No Christian tradition is perfect, which means that every Christian tradition has its own strengths and weaknesses. Every tradition has areas in which it presses hard to understand and live according to biblical truth, but then also areas in which it inevitably fails to completely match Scripture’s teaching and emphases. Since every tradition is the product of imperfect human beings, it stands to reason that every tradition will fall well short of perfection.
I have often thought that one of the weaknesses of the tradition I identify with is its understanding of satanic and demonic involvement in our lives. This is not a universal weakness, but I do think it is common for Reformed folk to so emphasize human depravity that we inadvertently downplay Satan’s desire and ability to tempt and influence us. When it comes to our great enemies, we emphasize the flesh first and most, then the world, and finally the devil. Contextually, this is perhaps understandable since so many believers have come to Reformed convictions at a time when certain other traditions massively overplay and misunderstand Satan’s influence and the way to defeat him. Sadly, much demonology, satanology, and instruction on spiritual warfare owes more to horror movies and speculative nonsense than to a faithful reading of the Scriptures.
I am concerned, though, that one consequence of downplaying the demonic is that it leaves us vulnerable in certain times of temptation. It leaves us vulnerable because we may not have the comprehension or vocabulary to understand what is happening to us in moments of severe temptation.
Let me give an example. In recent months, I have spoken to several people who have battled with intrusive thoughts. In some cases, these were thoughts that came into their minds, yet did not seem to be related to any of their normal desires or normal areas of temptation. In other cases, these thoughts were related to their normal areas of temptation, but came as a surprise because they had been faithfully putting those desires to death and gaining real victory over them.
But then, almost out of nowhere, sudden waves of evil thoughts broke upon them. Their minds were filled with evil images, evil thoughts, or sometimes even evil desires. Their natural instinct was to blame themselves and to assume that some shortcoming in their spiritual disciplines or perhaps some laxity in their battle against sin had left them vulnerable to the desires of their own hearts. Yet because in every case they expressed that these temptations seemed to have come from outside of their own hearts and minds, I wanted to help them consider that this might be exactly the case.
There was a time in my life when I was afflicted by intrusive thoughts like these. Like the individuals I spoke to, I assumed that I must have left myself vulnerable by some kind of permitted sin or omitted discipline. But as I prayed and pleaded with God for his help, I came to believe that these thoughts may have been coming from elsewhere. As far as I could tell, they were not in alignment with any of my desires or consistent with any of my unaddressed sins. It seemed for all the world that they were coming at me from outside me, that they were somehow being planted within, and that they were designed to shake my confidence and steal my joy.
Here’s what I did as that conviction grew: I went to the elders of my church and asked them to pray specifically that I would stop being overwhelmed by thoughts I was very nearly positive were coming from outside—from some kind of demonic source. They listened patiently, agreed with my assessment, and prayed for me. I was thankful to experience an immediate and dramatic deliverance. The power of those thoughts was broken right then and there. That’s not to say the thoughts have never returned, but that they became far less frequent and far less troubling. Never again have they shaken my confidence or stolen my joy.
I did not speak to Satan or rebuke him, and I did not fret that I had become possessed by a demon.
I think it is important to express what I did not do. I did not speak to Satan or rebuke him, and I did not fret that I had become possessed by a demon. Rather, I came to believe that some evil spiritual being had learned of a specific form of vulnerability and was using it against me. And for a time, it was effective—it truly did shake my confidence and diminish my joy. It left me afraid of when these thoughts would come back into my mind and concerned about what they may have been saying about my heart. But as I began to consider that the thoughts may have been external instead of internal, I was able to respond accordingly. And when I was not able to see victory despite my efforts, I turned to the elders of my local church. God saw fit to honor their prayers and deliver me.
So if you suddenly find your mind afflicted by thoughts that seem to be coming from outside of you—perhaps thoughts of hatred toward God, thoughts of doubt toward God or disillusionment with the gospel, thoughts of great evil or vivid depravity, it is right and good to search your heart to see if you have been inviting sin and permitting its existence. But if you become convinced that these thoughts are arising from outside yourself, I’d encourage you to consider that this may be exactly the case. That knowledge will prepare you to respond accordingly and, one way or another, to ask the Lord for his deliverance. I trust you will find, as I and others have, that this is a deliverance he delights to give.
(On the topic of Satan putting thoughts into our minds, perhaps read John Piper’s Can Satan Put Thoughts Into Our Heads?. Not every Christian believes Satan or his demons can insert thoughts into our minds, but all Christians believe that he somehow tempts us toward sin and draws us away from Christ through inward means. In other words, not every temptation is first visibly seen or audibly heard—many begin in the mind.)
