(The first part is here – Trigger warning: content on suicide <-all links should open as seperate tabs.)

My younger brother had shot himself in his room at my parent’s house. This designated my wife and I as the hosts of ongoing visits in our little two-bedroom apartment. My parents stared at our place that first nigh; they tok the bed and my wife and I took the livingroom. I don’t know that there was much sleeping. I recall having a dream at one point that night; Nathan was leaving; I told him to stay because I wanted to be nice to him. He said: “I can’t, I’m dead.” And walked away.

We grieved when my brother died, but also found it to be a great opportunity to minister to his friends. The Lord wrought mightily with us as we took aside – my wife, myself and my older brother I – each of his friends that were around and prayed/counselled with them.

We had taken aside one of his best friends, and were praying with him – the presence of the Holy Spirit was so thick in the room that it could almost be felt physically; it was as wine and oil balm for our wounded souls. I recall Nathan’s friend who had a traditional conservative Lutheran background becoming quite evidently intoxicated with the Lord’s presence. It was rather amusing because – as we were praying and he knew it was the presence of the Lord, he kept trying to sit up in a distinguished posture and straight face but as though drunk could not keep himself upright (or wih a straight face).

My eldest brother arrived from Germany, where he was staying. As we prayed with Ben, he entered the room. When he came in, it was like all the anointing drained out of the room; he came with a presence and bearing similar to that day some years before when he had come home demonized. He could see, and sense that we were praying, but his attitude was that it would not continue now that he was present; and he wasn’t about to leave. I think my older brother told him we were in the middle of something, he responded: “I know what you’re doing.”

This was sort of the begining of the Lord’s opening up to me the revelation I’ve now written a book about; I can almost pinpoint it to this momment, and the discerning of spirits.

Here is a principle in the spirit – and I began to discern the spirit that was with him – humans have autonomy in the earth; authority granted by God (Genesis 1:26-28). In he begining man was told to take dominion over God’s creation. Satan and demons do not have authority in the earth. You’ll notice that the serpent used manipulation and deciet to get man to sin; in fact he went not to the man (the head authority that God had placed in the earth) but went after and decieved the woman to usurp God’s lawfully instituted authority. If someone wants control, but has no authority, they will often fall back on manipluation, using whatever leverage they have to get their way. Have you ever wondered why demons seek to inhabit people? One of the simplest reasons (aside from the fact that they fell with Satan and now have no lawful habitation) is because people – even unsaved people – have autonomy in the earth.

Even in the fall of man into sin, authority over creation was not granted to Satan (as I have heard some suggest). Rather, Satan was judged FIRST (although sin entered the world through Adam (Romans 5:12)), and was the only defendant inthe judgment of the first sin who was not granted the opportunity to answer for his actions (Genesis 3). Satan has been granted no authority in the earth (the physical creation), he continues to lie and manipulate in order to attain control (see, also post: Who is the Devil?)

Entering an assembly to assuage godly spiritulity with a spiritual oppression is a demonic activity (its an objective of the devil), however a born-again believer who knows his/her authority over the demonic does not have the same authority over another human. Where a demon can be quickly rendered inneffective through the blood of Christ, that other human has autonomy in the earth – an autonomy that Satan does not have except through lies and manipulation of those who hear him as did the woman in the original sin. This actually gives Satan an immense ammount of influence in this world through manipulation of the unsaved, and through those who work with him intentionaly through the occult (who are also decieved).

Satan does not have authority to work in the world except through humans; most (even Christians) seem to believe otherwise, but what Satan actually seeks is the autonomy which God gave to man in the earth. In fact, the fable of the Nephilim – so in vogue right now – is grounded in Satan’s envy of man; he wants to be a man, so he’ll dupe man into thinking he once was one; he is a liar and the father of it. Remember, that number which so many call ‘Satan’s number’ (666) is actually the number of man (Rev 13:18). In order for the Satan to work in he earth, he has to have antichrist humans (willing, or unwilling) to manipulate and work through.

Satan has made war on the saints, but he cannot physically harm us (Behold, I give unto you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power [not authority] of the enemy: and nothing [of this demonic power He speaks of] shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)), but he can influence other humans to attack us. He lie, and manipulate, and spiritually empower people who are decieved by him.

Satan’s power in the earth, even in the last days is through men, wherefore the dragon empowers the beast from the sea ((Rev. 13:2) a kingdom which is made up of men).

Could we have simply cast the Spirit out of my brother? (Will the prophets of Revelation 11 cast Satan out of the Beast from the sea, or the beast from the earth?) He had sided with it, and was wittingly against the anointing as evidenced in that with his presence he not only was, but clearly intended to oppress the anointing, and interfere with any work wrought in the Lord.

My parents stayed at out house for the first couple of nights, and we had people in and out of our home pretty consistently for he first little bit. I recall at one point my wife and I were so worn out that we went with my mother in law to a local grocery & appliance store and resting on a couch away from our loaded house for a while. In fact, I think it was about the time that my eldest brother had come that my parents went back to sleeping in their own house, again.

I continued to minister to my eldest brother for a while after this, keeping in communication when he went back home, and I hope he will surrender himself to the Lord.

I think I’m going to close, here; I’ve added a new section to my blog which contains some testimonials and autobiographical information called: ‘The Early Memoirs of a Lay Minister,’ as people seem to have an interest in that content, and may share further if its well recieved. That said, while I’m willing to share about myself and my experiences I am leary to share certain things that may be incriminating to others (as you percieve somewhat through today’s testimonial), so in some things I may well share only what the Holy Spirit has taught me through the Word, and my experience rather than sharing the full experience itself.

Thank you for stopping by, be blessed!