Thank you for the time you take to answer so many questions every day. I have another one for you.
My dad is a really bad alcoholic. He battled his addiction for many years while me and my siblings were younger, but he got sober after my mom left him. He stayed sober for a long time, until I went to college. Then he starting drinking again.
I have heard many people say that if you are saved, then you cannot be possessed. I am wondering if this is the same as having a demonic attachment of some sort. When my dad gets drunk and falls asleep (which is every night), he screams and cusses in his sleep. He screams horrible things, and it’s like he is being tortured. When he wakes up, he has no recollection of it. I know that this is demonic.
My question is, if my dad is saved, would he still have this demonic attachment? My dad has never been baptized, and it is almost impossible to have a coherent conversation with him about Christ. I just don’t think that someone who is saved would have these problems. Am I wrong? Thank you for your time.
It’s not for me to say if your dad is really saved. But I do believe that even though Jesus suffered so that we can be healed, there are many believers who battle addictions, mental and physical illnesses, and other forms of demonic oppression all their lives. Whether due to lack of faith, the condemnation of others, a belief that they deserve to suffer, or a combination of these things, they are never able to maintain control of their lives for very long.
2 Cor. 10:4 says that believers have a divine power to demolish the enemy’s strongholds in our lives, but I know that many struggle in vain to unlock that power and wind up living miserable, defeated lives. While their behavior is often frustrating and even repulsive to those around them, they need our most powerful and heartfelt prayers for God’s mercy and His deliverance.