Can demons afflict and oppress Christians? Many Christians believe the lie that the devil and demons do not afflict Christians because Christ defeated them, and He did. The fact is, Satan is still very active. 1Peter 5:8-9 states, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9) Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” First, Satan is our adversary, who wants to destroy our faith and oppress us. Second, Satan is seeking to devour anyone who is not vigilant or sober-minded. Third, we are to resist him. Your response is to remain firm in your faith in Jesus Christ (2Cor. 15:3-4). While resisting the devil, you need to submit to God at all times (James 4:7). If you are not submitted to God, then the devil can and will attack you.
No one likes suffering and being oppressed by a demon, let alone seven. This post will cover three accounts and how the believers in Jesus Christ responded. The first account will be how Mary Magdaline responded when delivered from seven demons. The second account will be how believers should not respond when delivered from demon oppression. The third account is how the Apostle Paul responded to being harassed by a demon.
Mary Magdalene is delivered from seven demons.
Not much is known about Mary Magdalene, but the Bible says that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene after He rose from the dead. She was a devoted follower who cared about Jesus and ministered to him. Mark 16:9 records, “[[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.” Luke recounts this event in 2:2, “And also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.”
Observation:
- Jesus healed her of evil spirits by casting out seven demons.
- It appears that Mary Magdalene believed Jesus when He said he would rise from the dead on the third day.
- She went to the tomb early on the third day, which could explain why Jesus appeared to her first.
Interpretation:
- After Mary Magdalene was delivered from the seven demons, she followed Jesus and devoted herself to Him.
- She became the first evangelist by obeying Jesus and telling His disciples that He had risen.
Application:
- We all have some form of demonic oppression afflicting us, whether we know it or not. It could be worry, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, chronic sickness, etc. For me, I had habitual anger, which was controlled by the oppressive spirits attached to trauma memories.
- Not everyone will go to a deliverance service, but those who do experience tremendous freedom.
- I became free from oppressive spirits attached to trauma memories as I submitted them to God for healing and forgave those who hurt me.
- If you have a habitual sin or chronic issue, please seek someone who understands deliverance and hopefully trauma memories, and ask for help.
- I discovered that my deliverance prayers in my book remove all sorts of oppressive spirits when trauma memories are healed, but sometimes it is helpful to have people pray for you.
Fill the void with truth.
Once the demons are cast out, you need to fill the void by submitting to Jesus Christ and growing in your knowledge of God’s word. Here is an example of what happens if you don’t fill the void left by evil spirits. Luke 11:24-26 explains.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Observation:
- Cast out unclean spirits wander about seeking rest.
- They will return to the same person if they do nothing.
- They will bring more evil spirits with them.
- The evil spirits dwell with a person and oppress them even worse.
Interpretation: If you don’t fill your life up with the Spirit of God and truth after being delivered, then the evil spirit will come back with more evil spirits, and your life will be worse than before.
Application:
- When you get rid of an oppressive spirit, you need to fill the void with God’s truth and devote yourself to Jesus Christ and live in this world as He lived.
- My book explains how to identify wrong beliefs from trauma memories, heal trauma memories, cast out any attached oppressive spirit to the memory and wrong beliefs, then replace the wrong belief with God’s truth.
- Go to hopeforcompletehealing.com to find these prayers.
What to do if the Spirit will not leave.
If Satan was defeated by Jesus, and he was, and can no longer harass Christian believers, then why was the Apostle Paul afflicted by a messenger of Satan? Let’s look at 2Corinthians 12:7-10.
7) So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10) For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Observation:
- Paul is given a messenger of Satan (demon) to harass him, which was to keep him humble.
- NOTE: Paul was NOT possessed by the demon, simply harassed, in other words, oppressed. He likened it to a “thorn in the flesh”.
- He prayed earnestly for God to remove it, but it persisted.
- God said that His grace is sufficient to help Paul endure the harassment.
- God’s power is made perfect in weakness.
- Paul chose to give God glory for his weakness, to experience more of God’s power.
- Then he chose to be content with the demonic harassment.
Interpretation:
- The text does not say who sent the harassing spirit. But I do know from experience that people who minister will be harassed by evil spirits. I explained that in the last post.
- God heard Paul’s prayer, but chose to let the harassing spirit be for this time to keep him from becoming prideful.
- Paul chose to be content and be at peace with his suffering for the sake of Christ. He kept his mind set on the truths of God, not his suffering.
- There is a suffering that comes from our own doing. Peter describes the two kinds of suffering in 1Peter 3:17 “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” And 1Peter 4:15-16 states, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
- Though Paul was a Christian, he was still afflicted by a demon, and God allowed it.
Application:
- It is very humbling and hard to endure suffering.
- Pray for God’s deliverance.
- If God chooses to give you grace to endure, then choose to glory in the power He gives you to endure.
- Pridefulness is a sin, and it separates you from God. God did not want Paul to become prideful. God does not want us to be prideful either.
- I made a habit of asking God to show me any prideful spirit in me.
- The hardest thing for us to do is be content when we are suffering. We naturally want to complain rather than be thankful in all circumstances (1Thes. 5:18).
- We are called to suffer with Christ. 1Peter 4:13 states, “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” Also Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Conclusion
Demons will afflict Christian believers; it is how you respond that makes the difference. Mary Magdalene devoted herself to following Jesus Christ. The man who had a demon cast out did nothing, then seven more came back. To prevent that from happening to you, you must fill the void with God’s truths from the Bible and draw near to Him. The Apostle Paul chose to be content and thankful, giving glory to God for the strength to endure the harassment. Remember, 1Peter 5:8-9 states, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9) Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
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