We often get questions about children and spiritual warfare.  Can a child need deliverance? How should we do that?  What do we teach them?  Will it scare them, etc.?  I want to give some guidelines for this question because it is an important one.

First of all, sometimes children do need deliverance. In the Gospel of Mark, we are told, ^“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.’ ‘You unbelieving generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’ So they brought him. 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’” (Mark 9:17-22).

Jesus, of course, went on to drive out the spirit, but this boy had been seriously demonized since childhood.  When I say “demonized”, I mean that the child has a demon assigned to him to afflict him.  I rarely use the term “possessed” because that seems to denote demonization to such a degree that the person is under strong demonic influence at all times. Demonization is much more prevalent and refers to when a person (child or adult) has a demon that manifests and takes control or partial control from time to time.

How does a child become demonized?  Typically, this will occur through the “sins of the fathers.”  God declares, “You shall not bow down to them or worship them (false gods); for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Ex.20:5). The guilt of generational sin is not passed down but the consequences of the sin can be.  If a father, grandfather, or great grandfather has sinned against the Lord repeatedly without repentance, the enemy may gain a legal right to afflict that person and his descendants by assigning a demon to that person and his bloodline.  This also includes, mothers, grandmothers, etc.

If ancestors have been involved in worshipping false gods, witchcraft, violence, sexual sin, etc. without repentance, demons may be passed through the bloodline even to small children. Demons also can be assigned on the basis of curses spoken over a child by those who have some spiritual authority over them…parents, grandparents, etc.  It is not uncommon for curses to be spoken over a child even before birth. if the pregnancy was unplanned and unwanted, parents or grandparents might declare something like, “We would be better off if this child was never born!” Someone might declare, “This child is going to bring nothing but trouble into our lives!”  In fear or anger, someone might say, “I just want this baby to go away!” These kinds of declarations can function as curses taken by demons to be enforced in the life of the child. These spirits may manifest in health issues, rebellion, a fearful child or a child especially subject to rejection of all kinds.

Demonic spirits also seem to gain access to a person through trauma.  If the child was exposed to some trauma early in life (abuse or health trauma) or if the mother was exposed to trauma before the child was born, a spirit might gain access through that event. In addition, demonic spirits can gain access when children are frightened by horror shows, movies about witchcraft, demonic spirits, violent shows, etc.  We need to monitor what our children watch and what baby sitters watch when our children are with them.

So, a child might become demonized through generational sin, curses spoken over the child, or through trauma.  In extreme cases, a child might be dedicated to Satan or some occult organization by parents or grandparents which would obviously give access to demons.  Children involved in Satanic ritual abuse often have numerous demons assigned to them.

In any case, if parents or ancestors have been demonized, it is likely the child may be as well.  Adults, can break the power of Satan through the blood of Christ by renouncing and repenting of their own sins or on behalf of their bloodlines, by renouncing and nullifying any curses by the blood of Jesus, and by severing spiritual ties with any ungodly people in their past or present.  Having done those things, they take away the legal right of the enemy to afflict them but still need to command any demonic spirits to leave.

When children are involved, those with spiritual authority over them can renounce and repent of sins in the bloodline on behalf of their children.  Having done that, any spirits attached to the child can then be commanded to leave.  For small children, parents can command spirits to leave and never return while the child sleeps. When we do so, we do not have to be loud and scary.  We have authority and because of that, we can speak sternly but quietly to any spirit and get the job done.

As children get older, we need to let them know there is a spiritual realm and there are spirits that are not our friends.  However, our major emphasis should be on Jesus, his love for them, his power, his authority, and his angels that keep us safe. Let them know that if they ever see anything scary in their rooms or around the house to tell you, but also to tell that spirit to leave in the name of Jesus.  I believe small children often see into the spiritual realm and not every scary thing is their imagination.  Rather than teaching them to ignore what they are seeing, we would be better served to teach them the power of Jesus over darkness. 

We should model praying for God’s covering and protection as part of our “daily bread” and, perhaps, let them participate in our house cleansings where we go through the house commanding any spirits that are not from God to leave and anointing the doors and windows with oil…again demonstrating that Jesus is more powerful than any unclean spirit.

As believers and as children of believers we should be wise in dealing with the demonic but never afraid.  He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 Jn. 4:4). Wisdom tells us to live in a way that never gives the enemy a legal right to afflict us.  Demons are real and they want to afflict God’s people.  Righteous living and faith in Jesus keeps the enemy at bay but any intrusion by the enemy can be dealt with by the blood of Jesus and the authority he has given us.  That is what we want our children to know. 

Last week we discussed the reality that children can be demonized as well as adults.  They can be afflicted through generational curses and spirits that attach themselves to bloodlines.  They can be afflicted when those who have authority over them speak curses over their children…intentionally or unintentionally.  They can also be demonized through trauma.  

One question that usually arises when parents discover the realities of spiritual warfare and generational curses is whether or not the enemy’s right to afflict their children is extinguished when the parents break the curses and are themselves delivered from any demonic affliction.  

The answer is that the enemy’s right to afflict the children has been taken away, but demons rarely leave simply because a legal transaction has occurred.  

Typically, like bad renters, unclean spirits need not only to have papers served but often, with bad renters, the sheriff and a few deputies have to show up and escort them off the property.  The first step is to break the generational curse through the blood of Christ.  That action revokes a spirit’s legal right to afflict the child, but then the demons afflicting the child must be commanded to leave in the name of Jesus.  That is best done by parents who have spiritual authority over their children or by those representing the parents – perhaps, someone with more experience in deliverance than the parents.  

So, if deliverance needs to be administered to a child, what does that look like?  We certainly don’t want to traumatize the child by telling them that terrible things from the devil are living in them and then begin to scream and shout to cast them out.  First of all, if you have authority you don’t need to scream and shout.  We need to be stern, but we can do so in a calm, quiet manner.  For small children, believing parents or some experienced person trusted by the parents can firmly but quietly command spirits to leave while the child sleeps. 

I would actually recommend deliverance when children are very small…and, especially, children who have been adopted or biological children when there has been notable sin, witchcraft, violence, etc.  in their bloodline. If the adoptive parents know any background on the biological parents and know there has been violence, abuse, drug addictions, excessive anger, etc., then spirits that may be present because of those things should be named and commanded to leave.  The same should be done over biological children where bloodlines need to be submitted to the Lord and spirits banished. In our experience, nearly every adopted child may carry spirits of rejection or orphan spirits.  These should also be dealt with. Sometimes we can’t be sure of the presence of such spirits, but it doesn’t hurt to “cover that base.”  If nothing is there, then no harm has been done.  If something was there, you have gained a real advantage over the enemy.  

If you need to minister to deliverance when the child is awake or a little older, do so quietly and calmly with the mindset that such things are normal and ordinary. You can convey that you believe that spirits are harassing the child and you simply want to send them away.

In general, as children mature we need to teach them some of the realities of the spiritual realm and, of course, this should be done appropriately based on their maturity.  I believe the primary thing we need to teach them is who Jesus is and who they are to Jesus.  We quickly make children aware of the dangers in this world (don’t play in the street, don’t play with electrical outlets, etc.) and that there are dangerous people in this world (i.e. don’t talk to strangers, etc.) We need to teach them that there are also spiritual beings who would try to lead them away from Jesus and into disobedience.  When tempted, they need to know how to say “No”  and even how to call on Jesus or command those unwelcome spirits to leave in His name.  They need to be aware that Jesus is watching over them and that angels are watching over them because we have asked the Lord to assign those angels.  

In the same way that we teach children to be cautious (not afraid) as they play in the yard or go to school, we can teach them to be cautious (not afraid) of spirits that would tempt them or lead them away from God. The focus should not be on Satan, but on Jesus and his great love for them. Teaching them the power of prayer and the declared word of God are great ways to help them develop in the area of spiritual warfare without being weird or scary.  In summary, we teach our kids enough to be wise about demons but our real focus is on Jesus, his love, his power, and his authority for them.

In my next blog, we will talk about children seeing scary things in their rooms, around the house and other places.  Are those things simply the imaginary “monster under the bed” or is it possible they are seeing into the spiritual realm?  How we navigate those moments is important.