Oppression is the act of keeping people down by cruel and unjust use of power or authority. Demonic pressures from without can cause pain and suffering both in an individual’s mind and body. Job was oppressed by the devil. People today are oppressed by demons. Born again Christians are not exempt from these oppressing spirits. Unrelenting attacks of doubt, despair, confusion, fear, suspicion and worry over unfounded problems are launched by Satan against the child of God. Demonic forces will take every advantage to throw “fiery darts” at believers. Evil spirits delight to torment God’s people, if they can.
Howard Hawks, missionary to Bangladesh, told of his experience as a young pastor in New Hampshire. While lying in his bed one night, he sensed a terrible darkness filling his room. Then suddenly he became aware of hands on his throat choking him. He recognized this as an attack of demon power. He rebuked it in Jesus name and it left.
Demons don’t always come in such a direct manner. They are sophisticated and clever and may approach us as ‘angles of light’, but they always teach things that are contrary to God’s word; things that are harmful and destructive. Satan comes for one reason “… to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”
Demonic Obsession
The dictionary defines obsession as “an act of an evil spirit ruling a person; the state of being obsessed with an idea, desire, emotion, etc.” It further states that to obsess is “to haunt or trouble the mind; beset, harass, or preoccupy.” If demonic suggestions to the mind are allowed and retained, obsession can produce fanatical abnormal behavior. A constant satanic barrage on the mind is intended to convince the individual that the obsession is correct.
The obsessed individual may turn against his family and friends, his church if he has one, or any other source that might help him. He may believe that everyone hates him and that all are against him. He often believes that suicide is the only logical way out. He may decide to kill others before he kills himself. If he is a student, he may want to kill some of his fellow students, if he is employed he might want to kill some of his fellow employees or members of management. He is obsessed with the thought that he is a victim, so whatever he does just evens the score.
Obsession blinds men to reality. By controlling the mind through demonic suggestions, Satan is able to produce an effect closely akin to demon possession. People may be obsessed with sex, possessions, careers, ideas, or goals. The obsessed have one track minds. They close themselves off from any other reasonable consideration. Many politicians, on both sides of the aisle, suffer from demonic obsession; their way is the only way, man’s ideas are supreme. They are obsessed with power and desire to control other people’s lives. Unless these people are delivered by the power of the resurrected Christ, the demon will continue suggesting damaging thoughts until they die.
Demonic Possession
Do demons really possess people these days? Who can be possessed by demons and how can we tell? Unlike obsession or oppression, which involve satanic powers working on a person from the outside, demon possession is much more severe. No longer is Satan on the outside, he is on the inside. He no longer pressures a person to do unseemly things, he is leading and directing him to do these things. At times more than one demon may enter a person. In Luke we learn that Jesus cast seven devils out of Mary Magdalene.
And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils. Luke 8:2
We also have the record of a Gadarene, in the fifth chapter of the gospel of Mark, who was possessed by a legion of demons. A legion simply means a large number. When Jesus asked the demon what his name was he said, “My name is Legion: for we are many.” The person who is possessed by an evil spirit will occasionally, and in some cases continuously, manifest unusual and abnormal behavior. He may speak things of which he has no knowledge. The demon will use his or her vocal cords to utter vile words and to blaspheme God. He may prognosticate and he may fabricate. He may make up stories that have absolutely no truth to them and present them as facts. Supernatural powers may manifest through a person who is demon possessed. He may snap chains, lift tremendous weights or resist all power to subdue him. He will often be violent, brutal and destructive. Fits of anger, lying and stealing are also evidence of demon possession. Demon possessed people are literally Satan’s zombies who can do nothing except what the demon directs.
Possession by a demon may result in sickness or affliction. The scriptures tell us of some who were deaf and mute because of demon possession, and after the demon was cast out they were again able to hear or speak.
I should pause here to point out that not all sickness or afflictions are the result of demonic activity. Sometimes Jesus cast demons out of the sick or afflicted and at other times he just touched them or spoke to them and they were healed. The intent and purpose of Satan in this world is to maim and ruin the body and soul of people. The delight of demons is to make man, who was formed in the image of God, dance to Satan’s tune. Let me repeat the words of the apostle Paul:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12
As the enemy steps up his activity in these last days, the church must be prepared to take a strong stand against him, and it must be a Biblical stand. There are some today who seem to find demons behind every tree and under every rock. They teach that all disease and sickness is the result demonic activity. Some of these poor misguided souls regularly attempt to cast out demons of anger, pride, lust, even post nasal drip. Some of these unstable and unlearned believers have attempted to cast so called demons into paper bags and throw them into the Pacific Ocean. Some find the devil everywhere and others find him nowhere. The devil is alive and well. We know that because we know how he works.
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. I Timothy 4:1
False Doctrine
I suppose it is impossible to list every demonic doctrine and even if I could there would be new ones arising later. For this reason it is paramount that all true believers be equipped to identify all false teaching. The method used by many banks to help tellers identify counterfeit money is to study good money. Likewise, in developing the ability to identify false doctrine the only safe method is to study true doctrine. Everything must be measured against the teachings of the Bible. We can only do this if we have a sound understanding of what the Bible teaches. It is beyond the scope of this book to list or examine all false doctrine. I have, therefore, given much more space and time to our examination of the weapons God has provided to all believers, than I have given to examining what Satan is doing. I did, however, list a few categories of demon doctrines for illustrative purposes. They include the following:
All teaching that denies the deity of Jesus;
All teaching that denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus;
All teaching that denies the personal second coming of Jesus back to earth again;
All teaching that says we must accept the good in all religions and that Jesus was just one among all other teachers;
Parapsychology;
Fortune telling;
Astrology; (On March 30, 2001 Fox News reported that 18 percent
