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There is no single cause of demon possession. However, there is a common condition which always puts humans at risk: a spiritual vacuum in the soul. When the Holy Spirit is not present in the soul, it becomes easy for a demon or demons to take up residence. This may be for very brief periods of time through a process of demonic time-sharing.
Sometimes, it is difficult to discern the difference between causes and effects of demon possession. For example, an interest in illicit sex may draw demonic activity. On the other hand, a person who becomes involved with demons through an interest in the occult may be drawn into sexual crimes.
As our secular society struggles to rid itself of all aspects of religion, more and more people are left with spiritual vacuums in their private lives as well as their corporate public life. When this spiritual vacuums exists, any one of a multitude of activities and practices may draw the interest of demons. For example, demons are drawn by a human's interest in unknown supernatural powers, in the same way sharks are drawn to blood in the water. This part of the booklet lists and explains many activities and practices which place humans at significant risk of demon possession, even though this possession may be intermittent.
1. Interest in the Occult
The basic meaning of the word occult is "hidden." This alone should be warning to avoid anything to do with occult activities and practices. Remember that there are only two kinds of supernatural power: holy and evil. If something supernatural cannot be clearly identified as getting its power from God, then it must be getting its power from Satan. Of course not all things that appear to be supernatural are truly above the laws of nature. Some are a hoax. Others are based on skill and sleight of hand, such as party magic.
Remember the cardinal rule for examining all occult practices: if it's genuine, and truly supernatural, it's evil. If it's not genuine, it's a hoax. Either way, avoid all types of supernatural activity which do not clearly have a Divine source of power.
A. Books about the Occult
Be cautious about reading books on the occult which are not written by a Christian. Johanna Michelson writes about supernatural evil power from the evangelical perspective. Her book, "The Beautiful Side of Evil", is an example. This book recounts her experiences with the occult and how she escaped to freedom. Another useful book on this topic is "Psychic Healers of the Phillipines" by Joe Folz. Books like these should be available in a local Christian book store. If you want to learn more about the occult in order to protect yourself from its evils, read these kinds of books. Avoid anything which is written by someone who is currently involved in occult practices, including Hollywood celebrities. Stick with evangelical authors who have insights inspired by the Holy Spirit in order to see demons for who and what they really are: the agents of Satan.
B. Horoscopes and Astrology
During the Reagan administration, the nation was intrigued by the alleged involvement of the First Lady in astrology and horoscopes. Many Americans were horrified to think that affairs of state might have been manipulated by a demon speaking through a horoscope guru. That kind of thing is not harmless and can lead to deeper occult practices which are far more sinister than reading the daily horoscope in the newspaper.
Pay no attention to your astrological sign. Never read your horoscope in the paper or listen to an astrologer on the radio or TV. Never call the so-called psychic hotline. And never go to an astrologer in person to seek advice.
C. The "New Age"
According to astrologers, time is divided into ages of about 2,000 years. New agers claim that we are now crossing over the line between the old age and the new age. The old age is Pisces, the sign of the fish. In Bible history, the sign of the fish (drawn with two curved lines to represent the crude outline of a fish) is a first-century symbol of Christ and Christians.
The new age is identified in the words of the folk song of the 70s: "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius". Many books have been written to explain the new age but the basic concept can be expressed in one sentence: in the new age, everything is spiritual rather than physical and you are god. Of course, this kind of thinking comes from the mouth of Satan himself, as recorded in Genesis 3:5: "...For God knows that when you eat of it (the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil) your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Be cautions of anything which has to do with the new age.
D. Hypnotism
You may have seen a demonstration of hypnotism as an entertainment event. Those who don't believe in supernatural power, good or evil, are convinced that post-hypnotic suggestion is science and, therefore, harmless. Be careful. If the power is not of God, it is of Satan.
E. Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP)
Secular humanists categorize this type of activity under parapsychology. The word "psychology" refers to a study of the mind. The prefix "para" means "almost but not quite", as in paralegal. The proponents of parapsychology believe it is science instead of the occult. You will be wise to stay away from extra-sensory perception, mind control, yoga, and all sorts of meditative activities. Don't deliberately open your mind to powers which are not clearly Holy or it may be filled with something demonic.
F. Fortune Telling, Palm Reading, and Tarot Cards
Avoid anything which suggests that you can look into the future. This ability is not given to humans by God except in rare cases and then we refer to such persons as prophets.
G. Seances
If a seance truly produces some kind of supernatural contact with the dead which is not a trick, what is being seen or heard is the work of demons. If Rich Little can make his voice sound like everyone from Johnny Carson to Lee Iacocca, a demon can do the same thing. No one comes back from the dead or speaks from the grave. Fortunately, most mediums are fakes and they would drop over in a dead faint if what they were trying to do really worked and someone did come back from the grave. Either way, avoid seances completely.
H. Ghosts and Haunted Houses
As I've said before, Hollywood has a stronger belief in demons than most evangelical preachers. "Ghostbusters" and "Poltergeist" are classic examples of Hollywood's interest in demons. Of course there are no haunted houses or ghosts in terms of people coming back from the grave. However, demons do possess houses in addition to people, and the so-called ghosts which people claim to see are either figments of their imagination or the activities of demons. Regardless, stay away from any house which is thought to be haunted. That house may be a nesting place for demons. The famous house in Amityville, New York is a classic example of a house which was polluted with demons.
I. Reincarnation
Demons probably go as far back as the war in heaven which is described in Revelation 12. Since that time, the same fallen angels, as demons, have possessed countless human beings in generation after generation. That's why a person can claim to speak from bygone centuries. The soul has not been reincarnated. It is merely possessed by a demon, or perhaps more than one, who has possessed countless humans before it. This goes for celebrities and non-celebrities alike who claim to be channels for the dead to speak, with or without the use of crystals. If a human alive today has supernatural knowledge of the past, this is nothing but the capricious activities of demons. How they must howl with glee when naive humans believe their actions are proof of reincarnation.
There is a difference between a belief in reincarnation and a belief in the resurrection. Resurrection is the Biblical doctrine that we will be raised from the dead with a glorified body when Jesus returns to earth. Reincarnation is based on the theory that a soul occupies successive bodies down through the centuries.
2. Demonic Favors
There are no friendly spirits, unless they are holy angels. Caspar, the friendly ghost, exists only in the comics. If a demon acts friendly or appears to do good deeds, the real objectives are to bring glory to Satan, to draw humans into addictive occult practices, or to draw attention to the demon's own evil activities.
Here's an example. Let's say a self-proclaimed psychic goes to the police and offers his or her services in helping to find a child who has been missing for several days. The psychic then begins to visualize in frightening detail the circumstances surrounding the case: kidnapping, sexual assault, murder, and hasty burial, complete with the location of the makeshift grave. A police investigation confirms that all details revealed by the psychic are unfortunately true. After we have ruled out a hoax and complicity in the crime itself, what is left? Nothing but the involvement of demons.
The psychic may be well-meaning and would not be considered demon-possessed under normal circumstance.. But, since this person has consciously or unconsciously invoked supernatural power to solve a mystery, a demon has answered the call with visualizations of great detail. It may be the very demon who earlier possessed the perpetrator while the crime was committed. The demon or demons involved in this hypothetical case has no altruistic motives. Providing comfort for the grieving family is not an issue. The demon wants everyone to know what has been accomplished under its influence so Satan and all the other demons can get the glory.
Sometimes successful psychics come up empty and receive no images which can contribute to the solution of the crime. When an experienced psychic draws a blank, it may be because there was no demon involvement in the crime. Since a demon was not involved, the psychic has no supernatural source of information in this particular case.
By the way, psychics seldom, if ever, find a live victim.
3. Demonic Games
Games which have their roots in the supernatural can lead to demonic involvement. The best known are the ouija board and dungeons and dragons games. In the Phillipines there are chapels for worshipping demons. At the front in place of the altar, there is a large ouija board. With this device, demons can communicate with humans. It can work the very same way in the hands of children right there in your living room.
My wife, Naomi, tells about how she and a childhood friend named Fran played with a ouija board without knowing of the potential danger. Afternoons after school, Naomi went to Fran's house and played with the board. The marker seemed to move by itself as words were spelled out but each girl thought the other was doing the pushing. One day, Naomi was sick and couldn't go to her friend's house. Later Fran told her that when she played with the ouija board alone that day, the board spelled out the question, "Where's Naomi?"
Dragon-type games can be dangerous, also. The Bible clearly teaches that dragon is a name for Satan. All kids may not be negatively effected by such dragon games but many are being drawn into occult practices through this thought-to-be harmless table game.
4. Pornographic and Obscene Materials
Demons have a demonstrated interest in illicit human sexual activity. Therefore, for the purposes of this discussion, materials that portray illicit sexual activities in words, pictures, and sound will be identified as pornographic and will be branded as dangerous. Using pornography can make a person vulnerable to involvement with demons, especially when the pornography is used in connection with masturbation and fantasies. Jesus said that having sexual fantasies while looking at another person who is not your spouse is equal to adultery. "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matt. 5:29". The same can be true about looking at pictures, videos, movies-- and reading books which are pornographic. Since demons are interested in illicit sexual behavior in humans, and since pornography leads to fantasies about illicit sexual activities, it follows that using pornography draws demons.
Let's think about what has been happening in our country since the early 70s as far as the availability of pornography is concerned. There isn't a sexual activity which is not available on videotape or in print, in sharply-focused full color. This includes sado-masochistic violence and so-called snuff movies which show humans being killed on camera. Listen to Ted Bundy's warning in his interview with Dr. James Dobson on the eve of his execution: "...some of the violence in the movies that come into homes today, the stuff that they wouldn't show in X-rated adult theaters thirty years ago."
Now, let's think about the crime problem in our society in the light of these facts:
1. The use of pornography draws demons.
2. The production and use of pornography is at an all-time high in the history of civilization.
3. There is a cause and effect relationship between the availability and use of hard core pornography and the incidents of violent sexual crimes involving adults as well as children as victims.
5. Mind-altering Drugs
Drug use draws demons because the drugs can open the mind to supernatural intrusions. The Holy Spirit is too much a gentleman to fill you while you are under the influence of drugs. The same can't be said for demons. They delight in finding a person on a drug trip and being right there, stretched out on the sofa, when that person comes down from the chemical high.
The drug high produces an avenue of entry to the inner self which does not exist under normal circumstances. We could call a drug high the doorway to the soul. A demon could be described as a cat trying to get into a house. Leave a door open just a crack for just a second and that cat is in the house before you realize it.
Most people wouldn't dream of going shopping or going on vacation while leaving the house doors unlocked. Yet think of all of the people who use drugs which results in what is known in the vernacular as "taking a trip". While a drug user is on a trip with his or her mind wide open, any of the demons of hell can walk right in and stake a claim.
6. Multiple-Personalities, Schizophrenia, and Hearing Voices
The Bible talks about persons who were possessed with as many as 6,000 demons. Modern psychiatry documents people who give evidence of having more than one personality as well as those who are troubled by hearing multiple voices. In fact, "hearing voices" seems to be a fairly common mental health complaint associated with schizophrenia.
There is an obvious connection between the Biblical fact that multiple demons can possess a single person and the medical fact that multiple personalities can reside in a single body or that a person can hear a multitude of voices.
7. Demon Possession and Homosexuality
We've established that demons have a strong interest in illicit human sexuality, and that illicit sexual activity is defined by the Bible as any sexuality outside the bounds and bonds of legal marriage. Since homosexuality is illicit sexual activity, it follows that demons are interested in establishing and perpetuating homosexuality.
The Spring 1975 issue of the "Journal of the Christian Medical Society" documents a fascinating case concerning homosexual activity and demon possession. This case involved a Christian psychiatrist who was seeing a female patient who was an activist in the gay and lesbian community. At the same time, she was troubled by demon possession and was eventually delivered. In a later counseling session, she said to her psychiatrist, "Know what? I'm not a lesbian."
"Oh, when did you decide to give it up?"
"Decide nothing!. I'm, just not-- not since the demons left!"
This case provides a strong indication that homosexuality can be caused by demon possession.
According to the journal article, following her deliverance from demon possession, the patient "abandoned her homosexual lifestyle, resigned from the gay organization, and professed to have no homosexual conflict."
8. Homosexual Clergypersons
There is no Biblical way for a homosexual person to become a member of the evangelical clergy. The idea of ordaining practicing homosexuals to the Christian ministry is a total perversion of scripture. However, some evangelical periodicals have included statements by seminary professors in support of ordaining homosexuals. This is a clear example of demons at work in the hearts of church leaders as well as in the lives of the parishoners.
While Christ teaches love for the sinner, and the Holy Spirit has the power to cleanse the heart of all evil, there is no room behind the pulpit for a person with even intermittent demon possession.
The Bible may be subject to interpretation on certain issues of doctrine. For example, is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit a second act of grace? does it occur at salvation? or does it happen at death? Or, should baptism be by immersion or by sprinkling? However, on the matter of homosexuality, there is no second interpretation possible for anyone who accepts the word of God as the authority for how we live our lives, including our sexuality.
Sodom was destroyed because the men of that city practiced physical sex with each other, as noted in Gen. 19:4-19. God's position on homosexual relations is clearly spelled out in Leviticus 18:22. This chapter outlines sexual regulations in general and they are not mixed with injunctions regarding such things as harvesting, wage payment, or cattle breeding. They are assembled together in one place with Verse 22 speaking specifically of homosexuality.
Perhaps you won't accept an Old Testament position on an issue unless it is supported in the New Testament as well. Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote as part of a general denunciation of the sins of mankind, as recorded in his New Testament letter to the Romans, chapter 1 and verses 26-27 (NIV): "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." Could this "due penalty" have been the birth of AIDS, even back then?
The real issue is not whether the Bible says homosexuality is a sin. That fact is clearly understood by all careful Bible students. The real issue is the Bible's answer to the sin problem at any level. There is true hope for the homosexual, and anyone else who has disobeyed God's laws. The blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit can provide both forgiveness and cleansing. Then former homosexuals can lift their heads high and be called Christians or even clergypeople. Not because a liberal theologian says so but because Jesus Christ says so.
For a full description of how a homosexual can obtain freedom from demon possession and the addiction of homosexuality, see the solution described in Part 3 of this booklet.
Part 2-B: Causes And Effects Of Demon Possession is next.
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