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Exorcisms: The World's Leading Psychiatric Authority Speaks Out

668K views · Jan 20, 2023 · Education

Sean McDowell

403K subscribers

Comments · 4.4K

@blipit · 3 years ago (edited)
I was diagnosed with Young Man’s dementia, voices spoke to me every day, nightmares every night. Sometimes they would appear to scare me. On two occasions they appeared to me as God, would give me visions of God not wanting me. I couldn’t sleep and my wife, girlfriend at the time, almost broke up with me because I kept forgetting conversations we would have. And This all happened after I became a Christian. Before life was much easier. The more I tried to follow or wanted Jesus, the worse it would get.<br><br>Thankfully, a man at my church was recommended to me by my church leaders, he specialized in deliverance. It was simply him praying for me. Wasn’t a big show. It lasted 3 hours, but ultimately was freed. I left that room and could no longer sense demons around me, no longer hear voices, and could remember everything. My girlfriend became my wife and now have 1 kid together. Jesus has been so kind to me, he quite literally pulled me out of hell.
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@allygail424 · 3 years ago
I disagree that demonic oppression is rare. In my experience, it is way more common than we think, unfortunately. Most people are completely unaware of the spiritual realm, and therefore, unaware of all the ways evil spirits can attack and manipulate their lives.
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@somersmith2142 · 3 years ago
Leaving out much detail, I was demon possessed. I will tell you it was a horrifying experience. It was inside of me. No exorcist delivered me, but Jesus did, when I sought him and prayed to Him. I repented the day I was delivered, and gave my life to Christ that day.
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@javaskull88 · 3 years ago
My late husband was a forensic psychologist who worked with many hundreds of prisoners over the years including accused rapists, murders and child molesters.  He did not believe in evil, and thought that the devil was a mythological construct.  That is, until he met with one particular accused murderer and said he had looked into the eyes of pure evil.  He said the FBI took the guy away from the regional prison, and he never saw him again; he guessed the guy was a serial killer.  He was deeply unsettled and this began his journey toward Christ.  He became a devout believer, and believed that demonic possession was real.
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@annabel6038 · 3 years ago
Very interesting to hear, it chimes with a lot of my experience prior to becoming a Christian. When I was a kid, I loved any and all stories to do with magic. I would dress up as a witch and pretend to make potions and cast spells. My parents are nominal believers and didn't see any harm in encouraging my imagination, so when I was about 12, they got me a spell book. I think they thought it was fiction, but it was an actual occult book written by a medium. Of course, I tried out the spells, even though parts of the book freaked me out a little. From then, I started experiencing demonic  oppression, which continued throughout my adolescence. It was a dark presence that would hang over me, giving me intrusive thoughts of self-hatred, the desire to self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. I tried to block it out with idolatry, completely immersing myself in fantasy books and games, which, of course, only made things worse. I didn't think I could pray to God because he must not like me very much, I wasn't a good person. I got more and more into crystals, horoscopes, Eastern philosophies, and tarot cards. I knew I was experiencing some kind of spiritual attack, but I hadn't put 2 and 2 together to realise that these practices were the root of the problem. When I was 18, I made friends with a group of Pagan girls who did tarot readings with me, and we did a full-blown ritual on the beach to try and summon a spirit. That was when the oppression got so intense to the point that the demonic thoughts were louder and more frequent than my own inner thoughts. At that point I had the crazy idea that I could force the demon out of me by bringing myself close to death (I thought I was possessed at the time, but now I realise that I was only oppressed) so I overdosed on pills. Didn't work, of course. The spirit was still with me. But I wound up in hospital, and it was only when I saw how heartbroken my family was that I realised that wasn't an option. That's when I got down on my knees and prayed to God to give me another way out. I didn't know anything about repentance and salvation at that point, I just wanted an exorcism! But soon after that, my mum bumped into our village vicar (Church of England priest). Reverend Gill talked with me and helped me to understand how the occult practices had allowed evil spirits into my life. She allowed me to come and help her with her office admin twice a week, and all the while, she answered my questions about God and gave me the gospel. I decided to turn completely away from the occult and to Christ as my saviour - not just for deliverance but for forgiveness of my sin. I was baptised, and the demonic presence, intrusive thoughts, and impulse to harm myself have all completely gone since then! I'm now looking into studying an MA in theology because I want to write about God to tell others about the infinite treasure I've found in a relationship with Him.
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@markwood1668 · 3 years ago
Not a Doctor but I always wondered if their was a link between extreme narcissism and demonic possession. We are seeing this behavior more and more today.
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@Bmwguy2011 · 3 years ago
What a blessing, Sean, the host, allowing guests to finish their thoughts before asking questions.
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@arievena19744 · 3 years ago
Please be aware, that once a person has been freed from the devil, they must establish and keep a relationship with Jesus Christ.  As He said, the demon will return with 7 more evil spirits to "move back in," leaving the poor person worse off!
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@finishstrongcycling2355 · 3 years ago
I had one experience that stands out regarding spiritual oppression and possession. Two pastors visited to speak at our church and during the invitation, one of the pastors was going around the sanctuary screaming "You're going to hell!" to everyone in the pews. He effused such hostility that I sensed a bad spirit about him.  With my eyes still closed, I silently whispered to shut the mount of the spirit behind this man and to come out of him. At that moment, the man stopped speaking. After an awkward pause, I peeked up and found him back at the podium looking confused and holding his head. The other pastor quickly closed the service. Some months later, they both returned again, and this time the man was so gentle and loving in his message and interaction with us that I was blown away by the transformation! I'm convinced the man had some demonic influence in his life.
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@The_jenn_diagram · 3 years ago
I’ve been oppressed by demons pretending to be angels. Incredibly horrible time period. Thankfully I’m a born again Christian
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@Timber1205 · 3 years ago
As a Protestant Christian minister who believes deliverance ministry is still as necessary as it was in the New Testament, I was greatly impressed with how balanced this conversation was. The guest was very insightful,  looking forward to reading the book!
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@ray162738 · 3 years ago
What a BALANCED perspective. Not attention-seeking or alarmist, but also very realistic and not dismissive. And with the credentials and experience to back it up. Thanks as always, Sean!
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