Can a Christian Be Demon-Possessed?

[.:Lily:.]

Demons are real—and Christians aren't immune from their influence. But thanks to Christ's work on the cross, we are guaranteed victory over Satan and his minions.

One of the most popular television series in recent years is Survivor. A group of people are left in a desolate location and must survive on what is at hand. As part of the intrigue, only one can win the large cash prize when the contest ends. As the show progresses, the contestants never know their friends from their enemies.

We live in a beautiful world, yet to survive we, too, must know our enemies. Our worst adversaries are not people but invisible forces of darkness. These forces carry out the orders of a former ally who turned against God. Satan and his evil minions are very near and ready to take out God's soldiers. Yet God has given us the resources to survive and thrive.

To defeat our enemy, we must know him and be fully aware of the weapons at our disposal. Revelation 12:9 reaches back before time: "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (NKJV). These fallen angels are given several different names in Scripture—demons, principalities, powers, ruler(s) of darkness, wicked spirits, unclean spirits, among other descriptions—and there are many of them. According to Revelation 12:4, one-third of the innumerable hosts of angels fell. The "stars of heaven" refer symbolically to the angels.

Jesus Christ regularly confronted demons as an integral part of His ministry. Luke 4:18 records how He launched His public ministry by quoting Isaiah 61:1-2: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor ... to set at liberty those who are oppressed." Obviously Jesus knew His purpose was to rescue humanity from the bondage and oppression of the enemy.

Jesus confronts demons at least nine times in the New Testament, notably in Luke 8:26-39 when He cast a legion of demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs. The demons had the power to torment and create mental disorders. Yet the glorious truth is that they had to obey the commands of Jesus Christ.

Can people still be demon-possessed? The short answer is yes. The Greek word describing the condition of a person affected by a demon is "daimonizomai," which was translated as "demon-possessed" in the King James Version. According to Bible scholars, the word is in present tense with an active voice and a passive ending. A person in this condition can be described as in "a demon-controlled passivity." He or she is being controlled to the a point of passivity by a demon.

Because Christians have the Holy Spirit living in them, the degree of demonization is limited in believers. A Christian can be controlled by the enemy, but not owned. This is important to remember because one of Satan's great strategies is to get Christians to believe that they are immune to demonic influence. A Spirit-filled believer walking in obedience to Christ is absolutely protected from the enemy. However, while a disobedient Christian's spirit is protected from the enemy, his mind and body can be subject to attack.

A Christian can "give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27). When a Christian lives with unconfessed, habitual sin the enemy moves in to that place in the believer's life. The enemy constructs a thought pattern around that sin or attitude. Second Corinthians 10:4-5 describes that house of thoughts as a stronghold. Demons can take up residence in that stronghold in the believer's life. These demons don't possess the Christian anymore than a cockroach can possess a house. Cockroaches are dirty and troublesome, but they don't own the house. In the same way, demons can harass, oppress and depress the believer, but they can't damn him or her.

Symptoms of a Bound Life

After spending a decade doing hand-to-hand combat with satanic forces, I have discovered several symptoms of demonic operation. Some of these indicators can be signs of mental illness, which isn't always the result of demonic attack. But when good psychological care from Christian professionals doesn't result in a cure, it is often possible that the person's symptoms could point to demonic operation.

Drawn from the account of the demoniac of Gadara in Mark 5, the first six symptoms are extreme. The man in that passage was controlled by a legion of demons and had been chained in a cemetery because of his erratic and violent behavior. Other signs of demonic activity may be subtler, but they are no less dangerous and shouldn't be ignored.

Read more: http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/supernatural/11368-help-i-think-im-possessed?showall=&start=1

[DaveW]

Lily - You have hit into another area of big dispute in the body of believers.

Both sides of this debate (which has been going on full tilt since the 1960s) claim the other side are heretics or not even saved.

Ref texts "Can a Christian have a Demon?" by Rev Don Basham. "Expelling Demons" by Dr Derek Prince. "The Covering"by Hank Hannegraff.

[FireSword]

Lily - You have hit into another area of big dispute in the body of believers.

Both sides of this debate (which has been going on full tilt since the 1960s) claim the other side are heretics or not even saved.

Ref texts "Can a Christian have a Demon?" by Rev Don Basham. "Expelling Demons" by Dr Derek Prince. "The Covering"by Hank Hannegraff.

Just the other day I came across something, that was just a strange experience. I watched a youtube video of alleged TbJoshua but not sure if it was actually him, a man who claims to be a prophet and a healer. I've watched his show on tv a few times and liked what I saw, basically the gospel and healings. But this youtube video showed this man doing some strange things, it seemed like a drama play to me as I never seen anything like this on any ministry dealing with demons. Basically the demons took over people and began to talk to the man  of God, while the person was unaware of this happening, these demons would talk about the man they possessed. One was a pastor and the demon said he waited for the opportune time to destroy his ministry when it become to influential for God. The whole thing seemed wrong to me, as it made a show of casting out demons in front of the crowd, but yet strangely biblically speaking, this is more scriptural than I'd like to believe and wonder why it does not happen more often and I think Jesus did cast out demons in front of his disciples.

[.:Lily:.]

Lily - You have hit into another area of big dispute in the body of believers.

Both sides of this debate (which has been going on full tilt since the 1960s) claim the other side are heretics or not even saved.

Ref texts "Can a Christian have a Demon?" by Rev Don Basham. "Expelling Demons" by Dr Derek Prince. "The Covering"by Hank Hannegraff.

I believe we are in a winnable war against the demonic powers. Believers can be demonized but I do not believe they are totally bound or possessed. So this should not be applied to believers. We allow a "foothold" or a place in our life which is sin. There is no Greek word for "Demon-possessed."

"echein daimonion" means to have a demon or more. I know a spirit of anger leads to bitterness and unforgiveness. (Getting angry when you do not want to.) It is so powerful that it can cause a sort of demonic control.

Here is a good prayer:

"Lord, I forgive the false teachers that say a Christian cannot have a demon. God please forgive the false teachers and show them the truth. Please forgive me for believing the false teachers. I forgive myself for the damage done to me and my family by practicing false teachings and (name everything else) I now break any curses of false doctrine on me and my descendants. I renounce you, Satan, and all your works and ways. I ask these things in the blessed name of JESUS Christ, my Lord, Master and Savior. "

The whole thing seemed wrong to me, as it made a show of casting out demons in front of the crowd, but yet strangely biblically speaking, this is more scriptural than I'd like to believe and wonder why it does not happen more often and I think Jesus did cast out demons in front of his disciples.

I'm against it.

Satan is the most proud being and it is wrong to make him show that. I do not know why some people look for manifestations. It is risky if they do not know what they are doing. People may kill themselves or hurt others. Deliverance is usually a process and not one-time event....

Luke 10:20
New King James Version (NKJV)
20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather[a] rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

[FireSword]

This is in Africa though, there they dabble with the demonic, it is common in Africa to believe in demons ghosts etc.

So maybe this dabbling makes it a region where the demonic are much more open and then dealt with quickly.

The West operates more from the mind, so needs more psychological and persistent words of deliverance.

[DaveW]

There is no Greek word for "Demon-possessed."

"echein daimonion" means to have a demon or more.

Actually there is.  The construction is used only once to my knowledge in Acts 16.16  Echo pneuma means to be possessed, owned or held captive by a spirit.

[BlackSepulcher]

Demons are real—and Christians aren't immune from their influence.

I'm very traditional in my beliefs on demons (and angels). I tend to take a more archaic route in my interpretations:

Demons are more attracted to Christians because they are closer to God. Those who don't believe in God are already under the influence of the Devil, so typically, it's actually a Christian who undergoes full-blown possession in historical cases.

It is in my own opinion that Christians who are naive are attacked the most- demons look for weakness, and naivety is unfortunately a vulnerability. That is why it is important to take Christianity in all fortitude and wariness, because you are thereby in a realm that is in a state of war.

[SwordMaster]

Interesting thread, and one that is probably really needed!

I have met Christians who were "born again" and who did have a demon - what I understand as dwelling within their flesh, they did not have full possession of the person obviously because the Spirit of God was indwelling them, but the flesh is not the Spirit's domain, that belongs to the world and has been condemned already (Romans ch. 7-8).

I have never met a "born again" Christian who was fully possessed - again, for obvious reasons.

Good thread, Lily!