How can Christians have demons / be demonized?

We see different terms used in different passages and within different English translations of the Bible in regard to individuals and demons: affliction, oppression, possession. Some deliverance ministers or exorcists may have more, fewer, or different levels of demonization but these are the basic levels that seem to be the most helpful in understanding how demons are affecting people.

The most extreme level is possession which means the individual is fully subjugated to one or more demons. A Christian cannot be possessed by a demon because the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit protecting it from anything else taking hold of it. This is why we avoid doing deliverance on unsaved individuals because their spirit is still “disputed territory” which means they are still “up for grabs” in the spiritual realm. It is only once they are secured by salvation in Christ that we can confidently confront any remaining demons because this person now belongs to Christ and any remaining enemy spirits are trespassers.

While Christians cannot be possessed by a demon, they can still be afflicted or oppressed by one. The difference between affliction and oppression is a matter of degree or the strength of the spirit’s influence upon the person. It is a subjective measure which becomes moot as one experiences inner healing that can alleviate the influence or weaken the hold an enemy spirit has had on a person. Affliction or oppression can occur within one’s soul or body because those are the aspects of one’s being that is still flesh and in the process of being sanctified. You may have heard it said this way: you are saved, you are being saved, you will be saved or you are redeemed, you are being redeemed, you will be redeemed. It is the now and not yet of Christianity.

We are three-part beings: spirit, soul, body (1 Thess. 5:13). Our spirit has been redeemed (Rom. 8:16). Our soul, which encompasses our mind, emotions, and will, is being redeemed through the process of sanctification (2 Cor. 3:18). Our body will be the last part to be redeemed which will happen upon Christ’s return (Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:50-57). Another way to picture it is to realize that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and we are laid out similarly to the original Temple with our spirit being the Holy of Holies, our soul being the Inner Courts, and our body being the Outer Courts. The Presence of God dwells in our spirits, the Holy of Holies, but the enemy can still affect us in the parts it can access; the parts of us that are still flesh and being sanctified. The more sanctified one becomes or the more closely one has been transformed into the image of Christ, the fewer footholds, strongholds, agreements, or temptations exist for the enemy to exploit.

What does it mean to find Jesus in the room or to seek His Presence? Jesus lives in my heart.

Understanding of this matter will vary by denomination. We all agree that the Holy Spirit dwells within each Christ-follower (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14). After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the Eleven: “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22). “Receive” in the original Greek is lambanō which means to take what has been offered. Just like inhaling a breath, a new believer takes in the Holy Spirit.

Approximately 47 days after this moment, once Jesus ascended to Heaven, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples (Acts 2:3-4). Many refer to this moment of being immersed in the Holy Spirit as the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5) since baptizō means to be overwhelmed or fully covered. This experience is different from receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In Scripture, it occurred at two distinct moments and they were described in very different terms: Jesus breathing on them versus Holy Spirit coming upon them in power.

We also know that God is omnipresent (Jer. 23:24). “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:15-17). When we speak of His manifest presence, we are specifically talking about God making Himself known or being active in a particular space and time (e.g., the Holy Spirit at Pentecost with the disciples or Jesus on the road to Damascus with Saul/Paul).

When we look for Jesus in the room, we are seeking His manifest presence. We are asking Him to be with us, but, more importantly, to be active. He is the Healer. His Presence is the remedy. You may feel Him, sense Him, or picture Him in the room (or in memories).

How can Christians be affected by curses, especially generational curses or curses that predate their salvation, since Jesus’ death and resurrection broke all curses?

We know that Jesus conquered death and the grave upon His resurrection. And those who are in Christ Jesus partake of the benefits of His death and resurrection:

• Jesus “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10)
• He “bore our sins in His body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24)
• “through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14)
• He who knew no sin was made sin “so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21)
• He died and rose again that “we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4)
• He is in the light and by His blood we are cleansed from all sin (1 John 1:7)

The only passage in the New Testament that speaks to Jesus breaking curses is Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” What was the curse of the Law? It was that of death as the consequence of sin. But even death itself has not yet been fully destroyed which is why we still experience bodily death:

“For [Jesus] must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:25-26).

Revelation 1:18 says that Jesus has the keys of Death and Hades and in Revelation 20:14, we know that at the Final Judgment, Death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 21:4 says then, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more…”

Nowhere in Scripture does it say that Jesus removed from us all curses or the earthly consequences of our sins. Through His blood, our sins are forgiven and we are able to walk in the light, live to righteousness, and walk in newness of life. We are no longer slaves to sin (Rom. 6:6-7) but we are still able to choose to sin (Rom. 6:1-2).

We can speak curses over ourselves and others and we can bring curses upon ourselves and others through sinful behavior. Our iniquities can be passed through our physical bloodline in our physical bodies (which are still to be redeemed) to at least four generations into the future (Ex. 34:7). This means we can be affected in our flesh by iniquities committed by at least four generations before us.

Curses, whether they are inherited, imparted by others, or brought upon us by ourselves, are access points for the demonic to bring affliction or oppression, even to a Christian.

Should you be messing with people’s memories? Isn’t it dangerous to manipulate memories?

The concern about false memories grew out of a practice that began in the 1980s and 1990s in which professional counselors were guiding clients to reimagine life experiences. Sometimes it was done through simple visualization techniques, sometimes through hypnosis, and sometimes with the use of hallucinogenic drugs. This led to many disastrous results as people became traumatized through the experience and/or came to believe these false memories were real which tore apart relationships and families.

Because of this, we take inner healing very seriously and we are mindful of the way in which we approach bringing healing and peace to painful memories. It is important to remember that the past no longer exists except for what we have stored in our minds and in our hearts. What we store is not limited to sights and sounds. We also store emotions, both the emotions felt during the experience and the emotions felt later about the experience. We know from numerous studies that memories are fallible. They are encoded through the perspective and interpretation in which they were experienced. This is strongly affected by our age at the time of the event and the effectiveness of our sensory input during the event (we do not clearly or accurately hear and see everything happening around us at every moment).

During inner healing, we are not denying that things happened nor are we attempting to “correct” one’s memories. Instead, it is an opportunity to revisit what we have stored in our minds and hearts and consider them from a new perspective, whether it be the perspective your current self has or the perspective of Christ. This is why the first thing we do when a memory comes forward is look for Jesus in it. Sometimes He shows us where He actually was and what He was actually doing in that event and sometimes He just enters the image in your mind to bring His healing presence and/or to bring truth or insight.

The goal is peace and resolution by receiving His healing of our emotions (pain, fear, anger), by having an opportunity to forgive ourselves or others, and by receiving His perspective on situations. The way we do inner healing makes it very clear that we are not erasing memories, correcting memories, or introducing false memories. It is about inviting the Presence of Christ into all parts of our minds and hearts.

What does it mean to have “parts” or an “inner child”?

At the most basic level, a part of you is just that – you are thinking about a specific aspect of yourself rather than yourself as a whole. This can include roles in your life or times in your life, such as specific ages. If we address a certain part of you or address you at a certain age, such as the age you are in a memory we are processing with the Lord, we are just being specific in what we are addressing. We are not encouraging fragmentation of the self. We want everyone to be healed and whole in Christ.

However, for some people, due to trauma, the self can experience some level of fragmentation. This can occur through dissociation or through repression or suppression. When this is the case, our goal remains the same – healing and wholeness through Jesus Christ. Whatever part of you that has been compartmentalized or dissociated is given the opportunity to encounter Jesus and receive healing of both the memories held by this part and the fragmentation itself.

We are aware that there are therapeutic modalities that promote the distinction of parts and ongoing fragmentation of self but we do not. We believe that Jesus wants us to be whole and we believe that such wholeness is possible through Him. No one needs to remain broken or continue to live fragmented.

Why inner healing? Shouldn’t you just do straight deliverance and cast out demons?

“Hardcore deliverance” is deliverance without any inner healing. In this approach, you are going straight at the demon without addressing its rights to afflict the person. You may not even have the person’s will engaged or know if they are saved. This usually involves intense commands (yelling at the demon/person). If the demon is manifesting, it can cause the person’s body to convulse and contort. They can cry out, make strange noises (including growling), or the demon can speak using the person’s mouth and vocal cords. This approach can also result in vomiting (with some ministers requiring it because they see it as evidence that the demon is leaving).

Through inner healing, we get to the root of the issue that is giving the demon the right to afflict the person. We ask the Lord to heal and resolve the source of pain, anger, fear, unforgiveness, deception or distorted thinking, shame, guilt, and curses. In this process, demons get weaker and their rights get severed so by the time we address the demons, they leave with ease.

In Abiding Free, we forbit vomiting or violent manifestations. Sometimes demons still speak through the person, but most of the time they are too weak. Our approach is like nothing portrayed on television or in movies (including The Exorcist). It is also unlike the Catholic ritual of exorcism which adheres to a strict script and allows demons to continue to act out until they are finally forced out. We will not be holding up crucifixes or throwing water at you.

Jesus compared us to a house and we view deliverance as tenting the house to remove the rats that should not be there. We just do it after we have removed the garbage the rats were feeding on and closed up the cracks that were allowing them entrance.

Should you be talking to demons?

We respect the conviction of those who believe they should not talk to demons during a deliverance. However, we recognize that people coming for deliverance have been talking to demons their whole lives without knowing it. It is not something we should seek to do but, through ignorance of the enemy’s schemes and through the craftiness of his methods, we have all fallen prey to the temptations and whisperings of the enemy. One of the reasons we address demons during deliverance is to expose them to the person receiving ministry. We want them to hear that much of their “self-talk” has really been talking with demons. Strongholds are demolished when the demons attached to them are put to the test of 1 John 4:1-6 where through their confession we know if they are of God or of the enemy. Truth really does set you free and that includes freedom from strongholds in the mind that keep you in bondage.

We do not have conversations with demons nor do we seek information from them beyond commanding they confess any rights they have to resist being cast out. We do not attempt to learn anything from demons other than why they aren’t leaving. When we command an enemy spirit to go, we also want to make sure that whatever foothold, agreement, or curse let it in has been destroyed. We do not want people walking around unaware of open doors or the practices that would reopen doors (e.g., mental habits, sinful behaviors).

Jesus interacted with evil spirits starting with Satan himself when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus had a prolonged dialogue with this evil spirit before finally commanding it, “Be gone, Satan!” (Matt. 4:10). We know that Jesus commanded most demons to be silent because they knew He was the Christ and were crying it out without regard for audience (Mark 1:34; Luke 4:41). He similarly instructed people to keep certain things quiet (e.g., healing, resurrection of the dead) to protect the timing of His ministry (Matt. 8:4, 9:27-31; Mark 1:44, 5:43; Luke 5:14, 8:35-26, 8:56, 9:21).

The one instance in which Jesus questioned a demon is the account of legion. Jesus was with His disciples so there was no audience to protect. We know from Mark 5:8 and Luke 8:29 that the interaction began by Jesus speaking to the unclean spirit, commanding it to come out of the man. It didn’t. Instead, it behaved in the same manner as previous unclean spirits: when it saw Jesus, it fell before Him, and cried out that He is the Son of God (Mark 3:11-12 vs. Mark 5:6-7).

Whichever demon was acting as spokesman begged Jesus not to torment them (Mark 5:7, Luke 8:28) or send them out of the country (Mark 5:10) or send them into the abyss (Luke 8:31). In Mark and Luke’s accounts, Jesus asked the demon for its name and it responds, “legion.” Of course, this was a description and not an actual name. The demon was informing Jesus that the man possessed upwards of 6,000 demons as that is the number of soldiers in a Roman legion.

Please note that there are some deliverance ministers who interpret this passage differently and advise against speaking to demons. First, they note that the father of demons is the father of lies (John 8:44). However, the reason given in Mark 1:34 and Luke 4:41 for Jesus commanding demons to be silent was because they were speaking the truth about Him; they were not lying. Neither was legion lying. There is nowhere in Scripture that states that demons can only speak falsehoods. They do not have godly motives when they speak, but as seen in these passages, demons are capable of speaking truth. And if demons cannot be compelled to speak truth, then what is the purpose of the test given in 1 John 4:1-6?

Additionally, it is claimed that Jesus was not speaking to the demon but to the man. However, the passages make it clear that Jesus spoke first to the demon and the demon responded and Jesus continued conversing with them by asking the one who was acting as the spokesman to provide its name which was legion. One factor used to support the claim that Jesus was speaking to the man and not the demon is the use of a singular pronoun which, according to this argument, must refer to the man (one being) and not to a legion of demons (multiple beings). The problem with this argument is that the name provided to Jesus, legion, is a singular noun that describes a plurality of objects just as “family” describes multiple people, “couple” describes two people, and “church” describes a large group of people. Singular nouns, even when describing a multitude of people or items, are grammatically paired with a singular verb or a singular pronoun. While the passages do switch at one point from singular to plural pronouns, that indicates that Jesus went from speaking to the one demon to then speaking to all the demons within the man. In this encounter, Jesus spoke to the demon who had spoken to Him just as He had spoken to the demon that had spoken to Him in the synagogue in Mark 1:24, just as He had spoken to the other demons who had spoken to Him as described in Mark 3:12, and just as He had spoken to Satan himself in the wilderness.

But what about Paul and the slave girl with the python spirit? Paul spoke directly to the evil spirit but he did not engage in further interrogation because the nature of the spirit was evident (Acts 16:16). We are also told that she was a girl, which means her age may have been a factor, and that she was a slave, which means her will would have been a factor. As a slave, she would be forced to participate with this demon against her will and was probably possessed by it against her will as this python spirit would be of the same type that operated through the oracles of Delphi. If this girl was not operating under her own free will in agreement with this python spirit, then there would be no need for interrogation and a direct command such that Paul gave it would be sufficient to fully cast it out of her without her engagement in the deliverance process.

Deliverance does not require one to question demons or to let the demons speak at all. However, there are times when such an exchange can yield information that will expose what is allowing the demon to resist being cast out.

Note that everything a demon says must be submitted to the Holy Spirit to test it for truth. Nothing should be believed without such discernment applied. This is also an interrogation, not a conversation. Questions should be limited to what is necessary to get the person free with all strongholds destroyed and footholds closed so that other demons cannot gain access to afflict the person again. This process also provides the person an opportunity to recognize the difference between their own thoughts, the demons that have been afflicting them, and the Holy Spirit. Such insight is invaluable in the discerning of spirits and maintaining freedom.

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Why do you send demons into boxes? Why do you then send them to Jesus?

Just as Jesus sent legion into the pigs before they went over the cliff, we frequently use an intermediary step of directing enemy spirits into what we call “the box” which is really a temporary, metaphysical holding pen. Once we are confident that all enemy spirits have left the person, we ask the angels to take them to Jesus and let Him sort them out. It is not necessary to use the box, but we find it helpful when processing through multiple demons.

Some deliverance ministers just command demons to leave without directing them to go to any particular place. We do not like the idea of leaving it up to the demons to decide where they go next which could be to another person. Other deliverance ministers direct demons to go to the abyss/pit/lake of fire. We do not do that because according to Revelation 20:14, that is for Jesus to do upon Final Judgment. Still other deliverance ministers direct demons to the dry or waterless places because in Matthew 12:43-44, Jesus says, “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’” We do not send demons there because there’s no indication that a waterless place is where a demon should be, especially if being in that place allows for that demon to go back to the person or go to another person. Since Scripture lacks clarity on where demons should go once they’ve been cast out, we direct them to Jesus because He knows where they should go and what should happen to them.

Should you be talking to angels?

We know from Scripture that there are spiritual beings that are loyal to God and there are spiritual beings that live in rebellion to God. We typically refer to those who are loyal as “angels” and those who are in rebellion as “demons” although that is an oversimplification of terms (you can learn more by watching the teaching series on Elohim and Nephilim available on YouTube).

Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” This is why we use the term “ministering angels” to address those spiritual beings who are loyal to God and who have been assigned to minister to us. There are many examples of individuals talking with angels in the Bible. However, it is not something to take lightly or casually. Consider them like you would a Secret Service agent who has been assigned to you. You are his assignment but not his boss. You can make requests but there is no guarantee that they will do what you ask and our requests should be limited and respectful.

There are some deliverance approaches that address and utilize angels more than Abiding Free but it is our conviction to remain Holy Spirit led rather than rely upon the intervention of ministering angels.