Voices from Mental Illness or Demonic Oppression

[Guido]

Many Christians, not believing that mental illness is real, attribute all non-physical voices which people hear to demonic oppression, whereas many psychologists, not believing that evil spirits are real, attribute all non-physical voices which people hear to mental illness. What is your opinion of demonic oppression and of mental illness, and of the difference between them, and of how we can discern if a person is afflicted by one or the other?

 

[canadyjd]

Can you support your statement that “many Christians don’t believe mental illness is real”?

If a person is hearing voices, I believe they are mentally ill and should be treated by a professional.

I don’t know of any biblically sound “test” to determine if demon oppression is involved.

In either case, prayer is a good idea, though mental illness should be treated by professionals, as with any other disease.

peace to you

 

[Alan Gross]

Many Christians, not believing that mental illness is real, attribute all non-physical voices heard by people to demonic oppression, whereas many psychologists, not believing that evil spirits are real, attribute all non-physical voices heard by people to mental illness. What is your opinion about demon oppression and mental illness, and of the difference between them, and of how we can discern whether a person is plagued by one or the other?

The Only Voice 'of God' will be Bible verses.

Resist all others by the Power of The Blood of Jesus and His Death, Burial, and Resurrection, to test them and see if they go away, each time.

The Lord Rebuke you, Satan.

Call on Jesus to Do the Rebuking of Satan.

 

[Guido]

Thank you for your answers. I am on medication right now for schizophrenia, and I just started taking medication for anxiety. In the past several days, I thought I was hearing the devil. I kept quoting scripture but it always had a rebuttal. When I told it to go a way the voice got loud and cursed at me. I started ignoring it and going about my business because I didn't believe the voice. I'm not sure if it was my mental illness or not but the voice went away. I just tried to focus on obeying God even though I didn't do much of anything. I didn't really say the Lord rebuke you like I should have. But I tried it in the past and it didn't work. I don't think it's demons. I think its my mental illness.

Well, I did put my trust in God and was confident in God. Maybe that helped. I was having intrusive thoughts and after I was fully confident in God regardless of all confusion, knowing that God heard me, the intrusive thoughts never happened again. I don't know if the new meds that were given me helped or God helped. I call them compulsive thoughts. I know that people were praying for me.

I think we must differentiate between mental illness and demonic oppression because one goes away at the name of Jesus and the other goes away with meds.

 

[canadyjd]

....
I think we must differentiate between mental illness and demonic oppression because one goes away at the name of Jesus and the other goes away with meds.

May God bless you with sound mental health.

peace to you

 

[AustinC]

I am not sure that we can find mental health or mental illness in the Bible. These labels are new psychiatric labels from science, not from scripture. This does not mean science is wrong, but it only deals with physical and neurological functions of the organ we call the brain. How demons interact with and manipulate the function of the brain is something no one understands. How to differentiate between an abnormal brain function and a demonic influence is something I am not skilled in discerning.

 

[Aaron]

It dawned on me long ago that I'd never heard of someone that heard voices had heard the voices speaking good things, especially of Jesus. I've also come to realize that thoughts are not biological. In the decades of neuroscience and the study of the brain, researchers have only been able to stimulate sensations or muscle movement when applying a stimulus to a region thereof.

They've never been able to stimulate a thought.

One's thoughts are spiritual, and originate either from the spirit of man, heaven, or hell.

God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. God's angels are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.

Meds can help bring temporary relief, just as David's playing brought temporary relief to Saul. I don't understand how, and neither does anyone else, really.

Since the binding of Satan, even those who don't know Jesus can drive the devil away by crying to Jesus for help. I've read that the demons were subject even to Judas in Christ's name.

My advice is to stay on your meds, while divesting yourself of any occultic material you may have acquired, keep crying out to Jesus, and seek the help of local, real Christians. Jesus will bring them if you ask Him. I will also ask for you.

 

[canadyjd]

I am not sure that we can find mental health or mental illness in the Bible..

I remember the incident where David acted “crazy” (lunatic?) to avoid being killed.

Mental problems were recognized but, as you stated, our modern terminology is very recent.

peace to you

 

[MB]

Many Christians, not believing that mental illness is real, attribute all non-physical voices which people hear to demonic oppression, whereas many psychologists, not believing that evil spirits are real, attribute all non-physical voices which people hear to mental illness. What is your opinion of demonic oppression and of mental illness, and of the difference between them, and of how we can discern if a person is afflicted by one or the other?

I don't know if there such a thing as mental illness. I know we all have imaginations and some times they get rather strange. Demons are yet another thing, they do exist. they can posses a non Christian. However if you are truly a Christian, God has purchased you. You are His and no demon can touch you. If this weren't so then we would all be possessed, because Satan wants to win. and if you belong to Christ, Christ has already won.
MB

 

[Scarlett O.]

I am not sure that we can find mental health or mental illness in the Bible..

Can't find giraffes either, but they exist.

I can find depression, anxiety, crippling fear, and even suicidal tendencies in characters in the Bible.

 

[Dave G]

What is your opinion of demonic oppression and of mental illness, and of the difference between them, and of how we can discern if a person is afflicted by one or the other?

Demons are real, and the spiritual realm is real.
As a believer, I've experienced oppression at the hands of them and it, as have a few others that I know.

I've also known unbelievers who hear voices, or are guided by voices that tell them things that don't stack up against Scripture.
I personally know of a man who tells me that his "father" tells him things that often do not come to pass...
In other words, he trusts a voice in his thoughts that very often lies to him;
Yet he cannot discern the spirits, and doesn't question the lies.

How can evil spirits be discerned?
Carefully.
For example, I've come to believe that those who are afflicted with conditions like schizophrenia are not "ill",
but rather the spirit that works in the children of disobedience has had ( and is having ) its way with them.

Is there any way to prove any of this?
No...
No more than there's any way to prove that many psychoses are caused by "synapse relapse" or "broken circuits" in the brain, or even "chemical imbalances".

I am not sure that we can find mental health or mental illness in the Bible.

Mark 5:1-15.
Mark 9:14-29.
Luke 8:26-36.

IMO, the presence of demons in a person manifests itself in many ways;
One of them is erratic, unexplained and mindless, violent behavior.

 

[Scarlett O.]

There is demon possession and there is mental illness which has been proven treatable with competent counseling and meds.

Two different things. Both real. Both exist.

I have battled severe depression and anxiety in my life. I am not demon possessed

Christians cannot be demon possessed.

 

[Dave G]

There is demon possession and there is mental illness which has been proven treatable with competent counseling and meds.

I agree that there is demon possession and that it does indeed still happen.
But I have no confidence in psychiatry, phsychology or any of the drugs that we as men might develop in order to help with such things...


Rather, my confidence is now in the Lord after having tried the man-made approach in years past,
and finding that it simply did not work for me.

 

[Dave G]

I have battled severe depression and anxiety in my life. I am not demon possessed

I have as well,
and I hold that depression and anxiety are not indicators of what has come to be termed as "mental illness".

To me,
they are indicators of what we as human beings experience as a result of our sinful "flesh" ( Romans 7:14-25 ) and being troubled in our minds and spirits.
I am not speaking with reference to those.

The ones that I am speaking of,
are those who have unexplained "mental illnesses" that plainly resemble the symptoms that demon possessed people exhibited when the Lord Jesus cast them out of people.
Please see the passages I listed above.

Personally speaking, I've been on Zoloft ( Setraline ) for anxiety.
I stopped taking it after two years because it wasn't working for me.
I'm still occasionally taking Temazepam for the past 15 years because I have nights where my body simply won't shut down,
and I lay awake in my bed with my heart pounding....
and no amount of counseling or meds has ever been able to solve that for me.

What has solved much of that for me, is gradually coming to trust in the Lord instead of men, and it was what I should have been doing all along;
and knowing and experiencing that the Spirit does indeed help with my infirmities of the flesh ( Romans 8:26 ).

For the time being,
I use a "crutch" ( the Temazepam ) to get a good night's sleep on nights where I cannot get to sleep.

 

[Dave G]

Christians cannot be demon possessed.

I agree.
The Bible states that all of God's people have the Holy Spirit in them ( John 14:17, Romans 8:1-17, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30 ).
There is no room for the spirit that works in the children of disobedience ( Ephesians 2:2-3 ),
since it is not the same spirit that works ( Philippians 2:13 ) in God's children.

Also, the Spirit that He has given is not one of fear...
But of love, and of power and of a sound mind ( 2 Timothy 1:7 )...
Which I've also experienced.

Therefore,
My best advice to believers who think that they have mental illnesses is this:

Trust the Lord to deliver you.

Yes, we can use some of the things that we as men have developed in order to try and combat such things,
but ultimately our hope and trust should be in Him,
and not the meds and ( especially ) not the type of counseling that comes from the sciences.

Which brings me to another point:
I firmly believe that good, sound counseling for our troubles as believers can and does come from God through our brothers and sisters who have the same Spirit in them;
But the believer in Jesus Christ should not be turning to unbelievers for help when troubled by life's trials.



We should be keeping these things "in house",
since we have a God that promises that with Him, all things are possible.

 

[canadyjd]

I don't know if there such a thing as mental illness…….MB

There are known physical causes of mental illness that including chemical imbalances, physical abuse and emotional trauma.

You might as well say you don’t know if heart disease or diabetes exists.

peace to you

 

[Scarlett O.]

But the believer in Jesus Christ should not be turning to unbelievers for help when troubled by life's trials.
We should be keeping these things "in house",
since we have a God that promises that with Him, all things are possible.

What makes you think that all doctors who help those with mental health issues are unbelievers?

My primary therapist is a Christian physician. His secondary man whom I saw, also, is not - he does not profess to NOT be, but he does not profess TO be.

I was helped by them both tremendously. It's not voo-doo, you know. Talking things out, making a plan for success, being gut-wrenchingly honest with another person and yourself about bad habits, bad attitudes, and negative thinking and why they plague you, and yes, even the occasional meds were very helpful to me.

Primarily, Bible reading is the most helpful to me, but I do not negate good counseling and medical care.

Yes, with God, all things are possible. I firmly believe that. And God raises up competent and Godly physicians for us. I thank God for doctors. God heals in all kinds of ways.

 

[Dave G]

What makes you think that all doctors who help those with mental health issues are unbelievers?

I don't believe that all medical doctors are unbelievers;
But I do happen to believe that the vast majority of them are.

Also,
What makes you think that everyone who professes Christ is actually a born-again believer, Scarlett?
After all, He will say to many who do claim to be His, that He never knew them ( Matthew 7:21-23 ).

That is one of the things that I find to be very sobering in the Scriptures.
Don't you?

My primary therapist is a Christian physician. His secondary man whom I saw, also, is not - he does not profess to NOT be, but he does not profess TO be.

As I see it, if a person is not with Christ, he or she is against Him.
There is no in-between.

I realize that this sounds harsh,
but that it what I see being developed in God's word in many places.
In other words,
They might be nice people, but they are not God's children and ultimately, they do not care for the things of God.

Given this,
Why would a believer inherently trust those that the Lord tells us not to trust ( Psalms 60:11, Psalms 108:12, Psalms 118:8-9, Psalms 146:3 )?

I'm sorry, but I cannot.
He tells me to trust Him ( Proverbs 3:5-7 ),
and over the years I've found that it is the best thing to do for my health, for my wealth, and for my every problem.

 

[Dave G]

I was helped by them both tremendously. It's not voo-doo, you know. Talking things out, making a plan for success, being gut-wrenchingly honest with another person and yourself about bad habits, bad attitudes, and negative thinking and why they plague you, and yes, even the occasional meds were very helpful to me.

I'm glad to hear that.
The occasional meds and doctors have been a tremendous help to me as well.

But somehow I've always known that going to them was "using this world",
and in the end, we as believers will have new bodies someday.
We will no longer be troubled by the physical ailments that plague us.

That's why anytime that I go to a doctor,
I know that I am trusting in the Lord for the results.

Primarily, Bible reading is the most helpful to me, but I do not negate good counseling and medical care.

I agree.
I'm not negating good counseling when it comes to dietary and other issues.

However,
I don't inherently trust man's medicine, even though I sometimes use the products of it;
and I certainly do not put any stock in modern psychology or psychiatry.
As I see it, they are the least repeatable and trustworthy of any of the sciences that we as men have developed over the years.

Finally, when it comes to this subject, I'm reminded of this passage:
Jeremiah 17:9.
Only one Person that I know will ever be able to tell me, with 100% accuracy, what makes me "tick"...
emotionally or otherwise.
That's why my trust is in Him and Him alone.

This is my final reply in this thread.

It's not that I don't want to make any more replies,
but I sense that you're convinced of things that I've long ago become convinced in the opposite direction of...
and this is only one of them.



Good evening to you, and may the Lord bless you with many good and perfect gifts,
including good health and a sound mind that is free of worries, depression and anxieties.

 

[MB]

There are known physical causes of mental illness that including chemical imbalances, physical abuse and emotional trauma.

You might as well say you don’t know if heart disease or diabetes exists.

peace to you

I believe it's all a result of demons. The only thing a Doctor can do is give them drugs which sometimes make everything worse.
Who hasn't been abused in some way or another? Who hasn't been emotionally abused. Just a couple of things brought on by demons.
I'm not surprised you ignore anything biblical.You always do.
MB