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 Have you ever seen a ghost? Do you even believe in them?
 What are they?

 I believe they are demons, and I have been visited on a few occasions.

 The first time was when I was about 9 years old. My grandfather, who lived with us had just died. He, and I were very close. He had a strong Yorkshire England accent which I loved. He introduced me to my lifetime love of hockey and specifically the Toronto Maple Leafs... I was born in Toronto.

 My mom forced me to approach the open casket, and touch grandpas hand to say a final goodbye, as was the English way. I wanted nothing to do with that, but she insisted. As soon as I felt that cold, solid hand, I busted out sobbing.

My brother-in-law took pity, and invited me to spend the night at their house, so he could take me fishing the next day.

 It was an old home which was renovated. I slept in the spare room and was kept awake by thoughts of the trauma I had went through, and my brother-in-law's record breaking snoring!

 At some point, early in the morning, around 2:00am, I got an instant feeling of unexplained fear, and a sense of an evil presence. Suddenly, the wooden screen door downstairs at the front of the house began to open and slam shut. It was a calm, summer evening and yet the door sounded as though someone was opening it, and two handed slamming it shut with all they had, I mean it was thunderous.

 This went on for about an hour. It was terrifying. My brother-in-law snored through the entire episode. I later learned that my sister lay frozen with fear in her bed. She dared not even budge to wake up Joe.

The house was semi-detached, and when we arrived home from fishing that evening my sister told us the neighbors heard it , and they were scared stiff in their beds also.

 When I returned home that night, I went to bed still a bit freaked out by the thought of what had happened. While I lay in my bed I began to hear a noise at the foot of my bed. It sounded as though a cat was trying to get out of a plastic garbage bag. It was a continuous rustling sound, and it was loud.

 I was frozen stiff. The noise stopped a few hours after it began. I was too embarrassed the next morning to tell my parents, but it continued for several months, every night.

Each morning, I would search my floor, and under my bed for anything that could explain what was causing the noise, but I never found anything.

Finally, after being terrified for all those months, I found myself getting angry one night. I sprung out of bed in a fit of anger and turned the light on. The noise stopped the instant light filled the room, and it never happened again.

 I believe there were demons at work feeding off of my fear. The moment I fought back, they lost their grip on me and fled.

Anyone else? I will relate other visits, which were far more intense if anyone is interested.

Bronzesnake.

What are ghosts? I guess I honestly don't know....but I believe demonic spirits can manifests themselves as such.

I will relate a story of a friend, who is a very godly woman and mature in her walk with Christ. Her husband had a slight facial disfigurement from birth (this occurred as a result of an accident during the birth) and shortly after his death, she had a vision of him. She believes this was not an actual visitation, but a vision and that it was from God. In the doorway of her bedroom she saw his face appear and as she watched his face changed from the one she lived with to one that was not twisted, but smooth and perfect. She relates that her feeling was that God was showing her that in the life to come, we will indeed have perfect bodies (spiritual) and be "as the angels".

Some might have called that a ghost, not knowing better. I suppose it all depends on what the definition of a ghost really is.

What you relate could have been demonic spirits at work.

I have hesitate to relate my own experience with satan as it was not "ghostly" in the way yours was.

This is a subject not often discussed. Most shy away from examining such experiences.

Gracey

I always wished i would see a ghost, for this would be hands on proof that their was more after death. even if is was a bad ghost , if it killed me then id be a good ghost. ;D

I knew a 'spook' once.  But I guess working for the CIA is a little different.

I believe there are what are referred to as 'ghosts' but I believe they are demons.

I still like a good ghost story.  I like Dean Koontz and Stephen King stories.   ;D

I believe ghosts exist. In 1 Samuel 28 a witch brought back Samuel on a request from Saul

...The women said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."(witch)
"What does he look like?" he asked. (Saul)
"An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostarted himself with his face to the ground.
1 Samuel 28:13-14

I believe Ghosts are spirits from the dead. The ones that scare us are most likely demons, but the ones that dont scare us are most likely angels. For the children of God, ghosts cannot do any harm to us. For example in Matthew 28:3-7

His appearance was like lightining, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so AFRAID of him that they shook and became like DEAD MEN.

The angel said to the women, "DO NOT BE AFRAID, for I KNOW that you are looking for JESUS, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from teh dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."


The guards were afraid and so was Mary, the woman. Yet the angel told Mary not to be afraid of him. When you see a ghost and you are afraid, don't be afraid. Because God controls them whether they are good or bad as much as he controls everything else in this world.

Sometimes God may even use such encounters as demons and ghosts to bring us closer to Him. Satan may wish harm on us by these things with fear but with God it comes out good. When I was 12 I was afraid to go to sleep. Everytime I went to sleep my body would feel as if it was being electricuted. I believed something evil was trying to pull me out into the astral plane. I was afraid to take showers too. Everytime I was in a relaxed state (eg in the shower or in bed) the thing seemed to come back. It kept reoccuring for about a month. So this made me pray to God a lot more. Perhaps this got me into the habit of praying every night before I go to bed. For 6 years this thing has never occured and I have been pretty consistent on praying every night.

Bronzesnake - I want to hear more ghost (demon) stories!  Why?  "Know your enemy" - historically wise advice!

I was visiting a friend one night about 30 years back - sitting on their family room couch talking to her and her parents, when, for no apparent reason, a wax banana flew from a fake fruit display and landed about three feet from the table it was on.  (I mean it was like someone reached over, picked it up and tossed it!)  My friend’s mother calmly picked it up and replaced it in the display from which it was ‘displaced’.

They all noticed the look of bewilderment on my face so they confided in me that they believed it was a poltergeist.  (For obvious reasons, they never discussed it with anyone who didn’t have a first hand experience.)  They called the spirit (demon to me) Polly.  They said Polly had been with them for years – even going with them on an inter-state move from Texas to Michigan and back.  They said, and after the demonstration I saw have no reason to doubt them, that ‘Polly’ often did things such a flush toilets, turn on faucets to full blast and move things about rooms.  For some reason they considered ‘Polly’ playful and non-threatening.

All I can say; when you are minding your own business, and a banana “flies” off the table with no human help – something weird is going on!  

The only other thing that comes to mind is from when I was quite young – about 4 years old.  It is one of my first vivid memories that will never go away.  I awoke very early one morning – just after dawn but before sun up, and saw a figure in what appeared to be a long, white night-dress standing in my bedroom door watching me.  I felt very comforted and went back to sleep.  When I got up and was eating breakfast, I told my mother “I saw you standing in my door this morning” and her nonchalant reply was “I wasn’t standing in your door this morning”.
That’s when I began to know that angels are real: at 4 years old.  

This happened when I was 21 years old, which was before I became born again.

 I was a singer in a Beatles cover band, and I just loved that group, still do. I had just heard the news that Lennon had been shot and killed. This was devastating to me at that time. I even took time off work, and went down to city hall in Toronto to be part of the Lennon memorial. I remember Long John Baldrey being so drunk that he actually did a face plant onto the stage floor. It made a very loud bang, which the microphones relayed throughout the city!

 After I returned home, I began to call on Lennon's "spirit" to visit me. I concentrated very hard, I convinced myself that if I believed with all my strength, he would come.

 I did this periodically over about two weeks. One night, I returned home after visiting some friends. I was sober! I lay on my bed watching TV, but soon became tired and switched it off. The second the TV went black, I had an intense feeling that there was something terrifying in my room. It was bizarre, I was not and am not the type of person who gets scared, especially for no apparent reason. I began to feel as though there was "something" expending great effort and energy in order to come from some far off...place? I couldn't put my finger on what was happening, but all of a sudden I was grabbed by an unseen hand on my shoulder. I felt each finger, and it was a strong grip.

 I was stunned, yet I found myself lurching up out of bed, and quickly flicked on my light. There was no one in my room.

 I never tried calling spirits again. I don't believe it was Lennon. I know it was a demon...I didn't know it back then, but I did know it was something dark, and dangerous. I knew for sure it wasn't Lennon right away, as soon as it touched me...I knew.

Bronzesnake.

Interesting stories!

I think any appariation that does not manifest itself in a natural body in the physical realm can be defined as a ghost whether it is a demon, angel, spirit of a dead person, poltergeist, and other ghosts. "Other ghosts" would include the type of ghost that does the same thing over and over again that usually appears translucent.

 Some of you know that I spent three months, two solid months, and the rest at two weeks a visit, in hospital following surgery that went wrong.

 While I was there I became friends with an older man in the bed beside mine.

 We often talked about many different topics, and I very soon came to know he was an honest, trustworthy person.

One day, he told me about a hunting trip he went on...

I can't recall his name, so I'll call him "Mike"

This may not be exactly as he told it, but this is what I remember.

 He said he went up north with his brother and his nephew to hunt deer. They approached a farmer about the possibility of hunting on his land. When the farmer gave his permission, they also asked if they could camp there for the weekend.
The farmer told them they could, and if they wanted to, they could stay in the old home at the back of the property.

 They took him up on his kind offer, and after a long days hunting, they settled into an upstairs bedroom. There were two beds in the room. Father and son shared one bed, and Mike took the other.

 The nephew brought some dead wood in from the bush and lit the fireplace. Sometime during the night Mike's nephew woke both men up. Mike said it was obvious that his nephew was scared about something.

 His nephew told both men that he had heard a noise in the hall outside their room and had turned over to take a look. He said there was a man standing in the hall across from their room, leaning on the banister, looking in at them, but once he saw the nephew look out, he moved out of view.

 Mike said the nephew was whispering, and his hands were shaking as he told them what he saw.

 Mike said he became a little scared even though he couldn't see anyone in the hall. The nephew wanted to go home immediately, but his father wanted to stay so they could hunt the rest of the weekend. He thought his son had a bad dream, and Mike began to think the same.

 The fire had begun to flicker out, so Mike said he got up to put more wood on. As the flames began to grow, Mike looked over his shoulder, toward the hall, and the man was there again.

 He said he clearly saw a man with a checkered shirt looking into the room. The light from the fire cast an orange glow on the man, and it was terrifying. The other two men also saw him standing in the hall at that time.

 Mike said it took them all the courage they had to wait for daylight before they packed up and left, as they were all to frightened to leave in the dark.

 They saw the farmer on their way out and told him what they had seen, and the farmer said something to the effect of "oh, so you saw old Bill" or something like that...He told them that "he won't hurt you, he just doesn't like visitors in his house"

 Old "Bill" was the original owner of the old farmhouse. The farmer built his own home on the land which he had bought years earlier, and never used the old house, although he claimed that several people had seen the "ghost" including himself.

 Mike told me he had never been so terrified in his life, before or since. He swears it's true, and after watching and listening to him tell the story, I believe him.

 I don't believe disembodied spirits roam the earth seemingly ignored by God. I believe the demons are playing with our minds.

Bronzesnake.

Lev 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God.
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Lev 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
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Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
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1Sa 28:3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
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1Sa 28:9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
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2Ki 21:6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke [him] to anger.
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2Ki 23:24 Moreover the [workers with] familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD

Please note that the references to familiar spirits are all negative, and associated with a number of things - wizardry, necromancy, idols, abominations, enchantments, etc.  It is a clear reference to the fact that "familiar spirits" are not nice!!


Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence.

Note here in Jesus' words, that He is establishing that those who are in Him cannot pass back over to us after they go to sleep (die), nor can they pass thru to hell, nor can the departed pass back to us or to heaven.  Which ties in with the "familiar spirits". These are (probably) the demonic angels that fell with satan, and have a definite working knowledge of each individual that has ever lived....thus they would be "familiar" with them, and could (most likely) emulate their looks, their words, or their actions so as to deceive people.

While it is healthy to note and acknowledge that they exist, it is not healthy to seek after them, or to even desire a meeting or viewing with one (or more).

I certainly go along with that!

Evangelist wrote:

While it is healthy to note and acknowledge that they exist, it is not healthy to seek after them, or to even desire a meeting or viewing with one (or more).

*****************************

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
20 idolatry, *** sorcery ***, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that***  they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God ***.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
23 meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
24 But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
 
sorcery is sort of that all inclusive word for witchcraft, nemocracy [which is contact of spirits], etc.

Imho, Christians who are serious about God, stay away from anything having any appearance of evil [1 Thess 5:22].  

The demonic realm is real, it is dangerous, and it is harmful.  However; we have no reason to fear apparitions, ghosts, etc -which as noted by others, are evil spirits.  God's Word is clear,  we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mine [2 Tim 1:7].  Therefore, if confronted with this kind of thing, my defense would be calling out to God in Jesus' Name, for help.  After all, God wins  ;D

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Shalom, MalkyEL  8)

From MalkyEL:I just want to make sure I stay on the winning side, and am there for the victory party!

ditto and a high five . . .  ;D

Yes, well Malky, it is not quite as easy as that. Sometimes they come to us completely unbidden. It is Satan's way.


Oh, yes, it definitely is all of that.


While it's true we have not been given a spirit of fear, until you are faced with "the real thing" it's easy to say. Yes, we do have reason to fear; not necessarily the apparitions of our waking moments, but Satan's wiles can invade our dreams, our subconscious; can even be made to appear as a vision... "for he appears as an angel of light".

When my father lay dying from leukemia in his hospital bed, God sent me a series of "visions" and "dreams"....stuff I had never encountered before.

One was of a man; slim, tall, dark hair, handsome and quite charming who was in a trailer (which I took to be "mine"). When I stepped inside the trailer I realized he had been sleeping in my bed, eating my food; generally making himself at home. It made me angry...and when I told him to leave, the slick smile dropped from his face and we wrested with each other. Eventually I managed to toss him out the door, but not without a lot of struggle. As he sat on the ground below me, he gradually faded away and the dream ended.

How can I explain how unlike my normal dreams this was? I knew somehow that it was not my own mind; I can still recall every detail with absolute clarity; the clothes he was wearing, his face and the way he wore his hair; the wrinkled sleepingbag, the plate of food & fork in his hand...all of it, as clear today as it was 3 years ago.

When I woke I was exhausted; sweating like I had been physically active (although my bed was not "mussed"), my heart pounding and pulse racing, and with a bad smell still clining to my nostrils (yes, I could actually smell it, ugh). I had to get up and run around the house praying. Yes, I was frightened, but truthfully, I didn't know til the next morning what it really was; who it really was.

I didn't invite that visitation; I wasn't involved in anything that might have made it appear that I was seeking anything like that. What I was doing during that time in my life was growing in the Lord's wisdom; studying, praying continually, and walking the path through the valley of death, with God at my side, learning to receive His comfort and peace, listening to His voice. Offering up my life in place of my dad's. All the things that Satan doesn't want us to do, I was doing and he didn't like it.

I can tell you there's nothing worse (that I've experienced anyway) than a personal visit from Satan; there have been two others since that time, both far worse than the one above; far more personal. Without God's grace & mercy, and His immense hand in my life, I might not be here. The glory for those victories, are God's.

Yes, He does always win; in fact, has already won. But it will always be up to us to choose; do we turn satan out on his ear, or do we let him make himself at home? Will we choose to be overcomers?

Psa 9:9  Jehovah also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Psa 17:7  Set out Your wonderful loving-kindness, O Savior of those seeking refuge in You, by Your right hand, from those who rise up against me.
Psa 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psa 71:3  Be a rock of refuge for me, to which I may always go; You have commanded to save me; for You are my Rock and my Fortress.
Psa 91:2  I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust.

Gracey

BOO!

Butcha says:
He-he-he.  Made me jump right out of my skin.  He-he-he.

I've got another "event" to tell you about.  Took Place at Chrome Bay, Alaska.  Let me get my geographical facts - talk to my bother again (he was our "host") and I'll get it posted...

Gracey,

I apologize for making you think I was approaching this non-chalantly.  I am well aware of demonic manifestations and have heard of this kind of thing from others as well.  They can be frightening experiences and I did not mean to make light of them.

Again, I have to go to God's Word for my defense in times like these, just as you have.  Eph 6 says we must be armed and prepared to stand against the powers and principalities of the power of the princes of the air.  satan prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for whom he will devour.  Unless we stay in fellowship with God, being empowered by His Spirit to stand, fully equipped with His armour, we will be easy prey.  Sometimes, even then, those manifestations of evil do still come against us.  But, like the verses you quoted, if your hope and trust is in God, He will deliver you.  He will never forsake or leave His own.  Never.

I quoted "have no appearance of evil" for the benefit of those who are looking for and searching for ghosts and such.

Wondered if you would clear something up for me.  The dream you had about the man in your trailer that you wrestled with -you implied it came from God.  Could you like say why you think that?

Shalom, MalkyEL  8)

No need to apologize; I didn't think you were.


Yes, exactly so, He will never leave nor forsake us. The point to it, I think, was that we are responsible to call on His name, and to trust Him implicitly. Job was a righteous and godly man, yet God allowed Satan a "go round" with him.


I can, and will. I was like a lot of people, back then. I thought that if I followed God, prayed and "abided" in his word, that I would have no fellowship with things of the dark. I knew satan was out there, I just never figured I would have to confront him; I was naive; I never thought he could be as real as that (physically).

I believe it was God's way of showing me that we must choose to send satan out of our lives; reminding me that through Him we have that power and that we have it for a reason. His way of telling me we must be ever vigilant; "giving ourselves continually unto prayer". He was showing me how to "wrestle" those principalities and powers; preparing me.

Does the wolf not try to steal the sheep, even with the shepherd at hand?

The two subsequent dreams (one in each of the past 2 years) were not from God; definitely not; very personal and physically repulsive; spiritually oppressing and, well, disgusting to say the least.

On waking from both of those I heard myself praying, even before I was awake enough to pray. The spirit was praying (yeah, in english) for my protection.

Gracey

Gracey wrote:

I believe it was God's way of showing me that we must choose to send satan out of our lives; reminding me that through Him we have that power and that we have it for a reason. His way of telling me we must be ever vigilant; "giving ourselves continually unto prayer". He was showing me how to "wrestle" those principalities and powers; preparing me.

*********************
H m m m - I wonder if any of us have "power" to resist.  After my "season" of being part of a movement that believes that Christians have authority over satan, I have had to do some real Bible challenge.  In my search, I found that it is God, not us that takes control over all demonic activity.  

I was looking real close at the passage in Eph 6 and it says that we are to *stand* with God's armour.  James 4:7 says to humble ourselves before God and *resist*.

I agree we are to be vigilant and prepared as God gives us that ability.  Maybe I am just oversensitive because of all the satan bashing and rebuking I witnessed - to no avail.

I have come to realise that it is God's grace in my life that enables me, not anything I can do out of the flesh  ;)

Shalom, Nancy  8)

Yes, we do, but the power isn't ours, it's God's. Either I misstated what I meant, or it was misunderstood. The power in us isn't from us, it's God's power. I'm not saying this very well, but if you find satan working in your life, what do you do? You call upon God. "You call" and "He answers". How many of us just wait for God to do it? Without the call, would He just remove satan anyway? The "power" if you will, is the power of prayer; the power of calling on Him, knowing without doubt (faith & trust) He will answer the call.


uhh, no I don't personally have any power over satan. But as part of God's family, whatever power He has is available; just a call away; if I abide in Him (His word).

I've heard James 4:7 quoted quite a lot, but some people tend to forget the "submit yourselves to God" part, and completely ignore verse 8.

Jam 4:7  Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jam 4:8  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.

And of course, Ephesians gives us the "armour", but it also tells us to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might:

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Therefore take to yourselves the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.


Ahhh, yes well; I don't believe much in the showy "deliverance" ministries. What did Jesus say? Simply "get thee behind me Satan"; what did Michael say when wrestling hand-to-hand with Satan? "The Lord rebuke you". Even the archangel needed the power of God.


Yes, I agree; without Him what would we be? But even in His grace we are required to take action (in other words, to call on Him).

Gracey

Gracey,

I agree that calling on God is necessary - I think that when someone is in fear or facing a demonic experience, that when a person is solid in their relationship, calling out to God is as natural as breathing.  

I sort of bulk at the phrase "power of prayer".  Again, it is probably my oversensitive view on demanding things from God.  I don't really see prayer as a way to make God do things, but more of a way of communicating to Him our deepest hurts and needs and thereby expressing our need for Him in our lives and in the lives of those we are praying for.  It is an act of submission and of obedience, as He has instructed that we pray.

I agree that we are strong in the Lord, and empowered by His might - but again, it is in His strength - to withstand - in otherwords, we don't do anything that He does not supply us, but stand because we know that He is in control.  That is pure trust and faith in His abilities, not ours. I think we are saying the same thing, really, just in a different way.

I am curious as to the "wrestling hand-to-hand with Satan" [Jude 1] - I always understood it to mean they were arguing over Moses' body, not in active combat.

Shalom, MalkyEL

Yes, they were wrestling over Moses' body; I guess I would call that hand-to-hand combat, but I suppose I should have said face-to-face.


I don't see prayer as a way to make God do things either, but we pray for and in God's will (thy will be done). Yes, it is a way of communication; of praise and worship, but it is more than that.
Well, I don't know what to say to that. There is power in prayer, whether you want to call it that or not. Many of my prayers are nothing more than "conversation" with God; speaking to Him as I go through my day; thanking Him; praising Him; worshipping Him. Prayers of "petition" are few, except of course when I am praying for the needs of others (intercession). God meets my needs daily; all of them. What he doesn't always do, is meet my "greed". He does know the desires of our heart; sometimes, we are even blessed with those. There are many kinds of prayer and many ways to pray, but when we call upon God, there is His power.

When the disciples could not remove the demons from the child, they asked Jesus why,  and he replied:

Mar 9:29  And He said to them, This kind can come out by nothing except by prayer and fasting.

The bible also says we should ask in prayer:

Mat 21:21  Jesus answered and said to them, Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be thrown into the sea; it shall be done.
Mat 21:22  And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.

Phi 4:6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Phi 4:7  And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Jam 5:15  And the prayer of faith will cure the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.
Jam 5:16  Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.

Elijah's prayer (what God told him to pray for) shows a certain power (no, not Elijah's power, but God's):

Jam 5:17  Elijah was a man of like passion as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for the time of three years and six months.
Jam 5:18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to sprout.

This shows the power of prayer:

Mat 26:53  Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?

We are told to pray, to ask:

Joh 14:12  Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father.
Joh 14:13  And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Joh 14:15  If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,
Joh 14:17  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.

And although there is much more in the bible about prayer, Jesus also taught that it is always right to pray:

Luk 18:1  And He also spoke a parable to them to teach it is always right to pray, and not to faint,

So, maybe the problem here is the definition of "power", because for the most part I think we have similar views.

How did we get on this subject? I thought this was about ghosts?   :)

Peace
Gracey

Gracey,

We sporta did get off topic - of course this thread definitely needs prayer support  ;D!

I think we are pretty much on the same page with prayer, thanx for sharing your views and the scripture.

I did a word study on Jude 1:9 because of your perception - it was a new on me  ;)

"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee".

contending  Strong's 1252  diakrino means to make a distinction, judge, decide. to oppose

disputed   Strong's  1256  dialgomai  means to ponder, resolve, argue, discuss

I am not so sure there was hand-to-hand combat, but rather a "discussion" over Moses' body.  Micha'el obviously knew better than to rebuke satan and refused to accuse him, calling on God to do so [so much for satan bashing  ::)]

Shalom, MalkyEL  8)

Yes, that is entirely possible. It really is just my own perception; I guess in my mind I always pictured Michael on one side and satan on the other with Moses' body between...sort of like a tug of war! But I agree, it more likely was an argument or discussion. Thanks....I never really thought about it that hard before   :)


Yup; I remember the first time that particular light bulb came on in my mind.....and became astounded at all those "deliverance" fallacies and sham artists!

Cheers!
Gracey

Ah – finally a little while to relay another “brush with the demonic”.  

In 1996 I was on one of my annual sojourns to Alaska.  My brother has a cabin cruiser we take out of Homer into Kachemak Bay and on into Lower Cook Inlet with the goal of stocking up the freezer with halibut.  On this particular trip we decided to extend our cruise down around the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula to a little piece of water named Chrome Bay, located just around Cape Elizabeth near the entrance to Port Chatham.
We had often heard “tales” of an abandoned village (Chugachmiut Indians) on the southern tip of the peninsula.  The reason for abandonment by the natives is largely speculation.  The area is teaming with game and good fishing, the water is ice-free and because of proximity to the open the gulf, the weather (even in winter) is fairly temperate.  According to folklore, they left because they were “chased away” by either spirits or by Sasquatch.  
Searching USGS maps we discovered the small notation ‘ruins’ on the north side of Chrome Bay, so we thought it would make an interesting side trip to break the monotony of long days on the boat, plus Chrome Bay is an excellent sheltered anchorage.
We pulled into Chrome Bay fairly late in the afternoon.  The bay was like glass and the afternoon warm and sunny.  My brother and a friend who was along with us unloaded the canoe and headed for the beach to build a driftwood fire so we could enjoy some of the day’s catch, and I stayed aboard to clean up the boat and make room in the sleeping quarters for actual sleeping.  I had just returned topside as they shoved the canoe off for their return to the boat, when the quiet was pierced by what sounded like a pack of wolves howling from the opposite shore from where the smoky driftwood fire was just taking off.  I turned my focus to that shore – wolves, though plentiful are rarely spotted.  While I could hear them, and it sounded as if they were right on the beach I could see nothing except empty sand stretching to the edge of dark spruce forest.  Then as I stood searching, the wolves’ howling turned into what sounded like the cry of many eagles coming from the tops of the trees.  This quickly turned into what sounded like thousands of gulls screaming over the water.  The screaming sound came directly across the bay and over the boat – echoing off every rock – extremely loud; but nothing was there – not a bird in the sky or beast on the shore.  After passing over the bay the sound disappeared into the forest at the west end of the bay.  Again the day was quiet.  
When my brother and friend boarded we discussed it and agreed we all heard the same thing.  We were all more than a little ‘unnerved’ by the experience.  
We also knew why, if there had been a native village in the vicinity, they left!  When ever I think back on the experience the thing that comes to mind is “screaming demons” – nothing else describes it.  (By the way, we spent the night in the bay with no other encounters, but left early the next morning with out searching for the ruins – we decided fishing was more important!)
As a Christian, I will never return to Chrome Bay – it is an astoundingly beautiful piece of real estate, but as far as I’m concerned is a haven for something very evil.  

I can honestly say that I've never seen a ghost, but I think I have known a few demons in my time. The really spooky thing is that when I sat down to do my morning bible study today I suddenly found myself writing about dealing with fear, which had nothing to do with what I was studying.  Next thing I know I have this overwhelming impulse to post my notions to this forum hence the thread ...What are you afraid of?  Now I come back to the forum this afternoon and there is this thread on re: ghosts.  I have to wonder if my post was inspired by someone on higher ground. ???

7 years before I was saved, I had quite an experience. I had  been having horrible nightmares for about a week. I had 2 that stand out in my mind. In one my brother was hanging  by a rope around the neck in the corner of my room. The other one I was walking around with a shovel digging for Jesus. (Please be advised that I knew very little about The Lord at the time) Then, I had just laid  down to go to sleep on this particular night, In my minds eye I saw a demon sitting cross legged on my dresser leering at me with hate  then quick as a flash he  came within inches of my face. I remember he had deep wrinkles, and yellow eyes. I jumped up so fast  and ran from that room and I refused to sleep in there again!  Years later  I saw that same face on a billboard advertising a horror movie! I was horrofied allright. I believe that demons give inspiration  to the ungodly in  movies and in music.  I am so Glad that I finally found Jesus!

Amen!

Hi there, my time on the 'puter is swiftly running out, so I didn't take time to read everything, and I probably shouldn't, anyway, because I find, unfortunatly, ghost stories irresistable, read them, then sit in bed all night praying fervently while clutching the cat because of my silly, stupid folly.

Anyway, I might find the answer as I scan ewhat has already been said tomorrow, but, shall we then be frightened of ghosts? I believe, in all my un-wiseness and not-knowingness, that they are demons, or angels, sometimes. Angels would be too frightening in they're natural form, and demons might even kill us with fear, because you would think they would carry with them glimpses of the horrors of hell, or something.
I had a story once, (Most are NOT true, I know) where a man was visiting a VERY distraught frind of his, and they were sitting on the couch, and he was facing the turned-off TV, when he noticed reflections of some kind of haze...well, to make a long story short, he began seeing in the reflective screen views of flames and some sort of ghoul.

One note before I leave, Satan can take on many forms.
He can take on the form of the enticing seductress, the evil, red, pointy tailed demon....and an angel of light. He is very crafty. I wouldn't put it above him to even take the forms of pleasing, comforting forms, like comforting 'ghosts'.

(You just watch. I'll be cranky tomorrow because I was scared stiff all night for no reason. I have NEVER had an accounter with the supernatural that I could see, and I pray, *Really, I pray* that I never will.)

Er...it's been...a while...does anyone have any thoughts on what I posted? Good? Bad?

YIKES EEKKKKKK, help a ghost scared me!!! ;D


PS, the Webpage the ghost came from is here below;

angelfire.com/mi/dinosaurs (http://angelfire.com/mi/dinosaurs)


Blessings,  \o/

KristiAnn

I have never seen a ghost. Therefore, I don't know if they are around.  The only ghost I know is "The Holy Ghost."




I take that back. I know of "Casper, the friendly ghost." ;D

 What about The Ghost and Mr. Chicken?  :o

Bronzsnake

Oh you mean, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." I don't know about The Ghost and Mr. Chicken ???

"Who you gonna call'?


 ;D

 It's an old Don Knotts movie - pretty funny stuff, if you're partial to that era.

 Bronzesnake

You are correct. Satan wants to promote his first lie which he tolf Eve in the Garden of Eden...."You shall not surely die".
This was Satan's first lesson, on the immortality of the soul doctrine...which he promotes to this very day, in order to destroy people.

This is an old topic from 5 years ago, wow! I came here today to get some of my posting for a book I am compiling.
I can't believe I made a post about this.
 I have been off and on from the Lord, in the time that has past. My old posts reveal a lot about myself.
My brother actually did kill himself by hanging on the 3rd of June this year............

I am sorry to hear that about your brother.  I am just as sorry to hear that you are on and off about Jesus.  Are you currently attending a church?  If so do they have a discipleship plan there? 

Let me also say welcome back and you should come visit more regularly...when you are feeling off again maybe some fellowship with believers is just what you need.

I reiterate what Brother Jerry said. I am sorry to hear of your troubles.

Do come visit us more often or seek out other strong Christians in your area ( 0r perhaps both) for some great spiritual support. It is highly important for our spiritual well being that we all get such support.