Demons Can Put Thoughts Into Your Mind

[Chi-Rho]

We must also ask ourselves if it is normal within a healthy perspective of faith to aim for a goal in which the only thoughts you have are those you consider that your perception of God would consider to be pure.

You make a good point. It has a subjective component tied to it. But people know what is bad and what is good. Not everything is pure subjectivity. If you're a Catholic/Eastern Orthodox the basic consensus is that human defects are the cause of sin. Anxiety and mental disorders and the psychological aspect in the past (before modern psychology) were resolved with confession, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Why? Because if purges evil from us and orientates us towards God.

What you are calling 'good' or 'bad' are not subjective measurements. People know when something is good and when it is bad. When the mind is clouded by evil can they recognize this? Maybe all the more, maybe all the less, they have become blind. God also gives consolations and desolations to individuals, which is God's doing and His determination. God does indeed test us, so keep in mind to gain virtue one must first overcome some sort of evil obstacle in the process.

You overcome evil with Christ and this makes us grow in Holiness and perfection. Yes, you want to disregard evil thoughts and ideas and motives, but you have to realize that that's what they are, 'evil thoughts and ideas'. They aren't abstract nothings, they are 'principalities and powers', absences of virtue, defects, and disorders which need overcome with prayer and fasting and specifically Jesus Christ.

 

[muhtea]

Personally, and here is where I will draw the most criticism, I have always been a fan of the early Buddhist thought leaders concept of intent. They too believe that a demon (Kali) can cause you to do bad things but they place a huge emphasis on the intent of the thought. True, The Chinese have a parable about the impurity of thought, but the other schools are in unison when it comes to intention and skillfull/unskillful over demonic, holy.

Buddhism understands that thoughts happen, both good and bad and that they come and go.

The freedom that Buddhists have in this regard allows them to acknowledge that their thoughts are influenced by their culture. Seminal writers like Thich Nhat Hanh give us much to learn about how our upbringing poisons our thoughts and I would say most people following that path get closer to what we would term morally 'good' than most who travel that path in the confines of Abrhamic religions without guidance.

I've found Thich Nhat Hanh to be an invaluable help when it comes to scrupulosity and I go back to his books (that I originally read in the 90s, long before becoming a Christian) now and again for a reminder. I got one of his newer books for one of my kids when she was having a bit of a hard time. Sorry for the thumbs up lol. You've made some good points.

 

[MBell]

This article was great and very thought-provoking. Thank you, Roosh. This actually led me to think a lot about a specific part of my family. My cousins (who are about my age) and aunt have always been huge fans of Halloween, and they put out decorations that were very scary and evil-looking from my childhood perspective. Fast forward to the current day, and the son is actually a homosexual and the daughter proclaims herself to be a wiccan. My aunt had a marriage fall apart and she is on some high-level medications for mental issues. I seriously wonder if the state of the family can be tied to their occult practices and the potential demonic influence that might have invited into their lives. I appreciate perspective on this issue, as I see how spiritual battles impact behavior. Others seem to discount this influence, but it is so refreshing to find that I can gain insight about such an important factor that I believe has personally affected my family.

 

[Augustus_Principe]

You make a good point. It has a subjective component tied to it. But people know what is bad and what is good. Not everything is pure subjectivity. If you're a Catholic/Eastern Orthodox the basic consensus is that human defects are the cause of sin. Anxiety and mental disorders and the psychological aspect in the past (before modern psychology) were resolved with confession, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Why? Because if purges evil from us and orientates us towards God.

What you are calling 'good' or 'bad' are not subjective measurements. People know when something is good and when it is bad. When the mind is clouded by evil can they recognize this? Maybe all the more, maybe all the less, they have become blind. God also gives consolations and desolations to individuals, which is God's doing and His determination. God does indeed test us, so keep in mind to gain virtue one must first overcome some sort of evil obstacle in the process.

You overcome evil with Christ and this makes us grow in Holiness and perfection. Yes, you want to disregard evil thoughts and ideas and motives, but you have to realize that that's what they are, 'evil thoughts and ideas'. They aren't abstract nothings, they are 'principalities and powers', absences of virtue, defects, and disorders which need overcome with prayer and fasting and specifically Jesus Christ.

The guy is full of pride and has 0 idea of what he’s talking about, while making a bunch of assumptions. I wouldn’t bother responding further to someone who believes life is merely atoms bumping into each other and Far East pagan nonsense.

On a more lighter note, there’s a great quote by St Padre Pio in regards to this.

 

[infowarrior1]

This is also evident by the fact that there could be infiltrators who will be like: "Hello Fellow Orthodox/Baptist/Catholic etc"

Russell Moore is a blatant example, Patriarch of Constantinople is another. Fake Catholics like "Pope" Francis and so forth.

Yeah. Church buildings don't necessarily keep them out. As evidenced by the "Wolves in Sheep's" clothing that our Lord warned about.

It seems the camp of the Saints is to be an armed camp. Spiritually speaking. And in a hostile world there is no safety from Spiritual Combat in truth.

Similarly to the War Camp of Israel when they travelled in the Wilderness to the Promised Land.

 

[tractor]

I want to take the opportunity and thank Roosh for putting this thought in my head (actually earlier, in one of his Rauche Hours of the last year). This realization finally got me off p*rn last year. Now I'm clean and not even struggling.

It's much easier to cast off a sinful thought if you understand that it's not yours.

This article on Russian Faith also helped a lot

Practical Ways to Avoid Lust - Answers from a Priest in Russia

Everyone knows lust is bad. Everybody tells us to fight against it. But not everyone can tell us HOW to fight against lust successfully. We try, we fail, we try, we fail, we try again, and we fail again . . . and at some point, we realize that we need better advice than just "try harder". In the...

russian-faith.com

Note this passage:

There is a saying: "You can't stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from building a nest in your hair." No thanks to the logismoi, the devil can do this to you without your consent. Sexual thoughts will unavoidably pop into your mind. This does not make you guilty.

What makes you guilty is your *response* to that initial thought. The moment an illicit sexual thought pops into your head, immediately "fight off the bird" by distracting yourself with something else, and give that other thing your full attention.

I think the subconscious response to sexual thoughts of a man of weak faith is something like "Well, I know it's a sin to phantasize about other women but since I've already sinned by having this initial thought I have the right to activate my right hand."

If you know it's Satan tempting you, you know these thoughts suddenly popping up in your head are not sins per se, you just shouldn't nurture them.

People who don't follow God may think that my explanation makes no sense. It might indeed seem a very subtle mental adjustment but to me it feels like a revelation.

---

I've been thinking a lot about Matthew 18:9:

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.

I didn't want to lose my hands or eyes so I decided to delete all the bookmarked pictures and videos of t**ty girls on instagram. After I saw that there were too many to click through to delete I just shut down my insta account.

 

[Uponthisrock]

I agree that our thoughts can be demonically influenced, but I dont think thats the end of it.
We also battle our flesh and our culture separately from the demonic kingdom.
Our flesh pushes us away from God and the influence of the culture on our thoughts and perceptions is so pervasive that I have doubts, if one can ever be free of it.
Sex and violence are pushed on us constantly, more than all other things. I dont think its surprising that our thoughts fall into those catagories, often and against our will.

 

[grenade001]

The old adage "Actions speak louder than Words" is applicable to this debate.

My personal inference, is that one is ultimately judged on one's tangible actions. Actions are merely intent that is fully realised.

One could experience negative thoughts, yet also decide not act upon them. Humans are given "free will" in order to make such decisions. With sufficient fortitude, one can avoid the manifestation of most "bad" thoughts.

There is boundless opportunity for one to sin multiple times a day. Those so inclined will do so. Most will resist the urge, and exercise self control.

 

[N°6]

I’m sleeping with the Psalms being read from an audible Bible app.

There's some debate about what really constitutes the eternal sin. Protestants mostly believe non-repentance is what is outlined in those verses. I'm not so sure and Protestant pastors seem to want to sugar coat or water things down too often, though I think Martin Luther thought this was the case with these verses and worried about the sin himself.

I'd be interested in the context of this thread of hearing what members here think.

Protestants are generally free will v predestination. Most people outside Protestantism think that most Protestants are Calvinist but most retain the RC view of free will. I can understand why calvinists want to promote the Sovereignty of God doctrine but it seems clear that God has chosen to limit himself by his own word and delegate authority.

I have heard it preached that if you are worried about committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit then it is the reliable sign that you’re not reprobate, the Holy Spirit is still present. A reprobate mind would be unwilling and unable to repent but would probably double down with the hatred.

Attributing supernatural moves of the Holy Spirit to Satan can move people dangerously close to this blasphemy however. Certain denominations have a doctrine of Cessationism which holds the Holy Spirit stopped His miracles with the last of the NT apostles. This doctrine comes from Calvin’s polemic against miracles within the RC church and the Scottish Enlightenment. This might make it easier to attribute good supernatural works to Satan following the Pharisee’s example.

 

[N°6]

Eastern meditation is clearing the mind of all thoughts. Christian meditation is filling the mind with the word of God, meditating on scripture.

Just my 2 cents.

I think you’re right. This is what I’m uncovering during private Bible study this year.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

 

[ilostabet]

Think less, intuit more.

 

[Easy_C]

One aspect of this I find interesting is that the concept of spirit/otherworldly entities with this ability predates Christianity. There’s Cumiform writings referencing things that can manipulate your thoughts.

 

[with one accord]

How satan stops our prayers!

Combat in the Heavenly Realm

www.divinerevelations.info

Great article, thank you. Ultimately the spirit world is more real than the 3d one we see and the adversaries minions traverse this hyper dimensional matrix looking for kinks in our spiritual armor. In this case, the helmet of salvation (protects the mind)

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians Ch. 6:11 is real and we must pray continuously in the Spirit.

The How satan stops our prayers is an ex satanists explanation to a pastor of how demons operate in the spirit to keep us from overcoming in Jesus and leading others to salvation.

1 thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing!

 

[infowarrior1]

How satan stops our prayers!

Combat in the Heavenly Realm

www.divinerevelations.info

Great article, thank you. Ultimately the spirit world is more real than the 3d one we see and the adversaries minions traverse this hyper dimensional matrix looking for kinks in our spiritual armor. In this case, the helmet of salvation (protects the mind)

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians Ch. 6:11 is real and we must pray continuously in the Spirit.

The How satan stops our prayers is an ex satanists explanation to a pastor of how demons operate in the spirit to keep us from overcoming in Jesus and leading others to salvation.

1 thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing!

The music in that video is absolute cringe. Really distracts from the message.

 

[Ah_Tibor]

I dealt with instrusive thought OCD all throughout college and probably up until I was 25 or so. I didn't realize it existed until I stumbled across something about it online and using CBT techniques to combat it (basically replacing a negative thought with a positive one until it sticks, and realizing that having a negative thought doesn't mean "you" are a bad person). I once got into such a bad anxiety spiral that I didn't sleep the entire night and got a bad cold in the morning.

A lot of religious people are more prone to this kind of behavior, especially those that grew up with a lot of negative religious experiences (I've had a lot). We live in an anxious world that uses it as a motivator-- buy this or it will be gone, do this or you will die, something you've done accidentally can hurt people! You need the right job and the right education or your life will be terrible, even though life is meaningless. I don't think it's an either/or thing, you can look at love as a collection of chemicals (and many do) or you can look at the physical manifestation of it and what it means. Same with negative feedbacks. Maybe it's caused by infection or trauma or whatever, but we can't live in our heads.

(In a weird way, I think it prepared me for what's happening now.) I don't claim that I know how God works, I don't have any special information. There's that painting of the guy having confession with the parasite-y looking demon coming out of hia mouth, so I think our ancestors knew a little bit more about our bodies and souls than we do.

 

[Mike_Key]

This is a great article and seems to be partly answered prayer for a request that I've had recently.

For those that mentioned eastern religions and "bad trees" I think that is nice too; it actually reminds me of Jesus in the Gospels walking through an orchard cutting down dead branches that didn't bear fruit and throwing them in the fire.

But, to lend credence to what Roosh is saying; do remember that Peter denied Christ three (3) times and also Jesus told him:

"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Matthew 16:23

That has always baffled my mind.

When I talk about the supernatural I often make reference to the Transfiguration. Seasoned Christians of many years and decades sometimes humbly mention that they don't know about the Transfiguration where Jesus took some (Peter, James and John) to a mountain to pray; Jesus became radiant in glory. And there "appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking to Jesus". Mark 9:2-8

There are definitely some spiritual happening and warfare around us.

Too, this reminds me for some reason of an old Catholic exorcism where supposedly a demon interrupted a Telephone land-line call (back in the days) to inform the parties that the girl, in question, belonged to him, to them, to Satan. From that same story there was confirmation that a participating Priest was walking along a beach praying and/or reading scriptures when the possessed girl could not have possibly known this ... as said Priest was hundreds of miles away. It was later confirmed with the Priest after that particular "exorcism" session; this along with the Priest's clothing/attire was confirmed.

As much as I'd hate to think that we can easily be "oppressed" as opposed to possessed, it's in the realm of possibility.

John 3:16

 

[with one accord]

The music in that video is absolute cringe. Really distracts from the message.

https://www.divinerevelations.info/how_satan_stops_our_prayers/how_satan_stops_our_prayers.pdf

understandable, here’s the pdf

 

[messaggera]

When you receive a fright, your body responds nearly instantaneously. Someone scared you and then your heart immediately started racing and your senses sharpened to evaluate the unknown threat. I’m sure it also has happened where you received bad news and felt a physical response the very next moment.

Fear is always used to control. Look at the lockdowns in the school systems.
Remember this story:

How NXIVM Used the Strange Power of Patents to Build Its “Sex Cult”​

While shocking, the methodology of those alleged “fright studies” have been available through a quick Google search for years. A patent filed in 2007 described, in almost unnecessarily specific detail, how “the Luciferian can be rehabilitated”: show a subject videos of gruesome things—snuff films, dismemberment, worse—and monitor how they react. A “Luciferian” is NXIVM’s preferred term for a type of sociopath, one with “severe behavioral problems that are masked by good psychological adjustment,” who, as described in the patent, “typically experiences pleasure or gratification in situations where ‘normal’ people would be repulsed or disturbed.” One former member speaking on condition of anonymity learned about such a person in a course called “the Fall” (as Lucifer took “the fall” in Milton’s Paradise Lost). She said they were meant to understand those who had left the organization as Luciferians, lost people for whom bad feels good, and good feels bad.
[article link]

Patent Determination of whether a luciferian can be rehabilitated​

[Patent link]
The cited work (listed at the end of the patent) of other patents are mostly focused on children

Method and system for direct communication Abstract [Patent link]​

Information is communicated to an individual by directing an acoustic signal transcranially to a target region in the brain. The target region is stimulated to produce a cognitive effect, and the cognitive effect is modulated or encoded to carry the desired information.

 

[SoCal9705]

Does that mean that blasphemers that repent wont get to heaven?

No, it doesn't mean that. Best theological interpretation is that the Pharisees Jesus was referring to knew he was from God and derived his power from God. Yet they stubbornly refused to accept it and instead attributed it to Evil. The only unpardonable sin now is final impenitence, i.e. going to your death refusing to repent.

 

[N°6]

Think less, intuit more.

one minute before I saw this post, I read:

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

”Nor indeed can be...”