What about demons?

On the subject of demons I am certainly no expert. And on approaching the topic there is always the danger of giving too much credit to evil spirits or of allowing them too much influence in our psyche. The bottom line is that we need to be aware that we do have an unseen enemy out there. And not only should we be on our guard, but we need to be on the offensive, taking ground for the kingdom of God!

To begin, biblically speaking, a demon is a hell-bent angel. Those angels who chose to side with Satan in the great heavenly rebellion we commonly refer to as demons. This tells us a few things. First, angels are persons. They can think and act freely. Second, specifically, they are spiritual persons. They were created for the heavenly realm, not the terrestrial realm with which we humans are compatible. Third, they are doomed for destruction. There is no redemption plan for angels. The Word took on a human nature in order to save us, but no such equivalent salvation has been secured for fallen angels. Fourth, angelic beings who rebel against God become monstrously corrupted in their perpetual bent toward sin. It is as if they are the embodiment of hell personified, for they, having been so glorious, are experiencing an ever-deepening corruption of their natures, even now before the final judgment. Fifth, even though they are hopelessly corrupted they still retain remnants of their original goodness. Therefore, they can use their intellect and angelic power, such as it is, toward evil ends in quite cunning and deceptive ways.

Somehow, angels can interact with and manifest in the material world. We humans can sometimes see or even hear angels or demons. We may also at times sense the presence of angelic beings (good or evil).

Some people open themselves up to demonic activity through certain religious rituals or spiritual practices. Many false religions maintain their strength through demonic influence. Sinful habits also render people susceptible to demonic strongholds, whether they are Christians or not.

The Gospels show us that some illness can be caused by demonic persons. And no doubt much mental illness today has its root in demon activity.

In America, it seems that demons are subtlely working at eroding our collective sense of truth and morality so as to make it harder for people to come to faith in Christ or to live a victorious Christian life once they do.

The strength of a demon is in its deception. They really have no right or power over the Christian other that what the Christian willingly or unwittingly yields. Truth and purity are great shields against the devil’s schemes. They often accuse us and use our sins against us. But we can put on the assurance of salvation to guard our minds like a helmet. They may tempt us to sin. But when we choose righteousness our heart is guarded as if by a breastplate. They may try to convince us to follow sinful passions or the ways of our wicked generation. But we are armed with truth to make us pure and ready to resist complacency. Satan (the enemy) and his cohorts may try to stop us but we press on to take the gospel to all people as we walk in the peace that comes from belonging to God.

As far as we know, only one third of the angels rebelled. That means that twice as many angels are on our side. And even if all the angels had fallen and tried to destroy the human race they are no match for their Creator, Who is absolutely committed to bringing us safely into His kingdom if we would choose to follow Him. So, the odds are very good.

If we resist a devil he will leave us alone (James 4:7). In fact, if we command a devil he will obey, for Christ shares His authority with us so that we can indeed break demonic strongholds by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:33-36; 11:20; Acts 19:13-17). For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17)!