Why does every story have a
villain?
because yours does…
 |
| Art by Amberle Stoffers |
It's hard
to think of a tale without one. As children, we learned to fear the Big Bad
Wolf and the Troll under the bridge. Little Red Riding Hood is attacked by a
wolf. Dorothy must face and bring down the Wicked Witch of the West. The
children who stumbled into Narnia are called upon by Aslan to battle the White
Witch and her armies so that Narnia might be free.
As we grew older, we discovered
more serious villains in the Star Wars series. In The Fellowship of the Ring,
we come to dread the Dark Lord Sauron, the Orcs that do his bidding, and the
Black Riders who hunt poor Frodo.
We were born into a world at war..
That means that right now, there are on this earth, millions of foul spirits, bent on our
destruction. So what does Satan spend
every day and every night doing?-- making war against those who obey God's
commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. He has us in his crosshairs.
Most people
do not live as though the story has a villain, and that makes life confusing.
How have we missed this? All the stories we've been telling about the presence
of an evil power in the world, all the dark characters that have sent chills
down our spines and given us restless nights--they are spoken to us as
warnings. There is evil cast around us. War. Famine. Betrayal. Murder. Surely
we know there is an evil force in this world. It is the voice of our adversary
who is trying to steal our freedom and agency kill our hearts, destroy our
lives.
Growing
up, we listen to parents, teachers, friends, higher power, adversarial spirits.
All these voices inside of our head. As we get older, we assume it is all our
thoughts, so familiar we think
they are our own. The voices and
words sound vaguely familiar. A voice that whispers in our ear, a
message that even erases the truths.
Who are those voices in our head? Who are we listening to?
Some people call these entities
"The Dot People."
The "dots" being an indication that these are spirits. (If a
representation was drawn, then the "dots" would show this.) They can
be good or evil. Those who wish us harm can interfere with us spiritually and
even physically.
It is necessary to separate the voices
so we can determine who we are listening to. If it turns into an "I" statement, (
such as I am worthless or nobody listens to me), then a deeper level of
acceptance has been attained. We discussed this in Chapter 2. The
bad guys seem to have a script, the same "training manual". The
same things show up for almost everyone. Word for word exact. We don't
know when they will show up. This is the basis for most depression, anxiety and
suicidal thoughts. Of the 68,000 thoughts per day, 47,000 are negative.
When we avoid dealing with those negative thoughts, it gets worse. We
don't know what to do next. Many people choose to medicate with drugs, alcohol
or some other coping mechanism or addiction. This may seem to make the
"voices" go away, but opens up a whole other set of problems. Once we
can't hear those voices, we are often numb to promptings from the Holy Ghost
and we give up our precious agency.
When
the adversarial spirits can't get into our heads anymore, they go after OTHER
people to tell us the same things. When this doesn't work, they go after
us with energetic blocks causing physical and/or emotional pain. Even
though spirits cannot directly “hurt” us physically in the same way we hurt
from a cut, burn or accident, they can cause pain by interrupting energy flow.
(which may in turn cause a distraction leading to a physical
"accident".) These blockages are like a traffic jam on a
highway and can produce pain without an apparent physical cause. Energy techniques
that restore the flow can help because they assist in releasing the emotional
baggage that contributes to stress and darkness. The presence of evil spirits does NOT
mean that one is evil. It is just a problem that needs to be dealt with like a
physical illness.
So….what do we do? Pray mightily and ask for help. It does not
behoove us to pretend they're not there. Acknowledge, but do not
fear. They prey on fear.
Where are some places that you think evil dot
people might congregate?
What
can we do about it?
Read
scriptures. In studying, write down every name that inspires. Ask
for Guardian angels. Look specifically for those who went out to
check on enemy spies. If we ask, God will usually call down Angels of
Light, Soldiers of the Most High, to remove the dark spirits. Be specific.
Angels have different purposes. Some are sent to deal with the adversary,
others are sent to comfort, to bless, to prepare the way. Ask for our homes to
be surrounded and Guardians posted wherever necessary. In your mind use lasers and cross beams.
Envision Heaven being interested. Ask and receive. They WANT to help
us.
When we SMILE, we
begin to shed any adversarial attachment Crank up a smile, then negative
spirits can't get into our energy bubbles. Be careful what you
LISTEN to, what you EAT, and what you SEE.
There
are many ways of imagining shields of protection. Use silent prayer, visualize the white light
of Christ creating a bubble or cocoon of light. Do this every day -- In our
cars, at our places of employment, in our residence. There are many other
visualization exercises.
Would
anyone like to share their own way of putting up shields?
Evil spirits are cowardly. They
want no part of the golden sword we can summon for protection by visualizing
it--gleaming with perfection, suspended in front of us. Let its hilt form
a cross on the forehead and its blade extend the length of the body like a
razor sharp impenetrable declaration of divine God given strength. Visualize Christ as if He were actually
there.
Or
how about a version of a fisherman’s net made of spun gold and silver light
braided together with Christ's love light? The net is weightless, but
stronger than steel. Drape it for glistening protection from the
top of your head to the ground at your feet. When dot people approach you
or start talking to you, drape an identical net over them. Intend that it
neutralize without their knowing why their closeness to you left them feeling
depleted and rejected. Negative
energies thrive on fear and negative emotion. The emotions of Love and
Empathy seem to just melt them.
Or how about "cords of
Light?" Light can be controlled when the Lord allows. Ask that
cords of light bind the Adversary or his minions when confronting
them. God will instruct when and how to use them.
Some people may begin to feel nervous and ask, “What if I am deceived?" It
is easy to be deceived if we are too eager to gain knowledge and don’t check
our answers. Perhaps ask, “God, are there any spirits here that need to be
removed?” If yes, simply ask what to do and follow the instruction.
The belief
that “if you ignore it, you’ll never have to deal with it” is an attitude that
the dot people love to propagate. When we become a servants of the Lord, we can
do more when we understand and confront the enemy. Nearly everyone will deal directly with dot
people many times throughout their lifetime. Most people deal with this daily,
especially when they are headed down the path of following the Savior.
Satan said to God in the Garden, “I will take the spirits that follow me,
and they shall possess the bodies thou createst for Adam and Eve!” God placed a
natural repulse to Satan within us, so that we could overcome; but He did not
stop Satan from attempting to accomplish his plan.
Evil
dot people will often take habitation within our bodies in the form of
sickness, depression, addiction and negative feelings such as anger, hate, and
more. For those who invite or allow those spirits to remain, they become a part
of us and are more difficult to remove. Sometimes these demonic possessions
reveal themselves in the form of mental illness, as defined by modern science. If
removing of evil spirits is necessary remember the following:
Pray and prepare, asking God for
specific instruction for how to proceed. Some suggest certain words
to cast out demons. Use those words that God says to use. It may be
different depending upon the situation.
Prayerfully ask for shields on
yourself. You may have a clue that you have been attacked if you immediately become ill or have a radical mood swing. Ask that Angels be present
to remove or have chained and shackled any evil spirits that are removed, if it
is the Lord’s will. Shielding is a critical part of dealing with the dot
people. Unfortunately, shields are not usually permanent and it is wise
to ask for how long it will last.
When we take a major step in the
battle against the dot people, we mark ourselves as targets. God will give
additional protection and help us move forward and our lives may never be the
same. Things may get intense when we first engage the battle, but know that the
Lord delights when His servants exercise faith in His name and choose to fight
the adversary in His name.
The situation
with our loved one can require our urgent attention as we seek answers and
direction. Spiritual change does not
occur quickly or all at once; it is an ongoing process—not a single event. We AND our loved ones must go through a
process of emotional, spiritual, and physical change. Emotional
healing and dismissal of the evil Dot People is usually necessary to completely
repent and recover.
Where might we find assistance for
emotional healing?
What about relapse? Relapse
is common and may range from a single incident to a complete return to
addictive patterns after partial recovery. Because relapse is so common, some
may rationalize that it is part of recovery as long as they are doing their
best. However, relapse is part of the addiction process, not the recovery
process. Be careful not to condone our
loved ones’ excuses or justifications for their poor choices. Chronic relapse
into addictive behaviors indicates a less than full recovery. It may require greater
efforts and more intensive treatment and/or additional boundaries or limits. Our
clear and honest perspective can help them see they need additional help.
We may experience hopelessness, doubt, low self-worth, and anger. These
feelings may be intense and at times overwhelming. Even if this issue is an old
one to us, the pain can still be fresh and intense. Part of our healing is dealing with the
painful feelings that arise because of our loved one’s addiction. We can use
healthy coping skills and boundaries and build on that foundation. We can reach
out to those who love us and are supporting us. We can surrender our hearts and
rely on the Lord to take our burdens from us. We need not despair.
While some try to justify relapse, others
become overly discouraged if they have a relapse, mistakenly believing that it
has destroyed all of their progress toward recovery, and give up. A relapse
doesn’t negate all efforts toward recovery. Progress may still be happening in
other ways, such as honesty about challenges or the frequency or intensity of relapses. They need to learn from their
mistakes, correct them, and press forward. Our loved ones need acknowledgment for the
progress they are making. We can testify
that the Lord wants to forgive them and that there is still hope, and we can
encourage them to work with their ecclesiastical leader, support people, and
others who can best assist. Successful recovery is possible. Faith in Jesus Christ will sustain all of us as
we continue to work through challenges and make lasting changes in our lives.
How can you respond to relapse
appropriately?
How can you support your loved one
during a relapse?
Personal
Learning and Application
Keep a journal of your thoughts, feelings,
insights, and plans to implement what you learn. As the needs and circumstances
in your life change, repeating these answers will provide you with new
insights. Go back to the questions in
the chapter. Write your answers. Each time you go through a chapter, your
answers might change.
1.
What are some things that the "Dot People" tell you? After writing
it down, write the opposite right next to it.
Such as "I am a great wife. I am such a success. Everything goes right". Then add it up a notch by adding something
else positive. Or something you are
grateful for. If there is trouble visualizing, go to a quiet place, turn off
all electronics, then perhaps write down every time negative thoughts
arise.
2.
In contrast, what are things that the Holy Ghost tells me?
Write a paragraph or two on how I can
tell the difference.
3. What
are some examples of replacing undesirable actions that have worked in YOUR life?
No comments:
Post a Comment