When a person uses this language, they are normally referring to “personal struggles or fears” that they have. They are not speaking of “literal demons.” They use the word “demon” to symbolize an internal fear, negative thought, anxiety, addiction, or frightening memory of a traumatic experience they had in the past. Thus this phrase (which is not found in the Bible) is NOT scriptural.

The only way the words “personal demon” could be taken literally is if one was actually “possessed by a demon.” We have a clear example of “demon possession” in Matthew 17:14-18 where we read: “And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me.’ And Jesus REBUKED THE DEMON, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour” (NKJV). This child had a “personal demon” who completely controlled him, even to the point of “throwing him into fire or water.” We read nothing of the child expressing that he had a personal demon, for he no doubt had no idea what was happening to him. His father did realize something was drastically wrong with his son, but even he did not attribute these actions to a “personal demon” but rather to the disease known as epilepsy. He thought the disciples could “cure this disease” (as they had cured many other diseases) but they were unable to cure him. The Lord Jesus alone realized this was a case of “demon possession” and thus He “rebuked the demon, and it came out of him.” The Lord then told his disciples, “THIS KIND does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (verse 21).

It should be mentioned that a true believer in Christ, who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:9-11), cannot be possessed by a demon. We see this truth in 1 John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them (evil spirits), because He who is in you, is greater than he who is in the world.” The “Holy Spirit is in us” and “demons are in the world.” Yet a believer can be “influenced by a demon or by Satan himself.” We see this in the case of a Christian couple, Ananias and Sapphira, who pretended to give all their money to the poor so men would think they were totally devoted to God  (see Acts 4:32-5:2). Peter then rebuked Ananias with these words, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God’” (5:3-4). They Holy Spirit in them was no doubt seeking to convict them of this sin of hypocrisy but they succumbed to the “influence of Satan” who put the thought into their hearts to hold back some of the money but claim they had given it all away. In doing so, they “lied to God the Holy Spirit.” So we see that though a believer can’t be “possessed of a demon or Satan,” a believer can surely be “influenced by them” and then act on that influence.

In Ephesians 6:10-18 we learn that the believer is in a warfare with the devil and his angels. We are exhorted in verses 11-12, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the WILES OF THE DEVIL. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against SPIRITUAL HOSTS OF WICKEDNESS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.” The Devil and his demons can’t possess us or rob us or our salvation, but they can try to “influence us for evil” through temptations to commit sin or through false doctrines (1 John 2:18-26; 2 Corinthians 11:1-4, 13-15).  (DO)  (674.1)