This page is part of our Deliverance from Evil Spirits Study; Previous page: What are Demons?

Determining whether a person has a demon or not can be challenging. As spiritual beings, they don’t seem to be bound by the laws of our physical reality, however they seem to be able to manipulate it (ex. traveling through bodies, making pigs jump off a cliff, etc).  From the examples we have in scripture, we know that demons are discreet entities that have personalities, power, functions, a chain of command, and limitations.  Thankfully God has given Christians tools by which we may know that a demon is present and often details about its function, personality and reason for being there.  We must remember to rely on God for help in this “verification” process. Deliverance ministers typically look for a combination of symptoms that point to demonization.  These may include:

  • Confirmation from the Holy Spirit that a demon is present (word of knowledge)
  • Spiritual “recognition” of a demon: God gives certain people the ability to discern the presence of evil spirits. Scripture refers to this as the gift of “discerning spirits” (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). Knowing the name and/or nature of a demon can be beneficial in routing it (Luke 8:30).
  • Physical manifestations (see below)
  • Agreement from other deliverance team members and the afflicted person
  • Behavior lines up with Biblical examples of demonization

Physical manifestations: There are many possible physical manifestations that could indicate demonization. A combination of these symptoms increases the probability that a demon(s) is present. Examples:

Sickness or disease (Luke 4:39; Luke 4:41; Luke13:10-13)
Unexplained bodily pains
Distorted voice
Distorted posture (Luke13:10-13)
Extremely fierce/hostile behavior (Matthew 8:28-32; Acts 19:13-16)
Unexplained foul odors in vicinity of the person (typically like sulfur or rotten eggs)
Obsessive/Compulsive/Driven behavior (Luke 8:29)
Seizure (being seized by the demon and driven to do something) (Luke 8:29; Luke 9:39-42)
Self-destructive behavior (throwing oneself into fire; suicide attempts, cutting the flesh; etc.) (Mark 5:1-6; Luke 9:39-42)
Nakedness in public (Luke 8:27)
Abnormal living patterns and behavior (Luke 8:27,35; Mark 5:5)
Difficulty reading Bible and worshipping God
Difficulty confessing and renouncing specific sin (especially occult sin)
Bodily contortions or convulsions (Luke 4:33-36; Mark 1:25-26); bulging eyes; contorted face; slithering like a snake; crouching like a cat; etc.
“Demonic” reactions (aversion to the word of God, aversion to worship of God, obeys authoritative commands in the name of Jesus, mockery, distraction, aversion to looking the deliverance minister in the eyes, etc.)
Foaming at the mouth (Luke 9:39-42)
Deafness and/or muteness (Luke 9:39-42)
Mocking (Luke 4:33-35; Acts 16:16-18)
Crazy or abnormal behavior (Luke 8:35; Mark 5:5)
Superhuman strength (Luke 8:29; Mark 5:3-4)
Hostility toward true followers of Jesus Christ (example: crying out with a loud voice) (Acts 8:6-7; Luke 4:33)
Severe phobias/fears
Addictions
Night visitations from evil presence
Recurring nightmares
Tormenting thoughts & voices in the mind
Cursing
Lack of peace

Note of Caution: There are emotional and medical disorders that can produce many of the above symptoms. If you think you may have such a disorder, it would be wise to seek medical and spiritual counsel before moving forward in deliverance. Example conditions known to produce symptoms mimicking demonization include Tourette’s Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID) and several others. Demons can be involved in these conditions, but may not be. Attempting to cast demons out of a person who is not demonized could lead to further emotional and spiritual damage.

What to do if you have a demon: Start by asking God to arm you with supernatural wisdom and discernment in finding the right people to help you get delivered. Seek help from people with experience in deliverance (if possible). Be sure to look for people who minister in the love of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, deliverance ministries are especially prone to Satanic attack. If the ministry is not following Jesus closely, it can easily fall into error (pride, greed, control, etc.). Suggested sources for help:

  • Your church: We all need to be connected with the “body of Christ.” This term refers to all people who have placed faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. The scriptures make it clear that body of Christ is made up of many parts that are interdependent (1 Corinthians 12). We need to be connected with other believers for spiritual protection, edification and growth. A church’s spiritual covering can be an important shelter during times of recovery from demonization and other spiritual strongholds. Seek prayer and counsel from the pastor and/or prayer ministry at your church. Take caution that demonization can be a controversial topic in some churches. Some churches teach that Christians can not be demonized. Ask the Lord to guide you and reveal any doctrinal problems your church may have on this topic.
  • A local healing prayer and deliverance ministry: Healing prayer and deliverance ministries can be very helpful for people whose churches are not effective in deliverance ministry. These ministries have experience and training to help people break free from demonic bondage.
  • A strong Christian friend (walking in purity): If you can’t gain the help of your church or a local prayer ministry, this might be an option for you. It will be very beneficial if your friend has some experience in prayer ministry and deliverance.

Elements to look for in your prospective help source:

  • Belief in the Bible as the word of God
  • Reliance on the power of God through prayer, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and faith in the word of God
    God’s love, not legalism
  • Experience in deliverance ministry
  • God’s peace in your heart about the ministry
  • Fruits of Godly wisdom (pure, peaceful, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:13-18))

Going it alone: We don’t recommend pursuing “self-deliverance” for several reasons. First, the Bible gives us many examples of people being delivered by at least one other person. Self-deliverance is possible, but we have found no examples of it in the Bible.  Secondly, it makes good sense to approach deliverance with a team of strong believers helping you, since deliverance can be physically and spiritually exhausting. Here are some additional ways a team can help you in deliverance:

  • Provide additional spiritual covering, faith, encouragement and fellowship
  • Provide loving affirmation for confession and healing (James 5:15-16 and 1 John 1:9)
  • Provide physical and spiritual strength in case heavy demonic resistance is encountered during the deliverance session (sometimes demonized persons may be temporarily incapacitated by the demons during the deliverance)
  • Provide a mix of spiritual gifts to assist in the deliverance (Gifts of the Spirit)
  • Provide follow-up care and support: You will need all the encouragement and support during and after deliverance that you can get. You want to have people around you who will encourage you to walk in purity so that the spirits will never be able to gain access to you again (Matthew 12:45).

Can a Christian have a demon?  There are several reasons why I believe that a Christian can have a demon.  Jesus cast demons out of many people in the New Testament without first asking them if they believed in Him.  Their very presence in the throngs of people seeking healing suggests to me that they did believe he had power to help them.  Jesus’ commentary on what an evil spirit does once it is cast out suggests that it would be harmful to a non-Christian to cast a demon out of him or her because the spirit could return with seven additional wicked spirits, making the final condition of the person worse than before:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”  Matthew 12:43-45 NKJV

A Christian who has been freed of a demon has the opportunity to “fill” his or her life with Christ so that the evil spirits are unable to re-enter.  Having expelled demons out of several Christians during my years as a prayer minister, I believe that Christians can have demons.

People sometimes question how the Holy Spirit could occupy the same vessel as an evil spirit.  In thinking about this, it occurred to me that there is another, similar hurdle for the Holy Spirit – our thoughts.  The reality is that Christians, though they are saved, still have evil thoughts welling up from their hearts.  Somehow, though we are saved, we still battle with the “old self” daily and have to put on the “new self” in Christ.  How could the Holy Spirit live in us when we are still harboring evil thoughts in our hearts?

I think the answer is that the Holy Spirit is united with our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), which is separate from our soul and body.  Evil spirits oppress through the body and soul, but are not able to touch our spirit.  An analogy that I’ve heard used is that of the Temple compared to the Body.  The Holiest of Holies represents the spirit.  This is where our spirit dwells with the Holy Spirit. Nothing unclean can enter this part.  The Inner Courts represent the Soul and the Outer Courts represent the body.  Unfortunately, I don’t have scripture linking the individual parts, except that our bodies are identified as temples of God: 

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.  1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NKJV

If we assume that Christians can have demons, then the next point is that the Lord desires to free his children from such oppression. God desires that we be free to live a new life as new persons in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus, God has given every believer the authority and power to expel demons and live free of demonic oppression.

Believing in Christ obligates us to live in a godly manner by not engaging in our former sin habits that perhaps opened the door to the demons in the first place.  As Paul wrote in the above passage, we will do well if we focus on glorifying God with our bodies and minds, instead of using them for sin.

Proceed to next page: Deliverance Sessions