CAN A CHRISTIAN HAVE A DEMON? (pt 2)

        There are many Scriptures that deal with the word, demonized. In
Matthew 4:23-25, we find regarding Christians and demons: "Jesus went about
all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among
the people.  And His fame went throughout all of Syria: and they brought
unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments,
and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and He healed
them.  And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and
from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan."
        Here  the  Scripture  uses  the  word  which,  in  the Greek, means
demonized or controlled in areas by Satan.  Matthew 8:16, "When even was
come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He
cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick."
        Again, these were under the power of demons.  That's what it means
to be demonized.
        What are demons?  I personally feel that they are fallen angels
that followed Satan after his rebellion toward God (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28).
 Their goal throughout history has been (and always be) to seek residence
in the physical.  They are vile, evil, and filthy.  In fact, it could best
be said that they are the opposite of God, Christ and the angels.  But best
of all, the evil one and his fallen angels were defeated at Calvary by the
life, death, resurrection and blood of Jesus Christ!
        Another example of demons controlling an individual is found in the
O.T. in the Scriptures dealing with King Saul and David.  Saul had working
within his flesh the forces of evil.  These demons could only be quelled
and disarmed by David's soothing music.  However, eventually Saul was
demonized and brought to the place of trying to kill God's servant, David.
Being totally influenced and captured by the spirits within him, he was
finally driven to commit the "sin unto death."  This happened when he
endeavored to make contact with demons themselves.  Saul sought counsel
from anyone who could contact the dead for him.  One was found for him, and
he went in secret.  His desire was to speak to the deceased prophet,
Samuel.  A witch is one with a familiar spirit (demon) who controls her
life.  For this rebellion against God, Saul lost his life the next day.
(I Samuel 28:7-25: I Chronicles 10:13-14).  Saul was an OT believer and a
classic case of demonization.  In fact, Saul experienced the three
evidences of being a believer:  (1)  chastisement of God moving on his
circumstances, (2) scourging of the physical (Hebrews 12:3-7), and (3)
finally, death that always comes when a child of God keeps on rebelling
against God  (Proverbs 29:1).

                           LET'S SELL THE HOUSE

        Another case of Christians having demons is in God's account of the
New Testament Church in Jerusalem.  The power of Christ's life had exploded
into the lives of the believers - so much so that they had experienced the
transformed life that is promised to everyone that is saved.  They
especially experienced the death-to-self concept.  The basic nature of the
Jew is to possess and have ownership; the nature of the Spirit-controlled
person is to give of himself or of that which he owns.  Such was the
experience of these newly filled Christians.  They became so like Christ
that they sold what they possessed and brought the proceeds to the church
to be given to those who had need.  Now in that exciting, Spirit-charged
atmosphere of revival, there was a couple whose names were Ananias and
Sapphira.  Having seen firsthand the power of God, they decided between
themselves to sell their possessions and bring the money to the church for
distribution.  However, after the property was sold, Satan moved into their
lives.  They lost total faith in God in the matter of their giving.  In
essence, they decided to withhold a part of the money for themselves; yet
when turning the money in, they represented themselves as having given all.
The problem was that they not only lied to the congregation, but to God
also.
        Ananias was the first to take his offering to the church.  When he
approached Peter with his gift, the Holy Spirit impressed Peter that this
man was misrepresenting what he was doing.  Peter's statement was,
        "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
        Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land  While it
        remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not
        in thine own power?  why hast thou conceived this thing in thine
        heart?  thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God" (Acts 5:3-4).
The Bible teaches that at that moment Ananias fell to the floor dead (Acts
5:5).
        Later his wife entered the room to bring her part of the offering.
Peter asked her if she had sold the land for so much.  She said, "Yes."
Then Peter replied, "The young men who have just buried your husband are
coming in the door at this moment."  Sapphira at that moment died.  They
were an example of demonized Christians.  They gave place and demons
entered and took control, even to the point of Satan filling their hearts
and lying against the Holy Spirit.  Ananias and Sapphira were demonized
Christians.
        Going further in this area, we find in Galatians 3:1-2:
            "Oh foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should
            not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been
            evidently set forth, crucified among you?  This only would I
            learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law,
            or by the hearing of faith?"
        And in Galatians 4:3 we read, "Even so we, when we were children,
were in bondage under the elements of the world."
        The word, bewitched, is a translation from the Greek that means
bringing evil on one by praise; evil eye; to charm or bewitch one.  It also
hints of those who are led away others into error by witchcraft.  In another
translation it speaks of a magician having hypnotized and cast an evil
spell on them.  The Scripture also teaches that their minds have been
clouded.  The Greek word, BASCAMIA, means bewitched, or another way to say
it is demonized.  These Christians had given place to demon forces in their
lives.
        Looking further in I Timothy 4:1, we read, "Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils."  Here is Biblical
prophecy of Christians being seduced and demonized.  Paul tells Timothy
that in the latter times Christians shall depart from the faith, giving
heed or taking in seducing spirits and doctrines of devils - so relevant is
this in these end times!  How easily seduced are Christians today (to
partake in the emotional rather than the spiritual).  Satan attacks today
to destroy the line of revelation that comes from the Holy Spirit to the
believer.  Through carnality there is strife and contention constantly in
Christendom.  These are Satan's efforts to keep the kingdom of God
decimated and powerless.  The demons are constantly active in the lives or
against the lives of Christians.  For example, giving heed to seducing
spirits means allowing them to come in.  They take up residence in the
physical and fight constantly to hold their prey (in this case the "body,
the temple of God").
        Dear Christian, how important it is for us to understand the
working of Satan against our lives!  We will be dealing later with the
principle of the armour of God and the defense we have in the blood of
Christ.  However, we must never forget that the enemy we face is invisible
and seeking to destroy us.  We must learn and know with settled and
absolute knowledge that the demons are defeated by the blood of Jesus and
that we are more than conquerors.  We have total victory in Jesus Christ!
To appropriate this we must act the part.

TO BE CONTINUED

Ron Hossack
SYSOP SOLID ROCK BBS
(714) 785-9176