In this video lecture, we will investigate the terrifying phenomenon known as Sleep Paralysis. We will carefully examine what the experience is like as reported by a wide variety of experiencers, how the medical and scientific community explains the phenomenon, how various religions and mystics explain the phenomenon, and then we'll explore what the Bible has to say about it. In conclusion, we will explain how to stop an attack when it's happening and then carefully explore all that can be done to prevent future attacks. Beneath the video, you will find exhaustive notes and commentary elaborating on what I discuss in the video.
| What Sleep Paralysis Is Not |
1. Sleep Paralysis IS NOT Locked-In Syndrome.
Locked-In Syndrome is a paralysis involving hallucinations due to a lack of blood flow to the brain via a stroke, concussion, or any other form of brain trauma. Sleep Paralysis is a sleep related phenomenon, regardless of the condition of someone's brain.
2. Sleep Paralysis IS NOT a bad dream.
All dreams, both good and bad occur during a stage of sleep known as REM Sleep. Clinical sleep studies have shown that these attacks of Sleep Paralysis and other related phenomena known as "Night Terrors" do not happen during REM sleep.
How An Attack Of Sleep Paralysis Begins
From Mildest (1) To The Most Severe (8) |
1. All cases begin with being consciously awake while something restrains your ability to move or speak intelligible words. Gravity itself feels as though it's been increased and a centrifugal force is weighing you down to the bed. The more you attempt to move, the heavier the centrifugal force becomes. The inability to speak feels like some unknown force is sucking out all the energy needed to speak the moment you begin trying to expend it. All of these sensations can last anywhere between a few seconds to a few minutes before going back to sleep or completely waking up.
2. Most cases include the sounds of an electronic like buzzing sound, a windy whooshing sound, or a loud pounding sound.
3. Most cases include the feeling of an evil presence in the room, a strong sensation of being the target of an intense hatred and anger. At first you question if it's your imagination, but then the feeling becomes so intense, you know it has to be true. Edgar Allan Poe was possibly inspired by this phenomenon manifested by his obsession with cataleptic trances and the entity he called "The Conqueror Worm".
4. Most severe cases include actually seeing the evil presence in the form of a dark silhouette; a human-like shadowy figure. In these cases, the sensation of being the target of anger and hatred is much more intense as now, there is a fear of actual bodily harm. The room is freezing cold and shivering bones accompany the paralysis. The description of this shadow figure is usually described as a hooded man, although some reports describe it as an old woman or a man wearing a hat. Shakespeare mentioned this in Romeo and Juliet and identified the figure as "the hag that presses upon the maids when they lie on their backs."
5. More severe cases involve multiple shadow people, as opposed to a single entity.
6. In even more severe cases, actual flesh and blood entities can be clearly seen, rather than silhouettes. The physical appearance of these entities can range from anywhere between human-looking to animal-looking creatures of fantasy, both beautiful and horrifying. This is where so many legends are born such as the appearing of small gargoyle-looking ogres, vampires, fairies, incubi, succubi, serpent people, dragons, aliens, etc...
7. A few rare reports even describe them as recognizable people that the victims know personally, until they realize that it's merely their form being used by another entity.
8. In even more severe cases, audible voices can be heard addressing you personally, usually with uncomfortable tidings spoken in sarcasm. Sometimes, the voices will share an in-depth list of instructions concerning a multitude of topics, or an elaboration of things related to religion.
How An Attack Of Sleep Paralysis Ends
From Mildest (1) To The Most Severe (10) |
1. The victims either quickly go back to sleep or eventually wake up, reflecting back on the experience as though it were a dream.
2. Before being released, the victims are tormented by their immobility for an extended period of time before they either go back to sleep or eventually wake up.
3. Before being released, the emotional hatred felt from the evil presence intensifies almost to an intolerable level, as though you feel you might lose your soul. In this case and all cases following, the victim usually wakes up severely cold and covered in sweat with various pains in the muscles.
4. Before being released, the victim manages to struggle out of their bed, only to find that their soul has somehow escaped from their own body. (We'll examine this later.)
5. Before being released, the dark shadow figure may come closer to the bed, sometimes to the head of the bed nearing your face so you'll feel it's breath, or to the foot of the bed pulling the covers off or grabbing your legs as if to pull you away. In some cases, people are actually pulled off the bed.
6. Before being released, the dark shadow figure (or something else) may physically assault you: pressing on the chest or gripping tightly around your neck to strain your breathing.
7. Before being released, multiple shadow people may come and carry you away into another room of the house, or maybe even another dimension as if to study you. Grizzly, painful, and humiliating procedures are performed against your will for a lengthy period of time.
8. Before being released, actual flesh and blood people and/or animals will engage you physically, usually in some sexual way.
9. A more violent form of #8 involves sexual assault accomplished in a manner that seems almost like a satanic ritual upon an alter. Ceremonial bleeding and severe torture is involved.
10. The most extreme and advanced cases of Sleep Paralysis can sometimes bridge over into another area of research known as The Alien Abduction Phenomenon. It's a serious mistake to explain away Alien Abductions as nothing more than a bad case of Sleep Paralysis. In these cases, people are actually being kidnapped and reported missing by friends and family members before the intruders decide to return their victims. While the Alien Abduction Phenomenon is a completely different phenomenon than Sleep Paralysis, diligent research can prove that the culprits of both phenomena are one and the same.
The Scientific View Of Sleep Paralysis
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Too many people have testified to these experiences to be ignored by the psychiatric/psychology community so they have done several studies to come up with an answer. Even though sleep studies have shown that this experience doesn't take place during REM sleep, they insist that it's a sleep phenomenon related to a "normal paralysis" that the body goes into while sleeping. They claim that premature awakening on a mental level is taking place that precedes the release of the "normal paralysis" event. Therefore, it seems as though you are awake and unable to move while the intruding shadow figures and horrific experiences are nothing more than leftover hallucinogenic effects from the previous stage of sleep, which was REM dream-sleep. Their advice is to reduce stress levels so that you can get more sleep to prevent premature awakening. If a sleep paralysis event ensues, just ignore it and go back to sleep.
The Religious View Of Sleep Paralysis
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Most religions will equate this to some form of demonic attack, but they rarely have any effective advice on how to stop it. Some of them advise giving into the experience possibly to appease the angry demon to reduce the horror of the experience. It's the "Give them what they want, and they'll go away" approach. Unfortunately, there aren't too many reports of this approach having positive results.
Other beliefs held by various religions equate the experience to some kind of targeted curse, black-magic, witchcraft interference or other demonic experience that's brought about by some unknown curse, possibly by charms or cursed gems placed in the presence of the victim.
Others believe the experience to be a failed attempt by demons to gain possession of a body.
Asian countries have recently noticed an increase in a phenomenon that they call, S.U.N.D.S. which stands for Sudden Unnatural Nocturnal Death Syndrome. Many have died of heart failure at very young ages in their sleep with no clues as to why. Theories of relating S.U.N.D.S. to Sleep Paralysis began when survivors of a Sleep Paralysis attack almost died of heart failure due to the stress and horror of the experience. They believe that the soul of the victim is in the process of leaving the body behind to go into the afterlife, but then somehow changes it's mind in the process so that for a time, it seems that you are a disembodied ghost trapped inside your lifeless body. Those who experienced shadow people believed they were seeing the angel of death. Therefore, those who aren't successfully reviving themselves are believed to be those who are dieing of S.U.N.D.S. They believe that whether there's a spirit that appears while you're experiencing this, what manner of spirit it is depends upon whether you're going to a positive place or a negative place. These views are held and openly expressed by many Asian religious leaders, and some Asian doctors. When comparing this to what we know about Sleep Paralysis, it would seem that victims of S.U.N.D.S. are literally being scared to death.
The New Age View Of Sleep Paralysis
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I find it very interesting that most non-Christian religions, even without any Biblical background, will equate this experience to some form of demonic attack. However, that's not what's being written in most New Age literature. New Age mystics have a completely different perspective on this phenomenon. If you walk into any public bookstore, when you walk into their "Religion" section, you'll find that most of it's devoted to the New Age. In recent years, the public has responded negatively to the "New Age" label so that now, New Age beliefs have been given the new label, "Spirituality" which keeps it rather vague since many Christians would also consider themselves Spiritual. In most "Religion & Spirituality" sections of the book store, you'll find it embedded and combined with both Christian & non-Christian materials. You'll see Bibles and Christian resources shelved next to books promoting Scientology, Witchcraft and New Age mysticism as though they're all one and the same, all of it under the label, "Spirituality". For those who aren't paying attention, it's a real dangerous minefield that Satan has set up. You'll find many books with titles like, "Understanding Your Dreams" or "Out-Of-Body Experiences" or "Dreamscape" which say nothing up front about being from a "New Age" perspective, it's just written as fact using many scientific labels to give it a more authentic feel. The same is true of the internet. Do a random search online about Sleep Paralysis and most of what you'll find is written from a New Age perspective without telling you up front that's what they're all about. So for those investigating this phenomenon, the unwary or unsuspecting could be getting set up for even more problems if they aren't careful.
Once you wade through all of the preliminary documentation from New Age literature, this is what they have to say about Sleep Paralysis and all the visions it includes. They say that people who have these experiences are being given a special gift due to their own gifted abilities on a psychic level. It's an experience that only those gifted beyond the first 5 senses can experience. They are in tune with a trans-dimensional plane of existence which most people cannot perceive. So with these special individuals, what is taking place is the following...
At night, when these gifted individuals are asleep, their psyche/soul is more in tune with the infinite since their fleshly senses are silenced during the unconsciousness of sleep. Therefore, the soul at that time is capable of leaving it's physical body and existing on a higher plane of existence which intersects and transcends our 3-dimensional plane. This is what is classically known in New Age literature as the "Out-Of-Body Experience" or OBE for short. It also goes by other labels such as, "Astral Projection" or "Astral Travel". They believe that the souls of these gifted individuals are capable of leaving their physical bodies at will to explore the world and other unknown dimensions and then return again back into their own bodies at will. This ability isn't mastered instantly however, there are stages of development. When a person first realizes they have this ability, they confuse it with what we call, "Sleep Paralysis" because in those stages of "psychic immaturity" they are attempting to move using their physical motor skills instead of their spiritual/psychic motor skills. So when their physical body does not move, they feel trapped rather than embracing their new spiritual body which is in tune with "higher vibrations" that intersect. In other words, they compare a person's fear during a "Sleep Paralysis" experience with a child's first fears of swimming in water. Instead of fighting, we should embrace the experience, allow it to play out and find our new swimming legs of the OBE world.
Unfortunately, this trans-dimensional plane is also shared by negative energy and evil spirits. So when a person is afraid, it will attract the negative spirits who then take advantage of this person's immaturity in this new world. But when a person gives in to the experience allowing it to play out without fear, then the presence of good and positive spirits will show up to guide you into this whole new world. Some believe them to be angels, others recognize them as familiar friends and family members who have crossed over to the other side. These are spirit guides who are there to help you exercise your psychic legs in this new world. In time, you will discover the ability to travel the real world without being noticed at incredible speeds. You can enter into other people's dreams and share their dream experience. If you continue to be afraid, then only negative experiences will happen. They say that the evil of any experience is created by you and your fear, so let go of fear and give in to the experience. (In other words if you fight the rapist, it'll hurt. If you give in to the rapist, it'll feel good.)
They say that in time, the new abilities that you learn during an OBE will be added to you in the real world as well. You'll gain new gifts such as telepathy, the ability to move objects without touching them, etc... You'll even be able to enter into a state of OBE at any time on demand, although you will have to get somewhere quiet, empty your mind and meditate in order for it to happen. Others will only mature to a minimal level, only enjoying an OBE at night when they sleep.
New Agers also teach that this phenomenon can be both a learned ability for those without the gift, or an natural ability that is gifted to them at birth. Some people will have their entire childhood filled with OBE's because of their openness to things that most adults do not entertain. Other people may not discover they have the gift until their late adulthood. But anyone and everyone is capable of learning how to engage in an OBE if they educate themselves with an open mind and give themselves over to these possibilities.
| POSITIVE ASPECTS TO THE NEW AGE APPROACH |
For those who are desperately seeking answers to their problems with "Night Terrors" and "Sleep Paralysis", the New Age philosophy sounds both comforting and exciting. Who wouldn't want to stop the terrors and trade them in for a more soothing experience? Who wouldn't want to walk about the world at night invisible, walking through walls, into people's homes, into their dreams?
For those who have adopted the New Age approach, at least 70% of their paralysis experiences do become enjoyable retreats. Instead of fearing "shadow people" and remaining paralyzed, they learn to soothingly slip out of their bodies into an exciting universe filled with endless possibilities. You can slip into the head of someone who's sleeping nearby and see what they're dreaming. The next morning, they'll even tell you, "Hey! I dreamed about you last night!" People have flown beyond Earth to other galaxies and dimensions populated by millions of different life forms. People have even spoken of being reunited with lost loved ones and being given visions of the future by God. It's an exciting new world that's intoxicating.
| NEGATIVE ASPECTS TO THE NEW AGE APPROACH |
Even though 70% of the paralysis experiences become enjoyable, at least 30% of them remain terrifying and become even more so. They become extended much longer, much more severe in violence, and much more terrifying with actual physical pain that even leaves marks upon the body. What used to be just a mere presence in the room, or shadow people grabbing legs, now becomes much more grizzly in painful experiences that involve chains, being set on fire, being branded with various instruments, all done in a manner of ritualistic satanic abuse. Visions of loved ones in severe pain will dominate your visions. You'll relive the most painful moments in your life over and over again. The permeating emotional feeling throughout these worsened experiences will be as close to literal Hell than anything any living human being can endure. You're very perception of reality will begin to deteriorate.
None of the deceptive New Age literature will tell you this. Only those who have followed their advice and have managed to come out of it alive, are saying, "WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
| IN CONCLUSION OF THE NEW AGE APPROACH |
So you've got to ask yourself. Are all these exhilarating travels throughout the known world and the unknown universe, worth waking up to being gutted, sliced, burned, branded, raped, skinned, emotionally abused, and mentally tortured once in a while? And what's worse, eventually this crazy stuff won't wait for you to go to sleep at night, it'll start happening to you in the middle of the day while you're awake. You won't know what's real and what's not real from one moment to the next. Is that what you want? If not, then pay no attention to the New Age approach. The man behind that curtain is Satan himself.
The Biblical View Of Sleep Paralysis
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While many believe angels are spiritual beings without form, the Bible clearly shows that they do have the ability to materialize in physical form at will and can even pass themselves off as normal human beings. (Hebrews 13:2) They also have the ability to materialize in other tangible forms.
Genesis 6 describes fallen angels (called sons of God in that context) taking wives of all that they chose. Genesis doesn't bother to elaborate on how this was done because Moses' readers already knew how. The secular literature of that time period (around 3000 B.C.) describe a worldwide intrusion of beings they called gods who intruded upon both men and women at night, paralyzing them and doing with them whatever they wanted. What they experienced is not all that different from the experiences recorded in modern-day reports of advanced sleep paralysis and alien abductions. These intrusions went on for centuries and in time, the world became acceptable of these intrusions to the point that the women were giving themselves over to these entities that they thought were gods. (Much like today's New Age literature tells us to do.)
An actual case of typical sleep paralysis is described in Job 4:12-21. After Job had been attacked by Satan to the point of severe grief, one of Job's friends named Eliphaz tried to counsel Job with a message he received from what he thought was an angel in the night. However, as we read the angels' message according to Eliphaz, we hear a message that begins sounding righteous and godly, but then quickly turns into a sarcastic and demeaning insult toward God's character, a disgusting hatred toward humanity and then a blatant lie about the afterlife. In context, we find that this was no message from an angel of the Lord who loves God, but rather an angry demon that hates both God and humanity:
Job 4:12-21 (Eliphaz speaking to Job) "Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear came upon me and trembling, which made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up! The spirit stood still, but I could not discern the appearance of it. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying, "Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, He puts no trust in his servants and His angels, He charges with folly. Then how much more less will He trust in them that dwell in bodies of clay, whose foundations are in the dust and crushed before the moth. Between morning and evening they are beaten and broken to pieces and destroyed. Without anyone observing it or noticing, they perish forever without regard. Does not their excellency within them (their soul) go away? Do they not die and cease to exist without wisdom?"
While we can obviously see that demons have the ability to take and possess bodies in several passages in the New Testament, we also discover from II Corinthians 10:5 and Ephesians 6:10-18, that Satan and his agents have the ability to place thoughts into people's minds. From the description of the defensive weapons laid out in Ephesians 6, Satan seems to deal mostly with deceitful emotions, but it doesn't stop there. We know from Jesus in John 8:44 that Satan is a murderer and the father of lies. All talent and skill in the realm of deception starts with Satan. Paul elaborates in II Thessalonians 2:9 saying that Satan doesn't limit himself to intelllectual deception, but employs great supernatural power toward convincing signs and lying wonders. Peter says in I Peter 5:8 that Satan roams around like a roaring lion in fierce hunger, seeking someone to devour. Peter says nothing about Satan taking a break while we sleep at night.
So from the collective testimonies of all these passages of Scripture in combination with the testimonies of those who have experienced Sleep Paralysis, the experience itself is nothing but a demonic attack. It is not a dream, it is not a hallucination, and it is not your psyche/soul/consciousness attempting to transcend the shackles of your body as New Age literature would have you believe. It's a demonic intrusion into your bedroom and a demonic attack upon your mind and body. The sensation of evil and hatred is demonic, the shadow people (or other beings who materialize) are also demonic. All victims of Sleep Paralysis draw the same conclusions, even those without a Biblical background, that what they are experiencing is pure evil. It isn't until the indoctrination of deception via New Age literature (or giving in to the phenomenon itself) that it becomes deceivingly positive. But even then, it eventually becomes even more enslaving to terror.
The Biblical View Of Out-Of-Body Experiences
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Those who quickly dismiss this phenomenon as some type of delusion aren't doing their homework. There are too many detailed corroborating accounts from multiple parties to dismiss this as some type of delusion. As we've discussed earlier, some may seek out this experience but others stumble upon it accidentally during an escape attempt from Sleep Paralysis. Before jumping to conclusions, the Christian response to any phenomenon they can't explain should always start with the Word of God! What does the Bible have to say about an out-of-body experience?
The most obvious case that comes to mind is the case spoken of by Paul in II Corinthians 12:1-6. Paul's original testimony was based upon the Gospel of Christ and the authority of God's Word according to I Corinthians 2:1-5, but the Corinthian Christians weren't satisfied with that. They began accepting false doctrine from others who were boasting of supernatural experiences and visions that trumped Paul's. So in response to this, Paul said the following in II Corinthians 12:1-6...
"It is not expedient or profitable for me to boast, but if I must boast, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up (whether in the body, I do not know; or out of the body, I do not know: God knows) such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man, (whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows) who was caught up into Paradise and heard utterances and unspeakable words which is not lawful or permitted for man to utter. Of such a man's experiences, I will boast. But of myself, I will not boast in anything but my weaknesses. Should I desire to boast, I shall not be a witless braggart, for I would be speaking the truth. But I abstain from it so that no one may form a higher estimation of me than is justified by what he sees or hears from me."
Scholars debate whether or not Paul was speaking of himself in the third person, but it's irrelevant to the point he was trying to make. Any revelation or testimony that comes from any source that is outside the Bible is not worthy of being trusted, for Paul clearly said, "it is not expedient or profitable" to boast of such experiences. Not only was it not profitable, but what the experiencer saw and heard was not even permitted to be shared. Now Paul doesn't try to convince anyone about whether the experience was real or not, he just clearly states that there was nothing that could be gained from it.
However, one very important factor that Paul did make, we should look at and examine closely. He indicates that the experiencer was "caught up" meaning, it was an involuntary experience. This person didn't seek out the experience, he didn't channel himself into it, he didn't meditate to transcend into it, he did nothing. He couldn't even claim being gifted enough to be worthy of the experience. He was simply caught up, in other words, TAKEN BY FORCE. (Whether in the body, or out of the body, he did not know, but God knew.) Another important factor related to this same point is that the experiencer was taken into the 3rd Heaven, which was the classical way of addressing the dimensional sphere of God's Throne and the domain of the departed souls of the saved, which means that ONLY GOD could have initiated this out-of-body experience. The Bible uses the word Heaven in three different ways...
1st Heaven = The Sky & The Universe. ~ All things visible in the first 3 dimensions.
2nd Heaven = The Dimension of Angels & Demons. ~ All things visible and invisible in the first 10 dimensions. (Transdimensional Hyperspace)
3rd Heaven = The Kingdom Of God. ~ Only Accessible Through Jesus Christ. John 14:6.
Therefore, if God doesn't initiate the OBE, at most you can transcend is into the 2nd Heaven. You cannot reach the 3rd. When God doesn't initiate the experience Himself, then the experience is not of God. Therefore, whenever an OBE is brought about by a demonic Sleep Paralysis event, then the OBE it induces is only transcending into the 2nd Heaven. This is a very dangerous place for human beings to be lingering around when it hasn't been initiated by God.
When channelers and mediums go into a trance to contact the dead, they're only reaching into the 2nd Heaven, which means they can only reach angels and demons. The departed souls of saved loved ones exist in the Kingdom of God, i.e. in the 3rd Heaven and only God Himself through Jesus Christ can you be taken into the 3rd Heaven and only by His timing and His Will, not by the will of man or the will of any fallen angel.
So whether an OBE is induced by you or fallen angels, anyone you see and recognize as a lost loved one in that realm is a fraudulent impostor and a counterfeit of the person you used to know. This is an extremely painful truth to accept for those who believe they have been in contact with loved ones that have passed on. It's easy to believe that God might allow such a phenomenon to take place to comfort us in our grief. However, we must bind ourselves to the Word of God for the truth and not our experiences, regardless of how convincing they may have been. Our own personal relationship with someone we've loved, regardless of how knowledgeable and intimate, the experience of that relationship isn't strong enough to see beyond the deception of the fallen ones while we're lingering around in the 2nd Heaven. None of us are that strong. While we're in that realm, it's not just what we see and hear that's being manipulated, it's also our thoughts and emotions. Satan can download fear into your matrix, he can also download a false sense of peace and euphoria. Therefore, the ability to see beyond these powerful deceptions requires much more than our intellect. It requires moment by moment, active, Spiritual discernment from God Himself through the entire leaning upon the Word of God for all truth.
God has expressly forbidden us to contact the dead. (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, Deuteronomy 18:9-14) God would not forbid us to contact the dead in His Word and then go against His Word and arrange for us a personal meeting with someone who's died. That makes no sense and goes against what God said. The reason why God forbids contacting the dead is because God knows that our best efforts to do so will only reach into the 2nd Heaven where demonic imposters are ready, willing and able to personify anyone we wish to see. Don't assume that you can't be deceived by this, they've been deceiving people in this realm of deception for literally thousands and thousands of years. Paul said in II Corinthians 11:14-15 that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, so it's no surprise that Satan's agents masquerade as servants of righteousness." I don't mean to be redundant about this, but the word masquerade is where we get the word "mask". As I said before, the 2nd Heaven is a very dangerous place for human beings to be lingering around when it hasn't been initiated by God.
The Physics Of An Out-Of-Body Experience: How Do They Do It? What's Really Going On?
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Those who have been deceived by the New Age view, know how to induce an OBE at will through various techniques such as Transcendental Meditation. But Christians are understandably troubled that fallen angels are capable of pushing Christians into an out-of-body experience without their consent. How is this even possible? We know how it's possible when God does it, it's because God is God and that's all there is to it. But how are fallen angels capable of separating the soul of the Christian from it's body to wander around the 2nd Heaven? How do they do it? What's really going on? There are three different theories...
The human body is confined to the first 3 spatial dimensions (the 1st Heaven) of reality but the soul actually lives in both the 1st and 2nd Heaven simultaneously, to some extent. We know from science that the universe is made up of at least 10 dimensions in which the first 4 of them are knowable (length, width, height and time) while the other 6 are only accessible by indirect means. Some Christians believe the separation between the 1st and 2nd Heaven was created by the curse after Adam and Eve fell to sin. Before they sinned, they didn't know they were naked because their soul transcended their physical bodies. But after they sinned against God, it confined their consciousness to their physical bodies which is why only then, did they realize that they were naked. That's also why Genesis records God walking through the garden saying to Adam, "Where are you?" as if Adam's previous 10-dimensional existence had ceased. Therefore, our physical bodies are subject to decay and the curse, but the soul is still immortal. When we sleep or go into trances, the soul's transcendence becomes more apparent. Therefore, some believe that an out-of-body experience doesn't necessarily demand that the soul literally exit out of the body. This first theory suggests that what's really happening is that the soul is merely transcending beyond it's 3-dimensional body into the other 6 dimensions while still being grounded to some extent inside their body. This is where occultists get the label, "Transcendental Meditation" for their sessions in attempting "Astral Travel." Christians know that transcending into the 2nd Heaven at will is an act of sorcery, which is strictly forbidden in the Bible. So this first theory suggests that fallen angels are using the "Sleep Paralysis" experience to push or trick the consciousness of the Christian into transcending into the 2nd Heaven without them knowing that's what they're doing.
This next theory suggests that the soul is actually leaving the body behind, as the soul travels as a disembodied spirit, or a ghost. If this theory is correct, then we have some serious problems. If your soul is really leaving the body, then how is your body being kept alive while you're soul is out galloping around the cosmos? Something has to remain behind inside your physical body to keep it alive until you get back. If you're a Christian, you can't claim that it's the Holy Spirit holding down the fort because people who aren't saved are also having this same experience. Besides, it isn't your body that is sealed with the Holy Spirit, it's the soul that's sealed. So if a Christian's soul is exiting the body to wander around, then the Holy Spirit is wandering around with it. So whether it's a Christian or not, either way, if the soul is exiting the body, then the body is left as an empty shell without anything to keep it alive. If you aren't keeping it alive, if the Holy Spirit isn't keeping it alive, then who or what is?
Researchers into demonology, both Christian and non-Christian demonologists, say that the only way your soul could exit the body and your body not die in the process, would be if another spirit occupies it in your place to keep it breathing, to keep the heart beating, to keep everything working until you get back. Demons are always seeking embodiment, so now we even have a motive for why demons would cause a Sleep Paralysis / OBE. For the non-Christian, it's even more dangerous because when their traveling soul decides to come back into their body, they have nothing to force the demon out should the demon decide it wants to stay. You would be forced to share your body with it. Congratulations! You're now possessed! Unfortunately, there's a lot of credence to this 2nd view since most people who have been delivered from demonic possession will tell you that before they were possessed, they used to meditate, go into trances, project their souls somewhere else, etc...
But what of the Christian? Can a Christian be possessed? No, not as long as the Holy Spirit lives within the Christian's body! But if a Christian soul can literally exit the body, taking the Holy Spirit with it, then a demon might temporarily be making it possible for itself to occupy the Christian's body until the Christian gets back with the Holy Spirit. There's several problems with this view, however if this theory were true, the demon would only be temporarily possessing the body as it would be immediately kicked out by the Holy Spirit upon the Christian's return.
For the record, I personally believe this 2nd theory could use some refining. The idea of a demon possessing a Christian's body under any circumstances whatsoever is a complete and total anathema to Biblical teaching. While demons can do many things, including trickery and deception upon the Christian mind, it cannot overthrow the will of the Holy Spirit. Christians can do many things that grieve the Holy Spirit, but exiting the body (without killing it) isn't one of them. Even if it were possible for the Christian's soul to exit it's body, II Corinthians 5:8 says that for the Christian, to be absent from the body means to be present with the Lord. So if a Christian's soul could literally exit it's own body, it would have to skip over the 1st and 2nd Heavens and jump straight into the 3rd Heaven. So while this 2nd theory might hold true for the non-Christian, I don't think it's possible for the Spirit-sealed, born-again, child of God.
We know from Scripture that Satan and his agents can place thoughts into our mind. (II Corinthians 10:5, Ephesians 6:10-18) We also know that they can materialize in the physical world in any shape or form. (Job 4:12-15) We also know that their ability to deceive is accompanied by great power and all manner of lying signs and wonders. (II Thessalonians 2:9) Add all those abilities together, you have an exhaustive factory for masterful deception.
While people who experience an OBE seem to be leaving their body to travel to other places, this 3rd theory suggests that it's actually an elaborate matrix that's tied between the soul and the real world fed into the brain via a demonic form of virtual reality. Let me put it another way. You really are seeing and hearing and interacting with the real world, into other rooms, houses, dreams, the 2nd Heaven, etc... However, it's not you who's actually there, but a demon in your place, acting as a sensory-node feeding everything into your mind. As you remain paralyzed in your body, you mentally interact with things in the real world outside your body. This is not a far fetched idea for a demon to be able to do this. We can do it ourselves with modern technology. What limits a fallen angels' ability to do this in a more elaborate way? He can walk into other rooms, other houses, other people's dreams with impunity while instantly transmitting every bit of what he observes back to you, while you transmit back to him, where you wish to walk, where to look, what to hear, what to see, where to go, etc... If anyone should see the demon in their dreams, they would see you instead. It's a virtual reality that's being created for you. You aren't leaving your body, you're not being taken anywhere! You're mind isn't being downloaded into another matrix, rather it's the matrix that's being downloaded into your brain. Your brain is the matrix.
What you see and hear is very real, but it's because demons are re-creating for you the reality, based upon what it's observing in the real world. So if you get off the bed, walk toward the door, what's really happening is that a demon in your place, is getting off the bed, walking toward the door and doing everything you're doing, sending everything it's seeing and hearing back into your matrix. So if you should turn around to look toward the bed, the demon will turn around to look at your bed, where your motionless body still lies! But your body is not soulless, your soul is still in there! You're looking at yourself through a demons' eyes, not your own! The demon is acting like the Mars Rover, complete with eyes, ears, and all the senses.
Ephesians 6:10-18 and II Corinthians 10:5 shows us that Satan and his angels have no difficulties entering deceptive thoughts into our brain. It's classic Spiritual Warfare 101. In my own bout with an OBE, the very instant I asked God to get me out of the experience, I was instantly back in my body as if a switch had been clicked. I didn't fly back into my body, I didn't travel or walk back and jump in my body, it was instant as though I had awakened from a dream, as though the webcam link the demon was using was instantly cut off.
This third theory not only explains how demons accomplish the OBE phenomenon but it also explains how they accomplish the Sleep Paralysis. If we're seeing and hearing what the demon sees and hears and if it chooses not to respond to our movements, then to us it's a paralysis. If it doesn't move, then we don't move. Based upon this 3rd theory, the moment you wake up and begin sensing the paralysis, your 5 senses are already plugged-in to the matrix.
What do people see who are awake watching us struggle? Those who are on the outside, watching us struggle, don't see the demon, but instead only see us struggling, as if we're still asleep. Sometimes, pets such as cats and dogs are able to see more. But the fact is, our soul never leaves our body! It starts off feeling paralyzed via the demonic conduit choosing not to move, just sitting there waiting to see how we respond. Depending on our response, it may become what is classically known as an Out-Of-Body experience. But the whole time, we're actually still in our body. Sleep Paralysis and OBE's are one and the same phenomenon.
How To Stop An Attack Of Sleep Paralysis Or An O.B.E. In Progress
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Being educated and understanding what's really going on is the first step to knowing how to stop it. The entire experience is real, but it's an elaborate deception orchestrated by a Satanic entity. This is great news for the Christian because we have been given the authority by Jesus Christ to bind these entities in His Name.
First of all, you need to remember that WHO YOU HAVE LIVING INSIDE OF YOU, is a powerful entity that far surpasses any demon or fallen angel. It's the Spirit of God Himself! Jesus promised us in John 14:16-17 that after He died and rose again, that He would send us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us and abide with us forever. This promise has been fulfilled. John tells us in I John 4:4 that "He Who lives in you, is greater and mightier than he (Satan) who is in the world."
This same Jesus who promised and gave us The Holy Spirit, also gave us His Own authority to bind these demons ourselves in His Name. Matthew 18:18 is from the mouth of Jesus Himself as He told His disciples that whatever they bound on earth would be bound in Heaven. To bind something means to paralyze it, to restrain it, to tie it down! Isn't this the same thing demons are doing to us in our sleep at night? Jesus gave us His own personal authority to turn it back on them! He says whatever we bind on earth, will be bound in Heaven. The word Heaven in this context applies to the 1st and 2nd Heaven. Demons and their influence are already bound in the 3rd Heaven, but the 2nd Heaven is where we're having our problems. They come to us at night from the 2nd Heaven and paralyze us in our sleep. When we wake up paralyzed, we are being attacked by entities from the 2nd Heaven who are trying to drag us into their dimension. Jesus gives us the authority to bind these entities so that THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE PARALYZED, not us. Knowing that you can do this will make them just as afraid of you, as you have been afraid of them!
In Luke 10:17-20 we find a record of Jesus' disciples returning to Him after they had been given this authority and they were amazed and excited beyond belief! They said to Jesus, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" Jesus responded and said, "I saw Satan falling as lightning falls from heaven. Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power that the enemy possesses and nothing shall in any way harm you." Folks, did you hear that???
Unfortunately, religious cults have taken that last passage of Scripture and twisted it into a mandate to handle snakes in church. But that's not what Jesus was saying. Jesus used "serpents and scorpions" as idioms for fallen angels and demons. He's telling us we've been given the authority and power to trample upon fallen angels and demons, and over all THEIR power! That includes the power they have over you during an episode of Sleep Paralysis. That includes the power they have over you during an O.B.E. That includes the shadow figures, the monsters, the aliens and everything in between.
Jesus ended this good news with a little warning. Once we finally realize that we have this awesome and incredible power at our disposal, it could become a big head-trip. So Jesus said in verse 20, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven." In other words, being a child of God should be more exciting than knowing we have been granted authority over fallen angels and demons. We did nothing to gain that authority anyway. It's not our authority, it's HIS authority given to us because of what He did on our behalf.
Most Christians today though, have no knowledge of this authority they've been granted in Jesus' Name. Now you do. So next time you find yourself in the middle of an attack of Sleep Paralysis, the very first thing you should do is remember that "He Who lives in you is greater and mightier than the force that's paralyzing you." This is where you get your courage. Then, you say as loud as you can, (whether audibly out loud or silently within your thoughts)...
"In the name of my Lord and my God Jesus Christ, I command you to release me!
I command all of you to be bound and to flee in Jesus' name!
Be gone!
You have no authority over me!
My God Who lives in me is greater and mightier than you!
Be gone! In Jesus' name!"
You can get creative and improvise with those words, but that's the jist of it. You'll be released in moments and the demonic entities will be gone. Then to keep fear from returning, continue praying to God, giving Him the honor and glory for overcoming these entities on your behalf.
This works against out-of-body experiences as well. You don't have to go searching for your body to return to the so-called real world. You can end ANY out-of-body experience instantly, no matter where you are, by saying...
My God, if this is not of you, I renounce it and reject it in Jesus' name.
Lord Jesus, deliver me out of this!
All demons, spirits of darkness and wickedness, I command all of you to be bound in Jesus' name!
The Lord rebuke you!
Be gone! You have no authority over me! I'm a child of the King, my Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ!
My God Who lives in me is greater and mightier than you!
His Heaven is more real than your Heaven! His ways are higher than your ways!
I command you to release me right now! In Jesus' name!!"
Then you will quickly find yourself back in your bed.
I've noticed that nothing ends an event of paranormal activity faster than heartfelt praise toward Jesus Christ. They can't stand to hear it. They hate it! It reminds them of who you really are in Christ. It's as though, they suddenly realize that they're playing with fire and toying around with a forgiven child of the King of Kings. They thought they had trapped a kitten, but what they actually trapped was a lion cub, who's Daddy's roar is right behind the sound of your little cub's plea! Those demons can't run away fast enough. So that you'll find yourself singing in tears...
"Oh VICTORY in Jesus!!!! My Savior forever!!!!
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.
He loved me, ere i knew Him and all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to VICTORY beneath the cleansing flood."
How To Keep Future Attacks From Ever Happening Again
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Preventing future attacks from ever happening again requires a little more education and vigilance on our part. This is where being honest with ourselves becomes vitally important. These satanic attacks aren't waged at random. There is a specific reason why you have been targeted for attack. The first step in building a barrier between yourself and these demonic entities is to no longer allow yourself to be imprisoned by anti-Biblical teachings. You've been deceived enough already, do not allow yourself to be deceived any further. Jesus told us in John 8:31-32 that abiding in His Word is what makes us free. That's why Paul told us in II Corinthians 10:5 that we need to take every thought captive and lead it into the obedience of Christ. This means, we have to start defining these supernatural events for what they really are according to the Bible, not according to New Age gurus, Eastern mysticism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Scientology or any other religion.
When it comes to studying the occult, there are only two teachers who are distributing materials that address this topic. One is The Holy Spirit via the Bible, the other is Satan via everything else. I realize how confining and limited that statement sounds, but I promise I don't make it from a closed mind or blind faith. It's a reality that I have progressively come to realize throughout the years as I continue to study God's Word and how Satan responds to it through various forms of phenomena. What I'm about to share with you might rub against the grain of previously held beliefs. But if you'll be honest with yourself, pray about what I'm telling you and compare it with Scripture, you'll find that I'm telling you the truth.
As I stated earlier, there is a specific reason why you have been targeted for attack. All Christians are engaged in some element of Spiritual Warfare, but when paranormal phenomena begins to manifest itself in ways such as Sleep Paralysis, OBE's, or Night Terrors, then it's because somewhere there is hidden an open channel between yourself and the demonic realm.
God has placed around all of us, a protective barrier between what we would call the natural world (the 1st Heaven) and the supernatural world (the 2nd Heaven). God has also placed certain rules over the demonic realm which strictly confines all of their behavior to the permissive will of human beings. Satan's entire history has always been one of massive deception in order to deceive man into giving him the permission he needs to usurp his own agenda over God's. So when it comes to phenomena such as Sleep Paralysis, or any other paranormal activity, it's happening because somewhere, permission has been granted by someone, and an open door (an entry) has been created for the demonic realm to manifest themselves.
The Christian's catch-all term for these open doors, are entries. When you hear Christians speak of entries, this is what they're talking about: open doors that Satan, fallen angels and demons have been invited to walk through and manifest themselves. A more sci-fi sounding term that you might be more familiar with, would call them portals. The horror film term, would call it a gate. Vincent Price in the film, "Haunted Palace", spoke in Latin before a demonic altar saying "open the gates".
No human being, unless he were a Satanist or a fool, would intentionally open doors into the demonic realm, inviting these entities into their personal lives to destroy them. Therefore, Satan and his forces have come up with an endless list of camouflaged practices and/or emotional attitudes that are masterfully engineered to create these open doors. Some of them are obvious to the learned Christian, some of them are more covert.
Below is a list of things that are classically known to be demonic entries. To prevent future attacks of sleep paralysis, avoid these practices. If you are currently or have been previously associated with anything you see in this list, stop it right now, explicitly renounce it before the Throne of God in prayer. Matthew 18:18 gives you the authority to bind shut whatever doors have been opened. In Jesus' Name, you tell these demonic entities that they are no longer welcome through those entries for those doors have now been closed. You revoke their invitation, in Jesus' Name.
1. Paul made it very clear in I Corinthians 10:20 that the worship of a false god, even in ignorance, is the worship of a demon. Also, many of the practices associated with false religions are classically similar to what the Bible would call classic witchcraft. Therefore, any previous following of false religions, especially demonic religions such as Hindu, Buddhist, Native American, Voodoo, Scientology, New Age, etc... would have created an open door. You may be intellectually free from those previously held beliefs, but the opened doors that you opened are still open. Even the following of these religions in your family background within the previous 4 generations could make you vulnerable for attack. Anyone you live with can open doors if you live with someone who worships a false god or performs religious practices associated with that false deity.
2. Any form of anti-God arrogance can open a door. Those who arrogantly take sport in making fun of Christians or the God of the Bible are opening doors. Any form of rebellion, consistent immorality, impurity, greed, or gluttony associated with anti-God arrogance will most certainly open doors.
3. Sins of the mind where the person does not retain control over their thoughts such as drug use, transcendental meditation, occultism, hypnosis, etc... all of which will open doors.
Various forms of meditation are productive depending on how it's done. God would have us meditate on the Word of God in prayer. This is healthy meditation. However, other forms of meditation such as "emptying your mind" or "being one with the universe" is NOT healthy. The Bible would have us re-focus our mind on God and His Word, and renew our mind as Romans 12:2 states rather than to simply empty our mind. Relaxing to peaceful sounds is O.K. so long as it's not to put yourself into a trancelike state. Prayer is better than meditation because God is there with you, and you have someone to talk to and to listen. Meditating on God's Word while you pray is very rewarding. Other forms of meditation, I haven't investigated fully, so I don't wish to come out and say it's all demonic, but I've heard from many who have personally been attacked through open doors via different forms of meditation which induced trances.
4. Uncontrolled anger will open doors.
5. Attitudinal issues: feelings of excessive guilt, sorrow, deep depression, lack of mental peace, etc... will open doors.
6. Lack of sexual self-control (porn addictions, slippin' around) will open doors.
7. Disobedience to known truth, secular values, etc... will open doors.
8. It's comforting to know that we can be emotionally honest and naked before our Lord when we pray, but always remember that demons are listening also. Therefore, insolence or sarcasm toward Christ in prayer can open doors to the demonic.
9. Breaking marriage vows and cheating on your spouse... will open very BIG doors into the demonic.
10. Voluntary participation with demons or the spirit world in a non-Biblical context, such as investigation of haunted houses and graveyards for entertainment will open up doors. I once knew a girl who was hit in the face twice while investigating a graveyard, and after she had gone home, it hit her again. She also began having attacks of sleep paralysis.
Other examples of participating with the spirit world in a non-Biblical context would include self-induced out-of-body experiences or astral projection. It's one thing to accidentally run into this phenomenon by mistake, it's quite another to voluntarily seek it out. Doing so will open up some very big doors into the demonic.
Seeking contact with aliens or ghosts through mediums or psychic channelers, or using techniques such as automatic writing, ouija boards or white noise will open some very big doors.
Seeking out premonitions of the future through psychics, fortune tellers, palm readers, tarot cards are all open doors into the demonic.
Observing others on television participating with the spirit world in a non-Biblical context could also provoke a demonic intrusion. Since angels and demons are trans-dimensional then they are capable of seeing and hearing into the homes of everyone who observes what is being recorded on a ghost-hunting documentary. Most ghost-hunting documentaries are now filming the process in which they are calling out the spirits either casually or formally through a seance. We don't consider that participation, but the demons might. To them, we are part of the circle that's formed. When we watch and wait and listen for signs through a seance, even a recorded seance, we're participating in it. That will open doors into the demonic.
Don't overlook practices that are disguised as Christian practices, but are actually forms of witchcraft and necromancy such as "slaying in the spirit" or speaking in tongues in a non-Biblical way or praying to Christian patriarchs such as Mary, the Apostles or anyone of the faith who has previously died. Any of this could open up doors into the demonic. We aren't to pray to angels either. We pray to God the Father, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. No prayers to angels or dead people.
11. This next practice may or may not be an entry. I put a big question mark by the exercise technique that is known as "Yoga". I've heard a lot of talk about Yoga being something that opens doors into the demonic. I haven't investigated it enough to know why it's an entry, but I felt I would be remiss in not at least sharing with you what I've heard. Investigate this prayerfully for yourself and come to your own conclusions. If it were me, if I could accomplish the same thing as Yoga without doing Yoga, then I'd do the other thing just to be safe. From what I've heard, the exercise positions are emulating purposeful body-language invitations that Eastern religions used to use to openly invite spirits to possess their bodies. I haven't tracked that down, so research this one for yourself folks.
12. This next factor is one where Satan really hits below the belt. I've never known the devil to fight fair, but this is really low. One factor that can make a person vulnerable to demonic activity is the submission to these forces accidentally as a child, when you don't really know what's going on. If you've been subjected to out-of-body experiences since birth, if it's something you're accustomed to, then there's no way of knowing when those doors were first opened or why. Children may be born around demonic doors that have already been opened by other family members unintentionally for practicing anything mentioned in this list themselves. In their case, these children are unwitting accomplices as their open-mind encourages the demonic entities to further open the doors.
13. Child sacrifice is a massive open door. Therefore, if you've had an abortion, you most likely have a very large open door. Abortion is a satanic, ritualistic, blood sacrifice. If the baby dies on it's own, it's a tragedy. If you kill the baby, it's child sacrifice whether you want to see it that way or not, that's what it is.
14. Chanting demonic invitations will open doors. You might think, "Well Duh!" But you'd be surprised how many lyrics to songs on the top-40 charts have demonic invitations in them. All you have to do is sing along and you've just accidentally chanted a demonic invitation. The song "ET" by Katy Perry sounds like an innocent, creative, sci-fi type song in which the subject of alien abduction is just a device that's being used for entertainment. Michael Jackson brought zombies to the top-40 charts back in the early 1980's, so why can't Katy Perry bring aliens to the top-40 charts now? Knowing what we know about sleep paralysis, the intrusion of fallen angels via the alien motif, just read the lyrics to that song and you'll see why. When an innocent little teen has sung out loud the lyrics to "ET" by Katy Perry, she has just unwittingly chanted 20 individual invitations to fallen angels that she is ready, willing and able to be taken for abduction and to be impregnated in the classic profile of Genesis 6. There even includes the lines, "Could you be an angel? Could you be the devil? It's supernatural! Take me!! Take me!!!"
15. Last but not least, a final factor that may have opened demonic doors around you is a targeted attack by someone else who is using witchcraft against you. In that case, these satanic forces can be easily turned back by pleading the blood of Jesus.
16-And-Beyond. If I wanted to, I could make an entire ministry out of just identifying and investigating all of the different demonic invitations that are camouflaged as innocent and harmless practices. But that would take forever. The purpose of this list is to possibly help you identify in your own life, what might be responsible for why you're being attacked at night with Sleep Paralysis. There could be demonic entries in your life that aren't included in this list. In your case, I would simply ask God for wisdom concerning what it is that's opening those doors. (James 1:5) I would pray for the wisdom, the conviction, the maturity and the courage to know what those open doors are and to close them. I would pray for Spiritual discernment to know the difference between the truth and deception. If you don't know what's causing these attacks, God will tell you what it is. In the meantime, you can cover all possible doors with a blanket prayer saying, "Whatever it is that's opened these doors, I renounce the invitation and command in the name of Jesus that these doors be shut!
Ask God to give you the full benefits of the completed action of Jesus Christ on your behalf and begin a daily relationship with the Lord.
Undertake a personal commitment to the serious study of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. That's the Belt Of Truth which reminds me...
Make a diligent effort to "put on the whole armor of God." For more on the Armor of God, click here.
Spend time with God in prayer every single day, not just once in awhile when things get bad. Pray every day, at least once, but preferably all throughout the day. The more you pray, the better.
Flee from any cult groups that do not restrict their allegiance and authority to the Word of God or groups that deny the deity of Jesus Christ. If you're "Christian group" doesn't think the Bible is accurate, then that group has been compromised. If you're "Christian friend" doesn't believe in the Lordship and deity of Jesus Christ, then they aren't a Christian. Some people kinda go down a buffet of religions beliefs and pick up what they want and leave the rest for somebody else, but Christianity is based solely upon the Word of God. Nothing else. That's restrictive and upsets some people, but that's just too bad. If you want to stop the Sleep Paralysis, then believe the truth. If you want to keep being in bondage, then keep dancing with the devil pretending you are in control. When you dance with the devil, the devil ALWAYS leads.
Don't allow Satan to fool you into thinking you have to live the perfect life. None of us can, none of us do. Don't let Satan trip you up on the whole business of backsliding. The Christian life is a walk. Sometimes you walk faster than other times. Sometimes we get distracted and make some wrong turns. But there is no turning back. Whether you know it or not, you're still walking. No matter where you are, you can approach the Throne of Grace with boldness and assurance, knowing that you will receive mercy for failures and grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:13-16)
