Satan and Demons – Page 2 – Short Bible Studies

A replica of an Indian deity. Photo by satish nagapuri on Unsplash If you don't believe Christians can have demons, it is because you are either not aware of the truth, or you have rejected the truth. Most Christians in America don’t actually believe in the reality of demons. And if they do, they believe they are all in places like Africa, Haiti, India, and other lands known for their superstition, witchcraft, and overt idolatry. Places like America are thought to be off limits to demons because of our higher level of education, technology and cultural sophistication. Of course, every now and then some maniac does something so wicked that it makes us put down our iPad or snap shut our Mac and think, Maybe there is a devil. Why else would this guy rape, murder, and eat thirteen people, and say demons made him do it? But then our education kicks in and we remind ourselves that the guy’s mentally ill or just plain humanly evil or both. No demons. Yet, the Bible explicitly tells us there is a devil. There are demons. And that demons harm people. It also explicitly tells us that one way demons harm people is by somehow getting inside of them. Jesus and the apostles dealt with these invading spirits all the time. The purpose for this invasion is to influence, torment, weaken, and make people sick. Who is a Candidate to Have a Demon? There are only two groups in the world who can possibly have demons. These are children of God and children of Satan. Those who love and serve God, and those who love and serve Satan. There is no third category of people. Here is a passage of Scripture that is representative of the Bible’s indictment against all who have not turned from their sin and who do not trust solely in Jesus for salvation from God’s righteous judgment: In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doesn’t do righteousness [God’s standard] is not of God, neither he who doesn’t love his brother.1 John 3:10 Another verse is even more plain, to the point, and offensive to our tendency to look for comfortable middle ground: He who is not with Me [Jesus] is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. Luke 11:23 Now that I have made a bunch of friends… Where Does the Belief Come From That a Christian Can’t Have a Demon? (Probably from the default position that an evil spirit and the Holy Spirit can not inhabit the same place. Right? I Biblically dismantle this assumption in my book, Deliverance from Demons and Diseases.) Now irrespective of where American Christians stand on the position of what lands demons live in, maybe 90% or more of them adamantly believe Christians cannot have a demon. This is not something they legitimately get from the Bible. It’s something they desperately and creatively get from the Bible by ignoring some passages, reading preconceived beliefs into others, and using others out of context. Mostly, they get this from teachers who have zero experience in casting out demons, and who therefore teach from a position of ignorance, sometimes pride, and always biased theory rather than experience. But why do they do this? For a Christian, the thought that a demon can find access to get inside of them is thoroughly unnerving. And since most of them are quite unknowledgeable of their Bible, spiritual warfare, and their position in Christ as sons and daughters, they see such an invasive attack as an admission of not being a genuine Christian. Or worse, it’s an admission that they are at Satan’s mercy even though they are genuine Christians. Scary thought! Thank God this is only true when we don’t fight back with our spiritual weapons. Some Things to Consider If You Believe Christians Can’t Have Demons This article is not written to convince you that Christians can have demons, although this is obviously my belief. Rather, it’s to get you to honestly and intelligently follow your own reasoning to its logical conclusions if you believe Christians can’t have demons. Here are a number of points you need to consider if you don’t believe genuine Christians can have demons: The ministry of casting out demons frees people of demonic attacks.It is either for the benefit of the children of God, or the children of Satan, or both.The ministry of casting out demons is not limited for the benefit of Satan's followers. If children of God cannot have demons, then by default this ministry is only for the benefit of those who serve Satan. We would have to find servants of Satan who are willing to let us cast out their demons.Even if we find some sinners who will allow this, by what authority will we demand demons to leave someone who is a willing slave of Satan? “Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey?” (Romans 6:16)If we cast demons out of unrepentant sinners, did you know Jesus said they will come under a greater degree of bondage once the demon leaves and returns with reinforcements? (Luke 11:24-26)Has Jesus given us the ministry of making people’s lives worse through prematurely casting out their demons? The ministry of casting out demons is needed in the church if demons don't leave Christians automatically. If children of God cannot have demons, this means all of their demons automatically leave the moment they get born again. Is this the common experience of the church? The ministry of casting out demons is needed in the church if there are Christians with spirits of infirmity. Since the Bible explicitly teaches that demons can and do cause many sicknesses and diseases, are we willing to say sinners in such conditions are automatically healed the moment they become Christians? Is this the common experience of the church?Would the crippled woman with the spirit of infirmity in Luke 13:10-17, and the guy with the mute spirit in Matthew 9:32-34, have been automatically delivered from their demons immediately upon believing on Christ in your church?Is this something you regularly see in your ministry? If not yours, do you hear of it happening in the ministries of others who do not believe Christians can have demons?If all demons don't always automatically immediately leave Christians when they receive Christ, what's the Biblical basis for saying there is no such thing as Christians with spirits of infirmity? Or some other demon?The ministry of casting out demons is needed because demons haven't changed. Is it logical to admit that the Bible clearly shows people being healed as a result of demons being cast out, and to simultaneously say demons no longer cause sickness and disease? When did demons retire from this line of work?The ministry of casting out demons is appointed "in the church" as well as any other gift or ministry. Since the gift of the working of miracles is “appointed…in the church” (1 Corinthians 12:28) “for the edification of the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12), as well as being a tool for evangelism (Mark 16:15-20), how can we limit the gift solely to evangelism? Does it make sense to say the gift of working of miracles is appointed in the church, but it can't be used for the benefit of anyone in the church? Do we say this of any other gift? The ministry of casting out demons is validated in the lives of hundreds of thousands Christians who have been delivered. If Christians cannot have demons, what do we do with the testimonies of countless Christians who have been delivered from demons after becoming Christians? I include myself as a testimony.What of the thousands of deliverance ministers who are casting demons out of Christians and bringing them great, and often spectacular, relief? Are all of these people wrong?The ministry of casting out demons is often the only ministry that can free Christians from certain bondages. If Christians cannot have demons, are we saying they can involve themselves in forbidden activities such as idolatry, witchcraft, false religion, sexual immorality, Ouija boards, etc., and not become demonized?One non-believing Christian was arguing her point to me that Christians could not have demons. When I told her she was in fact stating that Christians could participate in witchcraft and idolatry and the Ouija board and not get a demon, she flat out said that was not what she was saying at all!But even though she refused to follow her own logic to its inevitable conflicted conclusion, that is in fact what she was indirectly saying.What about you? The ministry of casting out demons was given to a church community who had been taught that Christian fellowship with demons was to be avoided, which means it was possible. If Christians cannot have demons, why does the Bible give so many warnings to Christians concerning demons, such as “Neither give place to the devil,” (Ephesians 4:27), or “Flee from idolatry…I do not want you to have fellowship with demons,” (1 Corinthians 10:14, 20)? The Real Reason You Reject the Ministry of Casting Out Demons The ministry of casting out demons is discoverable for anyone who is committed to truth. Isn't it a strong possibility that the reason you see no Biblical or experience basis for believing in the ministry of casting out demons, and especially out of Christians, is because you don't want to see?Isn't your blindness really because of other reasons? Perhaps it's fear. You don't want to deal with demons. You teach and preach and testify that you are a child of God. You talk about how Christ has given you the gift of righteousness. But the truth is the thought of confronting a demon terrifies you. This is because you don't actually believe you are righteous and seated with Christ in the heavenlies. It's all talk. Or maybe it's pride. What will your friends say? Perhaps you went to seminary. One of the many that preach against the power of God. Why, if your fellow unbelieving preacher friends heard of this...well, who knows what terrible damage your reputation may suffer! We wouldn't want that. Now would we? Or maybe it's money. You've built a name and ministry pushing a Jesus who is both Almighty and impotent. He is ever present. Yet, He does nothing. Or at least nothing that is similar to what He did in the Bible. If you suddenly started teaching and preaching a Jesus that looks like the Jesus of the Bible, you may be fired from your...job? I thought this was more than a job. I thought it was a calling. Something worth giving your life for.Whatever your reasons for not seeing the obvious, it is not because the Bible is silent on the issue. Neither is it a lack of real-world experience. For overwhelming proof is available for every seeker of truth. Do you still believe Christians can’t have demons? If so, upon what do you base your belief? Related Articles and Videos by Eric 10 Mistakes We Make When Casting Out Demons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_etcyMsXPcE