What Are Evil Spirits and their Fruits?

[justify]The Bible has many names for these spirits:

1. Deaf and dumb spirit (Mark 9:17-29)
   
   
   
2. Evil spirit (Luke 7:21; Acts 19:12-13)
   
   
3. Familiar spirit (I Samuel 28:7)
   
   
4. Foul spirit (Mark 9:25)
   
   
5. Lying spirit (II Chronicles 18:20-22)
   
   
6. Perverse spirit (Isaiah 19:14; Romans 1:17-32)
   
   
7. Seducing spirit (I Timothy 4:1)
   
   
8. Spirit of an unclean devil (Luke 4:33)
   
   
9. Spirit of antichrist (I John 4:3)
   
   
10. Spirit of bondage (Romans 8:15)
    
    
11. Spirit of death (I Corinthians 10:10, 15:26)
    
    
12. Spirit of divination (Acts 16:16)
    
    
13. Spirit of error (I John 4:6)
    
    
14. Spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)
    
    
15. Spirit of haughtiness (Proverbs 16:18-19)
    
    
16. Spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3)
    
    
17. Spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11-13)
    
    
18. Spirit of jealousy (Genesis 4:5-8; Numbers 5:14)
    
    
19. Spirit of slumber (Isaiah 29:10, Romans 11:8)
    
    
20. Spirit of the world (I Corinthians 2:12)
    
    
21. Spirit of whoredoms (Hosea 4:12, 5:4)
    
    
22. Unclean spirit (Mark 6:7; Luke 11:24-26)
    

Evil spirits can harm us in various ways and can possess people, causing all kinds of sicknesses, diseases, and terrible manifestations. The Bible records many occasions when Jesus healed those who were tormented by these spirits (see Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 1:23-27, Luke 9:37-42, and Acts 19:13-16).

"When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick" (Matthew 8:16).

The only question we have to ask ourselves, is there Spirit of God living in our bodies or spirit of whoredom, or spirit of jealousy, or any other kind of evil spirit? We need to get rid of these spirits and let Holy Spirit dwell in our bodies as our bodies belong to Heavenly Father.

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (I Corinthians 3:16-17).

Here is some information on Demons (Evil Spirit)

In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon (or daemon, dæmon, daimon from Greek: δαίμων [ðaïmon]) is a supernatural being that is generally described as a malevolent spirit. In Christian terms demons are generally understood as fallen angels, formerly of God. A demon is frequently depicted as a force that may be conjured and insecurely controlled. The "good" demon in recent use is largely a literary device (e.g., Maxwell's demon), though references to good demons can be found in Hesiod and Shakespeare. In common language, to "demonize" a person means to characterize or portray them as evil, or as the source of evil.

History
The Greek conception of a daemon (< δαίμων daimōn) appears in the works of Plato and many other ancient authors, but without the evil connotations which are apparent in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and in the Greek originals of the New Testament. The medieval and neo-medieval conception of a "demon" in Western civilization (see the Medieval grimoire called the Ars Goetia) derives seamlessly from the ambient popular culture of Late (Roman) Antiquity. Greco-Roman concepts of daemons that passed into Christian culture are discussed in the entry daemon, though it should be duly noted that the term referred only to a spiritual force, not a malevolent supernatural being.[citation needed] The Hellenistic "daemon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.

The supposed existence of demons is an important concept in many modern religions and occultist traditions. In some present-day cultures, demons are still feared in popular superstition, largely due to their alleged power to possess living creatures.

In the contemporary Western occultist tradition (perhaps epitomized by the work of Aleister Crowley), a demon, such as Choronzon, the "Demon of the Abyss", is a useful metaphor for certain inner psychological processes, though some may also regard it as an objectively real phenomenon.

Some scholars believe that large portions of the demonology (see Asmodai) of Judaism, a key influence on Christianity and Islam, originated in Zoroastrianism, and were transferred to Judaism during the Persian era.

Etymology
The idea of demons is as old as religion itself, and the word demon seems to have ancient origins. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the etymology of the word as Greek daimon, probably from the verb daiesthai meaning "to divide, distribute." The Proto-Indo-European root *deiwos for god, originally an adjective meaning "celestial" or "bright, shining" has retained this meaning in many related Indo-European languages and cultures (Sanskrit deva, Latin deus, German Tiw, Welsh [Duw],]), but also provided another other common word for demon in Avestan daeva.

In modern Greek, the word daimon(Greek: δαίμων) has the same meaning as the modern English demon. But in Ancient Greek, δαίμων meant "spirit" or "higher self", much like the Latin genius. This should not, however, be confused with the word genie, which is a false friend or false cognate of genius.

Physical History
Psychologist Wilhelm Wundt remarks that "among the activities attributed by myths all over the world to demons, the harmful predominate, so that in popular belief bad demons are clearly older than good ones." Sigmund Freud develops on this idea and claims that the concept of demons was derived from the important relation of the living to the dead: "The fact that demons are always regarded as the spirits of those who have died recently shows better than anything the influence of mourning on the origin of the belief in demons."

Hebrew Bible
Demons as described in the Tanakh are the same as "demons" commonly known in popular or Christian culture.

Those in the Hebrew Bible are of two classes, the se'irim and the shedim. The se'irim ("hairy beings"), to which some Israelites offered sacrifices in the open fields, are satyr-like creatures, described as dancing in the wilderness (Isaiah 13:21, 34:14), and which are identical with the jinn, such as Dantalion, the 71st spirit of Solomon. (But compare the completely European woodwose.) Possibly to the same class belongs Azazel, the goat-like demons of the wilderness (Leviticus 16:10ff), probably the chief of the se'irim, and Lilith (Isaiah 34:14 - where the KJV Bible translates the Hebrew word 'lilith' as "screech owl"). Possibly "the roes and hinds of the field", by which Shulamit conjures the daughters of Jerusalem to bring her back to her lover (Canticles 2:7, 3:5), are faunlike spirits similar to the se'irim, though of a harmless nature.

The evil spirit that troubled Saul (I Samuel 16:14 et seq.) may have been a demon, though the Masoretic text suggests the spirit was sent by God.

Some benevolent shedim were used in kabbalistic ceremonies (as with the golem of Rabbi Yehuda Loevy), and malevolent shedim (mazikin, from the root meaning to damage) are often responsible in instances of possession. Instances of idol worship were often the result of a shed inhabiting an otherwise worthless statue;[citation needed] the shed would pretend to be a God with the power to send pestilence, although such events were not actually under his control.

Influences from Chaldean mythology
In Chaldean mythology the seven evil deities were known as shedu, meaning storm-demons. They were represented in winged bull form, derived from the colossal bulls used as protective genii of royal palaces, the name "shed" assumed also the meaning of a propitious genius in Babylonian magic literature.

It was from Chaldea that the name "shedu" came to the Israelites, and so the writers of the Tanach applied the word as a dylogism to the Canaanite deities in the two passages quoted. But they also spoke of "the destroyer" (Exodus xii. 23) as a demon whose malignant effect upon the houses of the Israelites was to be warded off by the blood of the paschal sacrifice sprinkled upon the lintel and the door-post (a corresponding pagan talisman is mentioned in Isaiah lvii. 8). In II Samuel xxiv; 16 and II Chronicles xxi. 15 the pestilence-dealing demon is called "the destroying angel" (compare "the angel of the Lord" in II Kings xix. 35; Isaiah xxxvii. 36), because, although they are demons, these "evil messengers" (Psalms lxxviii. 49; A. V. "evil angels") do only the bidding of God; they are the agents of His divine wrath.

There are indications that popular Hebrew mythology ascribed to the demons a certain independence, a malevolent character of their own, because they are believed to come forth, not from the heavenly abode of God, but from the nether world (compare Isaiah xxxviii. 11 with Job xiv. 13; Psalms xvi. 10, xlix. 16, cxxxix. 8).

Hebrew demons were workers of harm. To them were ascribed the various diseases, particularly such as affect the brain and the inner parts. Hence there was a fear of "Shabriri" (lit. "dazzling glare"), the demon of blindness, who rests on uncovered water at night and strikes those with blindness who drink of it; also mentioned were the spirit of catalepsy and the spirit of headache, the demon of epilepsy, and the spirit of nightmare.

These demons were supposed to enter the body and cause the disease while overwhelming or "seizing" the victim (hence "seizure"). To cure such diseases it was necessary to draw out the evil demons by certain incantations and talismanic performances, in which the Essenes excelled. Josephus, who speaks of demons as "spirits of the wicked which enter into men that are alive and kill them", but which can be driven out by a certain root, witnessed such a performance in the presence of the Emperor Vespasian, and ascribed its origin to King Solomon.

King and queen
In some rabbinic sources, the demons were believed to be under the dominion of a king or chief, either Asmodai (Targ. to Eccl. i. 13; Pes. 110a; Yer. Shek. 49b) or, in the older Haggadah, Samael ("the angel of death"), who kills by his deadly poison, and is called "chief of the devils". Occasionally a demon is called "satan": "Stand not in the way of an ox when coming from the pasture, for Satan dances between his horns" (Pes. 112b; compare B. Ḳ. 21a).

According to some texts, the queen of demons is Lilith, pictured with wings and long flowing hair, and called the "mother of Ahriman" (B. B. 73b; 'Er. 100b; Nid. 24b). "When Adam, doing penance for his sin, separated from Eve for 130 years, he, by impure desire, caused the earth to be filled with demons, or shedim, lilin, and evil spirits" (Gen. R. xx.; 'Er. 18b.)

Demonology never became an essential feature of Jewish theology. The reality of demons was never questioned by the Talmudists and late rabbis; most accepted their existence as a fact. Nor did most of the medieval thinkers question their reality. Only rationalists like Maimonides and Abraham ibn Ezra, clearly denied their existence. Their point of view eventually became the mainstream Jewish understanding.

Jewish rabbinic literature
Rabbinical demonology has three classes of, demons, though they are scarcely separable one from another. There were the shedim, the mazziḳim ("harmers"), and the ruḥin ("evil spirits"). Besides these there were lilin ("night spirits"), ṭelane ("shade", or "evening spirits"), ṭiharire ("midday spirits"), and ẓafrire ("morning spirits"), as well as the "demons that bring famine" and "such as cause storm and earthquake" (Targ. Yer. to Deuteronomy xxxii. 24 and Numbers vi. 24; Targ. to Cant. iii. 8, iv. 6; Eccl. ii. 5; Ps. xci. 5, 6.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon

Some people do not believe in Evil Spirits as they have not seen them but these spirits do exist. They are disembodied spirits, those who were cast out of heaven with Satan who became his angels. They may at times visit a person if they see that that person has taken upon himself the name of Christ, and are thought to be a threat to their cause. that of bringing all men over to the dark side.

In Jesus our Savior

I would add Peer Pressure in the list of Evil Spirits.

What is peer pressure? The average person would respond, peer pressure is the act of pressuring an individual to do something they don't want to do. The term peer pressure actually means, "pressure by a peer group that inflicts social pressure on somebody to adopt a behavior, dress, or attitude in order to be accepted as part of the group" ("MSN Encarta Peer Pressure," def. 1). I can remember when I was growing up as a teenager, some of my friends tried to convince me to do something I knew was wrong. Today my friends would be considered a peer group. MSN Encarta defines a peer group as "a social group consisting of people who are equal in such respects as age, education, or social class" ("Peer Group," def. 1). I was raised in a Christian home and my mom and dad didn't want me to associate with bad crowds. They didn't call it peer pressure back then, my parents only told me they were bad crowds and I should stay away from them. Peer Pressure is very prevalent among teenagers today, and many struggle with it because of the peer groups.

From a Christian point of view I don't think you can force anyone to do something they don't want to, unless they were being threatened with bodily harm. I believe evil sprits that come from Satan can influence people to do bad things they wouldn't normally do. There are some people who would disagree with this, including some Christians. Have people really stopped and considered that peer pressure could be an evil spirit living on the inside of them, and this could be what influences them to do bad things. Spirits are real and they inhabit the souls of people and they can influence them to do good or bad things. When we were born we already had a sinful spirit living on the inside of us, and that spirit can influence us to do evil. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me (Psalms 51: 5). It's not the human side of a person that decides to use peer pressure, it's the evil spirit living on the inside of them, and they allow this spirit to influence them. When a person decides to do something bad, where do you think they get their ideas from?

Most teenagers try to blame someone else for their mistakes, but what they need to understand they are actually committing the mistake themselves, and not the person they are blaming. I believe if a person is easily persuaded by someone else to do something they believe is wrong, they were already thinking about doing it. Let's say a person name Frank is trying to convince his friend Bob to do drugs, and Bob listens to him and starts taking them. Who do you think Bob and everyone else will blame because he start taking drugs? They would blame Frank, but Frank really had nothing to do with Bob's decision. The evil spirit that influenced Frank to talk to Bob about doing drugs is the same spirit that influenced Bob to start taking them. Both Frank and Bob are innocent in this case, because they were both influenced by an evil spirit of Satan.

Peer pressure only exists in the minds of those who do not want to take responsibility for their own mistakes. These types of people blame others instead of themselves. The person that they blame is innocent, because they are being influenced by an evil spirit. Most of society would disagree with this; they believe that you can be influenced by a person or a group, to do something that you really don't want to do. From a Christian point of view, I believe peer pressure is an evil spirit from Satan that can influence anyone to do evil if they allow it. Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4: 7). We all can overcome any pressure, that tries to get us to do wrong with the help of God.

Source: "Peer Group." MSN Encarta Dictionary. 2007.