49 Religious Lies Jesus Told Me to Stop Believing - #47 Christians Cannot Have Demons

Summary

The speaker recounts how his views changed on the claim that Christians cannot have demons. Churches and a Bible college had taught him that Christians could not be demonized. Later, a deacon in his church described an uncontrollable struggle with lust and asked for prayer. The speaker and two elders prayed and commanded a demon to leave. He reports that the deacon shook and spoke in a rough voice, and that several demons were cast out. When the speaker checked in over the following months and years, the deacon said the struggle had become manageable. This experience led the speaker to reconsider his theology.

In a journaled dialogue that he presents as a conversation with Jesus, the speaker reflects on how to assess the disputed claim. He describes using six “pillars” for establishing truth: the counsel of others, the direction of the heart, thoughts in the mind, interpretation of Scripture, the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and understanding gained through life experience. He says the first four did not settle the question for him, so he gave weight to his experience and what he understood as the Spirit’s guidance. He concludes that the Bible does not explicitly settle the question either way and advises against arguing over an issue he believes Scripture does not directly address.

The speaker also describes a period when deliverance prayer did not seem to work. After spending 45 minutes praying for a person without the demon leaving, he became confused and stopped doing deliverance for about a decade. Later, while in Australia, he sought prayer from Dr. Cox and Kay Cox. He says they prayed with him for a couple of hours and that he experienced significant personal change. He later wrote about their approach in Prayers That Heal the Heart.

Deliverance approach described

The speaker says he came to understand that a person’s sin or other issues could provide what he calls a demon’s “legal right” or “anchor.” In his account, shouting commands at a demon may not work if these underlying issues have not first been addressed. He describes his approach as:

• Address underlying “anchors” before attempting deliverance. He lists inner wounds, generational sins and curses, ungodly beliefs, inner vows, and ungodly soul ties among the issues he seeks to address.
• Use a sequence of prayers. He says the first six prayers address or remove those anchors, and the seventh prayer commands the demon to leave.
• Integrate prayer with inner healing and counseling. He reports that this process has felt simpler and more comfortable than his earlier attempts, and says he has seen many people change through it.
• Continue practicing new behavior after prayer. He emphasizes that he does not consider deliverance a substitute for building new habits. He suggests practicing intentionally for six weeks to establish a more reliable new path.

These are the speaker’s religious beliefs and reported experiences, not independently verified claims.

The speaker hopes deliverance will become as normal in church life as he believes it was in Jesus’ ministry. He says his count of Jesus’ miracles suggests that roughly one-quarter to one-third involved casting out demons, and he uses this as a model for his own ministry. He closes by encouraging listeners to examine relevant Bible passages, journal about the topic, and consider what they believe God is saying.

Speakers and sources featured

• Mark Virkler — the narrator and speaker.
• Jesus — represented through the speaker’s account of a journaled dialogue; not presented as a separate recorded speaker.
• The deacon — quoted in the account of the first deliverance experience.
• Two church elders and another pastor — mentioned as participants in prayer; not separately identified.
• Kay Cox and Dr. Cox — described by the speaker as praying with him in Australia; their account is reported by him.
• Churches and institutions — the church where the speaker says he became a Christian, the Bible college he attended, and the Wesleyan church where he worked as a youth pastor are cited as sources of the teaching that Christians cannot have demons.
• The Bible and the speaker’s interpretation of Jesus’ ministry — cited as sources for his reflections on the issue.