Because the believers are so ignorant, they are deceived by the power of darkness and unconsciously taken in by Satan's deceit. They fulfill the condition for evil spirits to work and are thus possessed by demons. We should note the order in this matter because it is very crucial: (1) the believer becomes ignorant, (2) he is deceived, (3) he becomes passive, and (4) he becomes demon-possessed. The believer's ignorance is the initial cause for demon-possession. Because of the believer's ignorance concerning the principle of the evil spirits' work and the Holy Spirit's demand, Satan is able to deceive him. If the believer knows the truth, knows how to work with God, and knows the rules of God's working, he will not accept Satan's lies. When he is deceived by evil spirits, he thinks that his entire being should be passive in order for God to live and work through him. Consequently, he accepts many supernatural manifestations of evil spirits and considers them to be from God. In this way, he is deceived further, and evil spirits are able to attach themselves to him.
(1) When a believer gives place to evil spirits, it is an invitation for evil spirits to attach themselves to him. (2) After they come in, they will certainly manifest themselves through their activities. (3) If the believer misreads these activities and does not know that they come from the devil, he will give more place to the evil spirits because he has already believed their lies. This is a cycle which repeats itself over and over again. In this way, the believer's possession by demons deepens day after day. As soon as the believer falls into passivity, that is, after he gives place to evil spirits, the danger cannot be overstated.
When a believer falls into passivity and does not make a choice in everything pertaining to himself, he will passively submit to all that comes upon him from the environment. He will think that God is making decisions on his behalf, in his environment as well as in the people related to him, and that he only needs to submit passively. Everything that befalls him becomes God's will and God's ordering; he silently accepts them because he thinks that they are given to him by God. After a while, he finds that he cannot make any decision concerning anything in his life. He cannot make any decision regarding many things that he ought to do and cannot take the initiative in these things. He is afraid to speak out what he likes and is reluctant to speak out what he decides. Others can choose, decide, initiate, and act. But he is like seaweed floating on the water, being tossed about at the mercy of the wind and the waves. He longs to see someone else make decisions for him or circumstances provide him with only one way to go so that he does not need to make a choice. He is happy to be forced by others to do something because this relieves him from worries. Since it is very difficult for him to make choices, he would rather be coerced by the environment than be free within the environment, because this requires the making of choices.
After he becomes so passive, he finds that it is a heavy burden to make even the smallest decision. He constantly looks for help everywhere and finds assistance from outside so that he can make decisions. He feels very sorry because it seems as if he cannot handle even the small things in his daily life. He has difficulty understanding what others say. He finds it very hard to remember or recall anything. If he has to make any decision, he is at a loss as to what to do. He dreads the thought of having a discussion on any matter because his passive will is not able to bear such a heavy responsibility. His will is so fragile that he must receive help from his environment or seek help from man. If one person always helps, he feels that this person has robbed him of his will; however, in a sense, he also delights in having this person make all of his decisions for him! While he waits for the assistance of an external force, immeasurable time is wasted. We are not saying that such a passive believer does not like to work. When he is stirred up, he wants to do certain things or assumes that he can do certain things. But when he should start working, the stirring ceases, and he feels that his strength cannot match his need. Many works begin well but end in failure because of the passivity of the will.