Stream of Consciousness

For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

Back in Oregon, before we left on this crazy sojourn, Serenity and I went out on a date night to the book store for some coffee and some quiet time away from the kids. On our way back we saw a man about 45 sitting on the ground against the window of the store. It was obvious he was homeless simply because he had all of his stuff with him, in plastic bags and a large backpack. Halfway across the parking lot I felt the Lord call us to go talk with him. We greeted him with a smile and a big "hello." He was friendly and began talking - non-stop - about his health problems, his old job, his bike, his family, his friends, along with lots of other stuff. I would ask him a question and he would answer it quickly and then return to his monologue. This sort of thing isn't abnormal when working with the homeless, on many levels, it is the norm. I call it a "stream of consciousness" discussion. The guy was just saying whatever was on his mind, moving from one topic to the next, none of them connected, and at no time does he ever involve you into the flow of the conversation. At one point I broke into his stream of consciousness and asked him if he was lonely, he responded almost before I was done asking the question with an emphatic "yes!" but then just continued on talking about something completely off topic. After a while of this, I asked him if I could pray for him, and once again he answered with "yes," but just kept right on talking, not giving me the opportunity. Finally, I just interrupted him and began praying. He stopped, and listened. Many would just write this guy off as someone with a mental illness, or at best some sort of social disorder, which is partially true, living on the streets can create vast canyons of differences between someone and the rest of society. I've spoken to enough of these types of guys to know that there is much, much more to it than meets the eye. Scary stuff, stuff we cannot begin to attack without Christ and His Spirit.

On another occasion, under the Burnside Bridge in Portland where we were communing with our brothers and sisters, I noticed a guy about my age wandering around the fringes of the group, never making eye contact with me or anyone else for more than a split second. I would begin to approach him to start a conversation, and he would move away, seeing me begin to walk towards him. I left him alone simply so he would feel comfortable enough to come and get something to eat, but he made me nervous and with kids around I kept an eye on him. Finally I saw him begin to walk away with a sandwich and a bowl of soup, so I followed him. It was a little like Cloak and Dagger, he kept looking over his shoulder and picked up his pace. I started a slow jog and finally caught up to him near a tree. He hid behind it like I couldn't see him, I would go one way and he would go the other, not making eye contact, looking at his bowl of soup. I said, "can I pray for you." He responded with "would you still give me food if I said 'no.'" And I said, "Of course you can still eat," and he began to walk away. I followed him and prayed "In the name of Jesus, dark spirits be gone." He snapped his head around and looked at me from the top of his eyes, then, began to trot away. I didn't have the guts to keep chasing him.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound"

Isaiah 61:1

I know it sounds like a funny scene, but when you think about it, there is nothing funny about what is going on all around us. The voice was his, but the words came straight from a "wicked spirit." I knew it right away, and I still believe it to this day, I wasn't speaking to that guy, I was speaking to a demon. Mental illness is a serious thing, thousands of homeless men and women deal with some form of mental illness, but for many, their only mental illness is that they are occupied by a demonic spirit. There isn't much that a counselor or social worker, or some homeless advocate can do for these people unless they are battling against the true source of the problem, and they are using the right weapon (His Spirit). The last thing that the evil one wants us to know is that there is more going on around us. If we are oblivious to this subtle fact, then we are rendered useless.

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Matthew 10:1

The Lord gives each and every one of us the power to overcome these spiritual foes, we must cease the opportunity as funny as it may look (even if it means dancing with a homeless guy around a tree). "With God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26), with Christ's Spirit within us, we are more powerful than we can ever imagine.