Information You Need To Know

Top Ten Questions To Ask

When trying to locate the source or root of a bondage these top ten questions can be very helpful start and can save a lot of time. Write your answers down.

1. What kind of bondage are you facing? (Fears, depression, voices in your mind, mental illness, physical illness, mental torment, spiritual torment, etc.) It’s always important to identify the problem as clearly as you can so you know what you are dealing with. If you have trouble narrowing it down, don't worry, we'll help!

2. Do you remember when the bondage started? What was happening around the time this bondage started?

Many bondages can be easily traced back to a particular experience in one’s life. If you can remember when your bondage started, you will likely remember what happened that ‘triggered’ the problem in the first place.

3. Can you see any ‘open doors’ where the bondage may have entered through? See if you can come up with anything. You may not be able to come up with anything, or you may be completely wrong, but it’s definitely worth a try.

4. Have you or your ancestors been involved in the occult or any false religions?

Including secret societies such as Freemasonry and also seeking occult power or knowledge from others, such as having a fortune told, etc. Countless bondages are rooted in some sort of occult involvement, either by the person or by their ancestors. False religions are a red flag as well. Freemasonry is well known for bringing people under demonic bondage.

5. Do you have ancestors or family members who have suffered from a similar kind of bondage?

This is a good way to begin looking into the possibility of a spirit being handed down through a generational curse or iniquity.

6. How do you see yourself? (Do you feel guilty, low self-esteem, confident, etc.) This can help reveal problems with guilt, strongholds, rejection, self-rejection, etc.

7. Is there anything in your life that has been or is currently troubling you?

This is a great conversation starter to help open up about what’s on your mind, and can be a great way to reveal the struggles you are facing mentally and spiritually.

8. Do you feel truly loved by God for who you are? (Be honest!)

This is a great way to identify a very common stronghold. Many people don’t see God as a loving Father and it hinders them from feeling God’s love in their life which gives the devil a lot of room to play havoc. If you didn't have or don't have a good relationship with your earthly father that will impact the way you see your Heavenly Father.

9. What things have negatively impacted your life? (Traumatic experiences, deeper sins, bad relationships, etc.)

Finding out what things have negatively affected your life can reveal many doors that the devil has gained into their lives. Bad relationships can cause bitterness and cause people to become emotionally built up inside. Unforgiveness is a known way for a you to become defiled which is an open door to the devil. Deeper sins may or may not have been put to rest in the your mind. If you still continue to beat yourself up for it then you would do good to confess the sin, forsake it, and receive God’s forgiveness of it as well as forgive yourself for it. A clean conscience is important to a person’s spiritual freedom, but if you are unwilling to forgive yourself you hinder your conscience from being cleansed.

10. What was your relationship with your parents like when you were growing up?

Many bondages begin in childhood because a child is much more sensitive and easily damaged than adults. If your had a rough upbringing it can result in a lot of unresolved problems later on in life. Any hurt feelings towards ones parents must be brought out into the open, confessed, then forgiven.

Preparing somebody to receive and maintain their deliverance is very important. This is a basic list of things that you should know before your deliverance. We always like to make sure you understand what is going on so you won't feel confused or in darkness over the process of deliverance.

While deliverance can be a one-time event, it can also be a process. If you don’t receive all your freedom at once, don’t be discouraged! Sometimes it takes time to dig out all the junk in our souls. One session you may address one area of your life, while in another, you may address bondages in another. Or sometimes you may have several sessions to address issues in one area of your life.

In Charles Kraft's book “Defeating Dark Angels” he uses the principle of rats and garbage to describe how the “garbage” in our life... sin, rebellion, pride, lust, and the entire list of things we do contrary to God's laws and commandments attract the “rats”, the demons who are literally invited to oppress us by our willingness to sin and disobey. These sins give them the right to attack us. Our first option in deliverance is to throw out the trash! Once the sin is removed, we can begin to cast out the problem entities more easily.

Either way, don’t be discouraged. Many times it takes multiple sessions before a person is completely delivered. Sessions can range from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the bondage that must be sorted out and worked through. Never be discouraged, but keep pressing forward to receive what Jesus purchased for you with His blood on the cross! Sometimes it may even take more than one minister to bring that freedom, as different ministers may be more knowledgeable in various areas of deliverance.

The goal of deliverance is wholeness

It is easy to think of the deliverance ministry as a quick-fix… simply casting out demons takes away all of a person’s bondages. The ministry of deliverance is often a process which involves more than simply driving out the demons. There are usually strongholds to be torn down. Since strongholds are incorrect thinking patterns, this is done through the renewing of your mind according to the Word of God. There is often inner healing that needs to take place as well. I cannot stress how important it is to pursue an intimate relationship with the Lord at the beginning of your deliverance process and continue until you have been delivered. If you neglect your relationship with God, the enemy would be more than happy to begin finding ways to cause you to lose your newfound freedom.

The purpose of deliverance is to receive freedom from any hindrances in your life that would keep you from walking in the fullness of God’s plan for your life and your relationship with Him.

The four elements of deliverance ministry

Deliverance ministry can be generally broken down into 4 groups of ministry:

Legal grounds, as many of us call them, are basically things in a person’s life which are giving or have given a demon the right to enter or remain in the person. Unconfessed sins, ungodly soul ties, unforgiveness, holding cursed possessions (occult rings, etc.) and so fourth can give demons a right to inhabit and torment a person. These legal grounds are removed through repentance, renunciation, extending forgiveness, etc.

Strongholds are basically incorrect thinking patterns in your mind. If you think God is angry with you, then you will feel like He is (when nothing could be further from the truth). If you think you are worthless, then you will feel worthless. Strongholds are torn down as you meditate as specific areas of God’s Word which reprograms your mind to think differently. If God sees you as a precious child of His, and you begin to realize and believe that… it will change the way you see yourself for example.

Inner healing is often required when ministering to somebody who has been abused, raped or has been exposed to a traumatic experience. Inner healing is a working of the Holy Spirit and is received as a person releases the inner hurt and pain from past experiences and allows the Holy Spirit to come in and heal those wounds. Forgiveness often plays a part in this releasing process and is done by faith (even if you don’t feel like you could ever forgive somebody for the damage they’ve done). Oftentimes, self-forgiveness needs to be received as the person is holding things against themself which must be released.

Casting out demons is where the demons are confronted in Jesus’ name and driven out of the person. This step is where the actual demons are expelled from the person and cannot be overlooked in most cases. Even if you do feel a measure of freedom after tearing down strongholds and breaking up legal grounds, demons may still be present and need to be cast out.

What you can expect during a deliverance

Sometimes you may manifest a demon, other times it seems like nothing happens when they are being expelled. Mild manifestations often involve coughing, spitting up phlegm, burping, deep yawning or sighing, pressure or pain in areas of your body, shaking, screaming, etc. If you feel these things coming at you, don’t resist them… let the demons manifest and come fourth. Demons may use your vocal system to speak through you to the minister.

Stronger manifestations are usually found in cases where a person is being delivered from severe oppression, deliverance from occult involvement or Satanism. You are often not conscience when these spirits manifest. They can cause your body to levitate, physically struggle with those present for the deliverance, cause a demonic convulsion, and so fourth. If you have been involved in energy healing, new age practices, false religions, witchcraft, occult, Satanism or other deeper demonic practices, then it doesn’t hurt to let your minister know in advanced so he or she can have additional support present during the deliverance session. Feelings or emotions will often rise up as spirits are confronted. For example, if we are dealing with a spirit of grief, the person may experience deep levels of grief as it is manifesting and being driven out. These are areas to be discussed with us during counseling leading up to your deliverance.

You may experience loss of consciousness or partial loss of consciousness. As the spirits are encountered, some will suppress your conscious as they manifest. Sometimes you feel drowned out but are still aware of what is happening. Other times nothing happens along these lines and you are fully conscience. If you do feel yourself falling into a deep sleep stage, I wouldn’t try to stop it… it is recommended to allow the demon to come to the surface where we can deal with it. Demons may speak through you at times to the minister. Sometimes they will simply take control of your mouth and speak. You may or may not be aware of this when it happens, but don’t try to prevent it. If you hear yourself spewing out curses and foul language towards your minister, don’t be ashamed… it happens!

Sometimes spirits can be stubborn and require persistence to drive them out. If the minister repeatedly confronts the same spirit, don’t worry… I often have to spend a little time just trying to get the demon to come to the surface so I can deal with it. Demons can resist our authority and therefore they require persistent pressure before they cooperate.

Things not to do during deliverance

The enemy can try to bombard you with doubt, fear and make you feel like you will never be set free. I advise to fight those feelings as much as you can. Saying to yourself, “I will never be set free!” is doubting the work that God is trying to for you and wages war against your faith. You might find it helpful to say to yourself something along the lines of, “I resist those feelings and believe in the work that Jesus is doing in my life!”

It is important not to be afraid of the demons. God is much more powerful, and His Holy Spirit and His angels are here to assist! We may encounter some strong spirits that will resist our authority (that is why we need to be persistent), but your freedom has been paid for by the precious Blood of Christ, and we need to stand on that as we confront and battle the spirits at hand. When demons are manifesting or being driven out of you, it is usually best not to do much talking. Spirits often leave through the person’s mouth, and it is true that we can hold them back from coming out if we obstruct their passageway. If you feel something evil coming up your throat, don’t try to stop it from coming out… let it come fourth!

Hanging on to your bondage can literally keep you from being delivered. It is important to LET GO and allow the demons to be released. Trying to remove a spirit of fear while you’re choosing in your mind to agree with it (being fearful) is not an easy task. You need to be determined to have faith in Jesus, which is the opposite of fear. Let those demons come out… let them come to the surface and be expelled… don’t hold them back!

Keep your deliverance minister informed on what is going on as you prepare!

Before your deliverance, while filling out the questionnaire, do you experience any uncomfortable feelings, nervousness, shaking, etc. while trying to answer certain questions? If so, let the minister know what the questions were because it is likely arousing a spirit in you that doesn’t want those legal grounds to be broken. Throughout the deliverance session, the Holy Spirit may bring to your remembrance a past sin or situation that may have opened the door to demons… tell your minister about this right away so they can help you remove any legal grounds to the spirits. If you feel the Holy Spirit sharing anything with you during your deliverance, don’t hesitate to share it with your minister. We work under complete confidentiality.

You are often going to experience things that your minister cannot perceive or know about. For example, physical pain in an area of your body indicates a spirit manifesting. If the minister knows where it is, he or she may place a Bible over that area of your body and confront the spirit. If you feel any discomfort, pain or pressure in your body or confusion, headache, racing thoughts, irrational emotions, etc. rising up in your mind, then it can be very helpful to let the minister know what is going on. If you feel release from a spirit or feel something leave you… let the minister know. If you experience any feelings of anger, hate, rage, rebellion, the desire to run out of the room, etc., I recommend telling the minister about what is happening. Always try to keep him or her posted on what is going on inside you, unless they are right in the middle of casting it out and you feel it is coming out of your mouth (I mentioned above not to talk or obstruct your airways as the demons are being expelled).

YOU are often the best person to determine whether the spirit has left. Did you feel a release or relief as if something has left you? Let the minister know! Sometimes they can go into hiding (to trick you into thinking they are gone) and other times there are additional spirits to be driven out, but keeping your minister updated on what is happening is helpful. Normally speaking though, when you feel a release, it means that spirit(s) had departed.

Have questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!

There's no such thing as a stupid question!

It is important to communicate with your minister while doing deliverance; if there’s something you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask him or her. We may not have all the answers, but I believe it is important to help you understand the best we can. If demons return, don’t hesitate to seek freedom again. Every once in a while, a person may re-open doors to the demons which they were delivered from. When this happens, if the person has repented for any sins committed, then there is no reason to hesitate seeking that freedom again. Sometimes a person can feel embarrassed or condemned for messing up again or allowing the spirits to re-enter them. This is a tactic of the enemy to keep them from re-seeking that freedom. I do not judge or condemn those who re-seek that freedom, but wrath

Deliverance Prep 101: What you can expect!

Can a Christian have a demon?

The truth of it, is YES. I know this (Dave) because I, as a Christian of many years, was impacted (oppressed) by demonic forces.

Please note that I did not write this, the link to the site I found it is at the bottom. All Scripture is ESV.

Why this question is so important?

This is perhaps the single most important question that is asked concerning deliverance ministry. Let me first say that it is Satan’s #1 lie to keep demons from being cast out. How is that? Because if Christians could not have demons, then what is the point in driving them out, if all we had to do was get the person saved and their demons would leave on their own? That would leave us casting demons out of people who refuse to accept Jesus as their lord and savior! It is my experience that those who claim that Christians cannot have demons are not even casting them out of non-believers.

If the problem, such as a person having a spirit of infirmity causing cancer in their body, is not demonic because they are a Christian and Christians cannot have demons, then the problem has to be caused by something else, and the real issue that needs to be dealt with is completely overlooked! This is why such a belief among Christians is deadly… literally! Numerous healings that God wants to manifest do not happen because the spirits behind those particularity infirmities are being completely overlooked.

Deliverance is NOT for non-believers

The truth is that if we went about casting demons out of non-believers, then we would be ignoring some very important things that Jesus had to say about the deliverance ministry. Consider these passages in scripture:

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. Matthew 15:26

In the above verse, Jesus was speaking with a woman outside covenant with God, concerning casting a demon out of her daughter. Jesus made it very clear that this ministry was not intended for those outside covenant with God.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” Mat 12:43-45

In the above passage, Jesus was making it very clear that if we cast a demon out of somebody who rejects Jesus as their Lord and savior, we are setting that person up for a disaster.

One of the serious flaws in the idea of casting demons out of non-believers is that the demons have a right to be there, and unless a person accepts Jesus, that right cannot be removed or nullified. The Bible tells us that when our sins are forgiven, the unclean spirits are stripped of their legal grounds in our lives:

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Col 2:13-15

Unfortunately,a non-believer cannot have their legal grounds removed, therefore, attempting to drive out a demon can be a dangerous scenario.

“But light cannot dwell with darkness!”

Many Christians assume that because they have the Holy Spirit, darkness cannot dwell in them. But they fail to recognize the darkness that can exist in a Christian’s mind, such as lust, ungodly anger, weaknesses, and so forth. This is darkness, isn’t it? Even Paul said that there was evil indeed present in him:

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. Rom 7:17-18,21

How could Paul have evil present in him, and at the same time, be filled with the Holy Spirit? It is because Paul, as any human being, was composed of three parts. He was a spirit, lived in a physical body and possessed or had a soul. A soul is different from the spirit. The spirit is the real you, which is united with the Holy Spirit if you are in Christ. Your soul is your mind, will and emotions. Your mind, will and emotions are where the darkness can remain long after you’ve accepted Jesus and were washed from your sins. This is where unclean spirits can remain, along with your physical body. The Bible makes a clear distinction between a person’s soul and their spirit:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb 4:12

Also, look at this passage where the soul and spirit are said to be separate from each other:

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Th 5:23

Your spirit is born again and made new the moment you accepted Jesus, but your mind, will, and emotions were not born again. If this were true, then you would have shed all the evil thoughts, desires and lusts all at once the moment you accepted Jesus. Consider this passage, and it is obvious that all the baggage does not leave a believer’s soul the moment they are born again… but something is made new and old things have passed away – that is because it is speaking of your spirit!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2Co 5:17

Was this intended for believers? Or non-believers?

That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Mat 8:16-17

Here was Jesus demonstrating the benefits of the new covenant between God and His people, and in doing so, He was driving out demons and healing the sick. Now let me ask you this: Was Christ’s payment for our physical healing (by His stripes we are healed) for non-believers or believers? Believers of course! Then I believe this passage makes it very clear that deliverance (involving casting out demons) and our physical healing is a benefit meant for the believer!

You don’t have to be a lunatic to have a demon!

A common misunderstanding is that you have to be a lunatic in order to have a demon. This is not true, and any studying of this subject in the Bible will make this very clear. Consider the man who was perfectly sane mentally, but could not speak nor see because he had an unclean spirit which hindered his speech:

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. Mat 12:22

Another example is the woman who was bound with a spirit of infirmity. She was clearly not a lunatic, but merely had a physical infirmity caused by an unclean spirit:

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Luk 13:10-16

“Possessed with a devil” in the NT Greek

Nowadays,the word possessed infers ownership, such as our possessions. But if you look this phrase up in the NT Greek, we find an entirely different meaning. The phrase possessed with a devil translates back to the Greek word daimonizomai, which means to have a demon or to be vexed (meaning tormented) by one. Demons do not own people, there is no scriptural evidence of such a thing – not even in the life of a non-believer!

If you look up the accounts in the Bible of demon possession, we find people who either have demons or are being tormented by them. This can manifest in both the physical body or the soul (a person’s mind, will, and emotions).

“But the deliverance ministry ended with Jesus’ ministry!”

This is simply not true, and we don’t have to read far into our Bibles to find this out. After Jesus rose again, He appeared to His disciples and gave them the great commission:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons Mar 16:15-17

If we continue reading into the book of Acts, we will find that the early church was also active in the ministry of deliverance:

And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. Act 8:6-7

Also,if you research the early church fathers, those not written about in the Bible, they were also very active in the ministry of deliverance!

https://www.greatbiblestudy.com/deliverance-ministry/can-a-christian-have-a-demon-summary/

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Things To Know About Deliverance