A friend of mine recently compiled a slightly tongue-in-check list of things to do if a Christian manifests a demon. My friend, like me, understands that Christians can be demonized and knows exactly what to do in such a situation; but what about the believer who witnesses a full-blown demonic manifestation from a Christian who doesn’t believe that a Christian can have a demon. What then? Well, there are several options available. My friend has given me considerable journalistic license to reword and restate a few of his humble suggestions. I’ve extensively embellished his original ideas, preserving the same intent, to bring understanding to a very sticky situation. In my own words the slightly sarcastic options include . . .
- Lead the person to Christ, because, if they manifest a demon, they obviously are not a Christian despite their confession and testimony of faith in Jesus.
- Regretfully inform them that casting out demons ended with the apostolic age, and thus, demons are allowed to run rampant with no solution to the problem.
- Make sure they consider the possibility that they missed the predestination classification and now are an unfortunate member or the “un-elect” who must sovereignly suffer, no matter what they claim to believe.
- Instruct them to merely breathe in the Holy Spirit and breathe out the demon quietly as there is no need for any messy manifestations.
- Inform the person that because they live in America, where there are no demons (evil spirits reside only in Africa), that they are likely acting out scary memories of having seen “The Exorcist” movie too many times.
- Sadly, tell them that the demon is a “thorn in their side” and they are privileged to suffer like the apostle Paul.
- Even though the demons can reveal their pet’s name, the street address on which they live, and the secret sins of their past, that what’s happening is all an illusion and they’ll get over it with a good night’s sleep.
- Hand the suffering soul a Christian devotional book, a C. S. Lewis novel, and a John MacArthur Bible study, and inform them that reading every page will make the devil go away, if he ever was there in the first place.
- If they really think they have devil inside they might perhaps try exercise at a health club, swallow herbal supplements, or try Holy Yoga to overcome tormenting thoughts, overpowering temptations and the feeling they want to commit some horrible sin.
- If all the above fails, you could give them Bob Larson’s phone number (that’s me) and suggest a one-on-one Personal Spiritual Encounter. Now that’s a really radical solution that’s out of the box. Who knows, it might actually work.
An encouraging word: DON’T GATHER WITH SINNERS
David makes an interesting statement in Psalm 26:9: “Do not gather my soul with sinners.” Some folks like to hang out with the crowd that breaks the rules and parties the most. They call it fun. But David wants none of it. Perhaps it is because David understood where sinners are headed, to heartache and hell. That’s not how David wants to end his life or spend his days. So, he cries to the Lord to help him to avoid being found with those who reject the moral laws of God. If today you are tempted to go with the flow of the sinners around you, remember David’s prayer and get to church where you can be gathered with those who love the Lord.
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online
