Do I have a demon? What do I do?

Do I have a demon and if so, what should I do?

Determining whether a person has a demon or not can be challenging. We must remember to rely on God for help in this "verification" process. Deliverance ministers typically look for a combination of symptoms that point to demonization. These may include:

Confirmation from the Holy Spirit that a demon is present (word of knowledge)
Spiritual "recognition" of a demon: God gives certain people the ability to discern the presence of evil spirits. Scripture refers to this as the gift of "discerning spirits" (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). Knowing the name and/or nature of a demon can be beneficial in routing it (Luke 8:30).
Physical manifestations (see below)
Agreement from other deliverance team members and the afflicted person
Behavior lines up with Biblical examples of demonization

Physical manifestations: We listed below many of the possible physical manifestations that could indicate demonization. A combination of these symptoms increases the probability that a demon(s) is present.

Sickness or disease (Luke 4:39; Luke 4:41; Luke13:10-13)
Unexplained bodily pains
Distorted voice
Distorted posture (Luke13:10-13)
Extremely fierce/hostile behavior (Matthew 8:28-32; Acts 19:13-16)
Unexplained foul odors in vicinity of the person (typically like sulfur or rotten eggs)
Obsessive/Compulsive/Driven behavior (Luke 8:29)
Seizure (being seized by the demon and driven to do something) (Luke 8:29; Luke 9:39-42)
Self-destructive behavior (throwing oneself into fire; suicide attempts, cutting the flesh; etc.) (Mark 5:1-6; Luke 9:39-42)
Nakedness in public (Luke 8:27)
Abnormal living patterns and behavior (Luke 8:27,35; Mark 5:5)
Difficulty reading Bible and worshipping God
Difficulty confessing and renouncing specific sin (especially occult sin)
Bodily contortions or convulsions (Luke 4:33-36; Mark 1:25-26); bulging eyes; contorted face; slithering like a snake; crouching like a cat; etc.
"Demonic" reactions (aversion to the word of God, aversion to worship of God, obeys authoritative commands in the name of Jesus, mockery, distraction, aversion to looking the deliverance minister in the eyes, etc.)
Foaming at the mouth (Luke 9:39-42)
Deafness and/or muteness (Luke 9:39-42)
Mocking (Luke 4:33-35; Acts 16:16-18)
Crazy or abnormal behavior (Luke 8:35; Mark 5:5)
Superhuman strength (Luke 8:29; Mark 5:3-4)
Hostility toward true followers of Jesus Christ (example: crying out with a loud voice) (Acts 8:6-7; Luke 4:33)
Severe phobias/fears
Addictions
Night visitations from evil presence
Recurring nightmares
Tormenting thoughts & voices in the mind
Cursing
Lack of peace

Note of Caution: There are emotional and medical disorders that can produce many of the above symptoms. If you think you may have such a disorder, it is wise to seek medical and spiritual counsel from qualified sources before moving forward in deliverance. Example conditions known to produce symptoms mimicking demonization include Tourette's Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID) and several others. Demons can be involved in these conditions, but may not be. Attempting to cast demons out of a person that is not demonized could lead to further emotional and spiritual damage.

What to do if you have a demon: Start by asking God to arm you with supernatural wisdom and discernment in finding the right people to help you get delivered. Seek help from people with experience in deliverance (if possible). Be sure to look for people who minister in the love of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, deliverance ministries are especially prone to Satanic attack. If the ministry is not following Jesus closely, it can easily fall into error (pride, greed, control, etc.). Suggested sources for help:

Your church: We all need to be connected with the “body of Christ." This term refers to all people who have placed faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. The scriptures make it clear that body of Christ is made up of many parts that are interdependent (1 Corinthians 12). We need to be connected with other believers for spiritual protection, edification and growth. A church's spiritual covering can be an important shelter during times of recovery from demonization and other spiritual strongholds. Seek prayer and counsel from the pastor and/or prayer ministry at your church. Take caution that demonization can be a controversial topic in some churches. Some churches hold that Christians can not be demonized. Ask the Lord to guide you and reveal any doctrinal problems your church may have on this topic. If you are looking for a church, please visit our church page.
A local healing prayer and deliverance ministry: Healing prayer and deliverance ministries can be very helpful for people whose churches are not effective in deliverance ministry. These ministries have experience and training to help people break free from demonic bondage.
A strong Christian friend (walking in purity): If you can’t gain the help of your church or a local prayer ministry, this might be an option for you. It will be very beneficial if your friend has some experience in prayer ministry and deliverance.

Elements to look for in your prospective help source:

Belief in the Bible as the word of God
Reliance on the power of God through prayer, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and faith in the word of God
God's love, not legalism
Experience in deliverance ministry
God’s peace in your heart about the ministry
Fruits of Godly wisdom (pure, peaceful, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:13-18))

Going it alone: We don’t recommend pursuing “self-deliverance” for several reasons. First, the Bible gives us many examples of people being delivered by at least one other person. Self-deliverance is possible, but we have found no examples of it in the Bible. Secondly, it makes good sense to approach deliverance with a team of strong believers helping you, since deliverance can be physically and spiritually taxing. Here are some additional ways a team can help you in deliverance:

Provide additional spiritual covering, faith, encouragement and fellowship
Provide loving affirmation for confession and healing (James 5:15-16 and 1 John 1:9)
Provide physical and spiritual strength in case heavy demonic resistance is encountered during the deliverance session (sometimes demonized persons may be temporarily incapacitated by the demons during the deliverance)
Provide a mix of spiritual gifts to assist in the deliverance (Gifts of the Spirit)
Provide follow-up care and support: You will need all the encouragement and support during and after deliverance that you can get. You want to have people around you who will encourage you to walk in purity so that the spirits will never be able to gain access to you again (Matthew 12:45).

Can a Christian have a demon? This is a question that people frequently ask. Click here to read my answer.

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