God builds instincts within all life forms. One of the strongest is the desire to stay alive. Even plants have this. The spirit of suicide therefore must work a long time before winning the battle. This battle begins in the mind, is totally fought within the mind, and is won or lost in the mind. In reality, it is a “spiritual thought-life war.” Human beings are the only life form on earth that has this problem. This is a testimony to the fact that we are made much different from the animals and plants, and that we have an enemy that hates us.

Lying thoughts must overcome all what God had built inside us. The lies about us and this life are subtle at first. Then, if we hearken unto those voices more than truth voices (or thoughts), then we start believing lies. Demonic voices tend to say “Your life stinks, you have suffered pain for along time, no one cares about you (often the first lie), things will never change (ah, there’s the second lie), and death is better than this life” (this is THE BIG LIE). We have no way of knowing this last one is true. Moreover, life on earth is far better for an unsaved soul than the Lake of Fire that Jesus talked about. If we believe these lying thoughts to be true, especially that last one about death being better than life, then it makes logical sense to end our life. Therefore, suicidal people are not psychotic (crazy) but they have been overcome with lies. Even Job began to give way to wayward thoughts (voices). Perhaps because some of those voices did speak truth – his life, for example, did stink, but only for a while. Demons would have us believe that our lousy lives will never get better. In addition, the way his friends treated Job, it did seem like they really didn’t care about him. The truth is that thousands of people care about us, but they probably do not know what is going on in our mind.

Deception usually mixes truth with the lie so that we have a better chance of believing it. Deep inside our soul, I believe that we will believe the voices to which we give more listening time. One side will overpower the other eventually, but it takes time. We do not become suicidal overnight. This is why God tells us to dwell on things that are good, pure, honorable, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). It is also the reason I quote Scriptures back at demons when their wayward thoughts hit me. This is what Jesus did when Satan tried to get Him to throw Himself off a cliff. The Word of God is depicted as our sword and is the only offensive weapon God gives us. The rest are defensive ones (Ephesians 6:13-17).

What a person should do who is suicidal:

  1. Pray in Jesus’ name for help.
  2. Talk to someone who can help. Vent. Get all those feelings out. Commit to meeting with them more than once.
  3. Learn important Scriptures that you can quote back at demons who are lying to you. Here are some good ones:
  • Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”
  • Romans 8:35-39 – Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
  • 2 Tim. 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and sound mind.”
  • 2 Tim. 2:13 – Jesus always remains faithful to us.
  • John 16:33 – Jesus has overcome the world.
  • 1 John 3:1 – We are children of God.
  • Hebrews 7:25 – Jesus always makes intercession on our behalf.

How we can help someone being attacked by suicidal thoughts:

  1. Listen, especially if you are the first person they’ve told. They need to vent.
  2. Get further help and do not swear to secrecy (often they don’t want us to tell anyone).
  3. Connect the person to that help (go with them if necessary).
  4. Reveal to them that the battle begins in the mind, is fought in the mind, and is won or lost in the mind.
  5. Encourage them to begin a believing relationship with Jesus Christ if not already.
  6. From that relationship comes power and authority over demons who are placing typical thoughts in their mind such as: their life stinks, things will never change, no one knows how they feel, death is better than life.
  7. The suicidal person thinks they know reality, but they do not. Their perception has been distorted by Satan, the Destroyer. Tell them of God’s reality, which is – they are precious and important to God and He has a purpose for their life (hope) and he will wipe away every tear.
  8. Encourage them to serve others – this can be an antidote for the self-centeredness they are in.
  9. Let the person know you are committed to pray for them and will see it through all the way until they’ve won the victory.
  10. All these things do not have to be covered all at once. Give the Spirit time to work. Again, just listening helps them know someone really cares, and this is sometimes the initial stepping stone they need at that time.

I would like to underscore the idea that suicide battles are totally spiritual in nature. Minds are the port hole to the supernatural realm. Both God and demons will speak to us there. Some people believe that external circumstances such as poor home life, drug addiction, social rejection, or sudden loss of wealth are its cause. While these circumstances can certainly increase suicidal thoughts, they are not the real cause. If they were, every human that has experienced any of those things would automatically become suicidal, and we know this does not happen. So there must be a deeper, more insidious common cause. Jesus identified Satan as the father of all lies, a destroyer, a thief, and a murderer. Therefore, ultimately, we can identify him as the real source of suicide. People who fight and defeat the actual cause always have victory. I counsel people to rebuke demonic, suicidal thoughts in the name of JESUS! The Bible tells us that because Jesus had victory over Satan by never sinning and then offering Himself up as a perfect sacrifice for sin and then rising from the dead, He has ALL authority. Demons must obey His voice. So we all must get into a believing relationship with Him and then use His name to thwart all sorts of attacks against our minds (or souls).

Feedback:

NF – Wow what a excellent lesson here–really opened my eyes to how to deal with suicidal thoughts- thanks for sharing! (this dear friend of mine has dealt with this problem more than once, but has not had the problem for many years now).

PT – Dave, great topic and a difficult one. And as you mentioned Christians, including “mature” Christians, are sometimes tempted to commit suicide. The apostle Paul even despaired of life in the Book of Acts and the great prophet Elijah (or Elisha) even wished for death. I think your counsel is good counsel on the topic and I would add that suicide is very difficult for survivors (myself being one). The many unknowns surrounding suicide can be very difficult.