Deliverance

What is it? Purging people of spiritual parasites.

We approach it as one of God’s power tools. Deliverance can be an instrument for evangelism, a means to physical healing, a powerful form of protection, an incentive toward holiness, a deepener of the Christian walk.

It amounts to a power confrontation between The Father and those criminal spirits harassing His offspring. The spiritual forces that can oppress, depress, torment and entice mankind, are usually not discerned as such by unsaved people; when God’s Spirit is brought to bear to flush them up and out, the result is that people know both God and the enemy to be real, and they appreciate their need of rescue a whole lot more. It can be a real eye-opener to the truths of salvation, and the supernatural.

People who haven’t seen any deliverance or done any, likely think of it from a fear stance – as per the goings on in horror movies they’ve watched. They expect an exorcism in which weird creatures show up to try to kill people. Amongst Anglican vicars the process is looked on with respect – the exorcists ( one is assigned to each parish in England, by the way ) are seen as high ranking, and their names are mentioned in hushed tones. Mainly, the secular Western populace thinks demonic doings are all hogwash, and anyone who’d think to have a go at demons must be deluded.

Demons aren’t hogwash.

We’ve seen demons manifest so as to be physically seen, we’ve been physically hit and assaulted by them in the early days before we knew to cast them out, and have cast out thousands since then. The results on people when they’re gone is often profound. They’re real. Jesus did more deliverances than exist anywhere else in the Bible, and commanded us to keep on doing them – no opt out allowed. He wasn’t talking to syndromes or psychoses when He told them to leave people, either, although the grounds for them being with a person can be linked to the person’s psychological state.

Deliverance as a process is simple, not hard. A child could do one. But there are parameters and cautions. When the seven sons of Sceva travelled around the countryside delivering people back in the time of the Apostles, they thought to cast demons out by using Jesus’ name since it was proving so effective amongst believers; they weren’t believers, and they ended up being attacked so badly by one entity that they fled the house for their lives, bleeding and naked. The demon had said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Acts 19:14. The Bible says that demons believe in the Lord and they tremble; it is His authority to consign them to hell that scares them witless. And Jesus has given that authority to His followers, not to unbelievers. The demons know if people are backed by that authority or if they aren’t.

Who should do it? From what we’ve seen, everyone needs to either do it or receive of it, especially these days, because our society has been inroaded more than ever. Little kids who’ve been watching witchy TV shows have had spirits visibly crawl upwards inside their T-shirts and leave out of their mouths when prayed with; teenagers have had the whites of their eyes turn red and their eyes run with water as they renounced masturbation; stage 4 cancer has disappeared when spirits have been cast out. Any time a person lets themselves open to enemy stuff, enemy stuff can get to work. It never works for good. Know anyone who’s a Harry Potter fan? Done your horoscope? These things provide a pathway for demonic visitation. As a normal Christian you may be able to say you’ve renounced all that. So what’s your star sign? Gotcha.

Christians should be able to discern what spiritual influences are affecting them, and to take authority over the bad ones. Mental or emotional states that seem outside the normal run – depression that won’t quit, rages that can’t be controlled, irrational fears that dominate, such things can be either induced, enhanced, or capitalized upon for evil gains, by demonic forces. Times of trauma or other vulnerability may have given them access. But they can be made to go.

In the weeks to come we will address such topics as:

What sets up all humans to be susceptible to their influence?

What is the satanic strategy that keeps them in place once they’ve attached?

Who has them? What do they do? How do they do it?

What part does willpower play in it all? Why can’t demonized people use their willpower to get free, sometimes?

What does it take to get completely free of demons and/or their influences?

How safe are the people doing the deliverance?

Where do the demons go, and will they come back?

What pitfalls should deliverance workers particularly look out for?

Tips in handling the process.

How the church should approach deliverances and support the work.

PLUS: Examples and case histories.

This subject is an ugly one, but positive, not negative. It touches on all the other areas of Christian life and complements them, so it isn’t something that will neatly stay in its box and just be another branch of church activity. Inner healing, Bible Study, Worship, Sunday School, Evangelism, Youth Work, etc., all have their connections, and can positively benefit from Deliverance.

It’s good that you have an interest. Blessings are in store. See what going into it in more depth will do for you.

Below is an introductory video by the late John Wimber which should help set you up for our teachings to follow.