Deliverance From Demons

Comment

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on April 30, 2009 at 6:32pm

Sometimes you HAVE to cast some devils out! Avoiding demon possessed people won’t make them go away! We see in Jesus' ministry some dramatic examples of exorcism, casting out of demons. But let's not be naïve. People who have lived under a demonic delusion or obsession for a significant period of their lives need a period of recovery, even though the root demonic cause of the problem has been dealt with. Let me explain. In order for a person to live with the demonic delusion or obsession, he is forced to develop a whole series of coping mechanisms that aren't appropriate to the free and open life of a Christian. These coping mechanisms must be gradually unlearned. They didn't develop overnight and they seldom disappear overnight. I believe that counseling by skilled, trained, and committed Christian counselors, pastors, or laypersons can be extremely helpful to help delivered people experience full recovery. The Body of Christ is not a place where we are to judge our recovering brothers and sisters, but to love and encourage and bear with them. The church is supposed to be a supportive, loving environment where people -- including you and me, my friend -- can find full healing from sin and deception, and their entrapping consequences.
Demonization and Healing
We see in scripture that some illnesses Jesus healed had their roots in demonic influence: blindness and dumbness (Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; Luke 11:14), scoliosis (Luke 13:10), seizures (Luke 9:37-48), etc. But it is important for us to recognize that nowhere does the New Testament teach that ALL sickness is of demonically origin. Yes, in one sense sickness is the work of the devil, but not all sickness has a direct demonic cause. When Jesus healed the sick, only sometimes did he cast out a demon to do it. Most of the time it was with a word or the laying on of hands.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on April 26, 2009 at 3:03pm

What are demons?
Demons are evil spirits that are opposed to God and God's people. They appear to be fallen angels: 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6 and are primarily referenced in the New Testament.

Matt. 4:24, "And the news about Him went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, taken with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them."
Matt. 8:28, "And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs; they were so exceedingly violent that no one could pass by that road."
Mark 3:22, "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul,' and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."
Luke 4:35, "And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him without doing him any harm."
John 8:48-49, "The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" 49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me"
Demons seem to be able to cause illness, paralysis, blindness, and violence combined with great strength in the one possessed. Demons apparently strongly desire to reside within people (Matt. 8:28) and even animals (Matt. 8:32).

In the future there will be a judgment of the demonic forces: Matt. 8:29, "And behold, they cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on April 25, 2009 at 9:09pm

Jesus Came to Set Us Free


Certainly Jesus came to set us free. This is explicit in Jesus' commission that he read from Isaiah 61:1-2:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
Setting people free from demonic oppression and captivity is Jesus' core ministry. Jesus desires to release the oppressed. He came to "destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). It was his central purpose. His ministry was characterized this way by his chief Apostle, Peter: "...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him" (Acts 10:38).
That is our role, too, as Jesus' disciples. First, we must seek to break free ourselves. We probably DON'T need exorcism to do this. We need truth and we need repentance. Deep, heart-felt repentance that brings about change. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). There is NO freedom apart from embracing the truth in Jesus. And as we fearlessly embrace truth, the Deceiver loses his power over us. That's how Satan began with Eve (Genesis 3:4-5), and he's been doing it ever since -- to Jesus in the wilderness and to you and me.

Jesus came teaching. Teaching the truth. And we are to continue this, for teaching is not weak. The truth we share has explosive seeds in it that can break people free. Paul instructed his protégé Timothy:
"And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Anger is a great doorway for demons to invade or influence a human being. The reason God instructs the believer to forgive so easily is this, unforgiveness leads to bitterness, and bitterness can lead to hatred! Murder actually starts in the hearts of people! In addition to forgiving our enemies, we must LOVE them! I believe these two things drive the devil insane.

Ask yourself, “am I walking in unforgiveness?” Is there someone I am continuing to hate or refuse to forgive?


A few people will require some kind of direct command of release such as Jesus gave. Occasionally the apostles would do this -- but only occasionally. Truth was usually all that was necessary.
What are the lessons we disciples are to learn from Luke 4?
1. Satan is a powerful opponent that Jesus faced again and again (4:1-13). We his disciples will never get spiritual victory until we stop trivializing Satan and denying his influence.
2. Satan is the agent of oppression that Jesus came to oppose (4:18-19). His mission is to set the oppressed free!
3. Jesus confronted Satan and his demons with spiritual authority whenever they tried to attack him or others (4:33-36, 41).
4. Jesus' focus was on wholeness and freedom, not on Satan and his work. He dealt with Satan when he had to, but he didn't fear him or obsess over the spiritual battle. Jesus' focus was positive, not negative.
5. We must not walk in fear of demons, but be wary and wise to there activities
6. Ask God to give us discernment on every situation. (Proverbs 3:5)
7. If it seems evil, it probably is! Shun the very appearance of evil.
8. Stay submitted to God! (James 4:7)

Comment by prophetessELIZABETH M FONCHAM on April 24, 2009 at 7:07pm

the devil can not stop me tomorrow is another day,i have been typing for the past 25 minutes and lost every thing i wrote.
i have greater testimonies on demons .
they hate be expose but i have a lot to write next time.
the exist and we must be aware.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on April 24, 2009 at 6:19pm

Sometimes you HAVE to cast some devils out! Avoiding demon possessed people won’t make them go away!
We see in Jesus' ministry some dramatic examples of exorcism, casting out of demons. But let's not be naïve. People who have lived under a demonic delusion or obsession for a significant period of their lives need a period of recovery, even though the root demonic cause of the problem has been dealt with. Let me explain. In order for a person to live with the demonic delusion or obsession, he is forced to develop a whole series of coping mechanisms that aren't appropriate to the free and open life of a Christian. These coping mechanisms must be gradually unlearned. They didn't develop overnight and they seldom disappear overnight. I believe that counseling by skilled, trained, and committed Christian counselors, pastors, or laypersons can be extremely helpful to help delivered people experience full recovery. The Body of Christ is not a place where we are to judge our recovering brothers and sisters, but to love and encourage and bear with them. The church is supposed to be a supportive, loving environment where people -- including you and me, my friend -- can find full healing from sin and deception, and their entrapping consequences.
Demonization and Healing
We see in scripture that some illnesses Jesus healed had their roots in demonic influence: blindness and dumbness (Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; Luke 11:14), scoliosis (Luke 13:10), seizures (Luke 9:37-48), etc. But it is important for us to recognize that nowhere does the New Testament teach that ALL sickness is of demonically origin. Yes, in one sense sickness is the work of the devil, but not all sickness has a direct demonic cause. When Jesus healed the sick, only sometimes did he cast out a demon to do it. Most of the time it was with a word or the laying on of hands.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on April 24, 2009 at 8:43am

Characterizing Degrees of Demonization
I see a gradation of demonic influence or demonization. Whether you agree with the exact words I use, I think you'll recognize the truth of the progression from temptation to possession:
• Temptation. Appeal to our sinful desires. Temptation can be rejected.
• Influence. Sin has a foothold in our life, and it is harder to say no. We may have developed habits of anger or unforgiveness or lust. To say "no" requires a determined act of our will.
• Oppression. Satan has some degree of control of us, and we don't seem to be able to break free. We find ourselves acting compulsively sometimes, and wonder why we don't have power to resist temptation more, though we resist to some degree.
• Obsession. The degree of control is greater. Our sinful habits are so clearly established that we find it hard to even recognize or discern them as wrong. We may be acting willingly, but because we are fully deceived.
• Possession. We are puppets under Satan's control, and have little or no will remaining, or no desire to resist. People who "channel" or give voice to other spirits claiming to be spirits of the dead, are dangerously close here, though they must willingly place themselves into this state. But this state is rare. Few people are utterly possessed.
Sin is a prime cause, but not the only cause of demonization. We can be victimized, too. Sometimes children who are traumatized can become demonized. We can be duped into occult practices that we don't realize are wrong, and be victimized. Satan doesn't feel obliged to read us our rights before deceiving and taking advantage of us. There have also been some reports of spiritual bondage being passed down through family lines -- we can only speculate at the reasons.
Deliverance and Recovery
We see in Jesus' ministry some dramatic examples of exorcism, casting out of demons. But let's not be naïve. People who have lived under a demonic delusion or obsession for a significant period of their lives need a period of recovery, even though the root demonic cause of the problem has been dealt with. Let me explain. In order for a person to live with the demonic delusion or obsession, he is forced to develop a whole series of coping mechanisms that aren't appropriate to the free and open life of a Christian. These coping mechanisms must be gradually unlearned. They didn't develop overnight and they seldom disappear overnight. I believe that counseling by skilled, trained, and committed Christian counselors, pastors, or laypersons can be extremely helpful to help delivered people experience full recovery. The Body of Christ is not a place where we are to judge our recovering brothers and sisters, but to love and encourage and bear with them. The church is supposed to be a supportive, loving environment where people including you and I, can find full healing from sin and deception, and their entrapping consequences.
Demonization and Healing
We see in scripture that some illnesses Jesus healed had their roots in demonic influence: blindness and dumbness (Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; Luke 11:14), scoliosis (Luke 13:10), seizures (Luke 9:37-48), etc. But it is important for us to recognize that nowhere does the New Testament teach that ALL sickness is of demonically origin. Yes, in one sense sickness is the work of the devil, but not all sickness has a direct demonic cause. When Jesus healed the sick, only sometimes did he cast out a demon to do it. Most of the time it was with a word or the laying on of hands.
Not all people who are mentally ill are demonized. Some are, certainly. But many are not. There is a biochemical basis for some mental illness. Just as there is a truth basis for healing of other kinds of mental illness. Until some individuals are capable and willing to face truth, and adjust their own presuppositions to get in line with that truth, they will not be healed from the maladjustments that cripple them so severely. Jesus ministry to the oppressed is two-fold: truth and power. Power without truth does not bring lasting deliverance. And truth without power doesn't reach within the soul to bring about change.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on April 24, 2009 at 8:39am

Often demons are portrayed as hideous creatures, Usually with fangs, forked tongues, bat-like wings, and serpentine features. I have never seen a creature that looked like that. I have seen on three occasions in my life shadow-like beings move swiftly before my eyes. Twice in church services, and once in my apartment. I will tell you about the encounter in my apartment first. I was in the Air Force for over 23 years, and I traveled a great deal. I was in Somalia for 3 weeks back in 1986. While in this oppressive country I brought back souvenirs. One of the items was a wall hanging of animal horns and another was a spear. When I got back home I hung them on the wall of my apartment. In addition to the African artifacts I had some Martial Art trophies and oriental wall hangings I got in Korea. Well to make a long story short, I felt strongly impressed by the Holy Spirit to take all of the material off of my walls one evening, I knew it was the Lord talking, but I decided to take a nap and do it later. I fell asleep on the couch and within the hour something gripped me in my sleep! I was choking and paralyzed. I tried to scream and I couldn’t. I knew this was a demonic attack! I eventually was able to scream JESUS! At that moment I was released, but that’s not all. I woke up immediately and saw a shadow like figure walk out of my living room and down the steps. I believe God allowed this to show me the seriousness of disobeying Him.

The other two times I saw similar manifestations were in church services, Once at a small Primitive Baptist church in southern New Jersey. I was in the pulpit praying before I had to preach and I had an eerie feeling come over me. The Lord let me know there was terrible sin in this church and to preach accordingly. I rose to walk to the podium and I saw this same shadow like figure flee down the stairs to the basement. Demons hate the Word of God! The other incident happened at a military chapel, in the same fashion the shadow like figure left through the rear door just as the praise service started. Demons hate the praises of God! In the chapel incident I was not the only one that saw it! Another brother saw it as well, so I didn’t feel like I was losing it.

Now from this point on I will share what the scriptures have to say on this subject. I share the personal experience to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. Chances are you will never see a demon. But that doesn’t mean they are not there trying to cause you destruction. Demons usually function in the dark and don’t want you to know they are real, but they are. Be encouraged saint of God, The Greater One lives in you!

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