Evangelist Ray Comfort said that although Christians can be oppressed by demons, they can never be possessed by demons.
In a recent interview with CBN NewsThe 73-year-old New Zealand-born ministry leader explained that the way a Christian experiences the demonic realm will always be very different from that of unbelievers.
“He whom the Son sets free is truly free,” Comfort said. “I don’t believe a Christian can be possessed by a demon. He can be oppressed. »
“We all have battles with demonic forces, with thoughts in our heads. But when someone becomes a Christian, they are set free.”
Comfort confirmed that in his ministry work he does not incorporate deliverance sessions into his services, believing that the way a person can fight the forces of evil is through the scriptures.
A key Bible verse that can help in the battle is James 4:7which says: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. »
“And if Satan doesn’t run away from someone, I think it’s probably because they’re not totally submitted to God,” Comfort said.
According to Comfort, some people praise the idea of engaging in exorcism prayers. Many times they hold bitterness in their hearts, which may be linked to resentment towards their parents, for example.
“One way to have spiritual problems is to hate your father, to hate your mother,” he said. “Ephesians 6:1 says: “Honor your father and your mother, so that everything goes well with you and that your days on earth are long. »
Comfort said bitterness can “give the enemy a stronghold.” He encouraged others to set their hearts on love and forgiveness rather than hatred or enmity.
“Remember that Satan moves like a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour,” Comfort said, referring to 1 Peter 5:8. “If you are in Satan’s territory – if you lie, if you steal, if you watch porn, or if you blaspheme and do things you know are morally wrong – you open the door; you give the devil a foothold.”
Listen to the Playing with Fire podcast on demonic possession and oppression
The evangelist said he prayed, often for hours, for people from various churches. He described the process as “exhausting” and said that over time he understood that “each person must close the door themselves”, because deliverance begins with the oppressed person who has “the will to s “cling to the Lord”. .”
“If someone has demonic issues, I say, ‘Well, let’s go through the gospel. Let’s see what sin is,” Comfort said. “And then you renounce everything you’ve ever been in and turn away from it and say, ‘God, I’m totally yours.’ I give myself. I submit to Your Lordship. I present myself as a living sacrifice, completely acceptable to you, which constitutes my reasonable service.'”
“It is then that you are a new creature in Christ. Old things disappear. Old things become new.
Last month, Comfort shared a story about a woman, identified as “Jane”, who was experiencing fainting spells and other spiritual dilemmas. When she asked for help, it showed that she was in the middle of a demonic attack.
“(She was) sitting in my office, manifesting all these different weird demons,” Comfort said. “And, at one point, the dexterity was quite astonishing. With one hand, she reached into a blouse and pulled out a safety pin…and tried to swallow it.”
“I think three times she grabbed the office light cords and tried to strangle herself, and the demon screamed, ‘We’re going to kill.’ And I said, “You can’t touch us, because we’re Christians.” »
Comfort said the voice made it clear that Jane was not a Christian and could be harmed. She was eventually delivered and released.
The topic of spiritual warfare and demonic possession has been a hot topic in Christian circles in recent years.
In a video job on YouTube by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2018, theologian Stephen Wellum pointed out that Christians cannot be possessed.
“Being possessed by a demon would mean that one is outside of Christ,” Wellum said at the time. “When you think about Christian salvation, it is described in Scripture as a transference. It is a transference from being in Adam, and the entire age controlled by sin, death and the devil, and d ‘to be transferred into Christ.’
“In Christ we are no longer dead in our transgressions and sins, we are born of the Spirit, we have new life, our sins are forgiven, we are united with the Savior, we have the power of the Savior.”
Nicole Alcindor is a journalist for The Christian Post.
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