And someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were unable." And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me."
Mark 9:17-18
Demonic Diagnosis
The Bible gives evidence of demonic oppression and manic behavior associated with it. Amongst the blind, mute, and sick brought before Jesus were violent and erratic people. The answer to why believers are prone to demonic oppression dates back to Adam's fall. Eve's antics made humanity vulnerable to demonic attacks and Satan's influence over humans.
One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.
Job 1:6 NIV
On another day, the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came with them to present himself before him.
Job 2:1 NIV
The devil wanted access to what God made in His own image, tainting the bloodline of Adam.
But how do we classify demonic possession as a mere sickness?
From numerous accounts in the Bible, we can assess that there is a diversity in demonic possession.
When he came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
Matthew 8:28
The account of Gerasene portrayed presented a notion of self-harm strength in demonic possession while also acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God. At the same time, others were mute, blind, or epileptic. Due to the variation in symptoms of the demon oppressed, it is difficult to conclude a prominent pattern in these cases.
Cases were approached in a spiritual rather than a therapeutic method for a cure.
Now that we live in a world where every sickness can be rationally explained through science, how do we retrospectively perceive these accounts of demonic oppression?
The right approach
Some accounts of demonic oppression give us a convincing example of "madness." It is essential, however, to know the difference between the two diagnoses for a successful treatment. Like the demon oppressed, psychiatric patients behave in ways we do not understand. We dissect and analyze their behaviors through scientific methods, psychotherapy, and treatments. Mental illness can be caused due to instances of childhood trauma, inheritance, and isolation, all of which have rational methods of cure.
However, if resorting to science does not bring us success, the only path we can take is spiritual. The most basic treatment you can provide a psychiatric patient is love and compassion, just as Jesus showed for victims of physical illness. However, Jesus also commissioned us with the power to drive demons out.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:17-18
But are the symptoms of demonic oppression always obvious?
Confusion to conclusion
The devil's goal is to taint your life and keep you from deliverance. To do so, he will resort to sowing seeds of self-doubt, depression, and curses in your life that will ruin your relationships with people around you.
Where deliverance lies is the merger between prayer and psychiatric methods of treatment. Seek spirituality and freedom from sin to weaken demonic influence over your life and observe the changes in your physical and mental health while treating your body with enough nutrition and care advised by your doctor.
And when all is said in done, you can always resort to the doctor who lives above you.
For more detailed findings into demonic oppression, influence, and ultimate deliverance, pick up Pastor David Okumgba's latest work, A Handbook of Self Deliverance!
