Yes, I realize how easy it is to want to dismiss, scoff, laugh and even roll one’s eyes the moment we try to have a serious conversation about ‘demon spirits’. I totally respect your right to not believe in their existence or write it off as nothing but antiquated superstition tied in with religious 'fables'. But I do have one question to ask if you are in that ‘camp’- How can you be so certain... they don’t exist, let alone mingle, influence and interfere with the affairs of humanity here in this life?

Jesus took it a step further and said, referring to devil/demons as a ‘thief’, and that they come to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (John 10:10). In other words, according to Jesus and plenty of scripture to back up, they bring much affliction and suffering on people, which is probably why God ‘anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power’ so that He could go about ‘healing all who were oppressed by the devil’. (Acts 10:38) And what did Jesus do for His disciples, according to Luke 10:19?

I am not spending time addressing this topic so that we become obsessed, preoccupied, or even fearful of these spiritual entities of darkness and wickedness. (Eph. 6:12). And we need not fear them, as God is the Only One whom we need fear. But we are told repeatedly in scripture to ‘resist’ these forces, not ‘ignore’ them, (James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9) and Paul makes it clear that we are not ‘ignorant of their devices or schemes’. (2 Cor. 2:11)

Now going back to whether they exists or not ... maybe you’ve never really given this much thought for any number of reasons, but have you ever stopped to ponder where, why, or how evil even manifests and spreads? What ‘possesses’ or ‘compels’ people to do the atrocious things that we read and hear about so often in our world? Why we even have a whole genre of movies and literature that celebrate and glorify this dark side of humanity. Are we really satisfied explaining away that is just rooted in ‘mental illness’? I’ll come back to that theory shortly. Even the secular world often refers to individuals who ‘fought with their demons’ and such.

Let’s take it down a few notches though. Where do you think ‘bad thoughts’ originate from? Surely you have had those fleeting images, suggestions, ‘fantasies’ or dark, selfish and lustful scenarios run through your brain at one time of another?! And oftentimes it can be so random and ‘out of left field’ that you scratch your head wondering why that even popped in to your head to begin with, and at those awkward times that they did.

Is it any wonder why Paul would address this subject of ‘spiritual warfare’ that believers are involved with and how vital it is that we ‘bring into captivity...EVERY THOUGHT...to the obedience of Christ’. (2 Cor. 10:5) What would ‘thoughts’ have to do with ‘spiritual warfare’?

Again, I realize it is more comfortable to address such issues and attribute it to ‘mental illness’; but what causes ‘mental illness’ (in many cases) to begin with? You might open up your Bible and read in Mark’s gospel, chapter 5, the story of a man who we learn was possessed, or controlled by ‘thousands’ of demon spirits. Fortunately for him, he had a personal encounter with Jesus who set him free of them all. But the point I want to drive home here is when the local townspeople heard what happened to this notorious individual whose reputation was widespread...they came and found him ...in his ‘right mind’. (15) How interesting!

I have stated here in times past...that I am not asking you who profess to be ‘believers’... to ‘believe’ what I am sharing here on a daily basis. That is between you and God; but I am compelled to continue pointing out verse after verse that is right there for all to read in our Bibles...truths that maybe we have overlooked in times past. Or worse yet...decided they were not important or relevant to us. No wonder God said His people...were ‘destroyed’... for a lack of ___________(what) ? (Hosea 4:6)