Victory and Freedom in Jesus through Deliverance
Fear and bondage can keep us from fully following Jesus, but Jesus promises us a life of deep faith and walking in victory. He can and will set you free from all the things that hold you back from having a full life.
Transcript
One morning about 15 years ago, I was delivered from Fear. I was in a semi-dream, semi-awake state. I could feel myself lying on the bed, and I could see that I was indeed in my own room at my house. The Holy Spirit said to me, “You must cast out the spirit of Fear.” As soon as I heard those words, the spirit of Fear showed itself to me, and my heart was gripped with fear as I’d never known before.
As a child, I had heard too many ghost stories and had inappropriately been exposed to horror movies, and as a result, I became very scared of the dark and demons. I just assumed I would be afraid for the rest of my natural life. I had imagined evil spirits lurking in the dark, but they were nothing compared to the grotesque figure that showed itself to me that morning.
The Holy Spirit instructed me saying, “Cast it out in the name of Jesus. Command it to leave you.” So I did. Fear resisted leaving, but it let go of me, literally one finger at a time. It left me angry and shrieking, but it was gone. I woke up with complete peace in my heart, mind, and body. I knew what had happened was real. And I was no longer afraid of the dark or of demons.
At the moment of being delivered, I just obeyed. I didn’t stop to work out the theology of demons, didn’t question my authority, and didn’t wonder if there was a real demon or just the negative energy of fear. I just obeyed.
Rob Reimer writes Soul Care: 7 Transformational Principles for a Healthy Soul: “Your next level with God lies beyond the boundaries of your current experience. The only way to get there is to risk more than you are comfortable with.” In Reimer’s book, the 7th principle is Deliverance.
I define deliverance as: “the process of freeing people from the influence of evil spirits and of casting out demons who have attached themselves to people.”
Speaking of horror movies, many people in America equate deliverance with scenes from movies like The Exorcist, where a priest or pastor has a dramatic verbal, physical, and spiritual battle with a strong, scary demon. There is drama and screaming on both sides until one of them prevails.
Objections to Deliverance
Not surprisingly, there is much debate in Western Christianity about the reality of demons, demonization, and deliverance. Briefly, here are some objections.
One big objection to deliverance comes from the disbelief in the existence of actual, spiritual beings called demons or evil spirits. Undergirded by the scientific worldview, some argue that much of what has been portrayed as demonization in the Bible and today can be explained by psychology and mental health and thus can be taken care of with proper therapeutic intervention and medicine. People who hold to this view rationalize that demonization, as described in the Bible, is a social phenomenon that existed for primitive cultures that did not have our scientific explanations and treatments.
Another objection to deliverance comes from Christians who believe that while deliverance from evil spirits really did take place in the Bible, in this particular period in history, deliverance from evil spirits is no longer needed and has ceased. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have ushered in a period of living in grace, and demons are no longer dealt with the way we see in Jesus’ ministry. A similar argument would be that only the Apostles, those men whom Jesus selected to be his witnesses and leaders, were given the authority to cast out demons. Once the original apostles died, some select things that they did, such as deliverance, also ended with them.
By far, the most prominent objection to deliverance is the argument that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, means that evil spirits cannot attach to believers. Therefore, the deliverance of Christians is neither possible nor needed since Christians cannot have demons in them. Thus, the idea of even having deliverance as a ministry in the church is unbiblical and wrong!
Adding to the debate is the lack of consensus on what it means for a person to be demonized or demon-possessed. Bible translators have usually chosen the word “demon-possessed” to describe the people who were experiencing manifestations of demonic presence. Demon possession suggests ownership and the idea of being fully overtaken by the demon or demons. This term of ownership is not correct, as a believer in Jesus Christ belongs to God, for he has paid the heavy price of Jesus’ blood.
Demonization or being demonized is a better translation as it captures the state of being influenced by evil spirits but not owned by them. To varying degrees, an evil spirit or demon can gain access to areas of a person’s life such that in that area, the person can be controlled by an evil spirit. And it is appropriate to say that the evil spirit indwells or lives in that area of the person.
Deliverance is part of the bigger picture of the biblical worldview on spirits, Satan, and demons. To understand demonization, we need to understand what and who these demons are.
The Bible tells us that God created spirit beings, noncorporal entities, who are called angels. God created them with different roles and hierarchies. Lucifer was one of these angels who had been created to worship and serve God. He was both beautiful in appearance and elevated in status. And he wanted to be exalted above God, to be worshipped and served, so he rebelled against God, convincing one-third of the angels to follow him.
Revelation 12 tells part of the story: “7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him…12…But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short.”
Lucifer is called various names in the Bible:
Satan
The Adversary
The Devil
The Tempter
The Serpent
The Evil One
The Enemy
The Accuser
Beelzebul
The angels who followed Satan are called unclean spirits, evil spirits demons. Satan and his demons are hell-bent on stealing, killing, and destroying anything that is good and godly and brings glory to God. And while demons cannot steal your eternal salvation once you believe in Jesus Christ, they will do whatever they can to keep you from worshipping and obeying God, living an abundant, full life, and being effective in the kingdom of God here on earth. Even if we are now living in a period of grace, the demons have not stopped the assault against all humanity. In fact, knowing that their time is even shorter now, they will work even harder to lead human beings astray.
Their number 1 weapon of choice is lies. Though their tactics have changed over the centuries, demons have never stopped in their efforts to gain control over every human being and to stop the efforts of Christ-followers from flourishing and impacting the world that is under Satan’s rule.
Yes, you heard me right: our world is currently under the rule and control of Satan.
1 John 5 tells us, “18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
Satan gained control of the world when Adam and Eve, God’s representatives on earth, chose to believe Satan and to rebel against God. In essence, they chose to follow Satan instead of following God.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came in the flesh to die for human beings so that we can be set free from the tyranny of Satan’s reign in this lifetime and so that we can live in eternity with God, as God always intended for us.
Rob Reimer writes: “The central message of Jesus is about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the reversal of everything that went wrong when sin entered the world. It is the restoration of everything back to the way God intended it to be. So, when Jesus came, He saved the lost, healed the sick, cast out demons, helped the poor, overcame injustice, and set the captives free.”
We see the fullness of Jesus’ ministry while he was here in the flesh. The Gospel writers described Jesus’ ministry this way. Matthew 4 - “23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.”
Mark 1 - “32 That evening after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.”
Luke 4 - “40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew he was the Messiah.”
As we read and heard in our Scripture reading from Luke 9 of Jesus sending out the 12 disciples and in Luke 10 of the sending out of the 72 disciples, Jesus commanded and entrusted to them a ministry of teaching, healing, and driving out demons. Jesus, his disciples, and even the Apostle Paul cast out demons. And we do not read anywhere in Scripture that Jesus no longer wants His followers to cast out demons when they encounter them.
What is it that happens in deliverance? Jesus gives a metaphor that illustrates the spiritual reality of deliverance.
Luke 11:14-28 - “14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, ‘By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.’ 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. 17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now, if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 24 When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, ‘Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.’ 28 He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’
Jesus, the Son of God, says that there are real demons who gain control of people. Jesus is the one to use the metaphor of a house to explain what happens in demonization. Deliverance is “the strong man”, Jesus Christ, attacking and overpowering the demons who have taken up residence in person. He drives them out of that person. He drives them out by his power and authority. (The religious leaders were accusing Jesus of driving out demons by the power and name of Satan himself!)
Cleaning House Analogy
We’ve used the analogy of a house to understand how the Holy Spirit wants to have access to all the rooms of your house. He wants to fill you up completely! But there are areas in your life that you keep off limits to the Holy Spirit; you won’t let him into those places. Did you ever think that maybe those places not given over to the Holy Spirit’s control are instead controlled by a demon?
A believer who is saved but has not been filled with the Holy Spirit is in a very vulnerable condition: The evil spirit that has been cast out will re-enter with even more wicket spirits, and the person will be in a worse condition than before. The ownership of the whole house belongs to God, but the control of specific rooms, areas, or floors of the house is controlled by demons.
A couple of years ago, I was really struggling and in a dark place. I was discontent with my entire life-- and my marriage was an easy target for my criticism and despair. In one of my conversations with Greg, I distinctly remember a crucial moment of decision: would I utter the words “I’m done with us” and open the door to a host of destruction?
At that moment, in that room, I could feel the coldness enveloping me. I sensed keenly the presence of darkness and evil. And rather than speak into existence the words of death, I cried out to Greg to pray for me. And he did, breaking the spell of darkness.
Demons cannot possess believers of Jesus Christ, but they can gain footholds in our lives. In Ephesians 4, Paul explains to the believers that in Christ Jesus, their minds are new, and they have put on the new self. However, they must be careful about how they live.
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. Paul says to give Satan no foothold:
Greek: topos
Geography: a literal piece of land or ground; a place or spot where one can put their feet down and stay, live, and settle down.
Military: territory that is gained or lost; a stronghold that is protected and cannot be easily taken by the opposition.
In my own life, discontentment has been an encampment of the Enemy. Nothing--whether my faith, career, body, or marriage--is ever good enough for me. I am always wanting more and better, which has opened the door to a host of other evils like comparison, criticism, lust, and despair. Praise God, I have been delivered from the spirit called Discontentment, but I still have to guard my heart lest I start to give background to the Enemy. I am still vulnerable in this area, and I have to be vigilant and continue to do soul care.
Steps Toward Deliverance
(These are simplified overviews. Reimer details very specific deliverance steps in Soul Care.)
The beginning of getting freed from demonization is to confess sins. Confessing our sins breaks ground and takes back the right for the demon to be there.
Deliverance comes only through the blood and power of Jesus Christ and his powerful name. Jesus has given us the authority to call upon his name to drive out demons.
When I sense the presence of Discontentment trying to gain entry into my soul, I have to banish it. I say, “In Jesus’ name, I command you to leave right now.” And I confess to God whatever was drawing my mind and heart to believe the lies of discontentment.
Reflection Questions
Reflect on your worldview as it relates to demonic strongholds. Does it align with the biblical worldview?
What next step will you take to learn more about deliverance, be delivered, or be equipped to do deliverance?
In hearing about Satan, demons, demonization, and deliverance, you might have some thoughts, emotions, or reactions that are unsettling. Do not be afraid because Jesus is victorious over Satan and the demons! But if you have some thoughts, questions, or concerns, please come and speak with me or one of the pastors here.
Exciting Announcements
As we wrap up the Soul Care series today, I have two exciting announcements:
We are starting up the Deliverance Ministry at RL. If you need prayer and deliverance, that is available.
RL will be hosting a Soul Care Conference June 8-10, 2023. Rob Reimer will come to the Twin Cities to lead us through soul care! Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details.
