Diagnosing Demonization, #4
Posted by owner on February 15, 2010Challenging Demons
Demons are slippery creatures. They much prefer we not be aware of their existence. For those who trust Scripture and believe they exist, demons adopt a number of masking strategies. Here are a few of the falsehoods Satan spreads.
1. Demons may have been active in Bible times, but not today.
2. Demons may be active today in more primitive cultures, but not here in
the “enlightened” West.
3. Christians can’t be demonized because the Holy Spirit is present in them.
The Holy Spirit and demons just don’t mix.
4. All these symptoms fit physical or mental illnesses, so there’s no reason
to probe for demons.
5. If you don’t look for demons [and don’t look, because they’re scary!]
demons won’t bother you.
6. If a pastor should teach about demons he’d opens a can or worms.
Ignore demons, and they won’t trouble good, church-going folks.
These and other fictions have helped keep Christians ignorant regarding demons and how they operate.
I’ve attended various churches as an adult for over 60 years now, and I can’t recall even one sermon on Satan or demons. So Satan’s “let’s pretend demons aren’t around” campaign seems to have worked pretty well.
Trouble Right Here in River City
The trouble, of course, is that the whole time we’ve ignored demons they’ve been free to operate unopposed; troubling individuals, sowing dissension in our congregations, and blocking the spread of the gospel in many different ways.
But even where a belief in demons exists, demons remain slippery. In most causes demons mask their presence in those they demonize, and mask their influence as well.
In earlier posts in this series I looked at possible symptoms of demonization, provided a questionnaire one might use to help identify demonic entry points and continuing activity, and suggested that healing the damage that provided demons with entry often should precede any attempt at exorcism.
But after all these steps have been taken, it’s very likely that even a person experienced in dealing with the demonic won’t be sure demons are present. And this is just what demons want. They will be intent on remaining hidden. And they will hide their presence as long as possible.
So, challenge them
When we have reason to suspect that demons are active in a person we’re counseling or who has come to us for prayer, we need to be sure they are present before taking any other action.
About the only way to do this is to explain to the person we suspect may be demonized something of how demons operate, exacerbating existing problems such as depression or a chronic physical illness, etc. Ask the person permission to test to see if demons are involved. If the person refuses permission, respect his choice. But encourage him or her to return if he changes his mind.
If the person gives permission, challenge the demon to reveal itself. In the name and authority of Jesus Command any demon present to reveal himself. This may take the form of an action, but normally the demon will reveal itself by speaking through the person who is demonized.
As I noted, demons are intent on remaining hidden. So this command may need to be repeated several times. It’s also helpful if you suspect that a demon is causing a specific symptom to command the demon by the name of the symptom. Say, “Demon of despair [or anger, or lust, or whatever the presenting problem may be], “I command you in Jesus’ name, reveal your self,” or perhaps, “tspeak to me.”
A word about demons’ names
Demons are individuals, with their own names and personalities. In ancient times demons took the name of the deities people worshipped. Demons also had personal names, such as Lilith, Beelzebub, etc. As I’ve noted in the series on Principalities and Powers, the way in which people have spoken about spirit beings, and the names given to them, have experienced several transitions.
What’s important to understand is that in the present time, as in the Gospels era, demons take on the name of the problem that they cause. Thus Jesus once commanded, “Deaf and mute spirit, come out of him” (Mark 9:25).
We follow that example in dealing with demonization today, and identify evil spirits by their function. The experience of many in deliverance ministry suggests that each demon has a primary function and is known by that function. Thus when challenging a demon to reveal itself, it’s wise to use the name of the symptom we suspect the demon may be causing when we command the demon to reveal itself and speak to us.
Demonic responses to challenges
It’s important to remember that confrontations with demons involve a power struggle, and that the power is on our side. We speak in Jesus name, with an authority he has given believers. As Paul writes in Philippians, Jesus has been exalted with the intent that “every knee should bow” to him. A demon commanded in the name of Jesus to reveal its presence in a person bows to Christ’s authority, not willingly, but because it has to, comes forward.
As noted, demonic responses may take a physical form, such as causing the person to fall down, fall into an apparent seizure, even fall on the floor and slither as would a snake. This is further evidence of demonic presence.
But the ultimate response, and the one we seek, is for the demon to speak to us. Again, the experience of experienced exorcists confirms that even though the demon uses the demonized person’s speech organs, there will be an easily distinguished difference in the voice and often in a person’s features when the demon speaks.
When the demon finally speaks to us, the exorcism can begin. And that is the subject of the next post in this series: the exorcism itself.
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