If you know your KJV Bible, you know that Satan and his demons are walking to and fro upon the earth, seeking whom they may devour. Based upon the rash of murder-suicides–or just plain suicides–I have seen on and in the news during 2018, I’d say that he was on his job. Whether or not you believe that the devil is real does not change the fact that he is on the hunt for souls. The first two chapters of the Book of Job, coupled with the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4, give one all the evidence they need to be aware of the wiles of the devil.
He is a stalker, and has all the evil spirits under his control doing his bidding in watching for potential targets–EVEN Christians! No restraining order, search warrant, or court document will stop his murderous bent. Suicide IS a spirit…period! It must be stopped by spiritual means.
During the few great years that I served as a Probation Officer with my county Juvenile Court in the early 2000s, one of the issues that I ran into on a regular basis was teen suicide. P.O.s receive updated training in this area. Training was expanded to detention staff, social workers, and others who were involved in the field of juvenile justice. Signs that we were taught to look for in troubled juveniles during intake, office, and court interviews included the ‘hearing’ of voices; unending depression, an overall ‘feeling’ of worthlessness, expressions of no one would ‘miss them’ if they were gone and a desire to ‘end it all’. Other ‘cues’ for young people revolved around occult involvement including types of music that the teen listened to that included suicidal themes; troubles at school, or major shocks to their system because of a divorce in their family, a suicide among their friends or loved ones, problems at school, drug/alcohol abuse, or mental health issues–including types of prescribed medication used in such mental health treatment.
Fast forward a decade or so. Teen suicide has now expanded, blossomed and grown into adult suicide with the numbers increasing–and no end in sight.
Toward the end of 2018, the public saw a variety of news reports on the issue, from a variety of published and Internet sources. I’ll just provide a few brief, general highlights:
*Federal authorities identified the top two killers of young adults for the year ending 2018 as the following. Number one is drug overdoses. Number two was suicide.
*A well established law enforcement magazine noted that there were more police officers killed by their own hand in 2018 than killed by any other means–including being shot by criminals.
*More and more instances of pre-teens committing suicide are making their way into the mainstream press. Over the last two years, we have read about children as young as eight and nine years old killing themselves–allegedly tied to school bullying OR gang recruitment activity. ‘Suicide by gang’ is becoming a dangerous trend.
*Speaking of the mainstream press, a published report late in 2018 noted that the media profession, in terms of careers, had the THIRD highest rate of suicide among professions.
*In my neck of the woods a few years ago, A high school that I had taught in reported a female student had hung herself IN the school, during the school day. A few years before this, in a school district right down the road, several students had committed suicide in and around the school, during that school year.
What brought this issue ‘back around’ for me was a friend of mine over the 2018 Christmas season was wrestling with the loss of an older son. Not having his son during the holidays was pretty rough on him. With both of us being Christians, I went straight to the Word of God and reminded him through his pain that God had not forgotten him. We might not understand it all now, but there comes a day that we WILL understand, and we have to NOT get discouraged over what we may see unfold in front of us (Psalms 37 and 73 KJV).
BREACHED DOORWAYS INTO THE MIND MANIFEST IN THE SOUL:
I am not a ‘professional’ counselor, but I am a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who–not by my knowledge or wisdom–have extensive training in the area of spiritual warfare from the Word of God, just by living life. As the ‘old folks’ used to tell us in our youth: “If you DON’T understand it now–just keep ON living!” Being among the older set myself, I get what they were trying to tell me, back in the day.
One of the things that people–even Christians–fail to understand is how slick Satan and his demons actually are. Let us not forget two things: 1) Satan’s job is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10 KJV); 2) his demons (spirits under his control) also know that there is one true God and tremble at the mention of him (James 2:19 KJV).
Another thing that many–even Christians–tend to forget is that Satan spoke directly to Jesus during their meeting in the wilderness (Matthew 4 and Luke 4 KJV) and Jesus responded with the following: “It is written”. In other words, Jesus met Satan WITH the Word of God. Further, Satan and those who support him can transform themselves into an angels of light, meaning they can impersonate or counterfeit items from the scriptures.
What does this have to do with the suicide issue? Suicide IS a spirit, and must be broken by spiritual means meaning by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Since the devil is the father of lies, it is no small task for him and his demons to make their voices ‘sound’ like the voice of an intended target INSIDE of their mind. It is estimated that some 90 percent of satanic attack is directed at the human mind. Thus, one MUST be able to discern Satan’s voice–from their own. A great definition that I have heard quoted by Charles Spurgeon is that: “discernment is the ability to distinguish what is right, from what is almost right”. When one’s mental defenses are down or breached because of drugs, alcohol, depression, failure or other such maladies, a doorway is opened into the mind, will seep into the soul, and will eventually manifest in one’s flesh, or, in one’s physical body. It is VITAL that this spiritual weed be pulled by the soul-utions found in the Bible…and it begins WITH Jesus Christ!
Don’t shout me down when I’m coming straight across the plate!
Let me provide an example of one of these breaches. It has been said that marijuana is a ‘gateway’ or ‘doorway’ drug. Increasing use of it will lead the user to experiment with other, more potent drugs in order to maintain their ‘high’ for longer, and longer periods of time. What have we been seeing around our country at the state level? Right. Increasing approval of the use of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes by the states. At last count, there were 30 states and the District of Columbia where this issue has already been approved, in one form or the other. What are we seeing exhibited by athletes and entertainment wizards of cool? Marijuana use has not only increased–but it is being touted as not impacting these public figures in the performance of their skills and art.
Unfortunately, what one does NOT hear is all of the misery and carnage left by such legalization–including the rising numbers of suicides. Numbers, I might add that are often reported in the media by ones or twos, while the ‘official’ numbers crunchers are recording them in the tens and twenties.
ANOTHER DOORWAY BREACH–THE OCCULT:
Satan does not have to shout to enter the human mind. He whispers. In the garden of Eden, Satan did not shout at Eve, and look at the destruction that happened as a result. His packages never change–but their wrappings do change with the times.
Over the last five to eight years, there has been a marked increase in occult-related content on the big and small screens–some of it glorifying suicide. With the widespread use of the Internet, one can tap into their occult fantasies through a number of web venues and reading sources. In the music world, more and more artists have been paying tribute to the Illuminati, the Boule, or other such unholy deities through their practices of ‘spirit cooking’ or other demonic-laced items. We have also seen a few colleges allowing for the creation of Satanism clubs on campus, and have seen a few state legislatures allowing for the building of statues ON state property that worship Satan.
Even those practicing witchcraft have become bolder in their existence and pursuits. Soon after Donald J. Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States, published reports began to surface concerning witches of various ranks and powers attempting to place hexes and curses upon President Trump and his administration. As far as I know, they haven’t let up yet. THIS is the reason why we are to pray for our leaders (Romans 13). Even Halloween has been expanded into the entire month of October, with Halloween decorations going up in stores earlier and earlier each year, causing adults and children to celebrate their ‘favorite holiday’. God says not to mess with the occult under ANY circumstances, as it will impact your spirit and physical body. Suicide IS one of the very real side effects rising from occult involvement (Heavy Burdens–Numbers 11:10-15 KJV; Sickness/Illness–Isaiah 38:9-20 KJV). Those who practice ANY form of witchcraft, in the end, if they do NOT repent, are the victim of the dark master they willingly serve.
In the area of Modern Street Gangs–one of my areas of expertise–occult activities are also on the rise. In Central and South America, transnational gangs such as MS-13 and 18th Street–among others–are known to have their own witch doctors and/or witches to cast spells on behalf of the gang. In Mexico, the cartels worship the demonic deity Santa Muerta (Our Lady Of Death), carve her likeness on their weapons and rely on her to ‘protect’ them from law enforcement. These groups have been known to cast spells on law enforcement agencies in their neck of the woods. As they have been migrating illegally into the United States, they have been bringing their own brand of witchcraft with them, and teaching their occult ways to American gangs and gang members to use against U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Is it any wonder that there have been a rising number of Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) suicides lately? Some police stations have reported to having found occult trappings and/or hexes placed on police by drug gangs and cartels…some domestic; some transnational.
Here is another item that has Modern Street Gang involvement, possibly heading back a few years in some of our public schools. Because of the infusion of transnational gangs, and their occult/demonic leanings, it is NOT that much of a stretch to think that those gangs are–again–impacting and training domestic gangs. Since public schools have de-emphasized anti-gang training , teen gang recruiters have gone on unchecked to ply their trade IN the school setting. In my opinion (which seems to fit the facts of the mysterious increases of teen and pre-teen suicides in the school setting) Modern Street Gang recruiters have been ‘assigning’ recruits to place a timetable on how long it would take to have that potential member to ‘force’ a target to commit suicide by any means at their disposal. Since there are few major laws that could be used to convict a juvenile of forcing another juvenile to commit suicide, once again, the gangs have ‘skirted’ the justice system and ‘upped’ their reputations and threat to public safety.
There are other areas of the occult being connected with suicides that are out there. The main issue is this: IF it is something that God is not pleased with, it’s time to ask for the Lord to deliver you from this sprit of death, this pit of sin, and surrender your life to Him. Only by doing this will one be able to have firm protection against Satan’s devices.
THE SOLUTION IS A SPIRITUAL ONE–FOR A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM:
All of these items should be pointing the reader to a grim reality: the need for Jesus Christ. Without a real relationship with Christ, there is NO protection of the individual against the spiritual warfare waged upon humankind by Satan and his demons. One who is NOT under the protection of Christ has NO right to use the weapons of God’s warfare (Acts 19:13-20 KJV). The seven sons of Sceva found out the hard way that just ‘knowing about’ Christ when going up against demon-possessed people is not good enough. No God IN your life…no protection BY God OF your life.
To fight suicide is to get IN Christ, get a new mind in Christ (Philippians 2:5 KJV) and to renew that mind in the Word of God, day by day (Romans 12:1-2 KJV). Only then is the person afforded the protection of the Blood of Christ and the access to the armory of God and the armor of the Spirit (II Corinthians 10:1-6, 17; Ephesians 6:10-20 KJV). Only then can the person have the authority to tell Satan and his demons to ‘get thee behind them’.
Think getting tied up mentally is just a ‘happenstance’, or ‘bad luck’? I would invite the reader to check out the life’s story of Spurgeon. He regarded depression as a ‘black dog’ that seemed to trail him regularly–meaning that it was a SPIRITUAL attack. ONLY by the prayers and supplications of himself AND the prayers of others whom he trusted put that dog back in its cage and freed his mental faculties to worship and preach for Christ. IF Spurgeon knew the dangers of severe depression and its impact upon the mind–and he was regarded as the ‘Prince of Preachers’–what ills are stalking OUR steps; what members of Hell’s legions are reading OUR mail at our mind’s mailbox? What secret things are we into that are NOT pleasing to God. H’mmm?
There is also a need to repent and forsake one’s sins. Thus, those who are involved in the occult, the drug scene, Modern Street Gang activity, alcohol abuse, mistreatment of their husbands/wives/children, etc. must take EACH of these sins to our Lord, be aware of their spiritual ties, ask for forgiveness, and follow the direction of the Holy Spirit in breaking the bond that sin has upon one’s mind. As I have mentioned before, suicide IS a spirit AND suicide is stalking people. It MUST be broken by spiritual means–the means provided by Christ in His Word.
I understand that there will be some who will read this and think that they don’t need Christ. All they need to do is go in some place for some counseling, get a prescription, and life will roll on. All I can say that it doesn’t take that much for life to change direction and roll right over you.
Friend, you have more to lose than you may think if you don’t grab the lifeline and get pulled in to the lighthouse on the shore. Suicide IS a spirit…and must be broken by spiritual means, through Jesus Christ. IF you are a Christian and are having such issues, find your Bible and another Christian and get back into prayer and the Word. IF you are NOT a Christian, find a Christian and have enough wisdom and humility to ask the question that the Jailer asked of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Mike Ramey is a Minister, Book Reviewer, P-School Ranger, Modern Street Gang Specialist and Syndicated Columnist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. “The Ramey Commentaries” is one of a variety of columns that Ramey has in cyberspace. To drop him a line…or a whine…the address is still the same: manhoodline@yahoo.com. ©2019 Barnstorm Communications.