There is Trinitarian Jesus Prayer: “Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth: Set up your kingdom in our midst. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God: Have mercy on me, a sinner. Holy Spirit, breath of the living God: Renew me and all the world.”
I read the text (but silenced the chant, which was annoying since I couldn't make out any of the words). In reading the tale of the demon-possessed man, it was saddening that no one thought to do as Jesus showed His disciples to do: that is, to command the demon to depart by the authority of Jesus. The man continued to be tormented by the demon even though he prayed almost constantly for mercy. Mark 9:38,39-- And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not... Mark 16:17-- And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils...
Fidei Defensor, The Jesus Prayer is part of my daily rule. Here is my method for using the Jesus Prayer. [darken the room, turn off all lights, close all window coverings] [pick up the Orthodox Prayer Rope from the desk drawer] Lord [breathe in] Jesus [breathe out} Son [breathe in] of God [breathe out] Have mercy [breathe in] on me [breathe out] a sinner [breathe in] [breathe out] [breathe in] [breathe out] [Repeat using the next bead in the Orthodox Prayer Rope] [I pray this simple prayer anyplace and at anytime] Cooper
With all respect, it seems to me that praying over and over, "Lord have mercy on me, a sinner," is begging God for that which He has already given us. Is it a faith-filled prayer, or a prayer that denies spiritual reality? Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. We can see many passages (I have given just three) which tell us that God has (past tense) redeemed us, delivered us, accepted us, made us holy and unblameable in His sight, and come to live inside us and through us. His awesome power to make us righteous in His sight and able to stand in His Presence is at work in us every minute of every day. The same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us! Surely His mighty power can preserve us, sustain us, and enable us to persevere. We need not fear condemnation. We need not doubt His promises to us. Suppose your best friend, one who would do anything for you, stood at your side and heard you say, "I really need a wristwatch." And your friend responds by taking the watch off his own arm and holds it out to you. But now, suppose you stand there facing him and continue to say, "Can I have your watch? Please? Please? Friend, I trust you; can I have that watch, please? Oh, pretty please?" And all the time your friend is holding the wristwatch out to you and waiting for you to take hold of it! Would the continued begging and pleading show any trust in your friend? Would it make any sense to keep asking for that which he has most obviously provided for you? To me, that is what it's like to pray continually for mercy and to constantly bemoan one's sinful condition, when God has already handed us mercy and grace, when He no longer sees any iniquity in us but instead sees His own righteousness in and upon us. Satan wants us to see ourselves as worthless worms, as soiled and lowly before God. That is how he keeps us in line. The last thing he wants is for our eyes of understanding to be enlightened, for us to know and walk in the riches of the glory of God's inheritance, and for us to live our lives as redeemed, forgiven, holy, transformed children of God indwelt by His wonder-working power.
For me, the Jesus Prayer practice I described brings relaxation, peace, and serenity. Be Still In The Presence of the Lord.
The Church of England has procedures to deal with such situations. The first step is prayer for the person concerned then contact the parish priest who should contact his Bishop, who will take over from there and take the necessary measures, perhaps involing the Diocesan exorcist. (Every Diocese should have one). This is not a situation in which enthusiastic untrained amateurs should get themselves involved, apart from supportive prayer for the victim.
Not much different if it enduces a trance, than transendental meditation then, reciting a mantra. Matt.6:7. The importance of the Jesus prayer is that it places us in the correct position as servants of Christ, humility, gratitude and obedience. It is only when we are centred solely in Him that demons are afraid of us. Acts 19:15. It is sufficient to have it in mind, rather than unnecessarily reciting it aloud. Reciting aloud for a short period though can get one in the right frame of mind to cope with difficult situations. Especially when followed up with - "Holy Spirit give me wisdom to serve Christ faithfully".
Act 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. Act 19:14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. Act 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? Act 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. The distinction we should make is not a difference between laity and clergy, but rather the difference between the redeemed believer and the unredeemed. These particular "vagabond Jews" and "exorcists" and sons of Sceva were not believers in Jesus Christ; they were not born again and the Holy Spirit did not indwell them. Thus, to the evil spirits they were 'nobodies' and did not act in the authority of Jesus Christ. When a regenerate disciple of Jesus issues a command to an evil spirit by the authority of Jesus (acts in His name and in His stead), all the power of the Godhead is behind that command. Jesus did not say (Mark 16:17), 'In my name they shall fear to cast out demons; they shall run to the bishop because only he knows how to speak in my name.' No! What did Jesus say? And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils. Act 16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: Act 16:17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. Act 16:18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. Paul demonstrated the authority of Christ. He spoke to the demon, and the demon had to obey. 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith... The devil and his fallen angels are like "a roaring lion." They make a lot of fearsome noise like a lion, but they don't have any real power over the Christian (Jesus has pulled their teeth). We have been redeemed from the curse. He who is in us (the Holy Spirit) is far greater than 'he who is in the world' (1 John 4:4). We are the head and not the tail (Deut. 28:13); we are above and not beneath. We are counseled to wield the "sword of the Spirit" (the only offensive weapon named in the armor of God, Ephesians 6:17), the mighty word of God. Why are we to do this? Verse 12 tells us: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Notice that we aren't told to run away and tell the bishop about principalities and powers and 'rulers of darkness,' but we are to resist and fight them on behalf of our Savior, the head of the body. We are all parts of His body on earth and are both instructed and invested with authority to act in His name. When Jesus told all of His disciples to "go into all the world," He made them (and us) His ambassadors plenipotentiary. When we act in His name and authority, we are being obedient to Him and are in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God... by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 2 Corinthians 6:4,7.
I was not commenting on the conduct of 'redeemed believers' comparing them to 'the unredeemed', I was commenting on the correct conduct of An Anglican, within the chain of authority existing in Cannon Law of the visible Anglican Church. If you wish to renounce Anglicanism, that is your own affair, but if you wish to abide by the rules and regulations of The Anglican Congregation you should follow procedure. The procedure is there as much to protect the 'patient' from abuse and misdiagnosis as it is to protect the 'inexperienced exorcist' from physical and spiritual danger. If you feel particularly drawn to this ministry, (not just out of mere curiosity but out of vocation), why not offer your services and have your qualifications confirmed and endorsed. The Anglican Church does not allow just anyone who feels inclined or 'inspired', to preach to its congregations. It is hardly surprising therefore that excorcism is even more tightly legislated for, and for obvious reasons. The Church can do without a lose 'cannon' on deck. .
Think I may have Covid. Woke with very sore back of throat. Really painful swallowing, got steadily worse, have not eaten all day, shivering, going to bed now and will ring 111 in the morning if no better. Prayer would be appreciated. L Chris.
Will do, friend! If you have some extra vitamins (especially vitamin C), take extra.... it can't hurt. Just wanted to let you know.... I haven't forgotten your greeting when I joined... https://forums.anglican.net/threads/4-months-in-anglicanism-new-here.3087/#post-32120
Forgive me if I don't pray for you, but I wish you all best. Please let us all know how you get on. Cheers Phil
Of course I forgive you. Forgive me if I pray for you and I wish you all the best too and thanks for 'all the best'. I guess this is going to be 10 days of self isolating discovery for me. Taking 2 parcetamol 3 times daily, only feeling comfortable in the throat half way through each dose. Slept fitfully but otherwise still alive so far.