Posted Aug 2, 2010
A reader tells me that he has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, and wants to know if evil spirits have anything to do with this and what he can do to overcome it.
Before I answer this let us establish an accurate name for these troublesome spirits. In the Bible they are called evil or unclean spirits, and other times referred to as devils or demons.
These are words that originated with translators from the Middle Ages and not very conducive to accurate communication in our age. Earlier I referred to them as “adversarial life forms.” Such a term or something like “adversarial spirit,” “adversarial intelligence” would be an improvement. For those that do not believe in the supernatural one could substitute the word “energy” for “spirit.” After all, what is life but energy with an intelligent direction.
It is a scientific fact that our body is composed of billions of lives. Many of these lives are called cells and others are called bacteria. Every day harmful bacteria invade our bodies and the body’s defense mechanism has to neutralize or destroy them or it will get sick. It is also a scientific fact that bacteria show signs of an elementary intelligence.
Putting this together then we can conclude that one of the smallest of “evil spirits” is the elementary life that motivates the germs that can do us so much harm. Cancer cells are also evil, or adversarial lives.
Now, let me ask this question. Why is it so difficult to believe in adversarial life forms when it is already a scientific fact that they exist now and our bodies, minds and medicine have to deal with them on a daily basis?
Since we know that these tiny evil spirit lives do exist in cells that we can see through a microscope then why is it difficult to believe that there are other lives that give us problems that have not been identified by science?
For instance, mental disorders are normally not caused by physical disease but the Bible tells us that Jesus cast out adversarial life forms to effect a cure. Obviously there are negative entities that go beyond the normal germs or cancer cells that cause us problems. When and how do they show up?
To understand we must look at the main difference between a healthy and unhealthy body.
The body is an electrical unit and if it is healthy all the energy flows through all of its circuits unimpeded and all the parts receive the energy they need for proper function. Because energy follows thought our negative thoughts are often a cause of disrupting the smooth flow of this energy. When this happens a vacuum is produced and opens the door for an opposing energy to come in and take root. Just like diseased germs are tiny lives even so is such opposing energy composed of actual life and they often draw malignant cells and germs to the center they occupy.
This knowledge helps us understand why Jesus and the disciples healed others by speaking to and casting out “evil spirits.”
Again let me remind you that energy follows thought. Therefore, if the healer wants maximum effect he must make sure thought is directed with the most potent focus as possible. The way that Jesus directed the thought of many people was to call upon a living entity and command it (or them) to leave.
Keeping in mind that focused thought is a powerful healer then imagine which would have the most power – just praying for the person to get better or to command the life form feeding the disease to leave?
If you just pray with no images in your mind then the power of thought is dispersed and not focused enough to cause a healing. On the other hand, if both the healer and the patient visualize a life form being commanded to leave, and then seeing and feeling it leave, a powerful focused energy can be created and sometimes there can be a miraculous healing.
The American Indians used to use this principle in reverse. Instead of calling on an evil spirit to leave they called on a benevolent spirit in the form of an animal, such as bear or an eagle. They then directed the animal to enter the troubled location and either to chase the evil spirit out or to merely supply healing energy.
The visualizing of such images focuses the thought and thought carries energy and energy is always followed by life of some kind, however elemental.
So what about our friend’s Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Is it caused by adversarial life forms?
No. They are not the cause. The cause of all disease always has root in our own thoughts and the originating cause may not even be thoughts in this life, but past lives.
BUT…
Our wrong thinking does open the door to the entrance of negative life forms that cause the problem to continue. If one can speak to those lives as Jesus did and command them to leave then the negative space can be filled with positive energy and, if the thoughts are now in alignment with the soul, a healing can take place.
Let us suppose a person has cancer and you want to use the technique used by Jesus. You could actually name the spirit. You could call it the devil or you could even name it something modern like “George.” You old then visualize George inside the body and call on him and command him to leave. If you have faith in Christ you can command George in the name of Jesus Christ to leave. If you believe you have the priesthood you could command George to leave in the name of your priesthood.
In the case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder you could see George as a computer virus interfering with your internal programming. You must then command George to quit interfering with your software and leave. Then visualize George leaving. If this is done with directed thought the patient may actually feel a negative life leave and sense that healing is now taking place.
Not only did Jesus have a reputation for casting out evil spirits, but so did Paul. Here is a quite curious scripture.
Acts 19:11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
Acts 19:12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Acts 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
Acts 19:14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
Acts 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
Acts 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
First, it is interesting that the possessed man had such superhuman strength. He beat the dickens out of seven men until they fled naked and wounded.
Now these men were exorcists and apparently had some past success in casting out harmful spirits. Then when they saw that the disciples of Jesus seemed to have more power than they did they decided to use the name of Jesus also.
Unfortunately, the process backfired on them.
The question is – why did this not work for them? Now the answer given by the Mormons is they say Jesus gave the Priesthood to his disciples and the devils recognized this. They refused to recognize anyone without the proper authority.
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Now there is a certain amount of truth to this as it is written that Jesus gave the twelve apostles “power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases.” Luke 9:1
Some simplistic priesthood or passed down authority does not explain the power the disciples had as no one I know claiming to have the priesthood today has the power of the early disciples. They had a molecular link to Jesus as I explain in my other writings.
Obviously these seven exorcists had some success in the past but this time spelled disaster for them. Why?
I would guess the answer lies in the purity of their hearts. If a disciple is to fight evil he must not sink to the level of the evil he is fighting, else he will lose his power. These guys had seen the miracles and were witnesses to the fact that God was with the disciples Instead of joining with them they merely wanted their power to obtain the praise of men.
By attempting to gain power without merging with the source of that power they put themselves in danger.
Whatever the case the entity in charge did not have to submit to their commands and chased them away.
Now someone posed this idea. God is big on free agency so it would be against the will and order of God to allow an evil or adversarial spirit to possess or even influence another person.
The first thing to do with our beliefs is to test them against reality. If reality proves to be different than what we believe then we should change or beliefs.
It is true that those great lives who are on the side of light and truth seek maximum freedom for all but in our world this is far from being achieved.
Possession is an established fact that none can deny in our current system – just ask anyone who has been kidnapped or held hostage. Ask any female who has an abusive husband who possesses her and if she tries to escape he says he will kill her and the kids.
Ask any cancer patient who has been invaded by cancer cells and are destroying his body.
Free agency is valuable indeed but in this imperfect world it is taken away on a regular basis.
Now when it is taken away it is always the person’s own fault to a degree. The abused wife probably saw signs of her husband’s problems before she married him. Maybe the cancer patient didn’t take as good a care of his health as he could have.
The same goes with possession from the tiny elementals giving one arthritis to a full-fledged entity seeking to control or destroy another.
An evil entity in a body or out of a body can attempt to attack anyone. Nothing is stopping your neighbor from hitting you with a stick should he so decide. Even so, invisible entities can attempt to pick on whoever they want. They cannot take over a person’s power of decision though unless the person opens the door and somehow invites them in. Thus the importance of walking in the light and being as harmless as possible.
There is a lot of food for thought in contemplating some of these principles.
Copyright 2010 by J J Dewey