Category: Wonderful Counseling

How God Moves Us from Fear to Faith

 

This is the eleventh article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. I sometimes use other names for this ministry, such as Personal Prayer Ministry and Biblical Healing and Deliverance. The adjective "wonderful" is used because Jesus is the "wonderful Counselor" of Isaiah 9:6. This ministry attempts to make room for Jesus to personally counsel people by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit, with human ministers acting as facilitators. This makes it different from most counseling. It is highly effective at teaching the recipient how to hear the voice of the Spirit and to receive his life giving words.

 

The opening scene in Judges 6 shows Gideon threshing wheat in a wine press. Wine presses were located in valleys which made them generally less visible to prying eyes. Wheat was usually threshed on top of hills where there likely would be more of a breeze to separate the heavy wheat from the lighter chaff, when the mixture was thrown into the air. Gideon chose to work in the less efficient wine press for fear that Israel’s enemies, the invading Midianites, might see him, steal his crops, and perhaps even injure or kill him. He was a fearful and oppressed person who was intimidated by his oppressor – not a likely candidate for being a hero.

The angel of the Lord stood under a tree watching all this, most likely a little amused because he knew what was coming. God’s sense of humor can be found throughout the Bible. If we need more proof, consider that he made you and me.

God loves to choose unlikely people to accomplish the seemingly impossible because it gives him pleasure, fulfillment to us, and brings glory to his name.

God selected Gideon to lead Israel to victory over apparently insurmountable odds. The Lord picked a man who was fearful, insecure, and small in his own eyes, a man who at the time had very little faith in God because he believed some very big lies.

Imagine Gideon’s surprise when he heard the angel’s greeting.

The LORD’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The LORD is with you, courageous warrior!” Judges 6:12 (NET1)

Gideon must have been taken aback by this announcement because he believed neither of these things. He saw no evidence that God was with him and certainly did not believe he was a courageous warrior. When God starts to work on destroying the lies in which we trust, he doesn’t beat around the bush. By addressing Gideon in this way, the Lord prompted Gideon to state what he believed on a heart level.

Exposing the Lie

Getting the lie into the open is a great first step toward freedom.

Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, but if the LORD is with us, why has such disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Did the LORD not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” Judges 6:13 (NET1)

Let’s look at some of the key words: if, why, where, and but. We often reveal the lies we believe when we use these words.

Satan loves to insert an “if” into the equation to inspire doubt in God’s character, God’s promise, and God’s plan.

The “if” was derived from the why and where. Gideon showed that he depended on his own powers of deduction rather than on God’s character and promises. Paul called this a “stronghold” – a logical speculation or argument derived from our experience or observations that prevents us from knowing and trusting in God. (2 Corinthians 10:4-6) Gideon saw that disaster had overcome Israel and that no known miracles had taken place in his day. This led him to conclude or speculate that God was no longer on Israel’s side and that he was not doing anything powerful at all. This logical argument stood between him and the experience of deliverance and freedom. It blocked him initially from simply believing God’s word to him.

The “but” surfaced the lie in which Gideon trusted: God had abandoned Israel, he thought, leaving them powerless against their enemies.

In Gideon’s lie-based worldview, God was not present and Israel had no hope, thereby providing Gideon with no basis for faith from which to derive courage.

The lie was now out in the open, as was Gideon’s unbelief. Gideon had been paralyzed by lies of abandonment and powerlessness, two of the most prevalent lies we all must face and conquer.

Once the embedded lie is exposed, the Lord desires to speak his truth into our lives, which will demolish the stronghold, if we hear, receive, believe, and act on it.

The devil loves to hide in the darkness, and he wants our lie-based arguments and speculations to swirl around in our minds pulling us deeper into the abyss of unbelief, fear, and confusion. Once these lies are exposed to the light of God’s truth, they tend to dissipate like the morning mist.

Lies cannot coexist with truth, just as darkness and light cannot exist side by side.

The Power of a Personal Word from God

God’s answer to Gideon was a “rhema” word to him. I use the Greek word for “word,” “rhema,” to describe the experience of God’s revealing himself and his eternally true logos Word to us by the Spirit. In other words, a “rhema” word makes the eternally true “logos” Word found in the Bible both personal and faith inspiring.

A personal “rhema” revelation of truth has the power to destroy lies and transform us.

God’s rhema word to Gideon invited him to see things as God did and to believe the truth that the Lord was still with him and is much bigger than any fear or enemy.

Then the LORD himself turned to him and said, “You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?” Judges 6:14 (NET1)

We should pay close attention to what happened in this verse. Suddenly it was no longer God’s messenger speaking: now it was the Lord himself. My next sentence is one of the biggest keys to being set free. This truth is able to unlock some of the strongest prison doors.

In order for us to be delivered from deeply embedded lies, we must hear the Lord himself speak his truth to our hearts.

This is called revelation in the Bible and comes via the Holy Spirit.

God can speak through another person, a Bible verse or passage, or by his Spirit in the inner recesses of our hearts. In this case, it was through a pre-incarnational appearance of the Lord. God’s rhema to Gideon smashed both of the lies in which Gideon trusted: God had not abandoned him or Israel, and Gideon was not powerless because God was with him.

When the Light of the world, Jesus, enters our hearts, darkness is dispelled.

God himself told Gideon that he had the strength to deliver Israel and gave him the command to go do it. Gideon still has his doubts, however, because there were yet more lies to be confronted.

Gideon said to him, “But Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” 16 The LORD said to him, “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” Judges 6:15-16 (NET1)

“But Lord!” How contradictory are these two words when used side by side! Here Gideon revealed that his calculations did not include God at all. He still saw things through the lens of his own inadequacies and failed to factor in God’s ability and power. (Don’t we all tend to do this?) When we make excuses for not doing what God commands us, it reveals that we believe that God is either not with us or not up to the task of enabling us.

Our unbelief clearly indicates we doubt either God’s trustworthiness, power, or his love – or maybe all three.

In other words, unbelief impugns God’s character and negates his power; whereas, faith upholds both.

Only faith glorifies God. Peter Block wrote in his book, The Answer to How Is Yes, that when we commit to do something, negativity evaporates and we begin to use our faith to become creative problem solvers.  The “how” of unbelief does not calculate on God and makes excuses for disobedience; whereas, the “yes” of faith moves forward in obedience trusting that God will somehow come through.

When the Lord reaffirmed that he would be with Gideon, he revealed the key to living the faith life – God is always with us.

Jesus is Immanuel – God with us. I cannot overemphasize the importance of this truth.

The root of many deeply embedded lies is a deep sense of abandonment by God.

This derives from humanity’s actual separation from him in the Garden of Eden because of our sin. But Genesis 3:15 reveals that God never actually abandoned us at all. He promised Adam and Eve that one of their descendants would crush the head of the serpent – Satan. This is the Bible’s first messianic promise.

Because Jesus, our Messiah and Immanuel, died and rose again, no one who believes in him needs to experience life apart from God any longer. (John 14:16)

When we imagine that we do, it reveals how far we still have to go in our understanding of grace and how sinfully independent our thinking still is.

Amazingly, God allows us to collaborate with him in life and when we face obstacles. This is one of the great joys of being a follower of Christ. We are not alone any longer! God delights to use us, even though, ultimately, all the glory will go to him, because he alone is able to pull off the miracle. What a joy for us to be his partner! When God allows us to participate, he shares his power, glory, and honor with us in a similar fashion as the moon shares the sun’s glorious radiance. The moon has no light of its own, yet it shines beautifully in the night sky. We have no power or glory of our own, yet we can win great victories when we obey God and trust him completely.

God’s grace shines through us, despite our weaknesses.

But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NET1)

When God made Gideon a promise that he would be with him, it should have confirmed to him that God was loyal and loving toward him; but, he was still not convinced of where he stood with God. This is a common problem for many of us – yes, even with Bible-believing followers of Christ. Because we are at least partially aware of our own faults and shortcomings, we cannot imagine that God could be truly pleased with us or use us in any significant way.

This shows that we have negated God’s gracious promises with a lie-based argument, which causes us to miss a central point of the gospel of grace. No one can possibly be good enough to please God: that is why Jesus had to die for us.

The mindset that God cannot use us is sinful and must be repudiated.

When we receive the benefits of the finished work of Christ by faith, not only are we forgiven, but we are completely reconciled to God. We become members of God’s family and true friends. God provides the Spirit of his Son to indwell us. We have been given the Son of God’s relationship with the Father, minus the divinity part; therefore, when God looks at us, he is as pleased with us as he is with his Son.

Consequently, because of our relationship with God, our commission to be his representatives on the earth, and the  indwelling Spirit, we are able to do whatever he tells us.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16 (NET1)

But Gideon did not know this, since he lived in a time before Christ’s death and resurrection. Even though God told him he was highly favored, he still wanted further proof.

So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. Judges 6:17 (NASB)

If you are like me, you might be thinking that God was beginning to get a little impatient with Gideon, as he did with Moses when he made excuse after excuse. But that was not the case. God was calling and commissioning Gideon to do the impossible; so, he was willing to corroborate his word to him.

The greater the task the more willing is God to make it plain to us. He knows that our faith needs bolstering.

Gideon offered the Lord a sacrifice, which God accepted by consuming it on the spot with fire in which the angel disappeared from sight. Gideon promptly went from doubt that it was God to doubt as to whether he would continue to live after seeing God. You have to admit this is at least a little humorous. After receiving an assurance that he would not die, Gideon built an altar to the Lord there, naming it “Jehovah-Shalom” – the Lord is peace, security, wholeness, success, or prosperity. All of the these concepts are rolled up into one word – shalom. I like how the New English Translation translates Jehovah-Shalom: “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.”

God took Gideon from doubting his good intentions to worshiping him for showing shalom towards his servant.

By revealing himself as Jehovah-Shalom, God shattered the foundation of several strongholds at once.

Once again, God revealed himself personally with a “rhema” word. He nullified the lie that God did not favor Israel or Gideon. He broke the power of the lie that God is not able to give victory over his circumstances and fears. Shalom declared that God was the provider of financial well being, healing, success, victory, and peace. Gideon’s faith in these truths would later be tested even further; so, Gideon could come to know this amazing God of shalom better.

Faith grows when it is tested, just as muscles are strengthened by exertion.

The Lord moved quickly on the heels of Gideon’s breakthrough revelation. It is important for us to realize that God does not reveal himself to us just for fun. It is to prepare us for what he has called us to do. That same night God gave Gideon his first big job, one that confronted his remaining fears to the core. I find it ironic and intensely interesting that God would reveal himself as Gideon’s peace (shalom) just before commissioning him to fight.

Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the presence of God that gives us the courage to fight the Lord’s battles.

That night the LORD said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” Judges 6:25-26 (NET1)

In the afterglow of finding out that God favored him and was with him, Gideon was told to provoke the anger of the local idol worshipers, which included members of his own family. This man who went out of his way to stay hidden from danger now was told to stir up trouble and bring down the wrath of the community upon his head. Gideon obeyed, but stuck to his old ways of trying to stay hidden. He did the deed at night with the help of ten associates.

The command to build an altar on top of the idolatrous stronghold is especially significant. Not only does God intend to smash our lie-based strongholds, but he plans to transform their rubble into a place of worship for us, building an altar faith and devotion to God upon which we can give ourselves unreservedly to him.

From the rubble of our smashed strongholds likely will emerge our ministry to the Lord and other people.

As expected, the local townspeople threatened Gideon, but God preserved his life. His name was changed to Jerub-Baal, meaning “let Baal contend with him.” In other words, he became known for his brave and confrontational act of destroying the idols that offended God. God insulated him from men’s threats and violence by personally defending him. His own father, a former idolater-in-chief, defended his son when an angry mob wanted to harm him. God was indeed his “shalom.”

But this test was only the “warm up.” Next God told him to confront and defeat a vast horde of Midianites which oppressed Israel. In a very short time God took Gideon from fearing those invaders to becoming the captain of the minuscule force that defeated them. What an amazing turn around! But this next task required that Gideon become even more convinced that God was with him.

Strongholds run deep. Even though Gideon had obtained some deliverance, he still battled unbelief and fear, as is often the case with us. How could he be sure that this command was really the Lord? When the Lord asks us to do things within our “comfort zone,” we may obey him fairly promptly; but, when he tells us to do something of which we are afraid, suddenly we are not sure if it’s really the Lord! That is probably why God “broke in” Gideon with a lesser task first before sending him against a huge army.

If we are predisposed to unbelief because of our fears, we may lack confidence that we really have heard the Lord or have difficulty accepting even the most obvious confirmations. Fear lacks the ability to think clearly.

Understanding this human frailty, the Lord was very patient with our reluctant hero. When Gideon asked him for a double reverse sign involving a fleece, God obliged both times. On top of that, God even came up with a further sign to help fortify Gideon’s faith. He told him to venture near the enemy’s camp, where he heard one of the enemy soldiers voice his interpretation of an ominous dream in which he predicted that Gideon and his army would prevail over them in battle. This was all Gideon needed. Gideon promptly marched back into camp and spoke rousing words of faith to his men.

When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the LORD is handing the Midianite army over to you!” Judges 7:15 (NET1)

Isn’t it interesting that Gideon put more stock in a dream’s interpretation than he did in God’s direct promise? May God give us more reliance on his Word than in anything else!

But we get ahead of ourselves. God had previously reduced the size of Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300, saying:

…“With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army and I will hand Midian over to you. The rest of the men should go home.” Judges 7:7 (NET1)

God really does have a sense of humor, but I am sure it did not seem so at the time to Gideon. After thoroughly convincing Gideon that it was really He giving him the command to destroy the Midianites, God removed 99% of his army, giving the following reason:

… “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’’ Judges 7:2 (NET1)

This is one of the ways God operates. He convinces us to sign on to his program and then removes from us some of the resources we thought we could count on. He does this so that we can learn to trust in him alone.

Even before reducing the size of the army, Israel was hugely outnumbered, but now the odds were ridiculous from a human point of view. If God did not do a major miracle, Gideon would go down in history as one of the biggest fools who ever lived. This must have been why God obliged him with the two fleece confirmations and gave him the interpretation of the enemy’s dream. Gideon needed to know that this adventure with God was legitimate. His life and that of his men, as well as Israel’s freedom, depended on it.

Well, if you don’t know the rest of the story, it’s in Judges 7. As you might have guessed, Gideon, with God’s help, triumphed and became one of the great heroes of Israel.

When we cooperate with God by allowing him to help us conquer our fears by smashing our strongholds of lies and unbelief, it is no telling what great things can be accomplished in God’s kingdom.

Maybe God has a Gideon-sized job for you? If so, you likely have a Gideon-sized set of embedded lies that need uprooting. Don’t be surprised if God requires you confront your fears head on. Draw near to him and let the Lord speak his loving truth into those hidden places in your heart. The truth will set you free.

Go back to Part 10.

Read Part 12: An Introduction to Overcoming Generational Devastation

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Part 29 – What to Expect during a PPM Session

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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Part 27: Safeguards for Those Receiving Personal Prayer Ministry

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Limited Confidentiality

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

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

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

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

Waiver of Liability

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

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

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

The next article will discuss the application process.

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How to Maintain Our Spiritual Freedom

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

 

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

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

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

We learn several things from the above passage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the main points.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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How to Cast Out Evil Spirits

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

 

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

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

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

The Theology of Deliverance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Getting Ready

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

Depending on the Spirit’s Guidance

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

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

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

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

Steps to Deliverance

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

Dealing with Obstacles

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

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

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

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

How do we know when the evil spirit has departed?

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

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

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

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

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

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Release from Demonic Oppression: Biblical Names of Common Demons

 

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

 

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

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

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

What evil spirits do according to the Bible.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Release from Demonic Oppression: Diagnosis Demons

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Release from Demonic Oppression: How Do People Become Demonized?

 

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

 

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

Thankfully demons cannot randomly demonize anyone they choose.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sometimes demons are passed down generationally.

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

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

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

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

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Release from Demonic Oppression: Introduction

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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