The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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10. Severely demonized persons are marked by moral depravity, depending on the
personality of the demon who lives in them. Frequently they may go naked. This man had “for a
long time . . . not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs” (Lk. 8:27). It seems
that every severely demonized person has struggled with some form of serious sexual sin. Many
also struggle with alcohol and drug abuse.
11. Immediate deliverance from the evil spirit is possible for the demonized person. For
those whose mental illness is caused purely by demons, the cure is immediate. Those whose
mental illness is other in origin must go through a long and costly process of psychological healing.
The severely demonized man was immediately and completely healed: “When they came to Jesus,
they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his
right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demonized man
had been cured” (Lk. 8:35-36).
12. Demons resist leaving their host. They may plead for their own well-being (Lk. 8:31).
13. When demons leave a person they seek out other bodies to inhabit. “The demons
begged Jesus to let them go into a herd of pigs, and He gave them permission. When the demons
came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the
lake and was drowned” (Lk. 8:32-33). 50
14. Demons respond to authority. Jesus issues a command on His own authority. In contrast
to exorcists of His day, who used elaborate rituals and incantations, Jesus simply utters the
command, “Come out of the man!” Based on our union with Christ, our being filled with the same
Spirit by which he cast out evil spirits (Mt. 12:28; Lk. 11:20), and our right to exercise authority in
His name over this realm, we can issue a firm and direct command to an intruding spirit with the
expectation that it will leave.
Diagnosis by physicians and psychiatrists:
Symptoms of those who are Demonized
1. Personality changes including changes in intelligence, moral character, demeanor and
appearance.
2. Physical changes: preternatural strength; epileptic convulsions; foaming; catatonic
symptoms; falling (often forward rather than backwards); clouding of consciousness; anaesthesia
to pain; changed voices.