Things You Thought You Knew
Part 3
“Can a Christian Have a Demon?”

Ephesians 6: 10-12 “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
This time we’re going to consider the question: “Can a Christian be indwelt by a demon?”
Ephesians 6 makes it abundantly clear that Satan and his demons are waging war against God’s people.
And it is true that they can have a strong, negative influence on Christian believers.
Otherwise, it would have been meaningless for Paul to write to the Ephesian believers—“Do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27), if that were not a possibility.
But “foothold” has nothing to do with an in dwelling demon!
The word “foothold” means “an opportunity.”
What opportunity is Paul talking about? The context is that Paul is encouraging the Ephesian church to do away with anger and walk in forgiveness.
“Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, NOR give place to the devil.”
Unforgiveness is forbidden because it will give an opportunity to the enemy to destroy church unity, and make enemies out of those who should be one in Jesus Christ.
But it has nothing at all to do with letting a demon into your body or soul.
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We as God’s people are in an ongoing spiritual warfare with the devil who is our enemy (1 Peter 5:8). Here’s just a partial sampling of how he attacks Christians:
• Satan tempts Christians (1 Corinthians 7:5).
• He tries to outwit us—(2 Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should take advantage of us”).
• He masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
• He hinders God’s work through us. Satan “hindered” Paul from going to Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:18).
• Satan “leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9; 1 John 5:19).
• He does counterfeit signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
• Demons inspire and teach false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1).

The question, then, is not whether demons can attempt to defeat Christians in many ways, for the Bible clearly shows Satan and his demons attempting and sometimes succeeding in this.
Our question is: Can a born-again, blood bought, Spirit indwelt Christian have a demon inside himself—that is, within his or her body (where the soul and spirit are)—thus losing control over their life to the demon?
To that the Scriptures bring a strong “No!”
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The Greek word for possession is daimonizomai, which occurs 13 times in the New Testament.
—daimonizomai means, “to be under the power of an evil-spirit or demon; to be demonized.”__________________
Here are some important distinctions about demon possession from Scripture:
1) To “have a demon” is to be “possessed” by a demon. No one is ever said to HAVE a demon that wasn’t also possessed by the demon. If you had a demon the demon had you—you were possessed.
2) The person possessed by the demon(s) was under the control of the demon(s).
The demon possessed man of Gadara was totally controlled by the legion of demons.
In Mark 9:17-18 we read of a young boy that was possessed. A father coming to Jesus for his young son said:
“Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.”
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That said, here is a key point:
No born-again, blood bought, Spirit-indwelt Christian is ever shown in the New Testament as having a demon within controlling him that needed to be cast out.
It’s not there. Not. Once.
Since it’s not found anywhere in the Bible, why is it being taught from many pulpits and all over social media.
Didn’t Jesus say “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free?”—John 8:32
Does that mean someday? Eventually? After undergoing an exorcism?
One of the main spreaders of this teaching is a group out there that call themselves “the demon slayers.”
I gotta say that sounds to me an awful lot like a take off from the Dan Akroyd movie, Ghostbusters.
And isn’t Jesus the one and only demon slayer? Paul the Apostle would NEVER have accepted that label!
Anyway, this handful of “demon slayers” have huge social media platforms, and have even produced movies pushing this doctrine that Christians need demons to be cast out.
They offer some signs or indicators that help you to diagnose whether you have a demon. One demon slayer offers this list:
DEPRESSION—Is there any place in all the word of God that calls depression a demon? No, its identified as a state of mind that God will help you out of: “Why are you cast down, O my soul…”Ps 43:11
ANXIETY—Again, is there one single verse calling anxiety a demon? No! It also is a state of mind. God’s answer: “Be anxious for nothing but pray about everything…”—Phil 4:6
REJECTION—again, never identified as a demon, but an emotion. God’s answer: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.”—Ps. 27:14
UNFORGIVENESS—Not a demon, but a decision to stay in unforgiveness. God’s answer: “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another…”—Eph. 4:32
Disappointment,
Loneliness,
Misery,
Self-destruction
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And at the end of the list we find “An intense desires for defiled things.”
The “demon slayer” writes, “Demons eat a defiled diet. It’s natural for them to crave what is unholy and impure. If you struggle with things like weed, alcohol, drugs, or strong lustful thoughts, it might be an indicator something inside is causing you to crave that.”
Well, yes! Something inside IS causing you to crave those things and its called the flesh!
Romans 7: 14 “14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
Notice what he DOESN’T give as the cause of doing what you know is wrong—a demon!
He says SIN working through your flesh is the problem!
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”
Again, not an in dwelling demon, but sin working through the flesh!
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
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And in the very next chapter, God gives us the solution:
Romans 8:1-2 “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
5-6 “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
12-13 “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.”
Again, not once does the Apostle Paul suggest deliverance from a demon. His entire message to those struggling with the flesh is to learn to walk in the Spirit!
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So Christians have incredible cause to be confident in the victory Jesus has secured for us over the devil!
Consider a couple more Scripture verses:
Colossians 1:13 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”
Through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, we have been rescued [KJV: delivered] from Satan’s dominion (control).
Notice it says “has rescued us” from the devil’s dominion.
For a Christian, the rescue is already done—He “HAS” rescued us; He “HAS…brought us” into Christ’s kingdom and kingship.
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When Jesus called Paul to the ministry, he described his future ministry this way:
Acts 26:17-18 [Jesus to Saul/Paul] “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God…”
In Jesus we have been turned “from the power of Satan to God.”
So thru salvation in Christ Jesus:
We have been delivered from Satan’s power and control to God’s power and control (Acts 26:18).

I close with these final verses:
1 John 5:18-19, RSV We know that any one born of God does not sin (does not live in sin as they did before their salvation), but He who was born of God (Jesus) keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.”
The word “touch” here is the Greek word ἅπτομαι and means “fasten to.” The devil can’t fasten himself to a genuine, blood bought, born again, Spirit indwelt child of God!
So this whole movement encouraging Christians to get demons cast out of them is built on bad teaching.