Hi all,
just a quick one… I’m wondering which discuss how Christians cannot be “possessed” by demons again because we have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us.

I’m also wondering about sickness. Can the devil still make Christians sick, (this side of the cross) or is this a hypothetical to which we have no solid answer?

I thought the devil’s main tactics were temptation not to trust God, to become full of pride, etc etc. All that Screwtape letters stuff.

But I’m meeting people saying that they are suffering mentally because of demonic attack or “demonization”, that Christians they know are sick because of “spiritual warfare” and that if I was not so WESTERN I’d open my eyes to this stuff and see it.

I believe that all humans have had demonic influence in their life at some time, because at some time all, including those who are currently Christian, were without the holy spirit. For those without the spirit within them, as being under dominion of Satan, I’m not sure we could say anything is limited. Death is probably limited, as the Bible says that our time to die is chosen by God.

For those who have accepted Jesus and the holy spirit into their lives, I don’t know what influence Satan and his followers have. It is not as much influence as before, but it is also not zero influence.

There is a tradition of recognising that the opposition that Christians face has the 3 ‘dimensions’ of - the world, the flesh, and the devil.

I think that the tendency of some teaching to reduce all opposition to the single dimension of “the Devil” is unhelpful and misleading.
ISTM that the gospel writers had no problem distinguishing between sicknesses that Jesus healed and demons that Jesus cast out.