Can Christians Be Afflicted By Demons? Part 3 Of A Series

As we saw in the last post, Christians may be afflicted with various troubles, and some of these are so subtle that they’d not be recognized as having a demonic source.

Last year I participated in the deliverance of a devoted Christian who suffered from scattered thinking, impaired emotional responses and a sense of being ‘stuck’. Most people would not consider that he has oppressed, but one deliverance minister did. This brother agreed to a deliverance session. He confessed and renounced certain sins and verbally forgave and released people that had hurt him in the past. Oppressing spirits were dispatched and inner healing was prayed for. This brother felt miraculously free and looked different right away. He has continued to keep up the fight of spiritual warfare and is doing well today.

The most important component in deliverance is spiritual discernment that reveals what is going on, what the issues are and how to proceed. Years ago, while working with a church in India, I was asked to pray for a woman who had stomach pain. The Holy Spirit showed me that her pain was caused by a demon, not by any physical disorder. I took authority over the demon and cast it out, and her pain immediately disappeared.

John Wimber, in his book Power Healing, reminds us that “Often physical illnesses are caused by emotional, spiritual or even demonic elements and vice versa. Complex interrelationships between the various types of sickness, the parts of the human make-up, and the different kinds of healing, must always be taken into account.”

So to conclude our series, here is a summary:
[1] We don’t use the word “possessed” to refer to the oppression of Christians, though this is frequently seen in unbelievers, who are under the demons’ control.
[2]  Believers are often afflicted by demonic entities, though the type of affliction can vary widely, from being unnoticeable to the average person to being fairly obvious.
[3] Any part of the believer’s life can be affected. We may see relationship trouble, sickness, compulsions, addictions, emotional trouble, or lack of ability to function at home, work or church. Almost any physical, emotional, relational, mental or spiritual disorder can be the result of demonic oppression.

Of course, the last sentence could also be said of the effects of stress, so this is one important reason why spiritual discernment is the most important component of deliverance ministry.

What would you like to see a blog post on? God bless you, Bruce & Nancie