With his trademark candor and insight, Merrill Unger attempts to answer a common question (perhaps the most common one) pertaining to demons: 'Can a Christian be indwelt by a demon? Can a child of God be demon possessed?' The answers to this question run the gamut from a definitive no! (with an implied statement of the inability of demons to afflict Christians) to an equally definitive yes! (with the implication that a Christian can be totally controlled by demonic forces). Unger favors an answer that lies somewhere in the middle, and accepts that even Christians can be afflicted by demons, if they, through sin, allow the devil a foothold.
Unger recognizes the nature of the battle we find ourselves in, and this book, published in 1977, functions as a prophetic look at our own culture. Though Unger died in 1980, his understanding of satanic and demonic activities then paints a vivid picture of what has happened now through the occult and the rise of ritual satanism.
His emphasis on the armor available to the believer through Christ reminds us that in our own strength, we will fail when we face the devil. But in the strength of Christ, through the Holy Spirit in us, we can have victory over Satan and his forces.
Unger minces no words about the prospects of attack from satanic and demonic forces. He reminds us that saints who are really living for God and seeking to obey Him are the most likely targets for satanic attack.
And knowing that we are a likely target is the best place to start. But it is not enough, and Unger exhorts us to know who we are in Christ, and what is available to us. He also exhorts us to understand, as far as we are able, Satan's motives, tactics and practices, so that we can anticipate and avoid them. This book can help us to understand both who we are in Christ and what to expect from the devil.
