DEMONS IN A CHRISTIAN?

 
DESPITE POPULAR THOUGHT,YES       

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com
 
Can a born again believer in Jesus Christ be inhabited by a demon or demons?

Most Bible-believers who acknowledge that Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior would firmly declare, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

They say no way will the Holy Spirit share quarters with a demon or demons. They say demons are blocked from us by the blood of the risen Christ.

That seems to make much sense. I’m sure 99 per cent of us raised in a Bible church have always believed this to be rock solid truth.

Many may be alarmed to learn that nowhere in the Bible does it state that a Christian cannot be inhabited by a demon. It is assumed that we are demon proofed.

The idea that a demon can attach to a Christian falls in place when we accept that a Christian is a triune being, consisting of body, soul, and spirit.

This allows one or more demons to link to the realm of the body (flesh), or the realm of the soul, but not to the realm of the spirit where the Holy Spirit is.

If we accept this, it allows us to understand that demons can and do attach or link to born-again believers. I will address the “how” part of the question further down.

I use the “attach” word to sidestep the word debate of demonic possession and demonic oppression. One could say there really is no difference between demon possession and demon attachment. They would be right.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Apart from passages where Jesus tossed out demons, the Bible does not say much about demonism. There are passages, however, which, I suggest, do show that God does allow demons to take control or to be quietly attached to a follower of Jesus Christ.

Case in point: Horrors, but was not a demon attached to the world’s greatest evangelist, the apostle Paul? It seems so.

We read in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that the Lord used a demon to prevent Paul from becoming proud of his upcoming accomplishments in establishing churches and winning the lost for Christ.

It states, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” – King James Version 

God did not use an angel but a messenger of Satan – a demon. This demon inhabited the flesh of Christian Paul.

Some suggest that Paul had to deal with vision problems. In Galations 6:11, he writes, "See what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand."
  
Demons can be sent by God if a Christian needs chastening when he does not respond properly to less severe measures by Him.

God will allow demons to deliver physical infirmities to Christians and non-Christians.

Oftentimes, the malady cannot be diagnosed by medical doctors because the cause is not a virus or anything else that can be detected, but rather by a real demon. It is spiritual, not physical.

Christians who work in demon deliverance ministries say that most of these demons can readily be cast out unless, as in Paul's case, the demon is sent by the Lord to buffet that person to keep him from being proud or for some other reason. Further, a demon will  not depart from a person if the person does not want it gone.

Isaiah 61:1 sheds broad light on the subject: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”


WHAT OPENINGS DO WE PROVIDE FOR DEMONIC ATTACHMENT?

One area in which Christians and non-Christians are particularly vulnerable to demonization is the occult. This would include consulting horoscopes, Ouija boards, fortune tellers, and so forth.
 
Of course, many do not accept this as being true.

Haven of Hope founder Shirley (last name withheld) states, “There was a time when I believed Christians could not have demons - that's what I was taught - but then my experiences showed me the truth and there is NO CONTRADICTION with the Word of God.

“People who deny the possibility of Christians having demons are missing the knowledge of much of the spiritual world.

“Any kind of severe trauma such as continued sexual abuse gives ground to demons to link to us. 

“We see this in children who were wounded before the age of five. The trauma provides an opening for demons to enter. There is usually mental fallout from this as well.

“Over my many years of Christian counseling, I have been part of demon removal by forcing demons to reveal the right they had to be part of the survivor, seen them reveal vows, curses, etc., and had the host person sever them by the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Shirley’s website is http://www.haven-of-hope.org/

FAILURE OF CHURCH LEADERS

Many church leaders who are not experienced in spiritual warfare and deliverance seldom speak of the reality of demonic activity today. They should open their eyes.

Our church leaders should be trained on how to rid demons, and in a calm, orderly, step-by-step way, and NOT by screaming “Out, Out, Out.”

It is the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ that has the control and removal power, yes. But like a surgeon, we must know the specific right and power that a demon has to remain attached to a person. Without knowing a demon’s ground (their right to be linked to a person), we will be blocked and wind up frustrated.

Much of Christ’s earthly ministry included casting out demons. It resulted in healing the victims of physical and mental afflictions. When He commissioned His follower at the end of His earthly ministry, part of their charge was to cast out demons (Matthew. 10:1-8).

Not all who are demonized are maniacal like the Gadarene demoniac who wore no clothes and lived in tombs. Jesus delivered a "daughter of Abraham" whom Satan had bound for 18 years. She had "a spirit of infirmity" that had her bent over and she could not straighten up (Luke: 13:11-16).
 
Helpless children can be demonized. In Mark 7:25-29, we read about the Syrophenician mother who had a "young daughter who had an unclean spirit" and besought Jesus "that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter"

There is the account in Luke 9: 42 of the man whose son had a demon: "And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father"

Not only did the disciples and the 70 cast out demons during Jesus' ministry, but after His ascension as well.

Acts 5:16 reports,  "There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one."

Philip, who was once a deacon and later became an evangelist, ministered to the people in the city of Samaria. In Acts 8:7 we read, "For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them...."

Unclean spirits can speak through God's people and, oddly, often unknown to the believer. Matthew 16: 22-23 says, "Then Peter took him [Jesus], and began to rebuke him....But he [Jesus] turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan.”

Many times we hear Christians quote James 4:7 saying, "Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." But that is the last half of the verse. The first half says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God."

Every area of our lives must be in subjection to God. If we do not totally submit to Him, then we give ground to the enemy to influence and defeat us in those areas. And often the work of demons is manifested as a result.

In these perilous last days we must realize who the real enemy is. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul said, "...We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world...."