Closing doors to demon oppression and possession:

[DAVID SERVING JESUS]

1. Examine you life for any and all open doors.

2. Repent of opening those doors (except in the case of #25, p.2), and confess as sin the opening of doors by your authority figures.

3. Take action to demonstrate repentance and to purify your life, including the following: (a.) Release resentment/grudges against God and others, and seek for- giveness of those you have offended by your resentment. (b.) Repudiate and renounce any and all occultic involvement; seek for- giveness of those you have offended by it; totally destroy all books and other objects connected with it. c.) Get back under the authority of your parents, husband, pastor, elders, boss, teachers, and/or others against whom you rebelled; again, seek forgiveness wherever necessary.

4. Ask Jesus Christ to take complete control of your life-- with His will supreme, not your own. Dedicate your heart, soul, mind, and strength to be used for His glory, for the fulfillment of His purposes.

How to be set free from possession: With an intense effort of your will, seek the help of God and of strong, mature Christians. Attempt to communicate your desire to be set free.

Casting out demons

1. Make sure the possessed person encountered truly is possessed. Seek confirmation.

2. Exercise empathic repentance first, closing any open doors to demon influence in your own life.

3. Get not only the consent of the possessed person, but also that of his/her key authority figures, to cast the demon(s) out (Luke 11:24-26).

4. Enlist the help of five or more physically and spiritually strong Christians.

5. Do NOT lay hands on the possessed person, except as necessary to prevent bodily harm.

6. Identify the demon (or each demon, in cases where there are more than one) by asking him to give his name.

7. In the name of Jesus and by the power of His shed blood, command the demon(s) to leave.

8. Watch for deception--Remember: there may be more than just one or two.

9. In cases where a demon is particularly stubborn, engage in group fasting and prayer (Mark 9:25-29).

10. Carefully and diligently lead the person through each step of closing doors to demon oppression/possession (given above). Remember that bringing the person to salvation, to the indwelling of God's Spirit, is the only prevention for further demonpossession (Mark 9:25-29).

11. Stay close to the new convert and help him get involved in a solid program of discipleship in fellowship with other believers.

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

I have several questions for you:

1. If John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, can a person be demonically possed from birth?

2. Which is possessed, the spirit, body or soul?

3. If the answer to #2 is soul and therefore the soul & spirit are different... then can a Believer's soul be possessed? (the spirit is "made new" but the soul isn't -- if ALL things are made new then why is there a need to renew the mind... is the mind? Is the mind soul or spirit???)

~Tracy~

[DAVID SERVING JESUS]

"In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God!’ ‘Be quiet!’ Jesus said sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him."(Luke 4:33-35)

From time to time, I have received questions about demonic possession and even though I do not fully understand this subject, I thought I would share with you what I have learned. Hopefully, it will be helpful. I believe this topic warrants attention because I am convinced that demons are increasingly taking possession of people! Human beings need a Savior because we are no match for our supernatural adversary, the devil. His tremendous powers and energies are devoted to the ruin and destruction of every human being and he is determined to lead the whole world into open rebellion against the laws of God. Because the Prince of Darkness is steadily strengthening his grip on this planet, we need to understand how he works. Peter wrote,"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."(1 Peter 5:8)

I find it very interesting that the term "demonic possession" is not directly mentioned in the Old Testament, but it is mentioned numerous times in the New Testament. Consider this one Old Testament text because some people think it indicates demonic torment:"Saul’s attendants said to him, ‘See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better.’ So Saul said to his attendants, ‘Find someone who plays well and bring him to me. . . .’ Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him."(1 Samuel 16:15-17,23)

Years ago, this text puzzled me. How could the Lord send an "evil spirit" (that is, a demonic spirit)? Later, I discovered my perplexity was due to a problem with language. The Hebrew word "rah" translated "evil" in this passage has numerous meanings such as vexing, bad, miserable, heavy or troublesome – thus "rah" is translated evil in these verses. However, once I understood how the Hebrew word was used, it became clear to me that the troublesome spirit sent from the Lord was actually the Holy Spirit doing His best to bring King Saul to repentance. Even though David’s inspiring music would soften the king’s rebellious heart so he felt better, the efforts of the Holy Spirit and David’s music proved to be in vain. King Saul eventually committed the unpardonable sin and the Holy Spirit no longer spoke to him. (1 Samuel 28:6)

I believe the absence of any mention of demonic possession in the Old Testament could be due to two things. First, when the nation of Israel entered the Promised Land, they were a very healthy group of people. They had been eating angel food called manna (Psalm 78:25) for forty years and illness in Israel was rare. Second, prior to Israel’s exile in Babylon (605 B.C. - 536 B.C.), the Jews measured prosperity and misfortune with a very simple formula. If a person pleased God, then God blessed that person with health and prosperity. If a person sinned against God, then that person received a curse from God. (See Deuteronomy 28.) This simple formula was presented to Jesus one day."As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’ "(John 9:1-3) The point is that prior to the Babylonian exile, the Jews regarded misfortune as a curse from God. They erroneously believed God sent Satan to hurt or harm those who displeased Him. Ironically, this faulty concept is discussed at great length in the book of Job, which many scholars believe was the first book of the Bible to be written. Scholars generally accept that Moses wrote the book of Job during his forty years of tending sheep. The irony is that Job’s three physician friends slandered God by insisting that Job deserved what he got. At the end of the book, God spoke to Job and told him that He was angry with his friends. (Job 42:8,9) Given the fact that Job was an early book in the Old Testament, it is baffling why the Jews ultimately adopted a "prosperity theology" anyway.

After the Babylonian captivity ended, the Jewish nation became corrupt, broke their part of the covenant with God and did not receive the prosperity which God had conditionally promised through Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Israel became physically and spiritually weak. The necessity and importance of physicians and medicine became more important and respected within Israel. In fact, the healing ministry of Jesus brought more attention to His presence, His mission and His message than anything else! I believe that illness and birth defects had become so prevalent during the time of Jesus, that some of the medical problems described in the New Testament are labeled "demonic possession" because the underlying medical problem was not understood. In other words, it is possible that some disorders, such as epileptic seizures, were probably mislabeled "demonic possession" because there was no understanding of the illness. (See Matthew 17:15-18) Since illness and physical defects were considered to be a curse, the Jews reasoned that demons must be responsible. We see this type of thinking in this passage:"While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.’ "(Matthew 9:32-34)

Even though "demonic possession" may be a misnomer for certain illnesses, I do not want to diminish the fact that there were several genuine instances of demonic possession in the New Testament. Consider these two instances of demonic possession, and notice in both cases that the demon spoke:"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor."(Acts 19:13–17) In this passage, the demon challenged the seven sons of Sceva and then the demon empowered its host to attack these seven men and rip off their clothes! It’s interesting that demons are always after our clothing. Keep this thought in mind as you read this next text.

"When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Legion,’ he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss."(Luke 8:27-31)

These two passages (and there are several other instances of demon possession in the New Testament) indicate that demons can and will take up residence within people. The all important question is how do they do it? I believe demon possession can occur several ways. Space limits me to three:

1. If a person repeatedly and willfully violates his conscience, his sense of right and wrong will fade. In a morally confused and darkened condition, the door for demonic possession opens. Over time, the victim will be manipulated and ultimately controlled by demonic impulses. The obvious indication of a possessed person occurs when there is no longer any concern for right and wrong and the person inflicts crimes of passion that are unimaginable.

2. If a person is sexually and/or emotionally abused during childhood, studies indicate a strong possibility that the victim will grow up with thoughts and behaviors that are harmful and self destructive. These behaviors can range from self-loathing to bursts of hostility and hatred toward anyone who may innocently hurt their already hurting heart. Whether the rage is directed inwardly or outwardly, rage and frustration left unchecked can open a door for demonic possession. The battlefield is often in the mind and the devil can wield a strong influence over our minds using fantasies and hateful desires that demand a horrible and depraved fulfillment.

3. There is a subtle form of demonic possession that is not easily discernable. We tend to think that demonic possession means that someone is out of control, irrational, out of their mind, or convulsing from a seizure. The devil is clever and highly sophisticated and he also has many very brilliant demons working with him. They know that we have been given the power of choice, and in order to possess us, all they need to do is gain control of that power. Demons have a wide range of tools to break down our power of choice and they prey upon our inherent rebellion against God’s laws. For example, demons have convinced a large number of young people that substance abuse is no big deal. Methamphetamines may offer an "ecstatic experience" for the moment, but the consequences of that first incident can (and often does) turn into addiction. Thus, substance abuse can be an entry point for demonic possession. Demons have also led millions of people to believe there is nothing wrong with sexual immorality. This too, can be a door to addiction and ultimately, demonic possession. But what about those of us who shun drugs and sexual immorality? Does the devil have a plan for us? Very few people understand the addiction that comes from materialism. When we are not able to say "no" to gratification, we have an addiction. This is a growing problem which leads many people into bankruptcy. To avoid bankruptcy, many people make their jobs more important than God, family and health. Sadly, some people are driving themselves beyond exhaustion to get more money so they can buy more things. In this materialistic era, the love of money is an open door for demonic possession. Anything that has power over us can be used to pry open the door of our heart to Satan’s demons.

We live in an age of overstimulation. We are constantly busy and our brains are constantly processing some kind of data. Consequently, our brains are imploding because of overstimulation. Billions of dollars are spent each year on psychotropic drugs because people are unable to deal with the demands of living. Harmful behaviors are causing us to lose control of ourselves. We cannot focus, we cannot tolerate silence and we cannot rest. If the devil is a formidable adversary when we are at our best, what does he become when we are at our weakest? Jesus said,"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."(Matthew 11:28-30)

Be bless.

[Angie/Shinetoday]

1. Yes a person can be demonically possessed from birth.. A mother that is pregnant and says I don't want this child or that I wish it was the other gender is placing a curse on a child. I watched an exorcism of a Christian man who felt very led to be a minister and yet something was holding him back. What was holding him back was a spirit of blasphemy of all things. He loved God and the demon in him cursed God.

2. Once a person is a Christian their spirit belongs to Jesus and nothing "usually" changes that. The soul(heart and emotions) includes the mind which can easily be deceived. This is why you hear again and again the battlefield of the mind and as the Bible says hold every thought captive to God alone and discern the spirits. The body can be possessed too as in illness..that isn't really there but a seed of thought that you have something can get you what you wish for..any and.all negative things that satan loves to play on and try to lead you to believe, his ultimate goal to seek to destroy devour and kill. To show how strong the demonic plays look at a suicidal person who is cutting themselves or thinking of using a gun..it is soo insane---believing life is worthless when God loves that person and tells them each new day is a day the Lord has made..rejoice and be glad in it..

[Angie/Shinetoday]

Ways satan has to get you-The 6 entry points to evil
1. willfull sin-deliberate spiritual rebellion
2. involuntary inheritence-generational & ancestoral(Exodus chapter 34 The sins of the fathers are passed down until the 3rd and 4th generation.(minimum) Illegitemacy carry's a 10 generational curse.(minimum) A curse is not broken until it's broken.
3. occult entanglement=sign a legal contract with the forces of darkness by engaging in an occult sin. occult sins are differenet and unique(Duet18/9) You shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. God lifts a series of occult sins that were prohibited to Jewish people and why I drove other nations out and you will not do learn to do after these abominations.witchcraft, soccery ,call up dead, pass daughter or son through fire(human sacrifice),soothsayer, medium, spitritualist, all abominations unto God. Occult sins all require a contractual allegiance to satan and why God hated it so bad. This contract is a co-hatitation with evil. Required death penalty, when God sent children of Israel into a city of promise He commanded that when they destroyed a city they destroyed every living thing, men, women,children and animals. Those cultures were so infested with the genetic
principle of occultism, so demonized generationally by these abominations it was impossible to purify the strain.
When you play with a ouji board, read your horoscope, when you indulge in any kind of occult sin, it is not covered by
a general rule of forgiveness in terms of demonic vulnerability. People think when they get saved , that because their sins are forgiven, that everything they've done is forgiven, true, in terms of eternal redemptive status with God, but in terms of your vulnerability to having an entry of evil from the world of the demonic not true because you signed a contract and that contract must be nullified specifically and if it's not, remains in full force and always becomes a potential of demonization in your live. This is the mistake we make in the church today, we bring people in out of a pagan culture and in the past weren't bringing in all this baggage they are today. Was some moral conscensus in society and that was a restraint against evil in the old days, that restraint is gone today and so people who now get saved have occult entanglement that they bring into the church and yes they are saved but may not be free from what they were involved in, in an occult and the devil may still be able to torment and demonize you until you break that specific contract.
4. abuse=doorway for 2 reasons, general nature of trauma in itself opens you up to demonization, severe emotional trauma in itself can cause demonization, something happens to the bruising of the psyhic in that process that opens the door, because we are reduced to such a elemental state of emotional vulnerability that satan seizes upon it. Through Electro shock therapy, extremely traumatic accidents, those who have become demonized also had prior vulnerability, but the shock to the psyhic that occured as the result of the physical and emotional traumatization of what they went through was final thing that allowed demon to enter. The first thing in abuse process is the traumatization in itself. An evil spirit cannot touch or torment your life unless it has a legal right to do so, or an entry, an opening , a doorway of the devil and that is what a entry of evil is all about.
2nd thing that is what happpens to us when we been abused, we often develop deep resentment , a root of bitterness of which the scripture speaks, or anger and sometimes full blown hatred toward the perpetrator. Doesn't seem right that you were the victim and yet you get the demon. Don't look for things to be fair ,if your looking for cosmic justice or some rule of human logic to apply isn't going to happen, it just is. When someone has gone through severe emotional, physical or sexual abuse there is a very serious potential of demonization or dissociation disorder.
5. addiction=addictive process can be a form of demonization.(not everyone who is a alcohol or drug user has a demon) sometimes it is a demon that gets the process going and sometimes its a demon that takes advantage of the process and exasperates the situation. Sometimes just through the addiction process through mind and mood
altered states one becomes subject to a demon. The devil is always looking for a way to circumvent the authority of the will. People think a demon can't do anything to me that I don't let it do , true, and a demon couldn't take over my life unless I gave it the right to, true, but what would constitute your giving the right to: doing psycoactive drugs, going on alcoholic binges and entering into rages you've given the right. By putting yourself in a condition where you
essentially shut down your will, and the process of resistance , when you give yourself over to that drug you are basically saying I am opening the door to my soul.
Spirits of death and eviction. Eviction is a slow process leading to death. A woman had a cocaine and alcohol problem but like most users thought it wasn't really that bad. If your drinking too much and doing drugs you are out of controland in danger a demon would get control. This woman had attempted suicide many times and a self mutilator, burning herself with cigarettes, slicing herself with razzor blades and taking over doses her fathers cough syrup. That's not why she got high or drank but what happened when demons took over control. If the will shuts down, even if you don't want a demon you might get one anyway.
6. abandonment=abandonment may be physical or emotional, may be by a spouse, parent, etc but if anytime in your life someone walked away from you physically and emotionally and left you in that kind of unprotected vulnerability it's entirely possible you could have become demonized.

[DAVID SERVING JESUS]

BE BLESS BY THE POWER OF JESUS CHRIST