How Can We Tell If Someone Is Demon-Possessed?
Posted: Monday, March 24, 2008
by Gary Cavendish
Online Christian Stores
Key Verses: Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
Mark 5:2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
Just because someone is being influenced by demons doesn't mean they are possessed by them. Demons can influence our thoughts and behavior from the outside, and Christians especially are subject to such attacks. Like their master, Satan, demons can suggest ideas and motives in an attempt to turn us away from God. Christ's temptation in the wilderness is the prime example of this. Also, the Devil can try to influence us through circumstances, or through the actions or words of others, as he did with Job. For those who don' t know Christ, he bends his effort to keep them away; for those who do, he tries to destroy their witness or render them powerless. A Christian cannot be demon-possessed, because our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and no demon can live in the presence of God's Spirit. It is possible, though, for a Christian to be so tormented by demons that they can appear to be possessed.
That still leaves the basic question. To be "possessed" by a demon means, literally, to be owned by one. The demon, or demons, control the mind, body, and emotions of the person they inhabit. If they so desire, they can cause the person to indulge in bizarre, self-destructive behavior, like the Gadarene demoniac, or the boy who was often cast into the fire (Mark 9:22).
Demon-possessed people have been known to perform prodigious acts of strength, & nbsp;or affect physical objects around them. There is one primary mark of demon possession, though, that never varies: no one who is demon possessed can praise Jesus Christ as Lord. Even many who are not possessed by demons can, and do, curse God, but these can also praise him with a lying voice. Unless it is in a sneering, mocking way, though, no demon-possessed person can give praise to God. If the person uses particularly vile ways of cursing God, they may well be possessed, but that is no guarantee. It is beyond the scope of this short article to discuss how demons can be cast out, but there are things they cannot endure: the name of Jesus, his shed blood, and anything or anyone that is holy. God gives his children discernment, and one of the things we can discern, or should be able to, is the presence of demons in another human being. There may be evidence in the eyes (often a reddish tint), or in behavior, or in speech. Dealing with such people is dangerous, and no one who is not spiritually qualified should take on a demon directly without specific guidance from the Lord. There are godly people with a particular ministry of deliverance, but all of us can pray, and, & nbsp;if the occasion demands it, fast as well. Some demons, Jesus said, will come out only in response to prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:29).
Demons look for weak spots. They can come into someone's life during a time of emotional or physical weakness or stress, or through a gateway opened by occult practices, such as Ouija boards, horoscopes, or fortune telling. We should never let ourselves be preoccupied by them, but neither should we pretend they don't exist. I firmly believe that some of history's great monsters, like Hitler and Saddam Hussein, were, or are, demon possessed. To deal with our enemy, we must know him.
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More commentsWhy don't you get real? Your unwillingness to only accept what is clearly painted before your eyes is a problem that you and many other narrow minded individuals face. Every step of progress you make in your life is through faith. It's not a 100% guarentee to make a move to another state to work for a company who could very well lay you off the following week. You do it anyway because of blind faith (generic term of this is stock) in a simple idea that you know you should do this. Why not submit more of who you are to faith and the unknown and continue to grow as a person?
i guess
I believe in demons...i always wondered how it would feel to be possessed....
I read about incubus the sex demon and had a terrible experience one night in a dream. This demon came to have sex with me, partly because I had been confessing my sins to God and closing the doorway to fornication and adultery. God allowed me to crush it and throw it out side. Shortly after crushing it my hand began to swell. This was my right hand. I held it up and told the demon that he is not more powerful than God then I woke up. When I awoke I felt that the swelling meant that God had given me power in my right hand but I hardly have any waking experience of the power I believe God gave me activated. I have confessed my sins to God and truly want to live holy and righteous for Him. I know He is POWERFUL
yes it made me feel no so alone in my dealings with people who's actions have been so evil, their is no other way to describe it. This eases some of my pain.
Cast out all demons in myself, around me, around all reading this. In the name of our Holy God, our merciful gracious loving God, in the name of his Holy and loving son Jesus, who shed his blood to die on a cross, to save us for our sins. He is a gift from our loving God, who loved us enough, to give his only begotten son, that we shall accept this gift ,and have eternal life. This means forever, with no end. Let us ask for forgiveness for all of our sins, and ask God to cleanse our unclean spirits with His clean spirit ,so that we may walk with the Holy Spirit ,with a cleansed soul, daily in our lives. Never to leave us, to dwell within our souls, to protect us from the demons of jealousy, rage, anger, envy, lust, drugs , selfishness, vanity, greed, alcohol, guilt. To protect us from all demons. We are all His children. He gives us a free will , a choice to decide if we really want his gift. It is to our own benefit if we accept Jesus, His gift to each and everyone of us, if we want. He loves us that much. He loves all sinners and he offers this to us-free of charge. Some strings are attached, just to love him, just to accept him, just to praise him all day long, to read HIS book, to become examples to others, so they will not perish. Let us cast out our unclean spirits to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts, and souls to God. let us hand the demons to Jesus ,to bear our burdens. He is so gracious, so very caring. He loves us ,no matter what happens, no matter what we do. Come in Jesus to my heart with a breath of wind Lord, and to our souls. Lead us, for we are sinners. Praise you Lord. Praise your Holy loving name. You are our friend and our comforter. You are our helper. You are our one true friend, never forsaking us. (He can do this, because Jesus loves me and you.) He routinely forgives us over, and over. "God forgive us for all of our sins, for all of our unclean ways, for our unclean example to others, forgive us for hurting our brothers, our sisters, our husbands, our wives, our boyfriends, our girlfriends, our mothers, our fathers, our children, our friends and other family, our enemies,. Take our burdens Jesus, and cast them into the wind. Cast the demons out of our souls, and up to God our Father. Jesus take it all, and guide us daily. Help us to be strong in you. lead us not into temptation Father, Deliver us from all evil. In your precious, precious son Jesus I pray this for myself, and those who read this, in HIS HOLY NAME. Thank you Lord for loving me so much. Thank you for this gift, Jesus. Had it not been for your love, your son, I would not have this salavation. I have sinned. I have been tormented. I have tormented others. I have been ungrateful of your love. Father forgive me. I know you do. Praise be, to God our heavenly Father. We can go to HIM, anytime. He is there to hear us, to care to love us. He wraps us in his arms, and cradles us. We are His little children. What are we doing for him? Amen
Father forgive me for my sins today. Please come into my heart Jesus. Forgive me for depending on alcohol to get me through my pain. It is only you who can take it away.You are the true light. With your help now I will struggle to obey you in this evil world. Help me to discipline myself to get rid of old habits, of demons. Place me with Christians. Help me bring my husband to your grace. Change my ways. Change my bad example. I am a true sinner. I am so ashamed of my ways, my sins in front of a non Christian. This is going to be a hard taks to have your help to bring my husband to you Lord so that he may be saved. I am a very poor example now. I am a heathen. Forgive me Lord for all of my sins. In Jesus name I pray for your help.
i need help i belive there is a demon in me what should i do?What are you experiencing? Do you feel someone has control over your thoughts?
Have you ever heard of a demon using someone's vocal cords to talk? I heard someone that was asleep and it sounded like someone who has to talk through a device where their vocal cords have been damaged. At first I couldn't hear what it was saying but one night I heard it say "I wanna buzz up, I wanna buzz up, buzz up, buzz up" over and over. One night this person in their sleep said "well hello ish, how have you been doing" and the voice in the same manner as above said "I have been doing very well.Has anyone ever experienced anything like this?
I know that they are real..I have schizoaffective disorder since i was 17. I knew it was demons but I did not get immediate help. the problems have gotten worse i am 54 years old now and on disabilty. nobody believes you. i was prayed for by a pentecostal minister back in 1981 and the tingling of the Holy spirit fell upon me. he did not believe that i was posessed by demons and that I was in a rut. My sexual problems and lack of energy destroyed my marriage. the problem is too deep now unless God intevenes. i cannot praise the name of Jesus and never could but was a decent person. Is there any hope or am I past the road of no return.
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