Speaking of that which is unclean, I would like to paraphrase Deuteronomy 23 and apply it to a personal experience I had with someone and break down strongholds of unclean spirits in the mind.

I know someone who went psycho on me (and this is not the first time, on other matters as well) in 2012 because I asked him to stop picking his nose so much that it was disgusting -- in a confined space -- and I had to touch the very objects he was touching for many hours. Stop being inconsiderate to others! This person claims to be a Christian and has a history of violent outbursts. I can think of at least a half a dozen incidents when his anger got the better of him. We should be slow to anger. The anger generated is usually due to his ambitions not being met or self-exaltation not being honored by others. How corrupt the flesh is! And vainglorious!

It's amazing how such sin can come between people -- others have suggested he is embarrassed by his behavior so this is the wall he puts up. This person rationalized himself by claiming there are no such cleaning laws in the Bible and even accused me of lack of grace and how unbecoming of a Christian it is to ask another Christian to not pick their nose so much. There really was no sign that he was boiling inside by the multiple times we talked about his nose picking obsession in good humor. He even managed in a concerted effort to stop doing so for 3 hours before resuming his bad habit. He often is quite coy and holds things inside then lets them gush out like a burst of steam out of his ears which ends up hurting everyone. His behavior is unconscionable to me and bizarre to say the least. This is a passive-aggressiveness that is unChristlike. Such an attitude or spirit is not that of one guided by the Holy Spirit. Repentance is certainly in order; alas, it is not forthcoming even now years later so I find that I have to be careful around this person because I know he holds a grudge and can blow up at any moment. This person is in his 60's.

Watchman Nee wrote on page 151, vol. 3 of The Spiritual Man (CFP white cover only), "Many moments of anger are triggered by physical discomforts. Oversensitive nerves may cause people to be brittle and harsh. Peculiar personalities often result from a peculiar physiological make-up. Many notorious sinners physically are constructed differently from normal persons. Even so, with all these manifestations, the Lord is still for the body. If we offer ours to Him, acknowledging Him as Lord of everything and claiming His promise by faith, we shall see how the Lord can deliver us from ourselves. Irrespective of how we physiologically are made, even possessing special weaknesses, we can overcome our sins through the Lord."

My response is where was Jesus seen to be a nose picker? And consider how you can justify any sin or selfish act simply by assuming it is not covered in the Scriptures. But Deuteronomy 23 comes to save the day.

I cam across Deut. 23 which is very applicable to this situation. Let me paraphrase. From verses 9 to 14: "Don't be offensive. Any among you who is unclear due to bodily emissions...you must have a tool (e.g. handkerchief) from your equipment to deal with it. Wash yourself. Don't come back to the camp until evening. And God said, You must not do anything improper or I will turn away from you."

This person said to me his mother was very abusive to him mentally and emotionally. I see his behavior carrying on the same abusiveness towards others when he is not highly exalted or when he is judged especially by Christians and the Holy Spirit for his improper conduct. The hurt he experienced by his mother seems to manifest itself in anger on many different levels and is deeply rooted, difficult to extract. He has not allowed his flesh to die on the cross with Christ and experience the love of Christ as if he is still a child reeling from his mother. In reality he has not really grown up as an adult if this is still bothering him. One thing I have noticed is he almost never reads the Bible. My suggestion would be to read the Bible 2 hours every morning before you get out of bed to start the day. This selfless act, denying oneself and to get know the Lord Jesus better is something he mostly avoids being swept up by the world. Such a person needs to get lost in Christ and be hidden in Christ! Put his mind on Christ and mind things of the spirit, that is, of his intuition, communion and conscience in his innerman. This can be protracted boring, but very effective in overcoming!

This is interesting to me because in Deuteronomy the camp of Israel was about to go to war and being clean was essential before going into battle. In the same way today, if you are about to go into a sport to do battle to compete (e.g. racquetball), likewise, you must be maintain a level of cleanliness well pleasing to the Lord so you can perform effectively.