Demon possession can happen to saved Christians. This is because the devil possesses the flesh, not the soul. Our flesh is still capable of sinning and committing wickedness, hence making it susceptible to demonic attacks.
A great example is Peter, who is a saved Christian, yet still being demon-possessed.
Matthew 16:22-23 “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
Nonetheless, there is a greater threat than demon possession, which happened to Peter and a lot of Christians, and that is demon delusion. Just like the reason Eve fell into sin, was because she did not believe or was not aware of the existence of the demon. If Eve knew about the serpent and was prepared to counter it, she probably would not have eaten the forbidden fruit.
When most Christians go through struggles, most often they hardly think about the devil, which causes them to fall into delusion and get tricked by the devil itself.
Deluded In Allures
When we are attracted to the allures, it is the easiest for Satan to delude us. When we believe there is a devil behind all the worldly agenda, it will help us tremendously to refrain from sinning.
It may seem painful to a lot of us to not yield to sin and live righteously for the Lord, but it is even more painful if we commit sins and fall into the devil’s trap, we may eventually have to pay a bigger price.
There is no point to enjoy the possessions of the world, but falling into oppression and losing the true joy of the Lord.
On the contrary, if we learn to rejoice in the word of the Lord, living a faithful Christian life, though we may get persecuted or mocked, the sacrifices are well worth it by the end of the day.
Either way, we still need still to go through pain to a certain extent, but the latter will help strengthen our character, grow spiritually and make us better leaders.
Deluded In Adversities
Satan will sometimes create delusion in the Christians’ minds, to cause us to see more trials and hardships in serving God than joy and peace.
We are living in Satan’s minefield, of course, Satan will do everything in its ability to make it seem hard for us to serve the Lord. We are supposed to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil.
We are living in a world right now where most people are yearning for instant gratification, which makes serving God difficult because it requires more patience and effort. Therefore most of us will choose Satan’s device to fill our void, only to find out that it causes us more misery by the end of the day.
Deluded in Adjustment
Sometimes it can be quite painful to rebuke and correct people. Nonetheless, as ministers of God, it is considered as our accountability and responsibility to make sure that we do what is right in God’s eyes.
We cannot allow members or even the unsaved souls to drown deeper in sins. These people have been brainwashed by the worldly system. We have to be charitable and patient, but take a stand at the same time to bring others on the right path.
Deluded in Accountability
When we are appointed a task, no matter how measly or big it is, we are expected to perform because of accountability.
The same goes for our Christian walk. As children of God, we have assigned duties to fulfill, and we are expected to do it with fervency and sincerity.
The Bible thus reminds us not to be negligent of our duties, which includes living a good Christian testimony. Otherwise, we will defile the conscience of others.
Deluded in Accusation
There is usually a delusion in Christians’ minds when being told that signs, healings, and wonders are not biblical. Charismatics get offended easily, simply because they don’t believe there is a devil that blocks them from the true word of God.
In this case, we need to also believe that Satan can take what is holy and pure and use it for his means. Just as how he causes delusions in men to help him create over three thousand versions of the Bible.
It does not matter whether if we think our actions are faithful or sincere towards God, it has to be in line with the word of the Lord. The Bible already says that the devil can transform into the angel of light to deceive us.
Deluded in Affiliations
Sometimes even Bible-believing Christians can become ruined, because of our knowledge of the truth. When we grow in the word of God, we become more distant and shattered with other Bible believers.
This is also an agenda from the devil to segregate us, as we mentioned in the previous point on how Satan would use what is considered godly for his devilish means.
For example, King David who is a man after God’s own heart, yet committed murder, when other unbelievers may not have even committed such a severe sin.
Deluded in Assemblies
The church requires our services and help, and sometimes we may feel so reluctant to help out or fellowship with others because we do not believe there is a devil behind it all stopping the assembly.
If we truly prioritize our Christian walk in the battlefield against the devil, while balancing our life, then we will be able to flourish because we live by the standards of God and His scriptures.
Deluded in Appearance
This encourages us to reflect on our appearance when we try to live righteously for the Lord.
Do others perceive us the same way as we ourselves do? Appearance is powerful because it will shape others’ perceptions of our testimonies.
We live in a world where people judge things outwardly, and the devil always seeks to create a distortion in people’s minds. This is why our appearance is important in reflecting our hearts and thoughts so that it allows us to do cast away those delusions in others.
Deluded in Aggravation
Let’s be reminded that the devil will not stop at all costs until he gets his due, and cause pain and misery in us.
2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
This is an irrefutable fact that we cannot change. Having this awareness will remove us from his delusions.
If we are able to live free from sins, then we can also live a life full of peace and joy of the Lord; even in the midst of suffering for Christ’s sake.