By: Gen. Jim – 10/28/25
There is a debate among scholars about can a Christian have a demon; can a Christian be demon possessed or merely invaded, i.e. demonized? When I first started teaching on this back in Sacramento, CA (over KFIA Radio, 1983), the whole city got into an uproar. I mean both “Saints” & sinners. Not only were we (my wife also) teaching/preaching on this but practicing casting out demons. All HELL BROKE OUT!!!
Surprise!
There are more & more teachings up on the internet these days. Back in the day when we first started learning/practicing the casting out of demons, there was no internet, only circuit ministers & books / audio tapes & video tapes. Older men of God like A.A. Allen, Don Basham, Oral Roberts, Kurt Kosh, Merrill Unger, Maxwell Whyte, S.G. Elton, R.W.S. Schambach, Win Worley, D. Prince, et al. taught about & against the occult, demons & deliverance. They declared that many physical diseases/sicknesses were caused by demons, hence, they practiced healings as well.
Note: listen to some of my audio/video tapes (played over radio). Here are the titles up on our AggressiveChristianity.net (right-hand side at the very top under “Listen & watch”, click on “Demon Warfare/Deliverance – You can be FREE – Get your demons out!”:
Can a Christian Have a Demon, 1-5 (60 min)
Demonization, 1-3 (60 min)
Christians & Demons, 1-8 (there are 30 curses, 1-4 (30 min)
These were taught back in the early 1980s.
Flesh or Demons?
I address the question. Those who do not believe that a Christian can be “demonized”, they blame all diseases/sicknesses, oppression/depression/suicide thoughts etc. on the “flesh”. I’ve studied all this out over the years. We are told to “heal the sick” (Mk. 16:18; this praying for the sick is listed alongside casting out demons (vs.17). This is not to say all sicknesses/diseases are caused by demon infestation, but we can’t dismiss it altogether. James 5:14 deals with the sick – pray over the person, anoint them with oil (this practice is nearly gone from the Church. There was a time when the Lord told us to cut prayer cloths, anoint them with oil, pray over them & send them out, give them out. We saw & we heard of divine healings when people believed.
Jesus both cast out demons & healed. Some healings took place BECAUSE demons were told to leave! There are just too many Scripture references to go to, just look up the words heal, healed, healer, healeth, healing, healings. 1 Cor. 12:28 lists “miracles” (did you know expelling a demon is a miracle?), “gifts of healing” (plural). Go back to 1 Cor. 12:9, “gift of healings” (both G & H are plural). Verse 10 we read “miracles”, “discerning of spirits” (what for?). Do you believe that some “ministers of God” can be “ministers of falsehoods”?, i.e. false teachers/preachers, prophets? 1 Jn. 4:1 tells us:
“… do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many FALSE prophets have gone out into the world.” John goes on to say a bit more about “spirits”, vss. 2 & 3. Vs. 6, he mentions “the spirit of truth” verses “the spirit of error”. Isn’t this what we today battle in & among the Church/churches?
Q. Do you believe that a Christian can be DECEIVED? If so, why? Is it the “flesh” or a “devil”? Take time to think on this. If we have been born again, Spirit-filled, how can one be DECEIVED or better yet, sick/diseased/demonized? Let’s examine 1 John 4:1 etc.
Have you ever looked up the words (Eng./Gk.) deceit, deceitful, deceitfully, deceitfulness, deceits, deceivableness, deceive, deceived, deceiver, deceivers, deceiveth, deceiving, deceivings? Hundreds! So, don’t you think that the Bible has these words there for us to be ALERT/AWARE of being deceived? If we have the Holy Spirit (Spirit of Truth) within us, how, you might ask, can a Christian be deceived? Well, how can a Christian be demonized since they are born again & have the Holy Spirit? And, why do believers get sick, diseased, have mental breakdowns etc.?? And what about a believer “deceiving” themselves? What? Yep! James 1:22 is a good place to start:
“Be doers of the Word, & not hearers only, DECEIVING yourselves.” (Gk. paralogogizomai = beguile, delude, from panourgia = trickery, sophistry, cunning, craftiness, aka witchcraft!
Gal. 6:3 uses a different Gk. word: “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he DECEIVES himself (or herself).” Paul was writing to believers here (see 1:2), not the world’s people. The word “deceives” means (Gk. phrenapataō): to be a mind misleader, i.e., delude, seduce.
Again, in James, we read: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious & does not bridle his tongue but DECEIVES his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” Here the Gk. word is apataō – to cheat, i.e. delude.
Paul writes in 1 Cor. 6:9 “… Do not be DECEIVED”; one can be deceived by Satan, by others, or by one’s own self. He mentions “false apostles, deceitful workers” in 2 Cor. 11:13 – these are plagues within the Universal Church.
Back to 1 Jn. 4:1
Ok, how do we “try the spirits”? First, John was saying, do not believe every teacher/preacher/prophet to be a man or woman of God. When Christ brought in His “New World Order”, aka “Christianity”, this also ignited a “world revolution”, i.e. to overthrow Satan’s dominion & replace racial Judaism with grace Christianity. The Jews hated Jesus & His followers. Despite this, there were racial Jews that converted to Jesus’ revolutionary movement along (later) with Gentiles. Some of the converted Jews wanted the NWO to carry on the way it had always been – under the law of Moses etc. These men were Judaizers, a blight in the new Ekklesia. Paul in 1 Cor. 12:1-3 begins to write about “spiritual gifts”. He says in vs.3, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed (Gk. anathema), & no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Then Paul goes into the subject of gifts by the Spirit, vs.10 he mentions “discerning of spirits” (just as John does in 1 John 4:1. So, we’ve got false spirits vs. the Holy Spirit. John mentions “Spirit” (both Holy & demonic) 11 times in 1 Jn. (the N.T. mentions these hundreds of times). “Spirit”, pneuma (human, demonic or divine) = supernatural/angelic/demonic etc.
Paul makes mention of both Spirit & deceiving spirits in 1 Tim. 4:1. He tells Timothy that some in latter times “will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits & doctrines of demons.” One can DEPART from the faith & still remain a Church-goer, as we see today. Churches are full of demonized believers, i.e. they have deceiving spirits within them. Yep! True! If not, WHY do they ACT like devils, talk like devils? There are “ministers” today that actually say Jesus is not God, He is not divine, He is not the healer, He is not the Savior. Some even call him DECEIVER! These are Church ministers!
We can try them, not so-much-so by their words (except the ones I just mentioned above) but by their lifestyles. We have smooth-tongued deceivers (Joel Osteen is one!) who say nice things but are deceivers. They are not inspired by the Holy Spirit, but by the spirit of Satan. Some of these deceivers can deliver nice sermons to nice church folks, in a nice Church, on a nice Sunday, yet they live like HELL. Many are caught committing gross sins (usually sex or $$). Scandal after scandal is splashed across the internet /T.V. /radio, newspaper!
Sadly, too many are possessed with the spirit of antichrist. (I’m referring to those who have fallen away from the faith, hence, not a Biblical Christian anymore. These may remain in Church but they are NOT GOD’s!).
John makes a distinction between those who are “false” & those who are “true” (vs. 4 = “you are of God, little children, & have overcome them” (i.e. the false “believers”). John says, “They are of the world” meaning they are under the influence of the “god” of this world, “Satan!”
Our godly walk invalidates both the flesh & demons. What distinguishes 1 Jn. 4:1-6 is the designation of the sources of the “error” as “spirits”. John makes clear that, “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, & He in us, because He hath given us His Spirit” (vs. 13). This brings up another grand debate: can a Christian lose his/her salvation? (see my many articles on this. The answer is YES! Since a believer CAN be demonized, he/she can LOSE OUT with God). Remember, there are deceiving spirits – they can make you believe you are ok while living like the devil himself. Why do we have whole Churches that are GAY & pro-GAY, believe in & practice the murdering of the unborn etc., etc.?
Demon Influence
Jesus dealt with all kinds of demons. We’re all familiar with His encounter with Legion (Mark 5 & Lk. 8. Mark 5:12 says the “demons begged Him (Jesus)”; in vs. 15 the KJV uses the word “demon possessed”, which some scholars say is the wrong word, which they claim that the devil or demons can’t possess (own) anyone – they only occupy their bodies & souls. Vs. 16 has “demon-possessed”. Luke 8 speaks about the same encounter. “Jesus asked him, saying, ‘what is your name?’ And he said, ‘Legion,’ because many demons had entered him,” 8:30. The Gk. word for “Legion” is legeōn/ λεγεών, i.e. “Roman regiment” (fig.), meaning MANY! Read the whole account in Luke 8:27039. Note in vs. 28, the man “cried out,” “what have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” The wording in the KJV is interesting. Was it the demons in the man that cried out or the man himself? The KJV says the man was “demon-possessed”, meaning his whole body, soul, spirit was under the CONTROL of demons. Vs. 29 the words “unclean spirit” (singular) is used, but “Legion” means “many”. Was it that spoke out of the man THE RULER SPIRIT (over lesser spirits), for vs. 31 says “And they (Plural) begged Him (Jesus) that He would not command them (pl.) to go out into the abyss.” Vs. 32 has, “So they (pl.) begged Him that He would permit them (pl.) to enter them (swine)…” Vs. 33 says, “Then the demons (pl.) went out of the man & entered the swine…”
After this grand deliverance we find the once “demon-possessed” man, “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed & in his RIGHT MIND…” Vs. 36 says, “… he who had been demon-possessed WAS HEALED!” From what we gather, the man was CONTROLLED by many demons; he did not have his right mind (sane), demons were in possession of it. But Jesus both delivered him & healed him. This man was so controlled that he lived among the tombs (vs. 27), among the dead! The Synoptic Gospels contain many sorts of demon possession (I use this word because many versions use it) & of exorcism (see also Lk. 4:33-36 where Jesus dealt with “an unclean devil” (vs. 33). This devil or demon “cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let us (pl.) alone: what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us (pl.)? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God,” vs. 34. Again, we find the words in both singular (vs. 35) & plural (vs. 36). Notice, the man with an unclean spirit (or spirits) was a Jew, for he was in a Jewish synagogue, meaning he was not some demonized or demon-possessed pagan, for Jesus says, “It is not good to take the children’s bread & throw it to the little dogs” (Mt. 15:26) What exactly was He speaking about? Well, back up to vs. 22: “… Have mercy on me, O LORD, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” This was a non-Jew woman, for Jesus says in vs. 24, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (the Jews).” The subject here is about deliverance or “casting out devils”. The woman’s daughter needed deliverance but Jesus says it is for the Jews, i.e. “the children’s bread (children of Israel).” This tells me that deliverance is still for God’s children (New Israel). Notice vs. 28, the daughter was healed by casting out the devils (implied).
If one reads these accounts closely, you will find that some physical deformities/sicknesses/diseases were caused by demon infestation – once cast out, the person is HEALED. So, for you doubters who say a demon or demons can’t dwell in a believer, you need to restudy all the texts on this subject. Some who had devils (the KJV et al. call it demon-possession) could cry out for help, which tells us that they were not totally POSSESSED; they were demonized or had demons within: some more controlled than others. Even if the Bible uses DP we can understand what is meant. There are dozens & dozens of books written on this subject.
Of course there are those who write/speak against deliverance. they don’t deny it because they believe it is for the unsaved. Check out Scripture; most texts dealing with healing /deliverance talks about God’s people – the Children of Israel. And, yes, Jesus did heal/deliver others but mostly His people – the Jews.
There is an observable tendency on the part of the evangelists to heighten & embellish the reputation that Jesus had in their sources as a “healer” & “exorcist”. Nevertheless even in His own lifetime it is clear that Jesus was widely known as a “healer”. Many of the demons cried out, “Have you come to DESTROY us?”. Demons can & do speak. I’ve heard many say things that will make one blush! One demon can speak for a whole regiment of Satan. [note: In late Judaism the freeing of men/women from enslavement to Belial & the destruction of all evil spirits were acknowledged fruncitons of the Messiah (see test. Simeon 6:6 & test. Zebulun 9:8). “The Holy One of God” is a messianic title (Jn. 6:69). What I find amazing in Scripture, demons recognize the Son of God & most Jews did not!
I cover most of this in my early teachings. This subject is not about ancient superstition, but about “in time” realities. The world is crowded with folks who need deliverance – many in churches!
Modern psychology has given new names to ancient demons. Pills are prescribed but deliverance is rejected. Pills will not DRIVE OUT DEMONS! Paranoia schizophrenia etc. is not just a psychological problem; it is a DEMON problem. Have you ever seen a Book of Medicine? It contains hundreds & hundreds of meds for sicknesses/diseases/mental illnesses blah, blah, blah. Did the apostles? This is deeply troubling within the Church: “pills for your ills!”, but no deliverance. Am I against all meds? NO! But why not practice exorcism? It is Scriptural! One minister/exorcist once said, “The true self is helpless to assert itself.”
I think we rely upon meds & science way too much, while we have the authority to cast out devils! We shudder at believing a Christian may have a demon. Jesus demonstrated that some deformities/sicknesses/diseases WERE demons, not merely physical ailments. And what about all these folks with disturbing influences, inner conflicts? Are they merely psychological problems? Churches are full of folks that are neurotic or psychotic. Why do pastors commit $$ fraud, adultery & other crimes/sins? Is it merely the “flesh” or “demons”?
One old time minister once wrote: “The term ‘possessed by demons’ is in the N.T. applied only to abnormal cases; but Paul describes the normal or typical man in terms not too dissimilar: ‘I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do…. I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law of my mind & making me captive… wretched man that I am! Who will DELIVER me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:19, 22-24). The answer for Paul is found in vs. 25: “I thank God – through Jesus… So, then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
I’ve read many different takes on what Paul was referring to: “demonization”, the “flesh” vs the “Spirit”. If he is referring to the WAR between the “flesh” & the “Spirit”, we might ask, “where does the flesh get its power?” If demon deniers believe all the sicknesses / psychological problems / sin problems are just “the flesh”, where does the “flesh” draw its power from? Not from God! So, we ask, “is it from demons?” Where does “fear” come from? God or the devil?
Pt. 2
Lk. 8:28
Here in Luke we find the man from the Gadarenes crying out, “what have I to do with Thee, Jesus, thou Son of God Most High? I beseech Thee torment me not.” The question is asked, was it the demon-possessed man or was it the ruler demon that controlled the man? Vs. 27 tells us that this man “had devils” (plural). Vs. 29 says “For He had commanded the unclean spirit (Singular) to come out of the man.” Either way we may interpret it, this man had a DEMON problem!
Tombs? (vs. 27). In those days tombs were thought to be the dwelling place of demons. This is still around today.
Demon-possession (so called) is increasing today. The occult is making a great comeback (see my articles on curses/witchcraft etc.).
The Tormenting Christ:
As stated beforehand, demons can speak. Here in Lk. 8:28 we find (I believe) the demons speaking out of the demonized man “… torment me not.” The “victim” is the mouthpiece of the “demon” [note: as in 4:33-37 the unclean spirits recognize the supernatural powers of Jesus. Vs. 34 then says, “Let us (more demons?” alone.” The question we now ask, how can Jesus add to the demon’s torment (ref. to vs. 28)? I think the great fear & torment of these demons, Jesus purposes to CURE & SAVE the victim. I’ve literally heard demons plead/beg not to be cast out! I’ve heard this many times!
I’ve also heard demons say that they were going to kill their victim! It has been said, Religion… is the transition from God the void to God the enemy, & from God the enemy to God the companion” (A.N. Whitehead’s “Religion in the Making”, 1926, pp. 16-17). Demons hate God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Christians, Christianity & basically all of God’s creation! When God confronts the demon-possessed He does so as an “enemy” (but as a friend to the “victim”). The torment of losing one’s home (the “victim”) is evident in Scripture.
Read the account of Jesus’ dispute with the Pharisees in Mt. 12:24-29 where He speaks of plundering the strong man’s house… binding him first. He is speaking about casting out demons. Jesus did not stop here, He continues with, “when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he (demon) goes through dry places, seeking rest, & finds none,” Mt. 12:43. Being CAST OUT is great TORMENT to demons, for they have been evicted from their home. (see Tobit 8:1-3 where fish’s liver & heart (odor) “repelled the demon that he fled to the remotest parts of Egypt.” Why Egypt? Egypt was the traditional home of magic & witchcraft (see Ex. 7:11). A demon can either flee or be cast out!
Jesus goes on to say, concerning the outested demon, “I will return into my house from whence I came out; & when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept…” The empty space must be filled (with the Holy Spirit, prayer, good works, love, etc. This is why we must lead a person to Christ if and when they have had deliverance, if not, demons will come back & bring more with them (as vs.45 states). If a believer gets deliverance, he or she must fill the void with more spirit.
Can a demon dwell in a Christian? Of course!
Back in the day (1970s-1980s), in the so-called “age of Aquarius” (do you remember all this?), occultism, witchcraft etc. was the rage. This was the time I produced my “Son of Dominion” booklets (see them listed at A.C.Net, page 2, scroll down to my article about Jack Chick (dies at 92). Below my article you’ll see my “Dominion” Booklets:
1 – Tight Squeeze
2 – Beast Inside
3 – Curse of the Livin’ Dead
4 – Tooth & Toenail
5 – New Creation Man
6 – Battle of the World
7 – The Idol
8 – Satanic Cosmos
9 – Serpent’s Meat
10 – Home of The Harlots
These booklets were written/drawn before we established Ft. Freedom / ACMTC. But we were holding house meetings & teaching on the occult/witchcraft etc.
I know this issue is hotly debated. But the inner warfare is not just between “Spirit” & “flesh”, but can be between “Spirit” & “spirits”. Even some of those who believe that a Christian can have a demon (or more), says,“a demon never rightfully or permanently indwells a saint, as the Holy Spirit does, & no demon can ever have any influence over part of a Christian’s life that is yielded to the Holy Spirit” (Prof. M.F. Unger, ph.D., “What Demons can & Do To Saints”, p. 61, 1991. I have several dozen good books that believe & teach that a Christian can have a demon (demons). Many of them may differ on certain points but they all agree on the main point).
Ten years previous to Unger’s “What Demons Can Do To Saints” (1991), he wrote, “Demons in the World Today” (1981). He has a chapter on “Demons & Demon Possession” in which he rightly uses the word “demonized” (Gk. daimonizomenoi). He makes a distinction between “DP” & “Insanity”, between “DP” & “Demon Influence”. Chapter 9 he writes about “Demons & Deliverance”.
Binding & Loosing
Yes! Jesus gives us power to BIND & to LOOSE. (Mt. 16:19). And just what do we B/L? We CAN BIND demons. Before we learned this, in deliverance sessions we had to literally bind hands/feet, i.e. hold the “victim” down with physical force cause many times they would get extremely violent. I saw a small woman (could not have weighed over 100 pounds!) take her one hand & life my wife up off the floor & toss her clear across our living room floor (which was wood, no rugs). She slid all across the floor hitting the wall. We had just called out the spirit of voodoo! Eventually the Holy Spirit told us to use the angels, use binding (in Spirit). We started to do this & we were not so exhausted or wounded in battle. We were taught to send demons to “dry places” so as not to return!
In our early days we did a whole lot of fastings & prayer. We separated ourselves from known sin etc.
If one reads the N.T. carefully, one will see that demons are very real & dangerous: there is infirm spirits, seducing spirits, religious spirits, lying spirits, lust spirits, spirits of every kind. The world IS dominated, influenced, controlled & directed by Satan & his demons in greater or lesser degrees. One can be oppressed/vexed by a demon without being demonized. Job is a good case-in-point. Notice Job 1:6 where we find Satan among the sons of God. Some believe this to be a mere fairy tale but this story gives us truth about Satan & man. Vs. 10 Satan says to God, “Have you not made a hedge (protection) around him (Job)…?” In short, God gave Satan permission to attack Job, his family, & his possessions; chapter 2:6 says that the LORD gave Satan permission to attack him but not to destroy his life. Vs. 7 says Satan struck Job with painful boils. Do you think physical afflictions can be the work of Satan today? What about inner affliction, mental disorders? Do you think God gives Satan/demons permission to attack us as believers?… to test/try our faith?
Why?
This is the million dollar question: Why does God permit “Evil”? The TRIALS of our brother Job were Satan’s idea (see Mt. 13:27 where God sows good seed / Satan sows tares; vs. 28 says “an enemy has done this,” i.e. Satan!). We may not understand or like the way things go for us, but keep in mind, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose,” -Rom. 8:28. Romans 8:28 does not say “all things are good”, but all things work for our good. God wanted Job to be more fruitful & faithful. He wants the same for us. Why did Jesus have to be tested/tried in the wilderness, no food/drink for 40 days!?
Fin
If you are confused about all this, do as we did (years ago), fast, pray, dedicate, separate, consecrate to God. If you have things in your life that are troubling you – they may be demons. Not everything is a demon but some things certainly are. Get them out. Deliverance is the children’s bread (Christians food). Witchcraft/occultism/magic/drugs/doctrines of demons etc. are all about us. Christ-dishonoring cults & religions can & do parade under the banner of Christianity… deceiving & destroying spirits work 24/7/365 non-stop! The Bible itself is under attack from “professing” Christians – they want an updated/upgraded Bible that isn’t so HARSH, UNLOVING, HATEFUL… so STRICT against Sin… the world,… even the devil & demons. Good luck with that. God’s Word is TRUE & ETERNAL. Rejoice, for He has made a way for our salvation & deliverance. Amen!
Extra:
Childrens Bread
Jesus says casting out devils are for His people (Jews): to us it means, “for the Christians”.
Please read Mt. 17:15-18 where a demon (epileptic) causes a victim to fall into the fire & often into the water. Jesus rebukes this spirit & the son was healed! This proves that some physical sufferings are caused by demons – on the INSIDE!
Demons also causes a woman to be disabled in Lk.13:11 – she had a spirit of infirmity 18 years. Jesus healed her (on the Sabbath, which angered the “religious”, vss. 13, 14.
Demons caused men to act violent/crazy (see Mt. 8:28-334, as already stated).
Demons made a man blind & mute (see Mt. 12:22 where he is called “demon-possessed”, obviously Jesus cast out the demons, vs. 24 = implied).
Demons made (& still make) people oppressed & sick (see Mt. 8:16, where the NKJV also uses the words, “demon-possessed”. These demons were CAST OUT by His “word & healed all who were sick.” Before this happened, Jesus laid His hand on Peters wife’s mother & healed her of a fever (vs. 14). So, why is it hard to believe that a Christian can have a demon on the inside?