Invisible Interactions, Part 3

Posted Aug 5, 2010
Dean:
If there is a god. How can such a god attend to everyone’s personal life at once? Would someone like me be that important to listen to? How does such a god cope and monitor and attend, answer to every situation from everyone. How does such a being exist and function. Also this belief about karma seems practically impossible to enforce.

JJ
You are a god over all the billions of lives within your body. Even though you are one life, each of your cells receives most of the attention and nutrients they need. The system is not perfect as there arises disease and death at times, but most cells are able to live a healthy useful life.

Even so it is with us in relation to the One Life permeating the universe.

It has been said that evil entities do not use their own ideas, but merely copy those from the workers of light and corrupt them.

This is indeed a true principle and it also applies to the influence and possession of evil entities.

It s interesting that Jesus himself was possessed by a spirit. Here is the account.

John 1:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

The Spirit of God just did not come and go with Jesus, but remained upon him.

Also Jesus tells us that his Father was actually in him:

John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Here we see that Jesus was possessed by his “Father” which dwelt “in” him and was the one who gave power to do the mighty works.

So we have evidence that the good guys can possess as well as the bad. What is the difference?

Being possessed by the Spirit of God or a divine being occurs through free will to the benefit of both parties.

The possession of an evil entity usually occurs against a person’s free will. I say usually because every once in a while there comes along a person so foolhardy that he freely gives himself to possession.

Even when a possession occurs against free will the disaster can usually be traced back to free will decisions that opened the door to the problem.

There are two problems that are derived from the so-called evil spirits. The first is attracts and the second is possession. Attacks are centered on often innocent disciples seeking to do the will of God, while possession happens to the foolish who opened the wrong doors.

Here are a couple examples of attack on the innocent. This first is from the diary of my great great Grandfather, Wilford Woodruff
:

“The prospect in London at that time was the darkest it had ever been in since entering the vineyard; but the Lord was with us, and we were not discouraged. On Sunday we met with the Saints three times at Brother Corner’s, read the Book of Mormon, gave instruction, and broke bread unto them. We had a good time, though there were only about half a dozen present. I felt the spirit bear testimony that there would be a work done in London.
“Having retired to rest in good season, I fell asleep and slept until midnight, when I awoke and meditated upon the things of God until 3 o’clock in the morning; and, while forming a determination to warn the people in London and by the assistance and inspiration of God to overcome the power of darkness, a person appeared to me, whom I consider was the prince of darkness. He made war upon me, and attempted to take my life. As he was about to overcome me I prayed to the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for help. I then had power over him and he left me, though I was much wounded. Afterwards three persons dressed in white came to me and prayed with me, and I was healed immediately of all my wounds, and delivered of all my troubles.
Wilford Woodruff By Matthias F. Cowley, Page 130

Here is another account taken from the site at:
http://ldsbritain.blogspot.com/2010/02/discovering-lds-preston-satanic-attack.html
Upon their arrival in Preston (July 1837), one of the first missionaries, John Goodson, went to find lodgings. “We obtain a lodging in the house of a widow [in St. Wilfred Street], and furnished our own vituals and she cooked it for us.” (Kimball, S.B, p.7-8)
Joseph Fielding referred to them as “comfortable private lodging.” (Fielding 1:17)

A week later an amazing event took place in these lodgings that is oft repeated. What I have tried to do in this post is take different accounts and jigsaw them together in chronological order. Heber C. Kimball recalled:
“Sunday, July 30th, about daybreak, Elder Isaac Russell….came up to the third story, where Elder Hyde and myself were sleeping, and called out, ‘Brother Kimball, I want you should get up and pray for me that I may be delivered from the evil spirits that are tormenting me to such a degree that I feel I cannot live long, unless I obtain relief.”
“I had been sleeping on the back of the bed. I immediately arose, slipped off at the foot of the bed, and passed around to where he was. Elder Hyde threw his feet out, and sat up in the bed, and we laid hands on him, I being mouth, and prayed that the Lord would have mercy on him, and rebuked the devil. While thus engaged, I was struck with great force by some invisible power, and fell senseless on the floor. (Whitney p. 129-131)
Orson Hyde observed this same moment in his account:
“his [Heber’s] voice faltered, and his mouth was shut, and he began to tremble and reel to and fro, and fell on the floor like a dead man, and uttered a deep groan. I immediately seized him by the shoulder, and lifted him up, being satisfied that the devils were exceedingly angry because we attempted to cast them out of Br. Russell, and they made a powerful attempt upon elder Kimball as if to dispatch him at once, they struck him senseless and he fell to the floor… (Elder’s p. 4)
Heber continued…
The first thing I recollected was being supported by Elders Hyde and Richards, who were praying for me; Elder Richards having followed Russell up to my room. Elder Hyde and Richards then assisted me to get on the bed, but my agony was so great I could not endure it, and I arose, bowed my knees and prayed. I then arose and sat up on the bed, when a vision was opened to our minds, and we could distinctly see the evil spirits, who foamed and gnashed their teeth at us. (Whitney p. 130-131)
Years later (1856) Heber told a congregation in the Salt Lake Tabernacle,
“I saw their hands, their eyes, and every feature of their faces, the hair on their heads, and their ears, in short they had full formed bodies.“ (Journal of Discourses Vol. 3 mar 2, 1856, p. 229)

Heber’s account continued:
We gazed upon them about an hour and a half (by Willard’s watch). We were not looking towards the window, but towards the wall. Space appeared before us, and we saw the devils coming in legions, with their leaders, who came within a few feet of us. They came towards us like armies rushing to battle They appeared to be men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I (Kimball) shall never forget the vindictive malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye; and any attempt to paint the scene which then presented itself, or portray their malice and enmity, would be vain. I perspired exceedingly, my clothes becoming as wet as if I had been taken out of the river. I felt excessive pain, and was in the greatest distress for sometime. (Whitney p. 130-131)

ORSON: Immediately he [Heber] recovered his strength in part, so as to get up; the sweat began to roll from him most powerfully, and he was almost as wet as if he had been taken out of the water,
(Elder’s p.4)

HEBER: We distinctly heard those spirits talk and express their wrath and hellish designs against us.
(Whitney p. 130-131)