Recently a long time Christian Friend, Ren Pana, posted an
interesting question on his Facebook group page, Christians For
Jesus:
Reading his post, my thoughts immediately went to several incidents in my own life.
Ren, I agree with you, and the Bible, 100%. Before becoming a believer, we are open targets for demonic possession and harassment. But, once we believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior we have the Holy Spirit living within us. When God gave us His Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, He tell us in verse 5, ". . . For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, . . . " - and that jealous God, the Holy Spirit, will not share His indwelled home within us with demonic spirits.
I know this by personal experience. For I can relate specific incidents in my life when demonic spirits have been after me. First, let me share an experience which happened to me as a believer. And, then I will share one which occurred before I became a believer twenty-eight years ago. A drastic difference.
About twelve years ago, a young Filipina friend's mother-in-law was really into psychics and other such New Age and paranormal pursuits. After the mother purposely ruined the marriage between her son and our Filipina friend, causing them to separate, our Filipina friend came to stay with Dory and me. One day the mother-in-law called and since our friend was not home at the time, I talked with her.
I asked the woman to please leave this young couple alone and let them rebuild and strengthen their marriage. But, she was determined to split them apart so that she could keep her baby boy. As I was talking with her on the phone, I began to sense that my home office had become filled with demonic spirits. Yes, I could sense and feel them very strongly. Yet, I had no fear - because I know that although such spirits can harass a Christian, they cannot possess us. Some may suggest this was only my imagination. But, there is no doubt in my mind that I was surrounded by those demonic spirits which are found among non-believers caught up in the demonic paranormal world.
Regardless, some will still suggest that it was my imagination. However, when she called and as I was talking with her - I had no reason to imagine this would happen. I was not sitting there waiting for her to call so that I could imagine demonic spirits. And, when I began to talk with her, it did not occur to me that such a thing might happen. I knew she was into New Age and the paranormal very strongly - but, what happened took me completely by surprise.
We talked for about half an hour and all that time the sense of demonic evil spirits was very strong around me. Yet, the moment we ended out telephone conversation - they disappeared. How does one sense demonic spirits? I cannot say. I suppose it was through my spiritual eyes, the Holy Spirit, helping me to sense (spiritually see) and be aware of their presence. I will say that my Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) was protecting me.
I have had other incidents when I know that demonic spirits were trying to play games with me. One such incident happened in the early 1980s, when Dory and I were in our home in Orange, California. At that time, not being a Christian believer, I was delving into the paranormal myself. I had talked with a psychic about my maternal grandfather's death in 1937. He had been shot and the local police department (both of them) in that small Alabama town listed his death as a suicide. Yet, as I began to investigate the event - there is no way that he could have shot himself. He was shot by someone else. Suicide was just a convenient out for those two untrained police officers. The day in the early 1980s when I talked with a psychic about his death, I recorded our conversation on a cassette tape.
Later that day, as Dory sat on our bed and I stood by the bed playing the cassette tape - suddenly, and very unexpected, I felt a strong hand grasp my right shoulder from behind. My thought at that time, because I was not a Christian believer, was that it was my maternal grandfather attempting to communicate with me. There was a strong hand grasping my shoulder from behind and, at the same time the room went icy cold like I was standing in a freezer. I asked Dory if she had noticed anything or felt the chill - and she had not. I rewound the tape and replayed it. At the exact same place on the tape - I felt that hand on my shoulder again and the room went cold again. Yet Dory noticed none of this.
This happened years before I became a Christian. In 1987 I became a believer and began to study God's Word. As I became more mature in my Christian faith and knowledge, when I thought back to that previous occurrence - there is no doubt in my mind that it was demonic spirits playing with me, pretending to be my dead grandfather.
So, Ren, back to your original question regarding demonic possession. My strong suggestion to everyone who is concerned about this happening to them - is that they make a concerted effort to seek God and become a Christian believer, a member of God's family.
Get into God's Word, get into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, for that is the only place we can find true peace and security. As Linus tells Lucy in the cartoon below - sound Biblical theology has a way of bringing us peace.
If you will do that, He will absolutely protect you from any demonic possessions. For, He is living within all believers - and He will NOT share accommodations with any evil spirits.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
"Can Christians Have Demons?" The short answer is no. Satan and his demons may tempt us, but they cannot dwell within us. . . .
The Holy Spirit who lives in a born-again child of God bears witness with that person’s spirit that he is a child of God. If the devil or a demon lived in that Christian, and possessed that Christian - the Holy Spirit could neither dwell in that person nor bear witness that such a person is a child of God.
Reading his post, my thoughts immediately went to several incidents in my own life.
Ren, I agree with you, and the Bible, 100%. Before becoming a believer, we are open targets for demonic possession and harassment. But, once we believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior we have the Holy Spirit living within us. When God gave us His Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, He tell us in verse 5, ". . . For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, . . . " - and that jealous God, the Holy Spirit, will not share His indwelled home within us with demonic spirits.
I know this by personal experience. For I can relate specific incidents in my life when demonic spirits have been after me. First, let me share an experience which happened to me as a believer. And, then I will share one which occurred before I became a believer twenty-eight years ago. A drastic difference.
About twelve years ago, a young Filipina friend's mother-in-law was really into psychics and other such New Age and paranormal pursuits. After the mother purposely ruined the marriage between her son and our Filipina friend, causing them to separate, our Filipina friend came to stay with Dory and me. One day the mother-in-law called and since our friend was not home at the time, I talked with her.
I asked the woman to please leave this young couple alone and let them rebuild and strengthen their marriage. But, she was determined to split them apart so that she could keep her baby boy. As I was talking with her on the phone, I began to sense that my home office had become filled with demonic spirits. Yes, I could sense and feel them very strongly. Yet, I had no fear - because I know that although such spirits can harass a Christian, they cannot possess us. Some may suggest this was only my imagination. But, there is no doubt in my mind that I was surrounded by those demonic spirits which are found among non-believers caught up in the demonic paranormal world.
Regardless, some will still suggest that it was my imagination. However, when she called and as I was talking with her - I had no reason to imagine this would happen. I was not sitting there waiting for her to call so that I could imagine demonic spirits. And, when I began to talk with her, it did not occur to me that such a thing might happen. I knew she was into New Age and the paranormal very strongly - but, what happened took me completely by surprise.
We talked for about half an hour and all that time the sense of demonic evil spirits was very strong around me. Yet, the moment we ended out telephone conversation - they disappeared. How does one sense demonic spirits? I cannot say. I suppose it was through my spiritual eyes, the Holy Spirit, helping me to sense (spiritually see) and be aware of their presence. I will say that my Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) was protecting me.
I have had other incidents when I know that demonic spirits were trying to play games with me. One such incident happened in the early 1980s, when Dory and I were in our home in Orange, California. At that time, not being a Christian believer, I was delving into the paranormal myself. I had talked with a psychic about my maternal grandfather's death in 1937. He had been shot and the local police department (both of them) in that small Alabama town listed his death as a suicide. Yet, as I began to investigate the event - there is no way that he could have shot himself. He was shot by someone else. Suicide was just a convenient out for those two untrained police officers. The day in the early 1980s when I talked with a psychic about his death, I recorded our conversation on a cassette tape.
Later that day, as Dory sat on our bed and I stood by the bed playing the cassette tape - suddenly, and very unexpected, I felt a strong hand grasp my right shoulder from behind. My thought at that time, because I was not a Christian believer, was that it was my maternal grandfather attempting to communicate with me. There was a strong hand grasping my shoulder from behind and, at the same time the room went icy cold like I was standing in a freezer. I asked Dory if she had noticed anything or felt the chill - and she had not. I rewound the tape and replayed it. At the exact same place on the tape - I felt that hand on my shoulder again and the room went cold again. Yet Dory noticed none of this.
This happened years before I became a Christian. In 1987 I became a believer and began to study God's Word. As I became more mature in my Christian faith and knowledge, when I thought back to that previous occurrence - there is no doubt in my mind that it was demonic spirits playing with me, pretending to be my dead grandfather.
So, Ren, back to your original question regarding demonic possession. My strong suggestion to everyone who is concerned about this happening to them - is that they make a concerted effort to seek God and become a Christian believer, a member of God's family.
Get into God's Word, get into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, for that is the only place we can find true peace and security. As Linus tells Lucy in the cartoon below - sound Biblical theology has a way of bringing us peace.
If you will do that, He will absolutely protect you from any demonic possessions. For, He is living within all believers - and He will NOT share accommodations with any evil spirits.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
