…Before your head hits the pillow… What is the difference between demonic possession and demonic oppression? Last night we discussed Satan or Lucifer and where he came from. Satan is real. He is a fallen angel and when he fell approximately one third of the heavenly angels fell with him. They have now become Satan’s deceiving army on this earth; they are his followers, demons. People don’t talk much about demon possession any more. It has become the lore of scary movies and sensational books, but demon possession is still real although not as prevalent as demonic oppression. Demon possession may begin as demon oppression that devolves into full possession. When a person is demon possessed they lack control over their bodies. Jesus healed many who were demon possessed. In Mark 9:27-29 we learn about a father who brought his son to Jesus. The boy was mute and deaf, had seizures, the demon would through him to the ground. The boy would foam at the mouth, grind his teeth and become rigid. At times the spirit would throw the boy into the fire or into water in attempt to destroy him. Although the disciples were not able to heal him, Jesus did. In Act 16:16-18 Paul cast out a demon from a slave girl who was controlled by a spirit to divination (predicting the future). She was being used by her owners to gain financially. In Mark 5 and Luke 8, and Matthew 8 we read of a demon possessed man who called himself Legion for there were many demons in him. He had incredible strength and even chains could not contain him. He walked about naked and lived among the tombs. Jesus tossed the demons out of the man into a herd of 2000 pigs and they all ran off a cliff and were killed by drowning. What a sight! These are not the only references to demon possession in the Bible but they give you a picture about what demon possession is all about. When a person is possessed they lose total control. The demon takes control of every part of them and the person is unable to resist. Many theologians believe that a Christian cannot be demon possessed for if you have the Holy Spirit in your lives, a demon cannot abide in that same space. I agree with them. Although a Christian cannot be possessed, they can be oppressed. Demons don’t give up on oppressing you just because you know the Lord. On the contrary, your devotion may cause them to attack more furiously. Some symptoms of demonic oppression might be severe depression, thoughts of suicide or violence, deep feelings of bitterness toward other people without reason, compulsive desire to do things that one knows are wrong, horrific nightmares, thinking that others are plotting against you, and the list goes on. Saul was oppressed by a spirit when he continually tried to kill his friend David. He had delusional thoughts that David was trying to kill him although there was no truth in his thoughts. There is one more demonic force alive and well and that is spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is the devil’s attempt to break our bond with Christ. The devil or demons use temptation or hardships to try to get us to forsake our Lord. Just think about the horrific spiritual warfare that Job went through. The devil tried everything from friends who forsook him to killing and destroying everyone and everything he loved. Spiritual warfare can also come about when we don’t let go of our past sins. The devil will try to make us feel guilt or shame for something the Lord has already dealt with in His supreme sacrifice. Spiritual warfare can also manifest itself in deception. The demons are tricky. What was the first thing Satan did with Eve? He lied to her telling her that God lied and that surely she would not die if she ate of the tree. All that being said, be aware, not all bad things happening in your life are a result of spiritual warfare. I have met many people who believe that whenever something goes wrong that they are engaged in spiritual warfare when in reality, God may just be trying to strengthen them. So that is my take on demonic possession, oppression, and spiritual warfare. This is rather a tough place to end but I don’t really want this to get any longer. Tomorrow we will discuss what things make a person more susceptible to demonic oppression and what we can do to insulate ourselves from this type of attack. But until then remember the words of I John 4:4- “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 03:00:00 +0000
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