How the Demons Work
We are all vexed by demons. Through temptations they introduce us to much grief and suffering. So how do they work? They typically do not come at us in a frightening way like in the movies. The demon’s primary directive is to be passive-aggressive with us. They operate through suggestions and whispers. They are constantly whispering: “Just this once. It’s not that bad. No one will notice. Just keep it a secret. You deserve it. It’s not that big of a lie, It won’t hurt others. It won’t hurt you.”
They find great success in suggesting feelings about things, events and people. The enjoy pushing our buttons. Human thoughts and emotions are their favorite traps because they know that a negative thought or feeling can eat us alive. When we turn their suggestion into our own thought, we give flesh to it in our mood. We feel justified in it, and grow to love it, and nurture it, and guard it at all cost.
These thoughts are always followed by actions—by behaviors, and the demons know this very well. When we repeatedly listen to their whispers, we slowly become imprisoned. This is when the demons tighten the chain around the neck—by suggesting their three favorite whispers—the three dangerous thoughts.
The first whisper is: “You are fine. It’s not really that bad. You don’t have a problem. You are not that bad.” The demons know that the best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he doesn’t know he’s in a prison. They want us to sleep in our sins.
The Second whisper comes if we begin to wake up. They tell us: “You can wait until tomorrow. You can plan your escape later. For now, you should relax.” The demons know that if we postpose our escape, they will have a better chance of keeping us in their care.
The third thought the demons suggest comes when they see us starting to struggle a little. They see we are ready to start filing on the chain and they get worried. So, they tell us: “You should give up trying to escape. Just give up. You belong in this prison. Afterall, it is hopeless. You are hopeless.” They know that we are used to feelings of hopelessness. They know we are accustomed to failure, used to anxiety and despondency, and they hope this leads us to despair.
So, what should we do? Once we know the tricks of the demons, we should stand up and fight! We must choose to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. We must put on the full armor of God, so that we can take a stand against the devil’s scheme so that when the day of evil comes, we can be able to stand our ground, with the belt of truth around the waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. We must take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God—and then relentlessly fight!