The Reality of the Spiritual Realm

The Demonic and Demon Possession
Demon possession is discussed here in terms of the means and manner of demonic influence in one's life. Specifically, this looks at how the demonic realm gains a stronghold in the life of a Christian as well as the various types of sin which leave the Christian vulnerable for demonization.

III. Spiritual Strongholds

1. What is a stronghold in the mind and how can the believer defeat it?
A stronghold is a mental pattern of thought revealed in un-Christlike behavior. Strongholds have their origin in the first consideration of a temptation or lie. As one acts on the lie, the lie begins to take root. It is said that repeating an act for just six weeks makes it a formidable habit. Repeating the habit, in this case believing the lie about a sinful act, can create a stronghold in the mind. This stronghold can dominate the thinking of a person. It can lead to other destructive patterns of thought as the stronghold is interwoven in the brain with other thoughts and memories.
Satan obviously works to encourage the development of strongholds in our minds. Therefore, we must work all the harder to avoid developing strongholds. The following steps are essential in overcoming the stronghold of the mind:

We must learn God's Word because God's word is truth. (John 17:17) Strongholds can only be defeated with truth.

We must be open and objective about how our life squares up with the truth of God's word. "Walk in the light" (1 John 1:7, NIV) which means conduct your life in the context and under the authority of God's truth.

We must "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and ... take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5, NIV). Exposing our beliefs and behavior to God's truth can be painful at times; but it is ultimately more painful to allow evil, destructive strongholds to develop.

We must think on what is good, lovely, and true (Phil. 4:8-9). Constant negativism is destructive. Blind positivism is equally destructive. Paul says we are to ponder and meditate on truth. If we do, we can enjoy the peace of God. Important teachings to ponder include our identity in Christ, our authority in Christ, and our perfect provision in Christ. Meditating on these things will make the lies more apparent.

We must realize that every thought is not our own. Our new nature desires to please God. As we exercise faith and live in the Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. But it is hard to understand the crazy, wicked thoughts that sometimes enter our mind. We load unnecessary guilt on ourselves when we blame ourselves for a foreign thought introduced by Satan. Of course, Satan loves nothing more than to help you weigh yourself down with guilt over something he caused.

These are simplistic presentations of steps which are very hard to practice. With strongholds in place, they are even harder to begin. Yet God wants each of us to know Him and experience victory over the forces of evil. With His help, each of us can defeat the strongholds and learn to truly live as God intended.

2. How does become strong in spiritual warfare?
At one time, I experienced unexplainable depression. I was in good physical shape. I had a good job with a good salary. I had (and still have) a wonderful wife and two terrific children. My teaching ministry at Church was bearing much fruit. There was no reason for me to be depressed. Yet I reached a point where I lived on the verge of tears with no desire to work or accomplish anything. I simply did not recognize it at the time as a spiritual battle.
Our class began a study of Job about this time. In this study, Job faces unexplainable evil and suffering in his life. Here was a man who was depressed and had every right to be! In confronting Job's questions, God went through a lengthy discourse about all the wonders of His creation. This led me back to Genesis for a study of creation. The truth about God's absolute power to create "ex nihilo" and to make all things new gave me great joy. There was joy in God's goodness and majesty. There was also joy in the absolute sovereignty and power of God. God is in control and I am not and that is OK. I learned to entrust myself to Him in moment by moment dependence on the Holy Spirit even though I did not understand the agony I experienced. Perhaps this is what He wanted to teach me in this. After I came to this conclusion, the depression soon passed.
Success always comes to the believer when the believer yields to God. This includes believing the truth about God even when physical reality seems to militate against His truth. It is the paradox of faith: the more faith you have, the more dependent you are upon God. Yet in becoming more dependent on God -- relying on His truth and acting upon it-- the believer becomes stronger. This will not stop demonic attacks but provide the believer with the tools and training to overcome them.

IV. The Connection Between Sin and Demonization

1. How are pride and jealousy related to spiritual warfare?
Three passages of Scripture speak to this issue of pride and jealousy as it relates to a spiritual battle: Genesis 3:1-6, Matthew 4:8-9, and 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The following commentary addresses each of these passages.
In Genesis 3:1-6, the Bible gives an account of the fall of mankind into sin. Satan's jealousy of God's preeminence has moved from heaven to God's creation. Here, Satan desires to corrupt the sinless humans God cherishes. Satan, referred to as the serpent, tempted Eve to eat the fruit which God forbade the humans to eat. After twisting God's command to Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1,4), he poses the possibility that God was withholding something good from them. He plants a seed of doubt through his half-truths, "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened [true], and you will be like God [false], knowing good and evil [true]" (Gen 3:5, NIV). Eve pridefully thought she could gain the wisdom of God through disobedience. Her motivation hinged on the jealous notion that God was holding back for fear they might become as wise as He. She rationalized it by determining "that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye" (Gen 3:6, NIV).
Eve decided she knew what was best for her and Adam too. This is raw human pride, the same kind we face today. Pride says I can live my life my way on my terms in spite of what God says is best for me. Adam and Eve both quickly learned good and evil. They realized how good their former life was in fellowship with God. They also realized the evil in disobeying God for the fellowship they once knew was now gone.
Matthew 4:8-9 provides a glimpse at one of the temptations of Christ in the desert. Satan's jealous desire to exalt himself above God drives him to attempt the ruin of God's redemptive plan for mankind. In a very weak moment, our Lord was tempted by Satan to worship him in exchange for "all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor" (Matt 4:8, NIV). The crux of the temptation was simple. God's plan for His Son was to give Him the keys to the kingdom of this world. Satan was only trying to expedite the process. One can almost picture Satan goading Jesus, "God has the same goal after all! This gets you the same end without all that misery." His temptation struck right at the heart of Jesus' humanity. Who wants to endure pain and suffering at the hands of inferior creatures? Satan was offering Him the crown of the kingdoms without the cross of Calvary. Our weak human nature always looks for the easy way out. Jesus, having endured forty days of fasting, was very weak physically, emotionally, and mentally. Satan's temptation centers on human pride which desires to "do what I want rather than what God wants." Jesus, fortunately, decided that He would submit to God's plan and do the will His Father in heaven. In His humanity, He determined to "...worship the Lord [His] God, and serve Him only" (Matt 4:10, NIV).
Because we are the creation of God, we are each accountable to our Creator. Major conflict occurs when we attempt to circumvent His good and perfect will by trying to live according to what we think is right. This is the crux of pride. It is a foolish notion that we know what is best for us and do not need God. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, the Apostle Paul describes the antichrist who is to come in the last days. He will be a man, most likely possessed by Satan himself, who will rise up to world power. His pride in his "own" powers and position will lead him to declare himself "god." Proclaiming himself "god" starts a global conflict. After all, if one man can become "god" then the pride in others argues, "why cannot I do the same?" The people of God will fight this heresy with their lives. Only the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ stops the world from annihilating itself in this terrible time of spiritual genocide.

2. How does personal sin contribute to demonization?
Personal sin in the life of a believer hinders fellowship with God and gives the devil a foothold in the believer's life. Although sins are forgiven completely at the moment of salvation, the believer still struggles to live in the Spirit as opposed to the flesh (Rom. 7:21-25). If this sin is confessed (1 John 1:7,9), the believer is restored in fellowship with God. If the believer fails to confess this sin (1 John 1:8), by his actions he makes God a liar for God has already condemned sin as worthy of death (Gen. 2:17, Mark 9:47, Rom. 8:3). One cannot be filled (continually controlled) with the Holy Spirit, as we are commanded in Eph. 5:18, and at the same time harbor unconfessed sin in his life.
Like a beachhead, sin gives Satan a staging area from which to operate very close to enemy lines. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and the believer loses the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as a result. This leaves the Christian without the power to overcome his own sinful nature. This also looses the restraint of the Holy Spirit over Satan as we see in the life of Peter. After prideful arguing about who will be the greatest in God's kingdom, Peter receives a stern warning from Jesus:
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:31-32, NIV)
Clearly, Simon was about to be attacked by Satan because of his lapse into pride, further demonstrated by his careless boasting in the verse 33. The attack by Satan was certain since Jesus prayed ahead of time that Simon's faith would not fail. The solution was also given -- Simon turning back from prideful self-assurance to trust in God.
Personal sin can make a believer susceptible to all kinds of fleshly enticements and worldly lusts. Satan can even use the guilt and shame a believer feels to push him farther away from God. Satan will exploit personal sin to drive the believer away from prayer, Bible study, Christian fellowship, and any other avenue whereby he might confront God concerning his sin. It is a prize which the devil will relish and never release until the believer exercises the repentance and confession necessary to restore his fellowship.

3. How does personal involvement in the occult contribute to demonization?
Personal involvement in the occult is a personal request to be hounded by Satan. Evidence of the remarkable deceptive power of Satan is seen in the attitude shown by so many professing Christians regarding the label of "occultic" on such things as Ouija boards, astrology, and fortune-telling. These are seen as trifles or childish games. But these activities are condemned by God in Deuteronomy 18:
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. (Deut. 18:10-12, NIV)
The inhabitants of Canaan lost their homes, their land, and their lives because of these practices. The believer must be alert and shun any such practice.
Like personal sin, the believer's involvement in the occult takes things one step further. The believer opens himself up to more than just a beachhead for Satan. Dabbling in occultic practices leads the believer to become greatly deceived. Satan enjoys nothing more than a believer who starts trusting in mysticism and new found powers or prophetic knowledge. Anything to lead one away from trusting in God. Moreover, the believer opens the door to spiritual oppression in a realm he knows little about and cannot sense with his eyes and ears. Certainly, such a believer will be unable to discern spiritual truth and deceipt in this condition.

4. Can parental or ancestral sin be a cause for demonization?
A rather uncomfortable doctrine in the Bible is the consequence of sin in the parents' lives on their children. Yet in the Ten Commandments, the Bible states:
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exo. 20:5-6 NIV)
In this verse, God declares that the children will be punished for the sin of their fathers. In fact, God says up to the fourth generation may experience this punishment. Does this mean that a child must bear the punishment for a sin he or she did not commit? Would not God be unjust or at best contradictory when the Bible says that each person will only be held guilty for their individual sin (Deut. 24:16,Ezek. 18:20)?
I believe the consistent interpretation here is that each person is held accountable before God for their own sins. Each person, however, may suffer the consequences of anyone's sin. A robber who sprays a bank lobby with machine guns may wound or kill many innocent victims. They certainly are being "punished" for the sins of the robber. But they are not punished in the sense of being culpable for the crime. Rather, they suffer the consequences of his lawless behavior.
Parental or ancestral sin (up to the fourth generation) that is not dealt with in a Biblical manner can have tremendous negative impacts on proceeding generations. Parents who reject God encourage their children to behave likewise. Parents who dabble into the occult teach their children, consciously or unconsciously, to seek power and knowledge from demonic sources. A child not drawn to God by godly parents is an easy target for demon oppression and even demon possession (in the sense of control rather than ownership). Fathers or mothers who are abusive to each other many times realize they are following in the footsteps of their parents. Abusive behavior endured or just observed can establish strongholds in the minds of children. In their adult life, the lies of those strongholds bear the same bitter fruit it did in their parents. Satan, of course, loves to develop and nurture such strongholds -- even more so when it involves occultic practices.
Does this mean a child born to ungodly parents is automatically going to be evil or follow the same path as his parents? In other words, does the parental/ancestral sin cause the child to sin? No, each child will make his or her own choices to sin or obey God. The consequences of parental/ancestral sin is that child will be more susceptible to certain sins, more deceived in certain areas leading to sin, and less restrained regarding sinful behavior in the lives of their parents. Certainly, the parents' sin can result in much punishment of their children and be a beachhead for Satan to deceive. This is a stern reminder to parents of Jesus' own admonition in this regard:
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matt. 18:6, NIV)

Next article: The Believer's Identity in Christ

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Copyright 5/19/2001, Randy Lariscy.