Demon Possession In Humans--Taja

Everyone has had a moment in their life where they have sensed a presence other than the

people surrounding them. Whether that individual was by themselves or accompanied by friends and family, they were able to detect an unusual presence. For instance, when people wash their faces in the shower and feel the sudden urge to open their eyes and turn around it’s because they feel a supernatural presence. This leads me to question if the presence that is sensed is the presence of a demon or if stress is controlling their thought process. The literal definition of demon means, “​an evil spirit or devil, especially one thought to possess a person or act as a tormentor in hell.” In the bible demons are referred to as, “ fallen angels,” a fallen angel is an angel who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. In the bible an angel named Lucifer ( better known as Satan) was cast out of heaven after rebelling against God along with the angels he persuaded. “ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him”( Revelation 12:9). Although Satan and the angels he persuaded were cast out of heaven they were still able to interfere with humans. “ For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places” (Luke 8:

29). This shows that demons have the ability to possess the human mind and body. “Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones” (Mark 5:5). Demons can often lead people to come out of character resulting in them committing self harm. This can be seen in society as stress, depression or mental health issues.

Oftentimes people will not equate spiritual warfare with mental health problems. For example, there are several teens and adults that suffer from self- harm. They inflict wounds by picking at their skin or by cutting themselves with sharp objects. “She drew ​blood​, but she continued to scratch and cut. In her mind, self-injury was the only way she could deal with all the dealing with stress​” (WebMD). Oftentimes the term, “ stress demon,” will be used when people describe the amount of pressure that they are under. This is because of the negative effects stress can have on an individual’s body. Stress can cause a person to have anxiety, depression, or mental health issues. Stress is “ ​a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.” Despite the fact that stress is common within society if it is strong enough to affect an individuals health it should not be overlooked nor normalized. There are several ways that stress can be reduced. A few of the ways are to identify what is causing the stress, seek help, and to walk away from situations when you are angry. In conclusion, taking steps towards ensuring that both mental and spiritual health is taken care of can help an individual fight their own battles with their demons.