Diagnosing the Demonic
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Recognizing the presence of demonic spirits would be easy if each demonized person had symptoms that were as dramatic as those we saw in movies like The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and The Rite. They've taught us what deliverance looks like: projectile vomiting, head spinning, levitating, a sudden drop in room temperature, a total distortion of the individual's appearance, a guttural voice, a sense of evil, and the ability to make objects fly about the room.
After being involved in deliverance ministry for more than 30 years and having seen more than 1000 people set free in the name of Jesus, I can attest that deliverance rarely looks like this, for which I am extremely grateful.
Brokenness can be covered with a smile, torment with service, and compulsive behavior with secrecy. Most of the time what others see on the outside doesn't reflect what is going on inside. We can give ourselves to the Lord, be baptized, and try to walk with him, but still be oppressed and victimized by spiritual forces beyond our control. And we can do it with a smile on our face.
Because everything we do and think and feel is the result of a mix of biological, cognitive, psychological, social, and spiritual factors, it is very difficult to say, "This is what a demonized person looks like." The Bible itself lists a broad assortment of symptoms that are attributed to demonic spirits.
In the physical realm, we see demonization resulting in muteness (Mt. 12:22), deafness (Mk. 9:25), blindness (Mt. 12:22), and bodily deformity (Lk. 13:10-17). In Matthew 4:23-25 we find the demonized among those who were ill from various diseases, those suffering severe pain, seizures, and paralysis. Mark 9:17 indicates that physical symptoms and demonization are not mutually exclusive. Jesus healed those who were sick and those who had demons. The word "healed" was applied to both.
In the psychological realm, some of the symptoms that demonized people displayed in the New Testament would be categorized as characteristic of a mental disorder today. Unprovoked violence, crying out uncontrollably, raving, and being troubled are mentioned (Mt. 8:28, Mk. 1:23-24, Lk. 6:17-18, Acts 19:13-16). These are not stable, healthy behaviors. Mental health symptoms and demonic symptoms can be similar.
In the relational realm, we see demonic involvement in Luke 8:27-28, manifesting in a man who lived naked among tombs and was impossible to restrain. This behavior would, at the least, hinder successful interaction with family, friends, and those in the community.
So Scripture shows us that virtually any physical, psychological, or social symptoms might be attributed to demonic spirits. The enemy attacks on all possible fronts, which complicates the whole process of diagnosis.
The most accurate diagnoses come not from looking only at symptoms, but at predictive life experiences. If an individual has opened certain doors, there is an increased probability that demonic involvement is present. These include (1) generational curses, oaths, and soul ties, (2) occult involvement, (3) trauma or victimization, and (4) long-term ongoing sin. These create areas of spiritual vulnerability into which demonic spirits may move.
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David W. Appleby
Matt, thanks for your input. The purpose of this article was not to make a carefully reasoned case for deliverance. I try to do that in my book, It’s Only a Demon. I would encourage you to check it out if you are looking for a carefully reasoned argument. As for Michelle being powerless and 100% the victim as a child, I would agree. We know that the Enemy goes about like a lion seeking whom he may devour. If you’ve ever watched a large predator hunting you will see that they go after the young, the injured, and those who have been separated from the herd (meaningful, healthy support). Michelle was all of these. As an adult, I am afraid that I would part company with you there. I believe that God holds us responsible for our choices, though your point about co-dependency is a good one. Demons prefer to begin the process of violation and destruction early. Their usual pattern is for the demon to help the victim “fix” one problem using demonic patterns that will ultimately exacerbate other problems further down the road. Because the demonic “fix” often initially works and helps alleviate the pain, the victim begins to cooperate with the demonic spirit, thus reinforcing the destructive patterns. It rarely gets better before it gets worse.
David W. Appleby
David, I appreciate your comments and I just wanted to tell you that I completely agree with you. The symptoms and sources of demonization are based upon observations made over more than twenty-five years of doing deliverance and are not, to my knowledge, found listed this way anywhere in the Scriptures. If you read my book, it’s Only a Demon you will find that I say that plainly there. I try to make a clear distinction between what I can support biblically and what I’ve discovered over the years that is not biblically based. In fact, if you read this article carefully, I don’t think I say anywhere that the symptoms or sources are biblically based. Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t provide us with much information on a lot of subjects. The purpose of the Scriptures is to reveal Jesus Christ, not to be a handbook on how to do deliverance, how to govern a church, the biblical position of men and women in the community of believers, etc. However, the fact that many things are not clearly laid out for us does not keep us from trying to connect the dots and drawing what we hope are biblical conclusions on a wide variety of subjects.
Jeff
I was raised baptist and mostly educated within the Church of Christ (which does an EXCELLENT job with educating their flock, in my honest opinion), and I had issues that my Bible teachers assumed were neurological. I heard about Dr. Appleby, so I booked an appointment. Lo and behold, I was freed from the torment and have now seen first hand what freedom in Christ is supposed to look like.
ANONYMOUS COWARD
For many years I worked at a maximum security mental hospital. When I was young I believed that ALL of the patients were ONLY mentally ill and could be helped. After years of experience I believe ALMOST ALL mentally ill people are ONLY mentally ill. There were a few patients I had my doubts about. Some of those acted insane but some of them were not. Some were just plain evil.You have to look evil in the face to understand this. I can't explain it, it has to be experienced.Some people who work in those places never see it or do not recognize it.I cannot describe the experience in a short post. It would take a novel to do that.A novel that would have many mental health professionals demanding that I undergo psychiatric care. The truth is that those professionals do not spend much time in direct care of the mentally ill. I truly believe that there are a FEW people I met in that place who WERE possessed. NOT MANY but still a few.
RC
I agree that his does open a can of worms but it is more dangerous to ignore this topic that to unplug the blinking oil light on your dash which will lead to imminent engine failure. As a newly rededicated believer a demonized fellow student declared, I need to talk to you. NO, I had never been mentored and trained in what I would face. But Jesus cares and can help people.
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