How Demons Enter People

JOHN 13:27 “Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him.”

Can a Christian “have a demon” is a question often asked by believers who are beginning to study spiritual warfare and the ministry of deliverance. A large part of the ministry of Christ involved casting out demons.

MATTHEW 8:16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,

Jesus told the disciples that they also would be involved with the deliverance of demon possessed people during their ministry as well.

MATTHEW 10:1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Christians cannot be “possessed” by demons because that implies total domination of spirit, soul, and body. The spirit of a born again person is “sealed by Holy Spirit” and is the sanctuary of God where no demon can enter. The soul realm, especially the “mind and emotions” can host demons who will seek to gain influence over the thoughts and actions of a believer who must yield to the influence of the demon present because the will of the individual is still under the individual’s control.

In the story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, we learn that there is a process that takes place allowing a demon to enter the soul realm of a believer. I am not suggesting that Judas was born again, only that we can see the operation of Satan in his life that reveals a pattern of the enemy to gain influence of a person so that the devil’s will can be accomplished through the demonized person.

1. Thought Suggestion.

JOHN 13:2 “And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.”

Someone has rightly stated, “The devil has the power of “supernatural thought suggestion.” Our minds are open to thoughts from the spiritual realm including, God, Angels and Demons, and we must know how to discern the difference. Any thought that doesn’t agree in principle with the Written Word of God must be rejected.

2. Entertaining the Thought.

LUKE 22:4 “So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him.”

The “thought” is developing into action in the mind of Judas, which is what happens when we begin to entertain those suggestions from the enemy. The mind will begin to conceive ways to give life to the evil suggestion unless it is immediately discarded. Someone said, “A thought that remains unspoken, dies unborn.” Judas discussed it with accomplices.

3. Satan Enters and Takes Control.

JOHN 13:27 – “Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

Judas has now yielded complete control to Satan who compels him to carry out the plot to get Jesus killed. The end of Judas’ life shows us what happens to people after the devil is through with them, they are destroyed unless they repent and give their lives to Christ.

As believers, we must be aware of the “wiles of the devil” and guard our hearts and minds from an enemy who is “seeking whom he may devour” (1 PETER 5:8). We must take every thought captive and present our bodies as living sacrifices in order to stay free from demonic influence in our lives.