Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form.

Part 28 – The Purpose of the Application Form

This is the 28th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. You can access the rest of the articles by clicking here.

 

The application form I use asks a number of questions that provide an array of potential areas and sources of bondage. Rather than discover things piecemeal during ministry sessions, I have found it is better to have a snapshot of your life up front. We will still need to rely on the Holy Spirit regarding how to use this information and how to proceed during our sessions.

After signing the previously mentioned waivers and reading the introductory information about commitment, etc., you will be asked to provide background information about yourself. This includes your family, educational, medical, marital, and spiritual background information, any of which may give insights into your current situation. Next, you will be asked to check off any of eighteen different possible areas of struggle that led you to seek ministry. The next sections ask you to identify any parental history that might be connected to your situation. Following that you will be asked to check off any areas of dysfunction that you can identify in your family. This may not sound like much fun, but it is interesting and enlightening. Following that, you will be asked three questions which will require more in depth answers, before moving on to fill in your family tree, as much as you know, going back to your great grandparents.

The next section may take you a while. It is an extensive list of potential bondage areas. You will be asked to circle any that apply to your family and indicate whether it refers to you personally or to some family member. All I need is the relationship, such as uncle on mother’s side, not a name. The purpose of this section is to help identify areas of generational devastation. Following that, there is a brief list of questions regarding your birth. Lastly, you will be asked to check off any of the listed personal belief statements that seem to fit. To properly complete this section, please rely on your heart level response, not a theological answer. Many times we believe lies at the heart level that we know intellectually to be false. This section will help me to identify deeply embedded lies that we may need to address.

In all there are twelve pages to this application form. This will be part of your upfront commitment to the process. If I am willing to commit to spending hours of my time working with you, it is reasonable for me to ask you to invest your time in preparation. When you complete the form, please email me either the MS Word or PDF version prior to our first session. You will need to obtain the form from me.

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Part 27: Safeguards for Those Receiving Personal Prayer Ministry

This is the 27th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. If you want to read the associated articles, please click here.

 

Why being a part of a local church is so important if you are receiving PPM…

PPM should be considered as an adjunct of your local church’s ministry. By that, I mean that it should only be done with the knowledge and consent of your pastor. Of course, all of us are free to pursue ministry on our own, but if you are serious about maintaining a proper relationship with your pastor, you should inform him of what you are doing. He or she has a responsibility for your welfare and would want to know. On my part, I would consider counseling a member of another church without the pastor’s consent and blessing to be a breach of etiquette and trust.

The last thing I or any minister wants to do is go against the grain of the counsel and care you already may be receiving.

If you are not an active part of a local church, or are in a church where you do not fully trust or engage with its leadership, we need to talk further before continuing. Although I have done PPM with people not solidly connected with a local church, experience has taught me that it is far from ideal and probably will not produce the greatest results.

The local church will be in your life line after our PPM sessions are completed. It provides a loving atmosphere of support and counsel. The church (as a group of people following Jesus, not simply a building, formal organization, or denomination) is God’s invention for taking care of his sheep. Local churches have people called by God and committed to providing proper oversight and care for our souls. Also, people who are not under the care and protection of a local church usually do not make the best candidates for PPM, since what is often behind going it alone is either a deeply seated independence or wound from the church. PPM might help you get at the root of such a problem; so, I would not completely rule out the possibility of working with you. At some point, for the ministry to continue forward and to get the best long-term results, you would be strongly encouraged to connect with a local church.

Limited Confidentiality

Since we work with local church leadership, we reserve the right to share appropriately with that leadership, if need be.

This does not mean that we are in the habit of disclosing personal details of your history, but it does mean that if something comes up that local church leadership should know about, we will be free to inform them.

For example, if it comes out that sex abuse or other forms of abuse are taking place, the church leadership should know. Anything that would affect the church as a whole would be shared with church leadership. On a less serious level, if you are part of a good local church, whose leaders you love and trust, why would you not want them involved? The ideal situation is when the PPM minister can give the local church pastor a report of progress, with as much detail as would be a blessing. Details of past sins and abuse are not a blessing to share. Breakthroughs in healing are. When appropriate, sometimes the church pastor might sit in on the session. Everything would be done with the consent of the one receiving ministry. If you are not comfortable with your local church leadership knowing important aspects of your PPM sessions, this is probably not for you.

From our point of view as PPM ministers, we never want to be placed in a situation in which we know crucial information that could affect the health and well-being of the local church and not be able to share it. Therefore, before engaging in PPM, we require that you sign off on limited confidentiality.

Waiver of Liability

PPM is not “professional” counseling. It is a ministry of the church under the direction of the Holy Spirit in alignment with God’s Word. PPM ministers in good faith do the best they can and are not liable for the effects of the ministry.

If you want professional counseling by a board certified psychologist or psychiatrist, PPM is not for you. If you want Spirit-led ministry from a minister committed to adhering to the truths and principles in the Bible, we might be able to help.

Sometimes people receiving ministry actually take an initial emotional “downturn” as they begin to confront long suppressed pain and bitterness. This certainly is not usually the case, but can happen when dealing with buried traumatic inner hurts. It is possible, though not probable, that you may walk out of a PPM session with more questions and pain than you felt upon entering. This can happen when we fearlessly allow Jesus to enter into long buried pain and memories. It sometimes requires patience to get to the bottom of things. On a positive note, l have yet to see anyone experience long-term bad results from PPM. Once people get past any potential short-term pain and confusion, under a physician’s care if appropriate, the Lord will take you on to healing and deliverance, if you persevere. It takes courage to confront a painful past, which is why most never do. Even though most people do not experience anything very troubling or negative, we require a signed waiver of liability from everyone receiving ministry simply as a prudent course of action in a litigation happy culture.

The next article will discuss the application process.

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How to Maintain Our Spiritual Freedom

This is the 26th article in the series entitled Wonderful Counseling. You can access the rest of the articles by clicking here.

 

When Jesus sets us free from any kind of oppression, we have a responsibility to fight to keep that freedom.

Our Lord warned us that demons, which have been cast out, seek to reenter a person to bring them into worse bondage than before, which is the last thing any of us should want.

"Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44  "Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45  "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation." Matthew 12:43-45 (NASB)

We learn several things from the above passage.

  • Evil spirits find “rest” in human bodies, which motivate them to seek entrance.
  • We should expect “counter attacks” after we are set free.
  • We have a responsibility to fill our hearts and minds with thoughts, words, and songs related to the Lord so that there is no room for a demonic “re-infestation”.

Paul gave us a wonderful way to “inoculate” ourselves against demonization.

...be filled with the Spirit, 19  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20  always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; Ephesians 5:18-20 (NASB)

In other words, the best defense is often a great offense.

If we fill our minds, hearts,  mouths, and activities with God, there will be little room for the devil.

We should be careful to make no place for the devil. (Ephesians 4:27) We cannot afford to coddle sin. It is important for us to develop good habits, which include regular Bible reading and study, prayer, worship, fasting, and speaking God’s promises and truths out loud.

We also have a responsibility to put on the “spiritual armor” provided by God by faith.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15  and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17  And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, Ephesians 6:10-18 (NASB)

Here are the main points.

  • We can only stand in the power of God’s might, truth, and authority, not our own.
  • Don’t be naive. God has a plan for your life, but the devil has plenty of schemes to bring us down.
  • Even though the weakness of the “flesh” is a real enemy that must be resisted, our ultimate battle is against spiritual wickedness, which requires us to use spiritual weapons.
  • We must know and stand upon the truth of our imputed righteousness in Christ. Condemnation is one of the most insidious weapons of the enemy. He will use it to try to destroy our peace and confidence in God. There is no condemnation in Christ. (Romans 8:1, John 5:24)
  • Being active in sharing our faith is actually one of our best weapons against the enemy.
  • Faith in God and his promises shields us from enemy attacks.
  • God’s truth also guards our minds from deception and fear.
  • The sword of the Spirit is God’s truth found in the Bible. We can do great damage to Satan’s kingdom by proclaiming God’s Word.
  • Prayer is an important defense against Satan’s strategies. As we submit to God in prayer, we can effectively resist the enemy.
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." 7  Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:6-8 (NASB)

God encourages the grace of humility as a defense against the devil. Peter proudly announced his unfailing loyalty to Jesus before denying him three times. Don’t let pride open the door to the devil.

God wants us to be ruthless in defending our freedom. We must cut off those things that try to bring us into bondage, rather than be double-minded about it.

"If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. Matthew 5:30 (NASB)

This is a matter of our choice, as we rely on the motivation and power of the Holy Spirit to help us fight against evil.

Just as political liberty demands constant vigilance, it is a fight of faith to maintain our freedom in the spirit, too.

The are enslaving agents working relentlessly that must be warded off and defeated.

We also have to be vigilant against what the Bible calls the “flesh”. The “flesh” is that part of us still linked to the old creation in Adam because our bodies have not yet been resurrected. It lurks in the background, waiting for us to become tired, discouraged, disillusioned, or maybe overconfident; so, that it can try to rear its ugly head and lead us into sin. The flesh never reforms. It was crucified and rendered powerless to rule us by Christ, but we still can allow it to have power, if we like. This is a battle between flesh and spirit referred to by Paul.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:16-17 (NASB)

(You can read more about this subject by clicking here.)

This is not to say that we should be afraid that our slightest failure will result in demonization. However, we should not assume that reengaging in old sinful patterns will not result in our going into bondage again, either. We should have a wholesome fear of the Lord.

Maintaining short accounts with the Lord is always a good idea, too. We should make it a practice to quickly repent when we do sin, knowing that, no matter what, we always have access to the throne of grace to find help from God, especially in our time of need. Don’t fall for the lie that we must earn our way back to God.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB)

Finding a trusted and loving person with whom we can share our struggles can help immensely. This should be a person who will speak truthfully to us as a loving friend and confidant, with whom we can be honest about our struggles, defeats, and victories. This should be a person who will pray for us, ask us how we are doing, and be unafraid to ask pointed questions, and who will guard our confidences. Obviously, we should avoid using anyone who is a known gossip or who is so merciful that he or she would never confront. Except in the case of spouses, these persons should be of the same gender as we are.

To summarize, we should expect the devil to be a relentless enemy who will not easily give up. Be prepared for the battle and take proactive steps to defend what God has done to set us free. Always rely on God’s strength and power. Never allow condemnation to put a wedge between you and God. Keep short accounts and develop good spiritual habits. Put on God’s armor by faith and go on the offense.

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Why Everyone Needs to Be Disillusioned

Disillusionment is sometimes associated with betrayal. At other times it is connected with naivete. Whatever the immediate reason for our disillusionment, somewhere we had expectations that were dashed.

Humorous (for us, but painful for them) examples of disillusionment can be seen on old episodes of auditions for the TV show, American Idol. (Note the title, which itself is an illusion.) Every season people who thought they were great singers were unceremoniously told that they could not sing by the judges. Someone had led these contestants to believe that they had great voices, and they believed it. They suffered under the illusion that they were wonderful, when they were actually awful. The judges disillusioned them. They were forced to face the truth about their singing ability. Many of them became angry and lashed out at the judges, declaring they did not know what they were doing. It was funny in one way, but tragic in another. In the last analysis, it was very necessary. Now they could get on with their lives rather than waste their time in the pursuit of a fantasy.

Most of us serve illusions of one sort or another, about ourselves, others, marriage, work, God…  While counseling young couples who are preparing for marriage, I usually tell them that the man hopes his wife to be will never change, but the woman hopes to change her man. They both likely will be disappointed, or disillusioned. We try to put our best foot forward during the dating or courting process. After we tie the knot, we tend to relax into our “normal” way of doing things, which may be a surprise to the spouse. Sometimes young couples go into a marriage expecting that their spouses will be responsible for certain things, as they saw modeled in the home in which they grew up. I often ask the couple during counseling, “Who will clean the bathroom?” “Who will handle the finances?” “Who will wash the dishes?” “Who will do the cooking?” Where will you spend Christmas? Thanksgiving? Do you want children? How many? You get the point. These are things to talk about ahead of marriage to avoid unwelcome surprises.

We all tend to be deceptive and become deceived. Women wear make up to create an illusion of beauty that is not naturally there. We all tend to “put our best foot forward” in order to help (deceive?) people to like or accept us. But if we get people to like the illusion we project, do they really like us? We are afraid they will not like the real us, so we become hypocrites of the best (worst?) sort. I have always said that true friends know what we are really like, but love us anyway. What a relief to let go of pretenses! It is delightful to meet and relate to truly honest people, even if it makes us a little uncomfortable.

Many, if not all, of us, have illusions about God. It is popular today to imagine that God is all love – that he would never condemn anyone to hell. But that is not the God of the Bible, is it? When God revealed himself to Moses, he told him that his name is “I Am Who I Am.” Not “I Am Who You Want Me to Be.” This is very important, because, if we serve our illusion of God but not the real God, are we not idolators? Jesus is the Truth, not an illusion created by us to match what we want God to be. A big part of life, especially for the disciple, is coming to terms with who God really is and surrendering completely to him.

Many disciples have illusions about ministry, too. We receive a “call” from God to serve him, but we often imagine what that will look like based on what we have seen others do. We may end up pursuing God’s real call on our lives or our imagination of what that should be. As you have already guessed, if we pursue an illusion, eventually we will become disillusioned.

I remember when we first launched what was then called Liberty Church here in Burlington, NC, I had my five and ten year plans. I had been taught to treat the church somewhat like a business in that regard. (We did not start that way, but over time as the home church in Greensboro grew, we resorted to worldly ideas. That was serving an illusion for sure because the church is not a business.) I had the illusion that we would quickly grow to the 400 number and would need a building to accommodate that crowd. Thirty-four years later I now realize that in reality I have grace to be a small church pastor because that is what I have always been.

Whatever grace is upon our lives will produce fruit in keeping with that grace, not in keeping with some illusion we have.

I am much happier now just being who God created and gifted me to be, instead of reaching for an illusion that was always just beyond my grasp.

Illusions can work just the opposite, too. Some people labor under the illusion of inability and incompetence instead of believing that God can and will use them to do his work. Moses was just such a man. Early in life, Moses felt called or sensed the inner desire to help the Israelites. He tried doing it in his own way, but was quickly thwarted and disillusioned. He fled to the desert where he spent decades tending sheep for this father-in-law on the back side of the desert. Then one day God appeared to him and commissioned him to go back to Egypt and liberate a nation. Moses came up with excuse after excuse. He had been so disillusioned in himself that he had lost faith in God.

We are never to allow our disillusionment to spill over into unbelief.

God wants disillusionment to spur us on to pursue him and the truth. We want to move from self-confidence to God confidence.

Illusions are a type of lie that the Bible calls a “stronghold.”

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)

Beginning with Adam and Eve, mankind has shown a propensity for believing lies. Satan knows this and is a master deceiver. Jesus identified him as the “father of lies.”

In general, people accept lies more easily then they do the truth.

One salacious slander is usually more easily believed than a hundred truthful protestations of innocence. Knowing this, politicians use smear campaigns to “dirty up” their opponents.  People remember the dirt, even if it is later refuted. Sadly, once people make up their minds, it can be very difficult or impossible to change them. Delaware Senator Joe Biden and company pulled this ugly trick on Clarence Thomas during his Supreme Court nomination. Everyone should read Judge Thomas’ biography to see what this man had to overcome on the road to greatness.

To be blunt, illusions are lies. If we believe a lie, we need to be disillusioned.

Disillusionment takes place when it becomes evident to us that the lie we once believed is not true.

This can be very traumatic. Some people never recover; while others are able to learn from their mistakes and move forward. Can you imagine how difficult and it would be for a college professor who built his or her entire career on promoting Darwinism and evolution to come to terms with the truth of intelligent design and specific creation?

There are perils and benefits to being disillusioned. Jesus’ disciples, like us, needed to be disillusioned in certain areas. They had false ideas about Jesus’ mission and their roles in God’s kingdom. Despite the fact that Jesus repeatedly warned them that he would be crucified and rise again, his disciples were not able or willing to process that reality and expected him to lead a glorious revolution against Roman oppression. When the truth finally dawned on them, it was very painful. In their pain and confusion, all of them except John deserted the Lord at least temporarily.

When we are afraid to confront truth, it makes it probable that we will adopt a convenient illusion.

The Benefits of Peter’s Disillusionment

Just before his passion, Jesus told his followers that they would be scattered when he embraced his assigned destiny to die as God’s Lamb.

Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32  But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33  Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34  Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35  Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. Matthew 26:31-35 (ESV)

Peter believed a lie about Jesus’ destiny, and he held on to false beliefs about himself, too. He imagined that he was much stronger and more faithful to Jesus than he actually was. His confidence was based on trust in his own strength and convictions. He was proud and due for a fall, and he was not alone. The other disciples said the same thing, but Jesus chose Peter to be an example to us all.

When Jesus was first taken captive in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter sprang into action, just as he promised Jesus that he would. He took his sword and attacked those who came to arrest Jesus, cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Jesus commanded him to put away his sword and healed the wounded man. (Matthew 26:52-56)

It was one thing to die defending Jesus, but quite another to find out that Jesus had no intention of resisting those who came to kill him. Peter was ready to die fighting, but apparently not prepared to die without a fight, as Jesus did. Peter was disillusioned: he learned that following Jesus was not what he thought. His confusion led to his denying the Lord three times.

Why did Jesus call Peter out on this earlier, when he prophesied that before the rooster crowed he would deny him three times? I believe it was to help Peter hang on by faith after the denial. Knowing that Jesus knew in advance about his coming failure must have given Peter hope. Jesus did not reject Peter for his faithlessness under fire. Luke’s account of the incident adds some important details.

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32  but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33  Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34  Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” Luke 22:31-34 (ESV)

Knowing that God selected us to belong to him, despite knowing all about our sins and weaknesses in advance, should give us all great hope, just as it did Peter.

Peter needed to be disillusioned. He needed to find out that he was not everything he thought he was. He needed to discover that God loved him despite his sins and weaknesses. Disillusionment brought humility.

I feel sure that Peter was never the same afterward. His faith in himself was less, but his faith in the grace and mercy of God was far greater.

The Peril of Judas’ Disillusionment

Judas was another disciple who became disillusioned, but he did not benefit from it. His idea of who Jesus was (and is) and what it meant to be his follower was overthrown. He gradually realized that Jesus was not on a trajectory to acquire wealth, power, and fame (of which he would be sure to share). Rather, he apparently became offended at Jesus’ disregard for money, when Mary anointed him with expensive oil prior to his death. It was just after that pivotal event that Judas agreed to betray Jesus for a fee. The sad part is that Judas never found room for repentance. His disillusionment led to his destruction.

What we do when we are confronted with the truth makes all the difference.

Principles for Handling Disillusionment

Following these principles can help us to profit during the times when we become disillusioned. Otherwise, we may become permanently embittered and disabled by disillusionment.

  • Decide to follow Jesus, no matter what. Following Christ means we surrender ourselves to his Lordship. This means we give up control over our lives, choices, and destinies. If we live a surrendered life, it will help us to hang on faithfully to Jesus, even should things get painful and confusing to us. Disillusionment will not rock the world of a surrendered person. We know we are serving a person who ultimately controls everything and is working all things for our good and his glory. (Romans 8:28)
  • Become well acquainted with the Bible. Disillusionment becomes necessary when we believe a lie. We can insulate ourselves from deception by embracing the truth of God’s Word. If we value truth above all else, we will be thankful when God delivers us from believing a lie.
  • Develop the habit of being thankful. Thankfulness reveals a heart that is humble and surrendered. The Bible teaches us that thankfulness glorifies God. (Ephesians 5:20) God works in and through disillusionment for our benefit, if we keep our eyes on the Lord. Thank God for any area in which you are struggling. You will experience a new measure of God’s grace when you do.
  • Expect to encounter suffering and tribulation in life. One of the greatest illusions many Christians face is that following Christ should be trouble free. Quite the contrary, God uses suffering and pressure to make us more like Jesus. Those who are ready for such things will find it much easier when suffering arrives on the scene. (1 Thessalonians 3:3)

Prayer

Jesus, you are the Truth. Thank you that you are leading me into more and more truth. Please deliver me from any area in my life in which I believe a lie. Help me to pass through every period of disillusionment and come out on the other side a stronger and more devoted follower. Help my faith not to fail, Lord. I give you thanks for how you are working all things together for good in my life. May I bring glory to your name. Amen

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How to Cast Out Evil Spirits

This is the 25th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. You can access the rest of the articles by clicking here.

 

Evil spirits are master intimidators and inveterate liars. They will use every trick in the book to convince us that we have no ability or right to get rid of them. The usual shenanigans include telling us that they are too strong for us, are not going to do what we tell them, have a right to be there, or to try to convince us that we have some area of personal sin that disqualifies us from ministry. For t his reason, before every ministry session I spend time declaring aloud and reminding myself, the person(s) with whom I am working, the Lord, and any demons present that my righteousness is derived solely from Christ, not my own performance; my authority is Christ’s authority, and I am his personal representative; and Jesus is Lord over the ministry session (and everything else). I also invite the Holy Spirit to oversee everything and ask him to work in and through me to help the other person.

If setting people free from demonic oppression depended on my righteousness or my authority, I would fail, but since it solely depends on Christ, I will succeed, and so will you.

This means that evil spirits must do what we command them to do in Christ’s name. We don’t have to raise our voices or struggle in any fashion. We don’t need a band of strong men to hold down a demonized person. If we resort to such tactics, it reveals that we think that the battle is ours instead of the Lord’s and have been deceived from the very start.

The Theology of Deliverance

The theology of deliverance is simple. When Jesus died and rose again, he stripped Satan of his authority and right rule over humans.

He certainly removed the devil’s right to oppress people who are submitted to Christ.

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14  having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Colossians 2:13-15 (NASB)  

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. Luke 9:1 (NASB) 

These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; Mark 16:17 (NASB)

Jesus defeated Satan when he died and rose again. Drawing upon that future victory, Jesus empowered his disciples to minister in his name even before he went to the cross. How much more can we who live in the aftermath of the resurrection do the same!

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18  And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19  "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20  "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." Luke 10:17-20 (NASB)

Today, post-resurrection, we are in “mopping up” operations in which we are enforcing the victorious reality of Christ’s lordship. As representatives of Christ, we speak and minister in his name, releasing his authority. It is the Holy Spirit’s responsibility to back up our words with God’s power. Let me repeat this essential point.

We proclaim Christ’s victory over demonic oppression, thereby releasing his authority to set captives free. The Holy Spirit then enforces what we say and makes it happen. He is the power behind the authority.

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:28 (NASB)

Casting out demons is a clear sign of the presence of God’s kingdom. Unless we understand that the Spirit is the power behind Christ’s authority, we may resort to using fleshly means to try to cast out spirits, much to the devil’s delight.

Getting Ready

During a ministry session, we should depend on the Holy Spirit to give us insight, wisdom, discernment, and whatever else may be needed. I recommend asking him to be in charge of the session. Next, bind any evil spirits in Christ’s name, commanding them aloud not to act out in any way that might hinder or distract from Christ’s work. I tell them to keep quiet and not manifest in any way, unless by permission of Christ. If we do this, we will eliminate any showy demonic displays that are intended to provoke fear and confusion. In addition, having prayed in such a way, if a demon manifests or is otherwise discerned or detected, I assume that it is God revealing to us that it is time to deal with it. Remember, demons are never the main attraction. Instead, we should be far more interested in discerning how they got there, what has kept them there, and in helping the people to whom we minister repent and renounce whatever opened the door to demonization in the first place.

Depending on the Spirit’s Guidance

Once a demon and its entry point have been discerned with the Holy Spirit’s help and any sinful behavior or beliefs renounced, it is time to cast out the evil spirit.

Jesus and Paul cast out spirits without going through these steps, but I am not usually in the marketplace when this ministry happens, as they were. I have the luxury of being able to take the necessary time to get to the root of the matter. I suppose this is another example of what the Bible calls a “variety” of ministries in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians12:5) Once again, I believe we should never simply assume that we know what to do.

Always ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Thinking we know what to do, simply because our doctrine is correct or we have ministry experience is potentially harmful.

King David knew how to fight battles, but when he went up against the Philistine armies, he asked God for a specific strategy. (2 Samuel 5:22-25) We should do the same.

Steps to Deliverance

  1. Lead the person to confess and renounce any sin, wrong belief, generational sin, occult involvement, etc. that opened the door to demonic oppression.
  2. Ask the person to submit to Christ. Salvation is all about lordship. James wrote that the first step toward resisting the devil is to surrender to Christ the Lord. (James 4:7) We should lead the person who needs deliverance to pray a simple prayer of surrender to Jesus the Lord, especially in the area where the evil spirit has been oppressing him or her.
  3. Proclaim Christ’s victory over all the power of the enemy and over the particular spirit and area of oppression in focus. Remember: the gospel is a proclamation of Christ’s victory and Lordship which includes an invitation to be forgiven and set free from everything that has held us captive. (Acts 13:39) Saying it aloud is important. (Isaiah 61:1 and Colossians 2:15) We have no reason to think Satan can read our minds. Using our voice is crucial in gaining freedom. God uses the authority of the spoken word, enforced by the power of the Holy Spirit, to cast out evil spirits.
  4. Command any oppressive spirits to leave in Christ’s name and authority. Expect them to obey because they must.

Dealing with Obstacles

Occasionally we will encounter an obstinate demon, who apparently refuses to bend the knee to our command. There could be a couple of reasons. The first thing to do is ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Secondly, perhaps, there is yet some “hook” that we failed to discern and renounce, which the Holy Spirit wants us to address. Thirdly, ask the person receiving ministry if there is anything yet not covered. Fourthly, it might be profitable to bind the demon to speak the truth and and ask it why it thinks it can stay. The answer might be illuminating for further ministry. Always be aware that whatever a demon says, since there is no truth in the devil, has to be judged in light of God’s Word and the witness of God’s Spirit. If another layer of sin, pain, deception, or generational devastation is uncovered, address it as before. Then go through the deliverance process again. Here is a list of potential obstacles.

  • Unconfessed secret sin or vow
  • Undiscovered generational sin
  • Unconfessed or unrenounced occult involvement
  • Agreement with a lie
  • Pride – “My” demon is so strong that not just anyone can cast it out.

Remember: there is nothing a person may have done that can effectively block deliverance. It is all a smokescreen.

Always be aware that the demon simply is being obstinate and testing our faith and resolve. In this case, let us remember that the battle is the Lord’s, not ours. When I encounter this sort of thing, I use the approach of turning the evil spirit over to Jesus for him to deal with as he sees fit. I am not going to waste my time arguing or struggling with a disobedient demon.

How do we know when the evil spirit has departed?

The Holy Spirit operates in and through individuals in a variety of ways. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7) In my case, I often have an inner confirmation from the Holy Spirit when a spirit leaves. I don’t know how to describe it except that it seems to be a kind of inner “whoosh.” I am sure that this is not helpful to you at all, which is good, because the last thing we need to do is try to copy someone else. God can confirm that a spirit has been cast out in any number of ways. First of all, remember that we do not even need a confirmation. We operate by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) However, thankfully, God may give us an inner or external confirmation. Often the person receiving ministry feels deliverance happening or senses the result of a spirit having left, as in a sense of release, joy, freedom, peace, etc. A minister may “see” it leave through spiritual discernment. (1 Corinthians 12:10) The person being delivered might have some sort of physical manifestation, such as coughing, gagging, etc. Regardless, we base our faith in God’s Word, whether we see any evidence or not. Demons must obey our commands given in Christ’s name. Period.

I remember a case when a person who was delivered approached me a few days later to let me know how much “lighter” she felt. In the aftermath of deliverance, she realized how much the spirit had previously affected her, even though she had been oblivious to its presence. If there is no immediate outward or inward confirmation, ask the Holy Spirit if anything more needs to be done. If everything is clear on his end, simply move on, trusting God to confirm the deliverance in whatever way or time he sees fit.

Deliverance requires faith and is usually a partnership between the one receiving ministry, the minister, and the Holy Spirit.

That is why it is very important to do whatever teaching is required up front so that the person receiving ministry has faith in the efficacy of Christ’s triumph, our authority to speak in Christ’s name, and the Holy Spirit’s power. We want to leave no room for doubt or hesitancy.

My next article will conclude this section with talking about what to do after deliverance.

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Release from Demonic Oppression: Biblical Names of Common Demons

 

This is the 24th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. To access the rest of the articles, click here.

 

A once popular book, Pigs in the Parlor, presented a model which taught ministers to look for demons behind almost every resistant spiritual problem people might experience. In contrast, the Bible only acknowledges a relatively small group of demon names. If we are going to be properly cautious and biblical, I believe we would do well limit ourselves to calling demons by biblical names. For example, there is no biblical precedent for calling an evil spirit a demon of nicotine addiction. This does not mean that demons cannot contribute to such an addiction. I am sure they do, but being so specific is not found in the Bible.

As mentioned before, demons oppress people in a variety of ways, using fear, intimidation, and deception. Below are the names given to these spirits by the Bible.

  • Demon (daimonion) – Matthew 7:22. This is the general term.
  • Evil Spirit (pneuma poneros) – Matthew 12:45. This is also a general term. All demons are evil. This goes for ghosts, poltergeists, etc. There is no Casper the friendly ghost. Don’t be deceived by the current fad of ghost busting. To learn more about this, consider reading Seeing Ghosts through God’s Eyes by Mark Hunnemann.
  • Unclean Spirit (pneuma akathartos) – Matthew 10:1. This is another general term, but one we in the West do not often use. The opposite of clean or holy is unclean or defiled. Unclean spirits defile what they touch. Jesus, the Clean One, cleanses unclean people with a touch. Part of his ministry was and is to drive out spirits of uncleanness.
  • Spirit of Infirmity, Weakness, or Sickness (pneuma astheneia) – Luke 13:11. Some sicknesses and diseases are caused by evil spirits. We must discern whether we are dealing with a “simple” sickness or one that is demonically induced. One requires healing. The other, deliverance.
  • Spirit of Fear, Timidity, or Cowardice (pneuma deilia) – 2 Timothy 1:7. Some spirits inspire fear in those they oppress. Spirits can only minister to others who they are and what they have. Perfect love (Jesus) drives out all fear.
  • Spirit of Python, Fortune Telling, Divination (pneuma puthon) – Acts 16:16. Evil spirits inspire false prophecy and other forms of divination (knowing things by means of an evil source). This is one reason why we must steer clear of demonically inspired sources of information, which include Ouija boards, fortune telling tarot cards, astrology, etc.. Satan always desires to bring people into bondage through false knowledge. He will reveal just enough truth to hook people, but his ultimate desire is to enslave and destroy us by means of clever lies.
  • Spirit of Slavery (pneuma douleia) – Romans 8:15. This spirit keeps people in bondage, often through fear and intimidation. Addictions may be at least partly caused by such a spirit. I believe these spirits are also at work in false religions and legalism.
  • Spirit of Antichrist (pneuma antichristos) – 1 John 4:3. This is the spirit behind false worship and false messiahs. It denies Christ and inspires others to do the same.
  • Spirit of Stupor (pneuma katanuxis) – Romans 11:8. This spirit seeks to dull people’s ability to hear and respond to God and the Gospel. When people start nodding off when anything spiritual is happening, it might be because of this spirit. Of course, they might be suffering from a lack of sleep, too.
  • Lying Spirit (ruach sheqer) – 2 Chronicles 18:22. This spirit works to keep people deceived. Some people are motivated by this spirit to lie. Others are lied to by this spirit. In the biblical example cited, lying spirits inspired false prophets to lie to the king to induce him to take a course of action that would result in his death. Today perhaps the legacy media is the closest parallel.

What evil spirits do according to the Bible.

  • Afflict – to apply pressure
  • Harass – to distress or trouble
  • Dispirit – to throw down
  • Oppress – to exercise power over
  • Torment –  to make a person hurt himself and cry out
  • Inflict physical problems – such as sickness, deafness, blindness, muteness, seizures
  • Try to destroy – such as throw someone into a fire
  • Make insane – such as the Gerasene demoniac
  • Unclean spirit – Afflicts with impurity, sexual or otherwise
  • Terrify – to fall upon, startle, terrify (Saul)

When we minister, one of our responsibilities is to accurately discern and diagnose what are the sources of the bondage being experienced by the people we seek to help.

If we discern the operation of an evil spirit, it is very helpful to comprehend the nature and scope of that spirit’s oppressive influence. Some believe it is necessary to name spirits by an exact name, such as when Jesus cast “Legion” out of the demoniac. This however was the exception, not the rule. Usually Jesus simply commanded the spirit using a generic name, such as unclean spirit.

We can depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what we need to know and do.

Remember, demons by nature are liars and manipulators; so, be extremely careful when extracting information from them in a ministry session.

Once we know exactly what spirits we are dealing with and how they gained access to the person, we are ready to lead him or her through the deliverance process, which will be the subject of the next article.

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Release from Demonic Oppression: Diagnosis Demons

 

This is the 23rd article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. To access the rest of the series, click here.

 

Have you ever sensed the presence of a demon or evil spirit? How did you do it? Was it a feeling? Something said? Something you saw? Were you sure about what you discerned, or did you merely have a suspicion? Being able to accurately discern the presence and activity of the demonic in people’s lives is a very important aspect of helping them find freedom. Trying to cast out what is not there is an exercise in frustration and confusion. Failing to discern a demon can leave it in place to continue its harassment of the individual.

Demons in general prefer to be hidden. They also sometimes can be quite bold. I remember once when a young man looked me in the eye and said that the demon in him was going to jump on me. I suppose he did this to try to intimidate me in some way, but it didn’t work. Demons use fear and intimidation when they can no longer hide. One deception is for them to pose as being too strong for the ordinary follower of Christ to handle, but we will get to that in more detail in a future article on how to cast them out.

There are two general approaches to diagnosing the presence of demons.  The first is to assume that demons should be the first thing we look for as a cause of sinful behavior or oppression. The opposing view, which I prefer, is to look for demons last of all, unless there is some reason to think otherwise. In my experience in counseling, demons are rarely the main event. They may seek to block or distract us from continuing along the road to genuine healing and deliverance. I also believe that demons get blamed for things that are more rightly attributed to the “flesh,” a lack of proper repentance and teaching, embedded lies, unhealed pain, and generational issues.

Demons, however, often lurk in the midst of the snarls of interconnected bondage issues, and we should not be surprised to find them.

In fact, I have had more dealings with demons while engaging in Personal Prayer Ministry than at any other time. This is because PPM goes to roots of bondage, where demons try to hide.

One of my most humorous episodes with a demon occurred just after my opening prayer in a ministry session. The person awaiting ministry clearly heard in his spirit a voice say, “I am not going to leave either!” We both laughed and cast out the spirit, deeming that the Lord was showing us that it was time for it to go. Probably the most interesting deliverance in my experience took place over the phone. A demonized person I had never met called to ask if I cast out demons. We talked a bit and set up a time to get together in person. (This man had attended one of our small groups; so, it was not totally “out of the blue.”) Before ending the call, I asked if I could pray for God’s protection over him until then. As I prayed in English, I felt a strong desire to pray in tongues. I asked him if that would be okay, to which he readily agreed. As I prayed in the Spirit, he began to manifest evidence that he was being delivered. He was choking and gagging and knew instinctively that the Holy Spirit was setting him free. The most interesting thing to me was that I was not consciously exercising my authority in Christ for his deliverance, but I suppose that I must have been praying for it or commanding it as I spoke in an unknown heavenly language. (Romans 8:26-27) It was obvious that the Holy Spirit wanted it out immediately. Before that, I did not even know it was possible to cast out a demon while praying in the Spirit. Afterward I witnessed another person get delivered as I prayed in tongues, but that was after I commanded the demon to leave in English. It was one of those recalcitrant spirits who protested having to leave.

But how do we know when we are dealing with a demon? Some people (a la Pigs in the Parlor) believe demons are behind nearly every affliction known to man. I reject this notion, preferring to limit myself to demons identified in the New Testament. However, I must admit that once when ministering to a woman who had been unable to quit smoking, I asked her if it would be okay to check out the possibility of a demon being behind her addiction. I did not think it was, but recently someone had encouraged me to consider the possibility, and I thought it would be worth a try. She agreed; so, I asked Jesus to reveal to us if a demon was involved. My wife and I commanded any evil spirit present to manifest itself somehow so we would know. Amazingly the woman immediately had a terrible taste in her throat. We concluded that this was God answering our prayer. We cast it out, and she stopped smoking immediately. I suppose God had a good laugh at my expense, but I still don’t go looking for demons behind every affliction and addiction.

I always depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal to me whatever I need to know, since I am not clever enough to figure it out on my own. This has been the secret to whatever success I have experienced doing PPM over the years. I know it is his ministry, not mine.

I try to be alert for clues that there might be demonization, and, if I find any, I then ask the Holy Spirit to show me clearly what is going on. We don’t want to make a mistake, and here is why. If we try to cast out a non-present demon, the person will get no relief. This may cause the person to draw one of a couple of wrong conclusions. They may think the demon is too strong for Jesus, or they may think deliverance in general does not work. Lastly they may lose confidence in our ministry to them. None of these is good. We also should never offer anyone the false hope that simply casting out a spirit will solve all their problems. The “flesh,” which is much more difficult to deal with, remains, and it cannot be cast out.

As a matter of covering all the bases, it is good to routinely ask if the person we are counseling has ever dabbled or practiced the occult. In fact, before engaging in PPM, I ask those who will be receiving ministry to complete an extensive application which asks these sorts of questions up front. There is no sense waiting until you are far into ministry before finding out crucial details.

Occult involvement will often open the door to demonization. It is the devil’s realm powered by the demonic.

Once my wife and I were ministering to a woman who complained of never having been able to speak in tongues. I felt impressed to ask her if she had ever been involved with the occult. She said that she had practiced witchcraft. I asked her if she had ever repented and renounced that sin. She told us that she did not know she needed to. We led her through the process and cast out the associated evil spirit, during which she said it felt as if there were a huge anvil on her chest. When that spiritual pressure lifted, she experience deliverance and started speaking in tongues immediately. My advice is to always suspect demonization when there has been occult involvement, which includes a vast array of things from Ouija boards to palm reading, from tarot cards to seances, from witchcraft to Satanic worship, and the list goes on. The application form I use covers most everything.

Discerning demons is a gift of the Holy Spirit and part of the ministry of Christ. It is intuitive and works differently in individuals.

I know a minister who said she could “smell” demons. Some “see” them by the Spirit. You may simply be able to know that they are there intuitively. Sometimes I am able put the puzzle pieces together to ferret out one. Then I like to ask the Holy Spirit to confirm it. I often command the evil spirit, if it is there, to manifest itself in some clear way under Christ’s authority and oversight, without making a scene; so that we will know. Demons must obey our commands given in Christ’s name. Sometimes I know for sure that I am dealing with a demon, but at other times I move forward on the reasoned guess that we are dealing with an evil spirit, asking for Holy Spirit confirmation. Each person has to gain experience by doing the ministry. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I also like to pray for Jesus to reveal the true nature of the demon, especially if the person regards it as a friend or helper. The woman I mentioned in a previous article who had the “friendly” spirit of death did not want to let it go until Jesus showed her how ugly and evil it was. Then she was ready. People need to have their eyes opened to spiritual reality. Satan loves to appear as an angel of light. The Holy Spirit will bring the demonic into the light where the evil is exposed and can be properly renounced.

In summary, we trust the Lord to show us when we are up against demonic oppression and to give us his strategy for getting rid of it. Remember, it is God’s ministry not ours. He is the one with the wisdom, authority, and power to get the job done. We are his representatives or ambassadors. In my next article, I will write about various kinds of demons we may encounter.

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Release from Demonic Oppression: How Do People Become Demonized?

 

This is the 22nd article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. You can read the other related articles by clicking here.

 

How do demons gain access to people? Can they simply “jump on” someone? Are we helpless before them? Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves and free ourselves from their oppression? These are all good questions that I will attempt to answer in this and future articles.

Thankfully demons cannot randomly demonize anyone they choose.

God is sovereign, and the devil can only operate with God’s permission. (Read the Book of Job.) If demons could oppress anyone and everyone at will, we would see significant demonization everywhere. In general, God protects us from Satan and his minions, but certain things can open the door to demonic oppression.

Demons are all around us for sure, but for them to be able to significantly oppress us, they must somehow gain access to us. God’s protective barrier must be breached. Solomon gave us from insight into how this can happen.

He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. Ecclesiastes 10:8 (NASB)

In general, we or someone who has protective authority over us must break through God’s protective wall by sinning to open the door to demonization.

Adam took the lead in this, but our ancestors and living members of our families, along with other authority figures, whom God gave to protect us, sometimes fail miserably at their responsibility and actually facilitate those under their care to suffer oppression.

Demons gain access to harass people in a number of ways. If we think of them as flies, it can be helpful. (Interestingly, one of the devil’s names is Lord of the Flies or Beelzebub.) Flies are attracted to putrefaction and wounds. Where these two things are present, flies usually will be on hand. One can spend his time swatting flies or treating what attracted them in the first place. Over the long haul, the latter course of action will be the most effective.

One way to think of this is that demons look for a wound, a “nest,” or a “hook” in people to set up shop. Because unhealed traumatic inner pain is so devastating, it cries out to be resolved. If we do not find healing in Christ, demons often come knocking to offer their version of assistance.

I can offer a couple of examples from my own ministry experience.

A certain young man was abandoned as a baby and treated horribly by significant adults in his life. As you can imagine, he developed a deep seated rage. He eventually realized that he gained a certain level of notoriety and prestige of sorts when he allowed himself to be taken over by rage and became violent. He was physically quite strong. A spirit of rage became his “trusted friend” and “helper.” I remember telling him that he was going to need to let go of that and start trusting God to be his protector. At that point and into the known present, he has been unwilling to make that transition. The “nest” this demon settled in was composed of the pain associated with abandonment and abuse coupled with the lie that rage was his only hope of being someone significant. I suspect that he was not the first in his family line to make this connection with a spirit of rage.

Another example was a woman who unwittingly was exposed to a spirit of death, most likely when her mother took her to see a spiritualist who channeled demons. During a particularly painful time in her life, she would console herself with the thought that, if things got bad enough, she could always escape through death. This is one of the perverse ways the devil seeks to “solve” our problems. When we identified the spirit, she was initially hesitant to get rid of her longtime “friend,” not realizing how malevolent it was. It had been a sort of “safety net” for her. We asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to her the nature of this spirit, which he did on the spot. Once she made the decision to renounce it, we commanded it to leave, and she was set free. She told me later that she was amazed at how free she felt afterward. This evil “friend” had been with her a long time, weighing her down in ways she hadn’t realized. The devil usually wants to remain hidden from view, operating in darkness.

In addition to trauma, certain personal sins can be gateways to demonization.

Involvement in the occult is especially sinister. This can be something seemingly innocuous as children experimenting with a Ouija Board or Tarot cards. Likewise, sexual activity with demonized people can open the door to oppression. In general, if we abandon ourselves to sins, we run the risk of demonization. Unfortunately, we can also be demonized when others sin against us. Sexual and other forms of abuse by adults may open the door to demonic oppression in its victims. I know this does not seem “fair,” but the devil does not care a bit. He is what may be called an equal opportunity oppressor. When parents and other trusted adults fail to be protectors of those under their care, but instead open a doorway to evil in their homes, children may be scarred for life. After all, the entire human race came under the devil’s “thumb” because of the sin of Adam. Conversely, we experience freedom because of the obedience of Christ.

Sometimes demons are passed down generationally.

I remember working with a woman who was experiencing recurring nightmares. During ministry, I discovered that her grandmother was trying to recruit her to take up the family tradition of witchcraft. She renounced any such involvement and claimed her freedom in Christ from this torment. The nightmares stopped immediately.

A great first step in getting rid of demons is to remove what gave them access in the first place.

A way to look at this is to imagine that we have a front and a back door to our hearts. If we kick demons out of the front door without locking the back door, what good have we done? (Matthew 12:43-45)

The first step toward gaining freedom is to close and lock the back door, the place where demons gained access to our lives in the first place. This means we must first deal with bitterness, personal sins, generational sins, lie-based strongholds, and traumatic pain. Then we will be ready to be set free.

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Release from Demonic Oppression: Introduction

This is the 21st article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. You can read the other related articles by clicking here.

 

In the New Testament, there is no word for being “possessed” by a demon. Regrettably, some Bible translations refer to demonization as possession, but the Greek word used is daimonizomai, which simply means to be demonized. All sorts of arguments have arisen as a result of using the inaccurate idea of demon possession to prove that believers in Christ cannot possibly be possessed or owned by an evil spirit because God owns, possesses, and inhabits every believer.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB)

I fully agree that God does not share ownership of his children with the devil.

However, if we approach this issue using the actual Greek word, daimonizomai,  it becomes clear that we are not talking about possession, but oppression.

Jesus taught us that the devil’s agenda is to kill, steal, and destroy. He does this work primarily through deception and fear. When Jesus walked the earth during his itinerant ministry, Peter tells us that the core of his efforts went toward releasing people from demonic oppression.

"You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38 (NASB)

In this verse the word translated “oppressed” literally means “being under the power of.” This is a good way to describe demonization; although, not everyone Jesus healed had a spirit of infirmity. Some were just sick, but sickness is itself a manifestation of sin’s curse and the devil’s domain.

The devil seeks to use people to accomplish his purposes. He works to deceive us into aligning with his God dishonoring quest. Interestingly, demons have a desire to inhabit people. In my opinion, this is most likely due to two reasons. First, God created us to be temples for his Spirit. Demons wish to spoil what belongs to God. Secondly, human bodies are pleasant and useful habitations for demons, giving them a place of “rest” and providing them with the means to act out their destructive desires.

Demonization can take many forms, anything from a person crawling around on the ground as a snake to being harassed in the mind by oppressive sinful thoughts and temptations. It can also include a vast array of physical problems, which Jesus commonly addressed during his public ministry – deafness, inability to speak, crippling arthritis, and epilepsy, just to name a few. Demonization can also manifest itself as it did in the Gadarene demoniac, who lived in constant agony, alone among the tombs, cutting and generally hating himself and his condition. His pain was so great that, when he saw Jesus, knowing our Lord could set him free, ran to him and begged for help. Paul encountered and set free a young woman who had psychic abilities that came from being demonized by a spirit of “python” which used her as its mouthpiece.

During Jesus’ day, it was not uncommon to encounter obviously demonized people. Today we generally lock such persons away in institutions or heavily medicate them into a stupor. Nevertheless, many others suffer in less obvious ways. One of the devil’s chief weapons is deception. He has managed to convince a great many people that evil spirits are not even real, but were used by primitive peoples to explain medical and mental problems they did not understand.

Believers who hold that the Bible is the inspired Word of God cannot dismiss the reality of demons.

In addition, if we wish to help people get free, we should not quickly conclude that Christians cannot be oppressed by demons. I have seen evidence of such oppression far too often to pretend it does not exist. When our theology does not match reality, something is wrong with our doctrine. My goal in these articles is to help us to properly understand the scriptures regarding demonization in order to help people find freedom in Christ.

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Jesus, the Healer of Our Souls

This is the 20th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling.
Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. 2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:1-3 (ESV)

So far I have covered how deeply embedded lies and generational devastation contribute to bondage.

Deep unhealed wounds and the associated traumatic pain can also interfere with our experiencing all that Jesus died to provide. This article looks at how the Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

As a matter of review, the devastation experienced because of unconfessed and unforgiven generational sins and their attached judgments is overcome through actively claiming and applying what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. I covered this in my previous article.

Lie-based strongholds are defeated through our recognizing and renouncing any lies we have believed and replacing them with promises and truths from the Bible. The truth sets us free from the power of the lie. (John 8:31-32) We must learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit to guide us through this process.

When it comes to deep pain, however, neither the authority of the resurrected Christ over all generational devastation nor the bondage breaking power of the truth is the complete answer.

Deep traumatic pain requires the healing touch of Jesus.

Identifying what component of bondage is at work in a person allows us to apply the proper remedy.

The Relationship between Inner Hurts, Embedded Lies, and Demonic Oppression

By way of review, all sin and bondage is lie-based. Sin began because a satanic lie was spoken, believed, and acted upon, which opened the door to a lifestyle of sinful independence with its resultant pain and destruction. When we encounter pain in our lives, we usually attempt to understand and make sense of it in order to protect ourselves by using the carnal (unspiritual) mind (the sarx or “flesh”). The carnal mind lacks wisdom and weaves for itself another layer of deception. The lies we believe, when acted upon, can introduce even more pain, setting the cycle in motion once again. Demons often take advantage of this state of affairs and may present themselves as our “friends” who are trying to help. Demons look for a “nest” of lies and pain to set up housekeeping. Sometimes they rely upon some sort of “hook” in our souls, such as involvement in the occult. Such demonization may go back generationally. I hope it is becoming clear to us why deliverance from bondage needs to address all four of these interrelated areas.

Identifying the Presence of Inner Hurts

Hurts and wounds of the soul are carried on the inside of a person and may be invisible except for how they affect us.

Their presence is often revealed by exaggerated emotional responses, bizarre behaviors, and irrational thinking. When our reactions are out of keeping with the provocation, inner hurts and associated lies are likely beneath the surface. Where there is smoke…

In the process of asking the Lord Jesus to set us free from inner hurts, embedded lies, generational devastation, and demonization, it is usually a good idea to begin where the pain is the greatest.

In fact, the reason most people even seek out help is because the pain has become unbearable. A good practice for each of us when we experience emotions that are not from God’s Spirit is to ask the Lord what is going on inside us. If we listen to the Spirit, he may reveal to us bondage breaking truth and provide healing. This has happened to me.

Healing from inner hurts usually involves the complete package of deliverance. We repent for known sin, identify and claim freedom from generational devastation, ask Jesus to heal our pain and replace lies with truth, and cast out any attached demonic influence in Christ’s name and authority. (Demons are not always part of the problem, however, and should not be addressed unless they are discerned with the aid of the Holy Spirit.) Unless we use this broad approach to deliverance, we may leave key components to bondage in place.

Usually our pain has an historical basis and is directly connected to events we experienced, to words spoken over us, or to attitudes expressed to us. None of these things has the power to bring us into bondage unless we believe some lie as a result. Jesus experienced all sorts of negative things in his life, but never reacted sinfully and never came into bondage.

For example, when a parent fails to love his or her child properly, it may break the heart of that little one. As a result, depending on the personality of the child, the response might be to become afraid, depressed, angry, or maybe just shut down emotionally in an attempt to wall out the pain. Lie-based strongholds are often generated as we try to understand and cope with our pain. We may come to believe that we have no personal worth, because our parents did not value us enough to live with us, spend significant time with us, or speak affirming words to us. We may feel shamed and think there is something inherently wrong with us, causing everyone who is important to us to eventually leave. As you can imagine, believing such things triggers corresponding behaviors that can be a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, we may expect to be rejected; so, to protect ourselves from that pain, we reject the other person first. These hurts must be healed, and the lies must be addressed and replaced with God’s truth. The generational side of things usually needs to be addressed as well.

At times we need to consider that some events have produced a deep level of hurt in an entire group of people. Think of what happened at Wounded Knee when the US Army massacred an entire Indian village. Dee Brown wrote a book entitled Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which communicates some of the pathos attached to that event. A once proud people was reduced to living in poverty on reservations supplied by a government that systematically lied to them, destroyed them, and divested them of their territories over several decades. You would have to ask a Native American what kind of pain still remains and how has it affected both mental health and personal fulfillment and happiness. Poverty, hopelessness, and alcoholism run rampant on reservations. This is a generational inner hurt accompanied by generational lies and probable demonization.

Unless these past injuries are properly addressed, we may be hindered in moving forward with life. Jesus can heal us from the pain associated with our personal, group, or family past, too.

Binding Up the Brokenhearted

How does Jesus bind our wounds and heal our broken hearts? When Jesus launched his public ministry, he clearly told his followers what its focus would be by quoting the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Isaiah 61:1 (ESV)

The poor in this passage are those who have been so reduced by their neediness that they crouch and cower. Captives are those who have been conquered and made prisoner. The oppressed are people who have been “broken to pieces,” and part of their breaking has been the rending of their hearts. Many people have hearts that are thoroughly broken. They often are incapable, without proper mending, of feeling emotions properly or trusting God completely. Faith comes from the heart, and if the heart is broken, how can we feel or trust fully? That is one reason why the healing ministry of Jesus is so needed.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (NASB)

Jesus endured the crushing pain of abandonment, false accusation, betrayal, fear, powerlessness, rejection, invalidation, and confusion. All the common maladies of the soul fell upon him as armed bandits might fall on an innocent, defenseless traveler. Jesus offered no defense but, full of trust in his Abba Father, went to his death as a sheep to the slaughter, as the Lamb of God.

The crushing Jesus experienced provided for our well-being and healing.

Jesus is not indifferent to our pain. He experienced it for himself and knows exactly how to heal it. In fact, he has already paid the price for our healing and restoration, but we must go to him, just as the woman with the issue of blood relentlessly pursued Jesus until she touched the hem of his garment and was healed.

Finding healing in Christ begins with the understanding that he cares, loves, and feels deeply for us. He knows about our pain – how it feels, where it came from, and what it has done to us. He also paid the price in his own soul and body to provide our healing.

If we will believe that Jesus is God the Healer, Jehovah-Rapha, and believe that he has already paid the price for our healing, and if we will come to him in faith, asking him to heal and restore us, we will experience healing at his hands.

Likely this pursuit of healing will require us to revisit the memories of when these things happened to us, reopening old painful wounds and unsealing long repressed pain. We will need the courage to allow ourselves to once again feel that pain and ask Jesus heal us. This has been labeled “inner healing” or “healing of the memories.” It is simply recognizing that our pain has an historical origin of which Jesus is aware. He was there when it happened; although, we knew it not. He knows what it felt like, what we were thinking, the lies that were set up in our hearts, etc. He also knows exactly how to set us free because he is the Wonderful Counselor! (Isaiah 9:6)

If we take these painful memories to him and ask him to speak his healing words of truth to us, the results will be amazing. He is far more willing to set us free than we are in coming to him.

Some of us were so deeply hurt that it will take a great amount of bravery and trust in Jesus to allow him to reopen the doors to the hidden places in our hearts. This is what blocks many from the pursuit of freedom. But Jesus can be trusted completely. He will be careful and tender with us on our journey to freedom. Just as surely as he delivered the woman at the well in Samaria from her pain in John Chapter 4 and set the adulteress free from her condemnation and pain in John Chapter 8, he will do the same for us. He is the Healer of our souls.

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