Facts on Deliverance
Part #1
Understanding Deliverance Ministry: What the Bible Teaches About Demons and Spiritual Freedom
Many Christians today are uncomfortable discussing demons and deliverance, yet this was a central part of Jesus' ministry. Understanding this biblical truth can bring freedom to areas of our lives where we may be struggling with persistent, tormenting issues that seem impossible to overcome through traditional means.
How Did Jesus Deal with Evil Spirits?
When Jesus began His public ministry, nothing struck people more than His authority over evil spirits. This was actually a new type of miracle - while the Old Testament recorded healings, provision, and control of nature, there was no record of driving out evil spirits until Jesus came.
In Mark 1:23-26, we see Jesus' first recorded encounter with a demon in a synagogue. The evil spirit immediately recognized Jesus as "the Holy One of God" - something that took His disciples over a year to understand. The demon spoke through the man, showing the classic "we/I" pattern that characterizes demonic manifestation.
Jesus didn't counsel the man or try to reason with the spirit. He simply commanded it: "Be quiet and come out of him." The result was dramatic - physical convulsions and a loud cry as the demon left. The people were amazed at this new authority, and Jesus' reputation spread immediately throughout the region.
Was Deliverance a Regular Part of Jesus' Ministry?
Absolutely. Mark 1:39 tells us Jesus "continued throughout the whole of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and expelling demons." This wasn't an isolated incident - it was His regular practice in every synagogue throughout Galilee, which contained hundreds of synagogues.
The people Jesus ministered to weren't criminals or mentally ill patients. They were ordinary, respectable, religious people who attended synagogue regularly and lived normal lives. They were farmers, fishermen, shopkeepers, and families - but they had areas in their lives where they weren't fully in control.
What Does "Demon Possessed" Really Mean?
The translation "demon possessed" has created unnecessary confusion. The Greek word "daimonizomai" simply means "to be demonized" - to be afflicted or influenced by demons in certain areas of life.
A true Christian cannot be possessed by Satan because they are possessed by Jesus. However, Christians can have areas where they are demonized - where demons affect and afflict specific parts of their personality, emotions, or physical body, even while their spirit belongs to God.
Did Jesus Commission Others for Deliverance Ministry?
Remarkably, no one in the New Testament was ever sent out to evangelize without first being commissioned to deal with evil spirits. When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples in Matthew 10:1, the first thing He gave them was "power over unclean spirits to cast them out."
The seventy disciples returned with joy, saying "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name" (Luke 10:17). What impressed them most was their authority over demons.
In the Great Commission, Jesus said "these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons" (Mark 16:17). He made no provision for this to change and envisioned the same ministry continuing until His return.
What Are Demons and How Do They Operate?
Demons are persons without bodies who have an intense craving to inhabit human bodies. They are totally discontented when disembodied. They have two main objectives: first, to keep people from knowing Christ as Savior, and second, if they fail in that, to keep Christians from serving Christ effectively.
It's crucial to distinguish between the flesh (our old carnal nature) and demons. The flesh is like a carcass, and demons are like vultures that settle on it. The remedy for flesh is the cross - we reckon ourselves dead to sin. The remedy for demons is expulsion. You cannot switch these remedies.
How Can You Recognize Demonic Activity?
If you're a sincere Christian who reads the Bible, prays, and desires to serve God, but you have persistent problems that are tormenting, humiliating, binding, and enslaving - and you've tried every spiritual remedy without success - you may be dealing with demons.
Here are nine characteristic activities of demons:
1. They Entice
Demons tempt people through verbal suggestions. That voice saying "take it, nobody will know" when you see something valuable is often demonic enticement.
2. They Harass
They study your patterns, know your weak moments and places, and attack when you're most vulnerable - like the businessman who "blows his stack" after a terrible day.
3. They Torment
Physical torment (like arthritis), mental torment (fear of going insane), and spiritual torment (accusations about committing unforgivable sin) are common demonic activities.
4. They Compel
Almost anything compulsive is likely demonic - compulsive smoking, drinking, eating, or even talking. The key word is "compulsive."
5. They Enslave
Even after repentance and forgiveness, if you still have intense drives to commit the same sins you hate, you may be enslaved by demons.
6. They Defile
They make you feel dirty, especially during worship or Bible reading. Filthy thoughts during prayer time are often demonic attacks.
7. They Deceive
All spiritual deception is basically demonic, and pride is usually the doorway that lets deception in.
8. They Weaken
Chronic tiredness, especially when it comes to spiritual activities, can be demonic. Some people are too tired to pray or read the Bible but can stay up late watching TV.
9. They Kill
Satan is a murderer who sends spirits of death to kill people physically.
Where Do Demons Operate in Our Lives?
Proverbs 25:28 compares a person without self-control to a city with broken walls. Like a city with different districts, our personality has various areas where demons can take residence:
Emotions and attitudes are the primary area. Behind every negative emotion - anger, fear, loneliness, self-pity, pride, jealousy - there may be an evil spirit. Rejection is often the root that leads to loneliness, misery, depression, and despair.
The mind can be affected through confusion, doubt, loss of memory, or mental torment.
The will can be weakened, making it difficult to make decisions or follow through on commitments.
Physical bodies can be affected, as Jesus demonstrated when healing those with spirits of infirmity, deafness, blindness, and dumbness.
Life Application
This week, honestly examine your life for areas where you feel bound, compulsive, or tormented despite your sincere efforts to overcome them through prayer, Bible study, and spiritual disciplines. Remember that recognizing the problem is the first step toward freedom.
Consider these questions:
- Are there areas in my life where I feel compulsive or enslaved, even though I hate the behavior?
- Do I experience persistent negative emotions like anger, fear, or depression that seem beyond my control?
- Are there times when I feel defiled or attacked during worship or Bible reading?
- Have I been trying to crucify what needs to be expelled, or expel what needs to be crucified?
If you recognize these patterns, don't despair. Jesus gave His followers authority over demons, and that authority is still available today. Seek out mature believers who understand deliverance ministry, and remember that Jesus' ministry of setting captives free continues through His church today.
Part #2
How Demons Enter and How to Find Freedom: A Biblical Guide to Spiritual Deliverance
Understanding spiritual warfare and demonic influence is crucial for every believer. Many Christians struggle with areas of their lives where they feel powerless, where something seems to have control beyond their own will. This teaching explores the biblical reality of how evil spirits gain access to human lives and, more importantly, how to find complete freedom through Jesus Christ.
How Do Demons Gain Entry?
There are seven primary ways that evil spirits can enter human lives, each representing a doorway that must be understood and closed.
1. Occult Background in Family History
When ancestors were involved in occult practices, false religions, or idolatry, it creates an opening for demonic influence in subsequent generations. This relates directly to the first two commandments about having no other gods and making no graven images. God warned that He would visit the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation specifically in the context of these commandments.
If your father, grandfather, great-grandfather, or other relatives were involved in the occult, false religion, or idolatry, there may be an opening in your life for evil spirits. While this may seem unfair, remember that no one is condemned for having the problem - condemnation only comes from rejecting the solution.
2. Personal Occult Involvement
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 provides a comprehensive list of forbidden practices: witchcraft, fortune telling, interpreting omens, sorcery, conjuring spells, mediums, spiritists, and calling up the dead. God calls all these practices "an abomination to the Lord."
Many Christians casually engage with horoscopes, thinking there's no harm. However, under the law of Moses, involvement with horoscopes was punishable by death - that's God's estimate of such practices. There is no safe way to "sup with the devil" - give him your little finger, and he'll grab above your elbow.
3. Prenatal Influences
Evil spirits can enter during pregnancy through various circumstances. The most common is rejection - when a mother resents the baby she's carrying due to embarrassment, marital problems, or financial difficulties. The unborn child is very sensitive to attitudes and can be born with a spirit of rejection.
Sudden shocks or fears experienced by pregnant mothers can also transfer to the unborn child. A spirit of fear entering the mother may choose to remain in the infant instead. This explains why some children are born with unexplained fears or anxieties.
4. Soulish Domination
This involves people who control and manipulate others through what can be called "soul force." The most common example is mothers dominating their children, especially sons, through guilt, manipulation, or emotional control. This creates spiritual bondage that can last into adulthood.
Wherever you encounter domination and manipulation, you've encountered the devil. These are two key words that signal demonic influence in relationships.
5. Pressures in Early Childhood
Children's spiritual and emotional defenses aren't strong enough to resist persistent demon pressure. James 3:16 states that where envy and strife exist, "confusion and every evil thing will be there." An atmosphere of discord between parents creates conditions where children are automatically exposed to demonic influences.
Approximately 80% of demon problems begin before age five, and parents are responsible for creating these situations through their conflicts and ungodly behavior.
6. Moments or Places of Weakness
These can be emotional or physical weaknesses. Witnessing traumatic events can expose someone to spirits of fear. Experiencing deep disappointment, such as a cancelled engagement, can open the door to spirits of disappointment. Physical injuries can also create openings - for example, a head injury might allow a spirit of epilepsy to enter.
7. Sinful Acts or Habits
Persistent sinful habits eventually become demonic. Attending forbidden entertainment like occult movies, viewing pornography, or engaging in other sinful activities can provide entry points for evil spirits. The sin must be confessed before deliverance can occur.
How to Be Delivered: Eight Essential Steps
1. Be Humble
Humility is the key to deliverance. You may face a choice between your dignity and your deliverance. If dignity is more important, then pride is your real problem. Let your dignity go - it will return after you're delivered, and you'll be much more dignified without demonic influence.
2. Be Honest
Don't use fancy psychiatric names for your problems. Call sin what it really is. If it's lust, call it lust. If it's hatred, call it hatred. Use the same name you'd use if you saw it in someone else.
3. Confess Your Faith in Christ
Jesus is the high priest of our confession. When we confess correctly, He comes to our help. Without proper confession, we don't get Him involved in our situation.
4. Confess Any Known Sin
This includes sins by yourself or your ancestors. Sometimes you must identify with family problems and confess them as your own, asking for forgiveness even for sins committed by grandparents or other relatives.
5. Repent of All Sin
Proverbs 28:13 states: "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." You must both confess and forsake sin. God already knows your sins - confession isn't to inform Him but to receive His mercy.
6. Break with Occult, Curses, and Secret Societies
This includes breaking ties with Freemasonry, which is a source of tremendous generational demonic problems including retardation, crippling, and various other issues.
7. Forgive Others
Jesus said in Mark 11:25: "When you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anybody." This leaves out nothing and nobody. Forgiveness isn't being super-spiritual - it's enlightened self-interest. You forgive for your own sake, not primarily for theirs.
8. Expel
Passivity doesn't work. You must take action. The simplest action is to begin breathing out. In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for spirit is the same as the word for breath. Actively expel the evil spirits through your breath.
Why Some People Are Not Delivered
Common Obstacles to Freedom
Several factors can prevent successful deliverance:
- Lack of repentance - No guarantee exists for those unwilling to repent
- Lack of desperation - Deliverance is for the desperate, not the passive
- Wrong motives - Seeking deliverance just to "get off the hook" rather than to serve the Lord
- Self-centeredness - Desire for attention rather than genuine freedom
- Failure to break with occult objects - Keeping charms, Buddhas, or other superstitious items
- Evil relationships - Refusing to sever binding, manipulative relationships
- Unconfessed specific sins - Such as abortion, which must be confessed as murder
- Not being water baptized - Baptism is the separating ordinance that prevents enemies from following
How to Keep Your Deliverance: Eight Keys to Staying Free
1. Make Jesus Lord
Every area Jesus occupies is safe, but any area where He is not Lord remains unsafe. When evil spirits leave, they create a vacuum that must be filled with Jesus' lordship. Any unoccupied area displays a spiritual "vacancy" sign that invites demonic return.
2. Put on the Garment of Praise
God gives us a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness. When you're praising the Lord, you bother the devil more than he can bother you. Praise embarrasses demons and keeps them away.
3. Put on the Full Armor of God
Ephesians 6:14-17 describes the complete spiritual armor every believer must wear. This isn't optional equipment - it's essential protection.
4. Live by God's Word
Matthew 4:4 reminds us that man doesn't live by bread alone but by every word from God's mouth. Don't live by feelings - they're unreliable. Follow this order: Facts (God's Word), Faith (believing the facts), then Feelings (which fall into line).
5. Submit to God and Resist the Devil
James 4:7 gives the proper sequence: first submit to God, then resist the devil. Many Christians do the opposite - they submit to the devil and resist God. When you submit to God first, then resist the devil, he will flee from you.
6. Maintain Right Fellowship
1 John 1:7 teaches that walking in the light creates fellowship with other believers. Out of fellowship means out of the light and unprotected by the blood. Choose fellowship with the godly, not the ungodly.
7. Come Under Discipline
You cannot be a genuine Christian without discipline - self-discipline, family discipline, governmental discipline, church discipline. Rebellion is as witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). The moment you become rebellious, you're exposed to the spirit of witchcraft.
8. Make Jesus Central
John 12:31-32 shows the proper order: when Satan is cast out, lift up Jesus. Fill the vacuum with Jesus. Focus on Him, not on demons. Don't give the devil excessive publicity - he loves attention.
Life Application
This week, conduct a thorough spiritual inventory of your life. Examine each area where you might not have complete control or where Jesus might not be fully Lord. Are there persistent struggles, unexplained fears, or compulsive behaviors that seem beyond your ability to overcome?
Take practical steps to close any open doors in your life. Remove occult objects from your home, forgive those who have wronged you, and confess any known sins. Most importantly, invite Jesus to be Lord over every area of your life, leaving no spiritual "vacancy" signs for the enemy.
Questions for Self-Reflection:
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Are there areas in my life where I feel powerless or out of control despite my best efforts?
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What objects in my home might dishonor Jesus Christ or honor Satan in any way?
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Who do I need to forgive, and am I willing to release all bitterness and resentment?
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Have I truly made Jesus Lord over every area of my life, or are there rooms in my heart where He's not welcome?
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Am I living by God's Word or by my fluctuating emotions and circumstances?
Remember, Jesus Christ is the only Deliverer, and He promises that whoever comes to Him will never be cast out. Complete freedom is available through His victory on the cross.