Are you being attacked by demons in bed?

After a good night's sleep you wake up but you find out that you can't move. Your body is stuck on the bed. You can move your eyes but nothing else. You are conscious but your body can't move.  You try to move your legs and hands but nothing happens.

You are scared now. What is going on? You try to scream for help but your voice isn't coming up. At some point, you feel a heavy presence on you like someone is sitting on your chest. You begin to panic and struggle inside of you

What just happened is what is known as sleep paralysis and a lot of Nigerians go through this. According to research from the College of Medicine, the University of Ibadan, more than 1.5 million Nigerians suffer from sleep paralysis.

What is the cause of sleep paralysis? Science has an explanation for this and it is called REM sleep which stands for rapid eye movement sleep.

Are you being attacked by demons in bed?

A lot of Nigerians believe that sleep paralysis is a demonic
In many cultures, sleep paralysis is a demonic attack

It feels like you are in a horror movie.
After a good night's sleep you wake up but you find out that you can't move. Your body is stuck on the bed. You can move your eyes but nothing else. You are conscious but your body can't move.  You try to move your legs and hands but nothing happens.

You are scared now. What is going on? You try to scream for help but your voice isn't coming up. At some point, you feel a heavy presence on you like someone is sitting on your chest. You begin to panic and struggle inside of you.

Having a sleep paralysis attack is very scary  (Nerdist)
When you begin to think this paralysis is permanent, you break free and are able to move again. Everything is fine now. Your breathing is back to normal as you wipe the sweat off your forehead.

What is the cause of sleep paralysis? Science has an explanation for this and it is called REM sleep which stands for rapid eye movement
Science claims sleep paralysis is biological  (Psychics)

REM sleep happens when the brain is in between the sleeping and waking up phase. In layman terms, your brain is conscious during this period but your body is not. Your voluntary muscles don't know you are awake yet that's why your muscles don't work at this time. An involuntary action such as breathing is not affected during this period.

Popular among young adults, there is no specific reason as to why sleep paralysis happens. Science suggests it has something to do with poor sleeping habits.

Religion and myth differ about this. The popular theory is that sleep paralysis is a demonic attack. You can find this theory on many chat forums in the country.

"My dear forget oyibo theories. they call it sleeping paralysis buy i call it "being pressed by a demon". if it was sleeping paralysis how come when you Shout JESUS it stops?? it happened to me so much as a child, but its has kinda stopped now, u need to be more prayerful and believe God to deliver you from the hands of demons.... Pray before you go to bed and commit yourself in the hands of Jesus. this world is desperately wicked and only God can save us" wrote one Nairaland user.

Nigerian Christians hold on to this theory as proof that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but principalities and powers of the dark world.

It's not only Christians that believe paralysis is a spiritual attack. In other cultures around the world, demons are believed to prey on souls when they sleep.

Sleep paralysis in Mandarin is known as Guǐ yā chuáng (ghost pressing on body). In Arabic countries, it is called  Ja-thoom - what sits heavily on something. In Turkey, it is known as karabasan which can be translated into the 'dark presser'. In ancient Western cultures, there are paintings and statues of demons sitting on a sleeping human being.
When sleep paralysis occurs people claim they see shadowy figures in their rooms which are said to be demons. Scientists don't think so. According to science, there is a tendency for people to hallucinate during sleep paralysis.

"People freak out because they can't move, and it's this extreme anxiety which causes people to be very fearful of their surroundings"  Michael Breus, a  clinical psychologist told Buzzfeed in 2015.

Sleep paralysis is now a battle between science and religion. Do you think your sleep paralysis is caused by bad sleeping habits or demons?

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"It takes tithing to qualify for God's blessings", Pastor says

Bishop David Oyedepo has revealed his thoughts on tithing, and the qualifications for God's blessings.
In a new video posted on an Instagram account called @famousblogng, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide says that tithing qualifies a believer for God's blessing.

He says, "Everybody believes that God has an open Heaven order of blessings for His people. But you see it takes your tithing to qualify for it. So, if you only know the promise but you don't know the condition, you will die frustrated

In an attempt to prove his point, Oyedepo goes on to add that all promises come with demands.

In his words, "Now Christ has redeemed us from the curse of sin, from poverty, from death, but what does it take to get there, it takes faith in the demands. People just believe the promise but you need to believe the demands. It is believing the demands that entitles you to the fulfilment of the promise. There is no provision in the Scriptures without conditions attached. Even salvation as free as it is, you need to repent before you can be saved. There is nothing provided for without conditions to meet."

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Pastor addresses recent ‘tithe’ controversy, shades OAP during church service

Pastor Paul Adefarasin of House on the Rock has addressed the recent tithe controversy that has been going on social media.
During a midweek service on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, attended by Pulse Religion, Pastor Adefarasin delivered a sermon titled ‘Abraham’s Blessings Are Already Upon My Life’. The central Bible passages for the sermon were Hebrews 6:13–14; and Genesis 12: 1–3.

House On The Rock @houseontherockc
The Word for today titled "Abraham's Blessings Are Already Upon My Life" Heb 6:13-14, Gen 12:1-3
Preacher: @pauladefarasin#RefreshWednesday
Daddy Freeze Vs Paul Adefarasin
Pastor addresses recent ‘tithe’ controversy, shades OAP
Pastor Paul Adefarasin used his Wednesday service to address recent comments from Daddy Freeze without
Pastor Adefarasin preaching during the Wednesday service
» more Pastor Adefarasin preaching during the Wednesday service  (facebook.com/houseontherock)
Pastor Paul Adefarasin of House on the Rock has addressed the recent tithe controversy that has been going on social media.
During a midweek service on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, attended by Pulse Religion, Pastor Adefarasin delivered a sermon titled ‘Abraham’s Blessings Are Already Upon My Life’. The central Bible passages for the sermon were Hebrews 6:13–14; and Genesis 12: 1–3.

Thirty minutes into his sermon, the popular man of God started to talk mainly about the principle of tithing.

“Tithe is a way to show that God is the supplier of your resources. God blesses and I respond with my 10%. It is an honour system, it means the money is not your God. You won’t be cursed if you don’t tithe but when you tithe you are saying you recognise Him and it keeps the cycle moving,” said Paul Adefarasin.

This statement is based on Hebrews 7:5–8. He used the part of the Scripture to explain why it is important to pay tithe to ordained Men of God while noting that this payment is not compulsory, as it will not stop anyone from enjoying God’s blessings.

“He did not make everyone a preacher, Don’t let anyone tell you to take your tithe to charities, elsewhere.” he further said as he used Ephesians 4:11–14 as a reference.

Between Daddy Freeze and Pastor Paul Adefarasin of the House on the Rock church

Further, into the sermon, Pastor Paul Adefarasin spoke about people attacking the church.

In his words, “A guy can not just show up and say he is an overseer. He can’t. Overseer from where? Who is your father? Who ordained you? Where are you coming from? John Doe can not get up and say he is a pastor, there must be evidence of righteousness in his life.”

The pastor continued by saying, “Anyone that attacks the body of Christ is not a Man of God. You can’t attack the church and call yourself a Man of God. We have to have decency and order in the Body of Christ. Paul said, Let everything be done decently and in order.”

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