Additional steps to deliverance

Additional steps to deliverance (6-10)

This list of steps is a continuation of the previous post of June 6^th, 2014 preparatory steps to deliverance. Continue with the following steps if you feel that the person really desires to be free and only if the person is already a Christian.

6. Consider events that may have caused the bondage.

In the interview, look for the “open doors” that have been opened to evil spirits. Try to discover the origin of the problem. Begin with the possible causes of the particular area of bondage from which the person wants to be free. If there are no obvious places to begin, for example the person’s relationship with his or her parents, then continue with other relationships; then proceed to other areas of the person’s life.

The purpose of the interview is to expose any area of past conflict where the person may not have adequately forgiven those who have sinned against him. This is necessary for healing and so that the person can repent of any wrong actions or attitudes in reaction to the aggression, thus opening the way for breaking demonic strongholds. Failure to forgive aggressors is one of the most common ways to open doors to demonic infestation. For an explanation of how to close these doors, see step 7.

Try to discover any areas where the person has suffered emotional scars in past relationships, and areas in which the person has sinned or received evil spirits through ungodly emotions. Besides resentment, and anger, the person may be struggling with hopelessness, rejection, self-pity and similar feelings and may have subconsciously agreed to put up with these attitudes as a permanent way of life thus maintaining him in bondage.

It is easy to understand emotional reactions meant to wound others (like resentment, anger, rejection, self-pity and the like) and internal pacts (like “I will never be like my father!” or “I will never speak to her again!”). However, these emotions and pacts do not come from God and we need to repent from them and forgive ourselves, so that we can break their power and close the doors to their influence.

After dealing with significant relationships in their lives, prayer can continue in other areas such as the occult, extra-marital affairs, chronic and persistent sin, chronic health problems, drugs and similar problems. They may have merely participated in these sins in a passive capacity (not necessarily as victims). However, just the simple act of participating in some of these activities, can open a door to oppression by evil spirits.

If the person has a constant difficulty in a certain aspect of his life, like for example, a hard time keeping a job, the tendency to suffer occasional accidents, sterility, feelings of worthlessness, repetitive sicknesses, etc. you should consider the possibility that there is a curse involved. Curses can come as a result of occult practices such as rituals or satanic pacts, free masonry or other false religions, words pronounced by authority figures such as “You don’t do anything right.” “You will never amount to anything”, “You are just like your mother, father, etc. or confessions like “I would rather die”.

The more thorough the interview process and more detailed the prayer of repentance and declarations of forgiveness, the more complete the deliverance will be.

Some clues on how to conduct the interview:

1. Refresh the person’s memory by asking about his or her inner hurts – It is easier than talking about the need to forgive. “Did your father hurt your feelings in any way?” will result in more significant answers than if you ask, “Do you need to forgive your father for anything?”
2. Free masonry and activities of the occult can affect a person – Even if he is not personally involved or if it was someone from his family, and even if the activity was for a short period or just a joke.
3. Fear is a point of entrance for many different spirits – not to mention the source of many sicknesses.
4. If there are several spirits involved, make a list – It helps if a team member makes a list of them during the interview, then later the person can renounce each one by name.
5. Don’t hurry. It is better to have two sessions than to have one that is rushed.
6. Do not try to provoke the demons – Do not intimidate them, torment them, or force them to say their names. These things can hurt the person involved and they do not help, except to keep them quiet. Ignore the demons until the person renounces each one of them, then you can cast them out in the name of Jesus.
7. In some cases, the person cannot remember things that you may consider important. For example, the person may not remember anything that happened to them between 8 and 14 years of age. The Holy Spirit will generally remind the person of significant details (in this case, the reason for the memory block).

7.  Lead the person to “close the doors” to evil spirits

In this case, to lead means to have the person repeat some phrases with you. After the repetition of some confessions, the person will probably be able to continue on his own.

a. Forgive those who caused damage, provoking wrong behavior

Forgiveness must be specific, item-by-item, the more specific the better. Ask the person to forgive specifically each situation that he has mentioned in his interview, and each situation the Holy Spirit brings to his mind. A specific request for forgiveness brings greater freedom than a generalized request of forgiveness.

A “releasing” of the person that has caused the hurt before God, blessing the offender, should follow forgiveness. Releasing the person that hurt him should include a commitment to cease from trying to change the person, allowing God to effect the changes.

Sometimes the person was hurt so deeply that he feels like he will never be able to forgive the person that hurt him. Try to lead him to forgiveness. Explain that if he does not forgive he cannot receive forgiveness. The use of the phrase “I choose to forgive. . .” can help him in the step of forgiveness. For example you could lead him is a statement like, “I choose to forgive John for blaming me for the accident when he broke his arm.”

If the person remains unable to forgive, ask if you can pray for him; if he agrees, quietly bind the evil spirits of un-forgiveness and cast them out. Then see if he is able to forgive. Sometimes this prayer makes the difference.

However, if the person is still unable to forgive, you should stop ministering. Pray for the healing of the hurts (especially for the hurt of not being able to forgive) and ask God to bless him richly, but do not continue ministering deliverance. Do not judge the person, just show love. However, you must explain that you can no longer continue ministering deliverance unless the person is ready to forgive each person who has hurt him.

b. Repent of sin in each situation asking God for forgiveness

Perhaps the person is guilty of wrong behavior and needs to repent and ask for forgiveness. The situation or the action of others may have evoked negative emotions that appear to be normal from the human point of view considering the circumstances. These may include resentment, anger, hate, suicide, anxiety, pride, rejection etc. These reactions are perfectly understandable, because of this; they may seem to be acceptable. However, they are not of God, but of the enemy, because they open doors to oppression. If the person had opened himself up to spirits of anger and bitterness for example, he will probably not be able to get relief until he repents and ask God for forgiveness.

You can suggest the following as a model for a prayer of repentance:

Father, I repent of the sin of resentment, anger and bitterness that I have felt against my friend (or father, boss, etc.) I repent for having opened myself up to feelings of rejection, loneliness and hopelessness concerning this situation. I want to abandon all of these types of feelings; please forgive me in Jesus name.

Here is another suggestion:

Dear God, I repent for sleeping with so and so (speaking the names of each person). I abandon all fornication and illicit sexual activity. I commit myself to following your plan for my life. Please, forgive me for having illicit sex with those people. I give back everything that I have retained of each of these people through these acts and take back anything that they have retained from me transmitted to them through these sexual acts.

c. Renounce the spirit involved in the name of Jesus.

The renunciation must be audible and unwavering. Renunciation is not a prayer to God. It is a command directed to the evil spirit involved, to the enemy. We must speak it as a command to the enemy, and not as a request to God.

The renunciation of spirits should include any spirit that has entered into the life of the person whether it entered because of their sin or the sins of others around them. For example, children that are subject to abusive and hostile atmospheres can easily receive spirits of confusion, anxiety, fear and insecurity just because of their environment and not because of their own sin. They must renounce these spirits as well as those who have gained entrance through the sin of the person. In the case of sex outside of marriage, it is almost certain that a person has received a spirit of illicit sex from those with whom he has had sexual contact; therefore, he must renounce these acts also.

If the person has made any type of pact with Satan, or if he has made any promise to himself, or if he is under the power of some curse, these pacts and promises must be renounced and any curse should be broken in the name of Jesus.

Here are some examples of renunciation:

“In the name of Jesus, I renounce you: spirit of rejection, loneliness, despair and hopelessness.”

“In the name of Jesus, I renounce the promise that I would never forgive so and so.”

d. Break the power of captivity in Jesus’ name

Generally, you will do this (unwaveringly and vigorously) in front of the person, looking them in the eyes. If the person is participating unwaveringly also, he should do this on his own.

The person may have a hard time keeping his eyes on you. If he is unable to do so, you must not attempt to cast the spirit out at that moment. Wait until he has renounced the other spirits; then go back to this step.

It is a great help to declare that you have closed the doors to the evil spirits, so that after you cast them out, they cannot return, unless the host reopens the door.

In the name of Jesus, I break the power of this spirit of (anger, hate, fornication, depression) over you in such a way that they never return.

In order to break a curse, you as a minister, can firmly say:

In the name of Jesus, I break the power of any curse spoken over your life by your father, specifically including comments he made about you not ever doing anything right, and that you would never be anything in life.

Alternatively:

In the name of Jesus, I break all curses placed over you because of your father’s involvement with free masonry and I break every hereditary curse that any of your ancestors may have spoken over you.

e. Pray for healing

The interview process (step 6) and the door closing process (step 7) can be extremely painful when God is delivering the person from deep wounds. You may see a lot of crying and sobbing. Do not be afraid of embracing the person to help them feel comforted (man with man and woman with woman), if they indicate that they need some physical assurance. People in these situations need to be consoled, and hope to be understood and feel loved and protected, and even reassured that everything will be o.k. as part of the process of deliverance.

You can interrupt step 7 if needed. If the person can’t identify the cause of some of their feelings, like fear, it may be better to interrupt the prayer time if it isn’t getting too late, in order to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the cause of the fear.

8. Cast out the evil spirits in Jesus’ name

Simply cast them out. It is not necessary to tell them were to go as long as you have effectively shut the doors in the person’s life. The spirits will leave and retreat quickly and quietly. One or two commands is sufficient to expel them. If you feel like:

• More than two or three commands are necessary, or
• A spirit is stuck in the person’s throat, or the person starts to snort or sweat or bristle, or if he starts feeling nauseous, or his head begins to ache, these are signs that not all of the doors have been shut. Go back to the interview, discover the true cause, and close the door.

Many times, the person will know which door is still open. You can find out just by asking.

There may or may not be any manifestation when a spirit retreats and leaves a person. He can cough, yawn, burp, cower, shake, etc. Often the spirits seem to leave upon renouncing them, and there may be little or no manifestation when they are finally cast out. However, generally, the person will feel freed, light and almost giddy, or they may feel a deep peace. If none of these aspects appear, you may not be certain for a day or two that the deliverance was effective.

If after step 8, the anguish and heaviness continue to manifest, look for more doors to close.

You may need to use some discernment during steps 6-8 to decide if it is better to close all the open doors before casting the spirit out, or if it is better to close the doors and cast them out in groups, according to the subjects that you are dealing with.

Probably, the ideal method is to close all of the doors before casting out any demons. The reason for closing the doors first is that sometimes the spirits that you are casting out can grab on to a demon that continues to have the right to remain in the person. This can bring on the difficulties mentioned previously and indicates the presence of more doors that you must shut.

When step 8 is completed, ask the Holy Spirit to show one of the three or four people (you, an intercessor, the person receiving prayer, and any friend, spouse or parent that may be present) if there are additional spirits to be exposed and cast out. Wait a few moments to see if the Holy Spirit reveals something to someone. If He reveals something, gently ask the person if there is a need in the area that the Holy Spirit has shown them. Remember that you may have not heard correctly, therefore, be careful not to speak with an air of absolute authority, and do not accuse. Again, if God reveals something to you, deal with the matter according to steps 6-8.

9. Ask the person to thank Jesus for the deliverance

If the person is unable to thank Jesus, or if there are still any demonic manifestations, it is a sign that there are more doors to close, and more spirits to cast out. Ask the Holy Spirit for His help. Go back to steps 6 or 7 as indicated.

10. Pray for the filling of the Spirit displacing any evil spirits

If the person is not able to repeat this prayer, or if there are demonic manifestations when he prays, this is also a sign that you must close more doors, and cast out the remaining spirits. Again, ask the Holy Spirit to help. Go back to steps 6 or 7 as indicated.

EMERGENCY DELIVERANCE

1. Dealing with only one or two areas

If time permits, for people who come in off the street, or who want a “general house cleaning”, for new converts, or for people who are going through problems of depression, it would be good to consider using a list similar to that included in the Appendix of the leaders manual. Sometimes however, time does not permit a complete deliverance, and in cases where you only deal with the areas that are indicated by manifestations, or by the people who come in off the street requesting prayer. In these cases, you should advise the person that complete deliverance is necessary.

2. When to pray for the sick

Sometimes when you are praying for the sick, it can become clear that the person has areas where he needs to forgive someone and needs special attention. In these cases, take time to lead him into forgiveness and repentance for any sins that he has committed or for renouncing the spirit of anger and lack of forgiveness. Then break the power of the spirit and cast it out. Try to do this quietly without asking too many questions.

Frequently sick people have a spirit of affliction, pain, infirmity or tension. You can cast out these spirits with a single command. If you make short prayers interspersed with interview questions, you can cast out these spirits with just a word or two. In the case of sickness, like diabetes, cancer etc. there is a strong presence of this evil spirit. If this is the case, then perhaps you will have to cast out the spirit in a much longer session.

USING A QUESTIONNAIRE

(Confession and repentance guide)

Whenever possible use a questionnaire, this can greatly reduce, the time spent interviewing the person to find areas where deliverance is necessary and to find open doors (refer to step 6 of the 10-step model)

You should not use the questionnaire in a public place, but you can and should use one in a private setting in deliverance ministry. The person receiving prayer should complete the questionnaire and the person who will be ministering should have the answers before the ministry time. This is so that the minister can decide what form of prayer he should use and if more information needs to be gathered.

Preparatory steps to deliverance

STEPS TO DELIVERANCE

Introduction

In the following ten steps, assume that the minister does not personally know the person receiving prayer, as is usually the case during a crusade or in public meetings. In some cases, you may eliminate some of these steps. For example, when the minister knows that the person is already a believer and really wants to be free he can skip steps 4 and 5. If there is a manifestation during the ministry time, you can probably skip steps 2 & 3.

PREPARATORY STEPS (1-5)

1. Prioritize the individual

Maintain an attitude of love, and not of a military officer. It is necessary to be firm and decisive when dealing with demons, but those to whom we minister must feel loved and accepted and that they are not a bother.

Be encouraging. Seek to build up the faith of those to whom you minister. Stress the fact that Jesus can deliver them. Never stress the power or ability of demons since they must submit to you in the name of Jesus. Remember that the person receiving prayer may have been bound for years, and may have received many prayers that were not completely effective; as a consequence, they may have lost hope of being set free. Therefore, if you strengthen their faith it will help you during the ministry time.

2. Take authority over the evil spirit

If an evil spirit manifests itself in someone during the ministry time, make it be quiet and submit to you in the name of Jesus. Take authority over the spirit. Tell it to submit to you in the name of Jesus, or tell it to be quiet in Jesus name. Tell it that you want to talk to (name the person for whom you are praying). Repeat similar commands until the evil spirit quiets down. If you perceive that the person you are praying for is conscious of what is happening explain to them that you are addressing the evil spirit that has manifested and not him or her.

Do not be surprised if the ministry time takes a long time. Be persistent. It is possible that you will need to rebuke a spirit or successive spirits that manifest several times before you are able to subdue them. However eventually you will be able to subdue them.

If other people gather around the person, ask them not to touch him or pray loudly while you are subduing the spirit. Touching, speaking to the person or praying aloud tends to provoke the spirit. Your objective is not to provoke the spirit but to make it be quiet, so that you can speak to the person for whom you are praying.

3. Establish and maintain communication with the person.

You should be able to talk to the person because you will need his cooperation for an effective ministry time in deliverance. If a demon is manifesting in the person, he will not be able to cooperate with you. If the person cannot cooperate or does not want to cooperate, the spirit will attack again later, even if the deliverance was initially a complete success.

If you are not sure whether the person can hear you or not, ask him, even if his eyes are closed. If you are not in a quiet atmosphere, tell the person that you would like to move to a quieter location. If the person is lying down or sitting on the floor, ask him to take control of their body and stand up. Encourage him to make the effort to stand up and walk reassuring him that you will help him if he has any difficulty.

In order to maintain communication you may need to give additional orders for the spirit to submit to you during the ministry time. The person may let his head fall back, forward, to the side, shut his eyes, or try to wander around the room. Ask the person to keep his head up and look at you. If you are unsure whether he is still listening, ask him if he can hear you. If the person cannot do any of these things then command the spirit to submit to you again. If the person stands and begins to walk around, subdue the spirit and command it to take a seat. An evil spirit that has taken control over a person can speak to you, snort or groan. The spirit may threaten you, argue with you, give you orders or ask questions. The spirit can make the person make faces or swing his hands and arms as if he were clawing at the air. Do not speak to it, except to give a command to be quiet in Jesus’ name.

Maintaining communication can take a lot of time, especially if you have to repeat the questioning process, but it is often necessary. Unless you successfully communicate with the person, he cannot cooperate with you and the ministry time will be unsuccessful.

Some difficulties can arise if the spirit speaks to you in the person’s natural voice. You will have to determine if it is the person or the spirit that is speaking. If there is argument, questioning, lack of cooperation, you can conclude that the evil spirit is speaking.

Make every effort to minister in an atmosphere without noise or distractions. If people at your side or other members of the ministry team pray aloud, giving separate and independent orders, your spiritual authority will be undermined causing the spirit to manifest and may provoke the person to resist the power of the Holy Spirit.

4. Make sure the person wants to be delivered

Ask the person who is receiving prayer from what type of bondage he wants to be free. If he has doubts, ask him what he was hearing when the spirit began to manifest through him. What truth or idea provoked the evil spirit into manifesting? Alternatively, you may ask if there are any bad habits that he is trying to break without success or if he has been behaving in a strange or inappropriate manner.

In a private ministry setting, the person receiving prayer will probably know from what prisons he needs to break free. If he is not willing to receive more prayer, then you must honor his decision. If he wants to leave after the initial ministry time, let him go. In some cases the person is unwilling to continue, and has insufficient desire to be completely free.

Some people want to be free from the compulsive behavior of a bad habit, like smoking, but do not want to go so far as to renounce the habit. It is important at this point to explain that the purpose of deliverance is complete freedom and not a type of “band aid” to put over unpleasant and unwanted compulsive behavior. The compulsion will return unless they renounce the habit.

Some people do not believe in the existence of demons or doubt that they are present and involved in their condition. They simply want a “little help”. They may ask for deliverance “just in case” there may be an evil spirit present. In this case, there is no strong conviction that they need help or little intention of changing their lifestyle. They must recognize that the purpose of deliverance is not just a means for getting relief from unpleasant symptoms, but the way to eliminate the foundation of all demonic oppression.

Some people want freedom from one particular prison but not from others. Others who manifest what apparently is an evil spirit will insist that it is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Other may seek deliverance just to attract attention or receive compassion.

Unless there is a supernatural intervention of God, it is highly improbable that a person who refuses to recognize that he is under demonic influence and genuinely desires to be free from it will receive deliverance. Successful deliverance requires sincere repentance of the behavior or attitude involved and the involvement with the evil spirit. If a person seeks deliverance without these attitudes, they will soon fall into bondage again, even if the deliverance proved to be complete.

If after discussing the pros and cons, you discover that the person does not wish to be delivered, or prefers to continue in the same lifestyle, or disqualifies himself as a candidate for deliverance for any other reason, pray for him and bless him. However, do not pray for his deliverance. Encourage him to return later if he decides that he really wants complete deliverance. Do not offend the person; treat him with love and gentleness.

5. Make sure the person has already accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour

The person that wants to receive deliverance will need the help of the Holy Spirit to remain free. If he is not a Christian, he will probably fall back into bondage in a short time, even if he initially received deliverance. You should clearly explain this to him. It is not wise to minister deliverance to someone in the hope that as a result of your success the person will become a Christian.

Perhaps you can lead the person to Christ, if not, pray for him and bless him. Pray for his inner hurts. Let him know through your attitude that you are not offended because he did not respond. Act in love but do not attempt to cast out any evil spirit. Explain that it would make things worse and he would never be able to maintain his freedom. Encourage him to make the decision to receive Jesus as his Lord and return for deliverance afterward.

If the person is a new convert, it is extremely important that he or she not only become part of a local church but also become part of a support group like a life group and that someone guide him in a discipleship relationship so that he can grow spiritually.

How to deal with supernatural manifestations

Demonic manifestations vs. Holy Spirit manifestations

We can conclude that a manifestation results from a demonic presence if it begins when a preacher or member of the ministry team starts praying against demonic oppression. However, the opposite is true when the minister or team member prays for a blessing, direction, or endowment of a spiritual gift. Any manifestation under these conditions is probably of the Holy Spirit.

There may be occasions when the circumstances of a particular ministry time do not indicate if a physical manifestation is an effect of the Holy Spirit or if a demon is manifesting. In such cases, observe the following:

If the person through their physical manifestation is physically hurting himself, herself, or anyone else close by or if they attempt to bite or scratch it is clearly a demonic manifestation. Self-flagellation is a clear indication of demonic manifestation.

The physical appearance or semblance of a person can indicate a demonic presence. These signs include bodily or facial contortions, sudden or strange changes of voice; refusal to look the minister in the eye, rolling back of the eyes so that only the white part is visible, yelling, screaming or hostile behavior.

Other things that suggest demonic presence are:

• Sudden headaches
• Nausea
• Sudden violent actions
• Destructive movements like kicking or breaking furniture
• Whistling, mocking
• Scratching or tearing movements
• Uncharacteristically obscene language

However, if a manifestation appears when you are ministering to a sick person, it could be a sign that the Holy Spirit is working in his or her body. Such manifestations are generally smaller, like feelings of heat, tingling or electricity pulsing through part of the body, fluttering eyelids, falling on the floor or a quiet ceasing of any movement, or sometimes laughter.

In situations where there is any doubt, ask the person whether they are feeling good or bad. If the person feels peace then the Lord is speaking and the Holy Spirit is working. If the person feels afraid and hopeless or under a spiritual attack, or if he does not answer in his normal voice, it is probably a demonic manifestation. The gift of discerning of spirits and the leading of the Holy Spirit are very valuable tools at these times. Pray for the gift and ask the Holy Spirit to come with his direction in your ministry times.

Your personal preparation

1. Above all, this should be a ministry of love

Behind all deliverance, there must be a loving heart from God for suffering souls. Pray daily for grace to manifest more of the love of God that has been poured into your heart and to be a channel of His love for others. When the ministry of the Holy Spirit becomes evident, pray specifically for His love for those to whom you minister. The principal objective of the ministry is not to punish demons, but to help people who God loves.

2. The key to deliverance is to use the authority of the name of Jesus

Demons respect authority. If another person “dilutes” the authority of the leader during the ministry time, assuming any self-authority, he or she will complicate the situation and prevent the leader from effectively dealing with the demon that is involved.

Limitations of a deliverance ministry

It is useless to cast out a demon . . .

• Against the will of the person who is oppressed
• If the person isn’t willing to change the lifestyle that caused the oppression
• When it is contrary to a pact that the person has with Satan, unless he specifically and audibly renounces the specific pact

Under these circumstances, the demon will return, bringing several others with him.

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation. (Matthew 12:43-45)

The minister must keep in mind that a demon cannot oppress anyone unless in some way he gains legal access provided through the person’s lack of forgiveness, hate, abuse, sin, illicit sex, sickness, trauma or other type of circumstance that gives place to evil spirits. We call this type of access “open doors”.

Demons are very legalistic, generally refusing to leave a person unless the victim verbally renounces the demonic access points. There is a double objective in deliverance ministry:

• Cast out or send the demons away
• Close all doors of legality to evil spirits to enable the person receiving prayer to maintain his or her deliverance.

When to begin ministering

Ask the Holy Spirit to come and help you before the ministry time. The Holy Spirit takes great pleasure in helping you to minister to people. Ask for his help and wait for his direction during each step of the way. He will help you!

Remember that the person that is receiving prayer is probably a hurting person. He or she may have gone through several verbal and physical abuses, traumas, frustrations, conflicts, satanic rituals, or extended sicknesses. The person may cry excessively or may suppress their grief and sadness. Do not hesitate to suspend the 10-step prayer model in order to heal these wounds. You may need to do this several times during the ministry time.

Generally, it is more effective to work with a team of two or three people with one person leading and the others offering prayer support, discerning, note taking, etc. However, to avoid diluting the authority of the leader, generally the others should refrain from speaking directly to or touching the person receiving ministry and should communicate with the leader through written notes or by speaking softly. The leader will then decide what to do with each suggestion of the support team. In a long period of ministry, the ministry team members can take turns leading one after another.

The precaution of not allowing more than one team member to touch the person who is receiving prayer does not apply to periods of prayer ministry for inner healing. On these occasions, the possible dilution of the authority of the leader is not an issue.