the hearts of men!
Jesus Has Given Us The Authority To
Intercede For Those Suffering Affliction Of Any Kind:
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let
him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the
elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with
oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the
sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins,
he will be forgiven. -- James 5:13-15
For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose
name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has
a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. -- Is 57:15
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite
heart; These, O God, You will not despise. -- Psalms 51:17
Let's take a few precautionary steps so that we understand
the difference between a spiritual affliction and an infirmity
caused by natural disorders. Before a counselor assumes that a
natural disorder or other type of affliction is causing the problem,
he should rule out spiritual possibilities. Then being satisfied by
eliminating the spiritual cause we move to rule out all organic,
functional, mental, or emotional disorders.
We all want to help; We should not do anything that would
jeopardize one of God's children. If a person ministering jumps to
conclusions, the person we want to help may suffer needlessly. The
Holy Spirit is a gentleman. There is a safeguard for those whom God
asks to minister to these special people. It is the gift of the
discernment of spirits. It is a tool that operates throughout the
spiritual realm. This gift is especially beneficial when we need to
understand the relatively unknown world of darkness. The purpose of
the discernment of spirits is:
It exposes errors of doctrine
It reveals the enemy in churches where the minister has strayed from
the truth, the doctrine of demons
It reveals the servants of Satan working in other's lives
It reveals the nature of the spirits causing the problem
It discerns the thought and intent of their hearts
It exposes the use of the counterfeit gifts being used
The gift of discernment is simply a gift from God. Gifts
cannot be earned. Can everyone have the gift? Would everyone use
the gift, if they had it? The Holy Spirit gives gifts severally as
He will and works them through us. The Scriptures confirm this:
‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose’.
--Romans 8:28.
We can be confident and content with the know-ledge that
however and whenever the Lord decides to use us, we will be ready.
Until God reveals the purpose He calls us to. We are to use Holy
Scripture as the Holy Spirit reveals the Truth of His Word to
minister to the needs of the afflicted throughout the individual
membership of His church.
hysical afflictions frequently follow the people who Satan oppresses.
It is characteristic in believers who do not submit their lives to God
after coming to a knowledge of the truth. We do not always enjoy
prefect health, but we avoid a lot of problems by simply keeping our
eyes on the Lord. He keeps the doors closed to the oppressor.
The devil is at war with humanity. The god of this world
has already blinded the minds of unbelievers and skeptics. God allows
Satan to continue oppressing unbelievers so that they turn to God and
find salvation. They are on the way to hell until they turn to God.
The backslider is in the same category, subject to chastisement after
they reject the Lord and return to their past sins.
Spiritual afflictions are a way in which God shows His
mercy. He has allowed the curses of the law and the visitation of
iniquity to manifest in some lives. Only through our Lord Jesus
Christ can their affliction be healed. The medicine or psychological
help they get can only mask the root cause. Only through the blood of
the Lamb is the power of the enemy broken, and then can the body,
soul, heart, and spirit be healed.
Our responsibility as a faithful witness begins here.
Whenever we witness to an unbeliever, and they desire to come to a
prayer service or church meeting, we need to pray for them. Remember,
they also are targets and need angelic protection from the fiery
darts. It is the little things we need to remember to do to become a
good witness, an effective witness. Listen for that small still
voice; God will lead the way!
The purpose of this material is for reference only. It will
bring to light the afflictions a counselor may come in contact with in
the ministry of reconciliation. This material will expose us to the
symptoms that find expression through an individual who suffers from
spiritual affliction.
We all have limitations when it comes to our faith in God.
He can do all things, and heal all manners of diseases and
afflictions. On the other hand, we are only vessels carrying the
message of His love and the works of salvation. At the point we cannot
exercise our faith in God and believe we are to minister to someone's
needs, we have to realize this and refer them to our elders. When
someone approaches us asking for help and we suspect spiritual
affliction, there are three diagnostic rules to help us differentiate
between an illness caused by natural causes and that which is
spiritual. We can conclude they suffer spiritual affliction when:
a)
The person has exhausted any functional or organic disorders
b)
There is no response to prayer and the anointing of oil by the elders
c)
Through the gift of discernment, the Holy Spirit leads the ministers
to pray for them.
There can be problems when we jump to conclusions if a
person is ill. We should not be looking for problems, but we need to
be aware of them. People can sense the walls and barriers we have up;
they should not be there. There are a lot of people who turn away
from the doors of a church and refuse God's help because of the walls
we build. The reason people reject our help is usually because of the
way we present ourselves. Our first impression is the most important
one. People are going to respond if they see the fruits of God's
Spirit in our lives. God’s love will open the door for us and when we
open our hearts to Him the blessings will flow and He will pour His
love through us so we can share this love with others.
There are different forms of spiritual affliction. An
affliction caused by a spirit, fallen angel or demon, is the result of
a judgment for sin that allows the spirit access. The reason for the
judgment is usually a persons' continual unrepentance. God carries out
the resulting punishment through a variety of ways. These include
physical manifestations resulting in a wide variety of symptoms;
oppression that is an attack on the mind or the emotions; and
demonization that subjects a person's free will to the spirit, all or
part of the time. Any spiritual problem Jesus will overcome for us
through faith in Him.
A problem can result from one of four avenues of approach,
Heredity, Subscription, or Occult Experiments and/or Transference. The
judgment that brought the infirmity upon them may be the result of
their own sins or those of their ancestors. Descriptions of the four
avenues of demonic afflictions are:
Heredity - through the visitation of iniquity which is a resulting
punishment for a judgment against their ancestors.
Subscription - by selling oneself to the devil to gain knowledge and
power.
Occult experiments - by yielding to sin involving the occult or
seeking hidden knowledge and power.
Occult transference - when a demon is cast out a skeptic may leave an
avenue open for the spirit to gain access through their unbelief or
unrepentant sin.
The following symptoms listed for spiritual afflictions come
from the entire Holy Bible. They are all part of the manifestations
concerning the demonic influence in the Word of God. If these
symptoms manifest in a person's life and there is no organic or
functional disorder, there is reason to suspect demonic affliction:
Symptoms concurrent with demonic origin:
Abnormal attacks and fits
Inherited oppressions
Chronic skin and scalp disease
Proneness to falls
Hysterical cramps
Paralysis
Frequent miscarriages
Nervous complaints
Deafness, etc.
There is an entire host of maladies that are common to the
influence of demonic activity causing psychosomatic illness. This is
caused by the war upon every believer’s mind.
Abnormal physical appearance:
Contorted facial expression - seldom smile
Morbid or anxiety state - frozen smile
The
eyes may be glazed or dark, seldom blinking
Speech and personality abnormalities:
Abnormal talkativeness or tone
Hysterical laughter
Restlessness and uneasiness
Silliness, giddiness, unusually foolish talk and behavior
Muttering to oneself
Compulsive thoughts and actions
Absence of certain reflexes or exaggerated reflexes
Peculiar posture - regressive or eccentric
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