Throughout the gospels, Jesus healed people in every village and crowd. On numerous occasions, he healed them by casting out a an unclean spirit. Typically, it was a spirit of infirmity or a deaf and dumb spirit. These spirits manifested as physiological conditions. Among those who were healed when spirits were cast out were the deaf, the mute, the blind, those with chronic back problems and those who suffered from seizures and mental illness.

As you scan the gospels, these healings by deliverance were fairly common. When the spirit was cast out, the source of the condition was removed and healing followed quickly. These spirits produced conditions that mimicked real physiological and psychological conditions. But Jesus and his disciples knew the difference.

In his gospel, Matthew records, “Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics and paralytics; and He healed them” (Mt.4:24; NKJV). Later Matthew tells us about a father who sought the Lord for is son. “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water” (Mt. 17:15; NKJV). In that case, Jesus drove out a deaf and dumb spirit and the boy was healed.

Over the past few years we have seen many healed as a result of deliverance. Two of those we have seen healed were told by doctors if they could not find the cause of the illness their lives were in jeopardy because their health was deteriorating so quickly, One woman was in her 40’s and had already been told by doctors to quit her job and stop driving. She was weak. She could not lift her hands above her shoulders and she was losing ground quickly. After visiting with her, we discovered that she had been raped in college, but had never told anyone. She had not forgiven the rapist…a professor of hers. She had not forgiven herself because she felt partly to blame. After forgiving him and herself and after breaking soul ties with him, we cast out a spirit of infirmity. She could immediAtely raise her arms above her head and within a week was back at work and driving again. Ten years later she is still going strong.

A second woman told us that the doctors had given her only months to live but they could not diagnose the source of her illness. Her health was simply deteriorating at a rapid pace. After visiting with her, the Lord revealed that a witch was putting a curse on her. Immediately, she knew who the woman was that was directing demonic spirits against her. After breaking the curse and casting out a spirit of infirmity, her health was restored within weeks.

Certainly, not every illness or condition is demonic. But many are…especially those that defy diagnosis or treatments that are usually affective. When you pray for people to be healed, be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. If you sense a leading that the illness is spiritual, then deliverance is in order. If, as you begin to pray, the pain gets worse or begins to move around within the person, that definitely suggests a spirit’s involvement.

Sometimes we are hesitant to bring up the possibility of demonic affliction because it seems too weird or we think it will “freak out” the person we are praying for. But their healing is worth it. However, before commanding any spirit to leave, a brief interview is in order. You may need to visit with them too see if they were ever involved in witchcraft or occult activities of any kind; if there is someone they need to forgive; or if their is a sin they need to confess and repent of. Those things can give the afflicting spirit a right to be there and so that right needs to be removed before deliverance.

Deliverance is not always instantaneous. In fact, that is the exception. Usually you will need to command a spirit several times as well as declare the Lord’s authority over that spirit before it will leave. The spirit will often resist in an effort to tire you out or intimidate you so you give up. But persist. If the spirit continues to remain after a reasonable amount of time, you may need to visit more to see if there is something else giving the enemy a right to continue the affliction. Those rights are often found in the sins of the fathers or, in our culture today, the source may be witchcraft targeting the individual. If you can discover who might hold a grudge agains the sick individual, you may know the source. If a wrong has prompted the curse, then the sick person can repent and do their best to make amends. You can then cancel the curse by the blood of Jesus and cancel any assignment a demon might have on that person. Then you can drive out the enemy.

What I find among believers is that we often jump right into healing prayer without discovering whether there is some sin that may hinder our prayer or some spirit that is the source of the illness. Taking a few minutes to ask the right questions can make your prayer and ministry much more effective. Blessings in Him.

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. That is how it will be with this wicked generation(Mt.12:43-46).

This well-known teaching of Jesus has served as a warning for those who have experienced deliverance from a demonic spirit for centuries.  We sight it at the end of our Freedom Weekends as a warning not to return to the things that opened the door to demonization in the first place. If you do, you may not just end up where you started, but will be in much deeper anguish because the returning spirit will bring others with him you did not have to contend with before.

The thrust of the passage is not a warning against deliverance, but against creating a spiritual vacancy through deliverance that is left uninhabited.  If the vacancy left by an unclean spirit is not filled with the Holy Spirit, you are subject to the return of the demon…and his friends. I suspect that many believers walk around with a vacancy within them, because they do little to be filled with the things of God.

Paul called the Ephesians to eliminate any spiritual vacancy within them. “Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled withthe Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:17-20).

We may have the Holy Spirit living within us, but that does not mean we are automatically “filled with the Spirit.”  Often, God gives us the basics for being a child of God or for operating in a spiritual gift, but then leaves it to us to pursue more of him and more of the gift if we want to maximize what he has made available.  We can walk around with the minimum and still be saved, but as we do so, we leave room for the enemy to enter our house with torment and oppression. If being “filled with the Spirit” wasn’t dependent on us to some degree, he would not have instructed the church to pursue that state of spiritual being.  When we prioritize the spiritual above the natural, we will be begin to be filled with the Spirit and there will be no room for the enemy.  

Being in the word, in prayer, in obedience, in fellowship with other believers, in praise, etc. on a daily basis and inviting God’s Spirit to fill us is the process for being filled. When we fail to do so, we begin to create empty places within us that invite the enemy…either invite him back or invite him in the for the first time.  In the arena of spiritual warfare, being casual invites disaster because the enemy is always seeking entrance to our lives.  Because of that, we need to take inventory of what we are filling our hearts and our minds with.  

In addition to applying Christ’s warning to individuals, he applies it to an entire generation.  His words seem to suggest that entire cultures can be demonized when they have once enjoyed the presence of God but have since pushed God out of their culture leaving a huge vacancy for the enemy.  In Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Return of the Gods, he makes the case that this very thing has happened to America and that our culture has been demonized so that the “insanity” we see all around us is because Satan has been given the reins to our nation.  

Our situation is not hopeless but individuals or nations must begin to push out the enemy and his influence by displacement.  When we once again begin to earnestly seek to be filled with the Spirit, that filling will push out the presence of the enemy.  However, it is better to never allow the enemy in than to have to push him out later.  So the question once again is, “With what are we filling our lives?”. 

For the past eighteen years, freedom ministries have been my primary area of ministry. For us, Freedom Ministries are those ministries that help God’s people heal and find freedom from every kind of bondage.

Our cornerstone passage for this ministries is Isaiah 61:1 – a prophetic passage pointing to the coming Messiah. Prophetically, Isaiah declares, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair ” (Isa. 61:1-3).

In Luke 4, Jesus read that very passage in the synagogue and declared that the passage was being fulfilled in him. The mending of broken hearts and the setting free of captives is for those in Zion. It is God’s people who need the healing and freedom. Certainly, those outside the covenant need it as well, but God’s first concern is for his children.

Over the past three weeks I have had the privilege of beeing part of three Freedom Weekends. The weekends follow an eight weeks of classes that prepares God’s people to receive their healing and freedom and to maintain it after they are healed and set free. Freedom Weekend is an all day event in which God’s people experience emotional healing from past hurts and experience deliverance from tormenting spirits. These spirit range from fear to shame, from heaviness to arrogance, from lying spirits to condemning spirits, and even from spirits of witchcraft and sexual immorality. The change in these men and women after Jesus ministers to their hearts and souls is remarkable.

Most of the American church is unaware of the spiritual realities that afflict them or are unwilling to wade into these unknown waters. Many simply dismiss the idea as something that occurred in the first century but not today or take the stance that Christians can’t be demonized because the Holy Spirit is in them. However, scripture no where declares that Christians cannot be afflicted by demons. Instead, it offers many warnings about demons and the devil’s schemes against believers. If believers are immune, then these warnings are irrelevant. Certainly not everything we face is demonic. Not everything Jesus faced was demonic but much was and much is.

Typically, on the Sunday following these Freedom Weekends or Freedom Saturdays, most of the participants come together to celebrate and share what God has done for them over the past eight weeks. The recurring story over and over again is trauma as a child that has followed them into their adulthood with tormenting beliefs that they are worthless, alone, unloved, and unlovable. They believe they must protect themselves because no one else will. These individuals are high on control which the damages their relationships and even limits what they will allow God to do in their lives. Many of God’s children are haunted with fear, depression, anxiety, doubts, and recurring thoughts of suicide. They have medicated these wounds with every kind of addiction: drugs, alcohol, sex, food, compulsive shopping, etc. and some have looked into occult places to find solutions.

Many have been to counseling, asked for prayer multiple times, and shared their struggle with their churches – only to be rejected. If not rejected, they have been sent to counselors who have not found a solution for them either because demonic spirits are at the root. When we send our people to professional counselors outside the church, the message may be that Jesus doesn’t have a solution for them. Remember that Paul declares our struggles are not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces arrayed against us (Eph.6:12) and declares that we face strongholds in our lives that can only be dismantled by divine weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

What I get to see every year and over the past three weeks is God’s people truly healed and set free from decades old wounds and affliction. No where does scripture suggest that healing and freedom can only be found after years of professional counseling or drug therapies. There is power in the kingdom of God and it should be wielded on behalf of God’s people. It is always exciting to see what Jesus does on these weekends and even through the eight weeks of classes. Hope is restored to the hopeless. Pain ridden hearts feel the balm of his healing. Freedom is experienced by those who have been in bondage and torment and Jesus is glorified.

The teams that leads these ministries are amazing people who thrive in seeing what only God can do. We (the teams) are all people who also have been broken and in bondage and have been set free. This is not “super-spiritual stuff,” but basic Christianity walked out by those who believe in the power of the cross and the authority of Jesus Christ. It is lead by people who believe that freedom is every believer’s birthright and simply hunger to let others experience what they themselves have received from God.

If you are among the hurting and broken who have not yet been able to gain victory over your wounds and bondage, there is nothing wrong with you. You simply need to be ministered to with divine weapons and the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord to lead you to that church or those people who simply do what they see Jesus doing in th scriptures. If you don’t know where to go, you can contact me and we will help you find that church or group that can help you is discover your birthright of healing and freedom.

tom.vermillion@midcities.org

In my last two blogs, I discussed the benefits and necessity of removing legal ground from the enemy before ministering deliverance. If a person is demonized, it is nearly always because something has given the enemy a legal right to do so. Unrepented sin, word curses , generational curses. soul ties, and trauma can give the enemy access to an individual. These are typically handled by renouncing the sin in the name of Jesus, repenting of the sin on your behalf or on behalf of your bloodline, and then applying the blood of Christ to sever soul ties and nullify curses. Then the unclean spirit can be commanded to come out with much less drama and trauma than doing so without taking away the legal right of the spirit to be there.

There are a few special circumstances where more may be needed to release the individual from the legal claims of Satan. These circumstances involve situations in which a person has entered in to a covenant or agreement with Satan or when someone has been dedicated to Satan or a demon by another person…usually a family member. This is not as unusual as you may think.

Where witchcraft has been practiced in family lines, it is not unusual for the descendants of the one practicing witchcraft to be dedicated to a spirit or to Satan. In some cases, where individuals practice “white magic,” they may believe that they are consorting with “good spirits” and think dedicating children, grandchildren, etc. will be a blessing…as if the spirit they are working with will protect them. These dedications give Satan access until they are renounced. Of course, there are times when a descendant won’t know if a dedication took place. If witchcraft was practiced either as white magic, psychic readings, horoscopes, satanism, wicca, etc., it is best to assume some dedication took place and simply go through the renunciation. I believe it is always best to “cover the base.” If nothing is there, then nothing will happen. If something stirs, then the individual can be set free.

There are also those who enter into agreements or covenants with Satan on their on. Some are members of witches covens and satanic groups. Others may be active members of groups like Freemasonry who are taking oaths and entering into covenants with the lodge, not knowing that the lodge has occult ties that are not revealed until men get to high positions in the lodges. There are also strong historical ties between Freemasonry and the Mormon church so Mormons may also have open doors to the enemy. I will say where there are organizations with secrets to be maintained and penalties for disclosing the secrets, Satan is usually active there. Freemasons and Mormons, of course, may also dedicate their children to the organizations and in doing so, to the spirits that rule over the organization.

Freemasons, especially, make vows and call down curses on themselves if they reveal secrets of the lodge or fail to serve the lodge. When their children or grandchildren, whom they dedicated, are not serving the lodge, demonic spirits have a right to enforce the curses invoked by their father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc. who participated in the lodge. The curses often manifest as unusual health issues or emotional struggles such as anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and so forth.

You will also find a number of adults who made promises to Satan in moments of despair as children or teens. “Satan…if you do this for me then I will serve you.” They have no idea what they are setting themselves up for and some barely remember the moment. However, Satan remembers the moment and uses it as legal ground to afflict the individual.

In order to take away the legal right of the enemy, these covenants, contracts, dedications, and agreements must be renounced. If these covenants or dedications came though an organization, those organizations must be renounced as well. In addition, soul ties with the organization or influential people in the organization must be repented of, renounced. and severed by the sword of the Spirit.

If the individual personally made a commitment to Satan or has been practicing witchcraft, he or she should…

• Declare their faith in and allegiance to Jesus.
• Renounce Satan and all of his works.
• Renounce the evil powers of this world.
• Break and renounce the contract, covenant, agreement or any allegiance to Satan.  ‘In the name of Jesus, I break and renounce my contract, my dedication, and my former allegiance to Satan.” 
• Sever themselves from the contract by the sword of the Holy Spirit.

You may need to have that person declare each of those things three times.

In addition:  

If occult spirits are involved, have the individual commit to get rid of any occult objects in their house when they return home.Sometimes, if a person has been involved in Satanism or was a satanic ritual abuse survivor, Satanic seals have been placed over spirits of witchcraft to protect the demons. These seals need to also be removed by the blood and the name of Jesus before deliverance begins. “In the name of Jesus and by his blood, I remove and destroy any satanic seals that have been assigned to this person.”

If there is influence from Free Masonry (Masonic lodge, Eastern Star, Shriners, etc.) you may need to call out those spirits as Masonic spirits rather than just a spirt of witchcraft.   Be especially clear about Masonic tokens…jewelry, books, aprons, etc. being removed from the home.  When things are removed, burning is a very good way to deal with the spiritually infected items, if possible. Recently we have discovered from multiple sources that the ruling spirit over Freemasonry is Jahbulon. We have also found it helpful to renounce Jahbulon and any agreements made with him before deliverance begins.

This may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. We simply need to spend time helping the person to whom we are ministering do a reasonably thorough inventory of the things in their life that may have given the enemy access. Doing so will facilitate deliverance and help them maintain the freedom they receive when spirits are driven out. Take your time. Don’t always rush to the battle but discover where the enemy strongholds are that you will need to take down in order to win the war. Blessings.

This blog is a bit long, but if you minister deliverance or need deliverance, please read it all. In my last blog, I discussed the need to spend adequate time discovering what has given a demonic spirit access to a person before ministering deliverance. Many people who minister deliverance just cut to the chase and begin immediately to drive out a spirit without discovering where the “open door” is that allowed the spirit to take up residence in the first place. Many spirits are hard to dislodge because they still have a legal right to afflict the person. Until that legal right is resolved, the spirit may stay or, if driven out, will simply return at a later date because the door is still open. Deliverance is about authority. If you do not remove the enemy’s authority to afflict a person, deliverance becomes a power struggle and that is when things can get weird.

There are five typical categories of things that give demonic spirits a right to afflict or oppress a believer. You need to consider each of these before ministering deliverance. Before exploring each of these categories, I want to affirm that the demonization of a believer is not a salvation issue. If a believer has a demon, he still belongs to Jesus. He or she is still saved unless they are driven to unbelief and rejection of Jesus by demonic influence. Demonization is typically a sanctification issue of continuing to grow and uproot the sin in our lives. Demonization simply means that the enemy is trespassing on property that belongs to Jesus and it is our responsibility to clear the property.

The first category is sustained and unrepented sin in the life of a believer. These sins can range from sexual sin (pornography, adultery, fornication, sexual fantasies, cohabitation, etc.) to drunkenness, gossip, theft, pride, anger, unforgiveness, judgments, anti-semitism, occult involvement, unbelief, and so forth. Sometimes the individual is aware of the sin but finds pleasure in it so they don’t truly want to give it up. These are often “secret sins.” Sometimes, the individual doesn’t recognize that what they are doing is sin or he/she rationalizes and excuses the sin so that repentance never comes. Anything in our lives that is out of alignment and remains out of alignment with the Father’s will can give the enemy a legal right to afflict the individual. It is crucial that we take an inventory of these kinds of behaviors and attitudes because if they continue without confession and repentance, deliverance will have little effect for the individual or, at least, the effect will be short lived. The danger here is that the demon will return and bring others with him.

Secondly, generational sins can come down through bloodlines in the form of a curse that demons may have a continuing g right to enforce. Remember the sins of the fathers are passed down to the children to the third and fourth generation (Ex.20). The unconfessed and unrepented sins of our ancestors gave Satan a legal right to enforce a curse against them but that curse can be an unfortunate inheritance unless dealt with by the blood of Christ as we renounce the sins of our fathers and repent on their behalf. Spending time exploring patterns of sin, dysfunction, and calamities in family lines can give real clues to generational sins that need to be dealt with before deliverance.

Even cultural history may need to be explored if ancestors were involved in false religion, idolatry, human sacrifice, genocide, or hatred of the Jews. [God declared, “Those who bless Abraham I will bless and those who curse Abraham, I will curse” (Gen. 12:3).] We have also discovered that massive amounts of demonization occurs in blood lines where ancestors were involved in Freemasonry and even Mormonism. Some cultures have a great deal of witchcraft woven into the very fabric of society so that may need to be renounced as well. Where there has been witchcraft or Satanism, family lines were often dedicated to Satan and that dedication must also be broken to set people free.

A third area has been mentioned but is prevalent enough that I want to highlight it. Unforgiveness and judging others are wide-open doors for the enemy. In several texts, Jesus was clear that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, our Heavenly Father will not forgive our sins against him. Many believers have been wounded by others, and have not forgiven them. Sometimes they are operating under the assumption that the offending party must ask for forgiveness before we have to extend it or that somehow, the offending party must have acted in some way so that they now “deserve” to be forgiven. That misconception needs to be clarified and biblical forgiveness needs to be extended or the enemy has total; access because our other sins stand unforgiven.

A close cousin to unforgiveness is judgments. Jesus said “judge not or you will be judged and with what judgment we judge, we shall be judged.” This judgment its not pointing out another’s sin out of concern for their soul, but is a judgment of moral superiority on our part and a judgment of their hearts so that we always see that person in negative ways. We always see them as less than ourselves because we have judged them. Those two areas need to be explored in length to see if they are open doors inviting the enemy in.

The fourth category is soul ties or covenants made with others (individuals or organizations) in the context of sin that can also be open doors. Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 6 not to be yoked together with unbelievers who, by nature, belong to Satan. Those sinful relationships need be explored, renounced and severed before deliverance. Somehow, those covenants, spoken or implied, give demons continued access to believers.

The fifth category is word curses spoken over us…especially by those who have authority over us. That could be a parent, a spiritual leader, a spouse, or ourselves. When others or ourselves speak negative things over us, those words can function as curses which the enemy can use against us. There can also be curses assigned to us through witchcraft which seems to be increasing exponentially in our culture. Most of us are familiar with the scripture that says, “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest” (Prov. 26:2). In other words, if there is no cause there is no curse. However, Satan is diligent in finding a cause in our lives when witchcraft is directed at us. Curses also need to be nullified and dealt with through the blood of Christ before deliverance is ministered.

As you can see, there is a lot to explore in order to close doors that have allowed the enemy to come in and to take away a demon’s legal right to remain or return. What I have mentioned is not everything but it suggests that sin has to be dealt with by the blood of Christ through confession, renunciation and repentance. in order to close spiritual doors. Trauma is another door through which the enemy can enter, and that also should be considered. I would suggest that if you don’t know how to deal with these issues in a person’s life, you may not be ready to m minister deliverance. Find some training. We and others can provide that.

When we take the time to deal with these sin issues and curses, deliverance is much more effective, much less dramatic. and actually leaves the individual not only free but cleansed. Revelation 12:10 describes Satan as the “accuser of the brethren who accuses them day and night before our God.” This and other scriptures affirm that Satan is always appearing before the Father accusing believers so that he might gain a legal right to afflict them. Because God is just, if a cause exists, he must grant Satan the legal right he is asking for. But by his grace and the blood of Jesus, those issue can be submitted to the cross and dealt with so that Satan no longer has claim to the individual.

We should also remember that demons, like some troublesome renters, will not leave just because his right to stay in the house has been nullified. Even after removing his legal right to be there, some rebellious renters will still have to be forcibly evicted. But he can be evicted because he no longer has any right to stay. That is where deliverance comes in. Do the legal work first, and the eviction will be much smoother. It will also prevent the “troublesome renter” from returning. Take your time. Maybe even spend a whole session exploring these issues before scheduling another session for deliverance.

In my next blog, I will address some special circumstances that need a specific approach to nullify the claims of the enemy on an individual.

This past Sunday, I met with a small group of Christian writers at our church. We meet from time to time to encourage one another and share resources, new things we have learned about writing and publishing, and so forth. One of our group members, who is also a leader in our Freedom Ministry, was recounting a recent experience at a summer camp where there was a surprising amount of spiritual warfare…even among teens.

She said two things. First of all, she mourned the fact that very few Christians take spiritual warfare seriously and, secondly, if they do, they typically aren’t well equipped for the battle. I agree with her. I have been involved in spiritual warfare, deliverance, house cleansings, etc. for about 25 years. I have written on the subject, done seminars on the subject, and have helped other churches establish healthy, thriving freedom ministries. And yet, the number of churches actually ministering in this arena and training their members to do so remains a tiny fraction. This is true in spite of Paul’s famous affirmation that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual principalities and powers, and in spite of the gospel records that a great deal of the ministry of Jesus was given to demolishing demonic strongholds and setting people free.

We should pay attention to the emphasis. We are told that Mary Magdalene was delivered from seven demons. The Gadarene had enough demons that they identified themselves as Legion. We are told that Satan actually entered into Judas. Paul drove out a spirit of divination in Ephesus. Dozens of people were healed of physical maladies through deliverance…including years of crippling back pain, blindness, deafness, muteness, seizures, and a host of other conditions. This emphasis is not accidental.

So…do most Christians read those accounts as fiction or novel stories to entertain us or as accounts that actually happened then but mysteriously happen no more? In fact, we are told that all scripture has been written for our learning and application. Whatever we see in the written word, has application for our lives today. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Numerous examples and teachings regarding demons is found in scripture, yet simply disregarded by most believers…at least in America. We gladly believe in the ministry of angels but seem to steer quickly away from the topic of demonization.

I do believer balance is needful in the world of spiritual warfare. Not every flat tire, every achy joint, every physical ailment, or every fight with our spouse is demonic. Jesus healed many physical ailments that simply came from living in a fallen world. However, whenever healing numerous people is mentioned, deliverance was usually part of the evening. We are also commanded in many contexts to crucify the flesh. Not all anger, selfishness, manipulation or lust is demonic. We have to resist our fallen nature. We must be careful not give the devil too much credit. However, we must also be careful not to assume that demonic involvement is rare or occurs only in third world countries because to do so disarms us. The church should take spiritual warfare much more seriously than it does, because we are leaving too many of the people God has entrusted to us in bondage and torment with spiritual conditions that drug therapy and conventional counseling can’t touch. When demons are involved, more is needed.

Secondly, our churches need to know how to do spiritual warfare in effective ways that aren’t always highly sensational or dramatic. To be sure, there can be drama, but not nearly as much as some believe. Deliverance does not require screaming and shouting or power confrontations that go on for hours. Deliverance is about authority and authority can be established quietly. When an FBI agent appears at your door, he simply announces himself and shows you his credentials. He doesn’t have to shout and scream and get in your face and there doesn’t have to be a dozen others agents doing the same. Authority can be established and deliverance done in “a decent and orderly manner,” just as Paul instructed the church in the exercise of prophecy and tongues (I Cor. 14:40).

We have seen deliverance done in ways that were more traumatizing than the demon. Perhaps, that is why many churches steer away from deliverance. Our experience is that demons that won’t come out in a few minutes, usually remain because something is giving them a legal right to stay. That right may be secret sin, a generational curse that needs to be submitted to the blood of Jesus, a half-hearted desire to get rid of the demon, witchcraft, soul ties that need to be broken, unforgiveness, etc. We find it is more fruitful to give more time to prayer and to interviewing the person we are ministering to than in shouting at demons. Once the legal right is taken away, the demon will usually exit in a reasonable amount of time and in a reasonably orderly way.

That is not to say that, on occasion, we don’t have drama but it is only about 10% of the time and usually because we have not discovered what is giving Satan legal access to that person. Training in spiritual warfare and deliverance should be done on a wide basis with balance, discernment, and a healthy and orderly approach to setting people free. It doesn’t have to be weird or crazy…although some seem to prefer it that way.

The first step in deliverance is removing legal ground from the enemy and more time should be given to that than to the actual deliverance. In order to help those who are new or lack training in this area, I will spend the next blog or two talking about removing this legal ground so when a spirit is cast out, it cannot return. Hopefully, this will be practical and helpful.

Blessings in Him.

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” Mark 9:14-18

For many, this is a familiar story. Jesus had just taken his students, Peter, James, and John on a memorable field trip. He took them to the top of a mountain where they encountered Moses and Elijah as they spoke to Jesus. As they spoke, Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white and God spoke audibly to the little group saying, “This is my son whom I love. Listen to him!” Shortly after that, they left the mountain to rejoin the other apostles and disciples of Jesus. As they joined them, the text quoted at the beginning of this blog was unfolding.

From accounts in the other gospels, we know that Jesus had given his apostles and seventy-two other disciples the power and authority to heal and cast out demons. He had sent them out on their own to preach, heal, and deliver people from demons. They had great success in doing so. But now, some of his disciples and apostles encountered a spirit that they could not drive out. The father was dismayed, believing there might be no cure for his boy. The disciples were puzzled and probably embarrassed that no matter how hard they had commanded and no matter what they had declared, they could not drive out the demon.Anyone who has been involved in deliverance ministries very long, probably can identify with these men.

Interestingly then, Jesus rebuked the crowd for their lack of faith and immediately commanded a deaf and dumb spirit to leave the boy. The spirit complied and the boy was set free. Later, in private, his disciples asked why they could not drive out the demon. Jesus explained that particular spirit could only be driven out by prayer and fasting. (Some manuscripts only say “by prayer” ) And yet, no one said, “Well, let’s pray and fast for a day or two and then go after this spirit again.” Jesus simply commanded the spirit and it left.

i believe the key here is that Jesus had lived a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. Even though his disciples did not do so, Jesus began his public ministry with a forty day fast in the wilderness and often went off by himself for periods of prayer and fasting. Two things seem evident from this short account.

First, some demons are harder to cast out than others. There are hierarchies of power and authority among demons. When we encounter one with more authority than the ordinary demon, we may have difficulty dislodging that unclean spirit with the level of authority we are opening in.

Second, a practice of fasting and prayer apparently appropriates more authority in the spiritual realm for believers, so that the extra measures of authority to cast out a demon are available when needed. It may also suggest that it takes a lifestyle of prayer and fasting, rather than just an occasional day or so of prayer and fasting to accrue the spiritual authority needed for some situations. I would anticipate that healing might fall in the same category.

So how do prayer and fasting garner us more authority and power than simply living by faith. After all, we are actually operating in Christ’s authority rather than our own. I’m not certain, but I have two thoughts about that.. First of all, extended periods of prayer and fasting (individual and corporate) are attached to breakthrough moments, deliverance from enemies, and life-changing decisions throughout scripture. These two things, which should include worship, seem to bring us into the presence of God more than anything else we can do. And presence imparts.

I’m reminded of Moses coming down from Sinai with his face glowing because he had spent extended time in the presence of God. The night Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee, he had just gone up on a mountain by himself to pray. Before Jesus chose twelve of his disciples to be apostles, he spent the evening in prayer. Throughout the Book of Acts, prayer and fasting played a significant role in miraculous, breakthrough moments for the church. Time in the presence of God imparts something of God to us. Apparently, God rubs off. The more time we spend in his presence with prayer and fasting, the more of himself God will give to us.

Secondly, desire matters. James tells us that the fervent or earnest prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much (Ja. 5:16-17). Fervency reveals desire. How bad do we want something? All the children in the kingdom will have their basic needs met, but if we want more, we must seek it. Seek, ask, and knock. Extended prayer and fasting reveal our desire for the thing we are asking for. A casual prayer does not get the attention that a desperate or fervent prayer garners. It’s the hungry in the kingdom who get fed. Jesus taught, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matt. 5:6).Prayer and fasting reveals our level of hunger for the things of God and the requests we bring before him.

As this year begins, many churches are beginning with a season of prayer and fasting. That is essential for the year to come. But in our own lives, many of us need to consider regular times of fasting and prayer throughout the year. I have a friend who faithfully fasts one day a week, every week. If we like him, were to give one day a week to fasting and used our meal times for extending our prayer, by the end of the year we would have fasted 52 days and increased our prayer time significantly. Fasting and prayer seemed to have marked the New Testament church even though they were saturated with spiritual gifts. Perhaps, prayer and fasting fueled those gifts. Ask the Lord. See what he thinks. But, according to Jesus, we know some things in the kingdom will only be accomplished by prayer and fasting.

Be blessed this week.

When you are involved in spiritual warfare, it is critical that you have realistic expectations to avoid discouragement and even deception by the enemy. As believers discover the power of the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus, they may anticipate immediate deliverance or emotional healing as they pray over others. They may expect instantaneous healings as presented in the gospels or for spirits to exit immediately at the name of Jesus. They may expect one fifteen minute prayer session to heal every emotional scar in a human soul and every problem to disappear over night because we have declared a thing or commanded a thing. Sometimes, it does happen that way and sometimes it doesn’t. As you enter into the realm of healing and deliverance, it is best to be prepared for things to take a little longer than you hoped for.

I love the gospel accounts of Jesus encountering demonic spirits. They often come trembling before him, begging not to be sent into the abyss. When Jesus commanded a spirit to depart, that spirit left almost instantaneously…except for Legion, who hung on trying to broker a better deal with Jesus for his troop of unclean spirits inhabiting the Gadarene demoniac. When Jesus commanded, demons exited immediately or almost immediately. Occasionally there were severe manifestations of a spirit as it exited, but we can say the standard was quick and almost immediate departure.

That does happen in our ministry as well. But, more often, it takes a little longer and more than one command. It is not unusual for deliverance to take five minutes, ten minutes, an hour or even longer. It is not unusual to cast out several spirits, but to have to come back later for others. Although Jesus functioned as a man, he functioned as a sinless man who was also the Son of God. The spirits he encountered knew that he was the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Holy one of Israel. Let’s face it, his personal presence had to be much more intimidating to the enemy than a representative. We definitely minister in his name, represent him, and serve as those given power and authority over the enemy, but we may not have exactly the same spiritual gravitas that Jesus had.

I have seen several negative consequences of unrealistic expectations for deliverance. Some believe that as soon as you command a spirit to leave, it must leave and, therefore, stop too soon in the deliverance process without real evidence that a spirit has left. This view does not recognize that some spirits are more powerful than others and can hold on longer. Sometimes, there is still something giving the spirit a legal right to remain so that “open door” has to be discovered and closed. Some strongholds have been there for generations and may take more time to tear down. Just declaring that a spirit has left because we told it to go does not always make it so. If we say it must be gone and the one we are ministering to feels no difference, he or she can be confused or discouraged because they sense that nothing has actually happened.

Demons usually adopt one of two strategies when eviction is in the air. Often the spirit manifests in ways designed to intimidate the person being ministered to or to intimidate the one ministering. It is not unusual for a spirit to growl, hiss, and sneer at those ministering freedom. It is not unusual for a spirit to declare that he is more powerful than we are and that the “host” belongs to him and he will never leave. Intimidation is simply an effort to discourage everyone involved or to convince them that they are powerless over this demon and to give up. Unclean spirits manifest in such ways when they are threatened and on the verge of losing their assignment. Instead of being intimidated, we need to be encouraged because the spirit is on the run when it manifests strongly.

A second strategy is for demons to step back into the shadows, so to speak, and be silent. We may be tempted to assume that a spirit has left because manifestations have ceased, but unless you or the host are very confident that something has left, you may want to continue a while and even command the spirit to manifest if it is still present.

Another reality is that sometimes freedom and emotional healing come in stages and not all at once. Often a person finds a significant level of freedom or peace, but knows a few things remain to be done later. Sometimes, they have a season of freedom and peace but then experience some return of torment, depression, fear etc. a few months later. It possible that an open door in the spirit realm has allowed spirits to gain access again but it may simply be that some spirits that have kept a low profile for a while that feel safe to begin their torment again after a few months have passed.

This is warfare. Battles are not always won in a single day or by a single volley. We learned in Vietnam that enemy soldiers may hide in tunnels during a powerful assault by the opposing army, but emerge later to fight again once the attacking army has moved on. In warfare, we discover that some fortresses are more resistant than others. Some enemy troops are more skilled and determined than others. Even though victory is assured, battles may be brief or may be prolonged. We also know that if may take different strategies to win different battles and so we may need to wait on a strategy from the Spirit in order to set someone free. That strategy may come in the midst of deliverance or as you sleep after not achieving the victory you wanted earlier in the day.

Quick and immediate is our desire when we pray for healing or engage in deliverance. Sometimes that happens, but at other times we need to know that a prolonged battle or multiple skirmishes will be required. When that happens, know it is normal. Persistence and faith are often required to win the battle. Every command, every scripture quoted in the face of the enemy, and every rebuke weakens the enemy. In due time, the walls behind which the enemy hides will crumble and collapse and then the enemy will flee in all directions. Don’t assume deliverance too soon and don’t give up because he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Be blessed.

As a church that has ministered deliverance to adults for years, we are often asked about children and deliverance.  The questions generally are:

• Can children be demonized?
• If parents break generational curses, are the children set free from the effects?
• Should you minister deliverance to children and, if so, how?
• What should you do if your child tells you that he/she is seeing something scary in their room?

These are legitimate questions that books on deliverance rarely deal with, so I thought I would take a couple of blogs to respond to these.   By the way, there seems to have been a definite increase in demonic activity in the last year, at least in our area, and children are being affected as well.   As many in America pursue sin and perversion and as many of our national leaders do the same, the spiritual gates have been opened wide for the demonic to be active in our nation. Because of that, we can expect demonization of individuals and demonic manifestations to be heightened.  The enemy always pursues the most vulnerable, so we can also expect children to be targeted as well as adults.  

The first question is whether or not children can be demonized.  I guess we ask that because we assume that God would protect children because he cares for them in a special way (Matt.18:10) or because they are innocent and Satan should have no legal right to afflict them.  In Mark 9, a man came to Jesus whose son had been tormented by demons manifesting as seizures.  The text says, “When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?’ ‘From childhood,’ he answered. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us’” (Mk.9:20-22). Clearly, children can be afflicted by demons. 

Demons can attach themselves to children as a consequence of generational sin, curses, or trauma. The trauma of abuse, the loss of a parent or sibling, a severe injury or illness, etc. can easily open a child up to a spirit of rejection and/or fear.  Spirits of trauma can also attach to physical or emotional wounds and hinder their healing.  

Curses spoken over the child by those who have spiritual authority over them (typically parents) can also give the enemy a legal right to afflict a child. This can happen in unplanned pregnancies where a parent might say that he or she wishes the child would miscarry or “never be born” or that this child would bring them nothing but pain and sorrow, etc.  Words like that can open the door to spirits of rejection, infirmity, death, or an orphan spirit. 

Generational spirits of fear, anger, infirmity, lying, rejection, stupor, etc. can also be passed down to a child. We have seen these show up and manifest as learning disabilities, feelings of self-hatred from an early age, cutting, extreme anger, obsessiveness, chronic lying, etc. even in young children.  Of course, all these conditions can be physiological and not demonic, but in our experience, many have a demonic componnt.

I always feel a need to remind anyone reading this that demonization is not possession. Demonization means that demons are afflicting an individual in one part of their life while the rest is fairly functional. One part can impact the other parts, but typically the person is out of control in only one or two areas and not all of the time.  The most effective demons are those that mimic physiological or psychological conditions that exist in the natural realm.  They do so without manifesting in such extreme ways that we might suddenly wonder if something beyond the natural was occurring.

We also need to remember that demonization does not nullify salvation.  Demonization effects our ability to mature spiritually or develop fruits of the Spirit, but does not affect our salvation. Sometimes, believers want to deny demonization because they think it means they belong to Satan and are, therefore, lost. Deliverance is about sanctification rather than salvation.  

So, how do we know if a child’s “issues” come from the natural realm or are a manifestation of the spiritual realm?  Sometimes, it is hard to know.  However, if everything has been tried that should help, but has not brought any lasting healing or freedom, demonic activity could be indicated.  If you see something in the child’s eye’s that seems unnatural when an issue is manifesting, it is likely demonic. If a child tells you that something or someone is telling them to hate, hurt, or be afraid, that could be demonic.  If a child has been abused or traumatized, then be sensitive to the possibility of demonization.  Before anything else, ask the Holy Spirit to show you if something demonic is in play.  If you know someone who has a strong gift of discernment, ask that person for their impressions.

Our general rule is that if we are unsure, minister deliverance. Cover the base.   If something manifests or something changes, then demons were involved. If not, keep seeking answers in the natural realm.  Next week, I will talk about appropriate deliverance for children and how to equip them appropriately for spiritual warfare.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.  Philippians 2:14-16

As we continue to minister freedom and healing in our area, I am constantly confronted with the reality that a great number of people who are saved and forgiven are still bound up in addictions, depression, anger, fear, suicidal thoughts, condemnation, and more. Even without any real reflection, that seems wrong. As we minister to believers in other parts of the country, we see and hear the same thing, so it is not just a West Texas anomaly. 

These Christians have a sense that their struggles are simply to be their unchanging lot in life. Their experience has been that “their church” is powerless to help them other than with prayers that seem to make little difference and encouragement that is appreciated but fades away.  Their churches have sent them into the community to find professional counselors or twelve-step groups and they have not experienced any lasting transformation. They often live in broken relationships or have left a solid trail of those relationships behind them. In a sense, they fear the future because it may even be worse than today.

In many ways, these men and women are no more free than the unsaved men and women in their community. If you put them in a room with an equal number of unbelievers and had them talk honestly about their struggles, you might not be able to tell God’s children from the lost.  That is not God’s intention nor is it what Jesus died for. In the passage from Philippians at the beginning of this blog, Paul clearly is making a case that those who follow Jesus, who have been born again, and have the Spirit of Elohim living in them should stand out in the world like stars against the night.  He declared to the church at Corinth that, “the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”  Power is needed to defeat the agents of darkness that torment and to heal deep, gaping wounds from the past before we can become the light of the world. When we say all the right things but display no power, we are not reflecting the kingdom of God.

Through the years, I have talked to several individuals who had been part of witches’ covens or satanic cults.  When I asked them what had drawn them to the “dark side,” the answer was that their lives had been out of control and they were looking for something that could give them a sense of power, control, and security.  They had not found that in Christian churches, so they looked for it in darkness.  These men and women had not failed us, we had failed them.

Of course, we always hear that Christians should not be chasing the miracles but should be chasing Jesus.  Certainly, we can get caught up in the power gifts and supernatural manifestations, but miracles were part of the fabric of Jesus’ ministry and the early church.  Wherever Jesus was, miracles were also present.  Why should it be different today?

A gospel that only gets us to a place of forgiveness but does not radically free us and change us so that we stand out in contrast to our culture is not the gospel that Jesus preached nor demonstrated. If you are part of a church that preaches the Bible, but never displays the power of Jesus Christ in healings, deliverance, prophetic words, and radically transformed lives, then the Bible may be preached but is not being understood.  Stars stand out in stark contrast to the darkness around them. That is the Savior’s desire for his people.  I see it daily in the lives of those who have experienced his power.  So let me encourage you to not accept a powerless gospel.  Seek what you see on the pages of the New Testament.  Those pages were recorded to show what the Christian life should look like, not what it only looked like for a few…long., long ago.