I got a phone call from Kate [name changed for privacy] one day.
She believed the whole ‘inviting demons into your life’ was nothing but hocus-pocus.
She was desperate for a solution to her depression.
When someone told her that her depression might be demonic, she couldn’t believe it.
One day, when she was lying in bed, indifferent to the point of death, she said,
“If the supernatural exists, let it enter me right now. But I’m sure it won’t because it doesn’t exist.”
Before she could finish her sentence, she felt like a dark ball that seemed to appear out of nowhere broke through her chest.
“Boom!”
And it remained within her, causing physical discomfort and pain.
When she told me her story seeking deliverance, I couldn’t believe that someone in their sound mind would opt in to invite demons into their life.
Let’s make this straightforward.
Dabbling in the shadows has repercussions you’ve never even imagined.
If you’ve ever thought to do it, I’m here to warn you.
I’m about to pull back the curtain on the unsuspected hazards, the invisible tripwires that become evident with inviting demons into your life.
Not to spook you, but to arm you with knowledge.
Ready to dive in? Let’s begin.
Initial Deception
One of demons’ tactics is to deceive you into believing they don’t exist.
As you can see in Kate’s story, she doubted demons’ existence, let alone the possibility of becoming their home.
When she challenged the spirit realm, it was bravado for her to prove herself right.
Little did she know that the spirit realm was more real than she expected.
Without God’s protection, she faced the forces of darkness without realizing how dangerous it was.
By challenging the spirit realm, she opened the door to demons in her life.
Demons who enter by permission consider it their legal right to remain in the person.
It’s obvious Kate needs deliverance.
But first, she must renounce the legal right she gave to demons to enter her.
Damaging Effect #1: Demons Sever Your Connection with God
Demons work to sever your connection with God and to isolate you from Him.
Kate could not develop a strong bond with God.
And she was Bible-illiterate, which led to ignorance about demons’ existence.
Think about your connection with God like a glowing thread, delicate but strong.
That’s your lifeline, your hotline to God.
Now, the pesky thing about demons is, they’re pretty good with scissors.
They’ll try to snip that connection, leaving you stranded.
Not a comforting thought, huh?
Remember James 4:7-8?
Resisting the devil is just as important as drawing near to God.
But you can’t resist the devil until you draw near to God.
No matter how enticing the darkness may seem, don’t let it snap your thread.
But if you let demons snip at it, you’ll drift away like a boat without a mooring.
Suddenly, the comfort of the shore feels far away, and you’re adrift in the open sea, in utter darkness.
Scary, huh?
Although you can’t keep those scissors out of demonic hands, you can and should draw near to God to be protected.
Make a conscious effort to foster your relationship with God to tap into his power to resist the devil.
James 4:7-8 advises both drawing near to God and resisting the devil.
Damaging Effect #2: Demons Make You Filthy
Imagine spiritual purity as a crystal clear lake.
You’re skimming stones across its surface, making ripples.
Now, what if you toss in a pebble marked ‘demon’?
The purity of the water gets muddled, doesn’t it?
That’s what happens to your soul when you invite demons in.
They stir up the calm, contaminate the clean.
Remember Adam and Eve?
They had a bond with God and lived a spiritually pure life in the Garden of Eden until they listened to that sly serpent.
A clear case of spiritual corruption, straight from Genesis 3.
See, demons are like a computer virus.
They worm their way into your spiritual software, corrupting data and causing system crashes.
Just like a virus, it’s not always obvious at first.
It might be a file that won’t open, or an application that keeps crashing.
But, by the time you realize something’s up, the damage is done.
Thus inviting demons into your life is like opening a container with deadly viruses.
It’s easier to keep yourself clean than to clean up the mess demons create within you.
Damaging Effect #3: Demons Hamper Spiritual Growth
Let’s be real.
As Christians, we go through the process of sanctification, which lasts a lifetime.
But if you lose contact with God and drift away, demons are ready to take you over.
When you invite demons in through depression, bitterness, or unforgiveness, it’s like trying to sprint with a backpack full of rocks.
They weigh you down, slow your pace, distract you from your personal goals.
Take Peter, for instance.
The guy had his flaws, but he kept growing, kept learning, and eventually became one of the pillars of the early church.
That’s 2 Peter 3:18 in action.
Demons, though?
They’re all about stunting that growth.
Imagine training for a marathon with a pair of lead shoes.
You’re struggling to lift your feet, you’re panting for breath, but you’re getting nowhere fast.
That’s what inviting demons into your life can do to your spiritual growth.
They weigh you down, hold you back, make the finish line look like a distant dream.
Damaging Effect #4: Demons Create Discord in Relationships
Ever noticed how a single rotten apple can spoil a whole barrel?
Similarly, a demonic influence can create rifts in your relationships faster than a juicy piece of gossip.
Demons are experts at sowing seeds of conflict, poking at sensitive spots, and fanning tiny sparks into raging infernos.
According to Ephesians 4:2-3, harmony’s the way to go, not discord.
Don’t let those demons turn your relationships into a battlefield.
Picture a beautiful tapestry woven with threads of trust, love, and understanding.
Now, imagine a demon’s claw ripping through that fabric.
The once-cohesive tapestry frays, threads snap, and the beauty is lost.
That’s the kind of damage we’re talking about here.
A demon-invited discord is like a stain on your favorite shirt – hard to ignore and harder to remove.
Damaging Effect #5: Demons Induce Negative Emotions
Imagine emotions as colors on a palette.
Now, God’s given us a whole spectrum – from sunny yellows of joy to blues of peace.
But, demons?
They’ll smear the canvas with fear, anger, and sadness.
You wouldn’t want that, would you?
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:7 that you’re meant for love and power, not fear.
Don’t let those unwanted hues bleed into your life’s masterpiece.
Think of your life as a sunny garden, blooming with colorful flowers of joy and tranquility.
Now, here come the demons, raining down like a hailstorm, crushing the delicate petals, muddying the soil.
Suddenly, your sunny haven turns into a gloomy wasteland.
It’s not the weather you signed up for, is it?
Damaging Effect #6: Demons Ruin Your Physical Health
Now, this one might raise an eyebrow or two.
But think about it.
Mind and body, they’re two sides of the same coin, right?
When the spiritual side goes haywire, it’s only a matter of time before the physical side follows suit.
According to 3 John 1:2, spiritual well-being and physical health go hand-in-hand.
This isn’t the rule of thumb, just a sneaky possibility that lurks in the shadows.
Imagine you’re a top-notch car, cruising along the highway of life.
Then, demons come along and tinker with your engine – the spiritual engine, that is.
Gradually, your performance starts to drop, your mileage takes a hit.
It’s not always visible, not always tangible, but the effects can sneak up on you.
Like running on low-oil, it’s never a good idea.
Damaging Effect #7: Demons Manifest False Teachings
Ever played a telephone game?
You know how the original message gets twisted beyond recognition?
Well, demons are grandmasters of this game.
They spin lies, warp truths, and before you know it, you start believing false teachings.
And their purpose is to make you stumble, fall, and never get up.
Remember Matthew 7:15?
Stay vigilant, lest you find yourself lost in a labyrinth of demonic lies.
It’s like tuning into a radio station that only plays static.
You’re trying to decipher the noise, make sense of the chaos, but all you get is confusion.
That’s the work of demons.
They muddle the clear signal of truth, replacing it with the scratchy white noise of lies.
Not the best station to tune into, right?
Damaging Effect #8: Demons Distort Your Moral Compass
Think of your moral compass as a trusty guide through life’s winding roads.
It keeps you on the straight and narrow path.
Now, invite a demon into the mix and you’ve got a hijacker on your hands.
Suddenly, up is down and right is wrong.
The book of Proverbs 11:3 says that integrity’s your best guide.
Don’t let demons mess with your moral GPS.
Imagine you’re lost in the woods, and your trusty compass suddenly starts spinning wildly.
North becomes south, east turns into west, and you’re left scratching your head.
That’s what demons do to your moral compass.
They mess with your bearings, lead you astray, get you lost in the wilderness where you might eventually die.
You’d rather stick to the trail God determined for you, wouldn’t you?
Damaging Effect #9: Demons Encourage Dangerous Practices
Imagine walking through a minefield.
Dangerous, right?
Well, that’s what the territory becomes when you invite demons into your life.
They can lure you into shadowy corners, trick you into dabbling with occult rituals, turn the harmless into the hazardous.
Remember Deuteronomy 18:10-12?
There’s a clear warning against such practices.
It’s safer to stick to the well-lit path.
Remember, awareness is your best defense.
Shine a light on the shadows, and they aren’t so scary anymore.
Walking Back into the Light
That’s what this has been all about – arming you with knowledge, not stoking fear.
Because the better you know the game, the better you can play it.
And when it comes to the game of life, you sure want to be the one calling the shots.
Think about playing with fire.
It starts as a mesmerizing flicker, a warm glow.
But then, it grows, consuming everything in its path.
That’s the danger of toying with demonic forces.
It might start as an innocent spark, but soon, it’s a raging wildfire.
Not quite the cozy campfire you imagined.
It’s natural to be curious about the mysterious, the unknown.
There’s a certain thrill to it, a sense of adventure.
But remember, curiosity without caution can be a risky business.
It’s like trying to pet a wild tiger because its stripes are beautiful.
Sure, it’s an adrenaline rush, but you wouldn’t ignore the teeth and claws, would you?
And that’s what this journey has been about – reminding you that inviting demons into your life is not just a walk in the park.
It’s more like a stroll through a thorny bush.
Think about it.
The next time that whisper comes calling, enticing you into the shadows, how about you turn up the volume on the voice of wisdom instead?
That’s God’s voice, the voice of truth, love, and power.
Let that be your guide, your beacon in the dark.
After all, why invite demons, when you can welcome God instead?