HOW DEMONS ENTER

There are a variety of ways and means in which demons can enter people, and I list some of the following: 1. Hereditary The Scripture says that the iniquity of the fathers shall be visited on the children 'to the third and fourth generation' (Exodus 20:5). In the occult or other sinful practices, the spirits of sin from the ancestors can enter subsequent generations until there is true repentance and the commanding of that demon to go.

That generation can be afflicted even though the person has turned their heart to Jesus Christ. That is why the gift of discernment and deliverance ministry is needed in the body of Christ. It is important to remember that ... 'Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree").' (Galatians 3: I 3) It is necessary to appropriate what Jesus has done.

People therefore should be encouraged to exercise their will and really believe that they have been delivered from the curse of the law. In this way, authority can be taken over familiar or hereditary spirits which have been following them, but it is necessary for them to exercise their will as these are cut off, and to realize that God has really set them free. Spirits that can enter as a result of hereditary bondages can be rejection, spirits of grief and spirits of memory.

Faith walk

Our walk with Jesus Christ is not an intellectual walk, but the walk is an act of faith, and we must appropriate by faith those things which Jesus has already done for us.

2. Disobedience on the Part of Parents Where the parents, particularly the father, do not follow Jesus Christ. In this instance, the home is open to demonic attack and the children can grow up in rebellion. If there is no teaching of the Word in the home, then there are no absolute values, and as the children grow up there is nothing to prevent them entering into all kinds of sexual and other practices which, in turn, bring demons. Parents who encourage their children to smoke or drink can cause them to become addicted to these habits which in turn can become demonic.

3. Friction Between Parents Here again, because the spirit of fear has been allowed to enter into the marriage, young children can be filled with fear and demons of fear can enter them, followed by physical afflictions, such as asthma

4. Molesting of Children by Parents The increasingly common practice of the molesting of children by their fathers allows demon activity to enter. When the child grows old enough to realize what has happened, he or she will often remain unforgiving and this in turn brings in spirits of unforgiveness.

5. From the Womb On many occasions, demons enter during pregnancy or at birth. Demons can easily enter a foetus where there is shock, fear or trauma on the part of the mother, particularly where there is disagreement between the parents. I recently prayed for a pastor who had experienced a major problem with violence and lust and the demon which finally manifested clearly entered during pregnancy. The parents were divorced a few years after the child was born but the damage had been done, and the child had carried the spirits of violence and lust through life to middle age before he was delivered. Spirits of rejection or abortion often enter during pregnancy where the mother feels rejected or rejects the child. This is particularly true if the mother desires to abort the child. On one occasion I prayed for a young man who had been badly whipped by his mother at seven before she went into a mental hospital. He felt hurt and rejected. His school mates called him names. However, as a result of prayer and as he forgave his mother, he was totally released from this spirit and healed. These spirits can enter the child before birth and remain with it during its life. Once the spirit of rejection has entered it can bring with it many other spirits. This area must often be searched out. It is tremendously helpful when the mother is a believer because when she has repented from the past sin, the act of repentance seems to cut off the demon spirit within the child or young adult. However, whether or not the mother is alive or a believer that demon can still be made to leave by effectual fervent prayer and repentance. Asking the person to quote from Ephesians 1:6, namely that they are accepted in the beloved and having them really say these words and confess them with their mouth and believe it in their heart can be a tremendous form of deliverance. As they confess these words and believe them, we can then lead them to confess that they accept themselves. This then breaks the hold of rejection. It is also important to remember the Scripture in John's Gospel: `If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.' (John 20:23) This Scripture has a powerful meaning in this area; namely if we retain the sins of others then they will affect us but if we will let them go they will lose their power over us. These spirits may lie dormant for many years before they finally manifest, but in today's circumstances with a major breakdown of marriages and people living together and bearing children, we must expect a great outpouring of demonic activity among our young people.

6. Through Sin We have already mentioned James 1:14, which says: 'But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.' Verse 15 goes on to say: 'Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.' I have come to believe that behind every sin there is a spirit, and if we continue with the sin then we open ourselves to a spirit. This is true of masturbation, lust, and many other forms of activity which grow to a point of binding us. Let us listen to what Jesus says: 'But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.' (Matthew 5:28, 29) We must be very careful that we do not allow spirits to enter through the eye gate, or the ear gate, by allowing our thought life to be out of order. As it becomes out of order, then we allow the spiritual forces to enter. This is why Jesus made the point that simply by looking upon a woman with a desire to commit adultery then we in fact commit adultery in heart. If we allow the spirit of adultery to enter our heart, we have already given ground to the enemy hence we are told by Paul: 'Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.' (2 Corinthians 10:5) We must keep our thought life and our attitudes pure and yield all our members as instruments of righteousness.

7. Sowing and Reaping 'Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.' (Galatians 6:7, 8) This is an inexorable principle of God's laws. Many people are puzzled when they come to Jesus Christ as to why they still have problems with their children. Those problems were sown in the earlier life before the parents came to Jesus Christ and the principle of reaping must be fully worked out. The time of reaping can only be shortened as we yield more and more to Jesus Christ. Demonic activity has often occurred because of the sowing which is taking place and hence the need for discernment and expulsion of the demons.

8. Satan is a Legalist Ephesians 4:27 tells us: 'nor give place to the devil.' As we give place to the devil in our lives, he enters and takes over the ground that should be possessed by the Holy Spirit. This is a great cause of demonic activity, hence
we should walk holy and justly and without blame before God.

9. Occultic Involvement As we have discussed elsewhere, previous or current occultic involvement on our part or on the part of our previous generations will certainly give entry to demon activities.

10. Possessions Sometimes we possess occultic objects in our home, and this is an abomination in the eyes of God: 'Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it; but you shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing.' (Deuteronomy 7:26) We should be particularly aware of any eastern objects or carvings with any occultic significance. Similarly, this involvement in any area of the occult such as hypnotism, ouija boards and all the other matters referred to in Appendix 1, can give entry to demonic activity.

11. General Rejection Apart from rejection through parents there can be a sense of general rejection which afflicts people. This can sometimes occur through marriage breakdowns and it requires prayer on the part of the partner who is wronged to bring the other partner back to the Lord. We are told by Jesus to love our enemies, bless those who curse us and do good to those who hate us. `But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.' (Matthew 5:44) When people pray a blessing for those who have wronged them by taking away their husband or wife to live with them then the curse is reversed and God's love flows into that situation causing confusion on the part of the spirits involved. As a blessing is prayed for that person, the spirit of torment, which is coming from him or her and afflicting the innocent spouse, retires in confusion and God's Spirit of love comes through the person who is praying with belief. In this way the spirits which have caused the breakup of the marriage often depart and reconciliation takes place.

12. Shock Traumas such as death or the breakdown of marriage, or an accident, can often allow demons to enter. Satan is no respecter of persons and will take every opportunity to attack. Frequently I have found that in the split second just prior to an accident, the spirit of fear has entered the person, followed by shock, and then a host of other demon powers. In counselling, it is always wise to go back on any particular trauma which has occurred in a person's life, and it is often found to be the entry point of demonic activity. In the case of death, where people not only are subject to grief but kiss or touch dead people, the spirits can be transferred in that way. After prayer for deliverance it is usually good to pray for the healing of the memories.

13. Multiple Personality Disorders We quite frequently find that as a result of satanic ritual abuse or severe prolonged trauma in childhood or severe shock, that various personalities can manifest within the one person. During the past 20 years it has become fashionable to refer to these entities as fractured parts of a person's original personality. The theory is that when a person undergoes such trauma, that parts of their personality split off and these parts have to be led back to Jesus and the person reintegrated as a whole. My own experience has been quite different. The traumatised person retreats into their shell and these other personalities, which in my view are demons, begin to manifest. They will claim that they are the real person or that they own the person and will often denigrate the real person. Sometimes they will even say that they are 'from below'. In my view they are nothing but demons. One of the most common of these demons is the spirit of memories. As ministry takes place, memories which have been suppressed by this spirit come back to the person's recollection. This spirit often manifests with the voice of a little child. To bring a person who suffers from multiple personality disorders to a lasting healing usually requires much patience and love over a considerable time. You have to gain their trust. This is the most difficult part because their trust in other people has been so damaged as a result of their traumatic experiences. As their trust in you grows, so their true personality begins to manifest and over a period of time they are able to assert their authority in Jesus Christ and resist these demonic entities. The true personality comes to the top, so to speak, and they are able to gain victory over Satan.

The importance of gaining the person's trust Initially they will have considerable difficulty in believing that anybody genuinely loves them or can be trusted. However, as you demonstrate the love of God over an extended period of time, this love heals their personality and they begin to return to being a normal person. There is no 'quick fix' in this situation. It is only as their true personality appears to grow and flower that the demonic entities will lose their authority and finally disappear. The key, therefore, to the deliverance of such people is to help them to recover their full trust and love in others.

Sometimes these people will relate well to their own age group, particularly if they are younger, but then when they are in touch with an older person who represents authority, then their true personality is subordinated to the demonic power which rises up. That is why we require so much patience to ensure that their true personality asserts itself as love and trust grows. While it is vital that the person to be delivered must have love and trust in the counsellor, nevertheless, the whole purpose of the exercise is for them to develop their love and trust in God through Jesus Christ. I believe the primary reason why the ministry of Jesus Christ was so effective in deliverance was the fact that those around Him immediately sensed the mighty love of God flowing through Him. As this love touched them, then they were open to deliverance. We must be careful in these cases to ensure that the counsellees in fact place their full love, hope and trust in Jesus Christ. To pray for them without this being the case can well be premature. Hence full deliverance will not be effected. As always, the key to deliverance is true repentance. However, this may require a lot of love, time and tenderness to encourage a person to come to that point of true
repentance so that they can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, forgive those who have hurt and damaged them and thus regain their full health and strength and allow their true personality to assert itself.

14. Transference From Other

People It is very easy for demons to be transferred. In the act of sexual intercourse outside of marriage, demonic activity can occur readily as demons are transferred from one body to another. In the case of Christian marriage, this should not occur if both parties are fully committed to Jesus Christ, but where one party is not committed, the other needs to know the sanctifying power of the blood of Jesus in order to retain protection in those circumstances.

15. A Dominating Personality

In a business or church, or similar situations, a dominating personality will often cause a spirit to be transferred to other people. Sometimes we find that subordinates to a person in authority, whether it be in a business or church, will dress alike and look alike in order to ape the person in charge. It often takes the form of having the same type of haircut etc., and wearing the same type of clothes. This opens these people to a transference of spirits from those whom they are copying. Again, when we are ministering in the deliverance ministry, we need to know the authority of Jesus in our life, otherwise demons may seek to enter us from the person to whom we are ministering. If they do attack us, then we need to know the authority of Jesus in order to resist them. In particular, this means keeping a wholesome mind when we are ministering to persons of the other sex. When we are doing so always ensure that there is another person of that sex with you. A man should never minister alone to a woman, or vice versa. Again, a woman or man may be subject to a matriarchal spirit from their mother or a patriarchal spirit from their father as a result of an unhealthy domination by either of the parents over their children. We will be discussing this later in this book.

16. Through Entering Buildings

Sometimes a building has been used for immoral purposes, or some evil action, and I have seen cases where children have entered such a place, or even adults, and they have been attacked by demons without realizing it. Their personality has changed and they have needed deliverance.

17. Obsession

This can become a very powerful demon. I have found this to be so. I can recall on one occasion praying for a man during a very
lengthy deliverance. Finally the Holy Spirit revealed that he had a demon of obsession to which were attached many other demons. It had entered him at the age of 14, when he was at boarding school. He had been wrongly accused one night and all the boys in the dormitory turned on him and accused him. He wept himself to sleep. At that time a spirit of rejection entered him and finally it became an obsession. I found that as the power of the Holy Spirit came upon me and I pointed at him he would literally somersault in the air. The Holy Spirit indicated that a demon was attached to the man's leg or neck, or other part of the body, and as I pointed at him from a distance, he left the floor and either somersaulted or twisted violently in the air as the spirit left him. It was one of the most powerful demonstrations I have ever seen of the power of the Holy Spirit operating through me. As these demons came out, the noise was positively frightening, until we finally came to the demon of obsession and he left with a loud noise.

18. Curses

Curses can result in major demonic activity and it can affect generations of families.
(a) Mental and emotional breakdown.
(b) Repeated or chronic sicknesses (especially without clear medical diagnosis).
(c) Repeated miscarriages or related female problems. (d) Breakdown of marriage — family alienation.
(e) Continuing financial insufficiency (especially where the income appears sufficient).
(f) Accident prone people. You can clearly see from Scripture that there are several sources of curses as follows:

From God Himself

For example, in Deuteronomy chapter 27:15-26 there are 12 curses pronounced for the breaking of the law of Moses. Some of the curses referred to in these verses are against those who make carved images, who treat their father or mother with contempt, who move their neighbour's landmark, who make the blind to wander off the road, who perverts justice due to the stranger, fatherless and widow, who lies with his father's wife, who lies for sexual purposes with any kind of animal, who lies for sexual purposes with his sister, daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother, who lies for sexual purposes with his mother-in-law, who attacks his neighbour secretly, takes a bribe to slay an innocent person and does not conform to all the Words of this Law. A summary of the curses from Deuteronomy 28:16-68
(1) You will be cursed in the city and country.
(2) You will be cursed in your basket and your kneading bowl.
(3) The fruit of your body and produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
(4) You will have cursing, confusion, rebuke in all you set your hand to do until you are destroyed and perish.
(5) The plague will cling to you until God has consumed you from the land.
(6) Cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.