Possessed, Oppressed, or What?
We begin by recognizing and realizing that evil in this world, and no matter
what shape it comes in, it is orchestrated by satan. Darkness entered the world when he entered it...Zechariah 5:1-3.
And, darkness will leave the world when he leaves it...Revelation 22:3.
All bad will have spirits behind it, but the old saying, "the devil made
me do it" is not always true. Man, as we will see, plays a role also in this whole picture of darkness and evil.
Many battles have been fought over whether or not a Christian can be demon
possessed. The Greek word for ‘possessed’ is ‘daimonizomai’ and literally means ‘to be demonized.’
The Bible makes no clear distinction between degrees of demon activity (such
as oppressed, depressed, possessed, etc.), but simply refers to people as being ‘demonized.’
All Christians are fighting against spiritual powers, and if we don't take
unto us the whole armor of God, Satan can certainly affect us or even control us.
Renowned deliverance pastor and teacher, Frank Hammond, says, "The question
is not whether Christians can have demons, but rather, can I ever find a Christian without a demon?"
Some saints reason that demons cannot live in the body because it is the
temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). But we find that the temple in Old Testament days was divided into three main
sections: outer court, Holy Place, and Holy of Holies. In Moses’ tabernacle, anyone could enter the outer court, even
foreigners. The Holy Spirit dwelt in the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
Similarly, I believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirits or hearts
(Ephesians 3:17; 2 Peter 1:19), the demons in our bodies. In Acts 5:3, Peter said to Ananias, "why hath satan filled thine
heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?"
In Ezekiel, the prophet dug a hole in the wall of God’s temple and
found a door through which he entered. He saw, "every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of
the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall around about" (Ezekiel 8:10).
Demons existed in God’s temple.
There are Seven Stages of Demonization
A person can deliver self from the following:
Regression . . . going backward in spiritual growth and
power.
Repression . . . fear, ignorance, or indifference keep
knowledge of demons hidden. Satan steals your joy. (Within).
Suppression . . . listless, inactive, disinterested.
Suppression of feelings. (Without).
Depression . . . broken spirit . . . inactivity.
Oppression . . . weighs you down with something you are
not able to carry. Disease is a weapon of oppression. At this stage the person will need help from another with deliverance:
Obsession . . . changes the mind (black is white, straight
is crooked). Comes through believing a lie, jealousy, hatred. No will power.
Possession . . . no mind of your own. Seen often as insanity.
If you recognize yourself or anyone else in one or more of these conditions, and you want help but don't know what to do or
where to go, write to me privately and let's get it taken care of. . . . Dr Z
