It is true – Christians cannot be demon possessed. Being filled with the Spirit of the Living God leaves no room in the “house” for a demon.

As a Christ follower, you belong to God. Allow me to quickly remind you with a few Scriptures:

“You have already won a victory…because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4).  You have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of light, and Jesus has purchased your freedom (Colossians 1:13-14).

“What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:15-16 NLT).

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me,” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

Now while a Christian cannot be demon possessed, they can indeed be demonized. According to Dictionary.com, the word demonized means “to subject to the influence of demons.” We can come under the influence of demonic spirits, we can open doors into our lives and invite them in, but they do not have permanent residence within us, and can be evicted at a moment’s notice.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 6:12).

Today I want to talk a little about discerning of spirits and how the demons on others can affect us as well.

For years I would jump in the car with my friend and we would drive 2 hours to a little Spirit filled church. Some days we would bring others with us, in order that they could have an encounter with the Holy Spirit. There was a certain Christian man who would come along with us from time-to-time, and soon I began to have unusual lustful thoughts and feelings toward this man that I knew were not my own. I was not attracted to this man, I found him to be lackluster, his character to be unappealing and controlling, and so I was confused as to what was happening.

One night, my hand accidentally brushed up against his during prayer and worship, and I instantly knew that I had been “picking up” on the spirit of lust that was influencing the man. It was not many weeks later when it was found out the man kept boxes of pornography in his possession, and had also approached another woman within the church for sex outside of marriage.

For a time, I was unaware that I was actually discerning the spirit that was on the man. I began to think it was me and because I didn’t catch it straight away, those demons began whispering to me, and I began to briefly entertain the thoughts that came to my mind. Once God revealed to me what was happening, I was able to pray and break free from the demonic influence.

The demons on another can ultimately influence your attitude and the way you respond if you allow it.

Let me give you another example – if you’re around someone with a spirit of paranoia or a spirit of suspicion for any length of time, you yourself can begin to feel the same way and take on those characteristics. You may have never felt suspicious about anyone in your life or felt paranoid that a certain someone is out to get you, but all of a sudden, it’s a real thing you’re experiencing. “Where did that come from?” you may ask yourself.

Discernment is so very important. Proper discernment comes from an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit and will inform us if we’re encountering a demonic spirit, or God’s. It will enable us to know what is influencing us and how, and where or who it’s coming from.

Suspicion is never discernment, but it will try and mimic it.

Suspicion can come from the enemy whispering in our ear. It can be conjured up through our overactive imagination or because of past traumas which cause us to view things in a certain way.

Discernment (sometimes coupled with word of knowledge) however, comes directly from the Holy Spirit. He will allow us to see things, to feel things, to know things, and to know the spirit behind a thing without a shadow of a doubt, but in order to properly discern what is of God or what is of the enemy, we have to have a close, intimate relationship with the Lord, otherwise we can end up operating in suspicion.

Discernment is there so we can help others get set free. Suspicion does nothing more than kill, steal, and destroy.

Satan will always try and imitate what God is doing. Just as we can be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we can also open ourselves up to being under the influence of demonic spirits.

I’m reminded of Saul in 1 Samuel 19:23-24 where it says,

“But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth! He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people exclaimed, ‘What? Is even Saul a prophet?’”

In this case, Saul had gotten around a bunch of people under the influence of the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit got on him as well, and he began to operate like the rest of them. It’s a great thing to get around people who are influenced by the Spirit of God! Hanging around people who walk in God’s Spirit will “rub off” on us.

On the flip side, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says bad company can corrupt good character. I look at it this way – the demonic spirits that are influencing people can begin to have a negative influence on you the longer you’re around them, and more importantly if you don’t recognize the spirits and deal with it.

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete,” (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).

On a final note, let’s not allow others attitudes and demonic influences, influence us. If we begin to exhibit characteristics that are unlike our normal behavior, we need to take it to the Lord and ask Him to show us where it’s coming from. Many times, when we get around someone who is Spirit filled and walking closely to the Lord, our demons begin to manifest and we begin to act in ways that are not Christ-like and are unlike us. Demons can lay dormant for years until just the right button is pushed; until they are challenged, and then they rear their ugly heads. This is an invitation to examine ourselves and our behavior, and cast out the demons we’ve allowed to live rent free in our lives.

You may want to pray a prayer similar to one of these:

Father God,

I renounce partnering with the spirit of __________________. I have allowed this spirit to influence my thought life and my actions, and I’m sorry. I choose to walk in your Spirit, and not in the spirit of this world.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Father God,

I have looked down upon your people, I have been suspicious of your people and their motives, and I have not treated them with Christ-like character. Forgive me for operating from a suspicious spirit and not from your Spirit of discernment. Enable me to see your people the way you see them, to make righteous judgements, and to love your people as you love them.

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.