Hollywood has given us some vivid stories and greatly embellished accounts about how powerful demons are. This buffet of fiction was designed to stoke fear in people by greatly exaggerating evil’s power. Last week, we asked the question, “Is spiritual warfare a thing?” Indeed, it is, but, as usual, it looks a little different than our popular imagination.

The light of Jesus’ presence exposed the demonic darkness in people. “If I drive out demons by the finger of God,” Jesus stated, “then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). Jesus was the greatest exorcist. He came to set people free from sin, its consequences, and the enslavement to demonic torment. Hebrews 2:14 tells us that through Jesus’ substitutionary payment made for our sins on the cross, Jesus broke “the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” Colossians similarly reports that Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities” by paying for our legal sin-debt on the cross. Christ’s clever strategy to defeat sin and the devil was to remove the devil’s legal claim to our lives. Given that reality, here are a few preliminary thoughts and a five-step deliverance process.

The Need for Spiritual Discernment

First of all, we need to be spiritually discerning. In chapter twelve of his biography of Jesus, Matthew the tax collector records two of Jesus’ miracles back-to-back. The first miracle was a straightforward healing of a biological disfiguration; a man with a shriveled hand responds to Jesus’ command and is healed on the sabbath (12:13). Just nine verses later Matthew reports that they brought a “demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see” (v.22). Moreover, in the gospel of John the paralytic by the pool was healed. Later, Jesus warned him to “stop sinning or something worse may happen to you,” implying that sin had led to his diseased condition, or could lead to the worsening of it.

Good doctors discern the root ailment behind the symptoms. In three separate cases, Jesus, our Great Physician, discerned and treated three different maladies: a biological malady, a demonic oppression, and the curse of sin. Like Jesus, we first need to accurately discern whether the origins of the maladies we face are natural or spiritual. For example, is the fear and anxiety this person struggles with a brain chemistry problem, a generational curse in the family, a trauma response, or a demonic spirit that’s tormenting them? It takes spiritual awareness to discern the source of affliction.

Disciples have authority  

As we noted last week, the New Testament reports that Jesus delegated his authority to his disciples, “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (Matthew 10:1). As his representatives, their mission was to expand Yahweh’s good kingdom and the freedom that comes from living in it. However, there is a catch. Jesus warned that you can cast out devils, but if the person doesn’t commit themselves to walking in obedience to God’s ways, the demons will return. Listen to Jesus describe this condition, 

When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. (Matthew 12:43-45)

Freedom comes from living in the truth and character of Jesus, not the power to exorcise demons.

As a teenager, I witnessed this exact thing when I worked alongside a man named Joe. My pastor had performed multiple exorcisms on this man, but his lifestyle of sin continued to open the door to demonic torment in his life. The two summers I worked alongside Joe, it was evident that he was again filled with demonic personalities and impure fascinations. His condition had proved to turn worse than before. Freedom only comes from living surrendered to Jesus. For that reason, when our counselors and pastoral staff tangle with demonic personalities or curses, we generally follow a five-step deliverance process.

1. Salvation

We take the time to invite people, if they haven’t done so already, to commit their lives to following Jesus Christ. It’s in his kingdom that we experience true peace and freedom. You are either living under the authority of the King, or you are living under the jurisdiction of rebellious demons. Recently, a woman coming out of Islam talked about how the Jinn (devil-spirits) would torment her mercilessly. As she grew to know Jesus, he reassured her (in dreams) of his love and care for her. After she gave her life to Jesus, the demonic Jinn stopped tormenting her. Jesus possesses all authority in heaven and earth (Colossians 2:10), but we must surrender to it.

2. Repentance

If there’s demonic activity, it is almost always because sin provided the legal permission somewhere, somehow. The key to evicting impure spirits is not to argue or shout with them, but, through repentance, to judicially take away their right to be there.

Repentance is a standard way of admitting we were wrong and asking God to forgive us. Some people have had to repent of witchcraft or freemasonry in their families. Maybe you need to repent of an abortion you had years ago. Maybe you need to repent of filthy language, bitterness, and accusations towards others. Or maybe you need to repent of something as insignificant as believing an unconscious lie, like—“nobody cares about me.” That devaluing little cancer can lead to catastrophic choices. We must verbally and contractually repent of our lies and sins to participate in Christ’s liberating freedom.

3. Cast Out Demons

Once we have repented of our sins, we can evict the evil spirits. Pay attention to Paul’s warning in Ephesians 4:26-27, “‘In your anger do not sin’…and do not give the devil a foothold.” Paul was implying that sin gives the devil a foot in the door. By removing the sin, we can cast out the devil and shut the open door to our lives or community. Matthew 8:16 says Jesus “drove out the spirits with a word,” and we can do the same.

Of course, the devil doesn’t always play by the rules. He tries to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10) without any legal right to do so. You can take your authority in Jesus’ name and command his activity to stop. Don’t tolerate him. Don’t negotiate. Cast him out. Again, Jesus said, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19)

 4. Break Off Curses

The Bible describes curses as the consequences of disobedience. Curses can also be a demonic empowerment to fail. An example of a curse may be a family proclivity to alcoholism, adultery, suicide, judgmentalism, rage, or even untimely death. Children under that curse fail faster in those specific areas.

It is not God’s desire that we live under the curse of sin; he wants us to be blessed in him. After we have cast out the devil, we can “break off” any curses that resulted from his presence.

5. Holy Spirit Filling

After we have cleansed the house of the liars and their lies, we want to fill it with God’s Holy Spirit and his beautiful truths. It’s not enough to cast out the demons; we must commit ourselves to walking in God’s ways. He is the new leader we live under. When we respect his authority and obey his commands, we live in the freedom his laws produce, “then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Living in Jesus should begin to produce new fruit in the area where once there was demonic torment, anxiety, or chaos.

Final Thoughts

Repentance is both an event and a lifestyle. It is a deconstruction process in which we stop believing the lies, cast out the liars, and dismantle the bad habits built on those lies. If we walk in God’s ways and authority, then Jesus gives us victory over evil in our lives. We can also be his ambassadors to expand that freedom to the people around us. The kingdom of light disperses the darkness and casts out the impure spirits. That’s good news. The King is in town and has given us authority over all the rebellious powers. 

Tags: truth, jesus, freedom, evil, habits, holy spirit, fear, authority, good news, demons, repentance, obedience, deliverance, lies, liar, discernment, bondage, curses, harassment, rebellious, jinn