Demons are not figments of your imagination. They are real, and they have the same goal as their master—to kill, steal, and destroy.
If you are a Christian, you have been given authority over the power and tactics of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Yet, while I don’t believe that a true follower of Christ can be demon-possessed (meaning full take over), I do believe that many if not most Christians have some form of demon operating through them. We call this demonic influence.
Demons need physical bodies to carry out their mission. They know your weaknesses and they lie in wait to exploit those weaknesses and use your body for their own ends.
How does this happen? Demons enter through illegal intrusion or legal entry.
Join me in reading Acts 16:16-19 about the trouble Paul and Silas had with a woman under demonic influence.
“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’18 She kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment the spirit left her.”
On the outside, this woman appeared to be saying all the right things, but there was a demonic spirit behind her actions.
When you are under demonic attack, you are suffering, typically from sickness, loss, mental strongholds, or any other means that the enemy uses to try and destroy you. But when you have a demon operating through you, that demon is using you to infect not only your life but the lives of others as well.
There’s a difference between Satan attacking your thoughts and having a demon of hatred infiltrating your life.
There’s a difference between Satan attacking you with thoughts of fear and a demon of worry invading your mind.
So let’s talk about signs that you could have a demon operating in you and through you. (Keep in mind that not all signs mean that you have a demon.)
Sign #1: You display demonic demonstrations.
Demons will often manifest when challenged. These demonstrations can be as a result of preaching, teaching, or even simply being in the presence of godliness. In Matthew 8:29, immediately upon seeing Jesus, “They began screaming at him, ‘Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?’”
It wasn’t the two men who were screaming at Jesus, it was the demons inside of them. Sometimes we need to stop casting out the people and cast out the demons instead.
Here are some demonic manifestations that can occur:
- Crying out
- Vomiting
- Lashing out in anger/rage
- Laughing
- Mocking
- Strange body movements
- Verbal outbursts
Demons hide, they are deceivers. That’s why people don’t know they are in darkness. Pride loves to hide deep. They are exposed by light of Christ.
Sign #2: You display demonic symptoms.
When you go to the doctor, they will often ask you what you’re experiencing in an effort to better pinpoint the problem. We can sometimes recognize demonic influence based upon the behavior.
Here are some behaviors that can indicate demonic influence (not all will automatically indicate demonic activity):
- Compulsive thoughts of suicide
- Compulsive thoughts of hatred (for God and others)
- Deep feelings of bitterness towards others (with or without reason or relationship)
- Compulsive temptations that you can’t seem to overcome, no matter how hard you try
- Desire to tear others down (lying about others to put them in a bad light)
- Extreme restlessness
- Cutting and self harm (despite how much you want to stop)
- Mocking and vulgar language
- Loss of time
- Overwhelming fear and worry, despite knowing the word of God
- Childhood trauma
- Intense loss of focus and delusion
- Inexplicable fear
- Constant envy of others
- Compulsive behaviors (sex, spending, drugs, alcohol, food, lying, stealing)
- Strong interest in the occult (the supernatural outside of God)
- Extreme mental disorders (not all or always, but frequently linked to the demonic)
Sign #3: You battle demonic thoughts.
We all have ungodly thoughts enter our minds from time to time. That’s why 2 Corinthians 10:5 instructs us to “Take every thought captive and make it obedient unto Christ.”
But there’s a difference between tempting thoughts and tormenting thoughts. Demons know that everything begins in the mind, so their goal is to completely take over.
They will do this with tormenting thoughts ranging from lust, worry, fear, panic, and anger to extreme perversion.
You may find yourself saying, “I just can’t seem to get rid of these thoughts no matter how I try”
Satan knows he can’t touch your spirit so his goal is to dominate your soul (mind, will, emotions).
Ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal any demons operating in your life and watch out for:
- The words you speak
- The emotions you feel
- The outbursts you experience
Oftentimes, we don’t realize that we rationalize and minimize our demons but pointing blame at others and justifying our actions.
Demons need your body to inhabit and they need your agreement (or lack disagreement) to grow in power.
As a follower of Christ, don’t live in fear of demons, live in the power that Christ died for you to have. Remember his words of Luke 10:19:
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
