Satan has been let off the hook for too long. He wants nothing more than for people to remain ignorant of his wiles.
I became a Christian at age 10. That is also the year my schizophrenia symptoms started, and the Devil began appearing to me out of a whirlwind and telling me I was evil. This was AFTER I was saved. As the years have passed (40 so far) the devil has been in and out of the picture, always "in" when I was not taking my medications as prescribed or when they were not working. Now that I am stabilized and my medication is working well, that ole Devil has split the scene. Was he afraid of the medications? Did he simply move on after he had tortured me enough? Or was that particular devil the product of a brain that was malfunctioning due to schizophrenia? I must choose the latter. Yes, I am a Christian and a believer that there is both Christ and the Devil. And now that my meds are working right, I have become a stronger Christian. Yes, I have doubted at times whether that too might not be true. But I need to have faith in something and I have little faith in people.
Carolyn
Noone has been tortured as much as I have been over the years by the devil. If you are planning on serving God then pills are not the answer. Besides that, you do not want to be on pills your whole life. Jesus has never said serving Him would be a comfortable life either. So, why not try talking to God about Satan and all that he has done to you. Jesus can bring more freedom to your mind. You must be born-again for this to work. He never promises to cure you of all ills, but He will use you anyhow. Have a great life, off the pills.
Prophetess, I think the devil still torments you precisely because you believe pills are not the answer. The pills will quieten the tormenting voices and free you to have as normal a life as possible. The most common symptom of schizophrenia is hearing voices. Don't focus on the voices; focus on what you can do to get rid of them. I guarantee your life will improve when you find the right med and stay on it.
Carolyn
I do not hear voices now, nor have I ever. But bfore I was saved I had a lot of trouble with the devil. I just did not know it was the devil. On and off pills before I was saved; oh, yes, indeed I was. Has my life improved since Jesus saved me. In some ways. But, Satan has come against me in a much more vicious way. Do I still run to a shrink so he can pass me a pill? Absolutely not. Do I look stupid?