Introduction:
When Jesus started his public ministry one thing that struck people the most was the way he was dealing with evil spirits. Demonic deliverance was never previously recorded in the Old Testament. God’s people in Old Testament performed many miracles they healed the sick, raised the dead, made miraculous provisions for multitudes and demonstrated God’s power to control the forces of nature. But there was no record of casting out any evil spirit. It was Jesus who started casting out the evil spirits and then he delegated the same authority and responsibility to his disciples. His disciples continued on the same line. And the people who witnessed this became excited about it.
Some truths about Demons:
- Demons are not dead man’s spirit.
- They are also called unclean or evil spirits. (Lk. 7:21; Mt. 12:43)
- Demons are some kind of fallen angels who belong to Satan. (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:9)
- Demons are tormented by the presence/holiness of God. (James 2:19)
- Demons are driven by a compulsion to kill, steal, and destroy or else it is like they starve or thirst. (Matt. 12:43; Lk. 11:24; Jn. 10:10)
Demonic manifestations:
- Demonic manifestations are very common in human beings. You should not expect people to be like the person like Gadara (Luke 8;26-33, who had a legion of demons).
- Manifestations: convulsions (Mk. 1:26),uncommon behavior pattern, falling, crying, laughing, speaking in different voice (Acts 19:15), anger, anxiety, cursing, obsession, unexplained foul smells, nightmares, depression, suicidal thoughts, hearing voices, paranormal activity, confusion, superhuman strength, some sicknesses, continuous physical illnesses etc.
- Gift of discernment of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10) may help you to understand the presence of demons.
When you are interacting with someone or praying for someone, if he is having demons inside they will manifest together or one by one. Demons are irritated by the presence of the spirit of God in a believer.
Jesus delivered the demonic openly and regularly:
Mark1:39 So he continued preaching in their synagogues and expelling evil spirits throughout the whole of Galilee. (J.B Philip’s translation)
Here we can understand that this was not an isolated dramatic incident that just took place in one synagogue in the presence of Jesus, but it was his regular practice in every synagogue. In his earthly ministry, he continued doing this preaching the good news, healing the sick, expelling demons.
How to cast out the demon?
- Some time demons can be casted out directly.
- In general repentance is necessary for deliverance. In some occasion it is the sin that allows the demon to stay inside a person. So once the repentance is done, the demon does not have any legal rights to stay there.
- You can explain the whole process of deliverance to the person.
- If there is any contact with witchcraft that has to be cutoff.
- Any soul-tie need to be cut off
- And blood covenant need to be cut off
- If the person is an unbeliever, you can lead him to the Lord by repentance and baptism.
- If the person is a believer then help him to renew his mind after deliverance.
Demon deceives people. A believer needs to have a clear understanding of the truth of God’s word to cancel every lie of the enemy.
Some truths about Casting out Demons
- Jesus gave authority to his disciples to drive out demons and to heal the sickness. (Luke 9:1; Acts 4:30; Acts 16:18)
- In biblical time demons are casted out by direct command in the name of Jesus.
- You need to speak with authority and faith to drive out demon.
- Do not ask God to take out the demon. God has already given you power to do that.
- Demon will manifest to frighten us. You should not fear demons. Let whatever the manifestation be, the demon fears you. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. (1 Jn. 4:4)
- Sometime it may take time to continue in discerning and commanding various kinds of demons.
- You need to have faith to operate in this area (Mt. 17:18-20). You can pray and fast to grow your faith regulerly.
- It is always good to operate in group( it helps in more power of faith and gifts to operate)
Leviticus 26:8 And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
- Holy Spirit can reveal the name of demon, like spirit of fear, lie, unforgiveness etc.
- Demons can start speaking to the believer who is trying to drive it out. They generally lie. You should avoid a conversation with a demon unless it is extremely necessary. Jesus spoke to the demon(Mk. 5:9).
- You should always depend on Holy Spirit to given wisdom to know the name of demon.
- During repentance, you can keep an account of the sins. It may help you to know the name of demon.
How to understand the demon left the victim?
There are signs to understand the demon is leaving. Sometimes it is quiet, there may not be any sign. The person (who had a demon) may understand the difference clearly. The signs are – Coughing, shouting, yawning, feeling lighter, pain released, sickness gone, feeling something leaving, etc.
Conclusion:
Driving out demons is the sign of the new testament faith. It is also an essential tool to demonstrate the power of God. God wants to set people free from demonic. He has given us power and authority to share the gospel, to heal the sick and to set people free. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are all called to do this.
