Mark 5:1-9, “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.”
The infallible Word of God gives us seven signs of a person who is being influenced by demons. This doesn't mean they are demon-possessed necessarily, but it means that they've opened the door to demons to influence their life:
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They're
fascinated with death. The
demon-possessed man dwelt amongst the tombs in the graveyard. Death is a
fascination to these people. This is why they listen to Death-Metal
music. Why do you think Hollywood loves violence so much? This is why
they wear black clothes! This is the Goth culture. Why all the murders
and killings? It's because Hollywood is saturated with demons. Thoughts
of suicide is a demonic influence, a sure sign that an evil spirit is
messing with your life. Abortion is widespread, a result of a
fornicating out-of-control lewd society, partying wild and sensual into
the night. Murder is everywhere we turn, killing, killing and more
killing.
- They're out
of control. Many teenagers nowadays laugh in their parents faces,
and are out of control. This is a sign that an evil spirit is at work in
a person's life, when they cannot be controlled. Those who are lawless
and unable. If your mother and father can't do nothing with you, you
need to get on your knees and get right with God, because a demon is
working in your life.
- They get
their days and nights mixed up. They want to stay up all night and
sleep all day. The demon-possessed man roamed in the caves and
mountains, day and night. The wicked party until 5 a.m. and then sleep
until 5 p.m. in the evening. Every Rock-N-Roller is like this, staying
up to party all night. God made the daylight to work and the nighttime
to rest.
- They cut themselves. Why would
anyone want to hurt themselves.? This is a sign of demonic influence.
This is what a fool does. Marilyn Manson cuts himself, sucking his own
blood in his concerts, ripping apart Bibles and cursing God. Many teens
carve the name of their boyfriend or girlfriend in their skin. Tattoos
are marks of wordiness, forbidden in the Scriptures. To split one's
tongue in half, or pierce their tongue, are insane. To pierce various
body parts and inflict permanent marks on their skin is demonic. This is
a demonic spirit. The popular series, Jackass, shows young men
wounding themselves, hitting their crotch with a sledge hammer, placing
hooks in their body, surgically implanting ball-bearings in their head,
shaving half their head bald, tattooing their eyeballs. Satan turns
people into freaks, weirdoes and punks.
- They are obsessed with Jesus Christ.
This is why they wear crosses around their neck. The demon-possessed man
ran and fell at Jesus' feet to worship Him, but it was false worship,
mocking the Savior. This is why Satanist, Ozzy Osbourne, wears a cross
around his neck. In the Philippines many young men are voluntarily
crucified every year, being obsessed with Jesus Christ, thinking that
somehow God will be impressed with it. It is blasphemy! Jesus died for
our sins! This is why Marilyn Manson rips apart Bibles in concert, being
obsessed with Christianity.
- They wear no clothes. Everybody who
goes to spring break in college is hooking up with demons. They go to
Florida to take their clothes off and live for Satan. A bathing suit in
nothing but colored underwear. If you go out in public like that, it's
the Devil making you do it. God doesn't tell you to go out into public
naked. God said for you to be clothes in modest apparel (1st Timothy
2:9). Public nudity is a sign of Satanic spirits at work. We live in a
world of demonic-influence everywhere we turn. 1st John 5:19 tells us
that the whole world lieth in wickedness, but we are of God. 1st John
4:4 tells us that Jesus is greater in us, than Satan is in the world. We
are on the winning side in Christ Jesus! MTV, movies and Hollywood are
of the Devil.
- They don't abide in any house. They
don't want to live at home. A teenager needs their own apartment like
you need 3 more holes in your head. The demon-possessed man dwelt in the
wilderness and caves, but wouldn't stay at home. So many teens want to
move out and get their own place. They ought to be at home with mom and
dad until they find the right Christian man. You let mom and dad pay the
bills until you find God's will for your life and get married. Young
girls have no business working in a heathen workplace, with all the
lesbians, homosexuals and lustful creeps preying upon them.
It is ironic that teens want to move out from living under mom and dad's roof. They want their freedom. They don't want any rules. But a few months later after moving out, guess what, now you've got a boss over you. You're back to square one. Now you've got a pile of bills to pay. Your boyfriend is going to be jealous over you and refuse to let you wear skimpy clothes, just as your parents refused to allow to to wear skimpy clothes. You're right back to square one teenager! If you leave your parents, you're just trading one set of problems for another.
He was wild and out of control, naked, cutting himself, and acting crazy like Hollywood celebrities. This is all we see in the news: Hollywood celebrities getting high on drugs, in and out of rehab, in and out of sexual relationships, blaspheming the God of the Bible, wearing a cross around their neck like Anna Nicole Smith. She died of a massive drug overdose just months after her own son overdosed and died of illegal drugs. The newsmedia virtually ignored Anna Nicole Smith's death. She died the death of the wicked and they covered it up.
You're messing with something that is bigger than you are teenager!
Luke 8:28-30, When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him."
Cutting your body is a sign of demonic influence. Partying wild is a sign of demonic influence. Taking your clothes off is a sign of demonic influence. It is so obvious that American society today is saturated with demonic spirits. We have become a culture of death. Abortion is widespread, because of an epidemic of sexual immorality. Americans are ungrateful and rebellious against God, refusing to repent and turn to the God of the Bible for salvation.
God never intended for people to cut themselves, lick hot coals, jump off buildings, eat horse rectums, roll on the ground for 2,500 miles, eat swords, stick their head in an alligator's mouth, burn themselves with fire, nor any other type of masochism. The Bible doesn't say, stick yourself in a fire. The Bible doesn't say, play with snakes in church. The Bible doesn't say, go stick your finger in a wall-socket!
Demonic influence is a DOOR. At some point in his youth, Brian Warner (leader of the Marilyn Manson band) opened a door to demonic influence. At some point, Ozzy Osbourne allowed a door to open. In most cases that door is stapled, barred and locked shut. As long as the door stays closed, other spirits cannot influence you. But once that door opens, and an evil spirit enters into your life, it's almost impossible to be delivered from it. Alcoholism opens that door. Smoking weed opens that door. Immoral sex opens the door. Rock music opens the door. Harry Potter opens the door. Hellivision opens the door. Wickedness opens the door. Hypnotism opens the door. Only the power of God can deliver a soul enslaved to demonic influence. Praise God for the saving power of the gospel (Romans 1:16).
Immoral sex, drugs and Rock 'N' Roll are all doors to Satan. A fireplace is wonderful, warm and beautiful to look at. But if the fire gets outside of the fireplace, it'll burn your house down. That's the way your lust is. God made a fireplace. It's called marriage. God expects you to keep the fire in the fireplace. But if you let the fire out of the fireplace, it'll burn your life up!
The world has become a large insane asylum! America is as crazy a place today as anywhere in the world. Television viewers are infatuated with death, insanity, smut, violence, gossip, lesbianism, cursing in God's name, feminism, and every form of wickedness. Don't you let Hollywood brainwash you into believing that it's ok to live in sin. God hates sin.
