by Jim Croft
If we negate the possibility of demonic influence, we must attribute our inner struggles and the dark side of our behavior to our failure to cultivate godly character. The response for Christians is to intensify spiritual regimens of Bible reading, prayer and church activities as corrective measures.
But when demons are the root issue, those remedies provide little more than temporary relief for sinful behavior and guilt. The demon-driven aspects of the problems usually remain.
In Part 1, we will discover that the answer for which so many long is found in the deliverance ministries of Jesus and the early Church apostles. Vile entities called demons do exist. It is not unusual for them to foster and feed every kind of misery, from relational disharmony to sickness and even death. We will learn how evil spirits torment individuals, and how to discern if you would benefit from deliverance ministry.
One of the primary objectives of demonic influence upon human personalities and physical bodies is to complicate the lives of people whom the enemy is targeting. The devil, who is commander-in-chief of all demonic forces, would prefer to attack God directly. Because he cannot do so, he opts to attack the crown of God’s creation—mankind.
The devil uses evil spirits of varying strengths and types. All have specific destructive inclinations, and they yearn to manifest them in flesh-and-blood hosts. Spirits operate in a number of ways to express their cruel designs. Producing misery is their favorite dish, and they choose from a broad menu: marital disharmony, emotional upheaval, mental disorders, bizarre sexual appetites, verbal and physical abuse, economic frustration, physical infirmity. Basically, any malady capable of producing heartache may have demonic origins.
But it is also true that not every problem automatically comes from a demonic source. Sporadic episodes of depression, anger, anxiety and other emotional problems, for instance, can be the result of abusive parenting and adulthood traumas. Human pride and guilt about habitual sins, along with hormonal imbalances, can also incite emotional stress.
Along the same lines, not every activity that seems to endorse the satanic agenda is a guarantee of demonic infestation. Occult involvement is a common vehicle for demonic infiltration, and children and adults who become preoccupied with occult practices or articles place themselves at high risk. But a child’s watching an occasional spooky film or reading Harry Potter books or dressing up for Halloween does not automatically doom him or her to be on the receiving end of a spirit of witchcraft. (We will discuss this in more depth later, but let me note here that parents who are too stringent in their concerns about their kids being contaminated may win that skirmish, but ultimately discover they have lost the war. Legalism has a way of producing rebels.)
Evil spirits are crafty opportunists, granted, but human beings have an innate power second only to the Trinity: It is the inner spirit, which is the essence of each individual’s personal identification as a living being. The Scriptures depict the spirit of each person as the guardian of his or her inner walled city and interior house (see Proverbs 25:28). Some people who are very strong in character and spirit can defend their inner territories, without necessarily concentrating on doing so every minute of every day.
Put simply, we have the resources to be in charge of our behavior. Why, then, do so many people struggle with issues that indicate the presence of demons? Here is the problem: Most people are not as adept at keeping their city walls intact as their pride might lead them to believe. Pride, as Scripture so clearly states, often precedes destruction (see Proverbs 16:18). It weakens city walls and can cause an individual’s inner spirit to overlook the approach of enemies wanting to break into his house (see Matthew 12:43–45).
Most any enemy can jump through city walls that have breaks and gaps in them. It is a foolish gamble for anyone to override his conscience and engage in behavior that flagrantly defies scriptural prohibitions—such as delving into occult practice or even exploration. People who do so are unwittingly weakening their own inner defenses. It is an open invitation to evil spirits stronger than the person’s area of weakness; demons are waiting to pounce.
To further complicate the problem, it is not always sin that attracts invasion. Although it seems hard to believe, innocent people can become repositories for evil spirits. Those who have been worn down by traumatic events that are no fault of their own, for instance, often have weakened city walls. While the demons cannot entirely “possess” or “own” any individuals who profess the name of Jesus, evil spirits, nonetheless, can reside in and influence many aspects of their lives.
This is what happened to one of my daughters when my wife, Prudence, almost died during her birth. I tell her story below. This particular situation was not occasioned by anything we or our infant daughter had done wrong. Beautiful roses can be blighted. Well-behaved dogs can get fleas. Innocent lambs can be infested with parasites. And precious children can become disease-ridden.
Satan’s hordes do not respect human boundaries, but they can be ejected from our lives. Recognition of their presence and application of the power transmitted to believers by the resurrection of Jesus can provide deliverance and safe haven.
Our Daughter’s Deliverance
Our two oldest daughters, Kari and Sharon, were born with serious asthmatic conditions. Regular medical treatments kept them functional. Then, shortly after I became a Christian, Prudence and I prayed for the Lord to heal them. We thank God that He erased every symptom from their lives.
The situation with our third daughter, Holly, was quite different. She was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit at an early age. Nonetheless, her health history and certain aspects of her behavior puzzled us. None of the symptoms she exhibited was alleviated until she received deliverance ministry at the age of five.
Holly had a stubborn streak that was uncharacteristic of her siblings. In the area of health, she did not respond to prayers for healing in the same way as her older sisters. For instance, all of the girls would catch the sniffles and we would pray for them simultaneously. Invariably, Kari and Sharon would be completely healed within several hours of our prayer. Or they would recover fully within a day or two at most. But that was never the case with Holly. Her condition always seemed to worsen.
For several years, it seemed we were taking Holly weekly to the doctor’s office. No matter how minor the initial symptoms were, they would escalate rapidly into serious complications. Extended periods of sickness made her weak and whiny.
Prudence and I grew weary from concern, sleepless nights and enormous medical bills. Above all, we were both disappointed by the fruitlessness of our prayers for her healing. And we were mystified that our every attempt to help her cultivate a more agreeable attitude failed.
Helpful Discernment
One evening, Prudence came to me full of optimism. She told me that while she had been praying about Holly’s condition, the Lord had given her a spiritual revelation. He had reminded Prudence of several pertinent facts. Holly had been born under traumatic circumstances. First, she was over a month premature. After her birth, she was hospitalized with a life-threatening respiratory ailment. In addition, after the delivery, Prudence had approached death’s door due to massive hemorrhaging.
As she shared all this with me, Prudence beamed with confidence. She was certain she had heard from the Lord.
“Jim, God gave me a vision of demons of infirmity and death entering Holly during her birth. The reason she doesn’t respond when we anoint her with oil and pray is because we are dealing with evil spirits, not routine sicknesses. We must take authority over them and cast them out in the name of Jesus.”
As Prudence spoke, something like inner agreement clicked within my spirit. I knew that what she was saying was absolutely on-target. We were very familiar with seeing people liberated from evil spirits, and I was filled with hope sensing that we were on the brink of a breakthrough for our child. Prudence and I both agreed that the best approach was immediate action. So we asked Holly to sit down with us in the
living room for a talk.
As we all sat on the couch together, I explained to her as best I could what we were going to do. “Honey,” I said gently, “God has shown Mommy that there are some naughty spirits inside of you that make you sick all of the time. Daddy is going to tell them to come out of you in Jesus’ name.”
Holly looked a little unsure. Prudence slipped her arm around Holly’s waist, and I continued to explain.
“I’m going to speak very firmly to those nasty spirits while I’m looking at you, and I’m going to tell them to come out. It may sound as though I’m angry, but I’m not mad at you. We know you want to be a healthy and good girl. I am mad at the devil and the mean spirits that make you sick.”
Holly nodded at this point, seeming to understand, so I went on.
“I want you to look straight at me. When I tell the spirits to leave, you just open your mouth a little bit and breathe them out through your mouth.”
At that, Holly again looked puzzled. I thought to remind her of her experience of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. “Holly, do you remember how you breathed in the good Holy Spirit?” She nodded. “Well, after I tell the bad spirits to come out of you, I want you to huff and puff them out so the good Holy Spirit will have more room.”
A Little “Corpse”
What happened next was astonishing. As soon as I commanded the demons of death and infirmity to come out of my daughter, she gagged as though something were lodged in her throat.
Her tiny frame shook convulsively. Her face went ashen white, and her eyes rolled back into her head with only the whites showing. She then collapsed on the couch as though dead. In fact, she actually looked like a little corpse. But rather than panicking in concern at her appearance, I picked her up and began to laugh and sing and thank the Lord. I knew the troubling entities were gone.
Suddenly, Holly opened her eyes and smiled shyly up at me. She looked different. Her face was bright and her eyes were clear. Prudence and I knew in that moment that Holly was free from the chronic sicknesses and demonic forces that had attempted to snatch her life.
After that time of prayer on the couch, Holly did not have to visit a doctor’s office, nor did she experience any type of sickness again, for at least five years. At the time of this writing, she is 43 years of age, the happily married mother of two. To this very day, Holly remains in vibrant health.
There was another unexpected benefit of Holly’s deliverance session. Even though I had not specifically addressed her behavioral problems, we saw a dramatic change in her attitude. She became as cooperative as our other daughters. Apparently, as the power of the Holy Spirit freed Holly from demons of ill health, the spirit of stubbornness also gave up and left.
Trekking Onward
Learning from that experience that demons are opportunists helped me see the truth and clarity of what the Bible says about this amazing and powerful ministry of deliverance. Abiding fruit can only be produced by principles and practices soundly based on the Word of God.
I would like to begin our journey with my own experience of learning about deliverance. In the next three chapters, I tell the story of my recognition of and liberation from the invisible enemies I had been dealing with most of my life. Your story may be similar or quite different. But the outcome, freedom, awaits you as well.
At the age of 25, I had not yet entered the full-time ministry that has been my career for the past three decades. At that time, I was a sales representative for a shoe manufacturer, a position requiring travel to stores in the southern states. During a call on the shoe department of a major Birmingham, Alabama, department store, I learned while talking with the store’s shoe buyer, Michael, that his marriage was in trouble.
Initially, I spoke to Michael about how prayer could heal marriages. My objective was to determine whether or not he had a personal relationship with Christ. He was polite, but let me know he did not enjoy chitchat about personal spiritual matters.
Rather bluntly, Michael encouraged me to go and talk instead to his buddy Ted, the toy buyer, with this sarcastic parting remark: “Yeah, Ted is a Bible-banger like you.” Seeing that I was getting nowhere with Michael, I asked directions to Ted’s office, thinking that Ted and I might be able to pray together for Michael’s marriage.
A Surprising Topic of Conversation
Arriving at Ted’s office, I introduced myself. When he heard that I was a believer, he shouted hallelujah with a zeal that I found unsettling.
“I just talked with Michael, your shoe buyer,” I offered. “His marriage seems to be in trouble, and I thought maybe we might pray together for him.”
A moment later, I realized that it was not going to be that simple. I got a lot more than the quick prayer of agreement I had anticipated. Instead of praying, Ted not only began to ramble, but he spoke like a fanatic about demons being at the root of Michael’s troubles.
“You know, Jim, demons torment people today just as they did back in Bible times. Seriously! And there is a British fellow in town right now who is a Bible teacher and an expert on demonology. You ought to go hear him while you’re here on business.”
At that point, I was looking for the nearest exit. But Ted kept talking, trying to persuade me to go hear this Cambridge-educated theologian, an expert in the biblical languages of antiquity who “actually casts demons out of people.”
Frankly, I could not understand how we had gotten on this strange topic. I had no interest whatsoever in learning about casting demons out of people. But whenever I tried to get the conversation back on track, nothing registered with Ted. He refused to let up about the topic of demons, and I was getting increasingly uncomfortable and exasperated.
“Jim, I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see people set free—people who had no idea they were being influenced by an evil spirit. They are getting released from anger, anxiety, depression, diseases—even lust.”
Suddenly, Ted uttered a word I had never heard spoken in polite company. With excitement in his voice, he said, “You know, I was delivered from a spirit of masturbation that had hounded me from my teens!”
With his southern drawl, Ted accentuated every syllable. I winced in embarrassment, not only at his lack of propriety, but also at the realization that he was hitting way too close to home. A shameful alarm was starting to ring within me, but I shrugged off the impression. What nerve he had! How could he speak of such a disdainful personal problem to someone he had just met?
Apparently, Ted finally read my facial expression and body language. “Well, okay, Jim. You probably have to take off, and I guess you want to pray for Michael.” Dutifully, he bowed his head and prayed for Michael’s marriage.
“Amen,” I said quickly, relieved that the demon talk had finally ended.
As I stood and reached out my hand to shake good-bye, he slipped a yellow promotional flyer into it.
Staying Away from the Fray
Once outside his office door, I glanced at the flyer. It was an advertisement for a deliverance seminar sponsored by the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) and featuring the ministry of British theologian Derek Prince. Disgusted at the thought, I crammed the flyer into my suit pocket.
Undergirded by the fact that at least we had prayed for Michael, I hastened back to the shoe buyer’s office to speak with him further about salvation. Michael met me with an impish grin.
“Ted’s quite a guy, isn’t he?” Michael said. Before answering, I mentally ran through a list of definitions of quite a guy for which Ted might qualify. For me, he fell somewhere between a hyper-religious flake and a total jerk. But rather than make an uncharitable assessment of Ted, I said simply, “Yes, indeed. Ted is quite a guy.”
Michael and I took a few minutes to talk further, and although he did not ask Jesus to become his Savior, he did allow me to pray for his family, and for harmony to return to his relationship with his wife.
Back at my hotel room, I changed into casual clothes before going down to
supper. While hanging up my suit coat, I noticed the yellow flyer in my pocket. I ripped it into shreds and threw it into the trash can.
As it turned out, the demonology seminar was being held at that very hotel. When I settled into a seat at a restaurant on the mezzanine level, the meeting had just started. As I ate, I could hear the singing of unfamiliar choruses coming from the ballroom below. Occasionally, I caught bits of exuberant testimonies about the power of the Holy Spirit.
All through my meal, a battle was in progress between my heart and mind. My heart was quietly urging me to attend the meeting. My mind was countering with vehement reasons to stay put.
You don’t want to go in there, my reasoning faculties said. You know Ted is there, and he will scope you out and pounce on you like a cat after a canary. For crying out loud, those are Pentecostals in that meeting! You can hear them hooting it up all the way up here in the restaurant. How would it look for you, a respectable Southern Baptist and a well-known spokesman for Gideon International, to walk into such a meeting?
The thought of a tarnished reputation was very convincing. My mind continued its rant. You’ve been to scores of churches in this region giving your testimony about coming to Christ through a Gideon Bible placed in a hotel. It will all be spoiled if you join in with that bunch.
Then the thought of chicanery rose: Don’t you realize that regardless of his pompous credentials, that Englishman is just another misdirected “Holy Roller” fanatic? He’s probably a charlatan like all the rest—just in it for the money.
Eventually, my mind won the battle. I returned to my hotel room after finishing dinner. As usual, I studied my Bible and prayed for my lost friends and the next day’s calls. All the while, something or Someone within kept gently coaxing me to get down to that meeting.
