When i first converted to Christ many years ago i got caught up in the "spiritual warfare" scene. I bought all the popular culture books on this, including those by authors Mark Bubeck, Neil Anderson, Thomas White, Don Basham and Derek Prince, William Schnoebelen, and others. One book, titled "Pigs in the Parlor" (i forget the author) had a demon for every thing under the sun. If you felt anxious you must have a anxiety demon, if you forgot to clean your kitchen this week you must have an unclean spirit or demon of sloth. It was to the point of absurdity. A demon behind every bush.
While i disregarded the teachings of that particular book, the other books had me convinced that the reason i had problems in my life was because of demons. Actually, most of my troubles stemmed from a broken childhood and broken home. At one point i even started to think i myself might be possessed and so a pentacostal man who supposedly had a "deliverance ministry" began trying to cast things out of me (the appointment having been set up mostly because of my own seeking out of such a person). During the episode it all became so ridiculous that i could not stifle a small laugh or chuckle, because he was "calling out" things i knew had nothing to do with me. Then because i chuckled he decided i must have a mocking demon and he proceeded to try to cast this imaginary demon out. The man was a farmer by trade and had come in from the field without washing his hands before meeting with me and i noticed he had mud under all his fingernails! Eh? Demon of filthiness? It spoke to me symbolically and i got the gut feeling the man had his own "spiritual" dirt. LOL.I realized through all this what a mistake i had made in thinking there was anything to be cast out at all and left feeling foolish.
Eventually one day it occurred to me that the devil was getting a whole lot of attention and glory and that all my focus on Christ had been turned to the devil and his demons.
Not only in my thoughts and in my reading material but in my conversation. I talked more about the devil and darkness than i did about Jesus. Suddenly i saw that i had been tricked! It was all a clever set up.
I repented of this sad track i had been on and tossed out most of those books, especially the Neil Anderson and Mark Bubeck ones.While i still think that I may be dealing with some things that may be demonic from time to time, it is not the focus it used to be. With my focus back on Christ I dont see a demon behind every trouble anymore. We live in a fallen world and bad things happen. I'm also slowly learning that Christians are supposed to expect "trials" to test our faith. No one ever taught me that in the Methodist church i was raised in! I thought that was only for supersaints! But then i also recently learned that God is trying to mold us and make us more like His Son, Jesus. Fancy that. Who woulda thought.
When you are finally Christ-focused you learn that a true Holy Ghost filled person CANNOT be possessed. You CANNOT be possessed by both the Holy Spirit and an evil spirit. There is not one man of God who ever was possessed by both at the same time. Even King Saul.
So, please ask yourself where your thoughts and focus are and be careful to see that you are not in the same clever deception i fell into when i was a baby Christian.