How Dangerous Is Harry Potter?

Over the last 30 years or so Harry Potter has been a real phenomenon. Vast numbers of people around the world have read or watched the books and films, which feature the title character and his friends. Millions are gripped, especially children. 

Although most people in the Western world are very positive about Harry Potter, not everyone agrees. There has been widespread opposition from many Christians. 

The reason why so many Christians complain is that Harry and his friends use witchcraft. Nor is this just a sideline of what they do. Using witchcraft is right at the heart of what these characters do and who they are. This is enough for many believers to reject these films and books outright. 

There are more than a few Christians, however, who are ready to stand up for Harry Potter. They argue that we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the story of Harry and his friends is set in a fantasy world, not our real world. And they argue too that the witchcraft in this fantasy world isn’t the same as witchcraft in the real world. This means, so the argument goes, that the books and films are not leading children to actually start practising witchcraft. It is also said that Harry Potter encourages virtues such as loyalty and kindness. 

So what are we to make of all this? What should the Christian attitude to Harry Potter be? Is it an abomination? Or is it actually a positive thing? Or does it simply have some big pros and cons? 

I believe that these books and films are near the abomination end of the scale. I am sure they cause a lot more harm than good, and in what follows I will give reasons why I believe this. 

WITCHCRAFT IN OUR ACTUAL WORLD 

Before turning to look specifically at Harry Potter, I need to say something about witchcraft in our actual world. 

Every Christian needs to understand very clearly that witchcraft is a real thing. There really are witches who really do use witchcraft. Genuine witchcraft uses the ability of evil spirits to perform various supernatural acts. This is the real source of power behind it, even if the people involved are often unaware of this. 

Sometimes the terms ‘sorcery’ and ‘magic’ are used to refer to witchcraft. Defining things can be complicated by the fact that some people use ‘witchcraft’, ‘magic’ and ‘sorcery’ interchangeably, while others use the words to mean different things. 

For our purposes in this article, when I refer to ‘witchcraft’ I will be using the word broadly to include any evil, demonically empowered act that might be referred to by ‘sorcery’ or ‘magic’ as well. 

Biblical passages that condemn witchcraft 

Given that witchcraft uses demonic powers, it is no surprise that the Bible roundly condemns it. The following are some important passages: 

In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 instructions are given to the Israelites: 

‘10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD.’ 

(Scripture readings in this article are from the English Standard Version.) 

Nothing in later biblical revelation suggests that the principles in these verses in Deuteronomy no longer apply today. 

In Acts 19:18-19 Luke tells us what some Christian converts in Ephesus did: 

‘18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.’ 

Luke clearly portrays this burning of books on magic/witchcraft as a good thing. 

In Galatians 5:19-20 Paul tells the Galatian churches: 

‘19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.’ 

Paul is explicit here that those who practise sorcery/witchcraft will not inherit the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God in this verse refers to final, eternal salvation. In other words, Paul is saying that those who unrepentantly practise witchcraft are on track for hell. 

In Revelation 21:8 God gives a stark warning: 

‘But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’ 

Again, this is very clear that those who unrepentantly practise sorcery/witchcraft are on track for hell. 

There are other biblical passages too that condemn witchcraft, but even the few that I have quoted should leave us in no doubt that witchcraft is a grave evil and God hates it. 

Attitudes to witchcraft in mainstream Western culture 

Mainstream Western culture distinguishes between so-called black magic or black witchcraft on the one hand, and so-called white magic or white witchcraft on the other. The black forms are designed to harm people in various ways, whereas the white forms are not designed to cause harm. 

Mainstream Westerners are usually not opposed to white witchcraft. Many don’t believe that there is any real power in witchcraft, and those who take this view don’t tend to be against what they see as harmless make-believe. Many others do accept that there is real power in witchcraft, but they are not opposed to white witchcraft, since it doesn’t aim to harm people. 

Comparing mainstream Western and Christian attitudes 

It is difficult to overstate the difference between a mainstream Western worldview and a Christian worldview. In reality, if not always in theory, the mainstream Western worldview sees human beings, and not God, as the centre of things. So if something doesn’t harm a human being, it is usually seen as acceptable. 

Sadly, many Christians have been very influenced by this outlook. However, whether something harms people or not is not the key issue. The key thing is whether it offends God. And there are many things that offend God without causing direct harm to people. 

Witchcraft in all its forms offends God, for two reasons: 

First, when a person practises witchcraft, they are stepping outside the place of human beings in the created order. All witchcraft involves engaging in supernatural activity without reference to God. But humans are simply not designed to do this. This is not part of our mandate. 

Second, as I have already noted, all witchcraft involves using demonic power, whether people are aware of this or not. And obviously God doesn’t want people to use evil power. It is worth noting too that most people who practise witchcraft end up with demonic problems as a result. 

It is essential, then, for Christians to understand that all witchcraft in our real world is evil and dangerous. It may be true that black witchcraft is even worse than white witchcraft, but even the white variety is thoroughly evil in God’s sight. 

WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF HARRY POTTER? 

Let’s turn now to think specifically about Harry Potter. There are several reasons to believe that this series of books and films is harmful, especially to children. 

Desensitisation to the fact that witchcraft is evil 

First, we should be in no doubt that the Harry Potter books and films serve to desensitise many people, especially children, to the fact that witchcraft in the real world is evil. 

Everyone should shudder when they hear the word ‘witchcraft’, and children should be encouraged to be repulsed by this practice. Every child should be taught that witchcraft is a real thing and that it is always evil. However, having a work of fiction in which the heroes are children who use witchcraft can only hinder children understanding this. 

There are some Christians who make a big deal of the fact that the witchcraft in the Harry Potter fantasy world and the witchcraft in the real world are not the same. However, it is still the case that in the storyline of the series Harry and his friends explicitly use witchcraft of a sort. This can only work against children being repulsed by the witchcraft that exists in our real world. 

An increase in the practice of witchcraft 

Second, in reading up on this topic I found anecdotal evidence that Harry Potter is helping to fuel an increase in the number of people who practise witchcraft. 

Apparently, in bookshops it is not uncommon for Harry Potter books to be found on the shelf next to books on real witchcraft. It seems too that the practice of witchcraft is on the rise in Western countries, and witches themselves seem to agree that Harry Potter has contributed to this. 

Nothing about this should surprise us. Huge numbers of children adore the Harry Potter books and films and the witchcraft in that fantasy world. For some of these children, when they discover that there is such a thing as witchcraft in our real world, they want to get involved. 

Similarities between witchcraft in the real and fantasy worlds 

Third, the differences between witchcraft in the real world and witchcraft in Harry Potter are not great enough to say that the former is evil and the latter is acceptable. 

In the real world, witchcraft is wrong because it involves operating in the supernatural realm without reference to God. But the same is true of the witchcraft in the Harry Potter fantasy world. 

Other fantasy stories 

Fourth, appealing to other fantasy stories in support of Harry Potter is very unconvincing. 

One argument that is used by some Christians who are in favour of these books and films goes in this way: 

Fairy tales are harmless stories, but they often have magical elements. Furthermore, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis were Christian authors, whose works are helpful in portraying biblical truth, and their heroes sometimes use magical powers. It is inconsistent to approve of fairy tales, Tolkien’s The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, and Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia stories, and also to disapprove of Harry Potter. 

In response to this, there are a number of points to make: 

(1) It is true that we should always be as consistent as possible. However, this should be done by disapproving of bad things in fairy tales, Tolkien and Lewis and not by approving of bad things in Harry Potter. 

(2) I think many magical elements in fairy tales are problematic and harmful. In any case, Harry Potter seems a lot worse than fairy tales generally. In the Harry Potter books and films the big thing that the main characters are known for is using witchcraft. This goes beyond what is typically found in fairy tales. 

(3) I think Tolkien is very overrated in terms of his positive influence on the Christian faith. I would challenge the idea that his works have helped to promote gospel truth. What is more, some pagan religious groups today appeal to ideas that are found in Tolkien. 

(4) I think Lewis is also overrated to an extent. It is true that a lot of what he taught is good, and he had some extremely helpful insights. Nevertheless, he also had some seriously wrong ideas too. 

Besides, Lewis seems to have had a very different attitude to witchcraft from what we find in Harry Potter. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the witch is an evil character, and I am not aware of any witch in The Chronicles of Narnia stories that is portrayed as a good character. There is nothing wrong with having witches in children’s fiction, as long as they are portrayed as evil. 

Summing up 

There are good reasons, then, for thinking that Harry Potter is harmful, especially to children: 

These books and films desensitise people, especially children, to the evil of witchcraft in the real world. 

They are helping to fuel an increase in the practice of witchcraft. 

The differences between real and Harry Potter-style witchcraft are not great enough to say that one is evil and the other is acceptable. 

It is unwarranted to appeal to other fantasy writers as a way to support Harry Potter. 

An analogy 

Let me give an analogy to help me try to make my point. 

Suppose there is a children’s story set in a fantasy world where the main characters are children, but instead of using witchcraft, they spend their time explicitly taking class A drugs. This is the main thing they do. And suppose too that these drugs are not precisely identical to class A drugs that exist in our real word, but that they are very similar to drugs such as fentanyl, heroin and crack cocaine. 

Let’s imagine also that the story doesn’t teach that it is wrong for these children to behave in this way. And finally, let’s suppose that this story is extremely popular among children and that some adults want it to be read in schools. 

Imagine the outrage from parents! People would be horrified! And rightly so. 

Why would they be appalled? Simply because taking class A drugs is a very bad thing to do. So to have a children’s story where the main characters do this sets an appalling example to children. 

If someone were to try to defend this story by saying that it is set in a fantasy world and not the real world, and that in this fantasy world taking class A drugs is acceptable, they would be told in no uncertain terms that that was a hopelessly weak excuse. Or if someone were to claim that the drugs in the fantasy world are not identical to drugs in our real world, so no harm is done, they also would be told where to go. 

I believe that Harry Potter is very similar to this scenario. Harry and his friends don’t take class A drugs. But they do something just as bad, namely, use supernatural powers without reference to God, i.e., witchcraft. 

I am sure that many Christians who are reading this will think that my analogy is a poor one. They will think that in a fantasy world, as in the real world, taking class A drugs has to be much worse than so-called white witchcraft. 

I would suggest that the reason why so many Christians don’t feel the same about witchcraft as they do about taking class A drugs is because, unknowingly, they have been massively influenced by the values of modern Western culture. I come back to the point I made at the beginning of the article. In mainstream Western culture today there is little or no place for God. So if an activity involves causing unnecessary harm to a human being, it is seen as wrong, but if it doesn’t involve doing this to a human being, it is usually seen as acceptable. 

However, the whole starting point of this worldview is mistaken. Instead of asking whether an activity causes pain to humans, we should start by asking whether it causes pain to God. And there are many things that pain God without causing direct pain to human beings. 

Huge numbers of Christians today have a very faulty worldview, because they have been very influenced by secular Western thinking. Many have simply not grasped that God hates many things that don’t cause direct pain to humans, including witchcraft. So they haven’t understood that it is extremely inappropriate to have a children’s fantasy story in which the main characters do something similar to witchcraft in the real world. 

PRACTICAL STEPS 

What practical steps, then, should Christians take in response to Harry Potter? 

Avoid the books and films 

First, I think that as a general rule it is best even for adults to avoid these books and films. 

Each Christian would need to follow their own conscience in this matter. However, I would be surprised if it was God’s will for believers to spend their leisure time being exposed to such an evil subject matter. Watching pornography, for example, is wrong, so why would we think that watching or reading about witchcraft, even fantasy witchcraft, is any better? 

Parenting 

Second, Christian parents need to take great care to protect their children from harmful influences from these books and films. 

I think normally this will mean keeping children, especially young ones, away from Harry Potter. I appreciate how difficult this must be for parents today, especially when there is so much peer pressure on children to follow the crowd, and also when these books are often read in schools. 

Perhaps it may sometimes be God’s will for Christian parents to allow their children to be exposed to some of the books and films while at the same time warning them of the evils of witchcraft. But I would at least question that. The subject matter is just so awful. 

Book-burning 

Finally, there is the issue of book-burning to consider. 

In the last three decades various Christian groups have got into the news because they have publicly burned Harry Potter books. 

I don’t think burning these books is an overreaction. Public burning of magic books is exactly what we find approved of in Acts 19:19. 

It is true that the books referred to in this verse had to do with magic/witchcraft in our real world, not the witchcraft of a fantasy world. Nevertheless, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between burning books on real witchcraft and burning ones on fantasy witchcraft. 

A decision to publicly burn books shouldn’t be taken lightly, however. There may well be times when, for one reason or another, God might not want Harry Potter books to be burned in public. So Christians who are considering this would need to take the matter to the Lord in prayer. 

 

See also: 

Learning to Discern the Attacks of Evil Spirits 

The Importance of Ministering to People Afflicted by Demons 

Christians Need to Put Everything to the Test

Most People in Western Countries Completely Misunderstand What Human Beings Are 

The Importance of Ministering to People Afflicted by Demons – Part 2, Other Considerations

In part 1 of this article we saw that the Bible suggests, strongly at times, that ministry to people afflicted by demons is something that should be ongoing today. 

In this second part I will move on to consider some other relevant aspects of this topic.  Although the Bible will not be as directly in focus as it was in part 1, it will still feature prominently in the following discussion.

MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFLICTED BY DEMONS TODAY

The first important point to make is that there are many people today who have demonic problems.

Of course, some who claim to be Christians deny the existence of Satan and evil spirits.  In this article, however, I don’t intend to argue that these creatures exist.  I am writing for those who already accept that they do.

More importantly for the purposes of this article, there are some Christians who claim that today people only very rarely suffer from demonic afflictions.  These Christians rightly agree that Satan and evil spirits exist.  And they rightly agree too that in the first century many people had demonic problems.  But they say that today things are different.

Those who take this view are completely mistaken, for the following reasons:

The amount of demonic affliction in the first century

To begin with, in the light of the amount of demonic affliction that there clearly was in the first century, it would be very surprising if demons didn’t afflict people frequently today.  Why would we expect things to be any different now?  After all, Satan is still the god of this age in which we live (2 Corinthians 4:4). 

Of course, in the last 2000 years the good news of the Christian message has spread to more and more people.  But this has hardly meant that the evil in our world has reduced in any real way.  We just need to read the news to hear of all sorts of terrible evils that go on everywhere.  The idea that the world is gradually becoming a morally better place is just a myth.  And we would therefore not expect demonic activity to be any less now than it was in the first century.

Misdiagnosis

We should also listen carefully to Christians who claim to have experience of freeing people from demons.  They can often be heard saying that many of those who are diagnosed with psychological illnesses are in fact suffering from demonic problems.  And they say that physical ailments also often have a demonic root. 

Nothing about these claims looks implausible.  Just because non-Christians diagnose an illness in a certain way doesn’t mean that they have to be right.  We must remember that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10).  So if people’s starting point is wrong, it is likely that they will often reach wrong conclusions about things too. 

Modern Western intellectuals, including those in the medical profession, are typically non-Christians who don’t believe in the existence of demons.  It should therefore be easy for us to understand how doctors could misdiagnose demonic affliction as something else.

Demons speaking through people

In the Gospels and Acts we find examples of evil spirits speaking audibly through people.  See, e.g., Mark 1:24; 5:7-12; Acts 16:17; 19:15.  I think one reason why some Christians doubt that demonic afflictions are common today is because they don’t hear of examples of this happening. 

Again, we should listen to those who claim to have experience of freeing people from demons:

(1) They say that evil spirits do at times speak through people today. 

Sadly, ministry to people afflicted by evil spirits is so lacking in so much of the church today that many Christians never hear anything about it.  It is a fact, however, that there are reports of demons speaking through people in our day.

(2) Those who claim experience in this area also tell us that when a demon is expelled from a person, this is often the only time that it ever speaks through the person hosting it. 

(3) They tell us too that often a demon never speaks through the person it is inhabiting, even at the time it is expelled.

(4) They also tell us that in a majority of demonic afflictions, it is inappropriate to think of the demon as living inside the person in question.  Usually demonic afflictions are less serious than that, more of a demonic grip on a person than a living inside.  And in such cases, it makes sense to think that the demon would never speak through the person affected.

It is worth noting too that at times Scripture itself quite strongly implies that a demonised person never had a demon speak through them.

For example, in Matthew 9:32-33 we are told: 

‘32 As they were going out, a mute, demonised man was brought to [Jesus].  33 And when the demon had been expelled, the mute man spoke . . .’ 

Note here that the man’s problem was specifically inability to speak.  It therefore seems very unlikely that the demon spoke through this man before Jesus met him. 

Note too how the text says that the man spoke when the demon had been expelled.  This also suggests that the demon never spoke through him. 

Given this passage (and others), and given the claims of Christians who say they have experience in this ministry, then, it seems entirely plausible that many people today could have demonic afflictions without a demon ever speaking through them.  And, as I have noted, there are reports of demons speaking through people anyway.

Summing up

There seems to be no good reason, therefore, for thinking that people today only rarely suffer from demonic afflictions.  And in the absence of such a reason, it makes sense to think that today things are much the same as they were in the first century.  Today, as then, many people are afflicted by demons.

IT IS WRONG TO THINK THAT PRAYER ALONE USUALLY FREES PEOPLE FROM DEMONS

There are some Christians who agree that many people today have demonic problems, but who claim that the way to set people free is simply to pray for them.  They say that no special ministry of expelling demons or such like is needed.

I do think it is true that sometimes prayer alone frees people from evil spirits.  Nevertheless, there are a couple of points to make here:

First century ministry typically involved more than just prayer

To begin with, the Bible makes it clear that in the first century people were typically freed from evil spirits through actual ministry to them.  This ministry often involved prayer but it was rarely, if ever, confined to prayer. 

We know that when Jesus was on earth, He and His followers performed this kind of ministry.  See, e.g., Matthew 8:16; 10:1, 8; Mark 1:23-27; 6:7, 13; Luke 9:1, 6; 10:17. 

And we know too that when the early church ministered to people with demonic problems, they did more than just pray.  See Acts 5:12-16; 8:6-7; 19:11-12, and the verse we know as Mark 16:17. 

So why would we expect things to be any different today?  There seems to be no good reason.

The Bible suggests ministry today

Second, I refer the reader to part 1 of this article, where I discuss several biblical passages which suggest that ministry to people with demons should be ongoing today.

Summing up

The idea, then, that the way to free people from demons today is just to pray for them fits very poorly with Scripture.

IT IS WRONG TO THINK THAT DEMONS LEAVE NEW CONVERTS AUTOMATICALLY

There are some Christians who agree that many people today suffer from demonic problems, but who argue in this way:

To get free of a demonic problem in our day, all someone needs to do is become a Christian.  Demons will leave automatically when a person is saved.  And there is therefore no need for ministry to people afflicted by them.

This is a very weak argument, for several reasons:

Biblical teaching and examples

To begin with, the points I made above are also relevant here:

(1) We know that in the first century Jesus and Christians ministered to people with demons.  And there is no good reason for thinking that things should be any different today.

(2) The Bible suggests, strongly at times, that ministry to people afflicted by demons should be ongoing today. 

Both these points count strongly against the idea that no ministry to people with demons is needed today.

The Bible’s silence on demons leaving at conversion

Next, there is no suggestion anywhere in the Bible that demons leave people at the moment they become Christians.

I do admit that I have heard reports of this happening.  However, even if it is true that this does sometimes happen, it is still the case that the Bible never refers to it.  So we would hardly expect this to be a common thing.

Christians with demonic problems

Finally, those who claim to have experience of freeing people from demons widely agree that Christians can have demonic problems. 

There are some who rule out the idea that a Christian could have a problem of this sort.  They point out that the Holy Spirit lives inside Christians.  And they argue that the Spirit couldn’t and wouldn’t share His residence with a demon. 

This argument, however, is too simplistic, for two reasons:

(1) We need to take account of the metaphorical language here.

When we talk about the Spirit living in a Christian, we need to understand that this is a metaphor as far as the human soul is concerned.  Our souls are not spatial entities, i.e., they don’t literally occupy a space with physical dimensions.  So it is not as if the Spirit literally lives inside and fills them.  Instead, the idea is that the Spirit enlivens our souls in an important way and acts in very close relationship to them. 

Similarly, talk of demons living inside people is also metaphorical as far as the human soul is concerned.  And, as I have already noted, in a majority of demonic afflictions it is inappropriate to refer to demons living inside people anyway.  Usually demonic problems are less serious than that.

When we recognise that neither the Spirit nor demons literally live inside people, it becomes much easier to understand how a Christian could have a demonic problem.

(2) We must bear in mind that the Spirit (metaphorically) lives inside us despite the fact that we are not yet free of sin.  Although all true Christians are justified and upright in God’s sight, we remain sinners.  So the Spirit lives in sinners.  And sin, of course, is an extremely bad and serious thing.

But if the Spirit can live in sinners, it is not all that surprising if He could live in people with demonic problems too.  It is true that the Spirit and demons are totally incompatible.  Yet the Spirit and sin are also totally incompatible.  So if the Spirit can live in a sinner, as we know He can, it doesn’t seem implausible that He could live in someone with a demonic problem.

For two reasons, then, the idea that the Spirit couldn’t live in someone with a demonic affliction is too simplistic.

Something that causes misunderstanding here is Bible translation of the Greek verb daimonizomai, found 14 times in the New Testament (e.g., in Matthew 4:24; 8:16; Mark 1:32; 5:15; Luke 8:36).  In English versions the passive participle of this verb is usually translated ‘demon-possessed’. 

This is actually a very poor translation.  Importantly, there is no part of the word daimonizomai that signifies possession. 

Daimonizomai is related to two nouns, daimon and daimonion, both of which are used in the New Testament to mean ‘demon’.  Daimonizomai certainly implies some sort of harmful action by a demon.  But there is nothing in the word itself which tells us exactly what this action is.  By itself daimonizomai doesn’t imply that the action involves actual possession by a demon.

Those who translate the passive participle of daimonizomai as ‘demon-possessed’ think that when this word is used in the New Testament of a person affected by a demon, the action involves possession. 

However, the New Testament never teaches that anyone who is troubled by a demon is possessed by that demon.  And I believe that daimonizomai should be interpreted accordingly.  I would hold that all actions by demons on people in the New Testament always fall short of actual possession, even when a demon speaks through a person at the time it is expelled.

When translating daimonizomai into English, I prefer to use the simple term ‘demonise’ (‘demonize’ in American English).  And I translate the passive participle as ‘demonised’.  This avoids saying what kind of action the demon performs, just as daimonizomai itself avoids doing this. 

The reason this is important is that if a Christian thinks that having a demonic problem involves actually being possessed by a demon, they will say that it is impossible for a Christian to have such a problem.  And it is surely correct that no Christian could be possessed by a demon.

However, if we say that a Christian can be demonised in a way that is far less serious than being possessed, it is much easier to understand how a Christian could have a demonic problem.

All things considered, then, there seems to be no convincing reason for thinking that Christians cannot have demonic problems.  So when those who claim to have experience in this area say that Christians can suffer from demonic afflictions, we should pay attention to what they say.

If Christians can have demonic problems, as I am sure they can, this counts as evidence that demons don’t disappear automatically when people are converted.

Summing up

In the light of the above points, we should have no hesitation in rejecting the idea that there is no need for ministry to demonised people because demons will always leave automatically when people become Christians.  There is a need for this ministry, and demons, at least usually, don’t automatically disappear when people are saved.

CONCLUSION

That concludes our discussion of this topic, and we have found the following:

(1) The Bible suggests, strongly at times, that ministry to people afflicted by demons is something that should be ongoing today.  

(2) It makes perfect sense to think that many people today have demonic problems.

(3) We shouldn’t expect demons to disappear simply by praying for people.

(4) The idea that we should expect demons to automatically leave people when they become Christians is a mistake.

When all these points are taken into account, we should have no hesitation in saying that there is very much a place for ministry to people afflicted by demons today.

It is not my intention here to say exactly how Christians should get into this ministry, especially as I have little experience of it myself.  My goal has simply been to try to show that this is something that many Christians should be involved in at the present time.  Ideally, it should be a ministry that is performed by every local church.

My understanding of God, however, is that if Christians are closed to Him doing things through them, He usually holds back from working in those ways even if He would like to.  I would therefore encourage believers to be open to God working through them in this ministry and to seek His leading.

See also:

God Wants to Use Christians in Miracle Work Today

Learning to Discern the Attacks of Evil Spirits

In the Early Church How Often Did Non-Apostles Work Miracles?

Is It Always God’s Will to Heal Christians?

Learning to Discern the Attacks of Evil Spirits

Back in the late 1980s, when I was first a Christian, I used to suffer from worries of various kinds that were quite intense at times.  On a number of occasions I mentioned this to older Christians, who gave me advice about what they thought I should do.  This helped a little, but it didn’t seem to go very far towards solving the problem.

Over time, what I came to realise was that those worries were due in large part to the direct attacks of evil spirits against me.  Once I became aware of this, I found that I was much more able to deal with similar situations that arose.

Looking back, I can see that in Scotland at that time there was a serious lack of ability among God’s people as regards spiritual warfare in general.  The whole subject was rarely mentioned, and few Christians seemed to know anything about it.  Today, I think things are a bit better, but this is still an area of great weakness in the church here.  There are many devout, born-again Christians in this part of the world who have no real awareness of how to engage in hand-to-hand combat with demonic powers.  My impression of other countries is that in some places there is more of an understanding of these things.  But I am sure that in many areas of the world the church has not even grasped the basics.

In this article I want to say a little about basic spiritual warfare, giving some of my own experiences.  I hope that by doing so I might be able to help other Christians enter into this combat. 

Evil spirits exist

As a starting point in discussing this issue, we need to recognise that it is not possible to accept the authority of Scripture and also deny the existence of evil spirits. 

The Bible is clear that Satan, also known as the devil, exists and that he is an intelligent being who opposes the work of God in the world.  See, for example, Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 10:18; Romans 16:20; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9. 

It is equally clear that subordinate to Satan are less powerful beings which are referred to as demons or evil spirits, these terms being interchangeable.  See, for example, Matthew 8:28-33; Mark 1:21-27; Luke 8:2; 11:14-26; Acts 16:16-18; 19:12-16. 

There are also passages of Scripture, such as Daniel 10:13 and Ephesians 6:12, which suggest that there are different types of these creatures.  Those Christians who are experienced in delivering people from evil spirits will testify to the existence of a variety of these spirits, some being much more powerful than others.

In this article I won’t try to defend the belief that evil spirits exist.  I am writing for those who are already persuaded that they do. 

However, I would like to make just one very brief comment on this point.  This is that those who deny the existence of these creatures usually seem to assume their view rather than reaching it through reasoned arguments.  In much modern secular thinking there often seems to be an unreasoned assumption that the physical universe is all that exists.  I would submit that this viewpoint is far too simplistic, and that the universe is much bigger and more multi-faceted than this worldview even begins to imagine.

Anyway, because this article is not aimed at trying to defend the belief that evil spirits exist, I will say no more on that topic.  I will assume in what follows that they are real and that their characteristics are as described in the Bible.

Concentrating on the basics

The whole subject of spiritual warfare is a huge one, and there are various aspects to it.  For example, many people suffer from especially significant demonic problems, and there are Christian ministries aimed at helping them.  There are also types of spiritual warfare that involve, for example, ridding a place of a certain demonic presence. 

None of these specialist areas is my concern in this article.  I am interested here only in the absolute basics, the typical attacks of evil spirits that will come upon every Christian without exception.

Evil spirits attack Christians

When we look at the Bible, we find that it teaches us clearly that evil spirits attack Christians.  Ephesians 6:10-20 refers to believers putting on the full armour of God to resist demonic attacks.  1 Thessalonians 3:5 speaks about the tempter, i.e., Satan, tempting Christians.  James 4:7 refers to Christians resisting the devil so that he flees from them, which implies that he attacks them.  And 1 Peter 5:8-9 instructs believers to resist the devil when he prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour, which, again, implies that he attacks Christians.

It is true that the latter three passages, and Ephesians 6:11, refer to Satan, not evil spirits, as the one who plots against or attacks believers.  Nevertheless, it is not difficult to see a figure of speech here, in which the leader is mentioned in place of the spirits who actually do the attacking.  This is the same as when a certain king in the Old Testament might be said to wage a war, when what is meant is that those under his authority actually do the fighting in line with his instructions. 

In any case, Ephesians 6:12 clearly refers to evil spirits other than the devil as those whom Christians struggle against.  What is more, it makes sense to think that as a finite being Satan is only in one place at one time.  And he would therefore be unable to attack more than a tiny proportion of Christians himself. 

We should have no hesitation, then, in saying that, according to Scripture, Christians will be the objects of attacks by intelligent creatures known as evil spirits or demons. 

They attack by lying and tempting

The Bible reveals that the ways in which evil spirits attack Christians are various, and the experience of believers confirms this.  In this article, however, we are concentrating on the basics of spiritual warfare.  So we will look at what seem to be the two main ways in which demons attack Christians, i.e., by lying and by tempting. 

That the attacks of evil spirits involve lies is implied in Ephesians 6:14, which talks about truth as one defensive weapon against them.  Furthermore, Revelation 12:9 describes Satan as the one who deceives the whole world, which surely implies that demons act likewise.  Similarly, Revelation 20:8, 10 refers to Satan deceiving the nations which, again, implies that evil spirits do the same.

As far as tempting is concerned, in 1 Thessalonians 3:5 Paul refers to Satan as ‘the tempter’, and he expresses concern that the Thessalonians might have given in to temptation.  This verse therefore surely implies that evil spirits attack Christians by tempting.  The accounts of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13 also fit well with the idea that evil spirits are able to tempt Christians.  And so does the account of the fall of humans in Genesis 3:1-19.

Resisting evil spirits

We should note carefully that Ephesians 6:10-20 teaches Christians to resist the attacks of evil spirits against themselves.  And James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:8-9, similarly, refer to Christians resisting the devil.

It is true that James 4:7 may well have a rather indirect form of resistance in view.  In context, this verse seems to be thinking, at least mainly, of resisting the devil by submitting to God.

But 1 Peter 5:8-9, and especially Ephesians 6:10-20, are apparently talking about a more active form of resistance.  These passages seem to envisage situations in which Christians are attacked by evil spirits at particular times and places, and then deliberately fight off those attacks.

Importantly, resisting in this way is only possible if we recognise that we are being attacked.  These two passages therefore imply that Christians should, at least often, be able to discern the attacks of evil spirits against them. 

We can sum up the discussion so far, then, by saying that evil spirits will attack Christians with lies and temptations, and the ability to recognise such attacks and overcome them should be part of the normal Christian life.

Some personal testimony

In the first years after I became a Christian I was given no teaching on this subject by my church leaders, and I paid a high price as a result.  Since then, through much trial and error I have slowly grown in my ability to recognise when an evil spirit is attacking me.  I will mention two ways in which I can now often discern the attack of a demon.

First, there is an experience I often have, in which a thought suddenly impresses itself on my mind in a specific and difficult-to-describe way, accompanied by a specific feeling of mild anxiety.  I have learned that when I have this particular sensation, it is always the attack of an evil spirit. 

The thought that presses on my mind always involves something that is untrue.  Either the thing that is the focus of the thought is untrue in itself, or it is true in itself but the imagined consequences of it are untrue. 

For example, there have been numerous times when a spirit has lied to me by telling me that someone is hostile to me, when that has been completely untrue.  Someone might not have been in touch when I was expecting them to contact me, and I have become convinced that the person is upset with me.  Then I have found out that it was all untrue and there was a perfectly good reason why they didn’t get in touch. 

On other occasions I have believed a demonic lie telling me that a certain bad situation was hopeless.  The situation was genuinely bad in some way.  But this time the lie consisted of saying that the consequences of the problem would be dire, when in actual fact God provided a solution quickly and easily.

Please note that I am not simplistically saying that because I believed something negative that turned out to be untrue, I must have been attacked by an evil spirit.  Sometimes I get things wrong in this way without a spirit being involved.  My point is that I have learned that when I have a very precise sensation involving a negative thought pressing on my mind, it is in fact an evil spirit attacking me with a lie then and there.

As well as combating demonic lies, I am learning to discern demonic temptations.  There is a very specific and difficult-to-describe sensation that I occasionally experience that involves a kind of relaxed feeling, along with an indifference to whether things are right or wrong.  And I am learning that when I feel like that, it is a demonic temptation. 

Fighting back

Becoming aware of some of the attacks of evil spirits against me has enabled me to fight back.  Years ago when I was attacked without recognising it, I would pray but usually found that by itself this didn’t solve the problem.  Now, when I discern an attack, I not only pray (Ephesians 6:18-19) but also engage in direct warfare, using the authority given to all Christians (Luke 10:19). 

To combat a lie, I might say: 

‘I expose your lie, you spirit, and I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave me now.’ 

Or I can say: 

‘Depart from me now, you servant of Satan.  I have delegated authority from Jesus Christ and I use it to order you to withdraw from me right now.’ 

If I am being tempted, I can say something like: 

‘Leave me, you evil spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.  I recognise that you are tempting me and I command you to cease.’   

Or I might say: 

‘The blood of Jesus is my victory and your defeat, you demon.  Withdraw from me in Jesus’ name.’   

I find that speaking out loud is preferable if circumstances allow, but it is not essential.  I will usually have to repeat commands of this kind a number of times, but the demonic sensations will often quickly disappear.  At other times it is much more of a battle until I can gain victory. 

Frequent attacks

In my experience, there are few days when I am not aware at some point of an attack by a demon against me in one way or another.  In fact, I think it would be very rare for there to be a 24-hour period in which any born-again Christian is not directly attacked by an evil spirit in some way. 

It is true that Ephesians 6:13 speaks about resisting demons ‘on the evil day’, which might seem to suggest that on most days no attacks are made.  However, in biblical language the word ‘day’ is often not used literally.  And, even if it is literal in this verse, ‘the evil day’ could just be a day on which attack is more intense than it is usually.

Failure to discern attacks

If Christians are attacked by evil spirits every day, or at least very often, why is it, then, that so many seem to be unaware of the attacks against them? 

I am sure that the main reason is the same as happened to me in the early years of my Christian walk, namely, that attacks are not recognised as such.  They are believed to be purely psychological experiences, when in fact they are mainly demonic.  I am sure that there are huge numbers of Christians worldwide who are assaulted by evil spirits with lies and temptations, who would be able to fight back effectively if they just realised what was going on.

The attacks of evil spirits will be especially frequent when we are involved in activities that are the most threat to Satan and his work.  For example, if I go to a prayer meeting, I will almost certainly experience some opposition.  And I know I’m not the only one.  On many occasions I have gone to a prayer meeting and, just as the meeting is about to start, I have looked around at the people there, and some who were cheerful a short time before have become silent and worried looking.  I am sure that much of this is due to demonic attacks that are not understood as such.

Not being intimidated

In saying that things like prayer meetings often increase the demonic attacks against Christians, I hope no one reading this is thinking that it would be better not to go to gatherings like this.  That would be extremely foolish.  The safest place for a believer is always as close as possible to God, losing their life for Jesus’ sake (Luke 9:24).  Besides, demons can only attack us in ways that God permits (Job 1:6-2:10).  And they can’t inflict any real harm if we are in God’s will (Luke 10:19).  Going to a prayer meeting and being attacked by a demon as a result is a million times safer than disobeying God by not going to it. 

Appropriate caution

It is true that there are dangers involved in some types of spiritual warfare, if the Christian is not prepared for it.  I can think of one occasion as a young Christian when this lesson was driven home to me very forcefully.

I and one brother and one sister decided on the spur of the moment one evening that we would go to a place that was well known for witchcraft, so that we could declare the authority of Christ to the evil spirits there.  Soon after we arrived, the woman in our group began to experience terrifying manifestations of evil, and we realised that we had made a big mistake.  We then had to try to beat back this onslaught of the enemy as best we could. 

What we had done was a bit like diving into a swimming pool without having a clue how to swim.  Our experience reminds me of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-17, who tried to engage in spiritual warfare that they were not equipped for.

In giving this anecdote of my experience, I don’t want to discourage Christians from ‘pursuing a career’ in specialist spiritual warfare.  There is a great need for more believers who know how to operate in this area, and it is not dangerous if you know what you are doing.  A team of Christians who are prepared and include some seasoned warriors as leaders will be completely protected as Jesus promises in Luke 10:19.  For someone who knows how to swim, diving into a swimming pool is a very safe thing to do.

We could sum up this point with two principles.  First, if you are inexperienced in spiritual warfare, only go on the attack against evil spirits if you are under the wing of those with the necessary expertise.  Second, if you are defending against the attacks of spirits who come to you, you will be completely safe, regardless of how long you have been a Christian or how experienced you are in spiritual warfare. 

Growing in discernment

I mentioned above that I have learned that very specific feelings and sensations I experience are caused by the attacks of evil spirits.  I think probably every Christian will be unique in this respect to some degree.  My guess is that each person might feel something a little different from others, or at least most others, when they are attacked by demons. 

Nevertheless, I am sure that there are similarities too.  I know from speaking to others, for example, that they experience demonic lies in a way similar to me.  I think in spiritual warfare the main way in which we must learn is from our own experiences.  Given that evil spirits attack us with lies and temptations, we can watch out for times when we find we have been tempted or when we have believed something that is untrue to see if any pattern of feelings or experiences emerges.  This is exactly the way in which I am learning to discern demonic attacks.

If you are a born-again Christian, you have been and will be targeted by evil spirits.  They will doubtless have held meetings at which you have been discussed, and your weaknesses will be well known to them.  I am fairly sure too that individual spirits will have been assigned to you personally to attack you in various ways. 

Scripture is clear that the normal Christian life involves recognising the attacks of these creatures and defeating them.  Every time a spirit does something to us without our being aware, it is always at an advantage over us.  Once we discern what is going on, the tables are turned.  We are then in a position, with delegated authority from Jesus Christ, to have the upper hand.

See also:

The Importance of Ministering to People Afflicted by Demons

God Wants to Do More Miracles Today