Let’s talk about hard stuff, shall we? Hard stuff like demons and whether or not a Christian can be possessed.
Let’s talk first about why we need to address this topic. Why I’m choosing to bring light to it. Because it’s past time for the church to start talking about spiritual warfare. It’s time for the church to stop pretending like warfare is simply something Jesus experienced when he was alive. We must stop pretending warfare only happens in the movies.
Why do so many people get freaked out when we start talking about Satan, demons, deliverance, etc? Because we’re afraid of something we haven’t been taught. Maybe we get scared because others have taught us to be scared. Not one single time in Scripture that I’ve found does it tell us to be scared of the dark forces of evil in this world.
Understanding the Spirit and the Soul
Instead, Jesus told us to fear not. He told us to stand and take authority. He told us to cast out the darkness in his name. He told us perfect love casts out fear. Ahh…. perfect love casts out the darkness. Why should we be afraid of that?
Several years ago I was reading a book about overcoming the darkness and learning my identity in Christ. The author stated in the book that once we become Christians we cannot be possessed. It made sense to me. I’ve given my life to Christ, which means I am filled with the Holy Spirit and Satan can’t take that away. Nothing can take control of my spirit because it belongs to Christ. Though that answer made sense, something about it just didn’t settle well in my soul.
That’s the key word right there – soul. For the longest time I thought it was all the same – the spirit and the soul. I was wrong. So, let’s quickly break down the difference so we can understand better. And please understand, this is the extremely short version. I encourage you to dig deeper for yourself.
[ctt template=”5″ link=”eg2c0″ via=”yes” ]It’s past time for the church to start talking about Spiritual Warfare. [/ctt]
When you accept Christ into your life as the only one who can save you from your sins, His spirit enters you through the Holy Spirit. You are literally indwelt with the Spirit of Christ. Holy smokes, that makes me excited! Not everyone has the Holy Spirit residing in them. We are not born saved. We don’t become Christians because our family grew up in church. Salvation is a decision we must make for ourselves.
However, everyone has a soul. The soul is made up of three parts: our mind, our wills, our emotions. We make many of our decisions from our thoughts, our emotions, our desires. I don’t know about you, but when I make decisions from my own will versus the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I get myself in trouble. We have the Spirit of Christ living in us, but we still have to fight against our own desires (mind, will, emotions).
Breaking Down the Understanding of Possession
So, if we have Jesus Christ in our spirits, how can we be possessed? To answer that, we have to fully understand what being possessed means. When you first hear that word, do you get a mental picture of a priest standing over you, throwing holy water at you and pushing a cross against your forehead? No… just me? Carry on then.
Seriously though… I think many of us automatically categorize that word with something scary, so we can’t see past it. But I want to help you not be afraid. I want you to see the truth. And to do that, I need you to get your Greek dictionary out so we break down that word together. Don’t have one? Me neither, but thanks Google and Robert Morris for your help. The Greek word for possessed is daimonizomai, which means to be under the control of; to be under the influence of.
Let’s pay attention to that last statement – to be under the influence of. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the enemy cannot take your spirit, but your soul (mind, will, emotions) can be under the influence of demons. As Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church in Texas states, “A Christian can’t be owned by a demon; we’re owned by God. But a Christian can be under the control of a demon.”
Let’s use an example. I’ll take one from my own life. I’ve been a believer since 2006. The day I gave my life to Christ I became owned by God. The enemy can’t take that from me. But wow, have I experienced some bondage since then. Over the last year I’ve experienced many losses, some of them I wasn’t equipped to handle emotionally. Why? Because I was struggling so much with rejection. I assumed immediately I was the problem because others rejected me. That was a lie from the enemy I chose to believe. I was under the control of a spirit of rejection. I had spent years struggling to get victory over that “feeling.” It wasn’t a feeling at all. It was a demon.
It wasn’t until I recognized it for what it really was that I could be delivered/freed from that which was controlling me. Once I recognized it, I took the power and authority over a spirit of rejection in the name of Jesus. But deliverance/freedom isn’t always a one-time event. Deliverance is a process. I had to replace the lies I’d believed with God’s truth. I had to learn my identity and stand in the truth about who God says I am. I had to close the doors in my life I’d left open for Satan to feed me those lies. Though I can still feel rejection try to creep in at times, I’m so much more aware and quickly able to recognize what the enemy is trying to do. Bye, Falicia!
I was indeed possessed by a spirit of rejection, though I loved the Lord with all my soul (mind, will, emotions). I was possessed because I allowed myself to be under the influence of a demon. But Jesus…. He has come to set us free! He has come to set YOU free, my friend!
Here’s where I want to encourage you, friend. If there’s an area in your life that you just can’t be set free from – addiction, depression, rejection, control, fear – you are in bondage and you need freedom. Don’t let it scare you, because perfect love casts out fear. Love sets people free. The love of Christ delivers those who desire to be delivered.
I pray this post eases your mind, removes your fear about what possession really means, and gives you hope that Christ can set you free.