Spiritual Warfare @ MindSay 
Documented case of demon possession by Dr. Richard E. Gallagher who is a board certified psychiatrist and also a Professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College. Dr. Gallagher documented the demon possession in the February issue of the New Oxford Review.
The story goes on to tell of Roman Catholic exorcists going to work on exorcising the demon.
I find the Roman Catholic ritualizing of exorcising fascinating; however that does not line up with a “What Would Jesus Do” moment. Jesus always was prayed up and cast a demon out with a command. Jesus gave this authority to all who Believe on Jesus. Believers can cast out demon by being prayed up and using the NAME OF JESUS.
· ...they brought to Him [Jesus] many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, (Matthew 8: 16)
· Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He [Jesus] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." (Mark 1: 23 – 27)
· When He [Jesus] had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. (Matthew 8: 28-33)
· Then He [Jesus] appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: (Mark 3: 15, 16)
· And when He [Jesus] had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. (Matthew 10: 1)
· And He [Jesus] called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. (Mark 6: 7) [Scripture References from TheBibleSpeaks.com]
Trust me; there are more New Testament references which are similar.
Now you Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox or other ritualized Christians; don’t send me the haterade because I believe in the simplicity of the Word. I am not saying the ritual thing is ineffective or wrong (as many of my Pentecostal/Word fellow Believers would). For Jesus the Lord said,
38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our[c] side. (Emphasis mine - Mark 9: 38-40 NKJV)
I am saying don’t play with demonology if you don’t know what you are doing yet if it concerns you find and meditate on Scriptures that build faith and the sense of authority that Jesus gave to those who Believe on Him.
In either case it is fascinating that a secular trained psychiatrist is publishing in a respected psychiatric journal the case of a demonic possession and the use of Christian Faith to get rid of the bugger.
Okay. Maybe he didn't say that when he was a youth. I don't remember. He was 35 when I was born and it was a few years before I started "getting" what he was saying.
Thing is, though, there is a bit of truth to this. Old age and treachery... Let's call it experience and the ability to think around "the other guy." I offer these as less offensive alternatives for certainly I do not wish to promote treachery (i.e. disloyalty) in anyone! There is absolutely no substitute for experience. One can read about, study, investigate, whatever, but without that moving-through moment, the truth is not wholly grasped. (Men can and have written about childbirth, for example, but only a woman who has given birth can tell you what it was like in all the emotional, physical and psychological aspects.)
Youth and agility are good! If you're an athlete and in competition then these are excellent qualities to have! Whereas they are good, indeed, in competition, they may not be quite so much of a determining factor in, say, a battle.
and a man of knowledge than one of strength;
I believe we are in a battle. A war of the Supernatural. Youth and agility -- radical enthusiasm and stamina, are very useful and valuable, yes! I am not discounting them. But, wisdom is what will win a long, drawn-out conflict, not strength. If two warriors are fighting and the conflict isn't over very early on, it is the wise warrior who will overcome, for he will know how to harness his resources, how to observe his opponent, and how to strike at the most opportune instant.
Strength is good, yes. As are a quick wit and a willingness to put oneself out there. These are impressive characteristics. Flashy, effective. But the winner of the battle will often be the one who is quiet. Observing. One who has lost and has learned. One who can think around the opponent.
In a spiritual battle, we will never have the strength to stand up against the Enemy on our own. Pride might dictate that we can, yes. But wisdom says otherwise. Wisdom says that you need guidance.
victory comes with many counselors.
There is no finer Counselor than the One who made you and who knows where you will be fighting today and tomorrow. He knows the battlefield, has given you arms and stands before you. All you have to do is heed his wisdom.
Old age and treachery overcome youth and agility. Wisdom over strength. It may sound contrary, in a war...but...the Supernatural field is governed by different rules. Eternal ones.
It's propaganda. I have some propaganda sheets that the U.S. dropped on the enemy soldiers during Desert Storm. Spousal Unit brought some back for souvenirs. I cannot read them, but they probably say something like, Americans are not your enemy! Your leaders are!
Behind the Iron Curtain, back during the long Cold War, the Soviet Union had their propaganda, we had ours.
It's all a part of war.
One of the first pieces of propaganda I ever read, though, was not recognized as such by me at the time of my first reading. I just...read it. It is this:
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden '?"
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die. ' "
"No! You will not die," the serpent said to the woman. "In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
A master of propaganda is at work.
First of all, the Enemy (the serpent, who is being used by Satan, here, to deceive the woman), comes in the guise of "a friend." Adam and Eve were given dominion of all the animals, so they had no reason to fear any of them. Not even a serpent. Not at that time. So the serpent was used by the Enemy to communicate.
And what did it say? The first thing the Enemy always wants us to do is to question God and his word. That is the first thing the Enemy wishes to undermine. For if that stronghold is weakened, the rest of it is fairly easy. "Did God REALLY SAY that? Really? Are you sure?"
"Oh not exactly," the woman replied. "He said that we could do everything but that one thing, see? And if we disobeyed, we would die." And she believed it, too. At least, she had.
Then, the serpent was quick to assure her that God was lying to her. "No, not at all! You're kidding me, right? No way. You won't DIE. Instead, you'll become like GOD, and you'll know EVERYTHING." Which, of course, he presented as a desirable outcome from a little bit of disobedience.
Was there truth in what the serpent said? To an extent, yes. When the man and woman took a bite of that fruit, their eyes were opened. And they were ashamed. First thing. Ashamed. It was the first time they had disobeyed and not only were they ashamed of that, but they were ashamed of what they saw in themselves and in each other.
A good lie always has some truth in it, or it wouldn't be believable. Wouldn't be effective.
The Enemy dropped a little bit of truth on the woman, in a desirable package, but what he meant to do was to deceive her into being disobedient. Into losing her innocence and persuading the man to do likewise. Corruption is so sweet to the Enemy. The propaganda is that God has lied, that God didn't really mean it like he said it. That they were free to interpret God's word to suit themselves in their situation, to fit into THEIR wishes. The wish, perhaps, to be like God.
There is nothing new under the sun. The Enemy is using the same tricks today. It's an ancient bit, for him, but hey...it still works.
People are still buying this. People who believe mankind has come so far in wisdom and understanding are still falling for the oldest trick in The Book.
Brother Rick Renner makes a great point in this devotional which you can read below. Renner says that the devil makes strategies to use against Christians and humanity. If the devil has a stratagem, then Christians need a stratagem.
The key is the Holy Spirit. If a human utilizes natural thinking to develop a stratagem to wrestle the dark powers controlled by Satan, the human will lose. It is only as we connect to the Holy Spirit and listen that we develop strategies to confront the devil.
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Effective Spiritual Weapons Require Effective Spiritual Strategies
By Rick Renner
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.
— 2 Corinthians 10:4
In this powerful verse, Paul speaks to us about the subject of spiritual warfare. In fact, this is one of the foundational verses on this subject, so it is vital to understand what Paul is talking about. Today I want to especially draw your attention to three words in this power-packed scripture. Pay special attention to the words weapons, warfare, and carnal
First, Paul tells us that we have “weapons.” These spiritual armaments have been provided by God and are at our disposal. They are both offensive and defensive weapons and can be found in Ephesians 6:13-18, where Paul lists them one by one and explains what each piece represents.
Second, Paul uses the word “warfare.” The word “warfare” is taken from the word stratos. By choosing to use this word, the Holy Spirit alerts us to some very important facts about spiritual warfare.
The word stratos is where we derive the word strategy. This informs us that spiritual warfare does not occur accidentally but is something that is strategically planned. Just as any army plans its line of attack before a battle begins, the devil plans a line of attack, decides which methods he will use, and chooses the approach he wants to take as he cautiously charts a well-thought-out assault.
But the word stratos doesn’t just describe the devil’s strategies. It also tells us that if we will listen to the Holy Spirit, He will give us a strategy that is superior to any schemes of the devil. The devil is not the only one with a strategy. The Holy Spirit always holds the key to every victory, and He wants to provide us with a divinely-inspired strategy that will render null and void the works of the devil every time!
The Old Testament is filled with examples of divinely-inspired strategies. Consider the case of Joshua and the children of Israel as they stood before the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27). What strategy did the Lord give them? They were to walk around the walls of Jericho once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. Then after the seventh time around the wall on the last day, they were to blow trumpets made of rams’ horns. None of this sounded “reasonable” to the natural mind, but the effects of that God-given strategy are still renowned today!
Or consider the time Jehoshaphat sent out a praise team before the army to sing and to worship the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:20-25). What army would send singers and musicians to the frontlines of battle in front of its armed soldiers? Yet as they sang praises to God and played their instruments, the Lord supernaturally set ambushments and the enemies were smitten.
That day the children of Israel walked away from the battle without losing a single fighter. Not only that, but they were also weighed down with gold, silver, jewels, and other riches in abundance! There was so much plunder that it took them three days to gather it! How did they win this famous battle? They received a strategy from the Lord and then followed it accurately. The results of that strategy are legendary.
In both of these cases, the line of attack made no sense to the natural mind, but it released so much power that it completely crushed the foe. So don’t be surprised if the Holy Spirit gives you a strategy that doesn’t make sense when you first hear it! Remember, He operates on a higher level than you, and He knows what you don’t know. Therefore, He may tell you to do something that seems odd to you at first. But you can be sure that Spirit-inspired strategies always work!
Imagine an army that is fully equipped with weapons of warfare but has no strategy about how to use those weapons against the enemy. Even with all those weapons and artillery at their disposal, an army in this condition would utterly fail.
Likewise, although it’s crucial that you put on the whole armor of God, that’s just the first step. You must then have a strategy on how to use those weapons and how to attack! Until you receive a strategy from the Lord on how to use your spiritual weapons, they will be of little help in driving back the forces of hell that have come against you.
This leads to the word “carnal.” In Greek, this word is sarkos, which describes anything that is of the flesh, fleshly made, or fleshly conjured up or anything that is natural or of an unspiritual nature. Paul uses this word when he writes, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal….”
In effect, Paul is saying, “Don’t look to your flesh for the weapons or strategies I’m describing to you because they do not arise out of natural talent, mental exercises, or human efforts. These are spiritual weapons and spiritual strategies, and they come from the spiritual realm.”
When you put all these Greek words together, Second Corinthians 10:4 carries this idea:
“Our God-given weapons are to be used in connection with a divine strategy. But don’t look to the flesh to find that strategy, for the battle plan you need is not going to arise out of your own natural talent, mental exercises, or human effort.”
If you want to receive the strategy needed to assure your victory, you must turn your attention to the realm of the Spirit, for it is from this realm that you will hear from God. You must spend time praying in the Spirit and reading the Word. By yourself, you will never conceive a plan that will deliver you.
Just as spiritual weapons come from God, so do spiritual strategies. So use your head as much as you can, and think through every step. But as you seek God, stay open for Him to graciously give you a supernatural strategy for destroying the work of the devil. And don’t be surprised if God tells you to do something that seems a little odd. Since the beginning of time, God has been giving effective strategies that seem strange to the mind of man!
Takes a deep breath, kicks up feet on footstool aka dog and sighs... good to be home.. I have been home for about 40 minutes.. stayed after bible college class tonite and chatted with a friend over a diet lemonade at chick filet. It's so sweet you would swear that its real sugar.
I almost didnt go to class tonite, was glad that I did tho. My last client is a man I have had to 'educate' on the fact that I dont do testicle massage, testicle or prostate massage or any thing akin to touching his 'balls'. Twice I have 'educated' him, and said NO. Thought we had it pretty clear.
Today.. his session I did some different things, his major issue is TMJ.. so, I was actually feeling pretty confident about how the session was going, the way his muscles were responding and looking forward to the TMJ portion of the session.
That went VERY well to. 5 min left, I am doing some cervical stretches, and he asks me to work near his hernia and on the opposite side that doesnt have a hernia. I said ok... and as I began to work, he again asked me to massage his balls.
I stepped back, said his name, and he was like, ok, I will only ask you once a month to do this. I said, you just dont get it do you? And left the room. Slammed the door. My girlfriend told me that was passive aggressive of me.
I was like, should I have slammed him instead? LOL..sheesh.
I went out.. and a cple minutes later he called for me.. and asked if everything was ok, was I ok? I said, NO I am not.. please get dressed, I need to go to my class. He finished and asked me again if I was ok while looking for his necklace, so I went and got it for him, and I just stopped and said, NO I am not ok, you have really hurt my feelings, you have insulted me for the 3rd time and I cant believe you put me in this position, and how would you feel if someone acted this way toward your wife or daughters that you were talking to me about earlier in the session?????
He said, I knew you were upset, you have never just walked out on me, or left the session. I said darn right, I figured we had this discussion 2 times already and I told you it wasnt going to happen again.
He looked at me, like this hurt lost puppy.. not faking it.. really I dont think he was... and he apologized. .not overly... or anything like that, just simply, Dawn I am very sorry, I will never ask it again of you, I am sorry that I hurt your feelings and crossed the line, it wont happen again..
I took the necklace he was fumbling with and turned him around, clasped it, and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder and said..good, thank you for your apology... and that was that.
But on the way to class, I could feel the spirit of offense piling up within me.. ( I often pray over my clients, for God to bless them, and heal them and bring peace into their lives, and he was no different..)
I almost just went home. I walked into class, and Pstr was talking tonite. As I slid into my seat, he was saying... "when you are in warfare, you cannot take on or be offended...these are just attacks, its not about the actions, or the people, but it's about being in warfare and knowing that the devil has an agenda, and that is to attack your thoughts, your minds, thru the actions or inactions of others, thru words, and thru your own thoughts, and will come at you, he will develop ways to undermine you, to get you in the spirit of being offended....you will mature and grow, and learn to discern the spirits, pray, pray, pray... "
How about that, wasnt going to go, cause I was 'offended'...and that was what tonite's class was on.
I have known it was a spiritual thing, I also am quite aware of the nature of the type of work I do, the perceptions people have and also the fact that intimacy is associated with touch which is associated with sex. I know it.. I was just really 'offended' that he didnt respect what I had to say about this in the past, and I did take it personally. Yet, I did have to make a stand, and I guess just up and walking out on him....told him more than all the 'education' or the NO's! I told him prior. But boy oh boy.. I was all geared up to get all offended...and this client does need the work I offer. He has tried other therapists, but they havent given him the relief like I have for the tmjd. Some therapists say they offer this treatment, but I was really taught by one of the best NMT's in GA and in FL... and I learned how to work the internal mouth as well as the external neck muscles to relieve this.. and believe it or not.. it can be related to your hips.
Now how did I go from venting to teaching you? LOL... Odd, I dont like dentistry, I hate dental work, but I enjoy working with TMJ clients? I really do.
Physically: this week has been a little bit better for me.. my low back hasnt been as bad, I havent been able to get to the chiro, and prob wont even be able to until FRIDAY!!! EEEK.. Tomorrow morning, I have one client ..new.. then I have to tear outta there cause I am scheduled at noon for my nerve conductivity test for my hand/neck issues from the accident.
Emotionally: Tears are slowing down.. not as "cry at the drop of a pin" feeling..not so on edge... calming down just a tad.. and I think its just a result of prayers and letting go..and accepting that its ok where I am. A biggie was acknowledging my 'grieving' or letting go of shawn... just saying.. i cant involve myself anymore with his crap... and REALLY letting go.. letting God kinda thing.. you would think would bring a peace.. it does, but I also have the human feelings of being a mom, being a woman... and living with the threat of violence and the disappointment.
Financially: Busted. However, I had 3 clients buy packages...which pulled me thru the immediate crisis, electric didnt get turned off, and rent got paid. Woohoo..small steps, not in the clear, made arrangements with some.. and others hung up on me when I was trying to make arrangements, and I cried.. LOL.. but will send them something, they wont refuse the money I am sure.
I hope this test tomorrow gives me some answers, a plan, or a idea of what the healing process is going to be.. then perhaps I can wrap up the whole lawyer/accident thing, and we can just move on.. I may bet a settlement... my hubby thinks it should be a fairly good one.. I am doubtful...but this has affected my business..and the finances are in such a mess now because of my lack of working, and then working limited... so we will see... I dont hold much stock in all that stuff.. on tv they make it look like .........well.. like get in an accident and we will get you BIG money.
Honey..its not worth it. DRIVE Carefully!
Well, its 11:30...ambien time, dream time... cheerio.