Deliverance
Basic Deliverance Instructions
There are several very important things to remember when doing deliverance. First, in my opinion, there is not only one right way to do the whole process of deliverance. Even though we see many examples of deliverance in scripture, we do not see every detail of all that Jesus and the disciples did before, during, and after deliverance.
Key things to keep in mind
Partner with God
You are not alone: Deliverance can be difficult. Demons can try to intimidate you, tempt you, scare you, or tire you out. Jesus gave us the perfect solution! He gave us His very own Spirit to help us and be with us. I always do my best to minister as a friend of the Holy Spirit and as a commissioned son/daughter of God. If I remember God is with me and that I am a child of God, I minister with greater love, authority, and stamina.
God’s power is with you: Remember Jesus has commissioned you in His own name (Matthew 28:16-20) and has anointed you with His very own Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8, 1 John 2:20, John 14:16)
Recognize you are ministering to a person
You are there to serve the person, not to show off the authority God has given you. Sometimes once you begin to understand your authority over the enemy it can be easy to confuse the people with the enemy. We must always remember we are ministering to precious and loved people made in the image of God.
Remember the authority God has given you (Scriptural commands and commissions)
Mark 16:15-17
Luke 9:1-2
Luke 10:1-19
1 John 4:4
Partner with someone trusted as you minister.
Although it is not required, it is wise on many fronts to have someone you trust help you minister. One, deliverance ministry can be tiring. Two, if you do not know the person you are ministering to extremely well you need to have someone there that is also seeing everything going on in case something goes bad or the person you are ministering to makes accusations against you later on.
Step by Step Guide
Interview the person: Depending on the situation it is often wise to get a bit of background on what is going on with the person or why they want prayer. Find out what kinds of struggles they are having (depression, blasphemous thoughts, outbursts of anger, addiction, etc). The next step would be to find out if they presently have any open doors (any sin they are actively unrepentant in) and what doors they may have opened in the past. It would also be good to find out if this person has any unforgiveness towards others, themselves, or God.
Hint: If you are praying for deliverance and the person you are praying for doesn’t know or understand what your about to do (this is sometimes necessary as some people need freedom but don’t know it) simply begin praying and casting the evil spirits out. The interview topics will come up after the demons begin to manifest.
Preach the gospel: This is just a personal favorite of mine (Austin) to do. The gospel is the ultimate declaration of victory over the enemy. It also reminds us of the truth and that everything, from our salvation to our authority over the enemy, comes from God. It can also be an opportunity to lead someone into the kingdom if they are not yet born again.
Break legal rights: Now that you have interviewed the person, have them repent from their sins and ask God for forgiveness (past and present) outloud. In addition, have them repent and renounce all occult activity (any form of witchcraft from black magic, white magic, ouija boards, etc). Have them break any soul ties (spiritual connections made through sex or intensely emotional relationships). This simply goes like this, “In Jesus name, I break every soul tie with ________ right now!” (If they don’t remember the name of the person, that’s okay, you can give them a fake name, God knows). Next, have them ask for God’s help and have them forgive EACH person that they have unforgiveness and bitterness towards including themselves or God. Oftentimes, the devil will fool us into thinking that the bad things that happened to us in life were God’s doing… we need to realize that the devil, “comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This part can be done by simply recognizing the bad things that happened weren’t God’s fault and then ask Him to heal all disappointment in our hearts from believing lies.
Generational curses: At this point it would be wise to recognize any patterns (open doors or demonic symptoms) that are generational. Meaning, did the person’s parents have these problems? Their grandparents? Often times, this is not the first time a person in their family is struggling with said issue. It could be that a grandparent participated in occult activity or perhaps a parent had an affair and opened a door to the devil. Whatever it is, recognize the open door, have the person forgive their family member, and say, “In Jesus name, I break every generational curse and renounce every generational sin. In Jesus name, this generational cycle ends today!”
Cast the demons out: Some inner healing and deliverance ministries try to avoid this step of driving the demons up and out. Where I am certain these ministries do bless people in other ways, (inner healing and breaking legal rights/curses), the biblical model we have ALWAYS includes actually confronting evil spirits head on and casting them out.
Call the demon up and out: and with authority say, “In the name of Jesus I command you evil spirit/unclean spirit/demon/devil to come up and out.”
Commanding them to come up means that you are commanding them to come out of hiding and come to the surface so that you can directly see and interact with them. If a demon manifests at this point the person may panic. Tell the person not to worry and that this is normal. Encourage them to relax and let the demon manifest. This will help you directly deal with the evil spirit without the person interfering.
This is important because in Jesus’ name we have authority over demons but we DO NOT have authority over a person and their will.
Be very authoritative with the demons. These spirits are evil and have brought significant pain and suffering to the person you are ministering to and the people around them. While we show kindness and compassion to those we are ministering to we show no mercy to the enemy.
Once the demon is manifested, simply command them to come out in the name of Jesus.
If I am ministering to someone who does not immediately manifest a demon, I usually will continue to give the above command (“Come out” or “come up and out”) with consistent authority for about one minute. Oftentimes, the demons are hidden in the person and their personality and take some work to bring them out of hiding. (Demons will do whatever they can to stay hidden and not be cast out)
Interviewing the demons: It is often necessary to interrogate the demons to find out where they came in and what their legal rights are. It is best to command them in the name of Jesus to only speak when spoken to and command them to speak the truth and only the truth. Although it is often necessary to get the demons to give up their legal rights (what they are holding onto in the person that is hindering total freedom) it is highly advisable that you do not try to get any more information out of demons than this or what they are doing to the person/what their assignment is. Demons are very sneaky, they are liars by nature, and are actually looking to destroy you and your life even as you are expelling them in Jesus name from the person you are ministering to. Do not trust them and do not engage with them beyond the most basic information such as their names and their assignments. We see Jesus engaging with Legion in a similar fashion (Luke 8:26-39)
Working your way to the strong man: Other than the most simple deliverances there will usually be more than 2-3 demons. In these cases it will be necessary to find out who the “strong man” is and bind them and then cast them out. The kingdom of darkness (just like the kingdom of light) is highly organized and very much like a military/government. Weaker demons are grouped under the authority of stronger ones. It is also good to know that demons (like other kinds of vermin run in packs) and that demons are selfish cowards. Meaning the strong ones will always throw the weak ones out first in order to protect themselves. When calling up the strong man simply say, “In Jesus name I command the strong man to come up,” once the strong man comes up, command it to tell you it’s name, “In Jesus name what is your name?” Then command it to tell you who is under it, “In Jesus name, name every spirit/demon under your command.” Once it does that you can bind the weaker spirits to their captain/leader, (for example: In Jesus name, I bind manipulation, control, and bitterness to Jezebel right now). Then you simply cast out the strong man and all its little minions will go with it.
Witchcraft: When dealing with the occult, whether something the person has done themselves or their family or significant other has done before them, you sometimes have to be specific to break specific curses, rituals, spells, etc. in order to cast the demons out. Any form of witchcraft has the potential to be a legal right. Thankfully the blood of Jesus and the authority of the name of Jesus simply gives us the power to break these things. What demons often spend generations doing (scheming, planning, and entering into people’s lives) Jesus can destroy in the matter of a moment. When these situations come up, simply have the person repent of specific things they did, forgive family members or significant others for what they did to them, or when it is unknown command the demons to tell you what was done and then break the power of the spell, ritual, curse, etc. in the name of Jesus and by the power of His blood.
Total freedom: It often can take several hours or even multiple meetings that last several hours to get a person totally free. Be patient and encourage the person to be patient with themselves. Stay optimistic, focused, and in intimacy with the Holy Spirit as you do this.
Follow up and discipleship: This is one of the MOST important and undervalued steps. As exciting as deliverance can be for the person receiving freedom and the person ministering freedom, follow up is ESSENTIAL for fruitful deliverance ministry. In Matthew 12:43-45 we see Jesus giving wisdom for what happens to a person who has a spirit cast out of them but does not fill their “house” (their soul = mind, will, and emotions) with the Holy Spirit, God’s word, and healthy habits. Clearly, discipling people after deliverance was an issue when Jesus walked the earth too. There are three simple things you can do to help a person with this (ultimately it is their responsibility to do these things. You cannot want their freedom more than they do…)
Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill every space that was formerly filled with the evil spirits.
Encourage the person to have very intentional devotional time with God and spend significant amounts of time in God’s word and prayer especially after freedom. The demons WILL try to come back in.
If possible, try to meet with this person yourself or connect them with someone else they can meet with to do some discipleship with them to encourage them, teach them scripture, and help them stay accountable and free.
Finishing tips
Remember this is not an all inclusive guide to deliverance. Rather this is a basic guide that will be able to walk you through most basic deliverance ministry times. It is also very important that you walk right with God. I’ve found that once people begin casting demons out they can become a target for spiritual warfare. Imagine, the devil has been watching you sit on the sideline and all of a sudden you start taking out his soldiers! He is going to try to stop you. Thankfully the power of Jesus to protect us and sustain us is much greater than anything the devil can do against us. Even when spiritual attacks get intense we can abide in Christ knowing that He has the ultimate victory. Make sure you are keeping doors closed and are quickly repenting and quickly forgiving in every area of your heart. Walk humbly before God knowing that just because you are casting out demons in His name does not make you any better than anyone else, it’s all from Him and all for Him.
Lastly, stay intimate with God and go have fun casting demons out and ministering God’s heart to people. Just go find a friend or family member that has issues and give it your best shot! God loves you and is with you!