Can Demons Control Christians?
1) Direct answer
No. A truly born‑again Christian, sealed with the Holy Spirit, cannot be controlled or possessed by demons. They can be tempted, harassed, and oppressed from the outside, but they cannot be mastered on the inside where Christ sits as Lord.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Greater indwelling: “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). If the Greater One lives in you, the lesser cannot take the throne.
- Sealed protection: “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). The seal is God’s own mark; Satan can’t break it.
- Delivered from dominion: God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13). Delivered people aren’t ruled by the thing they were delivered from.
- Authority given: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). “I give unto you power… over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19; Mark 16:17). Fleeing devils can not control saints.
- No partnership: “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols?… Ye are the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:16). God’s temple is not a demon’s house.
- Examples of attack, not control: Peter was influenced in a moment (Matthew 16:23), and Paul was buffeted by a messenger of Satan (2 Corinthians 12:7), yet neither was demon‑possessed nor controlled. That shows harassment can touch the outside, but not rule the inside.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Two kings don’t sit on one throne. If Jesus rules the heart, devils are out. If devils rule, Jesus is not on that throne. Which is it? The Bible says Christ dwells in our hearts by faith—so the devil cannot.
- The devil works by lies and openings. If a believer “gives place” (Ephesians 4:27) through sin, bitterness, or occult involvement, the enemy may oppress and torment. But when the door is shut by repentance and the Blood, his power is broken and he must go.
- Church membership is not the same as the new birth. Judas was in the group yet Satan entered him (Luke 22:3). Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost (Acts 5:3). That shows a person can sit among believers and still be under Satan’s hand—but the truly sealed believer is not Satan's house.
4) How to stand free and stay free
- Stay under the Blood: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11).
- Use your authority: In Jesus’ Name, resist, renounce, and command tormenting spirits to go (Mark 16:17; James 4:7).
- Close the doors: Repent of known sin, forgive from the heart, break with occult and uncleanness, and cast down fearful, accusing thoughts by the Word (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
- Stay filled: Don’t leave the “house” empty (Matthew 12:43-45). Be filled with the Spirit, the Word, prayer, and fellowship.
Short reinforcement
You see, the devil cannot cross the Blood line. The Holy Ghost keeps the believer, and the believer has power to make the devil flee. Oppression can come, but control and possession cannot rule where Jesus Christ is Lord.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Life story (William Branham)
50-0820A §132
...for your convenience, but it isn't convenient for Him then? I stood not long ago, by the side of a man that was dying, who refused Christ. He screamed and told, "Take those demons away from me. They're wrapped in chains. Don't let them get me." I stood by a woman's side, who had abortion cases, killing little children. She said, "A little cold babies hands are running through my hair." She said, "Let that... away from the window there with those great big heads on it. Brother, I seen a man who shot another one, cal...
The Prophet Elisha
54-0723 §48
...at you are an individual unit of God, yourself? Did you know that? They tell me I look like my father. And he was about my size and... Why? That's my father. Well, if we're Christians, then we'll have some mark of our heavenly Father; don't you think so? Our spirit will take on that reverence that He would have in the meeting, for He was being glorified. To the many, maybe, tonight for your first time in one of our services, it may be a little different than what you have in church, as you see the Holy Spirit movin...