I don’t really know a lot about demons. From reading the Bible I know that they don’t like Jesus’ name. I kind of picture that scene in the Lion King where one of the hyenas says to the Whoopi Goldberg looking hyena “Mufasa.” And then the Whoopi hyena says, “I just hear that name and I shudder. Do it again.” And the other hyena says, “Mufasa.” I doubt it’s like that but that’s how I picture it.
What I do know is…
- They’d rather be cast out into a pack of pigs than tortured by Jesus.
- They make men strong. I’m talking breaking chains strong.
- They have a thing for nudity. One time they were in a guy and he lived naked. Another time they beat up some guys so bad that they ran out of a house naked.
- They don’t like to be cast out if you don’t know Jesus. The guys that they beat into nakedness were casting out demons by saying “in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
So even though I know a little bit about demons, I am still confused by something Jesus said about demons. Jesus said, “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
One demon leaves and it comes back with more. I don’t believe that Christ Followers can be demon possessed. What I don’t know is the role that they play in temptation. I read that verse the other day and it made me think about my temptations. Back in July I joined Weight Watchers. I did great on it through August. I lost 12 lbs. I’ve kept it off, but as of late I’ve been eating with a vengeance. I went for 2 months not feeling the food temptation. All of the sudden out of no where I got hit with a desire to eat a bunch of yummy food that is really bad for me. I started to see my weight go back up. I had to pray, refocus, and get things back together. The crazy thing was with the degree of temptation. It left me for 2 months and then came back with a vengeance. When I read that verse it made me think about my struggle. I don’t think I’m possessed but I wonder if there is something more going on then what I can see.
Thoughts?
Demon possesion today doesn’t have to equal the ‘madness’ portrayed in the Bible days. The Devil is a very real spirit who will use every trick in the book to control us. I do think a lack of control over food, drink, drugs, sex etc. are a form of possesion because possesion is control and we often feel controlled by these things.
I have had an experience of being prayed for and being released from a spirit.
You don’t know me but if you did you would know I’m not the type to get carried away with what’s going on. It was in a one to one situation and I didn’t have any idea it was going to happen until it started to! It was a spirit called ‘restraint’ and my spiritual freedom has grown massively since that day.
Good stuff. Your food temptation is very similar to lust in my own life. I can be doing fine for a few days or a few weeks or a few months and out of nowhere it can overwhelm me beyond my feeble limits. Then the feelings of defeat, disgust, and depression sweep over me. That wave could be a learned response entirely originating in my own mind, or perhaps there is another darker source. Not possession by any stretch, but isn’t interesting that the feelings and reaction pull we away from God and his light. That sounds like a tactic of the enemy to me.
Rob, I deal with the same temptation with food. I do believe it’s a weakness I have in my flesh, and the devil does bring temptation my way to make me fall back into that sin of gluttony. I also believe God is always bringing conviction to me to make right choices. The thing that is right smack in the middle of both is ME. I have to make the choices to either follow my convictions or be tempted by the devil. I think it is really hard and sometimes wish it was a demon that someone could cast out of me. haha! Recently I wrote down a bunch of scriptures on index cards about what the bible says about taking care of ourselves and what we eat. I taped them up all over my bathroom mirror to be a constant reminder of what God wants for me. It seems when those temptations come now that those scriptures start popping in my head. One of the ones that I have been focusing on lately is Galations 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Hope this scripture encourages you like has me.
I think that we face temptation from them, like you said. I just don’t know when they do it. I find that I can sin or fail seemingly on my own. But I do think we like to blame demons or the Devil because it takes the responsibility off of us.
I once heard my youth pastor tell this guys story…
He used to be possesed since he was a child…he was violent, drunkard, and aggressive to wife if you know what i mean…
Some how he came to give his life to Christ…of course Jesus drove out the demond in him…
But he says that Now, He has to really be careful because he feels “them” all around him. More, strong he said…
She this guys says he has to constantly be reading the word, fasting and praying in the spirit, and in fellowship with other believers in church…CONSTANTLY ALL THE TIME…WITH OUT LETTING UP!
He won’t even look at a bottle of beer.
He does not watch TV.
He doesn’t do anything but constantly in prayer in with Christ.
He says if he lets up or calms down. maybe skip some prayers, don’t go to church some days, or does not fast in the word…
He feels those “7 demonds” that want to take over the home they had left…
An empty space is like a vacuum that quickly fills up with something. I know. I clean out the garage and it attracts more junk. The same with our lives. I lose a few pounds and wham the desire to make up for the loss often results in a stronger craving to overeat. When demons are cast out, there is usually a strong follow-up emphasis on filling that void with the Spirit. Just getting rid of the bad is not good enough, we must fill the empty space with more of God’s spirit.
I don’t know much about demons. But I know for me eating carbs can make you crave more carbs. And lean protein tends to stop the craving…
I agree, Amber.
This is a fascinating topic — I’m glad you brought it up.
From my perspective it seems like modern Christianity has kind of edited out Satan and demons and whatnot. We talk a lot about good supernatural stuff (God did x, y and z), but seldom about bad supernatural stuff. These days it’s like the world is a war between God and humans (and/or human nature), and Satan is in retirement in Arizona (because it’s hot there!) enjoying the show. This bothers me. Don’t we do Satan a favor by downplaying his existence and his influence on the world?
Larry, you raise a good point about pushing responsibility off onto demons. But I think there’s an important distinction to be made here between casually saying “the devil made me do it” as an excuse and acknowledging the power of Satan and his demons in a fallen world. We shouldn’t simply blame Satan as a way to avoid responsibility, but in avoiding that selfish response, we shouldn’t push Satan aside and act like his influence isn’t there all the time throughout the world. My concern is that we’re now overestimating the problem of using Satan as an excuse and thus underestimating Satan himself. Acknowledging Satan’s influence isn’t an excuse — it’s a Biblical reality.
I have heard Christians worry about becoming demon possessed. I tell them that if there is no room in them because the Holy Spirit is there.
I can relate completely with your struggle here. Not so much on food, cause I can’t even begin to get my eating under control. But with another temptation in my life, I can go a while with out it, then comes back really strong. Temptation in part is a sucky part of life!!.
These are some horror movies and one can not have any problem with them. i m also a big fan of the horror movies.