Spiritual authority
As believers, we have been given authority over demons. The only way demons can get a stranglehold of us is when we deliberately and persistently walk in sin. If a believer encounters what he thinks is a true manifestation of demon oppression or possession, he has the authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to expel that demon power.
If you or someone you know does encounter a person you suspect is demon possessed, you should call upon a trusted mature believer to aid you, and gather at least two or three together to pray for guidance in the situation. There are certain signs of demonic possession to look for when trying to determine if a demon is at work in someone.
A sure sign of demonic possession is someone empowered with incredible strength. Demons will often energize people in this way. An example of this is found in Scripture, in the story of the Gadarene demoniac in Mark 5. This man had been bound with heavy chains and broke them; no one could subdue him due to the demonic strength operating in him.
A person who is demon possessed may have spontaneous reactions of uncontrolled cursing when the name of Jesus Christ is spoken. This uncontrolled compulsion to blaspheme the name of God can be a sign of demonic influence, as can a radical change in personality.
An evil spirit can cause contortions in facial features and countenance. A person’s eyes can become glazed and even roll back in their head. Their look and even their voice will change. When someone is set free, they will usually come immediately back into their “right mind.” Their voice will normalize, and you will see a total change in their demeanor.
As I mentioned previously when discussing tormenting and vexing spirits, deep depression, despondency, and suicidal tendencies can also be signs of demonic attack. These conditions can go beyond spiritual torment to a level that we would consider demonic possession or oppression.
There are some examples in Scripture of demon-possessed people who tried to harm themselves. After Satan used Judas for his purpose, he then used the power of guilt to drive Judas to self-destruction. You will recall that Judas went out and hanged himself when he realized what he had done. The demon-possessed boy in Matthew 17:14–15 had a strong tendency for self-destruction.
He would throw himself into the fire and then into the water as the demon tried to inflict harm and self-destruction on him. The Gadarene demoniac gashed himself with sharp stones, indicating how demons arouse a tendency toward self-destruction.
We see this same type of self-destructive behavior today in teenage girls who cut themselves. Cutting does not necessarily indicate demon possession, but certainly the voice telling them to slash themselves or starve themselves with anorexia is not the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is important to understand that every case of suicide or of self-destructive behavior is different, but when a person repeatedly tries to harm himself or herself, there is a strong possibility that person could be under demonic attack.
Extreme caution should be used when discerning whether or not someone is demon possessed. When attempting to cast out demons, it should almost always be done in a private setting with a pastor or other mature, balanced spiritual leaders present.
The position of every born-again believer should reflect James 4:7, which says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (MEV). Jesus Christ in His ultimate commission to the church said, “In My name they will cast out demons” (Mark 16:17, MEV). While we should always seek the help of a mature Christian leader when dealing with challenging ministry situations, we should not be afraid to take authority over demons as a believer in Jesus Christ.
There is a passage of Scripture in the Book of Isaiah that gives us a key to the origin of evil.
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.—ISAIAH 14:12–14, KJV
Here we find God mourning over this creature He had created and loved. This creature is the one we call Satan, first described as Lucifer, which means “the shining one.” Lucifer was so beautiful he would literally shine with the glory of God while he was still in heaven.
It is verse 13 that gives us the real description of evil, “For thou has said in thine heart. . . . ” That’s where evil always begins—in the heart. Lucifer filled his heart with rebellion. He chose to act independently of God because he thought himself so magnificent, so beautiful, so filled with power, that he should have some of the worship of the universe for himself. “I will ascend to heaven,” he said. “I will be like the most High.” Lucifer wanted to be God. He wanted to be in charge. He wanted the glory.
We are told in Revelation 12 that one-third of the angelic realm followed Lucifer in his revolt. I don’t believe Lucifer lost any of his great intellect, beauty, or power when he rebelled and became the first sinful creature. I believe he used these traits to entice many angels to join his ranks. But he did lose the one thing that would make him function correctly: a personal relationship with God.
At that moment of Lucifer’s rebellion, God’s perfect universe became impure. The pollution of sin entered the earth when Satan and his angels revolted.
Today we know Lucifer by many names—Satan, the devil, the evil one, the accuser, the adversary. Beautiful little planet Earth has become the arena of the mightiest contest of all time—a contest between good and evil, a contest between God and Satan, a contest where God Himself would be wounded in a life-and-death struggle with the powers of darkness, because in the garden God gave the title deed of the world to Satan, and since then the world has been under his control.
The Bible gives Satan three titles that describe his work. First, he is called “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31, MEV), which means he is constantly at work in government and political systems in nations throughout the world. Satan’s second title is “prince of the power of the air.” Ephesians 2:1–2 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the age of this world and according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (MEV).
The word translated as “air” in this scripture literally means “the air we breathe,” and it is speaking of “mood” or “atmosphere of thought.” We often use the term atmosphere in this sense. For instance, if someone says, “Paris has a romantic atmosphere,” you would understand that they were talking about a certain mood or feeling in the air.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul calls Satan the prince of the “atmosphere of thoughts.” In this role Satan injects his brainwashing into the educational system, mass media, arts, and culture. His deceptions about life and its purpose are lethal.
Before you believe in Jesus Christ, you are unwittingly dominated by Satan’s atmosphere of thought. When the Holy Spirit enlightens your mind to realize that Satan is the ruler over all these thought forms, and to understand how he bombards you every day by these sources, you begin to see how deadly the prince of the power of the air can be.
It is for this reason we must focus our hearts on Jesus and constantly allow our minds to be renewed with God’s view of life, which is alien from the human viewpoint of the world’s systems. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NKJV).
The third title of Satan is “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4, NKJV), which means the prevailing thought of a particular era. The god of this age refers to Satan’s activity in relation to Christianity.
