There are many demons that are responsible for certain types of behaviors that manifest as mental health issues. However, doctors are not deliverance ministers; therefore, they must find a way to treat their patients within the scope of their expertise and training. Therefore, it stands to reason that many things that are labeled mental health or psychological issues can have a root cause that is spiritual, not necessarily of physical origin - and demons don’t leave with medication. In fact, they thrive even more because medications prescribed for mental health conditions tend to weaken the mind, allowing demonic spirits to take advantage of a person’s vulnerability and weakened condition. Some of these issues are:
- Oppositional Defiance Disorder
- Conduct Disorders
- Schizophrenia and other Delusional Disorders
- Anorexia, Bulemia and Eating Disorders
- Learning Disabilities, Mental Blocks and Confusion Disorders
- Children that don’t want to grow up, Tantrums and Immaturity Disorders
- Stunted Emotional Growth, Self-sabotage, and Irresponsibility
- Social Disorders caused by fear and insecurity
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, Addictive Behaviors
- Self-sabotage and other Self-defeating Behaviors
- Autism
- Tourettes Syndrome
There are many other disorders, but those are just a few. This is not to say that chemical imbalances in the brain cannot be one of the causes - however, it takes discernment and wisdom in partnership with Holy Spirit to correctly identify the cause of an issue, and that should be anyone’s first step in obtaining an accurate diagnosis.
They all have something in common. It’s called Arrested Development. This can enter a family through generational curses, unconfessed sin (which results in a guilty conscience and a lack of peace), rebellion, stubbornness, a strong self will (a form of idolatry) and many other things. With some people, there may be a stubborn, rebellious, fighting and arguing spirit that rises up and insists on having things their way or a tantrum ensues. The individual finds it impossible to adapt to normal social situations. Others tend to withdraw and avoid contact with others because it creates fear and anxiety. They are two opposite sides of the spectrum but at the root of it is a spirit of fear. Fear of embarrassment, fear of rejection, fear of failure or fear of losing control - it could include all kinds of things. As a matter of fact, fear, anxiety, and stress are at the root of all of the issues mentioned in the list above, and FEAR is a spirit.
Many individuals with social, psychological and neurological issues also report obsessive thoughts dealing with lust, sex, death, compulsive thoughts and other things that speak of immorality and uncleanness. In years past, these things were considered evidence of a weakened neurological system due to sin in the ancestry of a family line. In today's society and culture, sin is more widely accepted as normal and other explanations are adopted to explain mental and emotional issues. Sometimes these expanations can be correct, but I think a great deal is labeled and treated with medication when it may not actually a medical problem.
Some of the characteristics of certain issues/disorders (such as Tourettes, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and others) seem to manifest not at random moments, but specifically at the most inopportune moments that bring shame, embarrassment, more fear, anxiety and social rejection towards those dealing with the problem. It is just my opinion, but I believe it suggests that those type of manifestations are calculated by something with an intelligent mind, not just a random happening. Some individuals that deal with mental and emotional issues also report hearing voices, being given orders, or an uncontrollable need to act on the feeling that rises up inside of them. This suggests they are not in control of themselves but they are more like a puppet where something else is directing their actions.
Arrested Development is not just a disorder; it can also be a grouping of demonic spirits that attack the soul of an individual. Revelation chapter 9 reveals the prince of demons from the bottomless pit (also called the abyss) that is chief over a class of demons known as destroyer spirits. Sometimes an individual opens the door to these spirits, but they can also be inherited through generational curses.
"And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft." Rev. 9:1-2, RSV
"They have as king over them the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, in the Greek he has the name Apollyon." Rev. 9:11
There is nothing more destructive than mental and emotional torment. As is noted in Rev. 9:3, destroyer spirits have an assignment to torment people but not always kill them. These spirits resemble locusts but sting like a scorpion and inflict mental anguish.
When you look at the list of disorders, what is at the heart of all of them is a form of mental torment. When children experience fear, trauma, abuse, neglect, anxiety or some type of situation that opens the door to demonic oppression, evil spirits can attack them in their soul. Children are unaware that they are vulnerable and most have no knowledge or understanding of spiritual warfare. They depend on the adults in their life for their safety and protection, and that includes taking authority over any spirits that may have taken up residence in that child’s life. When the adults fail to take spiritual authority over evil spirits, or don’t know which ones to address, those spirits stay and begin to release torment to the child’s soul. This can result in arrested development to prevent people from growing into maturity. These spirits work to keep people stuck in emotional immaturity, and part of that is also blame shifting. The person refuses to take responsibility for their own faults and shifts the blame onto others for the problems they have created in life. It can be closely related to self-pity.
Arrested Development also manifests in areas where the person cannot hold down a job or maintain a sense of stability in their life. The person may look grown up on the outside but on the inside, they cannot deal with the issues of being an adult. Facing the real world as an adult is too stressful for them. They don’t want the responsibility and look for ways to retreat. My own father was a paranoid schizophrenic, and it was said that the pressure of having to take responsibility for a family is what triggered his emotional instability and downward path into mental illness. I'm not sure if that is accurate or not, but he certainly did retreat from any form of responsibility. He was so overcome with anxiety that he convinced himself he was an invalid. I am also aware of other individuals that struggle with these sort of issues. They have difficulty facing the demands of adulthood. This fear of taking responsibility for their own lives will cause people to either look to others to be their savior and provider or run away altogether. When you consider the issues at the heart of addicts, homelessness, mental issues, parental abandonment, and broken families, many of them are dealing with these sort of problems yet don’t know how to break the cycle, so the cycles continue to repeat into future generations. This produces generational poverty, brokenness, addictions and mental disorders that run in families.
Many times the anxiety caused by trying to live responsibly will cause them to turn to drugs, alcohol or other means of escape because familiar spirits will lead them back down that path. People will gravitate to what is familiar, even if it is unhealthy because they have no grid for what healthy looks like. It hasn’t been modeled for them! Deep down they feel insecure and lack confidence in their ability to live as a mature adult. They look to themselves rather than God and have misplaced trust issues. At the root of it, the god of self becomes magnified as the one who is enthroned in their life. When self is on the throne, God is NOT. Self-will is idolatry, and when self is at the center of our life, our ability to make wise choices is sometimes skewed. Because at the heart of the matter is that we become driven by our fears and our needs rather than led by God's Holy Spirit and guided by His wisdom. Self-sabotage is a very real thing, but it can be overcome by heeding the word of the Lord. Self-sabotage comes from an unstable mindset that is rooted in fear.
I believe that many things that have been wrongly diagnosed as psychological disorders, mental disease and disorders can be healed through prayer and guidance from Holy Spirit.
Build Your House on the Rock
Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
YOU ARE THE HOUSE. What are you building your life upon? Are you building your house upon your own wisdom or the wisdom of God? God's word is a guide to help us have wisdom for our life and keep us from the things that will release destructive forces in our lives. Jesus said that those that heard His word but didn't incorporate obedience to His word into their lives would be like that unstable house built upon the sand. When the storms of life come, will your house stand, or will your foundation be washed away by the floods? You can build upon instability or you can build upon the rock of Jesus Christ which will add stability to your life, because when you have His presence in your life, it gives you peace of mind. Peace, not Fear. Fear always causes instability!
You may be going through a dark night of your soul, where nothing makes sense and everything seems to be in darkness. God has sent you on a treasure hunt without you understanding it. He wants you to dig deep to discover truth: the truth about yourself and truth about Him. When you discover the truth that has bound your heart, it will set you free and your heart will belong to Jesus in a much deeper way. Ask yourself, "What is really at the core issues of my life? What fears are controlling my behaviors?" Every lie comes from the Father of Lies. God's word is truth!
Satan has had many years of whispering his lies to us, and he knows every place where our belief system is rooted in lies. See, the enemy is just waiting for us to choose the path of self-destruction and self-sabotage so that he can keep us bound to the same old cycles that end in defeat, discouragement, and disappointment. If we want to stop repeating old cycles then we need to first understand that generational curses are real. We all have parents and grandparents, and none of us know the things they have opened a door to. Often times those things result in demonic attachments that act like invisible magnets to other demonic spirits. Their assignment is to keep pulling you back into familiar territory, because when we choose what is familiar then we will keep choosing the things that result in brokenness. The only way to break the cycle is to choose to be uncomfortable because uncomfortable is the pathway to change.
God wants us to find our stability in Him. READ IS. 33:5,6
“The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times and the strength of salvation. The fear of the Lord is His treasure.” - Is. 33:5,6