Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 35 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and five amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has written several books, including two that are available on Amazon - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles.

Divine Healing Made Simple

Diving Healing

Diving Healing

Divine Healing Made Simple

by Dave Hayes, The Praying Medic

Misconceptions and Myths about Healing

Dave Hayes was formerly an atheist EMT filled with skepticism. He describes how God drew him to himself and began to teach him about divine healing. He addresses some objections raised by some in the church who would argue that healing is not for today. In the process, he discusses the difference between the “gift” of healing and the authority to heal that is tied to the gospel. He also explains that Christ’s disciples were told to heal the sick as part of their mission. God enables us to heal, but followers of Christ are tasked with healing people in Christ’s name and authority. He points out that everyone who came to Jesus for healing received it.

No one is outside the reach of God’s grace for healing except those who don’t want to be healed.

Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 32). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.

Another key point is that since healing is meant to confirm the truth of the gospel, it does not always require faith in the receiver, but is intended to spark faith.

Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. John 14:11 (NLT)

 

The Biblical Basis for Healing

Over the years I have read much about the biblical basis for physical healing. F.F. Bosworth’s book, Christ the Healer, is one of the best for understanding what the Bible says about this subject. Hayes’ book, however, inspired the most faith in me to continue on the journey toward becoming more proficient in this area. I found that the verses with commentary that he used were excellent.

The first point in this chapter that he makes is that it is God’s nature to heal or part of who he is, as revealed by the compound name – Jehovah Rapha, found in Exodus 15:26.

“If God’s nature was to heal then, it is still His nature to heal today.” (p.37)

Hayes believes that healing is available to all, which stands to reason since Christ carried our sicknesses and diseases on the cross, according to Isaiah 53:4 (NET), as interpreted by Matthew.

That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. 17  This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17 (NLT)

(Sadly, most translators do not use the best words for the corresponding verse in Isaiah, due to translator’s bias. Matthew removes all doubt that Isaiah 53:4 should be translated as is done in the New English Translation.)

He points out that everyone who came to Jesus and asked to be healed received their healing. One of the great limiting factors when it comes to healing is a lack of confidence or desire on the part of the one who is sick. God never forces healing upon anyone.

Hayes also addresses the objection that it is not God’s will to heal everyone who asks for it. A proper understanding of Isaiah 53 proves that Jesus dealt with sickness and disease the same way he dealt with our sin. He carried both. If you wish to read more about this, click here. Citing Mark 2:9-11 and James 5:14-16, the author points out the link between forgiveness and healing.

Jesus healed all who came to Him. No one was turned away. As long as people were willing to be healed, He was willing to heal them. He didn’t heal all who were sick, but rather, He healed all who were willing to be made well. Some who were sick, did not want to be healed, so they were not healed. The will of man is always honored by God, who gives to us according to our desires. (p.41)

Hayes believes that healing often is connected to the faith of the healer rather than an unwillingness on God’s part. He uses Matthew 17:14-17 as an example.

The author concludes the chapter by emphasizing our authority over the enemy in the realm of sickness and disease.

In the same way that police fight crime, we are commissioned to fight sickness. Healing is a matter of enforcing God’s will here upon the earth as His representatives. (p.43)

Identity

When Jesus walked the streets of Galilee, His acts of healing created division among those who watched Him. Some rejoiced at the miracles they witnessed, while others criticized Him. The same attitudes exist today. Healing, deliverance and miracles are ways in which the kingdom of God is made manifest through us. When we bring the kingdom of God to earth, we invite criticism, because wherever the kingdom goes, it destroys belief systems that are opposed it. The greatest criticism of healing during the first century came from religious leaders. They had followers who admired their shallow spirituality. The miracles of Jesus drew people away from them and turned their hearts back to God. The kingdoms these men had built were beginning to crumble. Their response was to criticize the new thing God was doing. Little has changed today. Most of the criticism of healing today comes from religious leaders who are building their own kingdoms. (pp.47-48)

It has always appalled me how the Jewish religious leaders could witness supernatural healings without their having any effect upon them, except to stir up their hatred for Jesus. Fear and spiritual pride can blind us to what God is doing right in front of us, simply because it does not fit our theology or somehow threatens our security. We should be wary of being as they did today. I have heard it said that the greatest enemies of the new move of God are those who were part of the previous one. We tend to shape our theology around our experience, often nullifying God’s Word in the process, instead of letting the Bible shape us. God help us not to do this!

Hayes believes that an important key to becoming more proficient in healing is to believe that God wants to use us in this arena.

True humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself exactly the way God thinks of you; not more and not less. The key to operating in the power of God is in knowing your identity in Christ and knowing how He wants to work in you. You must shed the false identities you’ve accepted from man and receive the identity given to you by God. (pp.50-52)

Dreams and Visions

Dave Hayes receives many dreams and visions from God. He believes the Lord taught him a great deal about healing in these dreams. He is careful never to elevate such personal revelation above the Scripture, but he does ask the reader to be open to God’s speaking to us in this manner. He points out the many times in the Bible that God used dreams to communicate to his people.

Some people take the view that where Scripture is silent we should remain silent. Since I began having dreams from God about healing, I’ve realized that He wants us to know more than what is contained in the Bible. This is why He gives us dreams. The Holy Spirit is given to us as the Spirit of Truth, who leads us into all truth (see Jn. 16: 13). As you read about the dreams God has given me, I’ll ask you to discern if there is truth in them or not. (p.58)

Healing and Relationships

The author often prays for strangers he meets in public places. He calls this “street healing.” This chapter is about the the things we can do to create relationships quickly with the people we meet, so that they will be more likely to accept an offer to pray for them. This is something we at LifeNet have striven to do for many years. We have found that people surprisingly usually are open to receive prayer, if they sense that we care about them and do not have a hidden agenda. Convincing them that this is the case often begins with initiating a conversation.

And I came to this conclusion: ministry flows through relationships. We must learn how to develop bridges of relationship with people if we hope to minister healing (or anything else) to them. (p.62)

We never know where a conversation may take us. Many people are facing big challenges in life and perhaps have been asking God to send someone to help. Perhaps that someone is one of us.

Hayes is a paramedic; so, he has had countless opportunities to pray for healing for people who truly need it. Here is his advice.

My suggestion is simple. Take a few minutes. Get to know the person you want to see healed. If they have an obvious injury, ask how it happened. Ask about the weather or their children. Ask about anything you might have in common with them. If you see sadness, ask what it’s about. If you sense fear, ask what they’re afraid of. Listen to what they say and respond out of compassion. Take time to establish a bridge of trust before attempting to minister to strangers. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. (p.64)

Motives for Healing

It’s possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason. Healing, which in itself is a good thing, can be done out of questionable motives. I’ve had to check my motives more often than I’d like. When I began this life of healing, it was at the prompting of God. He kept after this reluctant, unbelieving skeptic until I finally got in the flow and saw people healed. I’m glad He was more persistent than I was. As time went on, I stepped out and laid hands on the sick more often because it was finally working. People were actually being healed. (p.65)

This chapter deals with an issue most of us are not yet encountering – feeling driven to pray for people to be healed. Hayes began to feel guilty if a day went by in which he had not effectively prayed for someone to be healed. He had to work through this, and, if we become more effective healers, so may we. Here is his conclusion.

Go out and heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the kingdom. But do it for only one reason. Your motive should be an overwhelming love and compassion for those in need. There is no other legitimate motive for healing. (p.68)

Faith for Healing

This chapter deals with the common understanding among many charismatics and evangelicals that healing is mainly a gift given to a few, not something that we should expect God to do every time we pray. If it is only a gift that operates occasionally, we have no basis for expecting a healing every time we pray, but if God has given us authority in Christ to heal the sick, that is altogether different.

Healing is something we do by faith. In contrast to traditional medicine, which is a function of what you know and how skilled you are, divine healing is a result of who you know and what you believe. Simply put, if you know Jesus and you believe He is still healing people today, He will heal the sick through you. Once your relationship with Him is established through the operation of the Holy Spirit, growing your faith in God’s ability and desire to heal is the next step. (p.69)

Hayes relates that when he first started praying for the sick almost no one was healed, which was very discouraging.

In one of the kingdom parables Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, explaining that it grew into a large tree; so large that the birds of the air came to nest in it (see Mt. 13: 31-32). Here is the key to how mustard seed faith acts – it grows. A seed bears no fruit until it germinates and grows into a plant; the larger the plant– the more fruit it bears. Faith that heals the sick may start out small, but it must grow before it produces fruit. When I began praying for the sick, almost no one was healed. I became discouraged and I wanted to quit. I had almost no faith. All I had was a promise from God; “You pray and I’ll heal.” I had a seed of promise from God and nothing else. But as we’ve seen, the kingdom of God is about growth. (pp.70-71)

Perhaps this is the most encouraging chapter in the book. Anyone who has prayed for the sick on a regular basis has experienced a lot of apparent failure. We come up with a theology that makes it acceptable to us. We may excuse our lack of results by saying that a perfect healing will come after death or that we simply do not understand why God heals some and not others. The latter of course is true, but should not be used to explain away an absence of healing. Jesus never used that excuse. To know that the author, who now claims that around eighty percent of those for whom he prays are healed, began his ministry by experiencing failure, should encourage the rest of us to plow forward.

The kind of faith that heals isn’t a belief that God wants to heal the sick. Many Christians believe that God wants to heal the sick and yet the sick are not healed when they pray for them. Faith that heals is different from this. Faith that heals consistently and predictably is the belief (confidence) that when you are presented with an opportunity to heal someone who is willing to be healed, that God will in fact heal that person of the condition they have through you. Faith that heals consistently is not general. It is specific to the person who is sick, the problem at hand and the one who is praying. (pp.71-72)

The author points out that, when he began his healing journey, he had general faith that God could heal the sick but specific doubts that he would heal a particular person of his or her specific condition. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

One of the big changes in Hayes’ success rate came when he understood that we have authority in Christ to command people to be healed, as opposed to our merely asking God to heal.

When we begin our journey in the kingdom, most of us have small faith. Our bank account of faith upon which we can draw out the resources of heaven is small. But as we walk with God and get to know His ways, we begin to trust Him more. As our faith in Him grows, so does the balance in our account. The more we step out and exercise our faith, the more we get to watch God at work. The more He works the more reason we have to trust Him. And trusting Him brings more faith into our account. Unlike the balance in our bank account, which decreases the more we use it, the balance in our faith account increases the more we use it. Those who have great faith are those who exercise it often. Many of us underestimate what is possible with the faith we now possess. It’s good to know that whatever level of faith we have today, it will increase if we exercise it. (p.76)

In my own faith-for-healing journey, I rationalized failure with a theology that Jesus paid for our healing (1 Peter 2:24), giving us the right or authority to claim it. Since not everyone I prayed for received healing, I reasoned that God does not always heal, despite Jesus’ having purchased it. Since, barring receiving a revelation from God, we do not know who will be healed and who will not be, we simply always ask for healing, leaving the result to God. Hayes asks us to make a huge leap to believe Jesus will always answer our prayers and respond to our faith. My father was moving in this direction in the year before his death, which I chalked up to his realizing that he needed a miracle to stay alive. Necessity often drives us to press into God more than we would have otherwise. Now I think he was indeed on to something. He kept the faith right up to the end, which was very God honoring. Of course, no matter how much faith for healing we may have, we are destined to die, due to the judgment upon Adam’s sin. Nevertheless, we can and should experience healing this side of eternity. This book has helped me to move beyond an intellectual grasp of knowing Christ purchased our healing into having greater faith that God will honor my faith to heal people when I pray for them. In the last few weeks I have seen people instantly healed when I prayed for them. As you may imagine, this is intensely encouraging to keep going. Healing is wonderful tool for evangelism and ministry and reveals God’s amazing love for people. The next chapter goes into more depth about our authority to heal.

Power and Authority for Healing

Hayes believes, and I agree, that one of the keys to healing is recognizing that it is a matter of authority. Jesus commissioned his disciples to heal the sick as a demonstration of the kingdom of God. (Matthew 10:7-8) In Luke 10:19, Jesus gave them authority over “all the power of the enemy.” Hayes believes that faith for healing must be linked to our using the authority delegated to us by Christ in order to release the power of God. I believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s enforcer. We proclaim a command in Christ’s name, and the Holy Spirit enforces it with his power. This is how I handle casting out evil spirits and how we should approach healing, too.

We must understand that the power to heal resides with us. It is true that the power does not originate in us. It comes from God. But it comes to us and is released through us by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in us. We are something like portable power stations walking the earth. How marvelous it is that He has placed His treasure in these very earthen vessels. (p.84)

It takes faith to believe that we have authority in Christ. This faith comes from understanding God’s Word and acting upon it. We should act as if we believe until we do. (The last sentence are my thoughts, not the author’s.)

God’s Healing Presence

In this chapter, Hayes addresses the phenomenon of God’s “manifest” presence, the times when we are aware of his being with us in such a way that inspires worship, awe, and faith.

The Holy Spirit is a person. He inhabits us and never leaves us… God’s glory (or presence) comes and goes, though His Spirit does not. When people refer to God’s presence being “everywhere” they’re speaking of God’s awareness of all that is happening in creation. But there is a different aspect to His presence, which is purely relational and it has to do with worship. It’s this presence (His glory) that appeared in the temple. The presence of God as it was manifested in the temple, and which is now manifested at different times in different places, is not present everywhere or all the time. It is reserved for places and times of worship. This aspect of His presence is manifested wherever the sincere worship of God takes place. It is there for the express purpose of entering into a relational experience with Him. God’s glory brings healing, deliverance, creative miracles, and much more into existence. Wherever God’s presence is manifested in this way, heaven touches earth. (pp.93-94)

I would not have worded the above paragraph as he did, but I believe his point is valid. God does “manifest” his presence, and, when he does, amazing things happen. I remember my first encounter with God’s manifest presence in 1971, the night when God showed up and revealed to me beyond a doubt that Jesus is who the Bible says. His presence transformed me on the inside, and I have never been the same. Another time in Honduras, we were praying for God’s Spirit to fall upon the congregation and for Jesus to baptize those who came forward in the Holy Spirit. The manifest presence there was very strong. Later that night I realized that I had been healed of a sinus condition without even praying for it or being aware of it.

If we want to have victory over sickness and we want people to recover faster with fewer complications, we should invite God’s presence to come and make Him welcome when He arrives. God’s presence can do the work of healing, deliverance and restoration that we need. I’ve read dozens of testimonies of people who were healed merely by resting in the presence of God in worship. Although healing is a tremendous blessing to those who receive it, the greater need we all have is to draw closer to God and to know Him in a deeper way. Healing is one way to bring people into a greater experience of His presence. (p.98)

Freeing the Prisoners

This chapter deals with the somewhat confounding issue that some people do not want to be healed.

When you ask strangers if they want to be healed, you will on occasion be turned down. I often wear my paramedic uniform because I’m either praying with people at work or on the way home from work. When in uniform, I rarely get turned down. But in street clothes, I get turned down more often. The funny thing is – some of the people who don’t want me to pray for them are Christians. When they say no, they usually tell me about the church they go to and how many people are already praying for them. (p.99)

We at LifeNet have experienced the same thing when out doing what we called Mobile Ministry. Religious people are usually the most reluctant to receive prayer. The conclusion the author makes is that we should honor the choice some people make not to receive healing prayer, whatever their reasons may be. But those who wish to be healed are the ones to whom we can minister.

Healing 101

The first point in this chapter on the practicalities of developing a healing ministry is the necessity of working in cooperation with God’s Spirit.

To operate successfully in healing it’s imperative to establish a strong, active relationship with the Holy Spirit. All that we do must be led and powered by the Spirit of God. (p.103)

Hayes advocates learning to hearing the voice of the Spirit, something Jesus said all his “sheep” can do. (John 10:27)

The Holy Spirit is like a quiet voice bringing wisdom and revelation to you. His role is to “lead you into all truth” but a teacher needs a willing student. You become a disciple when you allow yourself to be taught His ways. You can learn many things about God by reading the scriptures, but the only way to know God himself is through the experiences you have with Him personally. I would encourage you to ask questions of the Holy Spirit and listen for His answers. This is how you develop a relationship with the living God and grow confident that He is truly guiding you. (p.104)

Hayes advocates seeking specific instructions for each person for whom we pray. He also stresses the importance of studying the Scriptures to give the Spirit something with which to work. His next piece of advice is to associate with those who have had success in healing to learn from them.

He stresses how important it is not to give up until we experience success, including praying for people over and over again. Recently I prayed for my wife to be healed from a headache. When I was done, I asked her if it were gone. When she said that it was still there, I prayed again. The second prayer did the job. I would not have repeated the prayer immediately without the encouragement from this book. Hayes also encourages praying at a distance. Our Wednesday night Zoom prayer group has seen three instantaneous healings the last couple of months. Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant at a distance. He can and will heal us that way, too.

Hayes encourages us to pray specifically for specific answers. We should not hesitate to ask if those for whom we pray have experienced relief or not. We cannot be worried about “looking bad,” if nothing seems to happen. People want results, not spiritual platitudes or pretend religion.

Among my friends who have the highest success rates in healing, there is agreement on one approach that seems to work best. It involves commanding sickness or pain to leave and commanding healing to take its place. Don’t beg or plead with God to heal anyone. The most common mistake people make is begging God to heal. The second is quitting too soon. Persistence brings breakthrough. You’ll have to get used to a little embarrassment. You may look a bit foolish repeatedly commanding a broken leg to be healed when there is no outward sign that it’s helping. Yet the vast majority of healings I’ve seen came because I stood there looking like an idiot, repeatedly commanding an injury to be healed until it finally was healed. (pp.107-108)

Next the author addresses the need to confront and cast out any evil spirits which may be the underlying cause of sickness. Sicknesses can be healed, but spirits must be cast out. The author agrees with what I teach, that the Bible does not say anything about being “possessed” by an evil spirit. The Greek word is daimonizomai, which means to be demonized. I prefer to use the word oppressed. Possession implies ownership, which is impossible for evil spirits to do to a Christian because God owns us. However, even Christians can be oppressed by evil spirits.

I’ve had a number of experiences where I commanded a knee or ankle to be healed and nothing happened even after five or six attempts. In some cases, I closed my eyes and God showed me a spirit that needed to be removed and in other cases I assumed a spirit was there and commanded it to leave. In almost every case, the next command brought complete healing. Remember that when the disciples could not heal the boy with seizures, Jesus removed the spirit that caused the sickness. Once the spirit was evicted, the boy was healed. If healing is going poorly consider the possibility that a spirit is present that must be removed. (p.108)

Next Hayes introduces a concept new to me, but which I have already found to be quite effective.

Don’t be discouraged if nothing happens the first time you command healing to happen. Do it again. Don’t be discouraged if nothing happens the second time. Do it again. Don’t give up if nothing happens the third time. Do it again. Keep commanding the affliction to leave and command the sick or injured body part to be healed. If the individual you are praying for is willing to let you continue praying, by all means – keep going. But be sensitive to their comfort level and realize that they may not have the time or desire to have you continue after a few attempts. Be courteous and consider that they may have a busy schedule. If it seems like they are uncomfortable having you continue, respect their wishes and allow them to go about their day. When I started seeing people healed, most of it came after four or five times of commanding healing to happen. Be persistent and don’t quit. If you see any change in symptoms or severity of pain after four or five times, keep going. You’re making progress. If you see any change at all, you can eventually get it to go away completely. (pp.108-9)

This runs counter to what I was taught early on in my spiritual journey – that we should never ask for something twice. Just believe that God heard us the first time. Even Jesus prayed twice for the blind man, who after the first prayer only saw partially.

The Word of Knowledge

The author devotes a chapter to the gift of the Spirit called the word of knowledge, which is often connected to healing. God often reveals to the minister a specific condition that He wishes to heal. This not only identifies what God wants to do but also can spark faith in the healer and the one needing to be healed.

A word of knowledge may be given to encourage us to pray for a condition we wouldn’t normally have faith to heal. (p.118)

Hayes stresses that we can increase in our sensitivity to the Spirit in this area by spending more time with God.

Healing: A Tool for Evangelism and a Gift

Interestingly, Hayes believes that the gift of healing, one of the nine spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, is for the health of the church and is given under the specific direction of the Holy Spirit; whereas, the authority to heal in connection with preaching the gospel is always resident in the believer.

Healing is not only for evangelism, but also for the building up of the physical and spiritual health of believers.” (p. 126)

Street Healing

I found this chapter to be fascinating in that we at LifeNet have espoused “street” ministry for years, mainly aimed at the neighborhoods in which we reside. The principles laid out in this chapter mirror what we have learned and attempted to put into practice.

Jesus was the original street healer. He traveled the streets of Israel on foot, staying wherever He found lodging. During His travels He told people the secrets of their hearts, healed all who were sick and demon-possessed, raised the dead and shared the mysteries of the kingdom of God. This was His lifestyle and it could be yours. (p. 127)

Hayes suggests two ways to find people who need healing. The first is to be observant as we go about our business during the week and be ready to engage people in conversation who show any signs of needing healing. At LifeNet we teach people to seek to engage friends, neighbors, and even strangers in friendly conversation, with the hope that it might lead to building new friendships and opportunities to share to love of God. For example, if during the conversation a need is mentioned, such as a health or other issue, we can offer to pray for them. Hayes recommends boldly engaging people with health issues with the hope we will be given the opportunity to pray for them. Usually this requires us to have some social skills in conversation, show genuine interest and concern, and be bold enough to ask to pray for them, should it be appropriate. Practice makes perfect. The more comfortable and relaxed we are, the more success we likely will have.

Another method that some use to engage people is by first receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit. During times of “seeking the Lord,” God may reveal that he wishes to heal a certain person or a specific condition. If so, we can look for the person or the condition. Naturally this requires us to grow in our ability to hear God and our daring to step out in faith on that intuition.

Hayes suggests operating in teams when possible, which is good advice. This accomplishes several things. Two can combine their gifts and abilities. One can pray silently while the other speaks, and it is always good to have a witness in case misunderstandings occur or false accusations should fly.

The streets and shops you visit are full of people who desperately need to know that God cares about them. All around you, crippled people struggle to cope. The blind are robbed of experiencing the abundant life Jesus died to give them. You are the one who can release the power that changes those circumstances. Street healing is easy; it just takes a little compassion, a little boldness, some faith, and a desire to see God’s love in action. This is the model Jesus gave us. And if a skeptic like me can be used to heal the sick, so can you. (p. 136)

Healing in the Workplace

The author gives some tips for ministering in the workplace, which can be hazardous due to rules set in place by employers.

As we minister in the workplace, we should remember a few things; Jesus healed all who came to Him, but many chose not to come. As badly as we may want others to receive God’s healing touch, we must always ask permission and respect the wishes of those who say no. If we show honor and respect, it will be shown to us, even from those who disagree with us. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (see Prov. 16: 7). Another thing to keep in mind is that employers hire us to work and they have a right to expect us to be productive. We should want to make our employer successful. If we spend too much time engaged in ministry at work and it interferes with productivity or proficiency, they may need to take corrective action. We should treat customers and co-workers well and be diligent in our duties. When we’re good employees, we fulfill the command to “do all things as unto the Lord.” A generation ago, it was common for people to talk about their faith in the workplace. Today, separatists and secularists are trying hard to ban public discussions of faith. Workplace discussions about God are becoming a risky proposition. In some parts of the world discussing Jesus puts you at risk for harassment, punishment or termination. Many people believe we have no right to engage in religious discussions while on the job. Make no mistake; if you hope to be an outspoken disciple of Jesus, there will always be a cost to consider. (pp. 138-9)

Hayes relates that “I had to choose obedience over what others thought about me.” (p. 139)

There seems to be a trend toward more restriction on workplace discussions of faith. This trend needs to be challenged and the responsibility falls on us. If you work in a place where you aren’t free to talk about God, it’s your responsibility to engage in discussions with management to have the rules changed. If our attempts to bring Jesus into the workplace cause customers to go elsewhere or co-workers to file complaints, perhaps we should rethink our strategy. After years of “witnessing” to people on the job, and having no fruit come from it, I began to offer healing prayer instead. In all the time I’ve used this approach, I haven’t had a complaint from anyone. Many people have been healed, and those who were not healed were grateful that I offered to pray with them. There are many ways in which healing can be brought to the workplace. I keep my eyes open for anyone walking in a way that shows they’re in pain or suggests they are disabled. I tune in to certain conversations and tune others out, listening for medical words. After a bit of practice you’ll become more perceptive to the needs of others. It’s surprising how many people discuss their health problems in public. When someone discusses a surgery, a chronic painful condition or even something like insomnia, there’s a need for healing standing in front of you. All you need to do is politely ask about the condition, maybe share a testimony of healing and ask if they’ll let you pray with them. After a few people are healed, your co-workers will begin to talk. As word gets around, you’ll find more opportunities. As more people are healed, your faith will grow and you’ll probably see more miracles. One day you’ll realize that asking a stranger if they want prayer is no longer considered “risky behavior” but a normal activity. (p. 140)

Healing in Health Care

This chapter deals specifically with praying for the sick in the healthcare workplace. As an EMT, the author had numerous opportunities to pray for patients during emergency situations, always with their permission. He relates a specific case.

Can we expect a few complaints? I suppose we should. Not long after I began praying with my patients I was called into my manager’s office. A nurse in one of the emergency departments saw me praying with a patient and filed a complaint with her manager. Her manager and mine had a talk about it. I found it a bit ironic that this happened at of all places, a Catholic hospital. I work for one of the largest private ambulance services in the country. In asking his supervisors what he should do about the complaint, my manager discovered some surprising news. None of the managers in our company could recall ever dealing with an employee caught praying with a patient. In our meeting, I explained that God asked me to pray for the people I transport. I told my manager I always ask permission before praying and I always respect the wishes of those who say no. He said our company had no policy regarding prayer on the job and there were no plans to change that. My manager’s position was very reasonable. His only concern was that I avoid behavior that might generate complaints from our customers. He respected my convictions about prayer. He said I would be allowed to continue praying for patients under two conditions; first, I had to ask permission and second, I agreed to confine it to the back of the ambulance. In practice, the second one is more difficult to do as the following story happened a few weeks later: I transported a patient from one hospital to another for a risky procedure. When a doctor inserted a tube in the patient’s chest, he accidentally punctured her lung and the tube became embedded in the lung tissue. She developed a pneumothorax and rapidly declined. She was sedated, intubated and placed on a ventilator. We transferred her to a trauma hospital for emergency surgery. During the transfer between hospitals I asked if she wanted me to pray with her and she nodded in agreement. We prayed in the ambulance. But when we were on the elevator inside the hospital, with two firefighters and two nurses looking on, she suddenly grabbed my hands and made a motion as if we were praying. I asked if she wanted to pray and she frantically nodded her head. So I had to pray with her in front of them. I told my manager about it. He smiled and told me not to worry about it. (pp. 151-2)

I don’t advocate a militant or defiant attitude toward prayer in health care. Romans chapter 13 tells us to respect the authorities placed over us and that includes supervisors at work. Humility and a spirit of cooperation will go a long way. God opens doors and changes people’s hearts. I do a lot of prayer in the area of asking God to grant me favor with people as I step out in faith and pray for the sick. If God wants you to heal your patients, He’ll make the way safe, though you’ll almost certainly encounter a little opposition. (p. 153)

Deliverance

When Jesus healed people in the New Testament, sometimes he simply healed them and other times he cast out spirits of infirmity. We extrapolate from this that some sicknesses have a demonic component or origin, and, for healing to take place, the evil spirit must be removed.

Apparently demons have the ability to mimic or induce sickness, disease, and pain. They are expelled by using Christ’s authority, which is enforced by the Holy Spirit. That is the easy part. The more challenging thing is to discern their presence and how or why they were able to oppress the person. It is always good to seek to close any “open door” through which they may have gained access to oppress. This is done by repentance and renunciation of whatever the person did to provide access. Sometimes it is not the oppressed person’s fault. Demonic oppression may have entered through sin or trauma committed against the person or by being passed down in the family. I have written extensively about deliverance elsewhere, which can be accessed on this website.

The author gives some practical insights he gained through experience.

When praying with someone, if they suddenly experience pain they didn’t have before, or if a present sensation of pain moves to another part of the body or becomes worse, it’s a sure sign that an evil spirit is manifesting. (p. 163)

The presence of a demon in a person can be recognized in a number of ways, which I wrote about in another article, which you can reach by clicking here. Hayes gives a simple checklist to get rid of a demon, to which I personally subscribe.

  1. Identify the root cause. (Through spiritual discernment, analysis, experience.)
  2. Once the root cause is identified, replace it with the truth from God’s Word.
  3. Assist them in embracing God’s truth, renouncing agreements with the enemy, and repenting of any attitudes stemming from the root cause.
  4. Remove evil spirits by operating in the authority of Christ. (pp.170-1)

Hayes states that people often still need healing after the spirit is commanded to leave. If this is so, it should be obvious.

The Bible makes it clear that demons must do as commanded by a disciple of Christ and reinforced by the Holy Spirit. When I encounter resistance to my command, I assume that some “hook” or other means of access still exists that needs to be identified and renounced. Once all such “hooks” have been removed, the demon must leave. It is God’s mercy to allow them to stay until the reason for their presence is properly removed; otherwise, they will likely return.

Raising the Dead

If we believe the Bible, we know that God raises the dead and that Jesus told his disciples to do the same. This chapter examines the topic with the clear understanding that the author has never done it. I personally have talked to people who raised the dead in Africa, but I have never witnessed it. It stands to reason that God may do this where we live in the last days.

Proclaiming the Kingdom

Divine healing is not primarily about physical health and wellness. The main objective of healing is to confirm a message from God. The message is that God wants to re-establish a vital and living relationship with mankind. (p. 190)

One reason that I am excited about gaining greater success in healing is that it will offer a perfect way to ask people if they would like to know that One who healed them.

Making Disciples

The kingdom is not a set of precepts we agree to, it is the transformational power of God working in the lives of believers, changing them into the image of Christ. In a span of three years, Jesus took uneducated men and transformed their lives by using frequent demonstration and teachings on the kingdom…This is the goal of making disciples; it’s the replication of the kingdom of God in the lives of others. One of the problems of our Christian culture is that it’s easy to live as a part-time Christian. Many of us have little interaction with other believers outside of Sunday church services. We tend to compartmentalize our Christianity, bringing it out only when it’s convenient. On Sunday we put on Jesus, but He remains hidden the rest of the week. (p. 202)

This chapter dovetails with the one on Street Healing. Both encourage the reader to get out of the house or church building into places where we can connect with people, especially those who do not yet know the Lord.

Persistence Pays Off

In this chapter, Hayes stresses the importance of persisting in prayer over the long haul in some cases, if we are going to see results. The following quote references a mentor, Todd White.

I think Todd was proposing the real reason why more people aren’t healed. It’s not because God doesn’t want them healed. It’s because we don’t want them healed enough to spend hours, days, weeks or months praying if that’s what it takes. We often blame God for not healing people when the blame probably belongs to us. We expect immediate results and if we don’t see an instant change, we give up. If you endeavor to operate in healing, you’ll eventually find a person who requires prayer over a long period of time. They may have multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s, autism or Lyme disease. Whatever their illness is, they will find you. And when they do, your persistence in prayer is the only thing that will get them healed. I believe many more people would be healed of such diseases if we would learn to persist and not give up so quickly. (pp. 208-10)

Receiving Our Healing

This chapter looks at the importance of properly receiving healing, or any other gift, from God. The steps the author gives are almost exactly the ones I use when explaining to people how to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

  • Ask for healing
  • Expect to be healed
  • Receive God’s healing power
  • Believe you are healed
  • Be thankful for your healing (p. 217)

Hayes gives several examples of attitudes that may need repentance before healing can be received, such as the following.

  • Previous negative experiences when being prayed for
  • Lack of trust due to prior abuse
  • Being obsessed with our medical condition
  • Thinking the sickness was put on us by God
  • Demonic oppression
  • Fear
  • Doubt or unbelief
  • Seeing ourselves as being sick even after prayer

Importantly, the author does not make the reader feel condemned or discouraged in this chapter. Rather, he gives practical tips for receiving our healing. Overall I found it quite helpful.

Keeping Our Healing

This chapter is really part of the previous one. The author looks at attitudes and beliefs that seem to allow sickness to return after a person is healed. He tells of a person who became sick again after deciding he was afraid to live as an able-bodied person no longer on the government dole for disability. He thinks that people who refuse to keep talking about their sickness after being healed stay healed.

Later in the chapter, the author tells of a demonic attack that mimicked a real medical condition, in his case, a herniated disc.

I learned a great deal from this experience. I learned that we may have the symptoms of a condition that perfectly mimic the condition itself, with no actual injury or disease process in our body. A demon can create a near perfect imitation of a real medical condition. I also learned that a key to victory over the enemy lies in what we believe and what we say. I refused to believe or admit that I had a herniated disc, even though the symptoms felt exactly like it. I also learned that although we might see complete removal of the spirit and symptoms once, it doesn’t mean they won’t return. And if the symptoms return, the strategy that worked the first time can be used again as often as needed until the spirit realizes we aren’t going to allow it to afflict us. I’ve used these principles in my own life many times since then. Today, when I pray with someone who has been healed, I always try to spend a few minutes teaching them what to do if the symptoms return. (p. 228)

The author also addressed the importance of conquering fear.

When we fear the return of sickness, we do so because we doubt that God has really healed us or that we will remain healed. We may also doubt that He truly loves us. Fear and doubt about God’s goodness allow the enemy to bring sickness back. When we live from a place of faith, we walk on ground that God has given us as our possession. It is our inheritance and our refuge. Faith is our place of strength. The enemy is at a disadvantage when we walk on the ground called faith. When we walk in doubt and fear, we walk on the enemy’s ground, which allows him to keep us in pain. Where we walk is a choice we have to make. The choice we make determines the outcome of our healing. Fear will keep us in sickness. Faith will keep us healed. This is why we must close our account with sickness and choose never again to entertain these thoughts. (p. 229)

When People Aren’t Healed

No book on healing would be complete without this chapter. Sadly, for may Christians, this is their biggest chapter. I like the way the author approaches this subject.

I’d like to dedicate this chapter to the friends who have come to me often for prayer and are still not healed. I want you to know that I haven’t given up on seeing you healed. You’ve received prayer from so many people and you’re still not well, but you refuse to quit. Your persistence is remarkable. I’ve learned some things by talking with all of you and it’s my hope that eventually you’ll get the breakthrough you’re looking for. Thanks for being patient with God as He teaches us about healing. Thank you for not giving up on us. We’re on a journey of discovery. That journey is a progressive revelation of eternal truths that have existed in the mind of God and upon which His kingdom was built long before Adam walked with Him in the cool of the day. On this journey, we’ll find many things that have been hidden, waiting for us to find them. For in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom. (p. 233-4)

Hayes provides a list of possible reasons why people do not experience healing.

  • Lack of faith in the one praying
  • Some spiritual obstacle – evil spirit, fear, bitterness, etc.
  • Holding the minister in poor esteem
  • An underlying issue which requires emotional or inner healing. This would fall under the ministry category of what I call “personal prayer ministry” or biblical healing and deliverance, about which I have written extensively.

The wisdom of God may allow our physical healing to manifest only after the spiritual and emotional problems are dealt with as a way to assure that in the end, we are completely healed. What good is a healed body connected to a bitter, unforgiving heart? What benefit is a sound tummy to someone plagued by a spirit of fear that dominates their every thought? I think what these people need most is not more prayer over their physical symptoms, but the completion of their emotional and spiritual healing which, if it were to happen, would result in their physical healing being completed. Many of us need some degree of deliverance and others need inner healing to take place before any long-term physical healing will happen. (p. 238)

The remainder of the book includes chapters on fasting and the future of healing.

I have put this book in my top ten list because it inspired me to pray and believe for healing. I have already seen some significant healings and plan to keep moving forward. I hope it has the same impact on you. May God release his healing power through the church in a greater and greater way. Amen.

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The Impotence of the Law

In Romans Chapter 7, Paul uses the analogy of marriage to shed light on our relationship with the Law.

Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4 (NASB)

Before the new birth, we were “married” to the Law. The Law is a demanding husband, who is always right in his criticisms, but who never lifts a finger to help us.

When it comes to being fruitful toward God, the Law is absolutely impotent.

Because of our inherited sin nature, the Law can never produce anything good in us. It only highlights our sinfulness and actually goads us to become more sinful because the more we try to be “perfect” by using our own resources, the more hopelessly we fail.

For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Romans 7:5 (NASB)

Our relationship with the husband called the Law can only produce death; yet, the Law continually condemns our fruitlessness toward God. It is like an impotent husband criticizing his wife for not bearing children to him. It simply cannot happen. That is why our heavenly Father united us with his Son in his death.

When Christ died, so did we, which liberated us from our marriage to the Law.

Before his death, our Lord perfectly satisfied the requirements of the Law. His death satisfied God’s righteous judgment against us for breaking the Law. Since we were included in his death and resurrection, we benefit from his perfect righteousness and his perfect sacrifice.

Now that we have died with Christ, we can be married to Christ without violating God’s righteousness.

Jesus is the perfect husband through whom we can now bear fruit to God. This is because his Spirit lives in and through us, causing us both to will and to do God’s will.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

If we in frustration for our apparent lack of fruit toward God turn back to our own efforts to try to make it happen, we have fallen from grace and returned to an impotent husband. How foolish!

For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:19 (NLT)

Our love relationship with our Lord Jesus is the only way we will ever bear fruit to God. Never abandon him in a foolish quest to find another lover (the Law) who will never be able to satisfy our deep longings to be fruitful.

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Part 29 – What to Expect during a PPM Session

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This is the 29th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. You can access the rest of the articles by clicking here.

 

Many people are apprehensive prior to their first Personal Prayer Ministry session because they do not know what to expect. It is natural to fear the unknown, but thankfully we can trust Jesus to be kind, gracious, and patient with us. He is the safest person in the universe. Anyone who would voluntarily die for us is certainly not going to treat us poorly.

PPM likely is going to be different from any other kind of counseling or ministry you have ever received. The goal of PPM is to deliberately make room for Jesus to be the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

In order to accomplish this, we emphasize the following principles.

  • Relax. No one is under any pressure to “perform.” If nothing comes out of these sessions except that we spend time in prayer and listening to the Lord, it will be time well spent. However, it has been my experience that Jesus is far more interested and committed to our being set free than we are.
  • Turn off your analytical brain and listen. Many people have trained themselves to analyze everything. This goes back to the Garden of Eden and Adam’s first sin. We try to figure out the reasons for our bondage and how we can get free. While there is certainly a time and place for that, it is not during the listening portion of PPM. As we “wait upon the Lord,” we want to hear what Jesus has to say to us. His words and insights will set us free, not our analysis.
  • Don’t filter anything. This one is difficult for analysts. As we wait on the Lord, he often brings to mind memories of past events. It is important that we not filter out anything, thinking it is irrelevant. We don’t yet know what is relevant. You will be asked to share everything that comes to mind – the good, bad, ugly, silly, and the seemingly irreverent or irrelevant. The PPM minister will help decide what is or is not from the Lord and the meaning. This is important. The part you may be tempted to ignore could be critical. If you think something is not from the Lord, share it anyway. Your minister will help judge such things and determine what to do with it. Before ministry, we always pray that the only voice we will hear is from the Lord. We trust him to oversee the entire process.
  • Be open to the Lord communicating in various ways. We never know how Jesus may communicate with us. First of all, it is perfectly okay to get nothing at all. However, when all obstacles have been removed, it is usual for the Lord to speak often and clearly. He communicates through memories, visions, Bible verses, thoughts, impressions, feelings, and bodily sensations. Do not discount anything. Feelings of confusion must be felt, likewise pain, fear, etc. You will be expected to be an open book to share everything you are receiving. Remember, we are holistic beings, not mere intellects.

Opening Prayer

I begin every PPM session with prayer, covering the following points.

  • Acknowledge that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. We turn over the entire process to him. We ask him to direct every facet of the ministry.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh and be Christ’s administrator of the session. We pray that he will inspire us and enable us in every area.
  • We proclaim Christ’s victory and authority over every form of bondage. We declare his authority over every demon, bondage, lie, generational issue, and sickness. We command any evil spirit that may be somehow involved to be bound and silent, unless directed by Jesus to manifest in some way that will contribute to the deliverance. We command every voice but that of the Lord to be still.
  • We “clothe” ourselves with Christ’s authority and righteousness, recognizing that we have none of our own. Our competency and authority to minister come from Christ.
  • We invoke Father God’s presence and love to permeate everything.
  • We thank Jesus what we can safely trust him to direct and protect every aspect of the ministry. We can be as little children in our confidence that nothing weird or harmful will take place as we depend on his guidance and oversight. We will only hear the Shepherd’s voice.

Jesus Directed

Deciding where to begin is important. The application form will likely give us clues, but we will pray asking Jesus to show us where he wants to start. This will be a continuing practice throughout the ministry times. We will always be going back to Jesus in prayer making sure we are on the same track as he. Sometimes we may need to back up and go in a different direction. This normal and to be expected. We are seeking to follow him, not direct the show.

Many Faceted

Bondage usually has many tentacles, and we want to make sure we leave no stone unturned. During the course of ministry, we will be covering bitterness issues, generational devastation, traumatic inner pain, embedded lies, and demonization, not necessarily in any specific order. We want the Spirit to lead us, but we will do our best to cover everything.

Session Duration

Sessions usually go for around two hours or until it seems like a good time to stop. The number of sessions depends on the person, but you can expect at least three or four, but perhaps more.  I have seen things go quickly, but sometimes there is a lot of work to do. We usually know when we have done all we can do. Remember: no one gets completely set free prior to the resurrection. We will

Between Sessions

In the gap between PPM sessions, the Holy Spirit does not stop his ministry. You will be asked to keep a journal of your interactions and conversations with the Lord and bring it to the next session. One of the great benefits of receiving PPM is developing your ability to hear the Lord for yourself. One goal of PPM is to help you learn to receive directly from Jesus without needing someone else to help you; although, from time to time we probably can all benefit from getting some outside help.

Conclusion

I hope this series of articles has helped you better understand PPM. If after reading it, you wish to receive ministry, please contact me, and we can discuss it. I am also open to helping train others to do this ministry.

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Part 28 – The Purpose of the Application Form

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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

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This is the 27th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling, which provides some safeguards for ministry. 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

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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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How to Cast Out Evil Spirits

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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

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This is the 24th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling on release from demons. 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.demonic oppression

  • 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

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This is the 23rd article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling on release from demons. 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?

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This is the 22nd article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling on how people become demonized. 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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