I keep encountering good Christian people that simply do not believe that Christians can be oppressed or afflicted by demons. For my first 20 years of ministry, I also held that position. I had not been convinced of that through study but simply came to that conclusion because we never talked about it or considered it. It wasn’t considered an issue, so I assumed that it wasn’t an issue.

However, in retrospect our people suffered because of my ignorance of the spiritual realm. People who loved Jesus spent years unable to gain victory over painful issues in their lives – depression, anxiety, anger, sorrow, and a bevy of addictions common in American culture. I just helped a church in another state with their first Freedom Weekend. There were several participants in their sixties and seventies. They received healing and deliverance from issues that had plagued them for decades stemming from childhood abuse. That was wonderful but how much better if they had received that healing and freedom fifty years ago.

When we begin to talk about Christians needing deliverance the objection is often raised that Christians do not need deliverance. The argument is offered that believers cannot be possessed by demons since: (1) We belong to God, (2) He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world, and since Satan has been defeated by Christ, he cannot exert any power over a follower of Jesus. (3) The Holy Spirit lives within us and would not coexist with the demonic in “His temple” (1 Cor.6:19). A few others give room to the idea that demons might tempt believers externally but could certainly not be “in us” or attach themselves to us because of the reasons listed above. All of these objections are worthy of consideration.

First of all, those who say Christians can be demonized and those who say they cannot, must both acknowledge that their positions are not based on direct statements from scripture. Nowhere does scripture clearly state that demons can enter into believers nor does it say they cannot. So, conclusions drawn from an accumulation of evidence and experience may be the best either side can offer. I simply want to suggest some things for your consideration, if you struggle with the concept of Christians needing deliverance.

Secondly, we need to clarify the term “demon possession.” That is not a biblical term and I do not believe Christians can be possessed by Satan as that term implies ownership. Obviously, Christians have been bought by the blood of Christ. They have been purchased by His sacrifice and so are “possessed” or “owned” by God. The idea of “demon possession” also implies that individuals are totally controlled by demons to the extent that they can no longer exercise their own will in any area of their life. I have never met a Christian in that condition.

However, I have met many Christians who seem unable to exercise their will in certain areas of their lives at certain times. They suffer from emotional torment (depression, unrelenting grief, anxiety, self-loathing, feelings of rejection, shame, unworthiness, etc.), compulsions, addictions, rage, fear, lust, and a host of other sin or tormenting issues that they cannot seem to overcome.

Those believers usually hate the sin or the torment, feel shame about it, pray against it, receive counseling for it, attend weekly support groups, take medications to control it, and still experience no victory or lasting freedom in that area of their lives. Their best hope is to manage the sin, addiction, or emotional condition but have long given up getting victory over it. We are left with only a few options to explain these situations:

• Christ is either not sufficient or not willing to heal us and set us free from emotional brokenness or bondage even though Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 declare that has come to heal the broken hearted and set captives free.
• Those individuals haven’t worked long enough or hard enough to overcome the issues in their lives or simply lack the faith to believe God for those things.
• Those individuals really don’t want to be healed and set free.
• God has decided to leave those areas of sin and brokenness to secular doctors, psychologists, and pharmaceutical companies.
• If demons are present, it is because these people really aren’t saved and do not have the Spirit of God living within them.
• The demonic is exercising control over a part of their life from time to time (or most of the time) so that therapies in the natural realm and ordinary spiritual practices are not sufficient. Deliverance and divine weapons are needed.

As Christians, we must reject the idea that Jesus is not sufficient or willing or that God ordained that our only hope for healing and freedom is in doctors and psychologists – most of whom are secular. The world should be coming to us for answers rather than us going to the world. We should also reject the idea that sanctification and overcoming sin in our lives is all about our effort and hard work. Certainly we have a part in the process, but we are clearly told that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers (Eph. 6:12). We are also instructed to employ “divine weapons” (2 Cor.10:3-5), which are necessary to tear down strongholds in the lives of believers.

There are certainly some who are not truly saved and some who do not want to be set free. But I also believe that many who love God and hate sin are oppressed, afflicted, and tormented by demons that have attached themselves to the believer or “entered into” that person to take up residence. That condition is better termed demonization (affliction, oppression, harassment, torment) rather than possession. Salvation is not an issue in these cases but our effectiveness, spiritual maturity, the work of the Spirit in us, etc. are greatly hindered.

Demonization does not cost us our salvation but does greatly minimize our sanctification. In most cases, a demonized person is only out of control in one area of his or her life while functioning normally in all the others. However, that one area can create a great deal of pain and chaos for those individuals and their families.

The believer’s ability to continue to function in other areas of his or her life is what keeps us from looking deeper and, perhaps, seeking answers in the spiritual realm. Satan is a good strategist. He keeps attacks toned down so that we are hindered but still feel that something in the natural realm is the cause and that something in the natural realm can still provide a solution. So we seek more meds, more counseling, more dietary solutions, more of whatever science and medicine offers. I’m not saying that we should never use what science and medicine provides. I believe they are a grace from God for a fallen world but if the issue is demonic, those things will have limited benefits. Our conviction that our problems and solutions are grounded in the natural realm is what keeps the stronghold a secret and what continues to give Satan power in the life of the individual.

Our people look to the natural realm because the church has taught them to do so. The majority of churches do not teach on the spiritual life and battles in the spiritual realm nor do they access the powers of heaven for solutions. They teach that Jesus came to forgive our sins and help us to live a moral life so we can go to heaven but help for the rest of life’s big struggles must come from the world. What a deception. Jesus came to give us abundant life and victory over the enemy. We don’t have all the answers yet for healing and world peace, but those answers exist in heaven and our job is to keep stepping into the realm of spiritual warfare, healing world peace, and aggressive prayer until the Holy Spirit downloads the answers. It is only a matter of time of we ask and then the world will see the glory of God like never before.