One of the questions, which most people in the world have posed, is whether evil spirits can touch people physically. It is a heavy subject to relate to faith, fear, spiritual knowledge, and Bible teachings. I took time contemplating this subject and discovered that the bible provided clear examples and guidance that would assist those of us to know whether or not evil spirits can influence us physically.
Based on the Bible, we realize that evil spirits exist. They are ghosts that act contrary to the will of God and attempt to cause fear, sickness, and confusion. This is evident in the book of Job. Satan put his hand on the body of Job and he had sore sores. According to the bible, Satan left the presence of the Lord and struck Job with sore boils on the sole of his foot to his crown (Job 2:7). This demonstrates that evil spirits may affect the physical body at the permission of God. Suffering took place physically not as a result of sin but as a result of a spiritual test. This informs me that evil spirits are capable of influencing the bodies of people.
The other one can be observed in the New Testament. Mathew 17:15-18 gives an account of a boy who was taken to Jesus after becoming epileptic and falling in water or fire on most occasions. In the Bible, it was mentioned that the reason was a demon. Jesus scolded the demon and the boy was well. This implies that the demon was in control of the physical body of the boy. Once again this depicts that the evil spirits may bring about any physical damage or control.
But, according to what I have learned, I also have known that evil spirits cannot touch anyone with their hands whenever they wish. There are spiritual laws. God is the supreme power as indicated in the bible. Evil spirits can only do so when God permits them to do so or when people create the gateway to them through sinful or dark activities. In James 4:7, the Bible says; submit yourselves therefore to God. Fight the devil and he will run away. This is because once we remain under the protection of God, then the devil will have no power to touch us.
Others can be afraid of evil spirits, but the Bible has consoled us. In Luke 10:19 Jesus said, I give unto thee power... over all the power of the enemy. This implies that the believers are authoritative. In the event that the evil spirits attempt to strike, we could stand firm in the name of Jesus. They have no right over us. When I discovered this fact, I was motivated since a lot of individuals are too concerned with demons. God does not want us to be afraid but very confident.
Still, we must be careful. The bible admonishes any kind of practice such as witchcraft, fortune telling or dealing with spirits. Such activities pave the way to the dominance of demons either physically or spiritually. Deuteronomy 18: 10-12 tells us that we should not engage in the practices. Playing with darkness, people provide access to demons. It is then that the evil spirits can touch, hurt or persecute them.
When I start thinking later upon this issue, I realise that evil spirits are strong, but God is stronger. They are able to influence human beings physically as in the case of Job and the boy possessed by the demon though only under specification. We are safe when we are near God, pray, and through not getting into the dark. In my case, this subject makes me remember that we should not be governed by fear. By walking with God, He will guard us.
To summarize, according to the bible, evil spirits have the ability to touch or influence a human being physically. But they cannot do so freely. God is more superior to any evil power. It is our duty to remain in the light of God, overcome the devil and have faith in the name of Jesus. When we do that, we will live a peaceful life, and we know that nothing can reach us unless God allows it to be so.
We can overcome the influence of evil powers if we are on God's side