When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) Mark 5:2, 5-8
This man that Jesus healed was an outcast and dominated by unclean spirits. He was released. Pray for and help the men mentioned below and others to be released from their demons
Snakes and bags
My office is in an 1880’s home in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is referred to as the “Green House” or “building 2”. During breaks, I will generally take a short walk around the block.
Around Thanksgiving, I stepped out the door and turned the corner. I saw an individual poking at bush behind a fence across the street. He would poke at the bush, step back and utter a few words; the routine was repeated a number of times in the next few minutes.
I asked a co-worker what was happening. She said, “He is trying to get the snakes out of the bush.” There were no snakes in that bush. We could not see them, but he could.
A few days later, I turned that same corner and saw something similar to a white cape. It was draped over a body. Again, I wondered what was going on. Walking down the corner, I asked Steven, the security guard, was there anything we could do. “Oh, he is just tired and needed to rest”, Steven remarked.
We continued chatting for a few minutes. Glancing back, the cape moved and a body emerged. I greeted the individual and asked if he need anything. He simply walked on oblivious to my greeting and Steven.
Both individuals were and are living in their own version of reality. It could be mental illness or drug addiction. I am not qualified to say.
Individuals are homeless for a variety of reasons. Mental illness and substance abuse are a contributing factor. Still according to a 2011 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) –
- 26.2% of all sheltered persons who were homeless had a severe mental illness
- 34.7% of all sheltered adults who were homeless had chronic substance use issue
http://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/hrc_factsheet.pdf
I will be released by Joe Cocker – https://youtu.be/5t_U2unQgfg. He had demons of his own which he eventually overcame.
Peace and healing to all – John