Can a Christian be possessed?

People stumble over the word "possess". It does not mean that the individual is totally under the control of a demon. Demons generally live in the soul of man, not the spirit. Demons want to control man's will. I know Christians who have become helpless puppets, enslaved to a sin which they hate and cannot defeat. I have cast out demons from such people and seen instant relief. I've experienced that myself.

The Bible makes it clear that we are at war. The gospel of the Kingdom is the gospel of deliverance as well as the other aspects. Mark 16:17 tells us that one of the signs that accompany believers is casting out demons. I would not attempt to cast out demons from unbelievers. I value my physical well being!

Saying that a Christian cannot have a demon makes as much sense as saying that we can't get sick. The Holy Spirit gives life to our mortal bodies, sure. But I've been ill from time to time. Twice my condition could have been fatal. God was merciful. I was healed.

On that basis, no Christian can ever get sick. Newsflash. Christians do get sick.

The birth of Hitler is the product of western world being far away from the word of God. You can't just talk about Hitler talking about the devil, but because the world is full of devil rules, and can create someone as Hitler,Hitler is only the epitome of colonialism in the western world.

The western world accepted Christianity for a long time, but it didn't work very well.World War I and World War II illustrate everything.

Hitler's belongs to Hitler, Stalin's belongs to Stalin, the devil's belongs to the devil, and God's belongs to God.

Hacksaw RidgeThe Conscientious Objector
Have you seen the film? If a person's faith can be strong enough as this, what is the devil?What can the devil do.

Did you watch the video? That's what the devil has done. The Toronto Blessing deceived vast numbers of Christians. There is much talk of a last days revival. I hope I'm wrong, but all I see is a rerun of the Toronto Blessing except more deceptive. Satan has learned a few tricks since the last blight.

Because the term possession is guaranteed to raise hackles (for the precise reason that I addressed), I don't use it. I really don't give a hoot whether someone is "oppressed", "possessed", or merely "influenced"; my aim is to free the believer from the enemy.

Perhaps if Christians would read the relevant Scripture more carefully, and apply it, there would be more action, less argument, and less demonically-rooted delusion in the Church. People don't fight an enemy that they don't believe is present, or worse, don't believe it can be present.

I won't tell you about my views on some churches. I will only tell you that I have learned a lot from the Bible.I won't comment on this video.It is not a good idea to spread disputes among brothers.Mutual attacks can only give Satan more opportunities.

You seem to suggest that Christianity was not sacrificed in conflicts through out old history....why is there a difference?

I'm not suggesting anything,I'm just saying that Christianity has not played a good role in the history of the western world.
Of course, I'm just result oriented.I certainly hope Christianity can play a more good role, but history is history and cannot be changed.

Do you believe when Jesus casted out the demons that was controlling the individual or trying to kill the host, was that not possession?

This is a major way demons world in the world they run. They start with a truth of the Lord and twist it.

God protects us in two ways. We are to study and meditate on His word. When demons tempted Christ in this way, Christ knew the word so well that it didn't work to twist it. The other way is for us to ask forgiveness for the sins we are unaware of. This way we keep ourselves open to taking care of the sneaky ways demons work against us.

A demon may be able to influence a Christian (indwelt by the Holy Spirit)..

But cannot cohabitate with the Holy Spirit in a Christian's sole!

The Holy Spirit is God !

End of story

I totally agree with that statement ------the war we fight is in thoughts -------you win or loos the battle in your mind ------Any Born Again person has the Holy Of Holies indwelling in them and they are Heaven bound -----the Born again Christian is a Carnal Christian which means they are heaven bound but still think like the world thinks ------your Soul --mind --will and emotions have to aline with your spirit -----God gave us the Holy Spirit ------it is our Job to cast out bad thoughts and replace them with God's thoughts ---we are to chang the way we think ---that is the war we fight -----

So what your saying is that A demon can over power the Holy of Holies and reside in an already perfect sinless Spirit which is the way God views our Spirit when we receive the Holy Spirit ---sinless and heaven bound ------that just makes no sense ---and further more the scripture make it clear that the demons tremble at the sight of God ---The Holy Spirit is God -------So no demon would not dare even try and possess a Holy Spirit Filled Christian ----


Matthew 8 ---so we see this man was showing extreme violence --which is physical ------

Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men
28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,[c] two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.

29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.

31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

and James 2:19 ---says
AMP
You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror—they have seen His wrath]!

I say ---so again it makes no sense that a demon would Possess a true Christian -----they can put thoughts in the person's mind and hope they do the thought ----and not cast it out by repeating God's word -----

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I say -----Well demons are Spirits ------and so they take over the person by and through their Spirit ---the Spirit is what animates the Body ------they can inflict certain diseases and illness I agree with that --and they can also inflict the mind as well -----but they are able to control the individual and make them do all kinds of Physical things as well ----you are under their power they have the control of the person's body and mind ---until the Spirit is called out -----So we definitely see things different in that regard

Strong's Concordance
daimonizomai: to be possessed by a demon
Usage: I am possessed, am under the power of an evil-spirit or demon.

i.e. coming under the power of a demon (fallen angel).

are persons afflicted with especially severe diseases, either bodily or mental (such as paralysis, blindness, deafness, loss of speech, epilepsy, melancholy, insanity, etc.), whose bodies in the opinion of the Jews demons had entered, and so held possession of them as not only to afflict them with ills, but also to dethrone the reason and take its place themselves; accordingly, the possessed were accustomed to express the mind and consciousness of the demons dwelling in them; and their cure was thought to require the expulsion of the demon


I say -----I am sorry you had that experience and I am glad you got healed -----so are you saying that demons are responsible for your experience ?------

There are some illness that demons can inflict on people for sure ----but for the Born Again Person again Scripture is clear that Jesus took our sickness and disease with Him on the Cross ------ True Christians are under the Blessings now ----Jesus defeated the Curse and brought back the Blessing for all who receive Him ------

So what do we do with these scriptures ------throw them out and discard them or Believe them ----

Isaiah 53:4-5 NASB

The Suffering Servant
4 However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by God, and humiliated.

5 But He was [a]pierced for our offenses,
He was crushed for our wrongdoings;
The punishment for our [b]well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed


Matthew 8:17 ESV
17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Strong's Concordance
choli: sickness
Isaiah 53:4; — sickness, disease

So we see that Jesus took sickness and disease with Him ------and it clearly says you are Healed ------past tense =----the healing is Spiritual and Physical -----

So we can say that the Scripture does not say that ----but that won't change what the Scripture says ---

You either believe it or you don't ------See the I WILL here in Scripture ----that is a promise ------

"Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you…" Exodus 23:25

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD" ~ Jeremiah 30:17

• "My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body." ~ Proverbs 4:20-22
  
  
• "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." ~Proverbs 17:24

Certainly, but none of those people were Christians at the time, so those cases don't speak to the thread question.

Sickness is not the same as demonic possession. After the Fall, God allowed germs -- bacteria and viruses -- to exist on earth and make people sick. At the same time God had designed a marvelous IMMUNE SYSTEM to fight microbial invaders. Even the skin itself is designed to protect humans. But there is a whole array or organs, tissues, and systems which protect us. At the same time ordinary hygiene and proper food, sleep, and exercise will generally keep people healthy. To further enhance protection, God has provided a whole array of medicinal plants. The Cinchona bark provides quinine for example.

I sometimes think that each of us is a single cell, and all mankind is a complete person. When this person is ill, God heals this person and saves this person, and then disease and weakness leave us.

Exactly there is no instance of Christian demon possession and of all the commands on how to deal with spiritual warfare, none are how to cast out our demons.

Agreed.

What many people conclude from that is Christians cannot be demonized, which Scripture doesn't state. I know from personal experience that the opposite is true. Scripture is not an exhaustive how-to manual, and I reject the Church of Christ approach that if something is not mentioned, it is not permitted and/or does not exist.

You are so right True Christians do get sick ---so If Jesus took sickness and disease with Him why do True Christians still get sick ------

This is what i think -----many true Christians do not believe that Jesus took Physical illness away ----many believe it means Spiritual only ---so unbelief is a problem here ------Many Christians do not understand that what has been accomplished by Jesus on the Cross they lay hold to those things already ----healing is a done deal ---it awaits to be Received by the person ------many think that Faith heals you and that is False Doctrine ----only Jesus can heal a person so it is Faith in Jesus who has already provided healing for the person and believing He WILL HEAL YOU is needed and then it is our job to RECEIVE that Healing -----go after it ----lay hold to it by and through your Faith in Jesus who provided it ----

Faith without Works is Dead Faith ----True Faith impels action ----- True Faith always Require a Positive Response


This is an example of what I mean by ---healing is a done deal it awaits to be Received by the person----

see if this makes sense to you ----

I come to your house --knock on your door and when you open the door --I am standing there with a FREE GIFT of Healing for you ----you did nothing to deserve the gift I just wanted to give it to you ---YOU say to me ---come in and put the free gift on my table and I will pick it up later -----so I do as you say -----I leave --and the gift of healing is on your table but you leave the free gift of healing there on the table ---it stays there ---it is there for you but you have decided not to receive it by actually picking it up and calling it yours -----it isn't really yours until you receive it --that is pick it up and lay hold to it ---so True Faith Requires a positive Response -------faith is what drives you into action to go and pick up your package of healing -that has already been put in place for you

Once the free gift is delivered ---it is up to the individual person to do what is necessary to open it and receive it ---No one talks about Healing and how to accomplish it in the main stream churches -----it is a difficult subject to talk about and many take offense to it being discussed -----

There are many factors today that cause illness and disease for the true Christian ------stress ---doubt --anxiety --Fear --anger ---worry -----if we open a door to allow the stresses and cares of the world to fester in our thoughts and lives it will produce sickness and disease in our bodies -----but we can't blame God or Satan for what we allow to harass us -we reap what we sow ----true Christians have Grace to call on in their weakness ----and God tells us how to keep the enemy at bay ---up to us to put our Faith into action and do as the Word says to maintain that peace -----which brings Health to all our body -----

Spiritual healing is better than physical health,Which is more important?
If you think Jesus is just a doctor to care for our physical health.
What a great joke.
Holy Spirit, not Holy health.

I suppose we sometimes have to define our terms. What do you mean by demonize?