Do Christians Need Deliverance?

The Night it All Began

It happened on a Wednesday evening in December 1996. We were having our normal service and it was time for prayer. The Lord brought to mind a prior conversation with a member of the church. She told me that her former church had a false prophet who prophesied over people and laid hands on them.

I asked if she remembered telling me about the prophet and that I felt I should pray over her about that. She said okay. As I laid my hands on her and began to pray, she instantly started to manifest, her body jerking and in great distress.

I certainly didn’t expect that because Donna (not her real name) was very much an in-control emotional person. I decided this had to be demonic and so I began to command the spirit to come out her in Jesus’ name.

After a short struggle, Donna was set free., She felt the spirit of hell leave her and she was now at peace. Many were delivered as I continued to minister to others in the room. This was the beginning of a ministry that I still pursue today.

Can Christians Be Possessed by Demons?

Many people question whether or not a Christian can be possessed by the devil. That is totally wrong thinking. Christians can’t be possessed, but they most certainly can be influenced by demons.

Scripture is filled with warnings against the work of the devil. We are told to cast out demons. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but all sorts of demonic beings. We are told to resist the devil and he will flee. We are told not give the devil a foothold.

In the past twenty-three years I have literally seen thousands of people set free from demonic influence in the name of Jesus. Too many believers are unaware that they are struggling against  demonic forces thinking that it is their flesh. I struggled for about twelve years until I was finally set free from a spirit that tormented me.

It Was Not My Flesh, It Was a Demon

I grew up in the home of a violent alcoholic and had an explosive anger within me. I had what they called a short fuse. It didn’t take much for me to explode.

When I got angry, I could feel this rage rise up from my stomach and fill my chest. I would hear a voice in my mind telling me to smash a person’s face in or kick their guts out or beat them until they couldn’t move.

I wasn’t a demon-possessed unbeliever controlled by demons to do things that I did not want to do. I was a believer for twelve years and a pastor for six. I was convinced that I was dealing with the flesh. I never once listened to the voice to do what it said. I would crucify my flesh and keep things under control,

Not once did it cross my mind that I was dealing with a demon. I believed in demons because the Bible says they exist, but I had no idea that they could influence me or cause such a rage to be inside me.

Delivered From a Spirit of Murder

I went to a weekend deliverance conference and went forward on the topic about dealing with the spirit of anger. As I was receiving ministry, my fists clenched and rage rose up in my chest. I wanted to knock the head off of the person commanding the spirit to leave my life.

Instead of punching the man I joined him in rebuking the spirit within me. I felt the rage growing and filling my chest until suddenly and dramatically the spirit exploded out of my chest. It was gone. I was free.

The spirit tried to come back into my life a few times, but each time I rejected it and commanded it to leave. It left and I’ve been free from that time until this.

Demonic Influence is Real

Demonic oppression and deception is real and many believers are being influenced by them without realizing what’s taking place. They might describe it as an invisible barrier. Every time they start growing or moving ahead in the Lord they run into an invisible wall.

Others may say that for every step forward they take two or more backward. They feel a real battle but don’t connect it to the invisible demonic realm. It’s like they are fighting shadows and  losing the battle.

Do You Need Deliverance?

You may be wondering, Do I need deliverance? In my experience the answer is yes. You need deliverance.

I know that there are many who teach that when a person comes to Christ that they have it all. If that’s true, why are so many believers struggling in their lives with things handed down from their families, ungodly beliefs, addictions, trauma, emotional distress, and torment?

Some will say it’s because they never really accepted Christ. I say it is because they need to experience the salvation Jesus brings through deliverance. Some things instantly fall off a person’s life when they are saved. Other comes as people read or hear the word of God. Still others come as they receive ministry in the name of Jesus and demons are forced to leave their lives.

Signs You May Need Deliverance

I was originally hoping to have a list of four or signs that you may need deliverance for simplicity sake. As I started to write the list it kept growing and growing. So look at this list and see if there are any of these signs in your life that you may be dealing with something demonic in your life.

• You don’t see the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in areas of your life

• Sinful family patterns that continue in your life (generational sin)

• The inability to break off  sinful habits, even when you seriously seek to change with God’s help

• Chronic sickness/disease

• Compulsive behaviors

• Addictions to drugs, alcohol, food, sex, shopping, gambling, etc.

• Compulsive thoughts of suicide, violence, nightmares, fear, worry, etc.

• Strong feelings of sorrow, depression, despair, hopelessness, self-hatred, shame, guilt, etc.

• Traumatic situations, rape, murder, suicide, war, disaster, death of a loved one, divorce, accidents, betrayals, PTSD, etc.

• Occult involvement like ouija boards, palm reading, horoscopes, seances, satanism, New Age, spirit guides, imaginary friends, etc.

• Involvement with cults or secret societies like Mormonism, Christian Science, Freemasonry, etc.

Of course this list isn’t exhaustive. It does represent many of the main ways in which demonic forces can influence your life.