Possessed or Not Possessed?

[for_his_glory]

This is correct. A demon can never enter the spirit-man...it is sealed. However, he will enter the inner-man (soul) and the flesh (mind) of a Believer from a wounded soul and trauma. Sin gives access to the demonic. These are called strongholds, bondage, and yokes.


A Spirit of Infirmity
10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite!b]'>[b] Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.


Jesus said this woman was a daughter of Abraham, which means she was saved. If you look up the word infirmity in the Strong's, it means soul. This woman soul was wounded from sin.

According to 1John 4:4 a demon can not enter the soul or mind as greater is He that is in us then he that is in the world. The woman with the spirit of infirmity had not known who Jesus was until He called her to come to him and then He spoke to the spirit of the infirmity casting it out of her and after Jesus laid hands on her she understood who Jesus was/is.

 

[for_his_glory]

The Bible says that greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world (referring to Satan). A person who has the indwelling Holy Spirit cannot be demon possessed, but can certainly be oppressed, attacked, hindered, troubled, diseased, etc. by evil spirits. Christians are constantly at war with evil spirits as noted in Ephesians chapter 6.

Many blame demons for the things you have mentioned here. Spirit filled Christians will face trials and tribulations as we are not exempt from bad things happening to us, but many neglect the empowerment given to them through Gods grace to rise above all that Satan will try and throw at us.

 

[smaller]

I never said we are without sin as we are all sinners saved by Gods grace and we will make mistakes at times, but a demon can not house where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Basic faulty premise. We are all present tense sinners and sin is of the devil. 1 John 3:8.

It really has nothing to do with "possession" and everything to do with what the temporal flesh/mind and heart has been made "subject to" by God Himself. That would be the entrance of temptations, lusts, deceptions and eventually death because of sin indwelling the flesh, which sin is demonic.

Paul lays out this matter in many places from many perspectives. One of my favorites is 1 Cor. 15:43-49 that shows us how every "natural/first" person was made. We are factually planted as natural/flesh people in weakness, dishonor and corruption. All of that is courtesy of sin indwelling our own flesh and evil present with us. And yes, all of that "internal activity" is sourced to the devil, the tempter who does operate in the flesh. Romans 7:17-25, Romans 9:18-24, Romans 11:8, 2 Cor. 4:4, 2 Cor. 12:7, 1 Tim. 1:15, 2 Tim. 2:20-21 all point to this exact matter.

It does not mean a person is possessed with they encounter internal temptations or evil thoughts, but those are "intrusions" of the tempter into the flesh/mind and heart. This is also why the flesh is contrary to the Spirit and why these are 'against' each others. Gal. 5:17. And why our flesh body is VILE. Phil. 3:21.

 

[for_his_glory]

Basic faulty premise. We are all present tense sinners and sin is of the devil. 1 John 3:8.

It really has nothing to do with "possession" and everything to do with what the temporal flesh/mind and heart has been made "subject to" by God Himself. That would be the entrance of temptations, lusts, deceptions and eventually death because of sin indwelling the flesh, which sin is demonic.

Paul lays out this matter in many places from many perspectives. One of my favorites is 1 Cor. 15:43-49 that shows us how every "natural/first" person was made. We are factually planted as natural/flesh people in weakness, dishonor and corruption. All of that is courtesy of sin indwelling our own flesh and evil present with us. And yes, all of that "internal activity" is sourced to the devil, the tempter who does operate in the flesh. Romans 7:17-25, Romans 9:18-24, Romans 11:8, 2 Cor. 4:4, 2 Cor. 12:7, 1 Tim. 1:15, 2 Tim. 2:20-21 all point to this exact matter.

It does not mean a person is possessed with they encounter internal temptations or evil thoughts, but those are "intrusions" of the tempter into the flesh/mind and heart. This is also why the flesh is contrary to the Spirit and why these are 'against' each others. Gal. 5:17. And why our flesh body is VILE. Phil. 3:21.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

It's the inner man, which means our spirit, that is renewed or Spiritually born-again. It is our spirit nature that is born of God. The flesh is still Adamic and even after we are Spiritually born-again our flesh is still prone to sin. The spirit nature can not sin and it is the spirit nature, not the fleshly nature, that God sees. Paul gives instruction in Ephesians chapter 4 to follow after the New Man that is Spiritually born-again and to put away the Old Man. We as a child of God through the Spiritual rebirth do struggle with sin as according to Romans chapter 7 we still have to natures in us that war against each other and sometimes we lose the battle, but not the war. Grace does not give us a license to sin, but when we acknowledge that we are then grace will forgive us.

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

If God tells us to forgive those who sin against us then how much more will God forgive us when we sin. We are being perfected daily until the day of Christ return.

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

 

[smaller]

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

It's the inner man, which means our spirit, that is renewed or Spiritually born-again. It is our spirit nature that is born of God. The flesh is still Adamic and even after we are Spiritually born-again our flesh is still prone to sin. The spirit nature can not sin and it is the spirit nature, not the fleshly nature, that God sees. Paul gives instruction in Ephesians chapter 4 to follow after the New Man that is Spiritually born-again and to put away the Old Man. We as a child of God through the Spiritual rebirth do struggle with sin as according to Romans chapter 7 we still have to natures in us that war against each other and sometimes we lose the battle, but not the war. Grace does not give us a license to sin, but when we acknowledge that we are then grace will forgive us.

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

If God tells us to forgive those who sin against us then how much more will God forgive us when we sin. We are being perfected daily until the day of Christ return.

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

I will say this about this matter. IF we understand that we are tempted by the tempter internally, that places the tempter internally to do so. This speaks nothing of "possession" but anyone who is honest in their faith should be able to come to terms with this internal reality of temptations of the tempter.

And when they do, they will no longer see themselves as alone in the flesh. We do have an adversary and that adversary does operate in the flesh through temptations, lusts, deceptions and eventually this is the cause of our death in the flesh.

This may not be hard for some to see, but for others, when they are not honest, they will not be able to see this because the other party has worn them down to the point where they no longer recognize it as anything but themselves.