 So, if demons exist, but then we say that Christians cannot be possessed by demons, well then the question has to be, what exactly do demons do? Hey smart Christians, one of the things that we really don't get a chance to talk about as much or we do, but it just doesn't get as much attention because we're often telling people that no, you cannot be possessed by a demon if you are a Christian and you've got these people out there who are trying to sell it to us that we can be possessed or oppressed or however they want to put it and that's not true. And so oftentimes all we hear about is just the battle back and forth between can a Christian be possessed and they say yes and we say no. I think it's clear that every believer that's in Christ has been set free from any of the potential demonic oppressions and so forth. As a matter of fact, when we look in the scriptures, we don't see any time after the founding of the church or any believer that has the Holy Spirit in them ever having a demon in them. We don't see the Bible having the apostles telling us or one of the writers of the scriptures telling us that the problems that we need to overthrow are done so by someone having a demon cast out of them. We don't see we don't see Paul, James or John or anyone saying cast a demon out of these brothers. And so the issue has to be then if demons exist and Christians cannot be possessed, what do demons do? Well, the answer is found in really oftentimes really in our lives. We just look at it. James puts it this way, when we are tempted, James says that it's not that God has tempted us and you notice that even in James four, he didn't even say that that the devil is tempted us. Let's go to that. He doesn't say that the devil is tempted us, but what he said is that we are a person is tempted when he is led or lured and enticed by his own desires. And then when those desires when it's conceived gives birth to sin when it's fully grown brings forth death. And so his point is that though we are believers, you know, we still have we still have this flesh and as Paul talks about it, we have to fight this flesh all the time. He says that there's nothing good that dwells in me except for the Holy Spirit, the good that he wants to do. He doesn't do the bad that he wants to stop doing. He continues to do it. And so what's the saving grace of Paul? Same with us, the Holy Spirit. But it's our flesh, our desires that kind of lead us away. Well, what is the job of a demon? And again, we do have demons. We understand that we do not war against flesh and blood, but we war against principalities, demonic forces. And there's a spiritual battle that is at play. And the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. But what are they? We'll get to that in a second. But what happens is what a demon does, basically, is exacerbate the flesh. Remember when we recall when Paul had an issue of this thorn in the flesh? We're not we're not totally sure what it was, but it was a problem. But the Bible says there was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet. So some sort of demonic influence that was sent there to exacerbate the problem. Similarly, in our lives, the things that we deal with, you're going to have a demon, especially as your Christian, a demon is going to try to exacerbate potential problems, pitfalls, fleshly issues, sin, temptation, what have you. He is going to exacerbate that issue. For example, if you have dealt with, I don't know, let's say a lust issue in the past porn, what have you, then you can bet that as a believer, some demonic influence is going to come to bring these things before you, some sort of lustful pictures or songs or person before you. That's their job. If a person has dealt with anger issues and someone is going to some demonic influence is going to come about to exacerbate that. In other words, someone's going to cut you off in traffic. Something's going to happen. And so it's almost like you're hearing someone push you. Now, there is a remedy to that. But remember, the devil is still out moving about. Jesus tells Peter that even though he has died or want to die for their sins and so forth, he says, the devil desires to sift you like we. And what is Jesus's response? Jesus's response is not that, no, it won't happen. No, Jesus's response is that I prayed for you. Ah, well, that's going to give us a key or a clue as to what we have to do to fight it. And then Peter is the one who also writes that the devil is out seeking whom he may devour. Remember this passage in 1 Peter 5, 8. He says, be sober minded, be watchful, your adversary, the devil or demons prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. But look what he says, resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kind of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. So Christians are going to experience the devil coming after them, not necessarily the devil, but all obviously his his cohorts, the demons. And so he says, what to resist him? Resist him. And that is how we fight him. Now, you don't understand something. John makes us clear in John 1 John 5 verse 18. He says this, we know that everyone who's been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God. Look at this, God protects him and the evil one does not touch him. Obviously, the result of sin is gone. And these influence. So in other words, the devil is not going to be able to have a grasp on you. The devil cannot possess or oppress a believer. But again, he can't exacerbate the issues that a believer deals with. That's why the Bible says in 1 John 4, 4, that he says, little children, you are from God and have overcome them. For he who was in you is greater than he was in the world. In other words, the Holy Spirit is greater in you than any outside demonic forces. And John also tells us this in the next chapter, chapter five, he says that in verse four, for everyone who's been born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world. Our faith. So it is our faith, our trusting in God that is the key. And so what does James tells us to do in James, chapter four, verse seven, when there's any sort of demonic influence that's going to happen and they're going to occur, they're going to come your way. What's what is his response? What does he tell us to do? He says is in chapter four, verse seven, he says, one, submit yourself therefore to God, resist the devil. And what will he do? He will flee, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. And so it's not the possibility to where you can have this close relationship with Christ and then also have this deep seated demonic influence happening that can't be resist him. And the Bible says he will flee. Well, notice he didn't say rebuked the demon. He doesn't say cast him out. He just says, resist him. I think God knows what he's talking about. When he says, just resist him and he will flee. Oftentimes we don't, oftentimes we may want to engage him. We want to seek someone else's opinion about him instead of following what he says, which is just to resist him, draw near to God and then God will draw near to you. And then James also says this and this is going back to what Jesus said to Peter, when he says, the devil desires to see if you like we. Well, he says, I've prayed for you. Well, there's the key in James five, thirteen. He says, anyone among you is suffering. That is, if anyone is having any sort of issues, oftentimes we overblow issues and make them out to be something that's demonic. And it could be just just a regular run of the mill fleshly issue. And the devil has nothing to do with it. It's just us and our flesh and our desire to sin. But again, he exacerbates that. And so if any one of us is suffering, even if it's a demonic, demonically exacerbated suffering, look what he says. He says, let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let them sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who was sick and the lower race him up. And so the point, the whole point, the whole issue, the whole fight that we have with any sort of demonic influences with our flesh with the world, the weapon that we have. It's not carnal, but it is mighty through God. And that is just prayer, just prayer. We would have him to intercede on our behalf. We would just speak to him. We would just get closer to him. And that's why he says, resist the devil. He says, put on the whole armor of God that we can withstand the evil one. And so, yeah, there is no such thing as a Christian who is demon possessed. However, there is no such thing as a Christian who does not have the eye of some sort of demonic influence. In other words, there is some demon at some point time that's going to come in contact with you as a believer and it's going to do their very best to trip you up to get you off of where you should be going to get your focus somewhere else, or in other words, to exacerbate the flesh. So, my friends, we see that there is demonic activity, but we also see that there is godly activity. And so the whole cure, the whole solution to anything that would come from the devil or any demonic force is simply prayer, getting closer to God. Amen.