|
Do I have a demon and
if so, what should I do?
Previous page: What
are Demons?
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.
Proceed to next page: Deliverance
Sessions
Home
Deliverance Study
|