3:33 am Wake ups

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2towers
God has definitely led me to Catholicism, and I am beginning RCIA in January. I have actually just completed a book on spiritual warfare which I am in a final stage of edit right now. I agree its never bad to hear about solutions, because so many people only see the problems. And I also agree with your PS very strongly, though I remember at the time when it happened that year being exposed to spiritual warfare in this manner was nothing short of cataclysmic, and the ‘easily addressed’ bit may seem more digestible now than it would have been if you’d said the same thing to me that year.
 
I don’t think praying in the spirit means outside the body --I am pretty sure the Jews had a much different idea of soul and body–but rather praying in the Holy Spirit or even breathing, with that breath of God.

I do believe the demonic can make one think he or she has had such experiences, which is why you may hear testimonials of it. But what should be pretty convincing is that many who say they have done this were new agers or into the occult when it happened.

Many saints were said to be able to bilocate, and I believe I have heard of being in 3 different places at the same time. I do not think this implies a separation of body and spirit.

Also, you’re just coming to the Church now, what kind of experience did you have when you were 12?

Once again, welcome and I hope you find the Joy of Christ in His Church.
 
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Well again interpretation in places in the Bible is subjective based on experience. I won’t discount the possibility that such an experience could be deception; however usually the way the evil spirit operates is to remain hidden, because as soon as they are discovered to be real, logic would dictate turning to God. I greatly sensed God’s presence throughout that year, and whatever the source of these experiences were, they ended up being used for good. I would say that the spirit is our true self, and that theoretically there is never a complete separation from the body as there is always a tie to it, which cannot be severed until death. What is actually harder to believe? An out of body experience, or tri-locating? Isn’t anything possible within God?

Anyway, I definitely don’t want to focus on those events too much and give them too much power, but the end result was being led to God.

Thank you for the welcome, and I have already had my fair share of sublime experiences in contact with the Lord and look forward to formalizing and affirming my direction by joining the Church in due course. I am a confirmed Anglican, but I believe I have been led to Catholicism…

Thanks to all who offered support and welcome in this thread
God Bless
 
Indeed, which is why private interpretation is flawed.

But my point is that bodies and souls are not made in a way as commonly viewed, i.e., a soul wrapped in a meat suit. Our body is us, and our soul is us, and we believe in the Resurrection of the body.

Of course, anything is possible with God.
Sometimes demons are quiet, sometimes they are rowdy, for instance exorcisms are necessary things. It all quite depends, but never can they do more than God allots.

If you don’t mind me asking, what was this near death experience like? I understand if you aren’t comfortable sharing.
 
Are all our personal revelations direct from God pointless then. since every possible communication of relevant law has already been passed down and decided upon? Aren’t there many things that God has to say that doesn’t come only in words, but in a sequence of events and realizations that often goes far beyond words? The personal interpretation of which I speak is when a Bible verse comes alive within one’s own subjective experience when one encounters a prime example of the spiritual law it discusses (very often within days of having considered it first mentally by reading of it in the Bible) at work in the world around you. The details of how the example was displayed will vary greatly from person to person, which always gives a certain individual flavor to Bible verse. I am not in disagreement with your response to what you thought I meant, which is deriving a new interpretation entirely from Bible verse that contradicts teachings that have already been accepted as true. Don’t forget I’m not Catholic yet, but I am on my considered way in. I do understand the importance of not rocking the boat, and maintaining peace within ranks which is to accept articles of faith and the church’s position on many matters; I always try to remember that disagreements are usually about fine print, and that where I would disagree with other Christians or have my own opinion based on subjective experience is a tiny slice out of an otherwise very agreeable pie.

I think revelation should always be checked with someone else wise in the ways of the Lord, which is why fellowship is so important. Biblically we are body, soul and spirit. In my understanding of myself, the spirit is my true self because it is what will remain at journey’s end; the eternal part of me. The body and ‘soul’ (which I kind of see as ‘ego’ or the token piece we move through the board of life) will one day expire. Again all three spheres of human existence function as one in our current form, but by drawing our attention to one sphere or another and by focusing there we are often able to effect changes in that specific area. Eternity is a long time, and one wonders what the relevance would be of an identity that is based on a mere 100 years of existence.

I think in the end I decided that the source of the out of bodies or whether they were real or not at all didn’t matter; whether deploying the armor of God actually had a spiritual impact, or just acted as a psycho-therapeutic tool because I believed it was working. In either case, the source being demonic or being Divine (or maybe a bit of both in there is my guess), and the event being so completely real to me, it led me to believe in God and eventually… entirely in Jesus.

In any case, I am not a conformist by nature, but I see the importance of fellowship and as I head into RCIA I intend to listen more than I intend to talk. I have absolutely sensed Jesus’ presence in the workings going on at the church I both work at and attend, so I am going to listen carefully.
 
NDE - excerpt from the book I wrote
There is one event in particular that took place while I was at this camp that really stands out for me. The camp was adjacent to a lake, and one day some friends of mine and I decided to have a competition to see who could grab a handful of mud from the bottom of the lake and bring it back up to show as proof that we had made it to the bottom. I performed my dive to the bottom of the lake and grabbed a handful of mud, by which time I was already struggling to hold my breath in.
As I began to rise to the surface, lungs bursting and with rising panic, I could finally hold out no longer and drew in a deep breath of lake water. When I drew in that first breath of water, I remember the instant shift in my emotional state from one of panic to one of absolute peace and calm. I saw my entire life flash before my eyes, which was a considerably short story at the age of eleven when combined with the blinding speed it went by at. Then I saw the famed tunnel of light with shapes moving around within the light and I was awash with tranquility. Then there was a crossfade where this tunnel became the sun upon the lake and the shapes transformed into a hand coming down through the sun (like the shimmering hand of God) that grabbed me out of the lake and up onto the dock where I began to splutter and cough up the water.
It was a camp counsellor who had pulled me out of the water though I doubt he knew I had begun to drown, and something he saw in my eyes must have disturbed him so he asked me, “What’s wrong?” I’m not sure what exact expression my eyes must have portrayed; Shock? Wonder? Although it was clear to me that I had narrowly escaped death, at the age of eleven I’d heard nothing about the near-death tunnel of light that there are innumerable reports of from people who have died and then been resuscitated.
 
Anyway, a subjective experience of short duration at a young age that left an indelible imprint.
 
I have had more than a few years waking up in the middle of the night, often at 3.

There can be any number of valid natural explainations for this. 1. sleep disturbances like sleep apnea, that a cpap machine might help. 2. Natural sleep rhythms, people years and years ago used to have two sleeps at night before artificial lighting! They would sometimes go out visiting in the middle of the night. 3. Supernatural or Preternatural reasons.

I started using those middle of the night wake ups, which I believed were due to being in the habit of mothering little children and getting older, to pray. It is much better than getting on-line or watching tv. Although when I was younger, and a working woman a few years before I had children, I would sometimes wake in the middle of the night and drive a few blocks away to a 24/7 Adoration Chapel and have a little visit.

I can’t claim I do this every time, sometimes I do click on the TV. I usually regret it. I remember the Japanese Tsunami came across my screen live, and I thought I was dreaming a nightmare.

No matter what the reason you are waking, use that time well. Pray, write, read a devotional or the Bible. Do something calming. God’s up and waiting for you.
 
It might be an idea to get some items (blessed by a Catholic Priest) and holy water, as well as prayers said at your home…spiritual attack is VERY real, and these critters hate the presence of blessed items.
 
This year I speak of was 17 years ago now, and no priest helped me at the time. It was individual people that came forward and showed me the way, along with personal revelation. There was a lot of coincidence though. Let me give you another example.

I went to the church at which I had been confirmed to talk to the reverend there about the spiritual attacks. He did not believe me and sent me packing without really any advice or support just a perfunctory prayer. I remember arriving home from that encounter thinking there was just no one who would believe me and that I was completely alone and a bit angry because these attacks brought forth all the memories from childhood in which I had been attacked (and been told they were all in my imagination, yet now were confirmed by these later events to have been real). In any case, I flipped on the TV to watch day time programming which I never do.

The TV warmed up to an Oral Roberts stadium broadcast, the subject was demons and how to fight them, advising to keep our eyes on the Lord.

Ok… a coincidence… but one in so many. In that moment I realized I wasn’t alone.

In any case I am no longer in crisis and I know what is required to protect my home. Although crosses and holy water do have power in and of themselves, there is nothing that has more power than believing prayer and the authority of Jesus’ name.

I do admit my experience with clergy until I reached out to the catholic church was not very good on this matter. Many priests have very naturalized ways of viewing this phenomenon and relegate it to the realm of mental illness… ie: all in your imagination, which leaves us powerless to fight off the attackers if they are in fact real.
 
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Good suggestions!

I recently sent some blessed St. Benedict medals to family members and they put them up. Nobody was experiencing spiritual attacks, but for one person, it helped them overcome anxiety and brought a sense of peace to the home.
 
“Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.”

But, sometimes it’s a matter of ‘selective attention’. And that isn’t a bad thing either, our minds were created by God, and if it is a function that brings you closer to Him, it’s Good.

I highly recommend the Youtube Channel ‘Sensus Fidelium’ Fr. Ripperger’s videos on Spiritual Discernment. He’s not the only good source, just that I learned so much from him and it’s not dismissive.
Zap said:
I remember arriving home from that encounter thinking there was just no one who would believe me and that I was completely alone and a bit angry because these attacks brought forth all the memories from childhood in which I had been attacked
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Remember this, Evil wants you to believe you are alone, you’re not. 🙂 You can always come here and request prayer if you need some.
 
I’m glad you see the necessity of the unity of believers.
The soul, theologically speaking, is not the ego, but do read, for instance: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm

It is part of our creed that we believe in the Resurrection of the Body, like our Lord before us.

It is a very important >100 years. The formation of the person and growing in righteousness and goodness, something that seems to determine our eternal lives.
Your idea on the spirit vs the soul surviving is an idea I am not well acquainted with.
What I do know is that the common idea of our soul seems to be influenced by pagan thought rather than ancient Hebraic thought, but God reveals what He wills to who He wills.

God is God, so when we find a verse seeming to fit a situation we are going through, and if it is indeed a guidance by God, then that simply shows His Power. It doesn’t mean that’s what the author intended or that that is what it actually means in context, but God is Almighty and can do what He wants.

God bless
 
I insist on hanging Miraculous Medals in every room of my house 😂:+1:t2:
 
Thank you egretps for all your counsel, sage advice and good will that you have displayed over multiple messages. I actually am late diagnosed ADHD - which I’m on the fence about as to whether it’s a spiritual or physical malady or more likely both. (I actually fit into many of the proven categories for increased risk of ADHD like being born premature, jaundiced, mother smoked a bit during pregnancy, psoriasis etc…) What this means is that since about the age of 6 an average night’s sleep is about 5 hours with about 3 to 4 wake ups in there - i don’t have apnea because I have had more than one girlfriend and they would have told me. I’ve just gotten used to this schedule. I’m 50 now but I figure I’ve been awake as much as a normal 60 year old lol.

I do wonder if some of it is PTSD from the spiritual attacks I had as a child.

I do use the time often to write - i’m a musician, poet writer thingy - best time for creativity is early AM for me.

GB
Simon
 
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