Volume 28, No. 33
September 7 , 2003
Demon Possessions
Demon possessions are a real and terrifying danger, but not the way you might
think.
Yes, Satan exists. And yes, there are Biblical descriptions of the devil
taking over the minds and bodies of people to make them do things they
ordinarily wouldn’t. He still does that today. But, more times than not, he
makes it happen, not by “demon possessions” but by “demon” possessions.
As Christians, we have the assurance that Satan can’t make us do anything
against our will. “Resist the Devil and he’ll flee from you,” we’re told (James
4:7). You’ll never be stranded on temptation island, no matter what. “God is
faithful,” writes the apostle Paul. “He’ll keep the temptation from becoming so
strong you can’t stand up against it. When you’re tempted, He’ll show you a way
out so you will not give into it.” (1 Cor. 10:13)
That’s why Satan works hard to make sure you don’t even recognize the harm in
the distractions he uses to control your thinking and behaviour. Few of us know
we’re possessed by our possessions, until it’s too late.
How does that happen? For starters, we get sucked into cultural conformity.
We want what everybody else has because it’s our ticket to approval, popularity,
acceptance and success. Possessions pacify peer pressure, so we shell out to
fit in. And thanks to the magic of modern marketing, everything we buy comes
with both a price and a value attached. That SUV represents freedom. Beer is a
silver bullet to slay the werewolves of loneliness and insecurity. We’re told
a diamond means true and eternal love, and heaven help the guy who doesn’t buy
it.
When material things come to symbolize our dreams and deep-seated desires,
it’s no wonder we pursue them with the persistence we do. It then becomes easy
to cross that ever-shifting line between need and greed; between enough and
stuff. Before you know it, you have your things. And your things have you.
The more you accumulate, the more time, money and energy you pour into parading
and preserving your prized possessions. It doesn’t leave much for the truly
important things of life, love and relationships.
As writer Paul Boese once observed, “We come into this world head first and
go out feet first. In between, it’s all a matter of balance.” That’s precisely
what a man named Agur says in a discussion with God. “Give me neither poverty
nor riches!” he pleads. “Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow
rich, I may deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ And if I’m too poor, I may
steal and thus insult [Your] holy name.” (Proverbs 30:8,9)
But that only works if we let God be the judge of what’s “just enough”.
Otherwise, material things will continue to turn our heads like that of the
hapless victim in the Exorcist. Instead, we must heed the wisdom of Augustine
who told Christians to soar above their possessions. “The bee does not need its
wings less when it has gathered an abundant store,” he said. “For if it sinks
in the honey, it dies.”
The Bible says the unwary “fall into temptation and are trapped by many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the
love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:9,10)
“But I don’t love money!” we insist. Yet how many of us pass the test of the
truly untainted? Are we among those who refuse to put their sense of worth and
security in their money? Is our trust “in the living God who richly gives us
all we need for our enjoyment”, even when He doesn’t seem to be paying attention
to our bills? Do we use whatever money we do have “to do good”? Are we “rich
in good works” and do we “give generously to those in need, always ready to
share with others what God has given”? (v. 17,18)
One thing is for sure. The devil won’t make you do it.
By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the
Followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will
in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe, contact
sgamble@bfree.on.ca