Can a follower or disciple of Christ have a demon? Let's kill this sacred cow once and for all.

Can a follower or disciple of Christ have a demon?

Here is the truth, plainly and clearly:

No New Covenant scripture teaches that a born-again, Spirit-filled believer can be demon-possessed. Not one.

✅ Why? Because:

1. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"— 1 Corinthians 3:16

2. Light and darkness cannot live in the same house.

"What fellowship has light with darkness? … What agreement has the temple of God with idols?"— 2 Corinthians 6:14–16

3. Jesus said demons leave and the Holy Spirit comes to LIVE inside you — permanently.

"I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever."— John 14:16 Forever means they cannot share space with demons.

4. You have been transferred out of Satan's kingdom.

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son."— Colossians 1:13

📌 But can believers be attacked, oppressed, deceived, or harassed?

Yes, the New Testament shows this clearly:

• Satan can tempt (1 Thess 3:5)

• Accuse (Revelation 12:10)

• Fire darts at your mind (Ephesians 6:16)

• Influence if you give him a place (Ephesians 4:27)

• Oppress the body or emotions (Acts 10:38)

But nowhere does the New Covenant say a Spirit-filled believer can be inhabited or possessed.

🔥 The most substantial proof:

When Jesus spoke about deliverance, He always dealt with unbelievers under the Old Covenant (before the cross, before salvation was available). After the cross, we never again see a Holy Spirit–filled believer described as demon-possessed.

✨ Final truth:

You can be oppressed externally — yes. You cannot be possessed internally — impossible.

The Greek meanings of "possessed," "oppressed," and "tormented" in Scripture make the difference even clearer.

Here are the Greek word meanings that make the difference crystal clear:

🔥 1. "Demon-possessed" (Greek: daimonizomai)

Meaning:

To be inhabited, occupied, or controlled internally by an unclean spirit.

For whom is this word used in the New Testament?

Only for unbelievers, before the cross, or those not filled with the Spirit.

📌 Important:This word is never used for a saved, Spirit-filled believer.Not even once.

🔥 2. "Oppressed" (Greek: katadynasteuō)

(Acts 10:38 – "All whom the devil oppressed")

Meaning:

To be pressed, harassed, or afflicted from the outside.

This refers to external pressure on the body or emotions, not internal possession.

A Spirit-filled believer can experience:

• fear attacks

• sickness

• nightmares

• mental pressure

• deception

• discouragement

• temptation

…but this is external oppression, NOT possession.

🔥 3. "Give place to the devil" (Greek: topos)

(Ephesians 4:27)

Meaning:

To give the enemy a foothold, opportunity, or legal opening through:

• anger

• bitterness

• unforgiveness

• sin patterns

• wrong beliefs

But even here, satan attacks from the outside, not by living inside the believer.

🔥 4. "Tormented" (Greek: basanizō)

Used for emotional or mental torment.

Meaning:

To be troubled, vexed, or disturbed externally.

This again describes attacks, not internal control.

✨ The Final Clear Line the New Covenant Draws

Possession = internal inhabitation → only unbelievers Oppression = external affliction → believers can experience this

Light and darkness cannot live inside the same temple.

"What fellowship has light with darkness? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?"— 2 Corinthians 6:14–16

And you, — are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Not a shared apartment with demons.

Let's look a bit more at Acts 10:38

Acts 10:38 is one of the clearest New Covenant revelations of how the devil works — and it's the final nail against the idea that believers can be possessed.

Here is the verse:

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, Who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."— Acts 10:38 (NKJV)

Let's break it down:

🔥 1. The keyword: "oppressed" (Greek: katadynasteuō)

This word means:

• to overpower from the outside

• to push down

• to exploit

• to harass

• to exercise harsh pressure

📌 It does NOT mean:

• enter

• inhabit

• possess

• indwell

The Greek word for demon-possessed is daimonizomai, and that word is not used here.

So the people Jesus healed in Acts 10:38 were externally afflicted, not internally possessed.

🔥 2. Oppression is about the body and soul, not the Spirit

The word suggests:

🔸 Physical manifestations

(sickness, weakness, pain, injury, chronic conditions)

🔸 Emotional or mental torment

(anxiety, fear, confusion, heaviness)

🔸 Circumstantial pressure

(attacks, blockages, opposition)

Notice something powerful:

Jesus healed them — He didn't cast demons out of believers.

Healing addresses oppression, not possession.

🔥 3. Why does Acts 10:38 matter for us today?

Because this verse shows:

✔ Demons can attack your body

Sickness, weakness, fatigue, etc.

✔ Demons can attack your mind or emotions

Fear, depression, anxiety, heaviness.

❌ But demons cannot attack your Spirit,

because your Spirit is born again and sealed.

"Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."— Ephesians 1:13

A sealed spirit cannot be home to a demon.

🔥 4. Jesus' response to oppression

The verse tells us the answer:

➜ He healed the oppressed

—not delivered them from possession.

This is a huge distinction.

If they were possessed, the verse would say, "He cast out demons from all who were possessed."But instead it says:

"He healed all who were oppressed."

Meaning:

✔ The attack was physical/soul

✔ The solution was healing

✔ Jesus destroyed satanic pressure

✔ He never once implied a believer can be possessed

🔥 5. The deeper revelation

Acts 10:38 shows you the battlefield:

• Your spirit = untouchable

• Your soul = target of pressure

• Your body = target of sickness

• The Holy Spirit = your permanent protector inside

• Demons = external oppressors, never internal residents

This lines up perfectly with:

"Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."— 1 John 4:4

The Holy Spirit is IN you.Demons are IN the world, not in you.

I'll close off with this: 'Now you understand that I have imparted to you my authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will harm you as you walk in this authority. '

Luke 10:19

He gave you the authority, now use it!

God bless

Daniel