By Evangelist Stephen Piersall,
God’s Preservation Ministry,
sfprs.org/With our children now, back in school the topic of kids cutting came up the other day. Our children today live under a different level of stress than we did growing up in the 1950-1960’s. Back in the day, we got up, ate breakfast, put on the clothes Mom picked out for us, hopped on the school bus, attended classes, mingled with friends at our lockers, hopped onto the bus, came home did our homework, went outside to play until the supper (not dinner) time, then outside again until the streetlights came on. Our only big vices were smoking, drinking, and marijuana.
Kids today still have similar vices. However, it is fair to say they have much more to choose from; smoking, drinking, street drugs, prescription drugs, bullying, school shootings, single parents, no Father’s in their lives, financial pressure, clothes have to be in style, video games, social media, all kinds of electronic devices, evil movies and music, role models, and cutting.
Alas, the age of children cutting themselves has dropped steadily from college freshmen to be now fifth graders. This epidemic has no specific demographic. It has spread across all cultures, social classes, and age groups. Many professionals are claiming they are constantly hearing from their patients have been bullied, lost their self-confidence, victims of sexual abuse or molestation. It also releases endorphins producing a quick rush like a “high” making this behavior addictive.
A friend of mine years back had a daughter who cut herself every day. She stated it was like a “rush.” The same as getting high on drugs fueled by loneliness, depression, and isolation led her into cutting. She did not have the stable family life. Her parents were always fighting; the norm was to hear yelling and screaming as soon as she got off the school bus. She at no time felt loved or accepted, and her mother did everything for her. She never learned to be responsible nor have the emotional skill set to cope with her life.
It overwhelmed her and she became secluded. This depression and isolation opened the door for deeper and darker demonic torment. She spoke of hearing voices telling her to cut or die, “Just do it!” Her cutting became a routine way to gain attention to her. This filled the void she had and was hunger for love and attention. She was afraid if she stopped, the attention would go away. When the school reported it to her parents, she felt betrayed and quit school. She was feeling guilty for trusting anyone in the first place. Instantly, she felt it was wrong to ask for help, and this was God’s concern. Except she did not know God and who else could she blame for her rotten life. It was not until a few of us banded together and started taking an interest in her, sort of like a “mission of God.” Helping her realize Jesus would forgive her, and getting to know the unlimited love, he has for us, in time she could stop cutting.
David Rosen, MD, MPH, is professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan and director of the Section for Teenage and Young Adult Health at the University of Michigan Health Systems in Ann Arbor. He offers parents tips on what to watch for:
- Small, linear cut marks. “The most typical cuts are very linear, straight line, often parallel like railroad ties carved into the forearm, the upper arm, sometimes the legs,” Rosen tells WebMD. “Some people cut words into themselves. If they are having body-image issues, they may cut the word ‘fat.’ If they’re having trouble at school, it may be ‘stupid,’ ‘loser,’ ‘failure,’ or a big ‘L.’ those are the things we see pretty regularly.”
- Unexplained cuts and scratches that appear often in the same area. “I wish I had a nickel for every time someone says, ‘The cat did it,’,” says Rosen.
- Mood changes like depression or anxiety, out-of-control behavior, changes in relationships, communication, and school performance. Kids who are unable to manage day-to-day stress of life are vulnerable to cutting, says Rosen.
Over time, the cutting typically escalates — occurring more often, with more and more cuts each time, Rosen tells WebMD. “It takes less provocation for them to cut. It takes more cutting to get the same relief — much like drug addiction. In addition, for reasons I cannot explain but have heard often enough, the more blood the better. Most of the cutting I see is quite superficial, and looks more like scratches than cuts. It’s the sort who when you put pressure on it, it stops the "bleeding".
A guideline to parenting has to change rapidly to keep pace. The evil one and his demons have ramped up their influence on our youth. If evil can take the focus of God away from the church, and the nuclear family that we knew, he has won the battle. Instead of getting on our knees as a family praying to God, they have a tendency to blame God. Battles may be lost, but the war is already been won with Jesus shedding his blood for us. We need to ban together as children of God and become more active parents, and bring up our children knowing and accepting God’s forgiveness and love.
If you have identified these signs in your children, please seek out a counselor and speak to your Pastor about Deliverance ministry. Do not delay in getting the help your child needs. Counseling is important and necessary but cutting also involves “Legal Rights” given to the demonic spirits. They need to be confronted and be cast out.
Each case is different; however, in the Deliverance ministry, we want to address the spirits of suicide and death quickly. Once those are gone, we can begin the process of dealing with the other aspects of deliverance and healing aimed at the open doors/emotional traumas that led them to cut in the first place. Deliverance ministry is like an “onion,” we must peel it layer by layer. Anyone who claims they can just “cleanse” or “Bless” your home and all is well. Beware of False prophets!
