A big question that comes up all the time is: Can a Christian be demon-possessed? The answer to that question is an absolute no! To be “possessed” means to be “owned”. Every believer is bought with the price of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He or she belongs to God (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 and 1 Peter 1:17-19).
But can a Christian be influenced, deceived and even controlled in his attitudes, feelings and actions by the devil. Absolutely, yes! If, for instance you believe Satan’s lie that God did not love you anymore because of your sinful behavior, would that affect your life? Of course! Your mind, emotions and will would be controlled by that view of God. You might give up on the Christian life altogether or you might throw yourself into religious activity, hoping to win God’s love back again!
But there is no need to lose control to the enemy of your soul. You belong to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And the Son of God came for this very purpose to destroy the devil’s work…in your life and in mine. This power is available to you. The Son has won!
The lie to reject: I reject the lie that I, as a Christian, can be owned by the devil. I also reject the lie that Satan cannot influence or attack me simply because I am a Christian. I recognize both extremes as wrong and unbiblical.
The Truth to Accept: I accept that I belong to God because He purchased me by the blood of the Lord Jesus. I also accept the truth that it is possible for me to fall into deep deception and bondage. I announce the truth that Jesus came to destroy the devil’s work in my life. Therefore, I choose to walk in and rest in the victory of Christ in my life, and to turn away from evil.
* I took this daily reading from Neil Anderson’s Reality Check: Winning the Mind Game. It is from the series “Freedom in Christ 4 Teens”.
Check him out at freedom in Christ ministries, ficm.org
Pastor Tom
