Every time there is a post about demon possession, there are statements made about it that just are not true at all.
Demon possession has, according to people working with it, increased many, many times since 1970. That is because sinfulness is accepted as the norm more and more.
People who believe in Christ can be possessed if they allow sin to be part of their life.
There is a difference between being influenced by demons and being possessed by demons. Very few people are actually possessed, and experts who work with this are very careful and thorough in their examination of a person to determine if they are possessed, simply influenced, or mentally ill.
To say that going to the occult as the only way to learn about demons is very, very wrong. People in the occult are not there to learn about demons, often they don't even know it is demons they are working with. Christians need to learn about demons in order to protect themselves from them. We need to go to people like Danschance who has experience. We need to arm ourselves with all words of God and protect ourselves with Christ when we look in this subject. And we need to stay away from people or books that talk about this without a Christ centered base.
Scripture gives us a good way to start. Our Lord's prayer talks of asking for protection from this. Jesus worked with demons. There are books out giving the stories of men who have served as doctors for possession, who tell of coming face to face with demons and overcoming them. M Scott Peck, Malachi Martin, G. P Haggart come to mind.
The need for learning about this wasn't necessary not long ago, for there was little of it. For a time in our world, the church was so uninformed they committed murder of alleged victims. Today, where would you go if you suspected that a family member was possessed? You would need help badly. The church should be prepared to help.
-I understand your position on the issue of possession, but I will strongly point out that it is not Biblically-based. If the experiences of a few men contradict the clear teachings of Scripture regarding demon possession, the men are mistaken not the Word of God.
-Allowing sin into your life is a sure sign that a person has no faith in God: because by their actions, they are demonstrating that they do not believe that God WILL actively discipline them in THIS life for their sin; but it does not have to do with 'possession'. Humans are responsible for their own sin.
The Holy Spirit protects any and all who are saved. This protection eliminates the possibility of demon possession.
There is NO Biblical basis for saying that a Christian can be possessed by a demon. If that is your actual belief, please start a new thread so I can show you all the verses in Philippians, 1&2 Peter, James, Romans, Revelation, and in the Gospels that clearly show that: all believers are saved, all the saved are sealed/indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and all those sealed are protected from demons.
Humans have an attraction to sin without the help of demons.
Linking all sin to demons is like linking all murders to serial killers.
Sure, some temptation is caused by demonic forces, but many times, people aren't following the will of God because they have no faith in His activity in the world today.
Also, the Lord's Prayer is an example, not a mantra. It is great to memorize, but prayer is meant to be communication, not repetition.
