327 – Demonic Invitation

Satan and his fallen angels believe that our words and actions give them supernatural permission to make trouble in our lives. Demons have much more power over people who do not believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who forgave our sin at the Cross. But, even as a Christian, a person can do things that invite demons to make trouble.

The term “satan” means “accuser” or “prosecuting attorney”. In many ways, demons think of themselves as lawyers making constant accusation, looking for endless loopholes, complaining about microscopic differences to find any excuse to say, “Well look here, that human just said that I can go and make a mess. He said so himself,” or, “He may not have said it, but when I tempted him he went along with it. So, he invited me in.”

Christian bookstores are filled with “deliverance” guides on the topic. Some of these books provide lists of things that a person might say to unintentionally invite a demon. Whether you learn from those lists or not, the important lesson is the principle: Demons use anything to argue before God that you want them to have some level of activity in your life. These can include recommending a dark movie to a friend without great disclaimers. It can include watching a bad movie many times for enjoyment, the same with songs, jokes, fowl language, sarcasm that would be evil if taken literally.

It doesn’t matter if you believe it invites a demon; the demons will argue it anyway. Speaking a demon’s name does not necessarily “summon” the demon, but he may be curious and drop in to examine why someone is talking about him. Listening to a song and giving an honest critique does not invite demons, but recommending the song or regularly enjoying it can. Never let any entertainment fascinate you more than Jesus and the Bible.

This topic could be studied more extensively, just as Christian bookstores have entire sections dedicated to it. But, one of the greatest ways to invite evil is to believe lies about God’s truth. Even endorsing “territorial boundaries” for Christian fellowship invites petty squalling; consider the worldviews of those who squabble.

Acts 19:11-20