Do Demons Exist?

I hit the gym today, and as usual I looked for sermons to listen to (gotta strengthen the spirit as well as the mind and body, right?)! Instead of "Lions Of Judah", or Tony Evans, a different podcast appeared in my feed. It was about whether demons were real or not. Of course I clicked on it! If any of you are not aware, I definitely believe that demons exist. It says clearly in the Bible that they do, so, if it's in God's book, why would I doubt? Furthermore, I have experienced a lot of things that cannot be explained in the natural. No, I don't "hear voices" or think that every bad thing stems from satan himself, but I DO know that there are nefarious spirits at work in which the Bible tells us to be aware of. Why else would we be warned not to seek out mediums, talking to the dead, and such...if it wasn't a reality?

Merriam- Webster defines "demon" as "an evil spirit, an accompanying power or spirit: genius, demigod sense, and one that has a lot of energy." No matter which way you slice it; demons are no joke. Some people claim to be oppressed by demons, while others may be possessed by them, so what is the difference?

Oppression means to inflict unfair hardship on someone. Possession means that something controls or "owns" you. A true Christian cannot be possessed by a demon because we have the Holy Spirit that resides inside of us. Pure evil and pure love cannot live happily with one another. Christians CAN be oppressed, meaning that evil spirits can cause us some damage. The damage can come in the form of financial ruin, health issues, relationship division, mental confusion, and self-destructive habits or urges. One can be oppressed but still win the fight. If you stand strong, and not cave to the desires of your flesh, you can beat oppression. Possession is a whole different ball of wax! If someone does not fight the oppression of evil, we are tempted to simply comply with it. The more you comply with evil, the more you are at risk of inviting more evil destruction into your life. Left unchecked, an oppression can turn into a possession. God never turns His back on His kids, but He did gift us with free will, so we have the freedom to walk away from Him anytime we choose. I am not a believer in the saying "once saved, always saved". I believe that once you have the Holy Spirit, there is not a chance on the planet that He would let you walk away from the Father.

So what kind of demons am I talking about here? Well, there are many. Some are low on the totem pole and are just pesky little mosquitoes, while others are granted great power from THEIR father....the father of lies. The more potential you have to bring glory to God, the bigger the demon assigned to try and shut you up, take you down, convert you, or destroy you.

I bring this subject up because we need to start understanding why we have such crazy struggles like eating disorders, anxiety, depression, addiction, and mental health issues. Much of our self-

destructive behavior comes from listening to the oppressive voice in our mind telling us that "escaping is easier than dealing with things", that "numb is better than feeling", or "I have no worth". When we have these thoughts, they are not from God. Those negative influences are from the enemy. There are times when demons will even use people we love, care about, or admire in order to seal the deal on the oppressive brainwash. He will send people who give us ways out, excuses, or justifications about our actions. It doesn't mean these people are bad, or even aware that they are being used to harm or stunt you. It merely illustrates how devious satan and his minions are.

There are jealousy demons, greed demons, sexual perversion demons, pride demons, ego demons and more! In society today, it is appalling to even give attention to the subject of evil. It is easier to call someone a nutcase or religious zealot than to submit to the fact that the enemy of our soul is running the world. He loves that we are destroying each other, and gets glee when we destroy ourselves. It makes his job that much easier!

Ever hear this phrase? "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist"? Well, maybe if people submitted to the fact that he does indeed exist, we would be in a better place. We would have no excuses, no justifications, and a heck of a lot less self-inflicted pain. We would have a world where we knew what team people were playing on; Team Jesus, or Team satan.