Teaching on Spirits: Day 14

What is demon possession?

"A lil bit of this and a lil bit of that."

What is possession from a denotative (dictionary definition) standpoint?

Possession- the state of having, owning, or controlling (according to Google)

So, in this instance it would seem that demon possession means that one who is demon-possessed is had, owned, or controlled by a demon(s).

Also, interestingly enough as demons are spirit-beings they have personalities, just as we are spirit-beings with bodies, and God is Spirit. If you think God doesn't have a personality that's another topic for a whole-notha day!

Demons have personalities.
One who is demon-possessed is had, owned, controlled by said demon(s).

Therefore, if you are demon-possessed you have the ability to display certain character / personality traits of the demon(s).

We'll get into this more a lil later, but this is key for those who may have experienced trauma early in life and as a result the enemy has "slipped in" unbeknownst to them. The demons (which may change or vary over time) grow with them and we might think this individual has a certain "personality" but it might not really be their (who they were created to be) personality. Of course this goes without saying that we are all still growing and coming into who Christ sees us as.

Back to possession.

There's a difference between possession and OPPRESSION. In most cases people are just oppressed by a demon(s)....simply being harassed, whether from the inside or out, including being influenced by the demon(s). And in more extreme cases for other individuals the devil pretty much has his own playground in the individual's life.

Biblical examples of possession vs oppression:
1) Gerasene Demoniac (See: Mark 5:1-17)
2) Woman with the issue of Blood (See: Luke 8:43-48)

In the first case it is obvious that this man is "out of his mind" and not in control of himself (e.g. Supernatural strength, torment / lack of peace, immediately acknowledges the presence of Christ; he / they were drawn to Him). For the woman; however, this is not the case. She even had sought treatment for many years but the doctors had no clue how to treat her ailment (which was caused by a Spirit of Infirmity).

Oppression can become possession if there's not something or someone else having, controlling, or owning you.

This begs the question.... [stay tuned for Day #15 toS]