Words of Life
(formerly known as: Yeshua's Plan)
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Can believers be possessed with demonic spirits?
I recently engaged in a thread in a prayer group where a person posted "Please pray Jesus will cast these spirits out of me". This question produced some thoughts in my mind.
First, I thought "if" this person is a non-believer, why would they "join" a prayer group? I was always under the concept that a true "believer" could not be "possessed" with demons, but could only be "oppressed" by them.
Second, I thought "if" this person is a "believer", why were they asking people to pray that "Jesus" would cast the evil spirits out of them, when Jesus directly told His "followers" or "believers" to cast the evil spirits out.
I read through the comments in the post and saw that the author of the request had been to a Bible University and was professing to believe in Jesus as being the Savior.
I don't believe that a person who believes and trusts in Jesus and has a personal relationship with Him can be inhabited by demonic spirits. The person in the online prayer group who made this request at one point asked me if "I" could cast the spirits out. I may have offended this individual with my answer, which certainly was not my intention. If I truly believed this individual was an unbeliever, I would certainly have cast them out, because ALL believer's have authority from Jesus to cast out evil spirits. "if" they believe they have that authority and "if" they will use that authority.
However, I saw every indication that this person is currently a believer and has a true relationship with Jesus. Therefore, since I believe that the Scriptures teach that believer's can NOT be inhabited by evil spirits, it is my belief that there are NO evil spirits to cast out.
I certainly was not trying to tell them that I thought they were lying to me about having evil spirits inside. I did believe that "this person" truly "thinks" they have evil spirits inside.
What I am fully convinced of (in accordance with what the Scriptures teach) and was trying to convey to this person was that the ONLY thing the devil can do to some believers is to "deceive" or "beguile" or "trick" them into anything satan wants them to believe, "if" and only "if" they actually believe the things he is lying to them about.
Satan does and will always continue to lie to people. Satan will whisper in your ear that you have his demons inside, that you are sick, that you aren't worthy of Jesus, that you are a failure, etc.. Satan can even deceive you to such an extent that "if" you actually believe you are sick, you could start to see some physical symptoms of sickness, or even hear voices that you "believe" are demons inside of you.
This is when you MUST stand firmly on God's Word and renounce ALL such symptoms and claim your healing and freedom! And "if" you overcome your unbelief, you will have what you ask and the symptoms will eventually go away. But, you MUST "Resist the devil and he will flee from you"
So, at this point, now I would like to share some Scriptures below and then I would encourage EVERY person to read through them and come to your own conclusion. But first let me ask just a few questions.
If you are a person who believes Jesus is the Savior AND you think you might actually be "possessed" or "inhabited" with demons, please ask yourself these following few questions:
1. At this time, do I believe that Jesus died on the cross and that He rose from the dead and that He is the Savior?"
2. Do I believe that the words that Jesus said and taught are truth and that I can trust what He said?
3. Do I believe that Jesus is more powerful than satan?
4. If I am "possessed" or "even just oppressed" by demons and Jesus appeared visibly in front of me right now and I asked Him to cast out the demons, would He "be able" to cast them out, "if" He wanted them to go out?
5. If I believe that Jesus is the Savior and I ask Him to forgive my sins and come into my heart, but then I later committed a sin and confessed that sin and repented of it, would Jesus still "be able" to forgive me of that sin also?
6. Last question: It is a make-believe scenario, but I still want you to ask yourself what your answer "would be" to the question. You have a young child (a son or a daughter) and they are running around the house and they bump against the table and cause a glass of juice to spill all over the table and the floor. You tell them to stop running through the house. But the next day the same thing happens and you once again tell them to stop running through the house. They listen and obey for a week or two but then it happens again and this time they not only spilled the cup of sticky juice, but they also knocked your new $1000 cell phone on to the floor and the screen broke and the juice spilled all over it and shorted it out. The phone is toast!! You are really upset now!
In fact, you are so mad you are considering calling DHS and giving your child up for adoption? (OK, I know it is a make-believe scenario, but since it is just make-believe lets add just one more element to this story so you can answer the question). Let's say you were so mad that in the heat of the moment you lost your mind and actually did call DHS, BUT when the man from DHS arrives to pick up your child, you realize he is that repeated sex offender that lives a few block down the road and he lustfully looks at your child and scoops them up and is laughing at you as he is carrying them off to place them in the DHS vehicle!
Do you think that you would possibly be able to overpower that pervert and get your child back BEFORE he puts your child in that vehicle and drives away with them forever? (Ok, sorry for that last part, but now let me get to the point of all these questions and you will understand.)
I am guessing that virtually every believer answered YES to every one of the above questions, especially the last one!
I could not find one single verse in the New Testament that portrays one of the followers of Jesus as being "possessed" by demons. The only verse that I found that sounds "initially" as though it could be possible is Matt 12:43-45, which says:
Mat 12:43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goes he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
But let's look at these verses closer. The man started out "with" an unclean spirit, therefore it looks to me like this man is still unsaved and has not YET asked Jesus into His heart. And I believe it is a warning to those who are unsaved and have demon(s) AND THEN get delivered from the demon(s), to then fill their house (body, soul & mind) with Jesus, so that the cast out demon can not go find seven others more evil and move back in to the empty house.
So, not only could I not find a single example of any follower of Jesus being possessed by an evil spirit, but I also believe that throughout the Scriptures, the Word expresses many examples where mixture is not good, so God divides the
opposites to be very distinct and separated, such as:
Gen_1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Lev_19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
Deu 22:9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
James 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine bear figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Isa_5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Mar 2:21-22 No man also sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man puts new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Mat_6:22-23 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Joh_3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh_12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Mat_25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
2Co_6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be you
separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you
So, let's go back to those previous questions I initially asked you and see why I asked them.
So "if" you believe that Jesus is the Savior, that He died on the cross, that He rose from the grave, that you had at one time repented and asked Him to come into your life and that He forgave your sins and you were forgiven, and you believe that Jesus teachings are true and that you can trust Him and that He is more powerful than satan. And you also believe that "if" you are "possessed" or at least "oppressed" by evil spirits and that if Jesus appeared before you and you asked Him to cast out (or cast off) those evil spirits that He would "be able" to do it for you because He has that power and authority.
And lastly you also believe that you CAN be forgiven again of sin (if you ask Him for forgiveness and repent again) EVEN AFTER your initial first salvation experience with Him, THEN I only have one more question left for you and here it is:
Do you honestly believe Jesus Himself would remove the Holy Spirit or allow Satan to remove the Holy Spirit from you (because you sinned) and then place evil spirits in the Holy Spirit's place?
Doesn't Jesus love you enough to stop satan? Isn't Jesus powerful enough to stop satan from stealing you out of His hand? Remember that Jesus said in Mat 12:26 "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?"
So "if" satan's kingdom could not stand if satan casts out devils, then does it not also mean that "if" Jesus casts out His Holy Spirit from you (or even allows satan to cast out the Holy Spirit from you) then how could Jesus kingdom stand? It could NOT!
If you believe that you would be able to stop that sick repeat sex-offender from dragging your child away, and you are God's child and Jesus loves you ultimately more than you will ever love your own children, how could you truly believe Jesus would forsake you and willingly give you over to satan and his minions? Consider the following Scriptures and think this out very thoroughly.
WHY did Jesus come in the first place?
Mat_18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Joh 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.
BUT is Jesus really the Savior and did He really die on the cross for my sins and rise again to EVERLASTING life?
Act_4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Php_2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Mat_12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Mar_8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Joh_10:18 No man takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
BUT is the Bible true and can I trust the Words of Jesus?
Joh_14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh_16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh_17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Joh_18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.
Mat_12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
1Ti_4:10 For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.
BUT is Jesus more powerful than satan and would Jesus "be able" to cast demons out of (or off of) me?
Mat_28:18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Luk_4:36 And they were all amazed, and spoke among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.
Act_10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
OK, but Jesus ascended to Heaven, do His followers have the same power and authority to cast these evil spirits away?
Mar 3:14-15 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
Luk_10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Mar_6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
Mat_10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
WELL, that's true, Jesus gave His disciples power to cast out devils, but what about me here TODAY?
Php_4:13 I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me.
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
BUT what "if" I stumbled and sinned and fell away? Would Jesus still care enough for me to come after me?
Luk_15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
But what if I sinned again and again, even after Jesus saved me? Won't He finally just give up on me. Doesn't my sin give satan a right to steal me away from Jesus?
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Joh_10:28 I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Eph_1:14 Which is the earnest (or deposit) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Eph_4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
How can I be sure Jesus came to live inside me?
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
BUT how do I know that Jesus would not allow satan to take the Holy Spirit away from me and put evil spirits within me?
Luk 11:11-13 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Heb_13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for he has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
Heb 12:1-2 let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith
BUT what does Jesus tell me TODAY that I should do about these devils?
Mat 17:18-21 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.
(This kind of what? This kind of evil spirit? No, this kind of UNBELIEF! So, first rebuke the unbelief within your mind and heart. Command it to leave and read the LIVING Word of God so that you renew your mind!
Then also ASK Jesus to help you in your faith and submit yourself unto God's Word of truth, AND then resist the devil and he will flee FROM you! (James 4:7)
Also, start speaking Words of Life daily, every day, throughout each day! Every time a thought that does not line up with the Word of Life enters into your mind, rebuke it and take it captive! Then overcome it by speaking Words of Life. Write down Scriptures that will give you confidence that you are a child of God, Yeshua lives inside of you as the Holy Spirit and He has ALL power and authority and you have what you ask in His name! So speak it forth and live the abundant life!)
Mat_7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat_18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat_21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
Luk_11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
We hope this study and the Words of Life will help you to think and then believe a different way, where you have confidence to stand in the power and authority of Jesus, who lives within you! THINK different, SEE yourself different, Speak different!