Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing so honestly about what you have been carrying. It is encouraging to hear that God has been showing you the danger of unforgiveness and that you have taken steps toward peace with those who have harassed you, even while you are still dealing with painful behavior from some of them and with the added strain of a medical condition that leaves you irritable.
What you describe fits what Scripture shows about evil spirits. They are real, intelligent spirit beings who are restless unless they have a place to operate, and they seek to inhabit and influence people. When Jesus cast them out, they often cried out loudly as they left, and they even begged not to be sent to their place of confinement before the appointed time. That place of confinement for evil spirits is separate from the place where human souls are held after death. At present God restrains many of them, and in Revelation we are shown that when that restraint is lifted hordes of these beings are released to torment. They are not aimless forces. They can inflict real pain and torment that no locked room or hiding place can keep out, and they influence individuals and even rulers to do inhumane and destructive things that cannot be explained in merely human terms. At the end they will gather the kings of the earth to make war against Christ at His return.
Scripture also shows that God makes a separation. Those who belong to Him are sealed and kept by Him. Jesus said to watch and keep your garments clean in Him, so that you walk with Him and not in shame. Your protection is not in finding the perfect technique to get the spirits to leave, but in belonging to Christ and abiding in Him.
That is why what God has shown you about unforgiveness is so important. Unforgiveness is a terrible burden. It eats away at you, it brings mental turmoil and distress, and it gives the enemy a foothold. To forgive as Christ has forgiven you does not mean that what was done to you was right, and it does not mean you must trust or stay close to people who continue to do evil under demonic influence. Forgiveness is releasing the debt to God, refusing to brood over the wrong, and leaving justice in His hands so you can walk free. When irritability from your health struggles stirs up old feelings again, bring those feelings to Jesus quickly, confess them, and ask Him to renew a forgiving spirit in you. God understands weakness of the body and He is gracious to help.
It is good that you have sought to make peace where you could. Scripture says as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all people. Yet making peace with others, even when you do it faithfully and persistently, does not control whether they continue to choose evil or remain under demonic influence. You have seen progress with some, and that is grace, but the continued wrong behavior of others is not a sign that you have failed. You cannot change their hearts. Only God can.
In the same way, persistence in prayer is vital, but not because God is reluctant and must be worn down. Jesus told of a persistent widow who kept coming to an unjust judge until he acted, and of a neighbor who kept knocking at midnight until his friend got up. The point was not that God is like the unjust judge or the sleepy neighbor. The point was the contrast. If even an unjust judge will respond to persistence, how much more will your righteous Father in heaven answer His children who call on Him continually. You do not need to bug God or break Him down to get Him to act. If you could force an answer from God by sheer persistence, you might even bring harm on yourself by demanding something that is not good for you. Instead Jesus says simply ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened. God is not saying go away, do not bother me. He invites you to keep coming, to stay near, to keep asking, seeking and knocking as a child with a loving Father.
So keep bringing this harassment, this medical trial, and these feelings of unforgiveness to Him. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit, to guard your mind and heart, to help you forgive quickly and not brood, and to set healthy boundaries with those who continue to do evil. Keep your garments clean by confessing sin, receiving His forgiveness through Jesus alone, and walking in obedience. Trust that He who has sealed you is able to guard you from torment that no human shelter can prevent.
I am praying for you, that the Lord Jesus will give you relief from the harassment, healing and grace for your body, strength to forgive as you have been forgiven, and deep peace as you rest in His care and keep calling on Him day by day.
What you describe fits what Scripture shows about evil spirits. They are real, intelligent spirit beings who are restless unless they have a place to operate, and they seek to inhabit and influence people. When Jesus cast them out, they often cried out loudly as they left, and they even begged not to be sent to their place of confinement before the appointed time. That place of confinement for evil spirits is separate from the place where human souls are held after death. At present God restrains many of them, and in Revelation we are shown that when that restraint is lifted hordes of these beings are released to torment. They are not aimless forces. They can inflict real pain and torment that no locked room or hiding place can keep out, and they influence individuals and even rulers to do inhumane and destructive things that cannot be explained in merely human terms. At the end they will gather the kings of the earth to make war against Christ at His return.
Scripture also shows that God makes a separation. Those who belong to Him are sealed and kept by Him. Jesus said to watch and keep your garments clean in Him, so that you walk with Him and not in shame. Your protection is not in finding the perfect technique to get the spirits to leave, but in belonging to Christ and abiding in Him.
That is why what God has shown you about unforgiveness is so important. Unforgiveness is a terrible burden. It eats away at you, it brings mental turmoil and distress, and it gives the enemy a foothold. To forgive as Christ has forgiven you does not mean that what was done to you was right, and it does not mean you must trust or stay close to people who continue to do evil under demonic influence. Forgiveness is releasing the debt to God, refusing to brood over the wrong, and leaving justice in His hands so you can walk free. When irritability from your health struggles stirs up old feelings again, bring those feelings to Jesus quickly, confess them, and ask Him to renew a forgiving spirit in you. God understands weakness of the body and He is gracious to help.
It is good that you have sought to make peace where you could. Scripture says as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all people. Yet making peace with others, even when you do it faithfully and persistently, does not control whether they continue to choose evil or remain under demonic influence. You have seen progress with some, and that is grace, but the continued wrong behavior of others is not a sign that you have failed. You cannot change their hearts. Only God can.
In the same way, persistence in prayer is vital, but not because God is reluctant and must be worn down. Jesus told of a persistent widow who kept coming to an unjust judge until he acted, and of a neighbor who kept knocking at midnight until his friend got up. The point was not that God is like the unjust judge or the sleepy neighbor. The point was the contrast. If even an unjust judge will respond to persistence, how much more will your righteous Father in heaven answer His children who call on Him continually. You do not need to bug God or break Him down to get Him to act. If you could force an answer from God by sheer persistence, you might even bring harm on yourself by demanding something that is not good for you. Instead Jesus says simply ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened. God is not saying go away, do not bother me. He invites you to keep coming, to stay near, to keep asking, seeking and knocking as a child with a loving Father.
So keep bringing this harassment, this medical trial, and these feelings of unforgiveness to Him. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit, to guard your mind and heart, to help you forgive quickly and not brood, and to set healthy boundaries with those who continue to do evil. Keep your garments clean by confessing sin, receiving His forgiveness through Jesus alone, and walking in obedience. Trust that He who has sealed you is able to guard you from torment that no human shelter can prevent.
I am praying for you, that the Lord Jesus will give you relief from the harassment, healing and grace for your body, strength to forgive as you have been forgiven, and deep peace as you rest in His care and keep calling on Him day by day.
