Demons and diseases • Deshen Daily

Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw (Matt. 12:22 KJV)

Demons and diseases image showing a very sick woman

As a Medical Doctor and Minister, one of the problematic truths I found in scripture is the connection between devils and diseases as noted above. The text above is very explicit in what it is describing, that a man possessed with devils, blind and dumb, was brought to Jesus and after the demon was cast out( verse 23), he could see and speak. The devil apparently was connected to his disease. There is much to be said about this, but our limited space will allow me to discuss two significant errors that have arisen around this truth. The pre-modern man committed the first error and the second by the post-modern man.

The error of the pre-modern man was the assumption that all diseases were either from God or an evil spirit. We must not make this mistake anymore. Not every disease has a spiritual cause, though all sicknesses can be traced back to the Fall in the Garden of Eden.

On the contrary, the error of the post-modern man who is rational and scientific is implied in the assumption that all diseases have a natural cause. A verse connecting demons and sickness such as the one above will be immediately rejected as either foolishness or superstition. The truth from scripture is that devils can cause diseases, but not all sicknesses are demonic. Many diseases are purely from natural causes. We must crave the gift of discernment to avoid labeling what is natural as demonic and also avoid calling what is demonic as natural.

MEDITATE

Can you think of any examples in scripture where a demon was responsible for physical or mental illness?( Luk. 8:27-36)

APPLY THE WORD

I urge you to avoid the two errors mentioned above. Seek the Lord for discernment, so you are neither ignorant of demonic activity in your life nor superstitious in labeling what natural as demonic.