The following is being forwarded with permission from the author, who wishes
to remain anonymous. I requested permission to pass it on because I feel
like she could be benefited both by your prayers as well as a word or two
from any of you who might feel impressed to respond. You may do so through
me (sterlingda@...), and she can then choose if she wishes to
respond to you directly.

My reply follows.

She is referring to an essay by Lynn Ridenhour: "Demons -- Essay on Setting
the Captives Free".
http://www.greaterthings.com/Ridenhour/me_in_restoration/Demons.htm

Sterling


----- Original Message -----
From: ****
To: <sterlingda@...>
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 6:45 AM
Subject: ESSAY ON DEMONS


PLEASE KEEP INFORMATION PRIVATE!!!

Hi

My name is ***. I live in South Africa and was
intrigued by your essay on demons.

I don't know where to start. It seems I don't have enough
time at hand to give you all the details.

Well, as a young girl I had a very good friend. She tough
me allot about the Holy Spirit. They were even banished
from our church (NG I don't know if it is the same in
English, I'm Afrikaans. maybe something like Netherlands
Reformed) for joining another church which had you baptised
when you become a believer, being filled with the holy
spirit. Our churge only believed in Small baptism.

I wanted to go to their church, but was told I can't even
for one day. As the years passed, I lost touch with my
friend. She used to help me cope (praying with me, guiding
me the right way) as I was very shy (I was molested and felt
guilty, when one of them died I couldn't help smiling in
church at the funeral as I saw his body. I was still a
child when all this happened.

A lot of other things happened as well which took me further
away from the Truth. I got raped, got involved in lots of
things and two years ago lost my baby and always asked WHY?
I know the Lord doens'nt want me to ask questions like that,
but it seemed that all bad things gets drawn to me. The one
good thing I'm blessed for is a wonderful faithful husband.

I used to have bad dreams, maybe not dreams, 'cause I was
always awake of me walking to a cliff and just walking of
it. I never saw myself fell or get hurt, but it scared me
intensily. Nowadays I don't get them anymore, thank
goodness.

I really want to get baptised, I was when I was a baby, but
I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, I want to be part
of the Lord's world, I want to feel his presence, but
something just always keeps holding me back. Part of me
don't want to, the other part longs for it. is it possible
that I might have a demon inside of me. Why is my mind in
such termoil. Is there an answer to all this.

Can you please help me? Why are my fingers feeling numb
while typing this letter to you?

I'm sorry if I don't make sense. I know that I'm doing the
right thing writing to you, I feel like crying at the
moment.

Nobody knows I'm writing this letter. I don't even want to
tell my husband, not yet anyway. I don't keep secrets from
him, I can't, I love him to much, but I just don't want to
tell him right away, maybe scared that he won't understand.

Please help me or give me someone who can. I don't want to
live this way. My soul is getting tired if you know what I
mean. I can't describe the way I'm feeling.

I will only be able to read my e-mail again on Tuesday, 18th
December 2001. Please write back to me and keep this letter
confidential. When I feel ready you can make it public if
you so wish, but for now, it's my innermost feelings that
only I, the Lord and you now know, so please.

Thank you

****


----- Original Message -----
From: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@...>
To: ****
Cc: "Lynn Ridenhour" <htrails@...>
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 8:37 AM
Subject: Re: ESSAY ON DEMONS


****,

I've forwarded your message to Lynn Ridenhour, my friend who composed the
essay on Demons.

I would like to respond to you as well.

First, I want to say that my heart goes out to you in faith and compassion.
What has happened to you grieves my heart.

Please forgive me as I intend to be very frank, not about you, but about
those who have misled you into certain patterns of belief that have resulted
in this captivity that you are under. I say "Shame on them."

Let me start at the beginning, with the molesting.

You were a child. The burden of sin in this case is not on you but on those
who molested you. You were the victim of a wicked environment, and those
who molested you have much to answer to God for their actions. Please know
that God will be there to help you forgive them so that you can heal from
this and have peace in your heart, which only can come from God through a
clear conscience. Not forgiving someone can be a cause of a scarred
conscience. I would dare say that God will be so quick to give you such
peace for the asking, as his compassion flows so readily for victims such as
yourself. Think of him like a safe friend that you can trust implicitly.
Go cry on his shoulder, and bare your soul. He will comfort you like none
can. (Remember to that there is a heavenly mother along with heavenly
father, if that helps bring comfort to you [shhh, don't tell your pastor I
said this, he will scream and danced up and down and demand that you stop
listening to such foolishness]. Maybe the thought of her can help you feel
safe, for males have been the cause of such grief in your life.)

The same principles apply to the rape.

As for your pastor/minister terrifying you not to go to another church, I
would urge you to believe me when I say that he is possessed of an evil
spirit of control, which is not of God. God would allow you to investigate
other religions, knowing that as you have the freedom to do this, you will
more readily recognize and embrace truth when you find it; and you will find
that each religion and denomination has a specialty of knowledge that makes
them shine (as well as deceptions that hold people back).

I promise you that God does not require you to be part of one church or
another in order to walk with you and you with him. The church is only a
vehicle, not the destination. When they place themselves in the position of
being the destination, they damn your progress from walking with God. They
want to be the object of your veneration. They are not right with God in
this regard, even though they might come across to you as "sincere." At
best they are sincerely deceived.

They are as a demon in your life, and you must cast out from your mind this
belief that they somehow hold the key to your spiritual destiny. THEY DO
NOT!! They are usurpers of God, not his representatives.

If I were you, I would run, not walk, away from the church you have been
attending. They are possessed of a controlling spirit, and that, I promise
you in the name of Jesus Christ, is not of God. For now (just a
suggestion), go to that church of your friend's. It is probably much better
than the one you are attending, from what you've said, though I would dare
say that it too is not free of the controlling spirit. Ultimately, our
relationship with God needs to become an individual relationship, directly
between God and us, with no middle man whatsoever. We can value the input
of others, and recognize a godly influence in what they say or do, but our
focus is on our personal walk with God, not on that person, no matter how
upstanding they may seem to be. We thank them, we listen to them, but we do
not trust them more than we trust God, who we come to know personally.

Yes, I would say that it is more than likely that you have demon possession.
And yes, they can be cast out by the power of faith and love and trust in
God. We will be praying for you.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I promise you that if you place your trust in
God, you can and will be delivered from these demons, and led to a greater
trust in God to replace the void their grateful departure will bring. That
can happen now. Right now. Let your faith in Christ enable you to request
that these demons leave immediately, and that Christ fill you with his
Spirit.

Yes, there are likely to be ministers of God in your area who have strong
gifts of the Spirit, who can pronounce this kind of a blessing on you in
person, if you need that physical presence and faith to deliver you. God
will lead you to them; but be aware that there are also impostors. If your
trust is in God, not in man, you will be led to deliverance, despite
impostors and any other distracting influence that might come in your path.

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Sterling D. Allan

p.s. I would like your permission to forward your message to a group of
trusted friends so they can be praying for you. I can remove all references
to your name and any identifying information. If one of them wishes to
respond to you as well, they can send their comment to me so I can forward
it on to you. Praise God, for the hour of your deliverance is nigh.


By the way, one of the predominant themes of scripture is "ask and ye shall
receive."

I would offer to you as evidence that you are under the controlling
influence of a religion that has seriously departed from God, the fact that
you are afraid to ask questions.

God says, "ask away."

Ask, receive. Ask again, receive more. Ask more, receive more; until it is
given to you to know all things.

That is the God I know. Hence the name of my website: greaterthings.com.

He is ever wishing to give us more and more, if we will but ask and receive
it.

Sterling