Spiritual Warfare Sunday-Levels of Demonic Activity

Today, we are going to be delving into a much heavier topic than the previous two weeks, that of demonic activity in the world and in the lives of human beings. Special caveat for all: never get discouraged or worried reading about spiritual warfare topics. Remember that God is always in control and is always sovereign, and that the forces of darkness, no matter how scary they may seem, are truly nothing when compared to the glory of God.

I also want to note, to everyone reading, some of these terms may be familiar, some may not. Different Christian traditions have different words that they use for demonic activity. Pentecostals in particular are more fond of the term “demonized” than categorizing things in any particular way. In this article, all information comes from the Roman Catholic system, as that is 1. Because this is the system I am most familiar with and 2. Because I think it is the best systematized framework for explaining and understanding how demonic activity functions in the world.

Ordinary Activity

The ordinary level of demonic activity is one that all believers and human beings are familiar with. It involves temptations, turning believers away from the faith, and sowing doubt and dissent among people. In Christianity, we have three categories of things that draw us into temptation: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Not all temptations Christians face will be from the devil, some are just the natural state of our sinful nature. But the devil also has the ability to use worldly things or physical desires to lead people into sin. This ordinary level of activity is what most of us will go through our lives engaging with. As someone gets closer to God and grows holier, the temptations and attacks may increase, but they will still often be in the realm of ordinary activity.

Extraordinary Activity

The second category, extraordinary activity, is the stuff that really draws our attention. Why? Because it runs so counter to our average lived experience within a largely physical and rational world. Extraordinary activity is when the real supernatural effect of demonic forces begins to manifest. For most of us, we will likely never experience this, as it is, by its nature, incredibly rare. The reason this kind of activity begins to develop is usually due to sin, either the sin of the person under effect or by a malicious actor putting harm onto someone. The devil is not a fool. He knows that, if he shows himself, people will start to take things seriously and may end up turning to God or the clergy for help. The devil prefers to continue to operate within the realm of normal activity, the place he can be where he often isn’t even noticed. But, very rarely, the devil gains a significant enough foothold that he is able and willing to begin harassing and harming people in significant ways. There are varying degrees of demonic activity under the extraordinary banner, and we will look at each of them in turn in order of increasing severity.

Infestation

Demonic infestation is usually the first step, where the demon gains a significant foothold in a person’s life or in a particular location. This could be because of a mortal sin committed and never repented for, or because the location was used in some profane way to blaspheme God. Either way, the demon is now literally infesting the place. As with most infestations, it can be hard to notice at first. Things move without being touched. Electronics that should work don’t. Temperatures change without any physical cause. Noises such as voices or footsteps can be heard when no one else is around, particularly during the night. The infestation may escalate to include things appearing when no one in the home brought them into it, strange smells or fluids leaking from places, an unusual amount of harmful insects, or even “shadowy figures” being seen out in differing places in the house. While scary, most cases of infestation can be handled by a house blessing and the family getting right with the Lord through confession and participation in the life of a Christian community.

Obsession

Demonic obsession is very difficult to define and is, therefore, very difficult to diagnose. It is usually described as an increase in the psychological pressure of a demon on a particular subject. Someone who is normally happy and vibrant may become depressed for no apparent reason, or may begin having intense, unending thoughts that are usually of a homicidal or suicidal nature. This can typically only be diagnosed after the subject has gone through significant therapy and mental health evaluations. The demonic is real, but so is mental health, so we need to be absolutely sure that there is not a natural cause to these feelings before pointing fingers at the supernatural. If the issue resolves with therapy, then that’s great! Suppose medication and frequent therapeutic techniques do not work. In that case, we might consider a more in-depth investigation in order to determine whether or not there is validity in the possibility of demonic influence.

Oppression

Demonic oppression is when things start to get very serious and very dangerous for everyone involved. In oppression, the demon begins taking control of the subject’s life and wreaking havoc. They may become injured, sick, lose their jobs, have fractures to serious relationships, or all of the above. Think of the Biblical example of Job. While extreme, this is an example of what demonic oppression can look like. It is the total dismantling of a person’s life in order to spiritually, physically, and psychologically break them. The demon’s goal at this stage is to get them to turn away from God, to blaspheme against God, so that the person will instead be in the realm of the devil. Remember, if you are not aligned with God, you are aligned with the devil. The spiritual world does not have a middle ground. If the demon can break a person or family enough, then it is possible to move onto the final stage of activity.

Possession

Possession is when the devil takes full control of a person’s body and uses it however they want. Some people can be possessed and not even know it. The devil can inhabit, possessing a person’s body, and not act on it for years, sometimes even decades, until the optimal moment for them. The best example I heard is that of a rental house. Say you buy a house on the beach. That house is legally yours, your right, and your property. You can decide not to live in it as long as you want. But one day, you decide you want to go to your house, so you do. That is how possession can work. The devil may have legal rights over someone for years and never exercise those rights. That is why baptism contains exorcistic prayers to remove the devil from a pagan convert and revoke any rights the devil might have, then baptizing the person into the body of Christ. Possession is very serious, but it is also incredibly rare. Exorcists have stated that, in the hundreds to thousands of cases they investigate, a very small percentage are ever demons, and an even smaller number are possessions requiring an exorcism.

Subjugation

Subjugation is a unique method of activity. Unlike all the other methods, where the person unknowingly or inadvertently becomes the subject of demonic activity, subjugation is intentional. Witch doctors who make deals with spirits, Pagans who seek the favor of their Gods, or practitioners of magic who use spiritual forces to achieve certain ends. All of these people knowingly and willfully became subjects to demonic authority and power. In the same way Christians will put themselves under the authority of God; the subjugated will put themselves under the authority of demons. This is obviously a very bad idea. Demons can give you supernatural power, they can give you wealth and status, but there is a price you will pay going down this route. You are literally getting finite joys at the cost of your infinite soul, and will pay that price infinitely.

This concludes our little excursion into the realm of demonic activity. If I have left anything unclear or if you want to learn more about a specific topic, feel free to reach out to the main email address for the website, and they’ll be able to get that information over to me.