Through demonic influence or demonic interference.
1. Through demonic influence or demonic interference.
2. Demonic possession: a form of demonic indwelling or inner occupancy of demons.
1. Through demonic influence or demonic interference
This is external access whereby the evil spirits in the spirit realm are able to access our inner human faculties and our physical makeup. For example, God gave permission to Satan to afflict Job with diseases. His physical body was accessed. He lost his material possessions: His material belongings where given access to. He lost his family: His social life was given access to. The only area that was not given access to was his inner human faculties: his spirit consisting of the mind, will and emotions. None of the experiences of Job were aspects of demon possession. They were aspects of demonic influence or demonic interference.
Someone we know in the bible whose inner human faculties were given access to is Saul, the first king of Israel. In his case it was actually an angel of God that was sent to torment him. God's angels can be sent to cause harm if God wills. Let's not blame every bad matter on demons (fallen angels).
For more info on the nature of angels please read chapter 6 “The Nature of Angels: God's Angels and Fallen Angels,” in my book Breaking Curses, Including Generational Curses .
Thus in the case of Saul an angel from God was sent to torment him. Saul had disobeyed God on many occasions. Through his continued disobedience the Lord allowed a tormenting spirit to come upon Saul. “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him,” 1 Samuel 16:14.
David, the person God had secretly chosen to replace Saul as king, comforted Saul by playing music for him. The music from David proved to be good medicine for Saul. “Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him ,” 1 Samuel 16:23.
The torment Saul experienced was from an external position. In any case God's angels do not possess people. It is fallen angels that do this whenever they can find the opportunity to possess people. His experience was therefore an aspect of angelic influence or angelic interference. I say angelic influence in his case because it was not as a result of fallen angels that we also call demons.
Some people, like Saul, may be facing angelic interference in their lives. God specifically assigns one of his angels to interfere in an individual's life in a certain area. It's not that God delights in doing this. There is a cause and effect relationship. Thus something in a person's life led God to have one of his angels to hinder a person. The most common causes are unforgiveness of others, unrepented sins, ignoring the troubles of the underprivileged (spiritually, materially, socially, or physically), repeated disobedience in areas God has called for change, and so on.
Related to Job is Apostle Paul. God allowed Satan to hinder Paul in an area he called his “thorn in the flesh.” We may speculate on precisely what this was but it still ends up pointing to the fact that God can give evil spirits to hinder us in areas they have no legal grounds.
“There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me,” 2 Corinthians 12:7.
Even in such situations where God allows an evil spirit to bring a particular hindrance he does not delight in doing this. There is a good reason God allows it. In Paul's case God wanted to keep him from growing proud from the many exploits God did through him. Paul also ascended through visions to the third heaven and received revelations God said were just for his consumption. His writings constitute a third of the New Testament!
2. Demonic possession: a form of demonic indwelling or inner occupancy of demons
Christians cannot be indwelt, owned or possessed by demons. If you need more detailed information on whether or not Christians can be possessed, owned or occupied by evil spirits please read my other book, Major Spiritual Warfare Principles: Biblical Do's and Don'ts of Warfare . The topic is covered in chapter 6 “Can a Christian be Demon Possessed?.”
Christians can be oppressed from an external interference position but not from within. External demonic interference is what constitutes demonic influence as described above. Dealing with demonic influence in relation to severe cases is through the same way all cases of demonic interference are dealt with.
Making easy conclusions and applying false teachings can be harmful to a believer
Christian counseling and deliverance ministry has had its limits and blunders in such a work of piecing together one's entire life and hoping to fix it. I grieve with anyone who ended up with more wounds after innocently visiting deliverance ministries that apply false doctrine on deliverance. There are heaven destined born again Christians today having a hard time living on earth partly due to spiritual wounds and partly due to having fallen into the wrong hands.
From these deliverance ministries a councilor (usually the church pastor) would listen to a problem and before long begin to identify spirits attacking the victim. Some of the most commonly mention spirits include generational spirits, territorial spirits, spirits of lust, witch spirits, spirits of infirmity, familiar spirits, jezebel spirits, spirits of homosexuality, spirits of prostitution, and so on.
The entire life of a believer is said to be in the hands of one or more of these spirits. Once they are cast out freedom comes. The spirits are ordered to come out but deliverance does not come. Why not?
It is because the evil spirits were not even in the believer in the first place. Demonic influence from an external position was the cause, not demonic possession. Demonic possession is the indwelling of demons. The Christian had a demon influence problem not a demonic possession problem.
What may follow in a believer's life is usually one application of false doctrine after another, hoping to find freedom.
But there is a way out for every sincere believer. No need to blame any ministry embracing false doctrine for any further losses you may have faced - spiritually, socially, materially and so on. Categorize the experience as a storm of life in which God allowed it to occur without choosing to stop it.
If he allowed it in your sincere search he knows how to work the entire experience to your good. The ministries that embrace false doctrines on deliverance are mostly sincere but deceived saints. It is not deliberate misinterpretation of scripture if it's from deceived saints. Explaining why God allows such harmful deception in the body of Christ is another lengthy topic with its own limitations.
Our work as Christian counselors in deliverance ministry is to enable wounded believers, most of whom are intelligent people, to effectively connect with the Holy Spirit. God desires to walk with each of us on a personal, one to one level, not through another human being who assumes to be more spiritual. When this direct relationship is consolidated we're able to effectively deal with matters in our own lives.
In the case of a wounded spirit the Holy Spirit will be able to make the matters to work to our good instead of against us. He is also able to show us the key doorways that are allowing demonic influence (not demonic possession.
Doing Our Part in the Healing Process: Embracing Truths in God's Word
Where do we start in applying the Christ-centered principles that enable the Holy Spirit to bring deliverance and healing to the wounded spirit?
We start with the understanding that we have a part to play in the healing process. Our individual input or role in the healing process is fundamental. A person with spiritual wounds does not have a demonic possession problem. He/she is not owned by some other power. So he's in control of his own core faculties (mind, emotions, will). It can be a demonic influence problem but hardly (for unbelievers) or never (for believers) a demonic possession problem.
Demonic influence is something we all face and are divinely empowered, through the Holy Spirit, to overcome. We're in control of our own faculties when it comes to demonic influence. That's why we'll be judged on how we handled demonic influence in our lives – triumphing over it or yielding to it.
For example, in the case of a wounded spirit from a bad past demonic influence comes in the form of evil spirits trying to exalt the bad past above the power of God against it. They tactfully present the unpleasant past to appear hopelessly damaging that an individual is constantly tormented and overpowered by it (the past).
This lie that demons present to us is overcome by God's word. The truth frees us from believing the lie. It takes an individual's personal input and inner witness of the Holy Spirit to embrace the truth and forsake the lies. An inner witness of the Holy Spirit is not some voice, even though this can happen –rarely.
If still unsure please read my book, Hearing from God: How to Hear God's Voice . An inner witness of the Holy Spirit is a conviction from within that God brings, saying some action needs to be taken. Enough of making excuses that limit God's ongoing work in each of us.
Acknowledging the fact that a problem exists and that it needs to be handled God's way is the first step to overcoming it. Justifying the problem, making excuses, blaming the past or others are barriers to conquering it. The inner witness of the Holy Spirit overcomes these barriers to enable the person to be willing to confront and deal with the matters. It is God's way of bringing the truth and the individual being responsive enough to be able to receive it.
God may use different avenues for different individuals to bring the truth. It may be through qualified spiritual individuals at church or through counseling. It can be a book such this one. It may be through internet resources, audio/visio resources and so on.
Whichever way the truth is revealed the individual's personal input will determine the final outcome. The individual has to be willing enough to labor in doing his/her part of embracing God's way and overcoming the lies that stand in the way. Some may receive instant freedom after embracing the truth, others may take longer while some if they remain in denial for the truth may take forever to heal or recover.
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