Last night I preached on "Demonic Angels." It seems that people have little problem believing God and angels exist, but seem to think that Satan and demons are just a myth.
The Bible not only teaches that there is a devil, but that he has great power, too. In fact, Ephesians calls him the "prince and power of the air." We also see his power in Luke 4 where he tried to tempt Jesus. Luke 4:5-6 says, "And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it."
Many Christians make the mistake of thinking that Satan has no power. If he can get you to think he has no power, then you will let your guard down and THAT is when he will attack. That is why the Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
So, the BIG question is, "Can a Christian ever be demon-possessed?" The answer is a resounding "NO" and here's why.
The Bible says in 1 Cor. 3:16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" So, when a person trusts Christ as their Savior, the Holy Spirit immediately takes up residence in them. Jesus said, in Matt. 12:29, "..how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house."
Satan cannot possess a child of God because he would first have to overthrow ("bind the strong man") the Holy Spirit living inside you and he does not have the power to do so because 1 John 4:4 says, "..greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
So, as a believer, we should not be worried about being possessed by the devil, but rather what we SHOULD be concerned about is being filled with the Spirit. "Why is that important?" you ask. Because, although Satan cannot possess a believer, he can oppress us and hurt our effectiveness for Christ. "So how can I make sure I am not oppressed by Satan?" you ask. I believe James give us the answer.
James 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
1. Confess any sin and pride in your life. (v.6)
2. Submit yourself to God. (v.7a)
3. Resist the devil. (v.7b) - this sound obvious, but how times have we fallen to temptation without a fight?
4. Draw nigh to God. (v.8)