Like angels, demons are created beings. When Lucifer rebelled and was cast out of heaven, along with a third of the angels that followed his rebellion. Demons are fallen angels. They are evil spirits that work against God’s will. The late Derek Prince called them persons without bodies—and Jesus cast them out everywhere He went.
1 John 3:8 tells us, “For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” And Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
You can be demonized in your emotions, in your mind, in your body or your physical lusts. But how can you tell if you need deliverance? Read these five tell-tale signs of demonic oppression below, but remember—Jesus came to set the captives free.
1. You Keep Hitting the Same Wall
It seems like you get to a certain point in God and can go no further. Something is holding you back and you don’t know what it is. You feel like you go around the same mountain over and over again and can never break through. You watch others pass you up in the spirit even though you are as gifted and work as hard as they do. You’re frustrated and upset and you’ve done everything you know what to do but you’re not growing in God.
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2. You Are Practicing Sin and Can’t Seem to Stop
It may be a sin everybody sees or a sin nobody but you and God sees. If you are practicing sin and you keep trying to stop but can’t resist the temptation you could need deliverance. People describe this as “something coming over them” and they can’t seem to stop.
3. You don’t see the fruit of Spirit in your life even though you try to follow after God.
Galatians 5:18-25 says, “Now the works of the flesh are revealed, which are these: adultery, sexual immorality, impurity, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, rage, selfishness, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I previously warned you, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law. Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Any work of the flesh can lead you into the demonic. It takes time to develop the fruit of the Spirit and we all have our breaking points when we “get in the flesh,” but if the works of the flesh are manifesting and the fruit of the Spirit is largely absent, you may need deliverance.
4. You see a pattern of issues in your family, whether disease, poverty, anger, divorce, sexual perversion, etc.
Numbers 14:18 tells us, “The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.”
Pastor Larry Huch once told me: “The world says it like this, ‘Like father like son.’ The Word says it like this, “The iniquity of the father passes on from generation to generation.” Many times we translate the word ‘iniquity’ as ‘sin.’ But it’s not the sin that passes on from generation to generation. It’s the curse, the penalty. A curse is a spirit that passes from generation to generation until someone finally figures out how to stop it in Jesus’ name.”
5. You are sick all the time and the doctors find nothing wrong.
You could be dealing with a spirit of infirmity. Luke 13:10 says, “He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years and was bent over and could not straighten herself up. When Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ Then He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God.”
Yes, demons can oppress Christians. But remember, you can repent, renounce and break free, in the name of Jesus!
Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of awakeningtv.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Jennifer's Periscope handle is @propheticbooks.
I walk in an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, don’t commit sin, walk in purity, spirit, soul, and body. I do not open myself up
to things that would cause the demons to have access. This is how a believer can maintain freedom in God. I close all doors to evil.
I am not sure where you are coming from with your comment. Although you are correct in your Theology. Sometimes doors are open from childhood that lead to problems later on in life.
Things get a little more complicated. Even when you become a Christian…. It is possible that you can open a door slightly. It ‘s called being human. Even the Apostle Paul said he had an ongoing battle with sin. He said even when I go to do good evil is always before me… It is the sin that is within me if I am quoting him correctly… But he was saying it was an ongoing thing.
In my case I had some doors open from sexual abuse as a child. When I became an adult… I got involved with porn and was sexual promiscuous. Even as a Christian… I loved God but I was a young man who was not churched and had some things that I needed help with. It’s called maturity in Christ. I did not have that yet.
I took my problems to a church to be helped spirutally. They were practicing witchcraft. They sent a Jezebel spirit to me…. Which has sexual immorality attached to it.. I went to several churches and ran into this…
I was trying to get help. But the ” helpers ” either did not care, had no clue, or were Pharisees. 12 years later I have almost totally self delivered myself!!! Very very very little help from the church. More harm than hurt.
How is one to overcome if they have no teacher? No leader? This is why JESUS looked upon the crowd with compassion. They were like sheep without a leader.
The problem is leadership in a big way.
My point. It is not all that easy for everyone.
Each case is different.
Thank you, Will for your short testimony; I have to agree with you, there is no perfect person, because we have all sinned and fallen short! However, it is a shame that the church wasn’t able to help you when you needed it the most! I pray you haven’t “thrown the baby out with the water” so to speak, but through prayer and supplication have made your wants known to God. People will let you down, but God will never let you down! I believe that with all my heart!
My point is this: Make Jesus your only Source. Trust Him implicitly and He will lead you to a place of deliverance, because He IS your Leader and your Teacher and He wants you free even more than you do! Don’t give up on the Lord, because that’s what the devil wants you to do. That’s why you’ve been attacked, because he knows the Lord has a great plan for your life (Jer 29:11) and he is trying to do everything to keep that plan from coming to fruition! Will, you do have the authority to put satan in his place! Jesus defeated him on the cross and in hell, so satan is no match for you; He has no power other than what you allow him to have! You need to know your enemy and his strategies, according to Eph 6:10-18a. Get in the word and stay in the word. The devil knows the word too…and he can twist the word to confuse those who don’t know the word! Read in Acts 1, 2 & 3; 1 Cor 12, 13 & 14 about speaking in other tongues, which is a necessity to defeat the devil in your life (satan hates tongues, because he doesn’t know what you’re saying; it builds your spirit man up and it is a heavenly language between you and God).
Ask the Lord to put you in a group where the word and faith are being taught, including praying in the spirit or tongues. I pray I’ve helped you and didn’t get too preachy in what I wanted to say…I will be praying for your TOTAL deliverance! Lastly, don’t depend on man, only on Jesus; He IS your only Hope!
Will…wow. Thanks for taking the time to share your story. Mine was similar, but God is good! ❤
Right no body perfect instead of closing doors in front of people try helping them first amen
Say: Satan and all the evil spirits get behind me and my family and go back to where you came from in the name of my LORD and Savior Christ Jesus Yeshua.
There is more power in the word Christ (personal experience).
He was called Jesus, then He died on the Cross and became Christ our LORD and Savior so that we could walk in newest of life.
Although my relationship with the Lord is close ~ I know it can and will become more intimate, with time. I sin, though, and cannot make a claim of purity… Though I wish I could!
I am eternally grateful for His Mercy and Grace that have saved my soul and spared my life, many times.
“For such a time as this”, He continues to speak to me… Causing me to move in gifts that I have never known before and I feel so unworthy! Chief of all sinners, am I ~ though I long to be righteous in His sight.
Jennifer, were it not for you and this ministry, I’m afraid I wouldn’t understand what Jesus is doing in my life and why. God bless you abundantly for your obedience to the call!
Scripture says if you are in Christ then you are perfect because He is perfect. I did not say your body was perfect nor your mind is perfect the soul, which is your mind, will, emotions has to be renewed by the washing of water/spirit/word. You are not your body, your mind, you are spirit and that is who, what your are and that spirit is perfect. As long as you consider that your body and mind is you, you are in Adam, so put off the old man of sin and put on the new man in Christ Jesus, AMEN.
I have been very active and vocal for the Lord in the past, but now after a series of mental illness and lots of medication, it feels that I’m in a place of complete entrapment by the enemy and he is talking a walk through my emotions and mental state, devouring anything and everything and I have lost all hope that Jesus can deliver me from my current state.
I have had prayer many times and prayed for myself and still I’m not free.
What can I do?
Put your hopes and trust in God for your complete deliverance from all bondages of sin, hurts and the demonic. Trust God for His complete healing and wholeness for you. Keep His promises for you in your heart and speak of them over your life and to others, speak faith and not doubt! God is worthy of our trust and faith in Him! Nothing is too hard for God! With God all things are possible! God has seen me through several breakdowns, depression, bipolar diagnosis and emotional damage – He can certainly do the same for you! I believe that He is faithful to complete the good work He began in me and you! God is close to the broken-hearted, His ear attentive to their cries. God alone can heal people’s broken hearts and emotions. Contact the Healing rooms, have them pray over you. Put your name on prayer requests online for help, like Benny Hinn’s, CBN and other churches. Confess all known sin, read your bible every day from the gospel of John onwards, worshiping the LORD brings God’s presence, worship will set you free!
I recommend reading and studying the Bible, A LOT. Staying in the Word will bring freedom, little by little sometimes, along with your prayers. That’s where the faith comes from.
Grace, I agree with what Bridgitte said, however, Kenneth Copeland referred to Mark 11:23-25, which basically says, you can have what you say, please read it! Do not speak negatively over your circumstances, (satan comes to steal, kill and destroy), because satan uses your negative words to keep you entrapped; but speak God’s word, despite what your soul (mind, will & emotions) is telling you! Say this: I believe I receive my healing in my mind, because I have the mind of Christ and there is perfect love, power and no fear in me because I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! Say this everyday and all day! The enemy will try to attack you again, by telling you that what you’re confessing is not working. Logically speaking, if God’s word wasn’t working, why is satan trying to convince you otherwise? The word works; you just need to read it and meditate on it and not speak what your circumstances are, but speak what God has already done in you! That’s what we call faith, and you can’t please God without it…Have faith in God to heal you, like you had faith for Him to save you…He made you, so why wouldn’t Jesus want you well? God’s got plans for you (Jer 29:11) and the enemy knows it, that’s why he’s attacking you! Satan knows that if you find out what the Lord has for you, the kingdom of darkness will be in big trouble…satan is afraid ? of you and Who you represent!
Now say, “I am healed and made whole, according to Isaiah 53:4-5!” Being made whole takes in your whole body! Again, Grace, the grace ?of God is working on your behalf, as well, so, Have faith in God!??? ✌?❤️
A Pastor once said that we all have blinders and that we all have faults or sins we can’t see, so we need to see a deliverance ministers once in a while to make sure we’re not in a sin we can’t see.