Entry Points for demons into people’s lives
There are many different things that can act as entry points for demons to enter people’s lives and begin to afflict them. We must remember that, unlike God, demon spirits have no regard for a person’s honour or free will. They will seize any opportunity they can to invade someone’s life.
The following are a few of the ways that demon influence can be invited:
- Involvement in the occult or false religions (including drug abuse which is closely related to sorcery)
- Negative prenatal and family influences (eg: conflict, violence, abuse in the home)
- Emotional shock or trauma, or sustained emotional pressure
- Sinful acts and habits and wrong attitudes (eg: unforgiveness)
- Laying on of hands (1 Tim 5:22). We must be careful to realise however that demons can only be transferred and received by an act of the human will. A discussion of this doctrine can be found in [Module 2: Doctrine: Laying on of Hands]
- Negative and idle words
- Unforgiveness and Bitterness
- Sexual Promiscuity (1 Cor 6:15-20)
God calls us to live clean, holy and consecrated lives for our own benefit. A clean and consecrated vessel is no longer quarry to the ravaging spiritual parasites who are seeking a place of rest/residence (Luke 11:24).
See Appendix 1 for a checklist of possible entry points for demonic activity
Dealing With Demons
THE VICTORY OF JESUS
“… For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
1 John 3:8, NKJV
Our authority and victory is based absolutely on the victory that was won by Christ in His perfect life, substitutionary death on the cross, death destroying resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father and mediatory ministry as our great heavenly High Priest. The awesome reality of these aspects of Christ’s work will be considered in detail in our module, “The Atonement”. In the context of our present discussion we consider them briefly here as a taster and an entrée…
1. His Perfect Life
Jesus was tempted in the wilderness in the three areas of man’s being: spirit, soul and body (Matt 4:1-11; 1 Thess 5:23). Satan first tempted Adam, the first man, in these same areas (Gen 3:1-6), leading to the fall. Thus all Adam’s unborn race came under satanic dominion, and under sin, sickness and death. Christ won a personal victory in all these areas, preparing the way for His life of power during His earthly ministry and His representative victory later on.
2. His Substitutionary Death, Resurrection and Ascension
Christ’s victory in the wilderness was on His own behalf. His victory at Calvary was on our behalf. At the cross, Christ utterly conquered satan and his hosts.
- He conquered satan as the author of sin (2 Cor 5:19-21)
- He conquered him as the author of sickness (Isa 53:4; Matt 8:16-17)
- He conquered him as the author of death (Heb 2:13-14; Rev 1:18)
- He conquered him as the author of poverty (2 Corinthians 8:9)
- He conquered him as the ruler of the kingdoms of this world (Matt 4:8-10; Rev 11:15)
- He conquered him in the heavenly realm, overcoming principalities and powers in the spiritual realm (Eph 1:19-23; 4:8-10; Phil 2:9-11)
Jesus now has all authority in heaven and in earth (Matt 28:19-20). He has secured full and complete victory over all the powers of darkness, and will reign at the right hand of the Father until every last enemy is put under His feet (Ps 110:1-2; 1 Cor 15:25-26)
THE BELIEVER AND THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS
God now intends to use the Church, Christ’s Body, to subdue satan (Eph 3:10-11; Rom 16:20).
Jesus delegated His authority over satan’s kingdom to the church:
- He delegated authority to the 12 apostles (Luke 9:1)
- He delegated authority to the 70 disciples (Luke 10:1,17-20)
- He delegated authority to the Church corporately and Believers individually (Mark 16:15-20)
The Great Commission is to preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out devils. During Jesus ministry His purpose was to destroy the works of darkness:
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1John 3:8 NKJV)
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38 NKJV)
Effectively, the Church continues the ministry of Jesus in the earth. The Book of Acts clearly demonstrates the power of this gospel over all the power of the enemy.
As believer’s we walk in the victory that Christ has won, and we are called to enforce His reign:
- In our own lives; spirit, soul and body
- In the lives of our families and other individuals
- In villages, towns, cities and nations
As believers, we submit to God, bringing every thought into captivity and subjection to Him, and we resist and condemn the work of the enemy:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2Cor 10:3-6)
Recommended Reading:
They Shall Expel Demons: What You Need to Know About Demons – Your Invisible Enemies and Lucifer Exposed: The Devil’s Plan to Destroy Your Life by Derek Prince
The Bondage Breaker and Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil Anderson
Appendix 1: Possible Entry points for the demonic
As outlined by Neil T Anderson in the Freedom In Christ course. Specifically renouncing, repenting and turning from these activities completely breaks their right and power to operate in your life and ministry.
- Astral-projection (out-of- body)
- Astrology
- Automatic writing
- Bahaism
- Black and white magic
- Black Muslim
- Blood pacts or cut yourself in a destructive way
- Bloody Mary
- Children of God
- Christian Science
- Church of the Living Word
- Clairvoyance
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Eastern Star / Demolay / Job’s Daughters
- Eckankar
- EST (The Forum)
- Father Divine
- Fetishism (objects of worship)
- Fortune telling
- Ghosts
- Hare Krishna
- Herbert W. Armstrong
- Hinduism
- Horoscopes
- Incubi and succubi (sexual spirits)
- Islam
- Jehovah’s Witness
- Magic eight ball
- Masons/Shriners
- Materialization
- Mental suggestions or attempting to swap minds
- Mormonism
- Native American Spirit Worship
- New Age
- New age medicine
- New Warriors
- Ouija board
- Paganism
- Palm or tea leaves reading
- Psychics
- Rod & pendulum (dowsing)
- Rosicrucianism
- Roy Masters
- Satanic Books, Movies, Music, Videos
- Science of Creative Intelligence
- Science of the Mind
- Scientology
- Séance
- Secret Oaths
- Selfhypnosis
- Silva Mind Control
- Speaking in trance
- Spirit guides
- Swedenborgianism
- Table lifting or body lifting
- Tarot cards
- Telepathy
- The Way International
- Theosophical Society
- Transcendental Meditation
- Unification Church
- Unitarianism
- Unity
- Voodoo
- Witness Lee
- Yoga
- Zen Buddhism
Others:
- ___
This list is not comprehensive and the student is encouraged to explore the ‘Freedom In Christ’ material by Neil T. Anderson further. In the course he addresses issues of unforgiveness, deception, family, fear and worry and other areas, habits and actions that can adversely affect the disciple of Christ, keeping them in bondage to satanic forces.
