David Diga Hernandez - Demonic Attacks - Part 1

In the last edition of Spirit Church, I discussed demonic possession and made it very clear that the believer cannot be demon-possessed. The Bible does not teach that, and there is nothing in Scripture that would give us that idea. Now, this naturally raises the question: if the believer cannot be demon-possessed, then how can demonic beings affect the believer in everyday life? Some would suggest that Christians cannot be possessed, but they can be oppressed. While I understand that this terminology helps us categorize certain attacks of the enemy, I have to push back on that a little bit because I don’t believe that, to any degree, the believer can be owned or enslaved by a demonic being; it simply cannot happen. So, if by «oppressed» you mean that the believer could have some low-level form of slavery or enslavement to a demonic being, then I would have to disagree with you on that terminology. If, however, by «oppressed» you mean that the believer can be attacked and become susceptible to certain emotional or physical problems as a result of the lies they believe, then I can agree with you. But let me make this clear again: the believer cannot be possessed, and if you mean a lower level or a lower form of ownership, if that’s what you mean by «oppressed, ” then the believer cannot even be oppressed. Those are terms we use to try to explain our experience when our experience doesn’t align with the Word of God. I talked more about that in the last edition of Spirit Church, but we cannot judge these matters based on our experience; we cannot base our theology on our experience. Instead, we have to base what we believe—our theology—on the Word of God. So, if something in your experience with the supernatural seems to contradict what the Word of God clearly teaches, then you have not misinterpreted the Word of God; you have misinterpreted your experience. For example, I talked in the last edition of Spirit Church about demonic possession, and some people will say, „Well, Brother David, you’re saying that people cannot be demon-possessed, or more specifically, that believers cannot be demon-possessed. But I saw with my own eyes a church leader or a pastor or someone I knew to be a Christian display signs of being demonized or possessed. They started to manifest, roll on the floor, yell, and act in a manner indicative of being demon-possessed.“ But I’m going to tell you this: and when I do, I need you to understand that I’m not saying you should walk in paranoia about your salvation and question it constantly. The truth is, if a believer seems to show signs of demonic possession, it can only be one of two things: either they’re not really demon-possessed, or they’re not really saved. More often than not, I find that in such circumstances, the reality is that the believer is not really demon-possessed; they’re emotional, especially around teachings like this. I know some preachers who manipulate fear in people and incite emotional reactions so they can demonstrate manifestations after they’re done teaching. They stir this fear, this sense of paranoia or anxiety inside someone using their teaching, and then hope that they exhibit the behavior of someone who’s demon-possessed. But this is not how we should go about it, nor is this how we should base our theology. Instead, we must base what we believe on the Bible. Another example, as I mentioned earlier, includes people who try to match their experience with their theology rather than the other way around; that’s how you’re supposed to do it. They say, „Well, Christians aren’t possessed, but they’re oppressed.“ Essentially, what they mean by that is when Christians are demon-possessed, it’s called oppression. But the believer cannot be oppressed, possessed, owned, cursed, or anything like that. I’ve heard of generational curses, and aside from some references from the Old Testament, I cannot find anything in the New Testament Scripture that even hints at generational curses. I know I’m opening up a whole different subject, but I may do a lesson on why I don’t necessarily believe in generational curses. When we address the topic of demonic attacks, the reason I set this foundation for the rest of the lesson is that I don’t want us to become paranoid; I don’t want us to base our belief or our living on superstition. Rather, I want us to base it on the Word of God. As far as generational curses or even the term I use—open doors to the demonic—I believe that there is such a thing as an open door to the demonic. However, while some see an open door or a demonically open door as an opportunity for the enemy to own a part of your soul or body, I again don’t believe that’s the case for the believer. Instead, when I use the term „open doors, ” I’m talking about making ourselves vulnerable or susceptible to the enemy’s deception. This does not imply ownership at all. Instead, this implies that we believe what the enemy tries to tell us, which is the basis for all the demonic attacks against the believer. When it comes to the believer, demons cannot own you; demons cannot curse you; demons cannot oppress you. I don’t care what books tell you, what the preachers on TV tell you, or what your experience tells you. The Bible makes it clear that where the Spirit of the Lord