Personal demons

[badguybuster]

So, lately I have been struggling, not with my faith but with my adherence to it. Ive felt that there are two versions of me, one good and one not bad but flawed. Anyway, I was listening to CS Lewis and he is discussing personal demons. Hence my question: Do you believe we each have a personal demon whose soul (pun intended) is to ensure the corruption of our soul? Im beginning to believe that we do.

[Half Dog]

I agree. I can get upset just driving down the road. My wife is who keeps me from going off the deep end.

[Shanghai Jack]

But as the Devil blinds all men, so is he now invisibly made blind by Christ.

[Winger Ed.]

People have been asking about, struggling with, and pondering that since back in the Bible days, and probably before.

I figure if we believe there is good in people, and in the world, it's kind of hard to deny there isn't also evil trying to fight it.
It's one of those things I acknowledge, and try to be at least half as good of a person as my dog thinks I am.

[bakerjw]

I have a demon in me and it is fierce. I am not an uncaring person, in fact I will go to extreme lengths to protect those for whom I care.
My wife, once was very quiet when I went to the dark place. She knows what I deal with on a regular basis. I am strong enough to keep it in check and all I ask of God, if there is a God, is to direct me if he ever decides that it is to be turned loose.
We all fight battles, some more intense than others.

[1hole]

I have a demon in me and it is fierce. ... all I ask of God, if there is a God, is to direct me

If there is no God then there are no powerful but invisible spiritual beings like demons striving to guide humans wrongly. If there is a God then there is an anti-god and an army of demons working against God. There IS a God!

Satan's powers are stronger than any man but we have a savior who can - and will - protect us if we call on him and trust him to do what he has promised.

We must choose who we will follow carefully; Christians obtain victories, spiritual and temporal, in Jesus, not ourselves!

[Char-Gar]

absolutely not!!! "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is the world."...1st John 4:4. There are no demons where the Spirit of God dwells. If you are reading Screwtape Letters, read about the "law of undulation". There you will find the answer to your inconstancy". It is common to all Christians.

[GhostHawk]

We may each have a dark side, a part of us that thinks, feels and sometimes acts in a not good way.
But we can learn to control that dark side.

I read a story long long ago about a father talking to his son. He said in each of us there are 2 wolves, constantly fighting to be in charge. One light, one dark.
And I remember the son asking which wolf wins? And the father answered "which one do you feed?"

The choices are up to us. And it is easier to be a good person online than it is in person. Because once we have written a post, we have the option to go back and reread it. And NOT click the post reply button.

In person, learning to hold your tongue long enough to muster your thoughts, and moderate your words is hard to learn how to do. Especially if we are agitated or frustrated or angry. But it can be done with practice.

I do believe I was tempted more often to turn to the dark side before I gave myself totally to the Lord.

[pworley1]

I don't know how many demons have been assigned to me, but I know that I have one Savior and He is all I need.

[bakerjw]

One made a reference to personal demons. I responded. I understand my demon and deal with it regularly and can say that it is not easy to prevail but I do so on my own and regularly. I am an agnostic only seeking a greater understanding and would love to sit down with God and talk about things. According to most Christians, I will be condemned to hell based on their measure. If that is the measure that God uses, so be it.
Measure ourselves before we ever take a ruler to others.

[hoodat]

We are all born with a "sin nature". Only through the acceptance of Jesus Christ can we hope to over come it - and even then with imperfect results. We are all flawed, sinful, and imperfect beings even without the help of demons. Allow the Holy Spirit to reside in you and you become a "No Trespassing Zone" for demons.

That being said, many of us have lived for years as expert and enthusiastic sinners. Speaking for myself, I had God in my heart from childhood. But I had him tucked away so deeply that I didn't hear his voice for many years - like forty years.

After about forty years of decadent, profane, selfish, sinful behavior, speech, and thoughts, it is no quick and easy task to clean house. I have let Christ enter my heart, and have made great progress, but let me tell you it's a constant struggle, and not a day goes by that I don't feel like slapping myself up-side the head. jd

[augercreek]

We are all born with a "sin nature". Only through the acceptance of Jesus Christ can we hope to over come it - and even then with imperfect results. We are all flawed, sinful, and imperfect beings even without the help of demons. Allow the Holy Spirit to reside in you and you become a "No Trespassing Zone" for demons.

That being said, many of us have lived for years as expert and enthusiastic sinners. Speaking for myself, I had God in my heart from childhood. But I had him tucked away so deeply that I didn't hear his voice for many years - like forty years.

After about forty years of decadent, profane, selfish, sinful behavior, speech, and thoughts, it is no quick and easy task to clean house. I have let Christ enter my heart, and have made great progress, but let me tell you it's a constant struggle, and not a day goes by that I don't feel like slapping myself up-side the head. jd

For me it took 60 years!

[Rizzo]

........would love to sit down with God and talk about things.

Yes, that would be wonderful wouldn't it.
Like a father and son sitting down and the son asking questions to his father about......life, whatever.

Unfortunately, all we have is prayer.
Which is usually just a one way conversation with no answers.

According to most Christians, I will be condemned to hell based on their measure.

Yup! If you do not accept Jesus.....you are going to hell.
Never mind all of the other "religions" that love and praise God just as much as Christians do, they do not matter, they are still going to hell.

Regarding "personal demons", I do not believe so.
While there are cases on demonic possession, I do not see that as being the same thing.

If a person has a hair trigger temperament, one could say that is his "demon".
A drinking problem is his "demon".

Those are human tendencies, not because the person has a personal demon making him do those things.

[WinchesterM1]

I believe so, if you believe that the Bible says a 1/3 of the host of heaven fell with satan, then we would have 1/3 of all the people who have lived and who will live whose goal is to make us miserable like them… just my $.02

[1hole]

The best of us don't really need a personal demon, we can handle that part of life for ourselves and we usually do it quite well.

What many people, especially non-christians don't get is going to heaven or hell (yes, they are both real) by being "good" or "bad"; BUT, God measures the hearts of all men and that's not quite the same thing. Of course, "good" hearted people will normally do "good" things - and vice versa - but crafty men can live externally "good" lives and still have "bad" hearts.

God is saddened by self gratifying rebels but he allows those who think they know a "better" way to follow their own courses. Those who think they know how to live better than God will get to spend eternity in the heaven of their own making but they have not built this place or heaven and they won't build their next place either. God made this place and only he makes a good place to live forever. We may happily go through this life on our own terms but our own eternity will be a hellplace.

I once heard a wise man say all "agnostics" (1) think they are quite smart and (2) they think they are smart because they admit they know nothing spiritual. That's odd "thinking" but it fits!

[Shanghai Jack]

I've had little truck with the "non salus extra ecclesiam" crowd. Matthew 7:1

As for prayer being one way without an answer - the problem is that some people can't recognize that "No" is an answer.

As far a dogma goes, speaking from a Catholic background, I believe that that church has abrogated its moral responsibilities off and on for an extended time and has become politicized. I'm not a sedevacantist but I have little faith in the current "leader"

[.429&H110]

Flip Wilson proclaimed "The devil made me do it", denying any responsibility.

Our old friend "Demon Rum" is a good example. Some people can be possessed by alcohol. The only cure is not to drink any, simple as that. But the feedback loop cannot be broken by a man alone, many have found the Grace of God sufficient, with fellowship and support of men who have been there.

If you need to stop smoking, don't buy any cigarettes, simple as that.
Who buys the cigarettes, you or a demon? Devil made me do it? No! It's a choice.

My demons came from public education in a fine High Scruel. They nearly killed me. My demons are gone because the Holy Spirit saved me, simple as that. I believe He saved me for a reason.
God loves you just the way you are, and loves you way too much to leave you that way.
Your choice. Where there's life, there's hope.
My pastor likes to say: "Wouldn't it be awful to end up in hell, knowing you didn't have to be there?"

[Wayne Smith]

Couple of thoughts - 1) Only 1/3 of the angles fell with Satan, that means 2/3 of them are available for God's use. Satan has limited forces, and he has no need to use them when we do it ourselves. Know yourself and your temptations and practice self control and submission to God. James tells me that if I submit to God and resist Satan he will flee from me.

2) the Bible tells me that Satan will flee - so why do I have to flee temptation? The answer is simple - if I don't want it, it's not tempting! Temptation is not outside of me, it's in my desires. So I need to recognize my own illicit desires (I've got a lot of them!) and flee opportunities to engage. Do not tease yourself with your desires that are not Godly, flee the opportunity.

3) Recognize your own selfishness - Frustration is nothing but a two year old temper tantrum all grown up. "I'm not getting what I want when I want it" is the essence of the two year old temper tantrum, and of frustration. So, who told you that you should get what you want when you want it?? We all do it. Recognize this in yourself and begin to take control.

If you succeed in all this you might actually get to meet a daemon, but until then Satan doesn't have to do anything - you are doing it for him.

[1hole]

Yup! If you do not accept Jesus.....you are going to hell.

Yup. If you want to go to Miami but travel west because you like heading into the setting sun you will never get there. We are told that there is a narrow path to heaven but the road to hell is wide and easy to follow. But, there's no room for multiple paths IF we want to get to God's heaven because he doesn't care how smart we may think we are.

A lot of people "accept Jesus" but only as a head concept; not so many accept him as Lord. That difference makes all the difference.

Never mind all of the other "religions" that love and praise God just as much as Christians do, they do not matter, they are still going to hell.

Don't be confused about the one spiritual word, "god". There are many powerful spirit beings competing for gullible followers but there is only one God; follow him.

Those are human tendencies, not because the person has a personal demon making him do those things.

True.

Flip Wilson aside, the "devil" can't and doesn't "make" anyone do anything, each of us decides for ourselves who we will follow. All evil spirits can do is plant bad ideas and desires in spiritually weak minds until they dominate foolish individuals like puppets but honest prayer for Godly help to resist spiritual evil changes things ... every time!

[Char-Gar]

Conflating a mora/spiritual weakness or sin with a personal demon is only an attempt to avoid or mitigate responsibility.