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The Work of Demons

The Work of Demons

The Bible records extreme cases in which demons actually inhabit humans. In Mark 1:21-28, a demon spoke through a man in a synagogue. “‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek” (verses 25-26). The Gadarene demoniac had many demons in him (see Mark 5:1-20). He exhibited supernatural strength by breaking the chains that bound him, and no human was strong enough to subdue him. Somehow these demons were able to control the man’s central nervous system, enabling them to speak through the man. When the evil spirits left, the man’s rational capacities were restored.

A man brought his son to Jesus saying, “A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him” (Luke 9:39). This was not a natural epileptic seizure. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father (see verse 42). Likewise, a woman in a synagogue “had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all” (Luke 13:11). This was not osteoporosis. Jesus said Satan had kept her bound (see verse 16). More than 25 percent of those physically healed in the Gospel of Mark are the result of their having been set free from demonic influences. Most physical illnesses come upon us naturally such as epilepsy and osteoporosis, but there may be another cause. We would have nothing to lose, but maybe much to gain by verbally saying, “Lord, I submit my body to you as a living sacrifice, and I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit. In the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ I command Satan and all evil spirits to leave my presence.”

The major spiritual work of demons is to tempt, accuse, and deceive the minds of people. It is not uncommon for the secular world to diagnose certain individuals as being mentally ill when the real issue is the spiritual battle being waged for their minds. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). If we are deceived and believe a lie, it affects our mental and emotional health, which often shows up physically as a psychosomatic illness.

Every psychiatrist, counselor, and social worker is trying to help their clients deal with “voices” in their heads. They will likely explain that as a chemical imbalance, and justify their conclusion by saying, “I gave them an anti-psychotic medication and the voices stopped.” All they did was narcotize the person. Take away the medicine and the voices are back, so nothing was cured. Many people drink and take drugs, because they have no mental peace. Of course there are neurological problems, but we also need to ask ourselves some serious questions. Can a chemical imbalance create a personality and a thought? Can neurotransmitters randomly create a thought that I am opposed to thinking? Did I make a conscious choice to think that thought? Did I want to think that thought? If your answers are no, you may want to consider submitting to God and resisting the devil (James 4:7) before seeing your secular doctor.

Dr. Neil

For Spanish, see http://www.ficmm.org/blog