Deliverance: Controversy, Clarity, and the Call of Christ

The whole subject of deliverance is contentious, but what is it that makes it such a controversial issue? I believe there’s a massive misunderstanding about what deliverance truly is.

What springs to your mind when you hear that word? For some it might raise fear because of the realms which are mentioned. Perhaps there’s been an experience of abuse because of deliverance ministry. There is certainly a plethora of online content that is far from helpful in relation to deliverance - with shouting, pushing and even violence. It’s no wonder that people think ‘if this is what deliverance is I want nothing to do with it’. Then there is the question as to whether someone can even have a demon.  

Some have concluded that we’re far more sophisticated now, these things happen in countries where they are less educated, we’ve got beyond this idea of deliverance even being needed. But to whose benefit is this controversy? It is to Satan’s benefit! He wants to discredit and undermine this area of ministry because he understands full well the significance of it and the release it brings. He is trying to create two extremes where on the one hand, to not touch this with a barge pole and on the other to have a wholly unhealthy focus on the demonic where everything is attributed to the demonic. We recognise the reality that the demonic exists. ‘We do not fight against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of this dark age’, Ephesians 6:12 paraphrase. We need to avoid the extreme that nothing is demonic and to avoid the other extreme that says everything is demonic. Not every problem has a demonic root, but some do.

When we consider the subject of deliverance it is necessary to speak about the work of the enemy. However, that is not where we start nor where we finish. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to ‘run with perseverance the race that is set out before us, looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.’ Jesus is the one who is victorious, he is the one who is sovereign, he is on the throne right now, he is the name above every name, Philippians 2:10-11.

Jesus came to set the captives free. He gives us our mandate for deliverance. He told his disciples to make other disciples, teaching them to obey “everything that I have commanded you”. Matthew 10:8 says, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons”. 1 John 3:8 tells us, “The reason that the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil!” James 4:7 states “submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Perhaps we’ve focused on the latter part of that verse forgetting the first part. When we  submit to God, he gives us the power to resist the enemy. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober minded and watchful, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking somebody to devour.” We are to be alert to, not in fear of, what the enemy does. In Luke 10 Jesus sent out the 72. When they came back, they rejoiced at what they had seen. Jesus said, “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.“

One of the issues with this ministry is that those doing the deliverance can become the central focus. The posture of our heart in this ministry is to understand that our names are in heaven, that we are his, not that the demons are subject to us. Jesus needs to remain central. This is his ministry, his name, his power.

Another issue is the way in which we understand how demons influence Christians. A Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. We have a new master; we are Jesus’ possession. However, it is possible for Christians to be held by, influenced by, oppressed by a demon. Flame would say deliverance is for believers. In Luke 13 we find a woman with a disabling spirit which had kept her bound for 18 years. Jesus calls her a daughter of Abraham; she is part of the family of God. Some argue that if a believer is full of the Holy Spirit there is no room for a demon to be present. If this were the case there would be no place for evil in my heart either, but I know that I sin. There is evil in my heart, there is a battle going on, Romans 7. But sanctification is at work, as I surrender to Jesus the more I am freed from the things that bind me, of the flesh and the demonic! It is Flame’s practice to minister deliverance to believers.

We are warned in Ephesians 4:27, “Do not give the devil a foothold”. That is an opportunity. A foothold can quickly become a stronghold. Martin Luther stated, “You cannot prevent a bird from flying over your head, but you don’t need to let them build a nest in your hair.” Do not give the enemy a place to land. Do not open the door. The Enemy is a legalist. He can only be there if he has a right to be there. If we remove the right, he has nothing to hold on to and, having been bound, has to go, in Jesus’ name.

What about unbelievers? Jesus would often encounter the demonised. They would speak out and he would deal with the demon. With Legion in Luke 8, Mark 5 and Matthew 8, there is no indication the man was a believer prior to deliverance. Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of him, then he is delivered, and people find him afterwards dressed and in his right mind. Paul, in Acts 16, was being followed by a servant girl shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

There is a massive health warning here. This is not a licence to go out into the streets doing deliverance! We don’t have the authority to do that; it would be unwise. What do we see in scripture? Jesus and Paul are not seeking this out. The demonic manifests first and then it is dealt with. So, with this in mind we wouldn’t seek this out but if something of the demonic manifests in an unbeliever Jesus has equipped us to deal with it and then we need to fill the space by leading them to receive Jesus as Saviour and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Firstly, in Matthew 12 Jesus speaks about the house being swept clean and the demon wanders in the waterless places, comes back and finds the house clean and brings seven more evil than itself. Once the house has been emptied of the demon, fill it with the Spirit of God!

How might the enemy get a foothold in the life of a believer? There are 4 potential avenues in, but it is important to note that not every instance of these leads to demonic intrusion or influence.

The first is personal sin. We have a free will choice, but we do not decide what the consequences of those choices are. If we know that we are in deliberate disobedience we give the enemy a foothold. If we’re holding on to bitterness and unforgiveness we give the enemy a right. If we’re involved in immorality, if we’re watching pornography, that is an avenue in for the enemy. If we have cursed ourselves, “I’m useless” or “God does not love me”, we give the enemy a right to come and make those curses a reality.

Secondly - grief, trauma or accident can give the enemy a place to land. Unexpressed grief can fester and bind us in despair. Accident and trauma can grip us with a spirit of fear. Fear that it will happen again. We can be traumatised by something we have seen or watched online. Perhaps we watched horror movies, and those images literally haunt us.

The third way is through another’s sin towards us such as abuse. This causes ungodly linking. Have you ever encountered someone who was in an abusive relationship? They get out of that relationship and then shortly afterwards find themselves back in another abusive relationship. A spiritual flag goes up to say that this person is a victim. This is spiritual bondage from the enemy.

The fourth is through generational iniquity, things passed down the family line. Perhaps our forebears were involved in witchcraft, freemasonry, new age, false religion or occult practice. With freemasonry, foul and demonic oaths are made which have a devastating impact on the generations to come. These give the enemy a hold through generational iniquity.

Therefore, the four entry points could be something done by us, something done to us, something experienced by us or something handed down to us.

How can we move to a place of freedom? Firstly, this is all about the work that Jesus did on the cross. It is his victory, his power, his blood and through him we can overcome. Jesus came to destroy the works of the evil one. This is not where equal and opposite forces of good and evil fight it out, it’s not even close. The enemy does have power, and we must not underestimate that, but ‘he who is in us is greater than he that is in the world’, 1 John 4:4. The enemy is limited. He is finite, he is limited in power, limited in location, limited in knowledge, limited in time. God by comparison is infinite, unlimited, unconstrained.

We minister in supernatural love for the person in front of us. They are not a project, not something to demonstrate the power we have over the enemy (remember Jesus’ words to the returning 72). They are someone created in the image of God, dearly loved and in need of his deliverance.

If we remove the enemies legal right to hold the person, they can be set free. We do this through confession, repentance and forgiveness. James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to one another.” There is great power when we speak these things out, indeed James goes on to say that the prayer of a righteous man has a powerful effect. We need to repent. We cannot expect to be free from something if we’re not willing to let go of ungodly behaviour. We must also forgive - forgiveness releases people from bondage. When we bring it into the light it robs the enemy of his power to accuse. If the issue is abuse or generational influences, then the ungodly linking needs cutting. Having a demon, this we bind in Jesus’ name and can command it off in Jesus’ name. There is no need to shout, there is no need to push. If there is reluctance and resistance it could be an indication that there is still a legal right for the enemy to hold. So, pause and gently ask some questions to bring whatever it is into the light. We need Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom and discernment. We recognise that it’s God’s power at work, Zachariah 4:6. It’s his power not our effort. We then need to fill the space with Holy Spirit.

We want to see deliverance become a natural part of what we do within our ministry. That the church rediscovers Jesus’ command to cast out. We seek to normalise this, because this is what Jesus is asking us to do. To see the Kingdom of God advance, to see prisoners set free, to see those who were once bound released and living in freedom.

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