What Does Demonic Oppression Do To A Person?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

The answer I was given a number of years ago was this: demons oppress people by breaking them down physically, emotionally, and spiritually; often to the point where they are at their wits end…. or even end their own lives. The manner in which the demonic do this is limited only by their extensive, depraved imagination….and they are relentless. It is obvious that they get a perverse pleasure from causing a person or relationship to unravel. It is not uncommon for an oppressed person’s home to be a pig-sty….an outward symbol of inner, psychic dislocation; and they are laughing at both. I think of Jim Morrison, the poet of psychic dislocation, in People are Strange: “…women seem wicked when you are unwanted, roads seem uneven when you are down…” People’s perceptions become strange when oppressed.  (and under the effects of acid!)

In 1979 I enrolled in a three year Masters of Divinity degree, and afterwards was ordained in 1985. Once I put the books aside and got involved in actual pastoral ministry, I learned the following truths in a visceral way: ministry is messy, and hurting people hurt people. Both are intensely biblical. Though all Christians could benefit from being reminded of these facts of life, I wish to apply them specifically to those who have been called to help those suffering from demonic oppression. My daughter texted me tonight Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden…” Bone weary from sleep deprivation, and heavy laden with the effects of chronic and acute diabolical torture, we approach our clients at the nadir of their lives. It is so humbling to hear, “This is the lowest I have ever been. Had you not come when you did, I am not sure what I would have done because I can’t take it anymore. Thank you for coming to help me. Everybody else had given up on me….” To hear those words is humbling and precious, isn’t it?

Oftentimes family and friends give up on them because they don’t understand. To make matters worse, the average person I have assisted has been turned away by several pastors. And to top it off, many have been neglected, mis-diagnosed, or judged harshly by Christian demonologists. Friends, what are we doing? Physically, emotionally, and spiritually these folks are wrecks, which means they just might not be doing very well spiritually; their patience may be very thin which means they are short-tempered and angry; and they just might not live up to our standards of responsibility when they are struggling to stay alive. C’mon, how do we feel when we miss just one nights full rest? Try being a young mom who hasn’t had a decent night sleep in months because of being tormented by demonic shadows every night or possibly even being raped by these supernatural putrid perverts. Jesus showed his most tender and gentle side to those who had been beaten down by demonic oppression/possession…or those with had symptoms similar to it.

“Don’t mess with that case because he is nothing but an attention seeking king, and he gets angry at everyone who has tried to help him in the past. It is all in his head… He has gotten so good at faking it, he even has his wife and kids in on it.”  That is a composite of warnings I have received from folks over the years. I ALWAYS listen carefully, but occasionally I want to find out for myself…especially IF they are seeking my help—in EVERY case I’m glad I did (because it turned out they were wrong). You know the drill…certain people get a reputation, and soon nobody wants to help them. If you have uttered similar words, perhaps you need to remember what we have been talking about—the deleterious effects of demonic oppression. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT WRITING SOMEONE OFF, UNLESS YOU SPEND THE HOURS NEEDED TO SIFT THROUGH THE WRECKAGE—AND COMMUNICATE THAT YOU REALLY CARE FOR THEM AND ARE NOT JUST AFTER DATA ACQUISITION.

Just a basic knowledge of psychology is helpful here. The nexus of attitudes and behaviors of the demonic oppressed is complex and unique to each individual. We really need to cry out to the Holy Spirit for wisdom before we dismiss someone. My point is this: the very things that we see as red flags in our criteria for determining those who are faking demonic oppression (attention seeking, anger, irresponsibility, inconsistency in memory, seeming exaggeration, and so on), these are often part of the complex of symptoms  that demonic oppression causes! Again, the very signs we look for in spotting the fake cases, are often the signs of a case being genuine! To put it simply, hurting people hurt people (we will get hurt), and I trust we all would agree that demonic oppressed folks are hurting. But often when folks display hurtful behavior we see that as a red flag, when it is the very thing we should expect from those experiencing diabolical torture. I am reading John Mc Cain, his autobiography, and he speaks of the savagery of his captors while a POW. The NVA and VC seem to know demonic tactics well. As I get older it is being impressed upon me of how madness surrounds demonic activity...sheer madness.

Why do we believe that demonic oppression breaks people down so comprehensively (especially spiritually), but then turn around and question: is their faith in Christ real or strong enough to do this cleansing successfully, when Jesus NEVER asked that question before he exorcised anyone? What of the power of faith the size of a mustard seed? Spiritually is where folks are hammered the worst. One can’t say everything in a blog, but certainly Jesus is the only means by which we can liberate folks. However, am I being a Pharisee by expecting people to clean up their lives before I deem them “cleansable”? It is similar to cleaning up ones act before becoming savable….which is a false gospel.

To be forewarned is to forearmed—expect folks to be tough to deal with at times. Sure we need to be discerning, and establish ground rules, but hurting people hurt people, and ministry is messy….especially this ministry. In the pastoral ministry I saw all kinds of evil and the effects of evil, but it did not compare with the relentless and savagery of the evil found in helping folks with demonic oppression. I bow before the Lord in worship for calling us to be co-workers with Him in liberating the captives. Please, let us be extremely careful that we not dismiss one of God’s wandering and savaged sheep.

The Necessity of Scripture

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

The ultimate written authority we are subject to is God's inerrant, personal Word to us in the bible. It is God's authoritative interpretation of His own creation (among many other things)...which includes the paranormal. Hence, it is appropriate that we spend some time looking at the nature of scripture. This series will include discussions of: the necessity of scripture, the clarity of scripture, the comprehensiveness of scripture, and the sufficiency of scripture. All of these speak of why scripture is important for us, and the ways it is to have preeminence in our lives. A driving force of the sixteenth century reformation was sola scriptura (scripture alone), and it remains the driving force of any church or Christian who seeks to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Let us first look at the necessity of scripture.

To speak of the bible's necessity is simply to say we need it. We have noted before that when Satan tempted Jesus to turn stone into bread that our Lord replied by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4). Notice that Jesus refers to every word, which implies that every single word is necessary for our spiritual diet...every word is inspired by God the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16). We certainly need food, but our need for God's word is of even greater importance. In practice, which is viewed by you with more importance--eating      breakfast or daily ingesting God's word?

Recently I was communicating with a friend who is a witch. In response to a blog I had posted on Facebook, they commented that it would make them sad if their magical world of spirits was reduced to only demons and angels--implying that the bible impoverished one's view of reality. As is so often the case with occultists (and folks who believe/speak in ghosts are occultists), my friend was of the opinion that she had an objective view of the spirit world, but that I was saddled with an antiquated bible which has antiquated views about the spirit world. Poor me! I replied that nobody is able to be 100% objective (defined as not influenced by anything but the "facts") and we all operate, consciously or unconsciously, with a worldview--a set of presuppositions about reality...an ultimate norm or standard that we appeal to. The ultimate norm may be the bible or it might be one's reason, imagination, intuition, experience and so on. But we must disabuse ourselves of any notion that we view the paranormal objectively...nobody does...nor is it possible or even desirable. As followers of Christ, He must have preeminence in all of our thought--regarding the full circumference of reality--seen and unseen.

However, if our ultimate norm for interpreting reality is anything but the bible, then it has become autonomous (literally, "self-law"). Autonomous reasoning is attempting to reason independent of God. I told my friend that we ALL lean on something to be our ultimate court of appeal...it is not just Christians with their bible. For example, since the paranormal is invisible (usually), it is particularly necessary that we be guided through this treacherous terrain by the compass of the bible--otherwise our autonomous reasoning will steer us wrong....and onto the rocks. We WILL misinterpret real experiences, and Satan WILL deceive us if we attempt to reason autonomously regarding anything--especially regarding the spirit world on earth since that is God's ordained, temporary home for Satan and his infernal army. I refer you to the first sentence in this paragraph--there is no "IF"S" about it...it seems to me that the primary human cause (as opposed to Satanic strategy) of this explosion of necromancy is the ancient disease known as autonomous reasoning....Satan tempted Adam and Eve to first think autonomously, and their sinful eating of forbidden fruit would follow. Instead of bowing before the comprehensive jurisdiction of God's holy and authoritative Word over every area of our lives (including the paranormal), we have used our God-given faculties independently of our Maker.The temptation to think autonomously has its roots in the Garden (Gen.3......and Satan's revolt before that) and we must come to terms with how thoroughly original sin has affected our minds--we instinctively suppress and deny the truth of God and exchange it for a lie (Rom.1). I say all this because it accents just how necessary God's Word is.

Have you ever been to a county fair where one of the games was a duck-shooting gallery? Pling...pling...pling...even I can nail them at such close range. "They are a sitting duck" is a common expression referring to people who are defenseless against a deadly enemy. The tens of millions of Americans who have an active interest in the paranormal are sitting ducks in the worst possible way. Their insistence on autonomy of thought has exposed them to demonic oppression. The friend I mentioned earlier said that the idea that all paranormal activity was demonic was stupid (her word). Not so...what is foolish is playing in Satan's sandbox....what is naive is the notion that we can outwit Satan's deceptions without the Word of God. The carnage is becoming a killing fields--and it is heartbreaking to see. If ever their were in the history of mankind a situation which showed the absolute necessity of the word of God is America in 2013.

Second, the written Word is necessary because it establishes God's covenant authority over us. People often speak of having a personal relationship with Christ, but they are uncertain about the role of scripture in that relationship. Jesus says that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15, 21, 23, 15:7, 10) To obey His commandments we need to know them--hence, the necessity of having His Word and reading it. His words are absolutely necessary for our lives (John 6:68). If we do not obey His Word, then we may not call Him Lord (Matt.7:21--27). Jesus' words are found only in scripture. By right of creation and re-creation, God (and God alone) has the rightful authority to demand implicit obedience from us...keeping His commandments. We will speak more of this in the weeks to come, but the Lord, and His Word, has jurisdiction over every area of our lives--including full control over our interpretation and behavior regarding the paranormal. The written Word of God is the constitution of God's redeemed community here on earth.

Third, His written, personal Word to us records the key events in Jesus ministry, as well as giving us God's own interpretation of those events The four gospels and epistles are equally important--generally speaking, the gospels record the key redemptive events, and the epistles interpret or explain the meaning and significance of those recorded events. I hasten to add that the gospels certainly contain theological interpretation and commentary, and the epistles have historical elements in them...but we can still say that the gospels are primarily narratives of redemptive historical events, and the epistles elaborate the significance of the: incarnation, life, substitutionary atonement, resurrection, ascension, and second coming of our Lord Jesus. Without the bible, Jesus' death would have no meaning to us. Without the bible we would have no clue as to the Person and Work of Jesus--the incarnate Word. Without the Old and New Testaments, there is no Christ...without Christ there is no gospel....without the gospel there is no salvation. The gospel cannot be grasped by general/natural revelation--it had to be verbally communicated by our Lord to us. Below is the very first statement of the Westminster Confession of Faith regarding this matter--personally subscribing to the substance of the WCF was a prerequisite of my ordination in 1985 in the AR Presbyterian denomination.

Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which makes the Holy Scripture to be MOST NECESSARY; those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased. (WCF 1:1...emphasis added)

Fourth, God's written word is necessary, because without it, reality in general would become meaningless and incoherent. Any attempts at autonomous reasoning (thinking independently of God's influence) ultimately becomes self-destructive. For example, Scripture says we are made in God's image (Gen.1).This image-of-Godness is not anan optional extra--it is the essence of our self identity. As His image bearers, we cannot even begin to have accurate knowledge of self if we reason independently (autonomous) from the God we mirror. As John Calvin said in the beginning of the Institutes, knowledge of God and knowledge of ourselves, are inextricably bound together...and it is difficult to know which comes first. Having, cherishing, and reverently reading the Word of God is absolutely necessary for spiritual growth and equipping of the saints for spiritual warfare.

See Part 2 The Clarity of the Word of God

What Does Demonic Oppression Do To a Person?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

The answer I was given a number of years ago was this: demons oppress people by breaking them down physically, emotionally, and spiritually; often to the point where they are at their wits end…. or even end their own lives. The manner in which the demonic do this is limited only by their extensive, depraved imagination….and they are relentless. It is obvious that they get a perverse pleasure from causing a person or relationship to unravel. It is not uncommon for an oppressed person’s home to be a pig-sty….an outward symbol of inner, psychic dislocation; and they are laughing at both. I think of Jim Morrison, the poet of psychic dislocation, in People are Strange: “…women seem wicked when you are unwanted, roads seem uneven when you are down…” People’s perceptions become strange when oppressed.  (and under the effects of acid!)

In 1979 I enrolled in a three year Masters of Divinity degree, and afterwards was ordained in 1985. Once I put the books aside and got involved in actual pastoral ministry, I learned the following truths in a visceral way: ministry is messy, and hurting people hurt people. Both are intensely biblical. Though all Christians could benefit from being reminded of these facts of life, I wish to apply them specifically to those who have been called to help those suffering from demonic oppression. My daughter texted me tonight Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden…” Bone weary from sleep deprivation, and heavy laden with the effects of chronic and acute diabolical torture, we approach our clients at the nadir of their lives. It is so humbling to hear, “This is the lowest I have ever been. Had you not come when you did, I am not sure what I would have done because I can’t take it anymore. Thank you for coming to help me. Everybody else had given up on me….” To hear those words is humbling and precious, isn’t it?

Oftentimes family and friends give up on them because they don’t understand. To make matters worse, the average person I have assisted has been turned away by several pastors. And to top it off, many have been neglected, mis-diagnosed, or judged harshly by Christian demonologists. Friends, what are we doing? Physically, emotionally, and spiritually these folks are wrecks, which means they just might not be doing very well spiritually; their patience may be very thin which means they are short-tempered and angry; and they just might not live up to our standards of responsibility when they are struggling to stay alive. C’mon, how do we feel when we miss just one nights full rest? Try being a young mom who hasn’t had a decent night sleep in months because of being tormented by demonic shadows every night or possibly even being raped by these supernatural putrid perverts. Jesus showed his most tender and gentle side to those who had been beaten down by demonic oppression/possession…or those with had symptoms similar to it.

“Don’t mess with that case because he is nothing but an attention seeking king, and he gets angry at everyone who has tried to help him in the past. It is all in his head… He has gotten so good at faking it, he even has his wife and kids in on it.”  That is a composite of warnings I have received from folks over the years. I ALWAYS listen carefully, but occasionally I want to find out for myself…especially IF they are seeking my help—in EVERY case I’m glad I did (because it turned out they were wrong). You know the drill…certain people get a reputation, and soon nobody wants to help them. If you have uttered similar words, perhaps you need to remember what we have been talking about—the deleterious effects of demonic oppression. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT WRITING SOMEONE OFF, UNLESS YOU SPEND THE HOURS NEEDED TO SIFT THROUGH THE WRECKAGE—AND COMMUNICATE THAT YOU REALLY CARE FOR THEM AND ARE NOT JUST AFTER DATA ACQUISITION.

Just a basic knowledge of psychology is helpful here. The nexus of attitudes and behaviors of the demonic oppressed is complex and unique to each individual. We really need to cry out to the Holy Spirit for wisdom before we dismiss someone. My point is this: the very things that we see as red flags in our criteria for determining those who are faking demonic oppression (attention seeking, anger, irresponsibility, inconsistency in memory, seeming exaggeration, and so on), these are often part of the complex of symptoms  that demonic oppression causes! Again, the very signs we look for in spotting the fake cases, are often the signs of a case being genuine! To put it simply, hurting people hurt people (we will get hurt), and I trust we all would agree that demonic oppressed folks are hurting. But often when folks display hurtful behavior we see that as a red flag, when it is the very thing we should expect from those experiencing diabolical torture. I am reading John Mc Cain, his autobiography, and he speaks of the savagery of his captors while a POW. The NVA and VC seem to know demonic tactics well. As I get older it is being impressed upon me of how madness surrounds demonic activity...sheer madness.

Why do we believe that demonic oppression breaks people down so comprehensively (especially spiritually), but then turn around and question: is their faith in Christ real or strong enough to do this cleansing successfully, when Jesus NEVER asked that question before he exorcised anyone? What of the power of faith the size of a mustard seed? Spiritually is where folks are hammered the worst. One can’t say everything in a blog, but certainly Jesus is the only means by which we can liberate folks. However, am I being a Pharisee by expecting people to clean up their lives before I deem them “cleansable”? It is similar to cleaning up ones act before becoming savable….which is a false gospel.

To be forewarned is to forearmed—expect folks to be tough to deal with at times. Sure we need to be discerning, and establish ground rules, but hurting people hurt people, and ministry is messy….especially this ministry. In the pastoral ministry I saw all kinds of evil and the effects of evil, but it did not compare with the relentless and savagery of the evil found in helping folks with demonic oppression. I bow before the Lord in worship for calling us to be co-workers with Him in liberating the captives. Please, let us be extremely careful that we not dismiss one of God’s wandering and savaged sheep.

What Does Demonic Oppression Do To a Person?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

The answer I was given a number of years ago was this: demons oppress people by breaking them down physically, emotionally, and spiritually; often to the point where they are at their wits end…. or even end their own lives. The manner in which the demonic do this is limited only by their extensive, depraved imagination….and they are relentless. It is obvious that they get a perverse pleasure from causing a person or relationship to unravel. It is not uncommon for an oppressed person’s home to be a pig-sty….an outward symbol of inner, psychic dislocation; and they are laughing at both. I think of Jim Morrison, the poet of psychic dislocation, in People are Strange: “…women seem wicked when you are unwanted, roads seem uneven when you are down…” People’s perceptions become strange when oppressed.  (and under the effects of acid!)

In 1979 I enrolled in a three year Masters of Divinity degree, and afterwards was ordained in 1985. Once I put the books aside and got involved in actual pastoral ministry, I learned the following truths in a visceral way: ministry is messy, and hurting people hurt people. Both are intensely biblical. Though all Christians could benefit from being reminded of these facts of life, I wish to apply them specifically to those who have been called to help those suffering from demonic oppression. My daughter texted me tonight Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden…” Bone weary from sleep deprivation, and heavy laden with the effects of chronic and acute diabolical torture, we approach our clients at the nadir of their lives. It is so humbling to hear, “This is the lowest I have ever been. Had you not come when you did, I am not sure what I would have done because I can’t take it anymore. Thank you for coming to help me. Everybody else had given up on me….” To hear those words is humbling and precious, isn’t it?

Oftentimes family and friends give up on them because they don’t understand. To make matters worse, the average person I have assisted has been turned away by several pastors. And to top it off, many have been neglected, misdiagnosed, or judged harshly by Christian demonologists. Friends, what are we doing? Physically, emotionally, and spiritually these folks are wrecks, which means they just might not be doing very well spiritually; their patience may be very thin which means they are short-tempered and angry; and they just might not live up to our standards of responsibility when they are struggling to stay alive. C’mon, how do we feel when we miss just one nights full rest? Try being a young mom who hasn’t had a decent night sleep in months because of being tormented by demonic shadows every night or possibly even being raped by these supernatural putrid perverts. Jesus showed his most tender and gentle side to those who had been beaten down by demonic oppression/possession…or those with had symptoms similar to it.

“Don’t mess with that case because he is nothing but an attention seeking king, and he gets angry at everyone who has tried to help him in the past. It is all in his head… He has gotten so good at faking it, he even has his wife and kids in on it.”  That is a composite of warnings I have received from folks over the years. I ALWAYS listen carefully, but occasionally I want to find out for myself…especoally IF they are seeking my help—in EVERY case I’m glad I did (because it turned out they were wrong). You know the drill…certain people get a reputation, and soon nobody wants to help them. If you have uttered similar words, perhaps you need to remember what we have been talking about—the deleterious effects of demonic oppression. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT WRITING SOMEONE OFF, UNLESS YOU SPEND THE HOURS NEEDED TO SIFT THROUGH THE WRECKAGE—AND COMMUNICATE THAT YOU REALLY CARE FOR THEM AND ARE NOT JUST AFTER DATA ACQUISITION. Can I get an “Amen”!

Just a basic knowledge of psychology is helpful here. The nexus of attitudes and behaviors of the demonic oppressed is complex and unique to each individual. We really need to cry out to the Holy Spirit for wisdom before we dismiss someone. My point is this: the very things that we see as red flags in our criteria for determining those who are faking demonic oppression (attention seeking, anger, irresponsibility, inconsistency in memory, seeming exaggeration, and so on), these are often part of the complex of symptoms  that demonic oppression causes! Again, the very signs we look for in spotting the fake cases, are often the signs of a case being genuine! To put it simply, hurting people hurt people (we will get hurt), and I trust we all would agree that demonic oppressed folks are hurting. But often when folks display hurtful behavior we see that as a red flag, when it is the very thing we should expect from those experiencing diabolical torture. I am reading John McCain, his autobiography, and he speaks of the savagery of his captors while a POW. The NVA and VC seem to know demonic tactics well.

Why do we believe that demonic oppression breaks people down so comprehensively (especially spiritually), but then turn around and question: is their faith in Christ real or strong enough to do this cleansing successfully, when Jesus NEVER asked that question before he exorcised anyone? What of the power of faith the size of a mustard seed? Spiritually is where folks are hammered the worst. One can’t say everything in a blog, but certainly Jesus is the only means by which we can liberate folks. However, am I being a Pharisee by expecting people to clean up their lives before I deem them “cleansable”? It is similar to cleaning up ones act before becoming savable….which is a false gospel.

To be forewarned is to forearmed—expect folks to be tough to deal with at times. Sure we need to be discerning, and establish ground rules, but hurting people hurt people, and ministry is messy….especially this ministry. In the pastoral ministry I saw all kinds of evil and the effects of evil, but it did not compare with the relentless and savagery of the evil found in helping folks with demonic oppression. I bow before the Lord in worship for calling us to be co-workers with Him in liberating the captives. Please, let us be extremely careful that we not dismiss one of God’s wandering and savaged sheep.