All Scripture quotes are from the KJV unless indicated otherwise.
When we study what the Bible says about demons possessing people, it is regrettable that many are unable to connect the dots that clarify that no one who is Born Again can be demon-possessed. No New Testament verse says or suggests such a horrendous blunder that suggests Believers can be demon-possessed. There’s no such thing as that in the entire Bible, not to mention the New Covenant.
Believers
in Christ are what the Bible calls the New Creation. And as you should realize,
the New Creation cannot be demon-possessed.
However,
the Bible does suggest the possibility of Satan and his demons taking undue
advantage of the lack of knowledge or fear displayed by some Believers. Because of this lack of knowledge, they can occasionally become deceived, oppressed,
afflicted, or influenced by the adversary and his demons, who
also stir up hatred in people to persecute Believers who are standing
for the truth.
These activities
of the adversary against us can only occur against our mind and physical body but do not in any way touch our Born Again Spirit. This is because it is only
our spirit that is Born Again. Our minds and physical bodies were never Born Again, at the New Birth, nor can they be, and this explains why it is only our
mind and physical body that the adversary and his demons sometimes launch their futile
afflictions. But our Born Again spirit continually remains secure.
So what’s
the difference between demon possession and demon oppression,
affliction, or influence?
●Demon
Possession: This is an experience entirely peculiar to unbelievers only, as
the scriptures reveal. This spiritual condition means that the demon
indwells, or lives inside the individual concerned, and has the full occupation
of them, controls them, spirit, soul, and body, and as a matter of fact exercises
ownership of that person's body because they’re not Born
Again. Examples of this can be found in Matthew 17:14-18 and Luke 4:33-35; 8:27-33; Acts
16:16-18; 19:13-16.
In such
cases, the demons can even speak through the person. Notice that no one in the
Bible from whom a demon was cast out, either by Jesus or by Paul, during the
early Church era, was Born Again. The idea of demons indwelling an individual
out of whom they’re cast out is never associated with Believers. Those from
whom demons were cast out were all unbelievers, as the above verses have shown.
You will never find in the New Testament one Believer from whom any demon was
cast out. If you do find any, in your Bible, kindly send me a message. This is
a very significant fact that cannot be overemphasized. This is reality. It is the Gospel truth, and the Bible is our guiding principle, not what some
religionists fabricate of their own misconception. We don’t define GOD’S
word with our human sense knowledge experiences. Any human experience that
doesn’t speak in line with the truths unveiled in the Word of GOD, is a blatant
lie, a contradiction, and we’re to treat it or them as such. Instead, we are to
define our experiences using the truth that scripture overwhelmingly reveals,
not the reverse.
It doesn’t
matter what anybody’s experiences are, if it doesn’t speak in agreement with
the truths revealed in the Word of GOD, more especially the New Covenant truth,
then I’ll say such folks are just being overtly delusional!
●Demon
oppression, affliction, or influence: This is totally different from
demon possession. If a person is being oppressed, afflicted, or influenced by
demons, it means that such person’s mind, or thought life is being influenced
or controlled by demonically inspired ideas, thoughts, and concepts, or that
such a person experiences demonic harassment, resulting from fear, produced by
a lack of knowledge, and this may further result to depression, bodily
sickness, despair, mental or bodily oppression of some sort. This doesn’t mean
they are possessed. Sometimes demons have even been known to inspire
unbelievers to attack, oppress, or persecute Believers, such as in the case of the
apostle Paul, who was severely persecuted by haters of Christ and the Gospel of
Grace, which he preached. Paul referred to this persecution as "a
thorn in the flesh" orchestrated by the "messenger
of Satan". (2 Corinthians. 12:7). Paul's "thorn in
the flesh" was not sickness, but harsh persecutions against him,
by enemies of the Gospel of Christ, i.e. the Gospel of Grace.
Satan and
demons may influence a Believer’s way of thinking also, through lies, negative
thoughts, ideologies, or worldly philosophies that have become strongholds
formed or lodged in such Believer’s mind, either before or after they were Born
Again (This will be covered more extensively in another post on spiritual
Warfare). Recall that our mind is never Born Again, but can only be renewed
to the truth of the Word of GOD. (Romans 12: 2).
Demons
harass naive Believers (who have never known or understood their identity in
Christ), through fear, terror, etc., or torment their bodies through sickness,
and disease, as explained above.
Take note
also that, not all sickness is demon-related. Sicknesses that are not demon-related can be easily treated through simple medical, or medicinal remedies. However, sicknesses related to the involvement of demonic spirits, where medicinal
remedies have failed, are healed through the prayer of faith (see James 5: 13 –
15). Such sicknesses that demons have found a way to attach themselves to, in
order to defy any form of physical treatment, just like any other kind of
sickness not involving demons, are curable by exercising the power of authority of
the name of Jesus Christ over that body, by commanding the body to be healed and
whatever demonic involvement afflicting the body to cease, and stop afflicting
the body.
As a
Believer you have to walk in the awareness of this truth, of your authority
over Satan and His demons, than remaining in ignorance.
Furthermore,
there are no instructions or commands in the Bible telling us to cast demons
out of Believers. If there were something like that, the Holy Spirit would have
at least mentioned it or given us one example, to mention the least. But there
is no such thing instructed, nor is the idea of it suggested in whatever way, anywhere
in the Bible, more so in the New Testament. Rather, Believers are instructed to
resist the devil: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. RESIST the
devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
THE TRUTH TO REALIZE,
THAT
RELIGIONISTS CAN’T
EXPLAIN
Demons can never possess a Believer in Christ, spirit, soul,
and body, in any way. That's not possible. To do so, the demon would
have to defeat Jesus Christ or the entire Godhead first and then undo
everything Jesus did through the Holy Spirit in the Believer's life, in the New
Birth. That's unthinkable.
Another thing you must realize also is that before the
moment a person receives salvation, if there was ever a demon residing in that
individual, at that moment of salvation, i.e. at the moment the New Birth takes
place, whatever demon or evil spirit the individual may have residing in them,
at that very moment of salvation, such demon or evil spirit, is automatically
evicted from the individual as the person’s spirit is being recreated by the
Holy Spirit, in that very moment, and the Holy Spirit is installed in the
person’s spirit and body immediately and takes full ownership of that person.
In addition to this, you have to recognize also that once
the Holy Spirit has entered the individual at that moment of the New Birth, He
cannot share His new home with any other spirit, let alone an evil one for that
matter. (see 1 Corinthians. 3: 16; 6: 19, 20). This divine takeover is not a joint ownership
or partnership with evil spirits, NEVER!
The Believer has been sealed with the Holy Spirit,
wall-to-wall (Ephesians. 1: 13, 14).
This is where religion has failed to explain to its naïve followers.
As I earlier pointed out, of course, some sense-ruled or
ignorant Believers (who do not recognize yet their exalted position over Satan
and demons) may get themselves involved or muddled up in certain demonic
activities either knowingly, or unknowingly, for whatever reason unjustified, by
which they yield themselves to demonic activities, which impacts negatively on
their walk of faith and eventually result in them being manipulated and
leading to their affliction, oppression, or torment of their body, or mind. But
this is not to say they are or have become demon-possessed. That’s impossible.
To comprehend this, you must realize that everything Satan or his demons do
against a Believer, they can only do from the outside, never from within the
Believer.
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