How do we come under the influence of demons in the first place?

Well, I like to compare Satan to a cat I used to know some years ago. This cat was sly and sneaky. He was owned by a neighbor - but we made the mistake of feeding him a few times. And so that cat was always hanging around our house.

We had sliding glass doors facing the patio and that cat, - that sly, sneaky cat, - used to circle our house, trying to find a way to get in. As long as we kept the doors completely closed, he couldn't get in . But, if we forgot and left one door just slightly cracked...zoom! That cat would be inside.

The devil is like that. As long as we keep the doors of our life completely closed against him, as long as we walk God's path and soak ourselves in God's Word, we're safe. But, if we ever slip, if we let him have just one inch...zoom! That devil is inside. And you can bet that the higher anointing you have on your life to serve Jesus, the higher you are on Satan's "hit list." Now I am not saying that we can be "possessed" by demons! - As Christians, certainly not in our born-again spirits - but we sure can be bothered in the flesh and our soulish areas. God's Word says we are made with spirit, soul and body. I Thessalonians 5:23 says, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul was bothered "...there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." (2 Corinthians 12:7.) James told Christians to resist (James 4:7.) So did Peter (1 Peter 5:8-9) So, let's resist and be freed up so we can enjoy the abundant life and so our ministries are not hindered in any way.

"Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."     Romans 10:9-11

UNREPENTED SIN. Satan loves this one, because it gives him a legal right to move right in. God promises us in I John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. But God warns us in Proverbs 28:13, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper." So if we sin and only Jesus was without sin on earth - we must repent (turn away), ask for God's forgiveness, and accept the forgiveness. If you have sinned since you were born again ... be sure you have come back to the Lord and confessed these sins so this door is not open.

UNFORGIVENESS. This is a BIG Door-Opener. Over and over, God tells us that if we don't forgive others, He will not forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15 and Matthew 18:34-35, for examples.) And over and over, we let resentment and bitterness and hurt build up in us, instead of forgiving those who have wronged us, (be especially sure you have forgiven yourself - God has!) Satan laughs and laughs (his legal right) if you don't forgive. He moves right through that wide open door. Of course, we can always slam that door in his face, simply by forgiving. REMEMBER, it is a CHOICE to forgive, not a feeling. The "real you" who was made in God's image can make choices. Unforgiveness is a major blockage to deliverance and healing.

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER. So you will have long life. This may be difficult to do due to problems with your parents, yet God expects us to honor our parents who brought us into this world. We have seen demons of death operate through this door. They are trying to take the person out early.

"Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.  Deuteronomy 5:16

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."  Ephesians 6:1-3

WORKS OF THE FLESH. (Galatians 5:19-21) lists them, and I like the New International Version best on this Scripture because it gives the works of the flesh in modern English.

"The acts of the sinful nature (works of the flesh) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (These doors are closed by repenting and confessing)  Galatians 5:19-21

PRIDE. "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil."  1 Timothy 3:6

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."  Proverbs 8:13

We are to humble ourselves before him.

WITCHCRAFT. Witchcraft is listed in the works of the flesh above, but I want to give the occult its own spot in our list of door-openers because it's so prevalent in these days of grocery store tabloids and Satan-worshipping cults and psychic activity. It's hard to pick up a magazine or newspaper without reading about psychic phenomena, or ESP, or psychic predictions, or what your horoscope says is going to happen to you. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says that ANY involvement with the occult makes us "an abomination unto the Lord." This includes any entanglement with fortune tellers or palm readers, ouija boards, or witches and warlocks, as well as some things we might consider minor - reading the horoscope in the daily newspaper, for example, or carrying a "lucky charm." Be aware you may have inherited a witchcraft spirit and certain witchcraft powers that need to be dealt with by the Blood of Jesus.

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire or that useth divination or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee."  Deuteronomy 18:10-12

DRUGS. Ephesians 4:27 says we are not to give place to the devil. Drugs and other addictions are open doors, allowing Satan legal rights.

"Neither give place to the devil."  Ephesians 4:27

TRAUMA. Shocks to our nervous system - being abused or suffering severe fright, and abandonment, for examples - often open the door for Satan. Any sexual abuse, or involvement with abortion, or bad childhood memories, needs inner healing. And God provides that, to go along with His deliverance.
 

HYPNOSIS. Romans 6:16 asks us: "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are." When we are hypnotized, we yield our mind to others.
 

IDOLATRY. The very first commandment God gave His people was, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3.) Not many of us worship graven images these days. But we sometimes make idols out of other things - money, sports, hobbies, job, people, drugs, alcohol, food, self, collections, problems, sickness, etc. If these are put before God, then here is an open door - Repent and Confess, asking God's forgiveness..
 

REBELLION AND DISOBEDIENCE TOWARD GOD. If this has happened sometime during your life, you put yourself back under the curse which will allow demons to operate. Be sure you have repented of this, specifically, ask for forgiveness, including your ancestors. (Deuteronomy 28,29,30), (Deuteronomy 28:46), (Nehemiah 9:2), (Galatians 3:13.)
 

"Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenest not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee. And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed forever."  Deuteronomy 28:45-46

"And the seed of Israel, separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers."  Nehemiah 9:2

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree."  Galatians 3:13

INHERITANCE. This hardly seems fair, for us to be punished for something we didn't do. But Exodus 20:5 tells us that the iniquity (sins) of the fathers as far as four generations back can be held against us. Deuteronomy 23:2 indicates problems to the tenth generation. We can, however slam these doors shut by confessing and repenting of the sins, knows or unknown, of our forefathers, asking God's forgiveness, and receiving it. (Nehemiah 9:2)

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for i, the Lord thy God, Am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments."  Exodus 20:5-6

CURSES. These can be ancestral curses (even witchcraft curses from generations back) ... curses others speak against us in this generation ... or curses we put on ourselves. Mark 11:23 tells us that whatsoever we say, if we believe, shall come to pass. This means we have the power to curse as well as bless. have you ever said: "I was scared half to death." or "That makes me sick." If you have, you spoke a curse against yourself. Repent, rebuke it, and terminate it right now, in the name of Jesus. Sadly, we can put a curse upon ourselves or someone else with the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 warns us, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

DEMONIC SOUL TIES. We are to have good soul ties between each other (1 Samuel 18:1) but bad souls ties, even demonic soul ties, can form between people. "By association" is one of the most common - if someone is involved in ungodly activities and you associate with them or admire them, demonic soul ties can form. "Give no place to the devil" (Ephesians 4:27.) Also, if there is a strange, odd or problem relationship between you and someone, there may be some demonic soul ties. It could be with someone who has died and the thought of them continues to torment you. These ties may exist between you and a former sexual partner, including an ex-spouse, or if someone has spoken curses over you, even though the curses may not have been intentional. If a parent is involved, be sure you have focused on honoring your parents. (Ephesians 6:2-3) A control spirit or a spirit operating by that person's name may need to be rebuked and cast out. See the prayer on Page 32. We usually go through the demonic soul tie prayer before we work the suspect list of demons. Most people will have about a half-a-dozen names.
 

NOTE: Beside these doors that we, or our ancestors, have opened, we also run into demons that are in the person by a Satanic Program and/or assignment to block their lives and their ministries. Break these in Jesus' name, and command those demons to depart.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is a spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."  1 John 4:1-3