ICS Daily Devotions
Deliverance – Casting Out Demons
Mark 16:15-17 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow THOSE WHO BELIEVE: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues
Jesus has given all His believers the vested authority and the ability to cast out demons in His name (i.e deliverance). It is important to distinguish between demon possession, oppression and obsession of the mind, in order to cast out demons. A born-again Christian cannot be demon possessed but can still be oppressed or suffer from obsession of the mind. Oppression can happen to a Christian when he is weighed down externally by a force but can be set free in the name of Jesus, whereas obsession of the mind does not require casting out demons and can be freed by ministering to the person to understand the love of God.
Demon possession occurs when humans grant permission for them to enter their bodies through vows, idol worship, occult practices, unholy practices (eg drugs, alcoholism, prostitution, violence, heavy metal/rock music) and anything else to do with darkness. A demon possessed person will periodically/continually lose control of themselves when the demon/demons take control of them by entering their human spirit through their heart. At times, the demon will speak through them, hurt them or make their lives chaotic. Demons are liars and we should not engage them in conversations but cast them out decisively in the name of Jesus.
Jesus has instructed His believers to cast out demons, but we are not to go on our own authority as man, but in the vested authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus is seated on the right hand of the Father and this position is far above all principalities, power, dominion and might. Because we are seated with Christ, this positional truth allows us to use His name to pray and cast out demons when necessary.
Whenever we encounter someone whom we suspect may have an evil spirit, we should share the Gospel. Normally the demon will act up when the Gospel is shared, and the blood of Jesus Christ is mentioned. We are to take authority over the spirit in the name of Jesus and command the spirit to leave. When the spirit refuses to leave, the person may lose control of themselves. We are to bind the demon while delivering the person during the struggle. During the person’s conscious moments, get the person to say, “I don’t want you in my life anymore because I want Jesus”. The demon has to depart once the person makes this decision to reject the demonic spirit and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
The person will be delivered if they truly desire to be free. However, in cases when the person does not want to be free, the demonic spirit will remain. Once the person has been delivered, they are encouraged to pray the sinner’s prayer to receive Jesus Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit. When God resides in this newly delivered person’s heart, the devil cannot come back to them.
Sermon Series: CG Campaign – Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow
