Unlike what took place in the Garden of Eden when he was dealing with two people, in the modern world Satan does not work alone.  In fact, as the Holy Scriptures make abundantly clear, he does most of his damage to the human species through his fallen angels known Biblically as “devils,” called “demons” in the modern church world.

When Satan tried to replace God as ruler of the universe he and 1/3 of the heavenly angels were cast down to the earth’s atmosphere where Satan became “the prince (ruler) of the powers (demons) of the air, the spirit (Satan) who (through his demons) works IN THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE” (Eph: 2:2).  To disobey God is to sin (1 Jn. 3:4).  Therefore, all who sin, both churched and unchurched, are children of disobedience.

What the world does not know and most people within professing Christendom do not understand is that many, if not most of the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual problems of mankind are caused by demons.  The New Testament is rife with references of demons being cast out by Jesus and His disciples/apostles.  Let us look at a few of them.

In Matthew 17 beginning with verse 14 we find Jesus, Peter, James and John coming down from a mountain.  Waiting for them at the bottom of the mountain was a multitude of people.  A man came to the disciples and asked them to cast a demon out of his “lunatic” son.  The demon  often “vexed” the boy, making him fall into the water and into the fire.  This affliction is today called epilepsy.  The disciples tried to cast out the demon but could not.  The man came to Jesus and asked Him to cast it out.   Jesus cast the demon out and the boy was instantly healed.  When asked why they could not cast out the demon, Jesus told the disciples that this kind of demon was very powerful, and that the reason it did not obey their commands was because they had not fasted and prayed enough.  It is for this reason that I fast one 24 hour day each week and pray often.  Paul said he “prayed without ceasing.”

In Mark 5  beginning with verse 1 we find another case in which Jesus dealt with a person who was totally controlled by demons who resided inside him.  The man “had devils (plural) a long time and wore no clothes.”  He was so strong that he could not be restrained even with chains.  However, when Jesus approached him he fell at Jesus’ feet and cried out: “What have I to do with you, Jesus, You Son of the most high God? ” Note that one of the demons spoke for the others.  Jesus had commanded the demons within the man to come out of him.  The demons had often caused him to be violent and dangerous.  At times it drove him into the wilderness.  Jesus asked the demon his name.  He replied, “Legion, for many demons had entered into him.”  The demons begged Jesus to cast them into a heard of swine grazing near the banks of the Sea of Galilee.   Jesus did so, causing the swine to rush down into the water and drown.  The people of the nearby city of Gadara came and asked Jesus to leave the area.  The demons knew Jesus by name and status.  Demons know when they are in the presence of a man of God.  Note that the people of Gadara did not know who Jesus was but the demons did.  Note that the demons had totally taken over the man.

As has been the case in my experience with deliverance, the demon spokesman used the voice of its host.  This is not unusual.  I once cast 33 demons out of a woman.  The demon spoke to me using the woman’s voice.   I asked him how many demons were inside her.  He said “thirty-three.”  I commanded them to come out in the name of Jesus Christ.  Immediately she reported that they had come out her right nostril.  Demons exit the body in various ways.  I once dealt with a woman who had been dabbling in the occult .  When I commanded the demon of witchcraft to come out of her she began to spin around and around.  She continued to spin until she fell to the floor.  My first deliverance resulted in the demon coming out in the form of vomit.  The Lord had warned me this would happen so I had the woman hold a waste can while I cast the demon out.

JESUS COMMANDED HIS MEN TO PERFORM SUCH MIRACLES UNTIL HIS RETURN.

There are many kinds of demons.  As stated earlier, many diseases,, sicknesses and infirmities, whether physical or psychological, are caused by demons that have entered the body or mind of a person undetected until they make their presence known by causing a problem.  Demons readily influence people because the world’s population is in rebellion against God and therefore lack the power to understand what is happening.  As a result the demons enter and manifest themselves at will.  Most people do not believe in demons and do not recognize the cause of their physical, mental, emotional problems.  The assume that things are as they are because “it is what it is”–just “nature taking its course.”

Demons take the form of physical diseases such as cancer, pneumonia, heart disease, etc.  Others take the form of mental disorders such as homosexuality and other types of sexual deviance, dementia, depression, murder, drug addiction, lying, cheating. all forms of witchcraft and occultic practices as well as all types of religious beliefs except true Christianity.  Demons specialize.   For example, a demon of lying tempts its host to lie and a demon of cancer gives its host cancer.

Demons can cause their host to pretend to be Christians.  For example, in the Book of Acts we find Apostles Paul and Silas working some believers in the city of Philippi.  The apostles were staying some distance from where they were holding prayer meetings which meant that they had to walk to the meetings.   Each time they made the trip a young woman with a spirit of divination (fortune telling–“soothsaying”) followed them while loudly proclaiming: “These men are the servants of the Most High God who show to us the way of salvation.”  She was right–they were God’s servants who would show them the way to eternal life.  But Paul knew that she was operating under the power of a demonic spirit which was speaking through her.  One day as he and Silas were going to the meeting Paul turned and said to the spirit: “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”  The evil spirit obeyed.  Paul, having the power of God within him, knew that the girl was demonic, even though everything she said was true.  Only those who are at one with the Lord have such spiritual insight.

As a general rule, if something is wrong with a human being, there is a good possibility that the problem is caused by a demonic spirit.  They can afflict anyone who is not one with the Lord.  Because sin separates the individual from Him (Isa. 59:2), the sinner is open to the influence of Satan’s fallen angels.  L.J.