Demons mainly work in three ways. All three of these actions occur under their main overall purpose of disrupting God's plans for us.
1. Deception of the Mind
This is the primary work of Satan and demons. It is the most prevalent form of demonic influence in the world and also the most dangerous. John 8:44 says Satan is first and foremost a liar. His main goal is to introduce false teaching into the world and thereby deceive non-Christians away from Jesus Christ, the only way to God and salvation, and the God of the Bible, the One True God, and to deceive Christians robbing them of their joy, assurance of salvation, and usefulness for spreading God's glory and bringing the lost to Christ.
This area is more dangerous than the others because what you believe about life affects everything else. If you believe wrongly, you will be prevented from living in the right and in the truth until someone or something shows you to believe otherwise. It might not be popular to say but demonic influences are most certainly behind such philosophies as relativism, liberal theology, universalism, and all faiths not acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ - fully man and fully God (1 John 4:1-3).
Our first line of defense against this method of attack is the sword of the Spirit - the Bible (Eph. 6:17). Contrary to popular belief innumerably more people suffer from demonic influence in this area than in demonization of the body and when dealing with a demonically influenced person this area should be a counselor's primary focus.
2. Temptation of the Will
Again, contrary to popular belief demonization of a person's body is not even the #1 or #2 most prevalent work of demons. The second most prevalent and most dangerous work of Satan and demons is the temptation of our wills to cause us to sin. Many times this can be done in tandem with deception of the mind (see Gen. 3:1-4). Satan and demons know that our wills are often more powerful than our minds - which is why many times when we sin we do something which we know to be wrong. So attacking the will is very effective for him.
While not as dangerous as false teaching (because false teaching can affect you for the long term much easier than can temptation) it is nonetheless extremely dangerous and can lead to horrible consequences such as addictions and lifestyle changes. There can be no doubt that demonic influence of this kind is behind addictions such as pornography, masturbation, drugs, alcohol, etc.
Our main defense against this type of attack is the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16) because when tempted we must trust in the power and grace of Jesus Christ to be sufficient for us to resist whatever pleasing thing Satan places before us. When we have a tempting thought come into our minds out of nowhere these may often be of demonic origin. But when this happens we must take captive our thoughts and make them submit to Jesus (2 Cor. 10:5).
3. Possession or Control of the Body
This is what everyone usually thinks of when they hear the word "demon." Their minds go right to Linda Blair on the bed in The Exorcist spitting out pea soup at the Catholic priest and being burned when she comes in contact with holy water. While many aspects of that movie are far-fetched and exaggerated, we cannot and should not deny the fact that demons do have the ability to invade and control a person's body to the point that they may experience some of the following symptoms:
- Speaking in a voice not their own
- Speaking foreign languages unknown to them in their normal state
- Unusual strength
- Physical illness
- Acts of violence/suicidal impulses
- Resistance or opposition to the things of God
Naturally many people get excited, intrigued, and scared when these things are spoken of. Based on the testimony of many Christians both in America and in 3rd world countries, this kind of activity (demonization of the body) does occur in America some but occurs much more frequently in 3rd world countries where widespread belief in the supernatural is much more prevalent. Many Western Christians may go their entire lives without ever meeting or hearing about someone who is demonized in this way.
Demonization of this kind typically occurs when a person opens themselves up to such attacks through personal sin and involvement in the occult in some way, shape, or form. If you are consistently repenting of sin and trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ you need not live on edge, frightened you could be "possessed" at any moment by some roaming demon. Just be aware that others may be susceptible to this. Our main defense against this type of attack is the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14) along with the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16). We must keep ourselves pure and holy before God but constantly rely on the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us of our sin and purify us from unrighteousness (1 John 1:7, 9).
In light of this information I leave you with a quote from C.S. Lewis:
"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils [demons]. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an unhealthy and excessive interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight." - The Screwtape Letters
For further reading in this area I would recommend first, Neil T. Anderson's The Bondage Breaker, which is an easy read but also well-informed, balanced, and biblical.
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