Are Demons Active in the World Today?

As with angels, demons are evil angels who sinned against God and who now continually work evil in the world around us.  The tactics of Satan and his demons are to blind the minds of unbelievers in order that they might not see the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:4).  They do this through lies, deception, and many other destructive attempts to cause people to turn away from God.  We must understand that they are not all-powerful and that they are restricted by God's permission to do what they do.  This can be seen in the life of Job (Job 1:12).  They can also be successfully resisted by Christians, which is why James tells us to "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

Demons are not all-knowing; however, they can observe what goes on in the world and probably learn how to tempt us.  Jude 6 indicates that many demons are bound in chains, meaning that not all demons are active and free to roam the earth.  Although we cannot see demons, since they are evil spirits we must not fail to acknowledge that they exist.  There is also no reason to believe that there are fewer demons active today than in the times of the New Testament.  Not all evil and sin is from Satan and demons, but some is.  Christians are fully responsible for their choices because God has never allowed any believer to be tempted beyond what he is able (1 Cor. 10:13).  However, it is important that believers in Christ understand that sinning does give a foothold for some kind of demonic influence in our lives.  The Apostle Paul said, "Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil (Eph. 4:26)."

So can a Christian be demon possessed?  The word possessed suggests that a Christian is unable any longer to exercise his or her will and is completely under the domination of the evil spirit.  Scripture tells us that when a believer comes to Jesus Christ, sin shall have no dominion over them since they have been raised with Christ (Romans 6:14).  The biblical answer to this question is certainly "no".  However, demons can tempt and taunt believers, but only with God's permission.  It is important for Christians to remember that "you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).  God gives Christians a different spirit to reside within.  "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7)."  We know that the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God brings defeat to Satan (Eph. 6:17).  If we fail to know the truth in God's Word then we can expect to be defeated by the evil one.  The use of God's Word to defeat Satan can be seen by Christ as He used it against him in the wilderness--and Satan eventually departed (Mt. 4).  The power to cast out demons also comes not from our own strength but from the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:28).  We can certainly, in the name of Jesus Christ, pray for demons to be removed from us and others.

Satan longs to destroy the message of the Gospel that turns sinners to Christ.  We can expect that when the Gospel is proclaimed, his demonic forces will be enraged and do all they can to stop the blinders from being lifted off the eyes of those who don't know Christ.  This world is Satan's domain and he should be threatened by us if we are doing our jobs and fulfilling the Great Commission.  Let's be that "City on the Hill" that leads people to Jesus Christ!