Ask Andrea

My friend is really caught up in spiritual warfare, attributing every bad thing that happens to the devil. I’m concerned she’s fallen into ungodly superstition, while she accuses me of ungodly disbelief ! Who’s right?

Needing an arbitrator,

Ima Googler*

Dear Ima,

I tend to side with C S Lewis, there are two errors people fall into, thinking the devil doesn’t exist (or has no power and isn’t out to get us), and attributing to him more power than he actually has (being overly scared of and focused on) and tend to think C S Lewis was right that the enemy himself has no preference which error we slip into.

That said, when times are hard, it can be more beneficial to look for God in the situation than to focus on the enemy’s movements. But do be cautious about sneering at demonic warfare. The devil may not be as powerful as many of us give him credit, but he does hate you and he is out to get you. We are most blessed to have one powerful God on our side, though. If he is for us, who can stand against us?

So many debate whether some bad thing that happened is the result of spiritual or physical causes. That’s usually a false dichotomy.

There is a law of sowing and reaping. Diabetes, for instance, isn’t caused by the demon of diabetes, it’s caused by genetics and an unhealthy lifestyle (eating the wrong foods and not getting enough exercise). The devil, however, does tempt us to eat too much and exercise too little so we’ll become obese and out of shape and hence less effective for Christ’s kingdom. The devil will attempt to exploit every spiritual and, yes, physical weakness we have to advance his agenda. So the relationship between the spirit and the physical is complex and rather codependent. The question, “is this a physical problem or a spiritual problem?” often is like asking, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Incidentally, I am not fond of spiritual warfare novels that portray there as being any real contest in order to make it interesting.

In Christ’s Love,

Andrea Graham

http://www.povbootcamp.com

*Ima’s columns are based loosely on conversations with various people I know, or issues I happen to know people are asking Google for help with.

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I’ve been attacked in my dreams for the last two nights. I wake up but can’t move, I see the room and there are dark shadowy figures moving around me. There are flashes of lights swirling around the room. Last night I kept  feeling a hand on my shoulder and I realized it was not my husbands, the first thought that jumped in my head was that it was my father’s. He had a very strange suicide almost two years ago which has effected me in ways unimaginable. But  I’ve grown and felt like I was letting it go. I recently sent off a package to the Department of Homeland Security to work with ICE and had asked God to bless the package and job opportunity. That was Sat morning and these dreams started right after. I woke up this morning fearful of everything. My children, my mother, my husband. The last thing I need to do right now is lose my mind. What does it mean? and what can I do?

–Julie

I believe doctors call this sleep paralysis. When we dream, we’re supposed to be paralyzed (when we’re not we call this sleep walking). According to webmd, when you’re still conscious as you enter REM, or regain consciousness before it ends, “hallucinations” and terror are the frequent result. I put that in quotes because physical explanations don’t eliminate the spiritual. It’s altogether possible the state opens a door into the spiritual realm. Given your situation, it could be due to stress, the enemy, or both.

Either way, scripture is the best medicine. Reciting scriptures has gotten me through night attacks. For when you’re falling asleep, “I will lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only make me dwell in safety” (Psalms 4:8) Otherwise, assuming you know the Lord, inform the enemy, “greater is He who is in me than He who is in the World.” Psalm 91 is also a balm to the soul in such times.

Was the hand comforting and protective, or malevolent? It could have been the Comforter (in other words, your Heavenly Father) if you didn’t sense malevolence in the touch. One can encounter the Lord in such states as well as the enemy of our souls.

Of course, if the devil is fighting you, that usually means you’re on the right track–but sometimes we fight ourselves, too, so keep alert.

In Christ’s Peace,

Andrea Graham

::Laser & Sword Magazine:: Reviving episodic fiction with a new generation of pulp heroes with the super-powered heroes of the Order of the Sword series and the supernatural and the action heroes of the Rise of the Judge series, featuring the origins of Adam Graham favorite A. L. Snyder

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Dear Andrea,
I lost my sweet momma this last December. Since then I have had dreams of momma decomposing and her looking at me from her coffin and walking around with bluish skin because she is dead. Then twice a evil being I believe to be Satan is always after me in the end of the dreams. I sleep with my bible under my pillow, but still have nightmares. Please please help. I am so tormented over this. I can’t even function the next day.

God bless you,

Sarah

Dear Sarah,

The bible is a sword, not a dreamcatcher. Placing a sword under your pillow is only useful as far as it places it in easy reach. To get any benefit, you have to open it up and read it. The words of the bible, that is what brings peace and victory.

The scripture that helped me get victory over my own nightmares was Ps 4:8 “I will lay me down in peace and sleep, for you, Lord, only make me dwell in safety.” I’d recommend memorizing it; posting it on my wall helped to that end, for me. Posted on the wall is also easier to get to in the meantime than having to look it up when you’re scared silly. If you like to do embroidery, you can sew it as well.

If your fear is of your own death, another good one is, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

Assuming your mother is a Christian, when the devil is taunting you about her death, remind him of God’s promise of everlasting life. Your mother is not dead, not if she is a Christian. She’s alive in Heaven with our resurrected Lord. John 3:16 will be your easiest retort there, you probably already have it memorized. John 3:15 is more to the point, but says much the same, “whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Also from when Lazarus was raised: “[Jesus said]I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall never die.”

All else fails, plead the blood of the lamb. Inform the devil you’re bought and paid for by the Blood of the Lamb and he has no right over you. Say it like you mean it. Remind him you’ve been granted in Christ’s name authority over all the forces of the evil one. Then command him to leave in Jesus’ name. I have found this works while you are dreaming (if you can remember to). Just about every time I stop running from the monster or whatever in such a nightmare and rebuke the devil, the dream abruptly ends–I also often wake up briefly-sometimes while the words were still on my lips (I have found these shouts mid-dream are occasionally spoken out-loud)

Lastly, I will pray with you: Lord, we come before you today on the behalf of Sarah, asking for sweet peace as she sleeps. Comfort her spirit in the loss of her mother and may she find rest for her soul in you. We ask that the enemy be bound from tormenting her and any authority the devil has been granted over her life be broken. We plead the blood over her and command the devil to torment your child no more. In the name of Jesus we pray all these things, Amen.

In Christ’s Victory,

Andrea Graham

::Laser & Sword Magazine:: Reviving episodic fiction
Featuring: The Order of the Sword and the Rise of the Judge action hero serials

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