Christian Marriages & Spiritual Warfare

The Christian Case

Marriage & the Unseen Battle

Spiritual Warfare in Christian Marriages

Not every conflict is spiritual warfare — but some is. How to tell the difference, and what to do about it.

Marriage is one of the oldest institutions in the world. It was created by God in the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world. And it did not take long for that same marriage to come under attack. The serpent did not go after Adam and Eve separately. He went after them as a couple, in the middle of the one relationship God had just called "very good." That pattern has not stopped.

Many Christian couples today feel a strange, repeated resistance in their marriage. Small disagreements turn into cold silence. Prayer together feels forced. Old sins resurface at the worst possible time. Some couples brush this off as normal married life. Others wonder if something deeper is going on. This post looks at what the Bible actually says about spiritual warfare, whether it applies to Christian marriages, how to recognise it, and how to respond to it without falling into either extreme: blaming every argument on the devil, or ignoring a real spiritual battle when it is happening.

I. What the Bible Says About Spiritual Warfare

The Bible is clear that believers are in a real, ongoing conflict that is not simply about human weakness. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12 that the struggle believers face is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil.

"Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

This is not poetic language. It describes an active, intelligent opposition to the life of faith.

Marriage gets special attention in this battle because of what it represents. In Ephesians 5:22–33, Paul compares the union of husband and wife to the union of Christ and the church. A marriage is not just a legal or emotional partnership in the Bible's view. It is meant to be a living picture of the gospel itself. That is exactly why it becomes a target. If a marriage is a picture of Christ's love for HIS people, then attacking that picture, corrupting it, or breaking it apart, has spiritual value to an enemy who wants to distort how the world sees God.

The very first recorded attack in Scripture was aimed at a married couple, not an individual. Genesis 3 shows the serpent working to divide Adam and Eve from God and, soon after, from each other. Blame, hiding, and shifting responsibility appear immediately after the fall. Every marriage since has carried some version of that same pattern.

II. Is There Spiritual Warfare in Christian Marriages?

The honest answer is yes, but it needs to be stated carefully. Not every argument about dishes or finances is a demonic attack. Most marriage conflict comes from ordinary human sin, poor communication, tiredness, and unmet expectations. A responsible view of spiritual warfare does not use it as an excuse to avoid personal responsibility or counselling.

At the same time, the data on Christian marriages tells an interesting story. Research is genuinely mixed here, and readers should be cautious of any source that claims certainty.

What the Research Shows

Documented

When church attendance isn't factored in, born-again Christians divorce at rates statistically similar to the general population.Barna Group, "New Marriage and Divorce Statistics Released"

Institutionally Verified

Regular religious service attendance is linked to roughly 50% lower divorce rates later in life, per a 14-year longitudinal study.Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University (2018)

Institutionally Verified

Evangelical Protestants are among the groups least likely to report a past divorce, in the most recent national religious landscape survey.Pew Research Center, Religious Landscape Study (2023–24)

Read together, these findings suggest something worth pausing on: simply identifying as Christian does not protect a marriage. But active, consistent spiritual practice, prayer, worship, and involvement in a church community, does appear to make a real difference. That gap between identity and practice is where spiritual warfare often does its quiet work. It does not need to destroy a couple's faith outright. It only needs to make daily prayer, honest confession, and church involvement feel inconvenient enough to skip.

III. When a Family Draws Closer to God, Expect Resistance

There is a pattern many pastors and long-married couples point to: the moment a family gets serious about their faith, life often gets harder, not easier. A couple that starts praying together consistently, or commits to a new level of obedience, frequently finds that the following weeks bring unusual tension, unexpected temptation, or conflict that seems to come from nowhere.

This is not a coincidence, and it should not be read as a sign that something is wrong with the family's faith. Scripture shows this pattern repeatedly. Job was a righteous man, and it was precisely his righteousness that drew Satan's attention in the opening chapters of Job.

Jesus HIMSELF was led into the wilderness to be tempted immediately after HIS baptism — the very moment HIS public ministry began. Matthew 4:1

The pattern is consistent: nearness to God provokes opposition, it does not prevent it.

A family that is spiritually passive is not much of a threat to the enemy's purposes. A family that prays together, disciples its children, forgives quickly, and points others to Christ is a different matter. Peter's warning about the prowling adversary comes in a passage about humility and watchfulness, addressed to believers actively pursuing godliness, not to those drifting from it. The closer a family moves toward God, the more that family becomes worth disrupting.

This is important for couples to understand precisely because it can be discouraging in the moment. A husband and wife who begin a new season of prayer, or return to church after time away, may feel like things are falling apart just as they are trying to do right. Recognising this pattern for what it is, resistance that tends to follow real spiritual progress, helps a couple keep going rather than concluding that the effort was a mistake or that God is absent. It also means opposition can, paradoxically, be read as evidence that the family's pursuit of God matters enough to be worth attacking.

IV. How to Identify It

Spiritual warfare in a marriage rarely looks dramatic. It usually looks like slow erosion. A few patterns are worth watching for.

Sudden, repeated conflict around spiritual activity

Couples often notice that the moments right before family devotions, church, or a serious spiritual conversation are exactly when an unrelated fight breaks out.

Growing isolation

One or both spouses pulling away from pastors, mentors, or trusted friends who could offer counsel. Secrecy and isolation have always been tools used to keep sin hidden and unaddressed.

Persistent, specific temptation

This might be anger, lust, pornography, bitterness, or an emotional attachment outside the marriage. When the same temptation returns again and again at moments of vulnerability, it is worth taking seriously rather than dismissing as coincidence.

Unforgiveness that will not lift

Paul warns in Ephesians 4:26–27 not to let the sun go down on anger, because doing so gives the devil a foothold. Old wounds that are replayed instead of released tend to fester rather than heal.

Spiritual apathy that appears out of nowhere

A spouse who once loved prayer or Scripture suddenly finding it dry, boring, or pointless, without any clear cause, is a pattern many pastors and counsellors have observed over the years.

None of these signs alone proves spiritual warfare is happening. But when several appear together, especially around the couple's spiritual life specifically, it is reasonable to consider that more than ordinary friction is at work.

V. How to Rectify It

The Bible does not leave believers without a response. Paul's instruction in Ephesians 6:10–18 is to put on the whole armor of God: truth, righteousness, the readiness that comes from the gospel, faith, salvation, and the word of God, held together through prayer. Applied to marriage, this becomes practical.

Pray together, not just for each other

Couples who pray together are naming their struggles out loud before God as a team rather than as two individuals dealing with private battles.

Return to Scripture as a couple

Reading the Bible together keeps both spouses anchored to the same truth rather than drifting into private interpretations of what is happening in the marriage.

Stay connected to a church community

Isolation is consistently one of the most dangerous states for a marriage under pressure. Trusted pastors, mentors, and small groups provide accountability and outside perspective that a couple cannot give themselves.

Practice quick forgiveness

Letting go of offence before it hardens closes the door that Ephesians 4:27 warns about.

Seek godly counsel for recurring patterns

If the same sin or conflict keeps resurfacing, a pastor or Christian counsellor can help distinguish between a spiritual battle, an unaddressed wound, or simply a bad habit that needs practical correction.

Guard what enters the home

What a couple watches, reads, and allows into daily conversation shapes the spiritual atmosphere of the marriage more than most people realise.

VI. A Word of Caution

Read This Before You Close the Tab

Not everything difficult in a marriage is spiritual warfare. Sin, immaturity, poor habits, and simple human error explain most marital conflict. Blaming the devil for every disagreement can become a way of avoiding personal responsibility, and that itself is unhealthy. Wisdom means holding both truths together. Christian marriage sits inside a real spiritual battle, and it also requires ordinary human effort, humility, and growth. The two are not in competition. A couple who loves each other unconditionally, practices grace and mercy, prays together, forgives quickly, and stays rooted in a church community is doing exactly what Scripture calls spiritual warfare, and exactly what good, healthy marriage requires.

— The Christian Case

Sources Referenced Pew Research Center, Religious Landscape Study (2023–24) · Barna Group, "New Marriage and Divorce Statistics Released" · Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University (2018 study on religious attendance and divorce). Readers are encouraged to consult these directly for full context, as findings on religion and divorce vary depending on how "Christian" and "practicing" are defined across studies.

Recognizing Satan In Our Relationships

            Satan attacks unexpectedly to destroy our relationship with God. He attacks when we are most vulnerable. His most potent assaults are through our close associates.

            Unless we recognize the satanic attack, we cannot defeat Satan. But how do we recognize Satan in our lives, especially in our relationships?

            Satan’s invisibility challenges our recognition of him. His destructive work through people around us - those whom we love and cherish - intensifies the problem to an unimaginable extent. Therefore, recognizing Satan is imperative insofar as the damage needs to be controlled and our relationship promptly and effectively restored with the Lord and those employed by Satan to attack us.

            A Christian’s life involves two births; the physical birth and the spiritual rebirth (the born-again experience). The physical birth sans the spiritual rebirth is not of eternal worth. A Christian is a new creation when he or she is born again.

            The spiritual rebirth in a Christian’s life entails a swift and/or a gradual shift in the character of a Christian so to progressively resemble the Lord Jesus in both the public and the private spheres of life. The born-again Christian strives spiritually insofar as to shed his/her former way of life. As years pass by, the born-again Christian gradually departs from the sins that plagued him before he was born-again. (A Christian cannot be perfect a.k.a. sinless in this time and age.)

            Transition from the former way of life would be quite arduous for some Christians. Much effort would be invested into this spiritual transition. Every moral victory earned is an outcome of God’s grace and the effort of this spiritually tenacious Christian.

            This is precisely where Satan enters to crucify the Christian’s spirituality.

            One method of satanic assault upon the spiritually tenacious Christians is by motivating the gullible people around them - parents, spouse, siblings, pastor, church leaders and friends - to shamefully recall their former ways of life, which is the life that they so arduously struggled to discard. This assault usually occurs during controversial situations.

            Consider these assaults:

            “You were a liar, how could I believe you?”

            “You were a drunkard, how do I know that you did not drink today?”

            “You had fudged accounts earlier, so I am sure you have misappropriated finances now.”

            In this satanic mode of attack, the Christian’s past would constantly be recollected to shame him. It is important to note that the Christian, after accepting Christ as HIS Savior, has effectively discarded (or is in the process of discarding by overcoming his temptations) the sinful habits from his life. But people around him, in their own moments of spiritual weakness, could be a pawn in the hands of Satan to destroy this Christian’s spirituality with these lethal verbal assaults.

            Sincere Christians would reel under this assault, even if it were a one-time occurrence. Relentless assaults of this nature could spiritually incapacitate sincere Christians, so much so that they could doubt and reject God’s presence. Such is Satan’s lethal activity in a Christian life.

            Think about this.

            You strived so hard to eliminate that sin (or those sins) from your life. You have experienced God’s power. You are thankful to God for your spiritual achievement. You are so happy to live a clean life. You love your new life in Christ Jesus. You have testified to Christ’s power in your life. People appreciate you and they thank and praise God for HIS work in your life.

            Everything is going good.

            This is when your life crumbles around you. Satan attacks you through verbal assaults from those whom you love so dearly. You strive to forgive and forget. But these attacks become a regular part of your life. You are accused of doing that which you have discarded. Being unappreciated is hard enough to fathom, but to be accused of doing that which you are not doing anymore is a poison you have to drink constantly. To die a thousand painful deaths every single day is not fun.

            That’s not it.

            Your life becomes a living nightmare when those accusing you spread rumors about you. Your family and friends believe these rumors and consider you a hypocrite. Those whom you had considered good friends are not your friends anymore. Your life sinks into despair.

            You wonder why this is happening in your life.

            The answer is not straightforward. But the answer is found in the Bible. Read these verses (Emphasis Mine):

            “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV)

            “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, NIV)

            “Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”” (Luke 9:62, NIV)

            “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV)

            “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14, NIV).

            “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:20-21, NIV)

            These verses teach us one simple truth. God does not remind us of our sinful past. An entailment of this truth is that God’s people also do not remind us of our sinful past.

            What about those who constantly endeavor to shame us by reminding us of our sinful past? These people may be Christians, but their relentless attack indicates that they are not acting under God’s guidance.

            If they are not under God’s guidance, it is quite possible that they are buying into Satan’s schemes because Satan works against God’s people. Satan will strive to spiritually derail a sincere Christian.

            When people assault you with your sinful past - that very past which you have discarded from your life – be aware that it is the work of Satan. Do not fall prey to the evil schemes of the devil.

            You know who you are in the Lord. You are right in God’s sight because you are not guilty of the sin that you are being accused of. When you live right in God’s sight, do not allow these assaults to impact you.

            Keep moving forward by increasing your proximity with the Lord. Indulge more into the Word of God and prayer. When you are in pain, God will offer you HIS peace and protection. HE will bring good friends into your midst. You will be safe. In due course of time, you would be saved from these assaults and you would be exonerated from these false accusations. Trust and obey!

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

War & Christians: How Should Christians Wage War?

            This is a turbulent period for Christians. The enemy is active and prowling to destroy us. The enemy is exceptionally powerful than the individual Christian or the Christian community. This enemy has destroyed innumerable Christians; he cannot be ignored or discounted. A vulnerable church or a vulnerable Christian will be totally destroyed by this enemy. 

            We cannot remain passive; we should actively fight this enemy. Unless we remain vigilant, we could be destroyed. The threat is real.

            There is no middle ground in this war; we cannot escape the clutches of this enemy. We either win or lose this war.

Deadly Deception

            This enemy is incredibly powerful and extremely deceptive. His power and deceptions are beyond compare.

            He owns remarkable intelligence about us. He knows our vulnerabilities to precision. He has his eyes all over us.

            Deception is the most effective weapon in his arsenal. His deception is significantly dangerous since it could be very subtle. His deception is highly effective since it is employed during our weakest moment.

Prime Target: Christianity

            The enemy targets Christians primarily. This is not to say that he would not harm the non-Christians. If non-Christians could be used to destroy Christians, this enemy would gladly use them in any manner whatsoever.

            This enemy targets the strong and the weak Christians. The more mature and strong Christians could be complacent about their maturity and strength. Hence they may ignore the enemy and even think that this enemy cannot defeat them at any cost. Their complacency could be their downfall.

            The weak Christians would not be aware of the enemy’s deadly potential. They will always be an easy prey to this enemy. They will be seduced to fall into his deadly embrace. Unknowingly, the weak Christians would offer themselves as a means to destroy their stronger counterparts. (My reference to the weak Christians is not a pejorative remark. It is germane to this theme. I sincerely hope and pray that every weak Christian would become stronger and mature in the Lord.)      

Beware

            He will attack us when we least expect him to. The attack is most deadly when it catches us by surprise. He will hurl his best weapons against us; even through our near and dear whom we trust the most.¹ We cannot be smug and complacent about this enemy or those around us.

            I am not sorry to say this, but if our relative or friend is not a strong Christian then he/she is a potential tool in the hands of the enemy. Beware of such a person. I am not saying that we should passionately suspect all those around us, who are not too keen on growing in the Lord. But we should be diligently vigilant. 

Embrace Hate; Abandon Love, Meekness & Humility

            This war, for a Christian, is a reality. We cannot think that we cannot wage this war. The Bible mandates this war at all costs.²

            We cannot be meek while contending with this enemy, for if we are meek, we will be destroyed. Abandon humility. If we are humble with this enemy, he will not only destroy us, but he will destroy our family and everything that we have.

            When this enemy hurts us, we cannot show our other cheek. In fact, we should not allow our enemy to reside in our vicinity or to lay his little finger upon us.

            We are to sincerely and passionately hate this enemy. Hate him with all our might, hate him with all our power, and hate him with all that we have.³

            We need to be on fire to burn this enemy. We should strive to eliminate this enemy. We need our weapons and all the protective gear that we can marshal to fight this enemy.⁴

Can This Enemy Be Defeated?

            Christianity is not a powerless or a vain faith in the triune God. God who created this world is more powerful than anything and everything. So this enemy can be absolutely defeated.

            Christians should follow a certain protocol while fighting this enemy. First, we should identify the enemy and understand his potential. Second, we should know how to fight this enemy and fight him. Finally, we should persevere in the battle to defeat this enemy.

Enemy’s Identity

            The enemy is the enemy of our souls. He is the one who can separate us from the Lord, if we are weak and lukewarm towards God. Satan is this enemy.

             The Bible reveals the true character of Satan. Please read your Bible diligently to understand Satan. Many essays and books have been authored about Satan. Please read them. I have authored a few essays about Satan as well.⁵

How To Fight The Satan?

            Fight him with truth.⁶ We need to live in the truth if we are to fight the evil one.

            Fight him passionately. In order to fight Satan with passion, we should love and obey the Lord our God with a greater passion. The Lord should be real in our lives. Our relationship with the Lord should be the most significant aspect of our life.

            Fight him with prayer and fasting. God’s incomparable power will be ours only if we fast and pray.

            Outside of Christ, there is no victory over Satan. Unless we remain in the Lord, we cannot overpower Satan.

            Persevering in this battle is not child’s play. It is very difficult to fight Satan. We may have to face failures during our warfare with Satan. These failures cannot deter our warfare with Satan. We need to face and accept these failures if we are to win the battle.

            Worldly desires cannot impede our fight with Satan. We may lose our health, our families, our jobs, our savings, our comforts, even our reputation, all for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, ““I have come to bring fire on the earth—and how I wish it were already kindled!...Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! For from now on there will be five in one household divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”” (Luke 12: 49-53, NET). 

            Why, we may even lose our lives in the process. We cannot worry about our lives while we battle Satan. Losing our lives during this battle does not imply a loss, for all the lives that were lost in this battle glorified God.

            Do not believe those who say that there is no Satan. They are liars. They are the sons and daughters of Satan; they are Satan’s stooges.

            Know this; Satan is able to inflict damage upon our lives because God has allowed him to do so. In other words, God is in control. Because God is in control, HE can and will deliver us, if not in this world but in the world to come.

            In God alone we trust. But trusting in God comes at a price – the price of our time and effort. May we dedicate our time and effort into knowing God, loving HIM more, and living a glorious life for HIS sake.

Conclusion

            C.S. Lewis, in his work “The Screwtape Letter,” wrote “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them…” I am not advocating an unhealthy interest in Satan but my sole intent is to remind us of our attitude and response to the enemy of our souls. 

            God, who was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the blazing furnace, is with us. HE will guide, guard and lead us to a victory over the evil one.

Endnotes:

¹cf. Job 6: 9

²Ephesians 6: 10-18

³Proverbs 8:13; Psalm 97:10; Romans 12:9

⁴Ephesians 6: 10-18

⁵These are the essays authored by me:

1. Knowledge to Overcome Satan: http://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.in/2013/11/knowledge-to-overcome-satan.html

2. The Devil is God’s Devil: http://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.in/2013/11/the-devil-is-gods-devil-overcoming-satan.html

3. Should Christians Fear Evil Spirits & Demons: http://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.in/2014/03/should-we-fear-evil-spirits-demons.html

4. Could Genuine Born Again Christian be Demon Possessed: http://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.in/2014/07/could-genuine-born-again-christian-be.html

⁶cf. Ephesians 6: 14  

Could A Genuine Born-Again Christian Be Demon Possessed? (A Glance Into Spiritual Warfare)

                  A theist or a religionist affirms the existence of the demonic. A Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and a leading researcher in Extra Sensory Perception (ESP), Dean Radin, deems the demonic as the ‘projection of the unconscious.’ The naturalist rejects the existence of the demonic, as he denies God’s existence.

            This blog is not a venture to defend the existence of the demonic, instead the Bible is totally trusted. Since the Bible affirms the presence of the demonic, we trust their presence as well.

            My title presupposes the existence of two categories of Christians – the nominal and the genuine. Very minimally, the nominal Christian has virtually no relationship with the Triune God, whereas the genuine Christian trusts, loves, hopes in the Triune God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.

            My title implies that the nominal Christian is available for demon possession. The nominal Christian, by virtue of his stark ignorance of the Lord, is perennially available to a demonic occupancy. However, the moot point or the debatable question is whether a genuine Christian, who has an organic relationship with the living God, be demon possessed.

            What is demon possession? The technical term is to “have a demon” (Matthew 11: 18; Luke 7: 33; John 7: 20 et al.) or “be demonized,” suggesting a demonic influence. The Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5: 1-20) was unable to exercise his will and was under the total control of the evil spirit. This is an extreme instance of demon possession, where the human will (independency of the human will) is under the domination of the evil spirit.

            If by demon possession we mean that the genuine Christian is unable to exercise his or her will to love and obey God, then we should understand from the Bible that such a demon possession is contrary to the Biblical teaching (Colossians 1: 13; 1 John 4: 4 et al.). Therefore it’s a straightforward conclusion that a genuine Christian cannot be possessed by a demon to the extent where he loses the employment of his will to love and obey God.

            But we are not done yet, because the question of temptations looms large over us. Does temptation imply demon possession? Who tempts us and how are we tempted?

            Of this we are sure that God does not tempt anyone (James 1: 13). We are also sure that temptation causes sin, and sin is an assault on God. So we infer that Satan opposes God ought and tempts mankind. God allows for that temptation to occur in our lives (Cf. Matthew 4: 1).

            It was the Spirit of God who led the Son of God to be tempted by the devil. Therefore, we conclude that devil, whose chief occupation is to oppose God and HIS people, tempts people towards sinning.

            Temptation does not imply demon possession. Temptation is analogous to bait (read sin) that’s dangling right in front of our eyes, and man decides to bite the bait. In this instance, Satan does the dangling, and man does the biting [willfully]. While Satan causes man to sin, it’s the man who sins.

            Since man sins willingly, we infer that the sinful man need not necessarily be possessed by a demon, but he merely could be under a demonic influence. It’s also imperative to note that sins need not always necessarily be a result of demonic influence.

            Galatians 5: 19-21 catalogs the acts of the sinful nature or flesh. Let us briefly consider “hatred.” We do not need Satan to entice us into hatred. If a person hurts us, then the default response of anyone, Christian included, is hatred for that person. We could argue similarly for any act of the sinful nature listed in Galatians 5. Significantly, let us remember that these are the acts of the sinful nature or flesh, certainly not the evil spirit.

            Thus far, the following is clear:

            (1) A genuine Christian cannot be demon possessed.

            (2) God does not tempt anyone, but Satan tempts everyone and causes them to sin against God.

            (3) Temptation does not imply demon possession.

            Is demonic attack an instance of demon possession or demonic influence? Demonic attack is not an instance of demonic possession. For instance, Job and the Apostle Paul were attacked by Satan and not possessed by Satan.

            The Bible is sufficiently clear about the demonic attack on genuine Christians. The Bible teaches that being a genuine Christian does not entail a perfect protection from the demonic. Genuine Christians are likely to be attacked by the devil (Cf. 2 Corinthians 12: 7; Ephesians 6: 12 et al.). This is biblical.

            Can the Christian overcome the devil? Of course! This is a no-brainer. But the bigger question is if the Christian knows how to overcome the devil.

            For many years of my early Christian life, I had not known the power of the Holy Spirit that’s intrinsic in every genuine born-again Christian. It was after I immersed myself into the Bible into reading and studying the living Word of God that I understood the power of the Holy Spirit and the victories that can be ours when we use that power rightfully to our advantage to crush the devil.

            It’s casually taught that a Christian can rebuke the evil spirit / demon in the name of Jesus and command it to leave. But this is easier said than done.

            Christ’s disciples understood the need for a greater strength when they encountered an evil spirit that they could not cast out (Matthew 17: 21; Mark 9: 29). Christ taught them that they could only cast out such spirits if they were in a greater relationship with the Triune God. The greater relationship is possible when the disciple prays continually i.e. he is 24x7 (always) connected with God.

            Make no mistake; the work of Christ on the cross is the ultimate basis for our authority over demons. Satan was decisively defeated when Christ won the victory on the cross. This is the foundation for every believer who intends to cast out demons through rebuke in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

            When Christ was tempted by Satan, HE quoted the Scripture to rebuke Satan. We are to do likewise (Cf. Ephesians 6: 17). Christians should memorize or integrate these Scripture verses to overcome Satan: Matthew 4: 10, 12: 28-29; Luke 10: 17-19; 2 Corinthians 10: 3-4; Colossians 2: 15; Hebrews 2: 14; James 4: 7; 1 Peter 5: 8-9; 1 John 3: 8, 4:4, 5:18. 

            Satan is always overcome by constant prayer and by the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit – the offensive weapon in spiritual warfare. Satan flees when believers rebuke him as they pray in the Holy Spirit using the Word of God and in the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

            Finally, what about those Christians who preach false doctrines? Are they demon possessed or under demonic influence?

            Any Christian who denies Christ’s Lordship and professes that the Lord Jesus Christ did not come in flesh to redeem the world of its sin and power is under a demonic influence (1 John 4: 2-3; Cf. 1 Corinthians 12: 3). Any Christian who claims to be speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit but denies the necessity of Christ in any form or manner could also be demonically influenced (2 Corinthians 11: 13-15).

            Those branding themselves as Christians and denying the necessity of Christ for salvation of mankind are not genuine Christians.

            Having said this, it’s also imperative to note that not all false doctrines can be termed as demonically inspired. For instance, a Christian who teaches that water baptism is necessary for salvation need not necessarily be demonically inspired. Similar instance could be a teaching that every pie of a Christian’s sacrificial giving should go to the local church and not to any other entity as how wonderfully Christian they may be.

            Last but not the least; let’s not attribute every problem in a genuine Christian’s life to a demon. This relegates the Christian’s ‘walk in righteousness’ to futility, hence it’s remarkably unbiblical.  

            To conclude, a genuine Christian cannot be demon possessed. He could be under demonic influence. Demonic influence can be resisted and overcome by praying in the Holy Spirit using the Word of God in the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Cf. Ephesians 6: 10 - 18). Therefore, let us walk by the Spirit to be victorious over Satan always (Galatians 5: 16). Amen.