Answers to 9 Questions About the Devil and His Demons: Part 5

I often receive questions about the devil and his demons like this one from Mike, “How does one cleanse or rid their lives of demonic influence? I’ve wondered for a while now if this could be a problem for me? I feel like I’m under spiritual attack.”

Many Christians also wonder, and even worry, about whether someone can be demon possessed. For those who aren’t Christian, it’s possible through such things as occult involvement, witchcraft (including Wicca, non-Christian, and pagan spiritual practices), drug and alcohol abuse, and habitual severe sin, when practiced to an extreme measure, to be significantly influenced by evil forces (1 Sam. 16:14–23; Mark 5:1–15, 9:17–29; Luke 8:27–39). This leads to a vital question that is commonly asked.

Question 7: Can Christians be possessed by demons?

When it comes to Christians, and whether or not a Christian can be demon possessed, it is a question many people answer too quickly. The problem is that the word possess has several meanings. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary it can mean three things.

First, possess can mean “own” so that a Christian would essentially belong to Satan.

Second, possess can mean “dominate” so that a Christian would be controlled by Satan.

Third, possess can mean “influence” so that the life of a Christian would be marked by the influences of Satan.

So, obviously, what people mean when they use the word possessed matters very much when answering the question, “Can Christians be possessed by demons?”

In the first sense, the Devil never owns a Christian. We have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son, Paul tells us in Colossians 1:13.

In the third sense, the Devil can influence a Christian. We are in warfare against the Enemy who seeks to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). Even Jesus was attacked by the Devil in this way according to Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13.

It is in the second sense of the word possessed where there is a lot of debate among Christians. Can demons dominate a Christian? While some teach that through personal sin, generational sin, or even curses, demons can have authority to dominate believers, Scripture is clear that Christians are never under the ruling authority of darkness. The devil can never take authority over a Christian. Others teach that if we pray and feast on God’s Word we never need fear a demonic attack. But if Jesus can be attacked, how can we say we cannot?

Christians may be deceived, accused, or tempted by satan and that Christians at times do yield to those attacks—though they do not have to. If believers begin to respond wrongly in such situations, they may give demons influence in their lives. Apparently an evil spirit can empower, energize, encourage, and exploit a believer’s own sinful desires. Examples would include Peter (Matt. 16:22–23) and Ananias (Acts 5:3). As children of God, regenerated and indwelt by the Spirit, we are responsible to and empowered by God to resist satan, and if we do resist, we need not suffer from his influence (Eph. 6:10–18; James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:7–9; 1 John 4:1–4; 5:1–5, 18–19).

Question 8: What are the Weapons of our warfare? How can I fend off the Enemy and fight against the tactics he uses against me?

In spiritual battle, Paul spoke of weapons for our war (Ephesians 6:10-20). Some are offensive, for the forward progress of the kingdom of God through the advance of the gospel and church of Jesus Christ. Some are defensive, for protection from our enemy and his attacks on us.

For the follower of Jesus, the Christian life is about being on kingdom mission with Jesus to help set other captives spiritually free. People are not ultimately our enemy; rather, they’re held in captivity by our enemy, and they need to be set free. Jesus doesn’t leave us to our own devices to fight this war. He leads the charge through his defeat of Satan, sin, and death and equips us with nine powerful spiritual weapons.

1. Truth: The enemy is a liar and the “father of lies.” All he ever does is lie. If you believe his lies, you will disbelieve the truth God gives. The truth is found in the Bible, and it always leads to Jesus Christ. You must know the truth, believe the truth, and share the truth, even when it costs you dearly. When dealing with people, always get both sides of the story to ensure you know the truth before you render a verdict. If you struggle with believing satan’s lies, get a journal, write a line down the middle of the pages, and write, “Lies” at the top of one column and “Truth” in the other column. Every time you hear a lie, write it down in the “Lies” column, and next to it, in the “Truth” column, record a refuting truth from Scripture. As you do, you are engaging in spiritual warfare by exposing lies and replacing them with truth.

2. Holiness: When you say no to sin and yes to what God wants, you win a spiritual battle. When you say yes to sin and no to righteousness, you lose a spiritual battle and need to quickly repent to Jesus, renounce your sin, and press onward in Christ’s righteousness (Rom. 3:21–22, 5:17, 21, 8:10, 10:4). In the battle between good and evil, sin is how we surrender and repentance is how we return to the front line.

3. The gospel: The good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ is the most powerful weapon we have. Use it for yourself, and share it with everyone. You are part of God’s ground war, and Jesus sends you every day to tell others about your King and his kingdom so they may be freed from captivity to their enemy. Who Jesus is and what he has done is the proclamation of good news about his victory over our enemy.

4. Faith: Faith is an internal conviction that leads to an external action. For example, if you believe that Jesus rose from death, you’ll not die gripped by the fear of death but rather holding on to faith that you’ll be with him on the other side of death. It’s this very faith that took a coward like Peter, who denied Jesus three times before Christ died on the cross, and turned him into a courageous warrior who died for Jesus, hanging upside down on a cross according to church history. He saw the living Jesus and in faith no longer feared death. It should be the same for us. In this life, the enemy sends “fiery darts” (Eph. 6:16), but faith is your shield. Stop your sin, trust God and his promises, command your enemies to leave in the power of Jesus’ name, and you’ll be safe.

5. Salvation: Paul says that salvation is like a helmet. A helmet guards our minds so we’re not damaged in such a way that we can no longer think clearly and cogently. You must never forget that you’re saved and assured victory in Christ. Remind yourself daily. You’re saved from Satan, sin, death, hell, and God’s wrath. Knowing and never forgetting or doubting your salvation will protect you in all spiritual battles.

6. Scripture: The Bible is like a sword for defending ourselves against the attacks of the liar and his false teachers. It’s also an offensive weapon for boldly spreading the truth and setting captives free. The Bible is not just a book of pithy statements and children’s tales, it’s a weapon for spiritual war.

7. Prayer: In every field of combat, communication is key. King Jesus is always available to hear from you and speak to you. Pray offensively about everything and anything. Pray before trouble comes. Pray to God both in your personal prayer time and corporately with fellow Christians regarding the enemy’s attacks. Pray offensively for protection and wisdom before the demonic attacks come. Too often, Christians pray defensively only when trouble comes. To help teach you how to pray this way, the book of Psalms is filled with offensive prayers. Some of my favorites include Psalm 18, Psalm 27, Psalm 31, Psalm 35, and Psalm 83.

I would also suggest that you follow Jesus’ example in Matthew 4:1–10. When the devil attacked him, Jesus fought back by quoting Scripture that perfectly applied to the lies and temptations of the Enemy. Then, Jesus used his authority to command the devil to leave him. This is the same authority that Jesus has delegated to Christians so that we, too, can command the devil and demons to depart from us.

There are many books and videos that teach that we need to know a demon’s name in order to command it away. But neither Jesus (Mark 1:23–27 is the first of many places where he did his work without appealing to a name) nor Paul (Acts 16:16–18) needed a demon’s name to command it away. Similarly, such teaching commonly argues that sin gives a demon the right to inhabit a Christian, so until we confess the sin, we cannot force the demon to leave. Because these teachings go against the Bible, however, such books must be read critically by constantly asking the question, “Where does the Bible say that?”

8. The Strength to Stand: No fewer than four times in the closing of his epic letter to the Ephesians, the Holy Spirit, through Paul, commanded us to “stand.” This is a military term for holding the line. One way we do this is, as Jesus did in Matthew 4 when resisting the temptations of the devil, is to quote the truths of Scripture in the face of spiritual attack, rebuking the devil and commanding him to go away. In this spiritual battle, don’t retreat; run to Jesus. Don’t surrender; move forward in the assurance of Jesus’ victory. Hold the line for Jesus, empowered by his Holy Spirit, in your life, family, church, and community until you die and see Jesus face to face and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or see him return in glory (Luke 19:17; Matt. 25:21-23).

9. Godly Christian Relationships: Continue in relationship with faithful Christians who love Jesus and who will speak with you as honest friends. You will be a blessing to them as you share the things that Jesus has taught you, and they will be a blessing to you by speaking loving truth into your life and praying for you. It is no coincidence that Jesus was most tempted by Satan when he was alone as well as why he sent his disciples out two by two. If you become isolated from God’s people, you are leaving yourself open to spiritual attack. Therefore, remain actively involved in Bible-based, godly, lovingly honest, accountable relationships, because it is indeed not good to be alone.

Portions of this blog post were adapted from Who Do You Think You Are? (2013, Thomas Nelson), by Mark Driscoll, Death By Love (2008, Crossway), by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, and Doctrine (2010, Crossway), by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears.