Possession by Demons

Demons look upon the human body as their home:

Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came"; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself and they go in and live there. . . . Matthew 12:43-45

They are extremely reluctant to leave their home, and will usually not go unless they are forcefully evicted. When commanded to leave, spirits often say things such as, "This is my house." "I don't want to go. ""I've been here for thirty years and I'm not going."

Evil spirits can also dwell in animals. In Mark 5:1-13 when Jesus was casting a legion of evil spirits out of the Gerasene demoniac, the spirits begged Jesus to send them into a nearby herd of two thousand swine. Jesus gave them permission, and when they entered the swine, the herd immediately ran down a steep bank into the sea and were drowned.

When the enemy's work in my own life was first revealed and I was having sessions of prayer, a dog across the street howled in the most strange manner every time spirits in me began to stir. This went

on so consistently that I was certain the dog was demonized. It was 3 always kept penned in the rear yard of the house, but one day it got free. The first thing it did was race next door to a little girl playing on the lawn, and began to maul the helpless child's face. Amid screams, the mother rushed to her aid. The dog had to be destroyed. My suspicion that it was demonized had been confirmed in a most unfortunate way.

Many Christians misunderstand what is meant when it is said that a person has evil spirits. The expression "demon-possessed" is partly to blame. Some versions of the Bible have extensively translated the Greek word daimonizomai as "demon-possessed." Unfortunately it carries connotations that suggest the person was completely "filled up" with demons. This has caused many Christians to react against the idea of believers being bound by evil spirits. "How can I be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and yet be possessed by demons?"

A more literal translation of the word daimonizomaiis "demonized." A demonized person is not necessarily completely controlled by evil spirits. Matthew 9:32 tells of a dumb man, demon-possessed, who was brought to Jesus. Although he had a demon that made him dumb, he was not totally possessed. His body was probably healthy, and his mind clear, although he was unable to express his thoughts because his tongue was tied. After Jesus cast the demon out of that area, he was free to express himself.

Demonization usually occurs only in certain areas of a person's life. A person's body may be well, while his soul is gripped with great depression. His body is not directly under the power of the enemy, but one area of his personality is. A person may experience great peace, and yet have a fear of dogs. Whenever a dog comes his way, he is gripped with fear. The enemy has gained a measure of dominion in his life. He is not possessed in the sense that he is brimming over with nothing but demons; but there is an area which is not under his control. He is demonized in that area. We will lose the fear of being demon-possessed, if we can understand that in some areas of our lives we can be demonized (that is, under the influence or domination of evil spirits), while in other areas we can be experiencing great liberty.

The Bible uses different terms in regard to possession by demons: to have a spirit (Matthew 11:18); to be with a spirit (Mark 1:23); to be demonized (Luke 8:36); to be oppressed (Acts 10:38). "Oppressed" is a translation of the Greek work katadunasteuo which means "to exercise power over."

Some people try to differentiate between those who are "demon-possessed," those who are "demon-oppressed," those who are "demon-obsessed," and so on. These classifications are confusing and unnecessarily make simple things complicated. Evil spirits are either on the inside or the outside. If on the inside, they are to be cast out. If on the outside, they are to be kept out. 1 Peter 5:8-9.