We Are Spiritual Beings
All people are spiritual beings. We consist of body, soul, and spirit. The breath of life from God, is what gives us a spirit, and is what returns to God when we die.
For those who believe in, and accept Jesus Christ as Saviour, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are helped, comforted, and assured of salvation, as we traverse the often difficult journey of life.
The greatest, and central hope for all Christians is not that of a secret rapture, but rather, it is the promise of resurrection to eternal life when Christ returns. It is the greatest gift of all, and is not something we can earn. It comes from a sincere belief in Jesus, and repentance of sins.
When the resurrection happens, we will be given new bodies. It is hard for us to imagine having a body without pain, without feeling dragged down physically, and emotionally, without sickness, and without the concept of impending death.
In addition to the resurrected healthy body, we will be given a safe, and beautiful place to live. We will eat fruit from the tree of life, and drink living water. We cannot begin to grasp what God has in store for those of us who love, and place their trust in Him.
Although we still live in the flesh, and cannot be totally free of sin, there is a difference, a renewal, a change of heart, a thirst for God’s word, a sanctification, and a cleansing. Our Spirit begins to show the fruits of the Spirit.
We learn patience and self-control. We love, even if those we love do not love us in return. We begin to understand the power of forgiveness. We have faith that Christ will get us through our darkest moments, right up to when we die, and take our last breath.
God is Spirit. We must have His Spirit in order to know him.
In addition to God’s Spirit, we also know there are evil spirits. Christ immediately recognized evil spirits in people, and frequently cast out demons. Mary Magdalene was afflicted with seven demonic spirits. Once she was healed, she became a devout follower of Christ. She was the first person to see Christ after he arose from the tomb.
Luke 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
Mark 16: 9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Another very graphic example is that of the frightening, crazy men who hung around the tombs. They were violent and tormented, to the extent no one could go near them, or pass by.
Matthew 8:28-32
30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
It seems clear that we all have a spirit, and without the Holy Spirit, there is a risk of having several tormenting spirits.
In this modern era, we tend to think of all anguish, and torment, as stemming from mental health issues. We cannot assume that all mental health issues are based on evil spirits. Nor should we assume that evil spirits do not exist.
Personally I don’t think anyone should attempt to cast out evil spirits, or engage in exorcisms, or even make the judgment to claim someone is possessed.
I think we should leave it to prayer, and encourage the person to read the bible, accept Jesus, and place their trust in Him. With the acceptance of Christ, there is a renewal of the mind. There is a promise of forgiveness, and sanctification.
People are far too prone to error, and the very people who are setting up an exorcism might be more off-base than the person they are targeting. This kind of thing opens too many doors for cult-like practices.
Some people call themselves prophets and Apostles, and believe they are ordained to cast out evil spirits. I personally believe the Apostles and prophets were those specifically chosen by God to preach the gospel, and write the bible. I do not believe we have Apostles in this era. People can have the gift of prophecy, but must be very careful, and be sure it is from God, or they risk being a false prophet.
I do believe Christians should pray for healing, and for others to be healed. I believe the Holy Spirit guides us in a gentle, loving manner. The key verses telling us about God’s Spirit, and the Holy Spirit:
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
As Christians we struggle with sin, and are called upon to repent. Prior to believing, and being sanctified, we did, and thought many awful things. We have no piety, or deity outside of the grace of God.
The bible tells us to love one another, to love our brother, to forgive, and to love our neighbour. To love our neighbour is the second greatest commandment.
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Recently in the news, there is a tragic story about a neighbourhood dispute in Maple Ridge, which is a city of about 100,000 people, an hour and a half outside of Vancouver.
There had been a longstanding dispute between neighbours over parking, and a dog. Police were called in the late pm, but did not make any arrests. Later that evening, the disgruntled neighbour went and smashed in the door of his neighbours, and shot the couple and their dog.
Two cars were started on fire, and then the man went back to his own house and killed himself.
The traumatized neighbours could hardly believe it. The murdered couple were well liked, pleasant, and active in the community. The murderer was also well liked, although he was not as outgoing.
This is an example of what can happen to ordinary people, if they harbour animosity toward a neighbour. Most of us know that 99% of people who are murdered, are killed by someone they know.
For those who watch or follow true crime, next to intimate partner violence, with the exception of gangs, and drugs – people are most likely to be killed by a neighbour.
When we live in close proximity to people, we are forced to see them, listen to them, and put up with annoying behaviours.
Sometimes the annoyances are serious violations. If someone gets heavy duty equipment to cut into a hillside, without getting the proper geotechnical studies, it can destabilize all the surrounding homes, to the point where those properties have zero value, due to landslide risks.
If a neighbour speeds through a quiet street where young children are playing, it can endanger their lives.
If someone is screaming, cursing, and making threats, it can escalate to violence. It is difficult to avoid a problem neighbour.
Some people are very particular. If you walk on their grass, they might get very angry. Apparently part of the problem with the neighbours in Maple Ridge, was that they would walk their dog on a long leash. When they walked past the neighbour, the dog would veer onto his property.
For the majority of people, they would probably ignore it. Or they might talk to the neighbour, and ask them to keep the dog off their property.
If it kept happening, in spite of the fact the neighbour got angered because of it, each time they walked their dog, there would be a cumulative rage. If the man was a quiet, withdrawn person, he might have bottled up the rage, making a minor annoyance into a simmering volcano, waiting to erupt.
Often it is not a single incident that leads to explosive violence, but rather a series of events. If taken one at a time, it would not seem significant.
This is why the police do not see the whole saga, and how it is unfolding. With each call, they only see a snippet of the events leading up to the grand finale. In fact, like the rest of the people in the neighbourhood, the police had no way of knowing there would be a final murderous showdown.
If the perpetrator had told the police what he was planning to do, and if they knew he had a gun, they would have taken him into custody. Who knows what he said to the police, but whatever it was, he did not tip them off to his state of mind, or his plans. From the time they were called out earlier that day, until he committed the murders, was only a few hours.
Similar to domestic disputes, neighbourhood conflicts are very difficult for the police to sort out. After all, they don’t know the people, and it all seems quite petty, until it becomes violent.
God has told us to love one another, because He knows we will be put in some very trying circumstances.
Surely a person who would do such a thing, had many other unseen problems. His spiritual life was one of torment. We never truly know what another person is going through.
Why couldn’t he simply move?
No matter how angry we become, or how unjust something seems to be, we have to forgive, for our own sake, as well as for those around us.
The Spirit of God gives us the capacity to forgive, and to love, even if we ourselves do not have the capacity to handle it well. God will loosen those binds of indignation, and anger, and set us free.
Nothing can buy peace of mind. One man’s rage destroyed the lives of his neighbours, as well as himself, leaving grieving families, and a stunned community.
If anything, it should be a cautionary tale, when it comes to disputes that are ongoing, and escalating. A long leash, and a wandering dog, or disputes over parking spots, are not worth losing lives over. It is not a war zone. It is a lovely looking neighbourhood with beautiful homes.
People will always say the person should have got help. Clearly he was unhinged, and suffering a breakdown. The problem is, when people hold onto grievances, one after another, they don’t tend to see it as their problem. They believe the annoyances must stop, before they can get peace. They internalize long before they externalize the seething fury.
We will never know what went on in this man’s mind. But it was enough for what appeared to be a sane person to do the unthinkable. He also shot the dog, which tells us he saw the dog as being part of the problem.
The fact he broke into a neighbour’s home late at night, and shot two people, and their dog – means he was not acting in self defence in any way, shape or form.
The fact he went home after that and shot himself means he was prepared to sacrifice his own life, in order to exact vengeance on his neighbours.
In addition to being told the second commandment is to love our neighbours, the sixth commandment is “thou shalt not murder”.
The spirit of rage, and hatred burned within this man, for many known, and even more unknown reasons. There will be no trial, because he is now dead.
But he will face Christ on judgement day. Hebrews 9:27:
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
The tragedy is multi-dimensional. The murderer has no more chances for repentance and healing. When the time comes, he must face judgement for what he did.
It is of the utmost importance to know what Spirit dwells within us, and governs our lives. The Spirit of God is a loving, healing Spirit without any darkness at all. Only the Holy Spirit can set us free from all that plagues us.
God’s word advises us, and warns us about spiritual wickedness, and how to protect ourselves.
Ephesians 6:12-17:
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Every single day, we would be wise to put on the whole armour of God. We do not know what kind of rage might be smouldering in our midst.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2025). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.