Derek Prince - Characteristics Of Demons
This is an excerpt from: War In Heaven And Earth - Part 2
Now I want to mention characteristic activities of demons. Number one: seducing demons. They tempt us to do evil. They tempt us to sin. Take an example. You are walking down the street and someone has dropped their wallet full of money. And an inaudible voice says, "Pick him up. Might as well. If he were yours, they would too. Why not"?
All that can talk is a person. And behind that inaudible voice is a person, and that person is tempting you to do evil. You don't have to follow it. You can resist, yet there's that demon, trying to get you to do something that exposes you to him. Furthermore, demons bother you. The example I always use is that businessman who had a terrible day at the office. The air conditioning was not working, his secretary made a mistake, he had a customer who complained and threatened to sue him. Well, he gets through the day, but gets in his car to drive home and there's an accident on the highway. And he sits there for an hour without air conditioning on the highway. And I mean, he's getting hotter and hotter and hotter. He comes home and what happens? His wife is late for dinner, the kids are running around screaming, and as they say in America, "He blows his stack" (became furious). And at that moment the demon of anger enters him.
You see, he's been following him all day, waiting for a moment of weakness to come in. And then he's a different person. He still loves his wife and children dearly, but every now and then something comes over him that makes him do things that are harmful to those he loves most. And from time to time when his wife looks him in the eye she sees something that wasn't there before. What happened? The demon of anger followed him all day and chose the weakest moment and the weakest place and got into it. Devils pollute. They are dirty. They are all called unclean. They make you feel unclean. They fill your mind with filthy, unclean attitudes, emotions, and thoughts, especially if you plan to read or worship your Bible. Anything that attacks you at such a moment is probably a demon. And you never really feel pure. You can sing about the blood of Jesus, how wonderful it is, but there is something in you that is not responding. Devils pollute. Torture demons.
Jesus says in Matthew 18:35 Even so will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each one of you forgives the trespasses of his brother from your heart. What's the point? Hand him over to what? to the torments. That means you and I, if we don't forgive, if we hold onto bitterness and resentment and unforgiveness. The sentence of Jesus is to deliver him to the torturers. Who are the torturers? demons. Very easy. They torture in many ways. They torture emotionally, they torture with fear, with guilt, with a kind of uneasy feeling that you haven't done the right thing, but you can never put your finger on it. They torture you physically. I have dealt with many people who have been delivered from a spirit of arthritis. To me when you look at arthritis, that's demonic. It twists, it torments, it incapacitates. Please understand that I am not saying that everyone with arthritis has a demon, but many do.
I remember a scene in South Africa a few years back when Ruth and I served together. We were praying for the sick, and somebody, I think it was a woman, come down with arthritis. I said to her: I want you to know that I treat this like a demon. Is that good? She said yes. Ruth and I prayed, cast out the demon and she was set free. Well, then I thought to myself, why go through this process? with everyone individually? for everyone has seen and heard it. So I said I believe you can be delivered from the spirit of arthritis without being individually prayed for. So everybody, and it was a big church, everybody that needs relief from arthritis, will you stand up? Well, about thirty people got up.
Now I prayed and commanded the spirit of arthritis to leave them. Then I said to the people, don't sit down until you know you're liberated. And we continued to serve, but after about half an hour, all those people had sat down. Later, Ruth and I traveled through different parts of South Africa, and then we met several people who were among those who got up and sat down and each of them testified that they were healed. Please understand I'm not saying all arthritis is demonic, but if you want to get a real picture of what demons are like, arthritis is a pretty good picture. They torment, they torture, they incapacitate, they bind, they are bad things. And again there are exceptions, but it's amazing how many people who suffer from arthritis have some kind of bitterness in their lives, or resentment or unforgiveness. I need not say more. Please don't be offended. If you have arthritis, it doesn't mean you have a demon. But if you have a demon, get rid of it.
Then number five: forcing demons. They make you do things you don't really want to do. I could name almost any act or habit that is compulsive. It's probably demonic, not necessarily. Demons also make slaves. They make you slaves. Take the demon of alcohol. It enslaves you. You just can't live without your glass of whiskey. You know it's harmful. You don't really enjoy it, but you can't help it. But people can become addicted to other things. They can be enslaved to television. Did you know? You can be addicted to television. Some television addicts walk into a room, and the first thing they do is turn on the television. They don't know what program is on, they don't know what to watch, but they are just as compulsive as someone who reaches for a glass of whiskey and drinks it.