Are You There, Demon?

Posted by owner on March 18, 2010

Solomon commented that there’s no end to writing books (Ecc. 12:12). I sometimes feel that there’s no end to reading them. Especially books on deliverance. Most of which I don’t recommend picking up, much less buying.

But every now and then I come across something in one of the books I read that shines a bright light on a dark and shadowy issue.

I had one of those moments reading the book Deliverance: Rescuing God’s People [Tate Publishing], by Pat Legako and Cyndi Gribble, two ladies who lead a deliverance ministry in a local church in Oklahoma. I can’t say this is a “must have” book, as I’ve just begun reading it and already have a few hesitations. But on one thing at least they’ve provided the best help I’ve run across.

Earlier in the “Diagnosing Demonization” series on this blog I suggest a number of clues that might alert us to the presence of demons in our own or someone else’s life. I wish now that I’d read this book first, because Pat and Cyndi provide the absolutely best brief discussion of this issue I’ve run across. Of course, they would tell us that these clues aren’t enough to establish the presence of demons. And they’re right. But for warning signs, or early indicators, Pat and Cyndi zero in on symptoms of which we all need to be aware.

What demons do

Before we look at the warning signs, let’s recap what demons do. Basically, demons are intent on making humans miserable and keeping Christians from become all God wants us to be. Ephesians says that God has “prepared beforehand” for each individual the good works that he intends us to “walk in.” Satan and his demons are intent on disrupting God’s plan for our lives, stealing our blessings, and destroying our hopes.

In some cases demons may do this by exploiting physical weaknesses and making us chronically ill. But they are more likely to try to disrupt our lives by attacking us through our thoughts and emotions. They particularly love to amplify thoughts such as “There’s no use my trying,” and emotions such as “I just feel worthless.” Using this strategy demons remain hidden, and we blame ourselves for our negative thoughts and feelings. And, of course, this makes us feel more and more guilty. It’s a win/win for a demon out to make us miserable and ineffective. And it’s a lose/lose for us.

Most Christians have no idea that many of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors are demon driven. It’s not that we don’t own those thoughts and feelings. We do own them, and we’re responsible for believing what are actually Satan’s lies. But without the involvement of demons who attach themselves to our thoughts and feelings, the negatives probably wouldn’t dominate us. And its domination by such deceiving thoughts, emotions, and actions that disrupt the lives of Christians.

So, are you there, demons?

What do these two ladies suggest are clues to the presence of demons?

1. Behaviors the individual can’t control. We’ve all heard the excuse, “I just can’t seem to help myself,” or “I really want to, but I couldn’t stop.” Whether it’s giving in to the urge for a chocolate bar or loosing control of our temper, there are times when anyone will feel that he or she has lost control. I suspect that in many cases this experience is completely natural. None of us are strangers to anger. And it’s well established that chocolate changes some of the chemicals that affect our mood. But for some people loss of control is chronic. Their temper flares at minor slights and they’re suddenly filled with rage. The urge to mow down on chocolate is uncontrollable, especially when trying to diet. When a person feels a certain behavior is beyond his or her control, or a loved one or friend seems to loose control over and over, it’s time to suspect that demons may be involved.

2. Sudden mood changes. Everything seems to be going along normally, and suddenly a wave of depression sweeps over us. Or we’re out to dinner with the family, everyone is laughing and chatting, and suddenly, out of the blue, someone says something harmless and we’re crushed by a sense of rejection and worthlessness. Or we suddenly find ourselves so angry we strike out verbally.

3. A craving for power. For most people this expresses itself in manipulation. A husband tries to manipulate his wife, a wife tries to manipulate her husband. Or an adult child manipulates mom into babysitting even though mom had other plans. In some relationships manipulation is the dominant pattern. Such behavior is often a sign of demonization.

This also is seen in those who resort to the occult in an attempt to control others or to control the future. The drive to gain power over individuals or situations and the behaviors that drive energizes are often demonic.

4. Persistent, uncontrollable bad habits. Lying, kleptomania, gossip, looking at pornography, shopping on line, gambling, smoking, all may become uncontrollable habits. The authors point out that bad habits in themselves are not indicators of possible demonization. But when a person has tried sincerely and often to break a habit he or she recognizes as bad, and continually fails, its likely there’s demonic involvement.

5. A pattern of victimization. Situation after situation in which people take advantage of the person, or in a person sees himself as a victim, may also be symptomatic of demonization. The victim has bought into Satan’s lies and is denying who he or she truly is, a person created in God’s image, a child of God through Jesus Christ.

So, who’s demonized?

Remembering that demons are hitchhikers, and looking over the clues identified in Deliverance: Rescuing God’s People, we’re likely to conclude that demonization is more common that we imagine. Actually, I believe it is. Demons usually don’t behave as they are portrayed in movies like The Exorcist. Instead they quietly attach themselves to our thoughts, emotions and behaviors, to strengthen tendencies they can use to mess up our lives.

I’m coming to the conclusion, reached both from study and experience, that most Christians could benefit from a deliverance session. Assuming, of course, that what we mean by “deliverance” is ‘freeing from the influence of Satan and his demons in our lives.”