Is there ever a time when a person is clearly demonized but deliverance is not in order? We all want to help. We all want people to experience the goodness of Jesus. We all want to push back the borders of the dark kingdom. But is deliverance always in the best interest of the person? There is probably a part of each of us that initially says, “Of course!” But Jesus shared a story that raisesa caution flag in this area.
After being accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan and then being asked for a miraculous sign, Jesus said, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first” (Mt.12:43-45). He then compared the nation of Israel to that man.
A lot of believers find this story disconcerting. Without understanding the issues, it creates fear about deliverance and the enemy coming back in force. The issue for the man in the story was not that he had been demonized and set free. The problem was that the demonic spirit left a vacancy that was not immediately filled by a new tenant. The new tenant should have been the Holy Spirit, so that when the demon returned, he would have found a “no vacancy” sign. Any demon that is cast out is likely to return in an attempt to reclaim his territory. If the same demon that was cast out doesn’t return, another will come along.
There is an old adage related to spiritual warfare that says,” The first battle is getting free; the second battle is staying free.” The key is in understanding what gave that spirit a place in that person’s life in the first place. Demons set up a habitation in men and women because something has given them a legal right and an open door to do so.
The danger in just ministering deliverance to someone is that the individual may have a wide open door in the spiritual realm that will allow that demon or others to quickly return. Before deliverance, some discipleship is usually in order and, for none believers, an introduction to Jesus. We need to remember that the demonized individual has probably coexisted and functioned with the demon for years, so a few more days or weeks won’t be the end of things. (A person tormented by a spirit of suicide might be the exception if they seem unstable.)
There are three main entry points for demons: persistent, unrepented sin in the past or present, generational sins and curses, and trauma. If a person has lived a life of sin in the past or has been involved in the occult, demons may have set up residence then and, even if the person has repented and come to Jesus, there may still be a demon or two to deal with. The door may be closed to new residents, but the old residents may still be renting out a room.
If a person is currently in a sinful relationship or hiding secret sins such as an addiction, the door is open. If the person is divisive, angry, a chronic gossip, or has refused to forgive someone, etc. then there is currently a wide open door. If they do not acknowledge their sins and repent, the door will stay open, the demon will return and, perhaps, bring others, so that the person may be worse off in the end than in the beginning.
Sins of the fathers as well as curses coming down to the children to the third and forth generation may also constitute open doors that need to be closed before deliverance. A great deal of demonic oppression comes down through bloodlines. Curses established by the words or actions of ancestors carry demonic assignments. Until the sins that established the curse are renounced and the curse is broken, those demons will have a legal right to continue to afflict the person. Occult involvement, violence, and sexual sins of the fathers seem to be primary doors for demons to establish a stronghold in families.
Demons also seem to find entrance into the mind and emotions of individuals who have experienced trauma. Prayers for healing and the touch of Jesus to mend broken hearts is often in order, as well, before deliverance.
The warning related to the words of Jesus is not to rush in and create spiritual vacuums that may be refilled by the enemy because they remain vacant. Spending some time discovering the broken places in an individual, past life styles, ungodly relationships from the past or present, generational sins, family patterns that suggest a curse, and, especially, unforgiveness is time well spent. In addition, exploring whether or not the person you are ministering to is actually saved is always a good idea. Many demonized people go to church and identify as Christians, but have never actually surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus. Until they do, they have no defense against the enemy. Dealing with sin, curses, and trauma closes the door so the enemy can’t return. Asking Jesus to fill that person with his Spirit takes care of the vacancy.
If a person is not willing or is not ready to repent of sins, exit an ungodly relationship, forgive someone who hurt him or her, or is not ready to make Jesus their Lord, deliverance might make things worse rather than better and you may want to pass on setting them free – at least for the time being. The same is true for physical healing. The same things can get in the way of physical healing that get in the way of deliverance, so visiting about those issues and aligning the person with Jesus may increase the number of people who actually get healed when you pray and the number that maintain their healing. Spirits of infirmity are behind many physical illnesses so deliverance may also be needed before physical healing can be accomplished.
So…to parody Hamlet…To deliver or not to deliver…that is the question. Take your time, pray about it, and visit with the individual. Ask pertinent questions. If you free a person and the demon returns, they will assume that deliverance doesn’t work or isn’t even a real thing. It may even be difficult to cast out a demon when that spirit’s legal right to afflict the person still stands. If they cannot get free or experience nothing as you minister deliverance, then they may not be open to deliverance again. Just know that it is not always in the best interest of a person to minister deliverance until some basic discipleship and discovery occurs first.
