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There are very few people who are totally owned or possessed by demons, but there are plenty of people opening doors to evil spirits through sin. Many Bible translations talk about people being “possessed” by demons when in reality that is not the meaning of the Greek word translated "possessed" in the Bible. The Greek word in these cases is “daimonizomai” which would be better translated “demonized”. It means to be affected by demons, to be under the influence of demons or to have demons. No doubt a Christian cannot be “possessed” by a demon because Christians belong to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Whether a real Christian can have a demon is a controversial question to some but for those of us who have been set free from demons after we gave our lives to Jesus it is not so hard to determine. Let us now consider this matter from a biblical point of view.
Without a doubt, demons are at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). The truth is, people who are disobeying God are giving evil spirits a right to work not only around them but also in them. This applies also to church members. Peter declared that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias. All Ananias did was pretend that he was giving to God more than he really was. Therefore, anyone who is lying could have their heart filled by Satan.
Paul told the believers in Ephesus: “Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). This implies that it is possible for a Christian to give place to the devil. There is strong biblical evidence that a Christian doing this will later need deliverance from evil spirits, because they have by their own choices given ground to Satan.
Although the spirit of a born again Christian is regenerated, recreated and not possessable by evil spirits, the salvation of the soul is a process which is not automatic and requires firstly persistent faith in God, and secondly, knowledge of the truth. It is clear that evil spirits do have access to our minds to inject thoughts of all kinds from time to time. We must be watchful so that we do not accept these thoughts so as to let the evil one build strongholds in our mind that are not pleasing to God. There is a battle for the mind of every Christian. In order to keep demons out of our minds, we must fill our minds with something else. We must be full of the Holy Spirit and full of the Word.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to MY HOUSE from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it EMPTY, swept, and put in order. Then he goes out and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Matthew 12:43- 45)
Every unsaved man is a child of the devil and being a son of disobedience it is a fact that evil spirits are at work in him, If those spirits are forced to leave - either by the fact that the person receives Christ or the Word of God, or by a special operation of the Holy Spirit, they will do exactly what Jesus said they would do in the passage mentioned above. If indeed after the evil spirit goes out, the person’s life remains empty - that is, not full of God’s Word and God’s spirit, there will be a possibility for that evil spirit to enter into that man again - even if he has prayed to receive Christ. Why? Because although he may have confessed Christ, by ignorance or disobedience he denied Christ the first place in his life. He didn’t put the Word first, and he didn’t get really filled with the spirit. Therefore demons can be in Christians, as we know them.
Demons can’t stay in anyone who consistently submits to God and resists the devil. (James 4:7). The devil and all demons must flee from such a person. Such a Christian who is submitting to God in this way is not grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Therefore the Holy Spirit is making sure that no demon remains in the temple of God. Such a person is “keeping themselves, and the evil one touches him not” (1 John 5:18).
The Old Testament is full of examples given for our present day instruction (Romans 15:4), which contain principles of spiritual warfare and help us to see that even the temple of God can be defiled if God’s people are disobedient and break the covenant. In the book of Ezekiel we see how the priests of God were idolatrous and unclean things were in the temple of God (Ezekiel 8:6-17). This is the picture of the Christian who tolerates various forms of idolatry in his or her life. It was not until Ezekiel 10 that the glory of God, the Holy Spirit - left the temple. This shows us that the Holy Spirit can be in the temple at the same time as abominations - but that eventually if idolatry persists the Holy Spirit will leave and the judgment of God will come.
Another example which illustrates how Christians can need deliverance is in the history of Israel’s wars, especially i
Without a doubt, demons are at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). The truth is, people who are disobeying God are giving evil spirits a right to work not only around them but also in them. This applies also to church members. Peter declared that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias. All Ananias did was pretend that he was giving to God more than he really was. Therefore, anyone who is lying could have their heart filled by Satan.
Paul told the believers in Ephesus: “Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). This implies that it is possible for a Christian to give place to the devil. There is strong biblical evidence that a Christian doing this will later need deliverance from evil spirits, because they have by their own choices given ground to Satan.
Although the spirit of a born again Christian is regenerated, recreated and not possessable by evil spirits, the salvation of the soul is a process which is not automatic and requires firstly persistent faith in God, and secondly, knowledge of the truth. It is clear that evil spirits do have access to our minds to inject thoughts of all kinds from time to time. We must be watchful so that we do not accept these thoughts so as to let the evil one build strongholds in our mind that are not pleasing to God. There is a battle for the mind of every Christian. In order to keep demons out of our minds, we must fill our minds with something else. We must be full of the Holy Spirit and full of the Word.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to MY HOUSE from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it EMPTY, swept, and put in order. Then he goes out and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Matthew 12:43- 45)
Every unsaved man is a child of the devil and being a son of disobedience it is a fact that evil spirits are at work in him, If those spirits are forced to leave - either by the fact that the person receives Christ or the Word of God, or by a special operation of the Holy Spirit, they will do exactly what Jesus said they would do in the passage mentioned above. If indeed after the evil spirit goes out, the person’s life remains empty - that is, not full of God’s Word and God’s spirit, there will be a possibility for that evil spirit to enter into that man again - even if he has prayed to receive Christ. Why? Because although he may have confessed Christ, by ignorance or disobedience he denied Christ the first place in his life. He didn’t put the Word first, and he didn’t get really filled with the spirit. Therefore demons can be in Christians, as we know them.
Demons can’t stay in anyone who consistently submits to God and resists the devil. (James 4:7). The devil and all demons must flee from such a person. Such a Christian who is submitting to God in this way is not grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Therefore the Holy Spirit is making sure that no demon remains in the temple of God. Such a person is “keeping themselves, and the evil one touches him not” (1 John 5:18).
The Old Testament is full of examples given for our present day instruction (Romans 15:4), which contain principles of spiritual warfare and help us to see that even the temple of God can be defiled if God’s people are disobedient and break the covenant. In the book of Ezekiel we see how the priests of God were idolatrous and unclean things were in the temple of God (Ezekiel 8:6-17). This is the picture of the Christian who tolerates various forms of idolatry in his or her life. It was not until Ezekiel 10 that the glory of God, the Holy Spirit - left the temple. This shows us that the Holy Spirit can be in the temple at the same time as abominations - but that eventually if idolatry persists the Holy Spirit will leave and the judgment of God will come.
Another example which illustrates how Christians can need deliverance is in the history of Israel’s wars, especially i