Chapter 5: How Demons Enter

Demons are evil personalities. They are spirit beings.

They are the enemies of God and man. Their objectives in human beings are to tempt, deceive, accuse, condemn, pressure, defile, resist, oppose, control, steal, afflict, kill and destroy.

Demons enter through "open doors". They have to be given an opportunity. There must be an opening. In other words, one does not pick up a demon by walking down the street and accidentally bumping into one that is looking for a "home".

The organization of satan's kingdom enables him to attack each one of us personally. There is not a person on the face of the earth who escapes his notice. He devises a plan to ruin and destroy each one. It is a sobering realization that you and I are definite targets of satan's wiles. But how does he gain entrance?

Sin The door for demons to enter may be opened by oneself through sins of omission and commission. In the fifth chapter of Acts we read of a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They sold their property that they might give the full proceeds for the benefit of the church. But they became covetous and decided to keep part of the moneyfor themselves. In order to cover up their act they perpetrated a lie. But Peter received a supernatural word of knowledge as to what they had done. Peter asked Ananias why he had opened himself to the devil.

But Peter said, ANANIAS, WHY HATH SATAN FILLED THINE HEART TO LIE TO THE HOLY GHOST, AND TO KEEP BACK PART OF THE PRICE OF THE LAND? Acts 5:3

Because of their sin, Ananias and Sapphira opened themselves to be filled with spirits of covetousness, lying and deceit. The same thing can happen to anyone who sins willfully.

In the fifth chapter of Galatians we find a list of seventeen "works of the flesh". They include the sins of adultery, fornication, witchcraft, hatred, wrath, strife, envying, murders and drunkenness. Through my experiences in deliverance I have encountered demons that responded to each of these designations. What, then, is the relationship between the works of the flesh and the works of demons? When a man yields to temptation he sins in the flesh. Through such sin the door is opened for the invasion of the enemy. Then he has a compounded problem - the flesh and the devil.

The solution is two-fold: crucify the flesh and cast out the demons.

A classic example of the door being opened by sin of omission is the failure to forgive. In the case of the unjust steward (Matthew 18) he was turned over to the "tormentors" because he was unwilling to forgive hisfellow servant after he himself had been forgiven by his master. God warns us that all who have experienced His forgiveness and refuse to forgive others will be turned over to the tormentors. What clearer designation of demon spirits can we find than "tormentors"? Unforgiveness opens the door to the torment of resentment and hatred and related spirits.

LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES

Evil spirits have no sense of fairness. They never hesitate to take full advantage of times of weakness in a person's life. Of course the weakest time in most lives is childhood. A child is completely dependent upon others for protection. Without question the majority of demons encountered through ministry have entered the persons during childhood. Christian parents need to understand their responsibility to protect their children as well as how to deliver their children from demon oppression.

One of the first questions asked in pre-ministry counseling is, "How did you relate to your parents as a child?" In the majority of cases this question opens the door for a listing of grievances for which the parents are blamed. How often I have heard such replies as, "My Father was an alcoholic." They go on to relate various fears associated with this condition in the home. There was insecurity and often poverty because Father was unable to provide, or spent the family income in support of his addiction. As a child in such a home grows a little older he becomes embarrassed andashamed. The quickest way to understand what doors were opened for demons to enter is to hear an account of a person's childhood.

THE RUSE OF INHERITANCE

Multiplied instances have been found where evil spirits were able to indwell persons through the ruse of inheritance. If a child is told that he is like his parents and can expect to inherit their weaknesses he becomes vulnerable. My own mother was a very nervous person. When I was a young boy she had a nervous breakdown. I developed a fear that I would inherit this weakness. The fear of being nervous actually opened me to the reality. My nerves began to give way. It was as though something was inside my body and crawling all through me. I would become very weak and unable to fulfill my responsibilities as a pastor. The doctor put me on barbiturates which made me so drowsy I would have to go to bed. My work load would stack up and I would get more nervous. I was on a treadmill from which I saw no escape. Several times I came near resigning my church and leaving the ministry. Five years ago I was delivered from the demon of nervousness and related spirits, There has been no more crawling nerves and no more need for drugs. The demons that told me that I had to be like my mother were all liars!

If we allow him to do so, the devil will give us our inheritance. But the Psalmist said of God, "He shall choose our inheritance for us" (Psalm 17:4a). I havefound many others like myself who accepted the lies and fears suggested by the devil. Many persons are collapsing from a fear of mental illness. Because a parent had this problem the devil says, "This is your inheritance." Do you know that a person can be so possessed by the fear of mental illness that he will eventually end up in a mental hospital? I have seen many persons delivered from this particular tormenting fear, My Father died of a heart attack. My mother was dying of heart trouble. Aunts and uncles had gone the same way. The devil kept telling me that this was my inheritance. I went to my doctor for a check-up. He asked questions about my family's medical history. When he found out about all the heart trouble in my family he predicted that I would develop a bad heart. At the age of forty six I went to the hospital suffering from chest pains. When I had the attack someone gave me a nitroglycerin tablet and the pain left instantly. The doctor could find no damage to my heart but was sure that I had experienced a light heart attack. Two months after I left the hospital I had a second attack. It struck me on a Sunday morning before I got out of bed. By this time I had learned of the operation of demon spirits. I announced to the congregation that we would have a special ministry meeting that afternoon in which they would minister deliverance and cast out the demon of heart attack.

That was five years ago, and I have never had another pain in my chest and no longer expect to have one. I do not accept the proffered inheritance of the devil but accept the healing and health of the Lord Jesus."The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." John 10:10

That was five years ago, and I have never had another pain in my chest and no longer expect to have one. I do not accept the proffered inheritance of the devil but accept the healing and health of the Lord Jesus."The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." John 10:10