"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds [it] empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."
Matthew 12:43-45

Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, "Let [us] alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"

And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine [is] this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."
Mark 1:23-27

And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." ...Then He appointed twelve, [fn] that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and [fn] to cast out demons...
Mark 3:11, 14-15

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.

And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me."

For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"

Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.

So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told [it] in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one [who had been] demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him [who had been] demon-possessed, and about the swine.

Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."

And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
Mark 5:12-20

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."

He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, [fn] all things [are] possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then [the spirit] cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
Mark 9:17-29

And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils...
Luke 8:2

And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Acts 19:11-17

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ [is] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin, but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 8:1-14

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1

And those [who are] Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:24-25

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
James 4:5

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT...
Demons

See other religions and cults
Angels and Demons - True Life Encounters

WILLFUL SIN BRINGS DEMONIC ATTACKS

The majority of Christians today are totally ignorant of the nature of evil spirits (demons), and many would prefer that they were not even mentioned. They choose to ignore this portion of God's ministry because they are fearful of things beyond their understanding. The result of this ignorance is that multitudes live in needless torment. One of the deadliest misrepresentations of the truth of God is that a Christian should not be concerned with thoughts that a demon could be their problem. This is taught within many churches and gives the devil a "field day" to bring fear, mental torment, jealousy, hatred, lust, pride, self-pity, addiction, gluttony and many other forms of bondage, oppression, and defilement.

When we practice willful sin, Satan eventually sends one of his demons that is compatible with that particular sin to dwell within us. Then each time we give way to that sin that spirit takes over. Since their personalities mesh with those of their victims, it takes spiritual discernment to detect them. We must remember that demon spirits are "invisible beings" with wicked intelligence that seek bodies in which they can express themselves. These spirits are emissaries sent from Satan having personalities and characteristics that make up an intelligent being. They walk, hear, speak, see, obey, seek, think, know and dwell in the body to accomplish their evil purposes (Matthew 12:43-45, Mark 1:23-24,3:11). They are made subject to Christ and believers by the atonement, the name of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Each principal demon or "strongman" has a particular mission which we are able to recognize by its fruit or manifestation. We need to seek God and study His Word to find the truth about this controversial subject.

CAN A CHRISTIAN HAVE A DEMON?

One of Satan's clever devices is to cause division among Christians over just such a subject, for then he is allowed to work freely on both sides. One side refuses to believe that a Christian can have a demon, while the other side sees demons in everything. Both sides are extreme, but if we look to God's Word we can find balance. To answer the question, "Can a Christian have a demon?," we need to understand the two main causes of a Christian's problems.

The first problem is what Paul calls the "flesh" in Romans 8:5-8, "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

The "flesh" is defined here as the "carnal mind" and it is spoken of as enmity with God. The carnal mind is in the soul of man. After a Christian experiences the "new birth," he is a new creature; however, he finds he still has the problem of walking in the flesh instead of the Spirit. His mind has not been renewed yet by the Word of God, so unless he reckons the "old man" dead when tempted, he fails God and gives in to his "flesh." To maintain a walk in the Spirit one must totally dedicate his life to God and continually choose the path of God. The "flesh" of man is under Satan's dominion as it is part of the old Adamic nature. The "flesh" and the "world" are under Satan's influence, so when we sin we have yielded to an attack by Satan in an indirect way. Romans 6:16, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves, servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." The way to get rid of the devil in these instances is to submit to the Lord and resist Satan so that he will flee (James 4:7). We are to crucify the flesh and choose God's way in the situation. "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Galatians 5:24).

FILTHINESS IN FLESH & SPIRIT

The second cause of a Christian's inner problems is evil spirits or demons which Satan uses to fasten upon some aspect of the "flesh" that has not yet been overcome. These demons do not relinquish their hold unless compelled to do so. Some argue that a Christian cannot have a demon in him. They say he now has Christ in his spirit, and the Spirit of Christ and evil spirits cannot co-exist. Because of this erroneous teaching, many are bound by dark powers when they could be free. This is contrary to Scripture as also James is speaking to Christians when he admonishes them in James 4:5, "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in as lusteth to envy?" II Corinthians 7:1 states, "Having therefore these promises, dearly be-loved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

The Holy Spirit certainly needs no cleansing, but man's soul or flesh has filth in it and many times filthy (unclean) spirits need to be cast out. Jesus talked about our bodies being houses. He made it plain that if, after cleaning, we were not continually filled with the Holy Spirit, a demon could return:

"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." Matthew 12:43-45

By this Scripture it may be seen that a portion of the kingdom of Satan is a host of bodiless spirits. They seek to enter the bodies of mortals or beasts, and their work is greatly enhanced when hidden in the bodies of men. "And all the devils besought him, saying Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them" (Mark 5:12). Demons perform their evil deeds and their victims are blamed for them. Certainly people are responsible for the sin which allowed this demonic activity within, but they are driven past what they intended, as the evil personality takes over their actions.

CHAINS OF INIQUITY

Some children are born under a curse and have demons that cause their erratic behavior. Parents are in ignorance as to why some children beat their heads on the floor in rages, scream and yell uncontrollably, bite themselves, or have continual nightmares. Many children do have demons and need to be set free. There is an account of this in Mark 9:20-21, "And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child."

Demons can attack with no sin involved on the victims' part as in the case of children. The sins of the fathers bring a curse, and there is a "chain of iniquity" that needs to be broken. "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments" (Exodus 20:5-6). Additional Scripture talking about the "chains of iniquity" is found in Jeremiah 32:18, "thou showest loving-kindness unto thousands, and recompensest the inquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name." Also Jeremiah 16:19 and Isaiah 14:20-22 show how we can inherit spiritual curses because of our father's or ancestor's evil deeds. Demons can also enter when the person's will is weakened and he is overpowered by the devil. This happens many times when a person goes through a terrible shock or experiences an incident that produces extreme fear. Accident victims who are knocked unconscious due to blows on the head often are subject to demon invasion. Addicts and alcoholics eventually have demons as the drugs and alcohol suppress their wills leaving them open for attack.

Demons are invited in by persons who yield to sin continually. The demon personality is compatible with the particular sin the person is entertaining. If the Lord is not sought to set the person free, one demon will invite others and the person will be possessed, even as Mary Magdalene was with seven demons. "And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils" (Luke 8:2).

Many people desire to be free, yet continue to find themselves in bondage. Recognizing the need for deliverance is the first step to freedom. Before coming to Christ, man takes all kinds of things into his heart and spirit and one of the first works of the Holy Spirit is to begin cleaning his "spiritual house."

A beautiful "type" of this is the incident of Jesus cleansing the temple that had been defiled by those who were wicked.

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Matthew 21:12-13

We are now the temple of God and when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He begins the same process of "casting out" those things that offend Him. "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (II Corinthians 6:16)

BATTLING AGAINST DEMONS

The Lord is revealing the devices of Satan so that Christians can learn to battle the real enemy as he attacks their lives, instead of battling one another. The main thing we need to do is to take authority over Satan, casting him out of our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Satan is a robber and a thief, and he delights in destroying God's children. God wants us to grow up, stop acting like children by fighting with one another, and fight the real enemy, Satan. We need to lay down our lives for our mates and loved ones and be aggressive in prayer against the wiles of the enemy. He will flee when commanded to do so in the name of Jesus.

If the attack is from without, carried on by Satan's suggestions, temptations and influences, we still fight him the same way we would if he has gained access and entered the body with dominating control. We call on God with a humble heart and submit our entire lives to Him, and then aggressively resist the devil, commanding him to leave in the name of Jesus. We should speak this command out loud. We need to realize also there are certain conditions one must meet in order to gain permanent deliverance from demon bondage. We first must be a child of God to receive help. If you are not "born again," simply invite Jesus to come into your heart and save your soul. Accept God's Word that says He loves you and wants to give you abundant life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). To receive this abundant life you must repent and turn from your sins and accept God's provision of the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the only way to cleanse you. Sin has separated you from God, and receiving Christ restores you to fellowship with Him and you become a part of the family of God. "But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God..." (John 1:12).

PRAYERS OF DELIVERANCE

After making a verbal confession of our faith in Jesus Christ (the only name that brings deliverance), we need to confess the sin that gave the devil access to our life. This is where we need to acknowledge any cult or occult involvement. Next, we should break Satan's legal right to our lives by renouncing each sin and its effect upon our lives as a lie of the devil, and then claim the truth of God's Word in that area. To be free from deception we must recognize Satan's lies and replace them with the truth. After these steps, we then can out loud command the demons to go in the name of Jesus. When oppression or possession is severe it is helpful to have other believers pray with you. The prayer of deliverance should be made only by "born again," Spirit-filled believers. In Acts 19:13-16, the unbelieving seven sons of Sceva experimented with deliverance and met with disastrous results. "Born again" believers have nothing to fear. Jesus overcame Satan for us. Casting out demons lodged in others is not risky but requires faith. Should you lack the faith and boldness to cast out demons, ask the Lord to lead you to the person or persons who can pray the prayer of faith and set people free.

We need to discuss here some guidelines for "casting out demons." The lack of teaching in this area has led people to devise many means by which they attempt deliverance. These methods are varied and include wrestling and holding people down during deliverance, carrying on conversations with demons to discern the names of the spirits (which is futile as Satan is a liar and wouldn't tell the truth anyway. Discerning of spirits is the gift given to aid in deliverance). Also calling out endless lists of demons, and many other methods which we shall not name here. These methods will work if done in the name of Jesus, however when they are carried to extremes the enemy wastes a lot of time and energy. These methods are usually not necessary, but God honors them many times because the practitioners are unsure of the proper procedures, and perhaps this is the only teaching to which they have been exposed. God sees their hearts and He knows they are trying to help people get free, so He delivers them in spite of the techniques.

FAITH DELIVERS

The Biblical method for casting out demons would be to pray as the Holy Spirit directs. Usually this would be a prayer similar to this: "In the name of Jesus, I cast you unclean spirits out of this person." Should the Holy Spirit give you specific names of demons, these most generally would be for the benefit of the person who is receiving the deliverance as they may need to be aware of the nature of the demon that has held them in bondage, so as to resist him in the future (For instance, a demon of lust or anger). The most important thing is to listen to the Holy Spirit's direction regarding individual cases. Faith is the key to getting people free of demons. We must have faith when we pray that the demons will leave. If we believe they will leave instantly, then that will happen; if we believe we are in for a real battle, then we will end up fighting it out with the devil. Or we can even lose the battle if we don't stand firm in our faith and trust in Jesus. Some deliverance does require a prayer battle as little or no intercession as been previously done for the person bound.

Jesus' disciples had a problem with not being able to cast out a demon from a child because they lacked faith. When they asked Jesus why they couldn't do it, He answered in Mark 9:19, 23, 26, 28, and 29:

"He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me....Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth....And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him...And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."

The message Jesus was trying to get across to his disciples was that their faith was not sufficient for the job, and that the way their faith would be increased was by fasting and praying. He didn't mean for them to go fast and pray to get the demons out. Jesus was immediately able to cast them out because He was always praying, and He stayed close to the Father, thereby having faith and power over the devil at all times.

Jesus is our example. If we are not in close communion with the Father, how will we be able to hear His instructions when discerning and praying for deliverance? We need to fast and pray if we find our faith and closeness with God being attacked, then we will be able to exercise our faith when praying for others and see them set free in the name of Jesus.

Excerpt from the book Exposing Satan's Devices

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT... Demons