Demon-possession

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24-26
Demon-possession is not an old-fashioned term for mental illness or schizophrenia. It is a very real phenomenon, and it persists to the present day. Reading the Scriptures, we also realise that demons are different to fallen angels. Both are evil, but fallen angels are, like godly angels, able to manifest themselves in a physical body of their own – while demons crave embodiment. A person can be possessed by multiple demons at once – in Luke 8:30 we read of a man who was possessed by up to 6,000 demons. But they can be cast out, by the power of God and the authority of Jesus Christ.
These verses in Luke give us a unique insight into what happens in the heart of a person who is delivered from demon-possession. The demon, cast out of the person, “goes through arid places seeking rest”. But, if it cannot find another host, it will return. If the ‘house’ – the person’s heart – is not re-occupied by another spiritual force, namely, the Holy Spirit, they are at risk of being re-possessed by that demon, and possibly others also. If a person is delivered from demon possession, they need to come to faith in Jesus Christ as soon as possible.
This understanding of the Scriptures on this matter also shows us that a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. The Holy Spirit won’t be room-mates with a demon. If we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, we do not have to worry at all about becoming demon-possessed.