by Jim Croft
Jesus’ Deliverance Ministry
When the ministry of Jesus came on the scene, the Jews of Israel witnessed a dramatic shift in all they had known about deliverance. Jesus did not conjure out spirits with ritualistic incantations. He did not need to borrow Solomon’s name and authority. There was no need for His disciples to haul around inventories of anti-demon trinkets and protective household items.
Jesus expelled demons from people’s bodies and personalities simply by commanding them to go. He was the Word of God incarnate in human flesh. He had confidence in all that He represented as the Living Word of God. When preaching in synagogues, Jesus was not surprised when hidden demons screamed out from the lips of their unsuspecting hosts. The Messiah was God’s light shining into the dark recesses of secret sins. Just as sudden bright light causes cockroaches to run, so Jesus’ words compelled demons to cry out and then flee the scene.
The Lord commissioned His disciples and the seventy, giving them the authority to use His name when ministering to the afflicted. This legacy extends to anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The following paraphrase is my interpretation of the Lord’s commands to us regarding the deliverance ministry. It is composed of excerpts of His words from Matthew 28:18–20 and Mark 16:17–18: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons and they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
What About Today?
Although, as we noted earlier, most cultures today maintain some awareness of the presence of evil spirits—creatures with wings and horns, dwarves and goblins and jinns, to name just a few—little is generally made of any need for deliverance. Judging from the numbers of people to whom Jesus and His disciples ministered, we might wonder if the need for liberation from demonic powers has shrunk over the past two millennia. Has the number really decreased from “many” in Jesus’ day to only a few now?
Clearly, the correct answer is that the number has not diminished. If anything it has increased exponentially, a fact that is apparent with even a casual comparison of the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day to modern-day life. In American culture alone the landscape is riddled with satanically inspired, demon-attracting activities that were unimaginable in Israel during the first century—occult movies and TV programs; Internet pornography; anti-biblical philosophies promoted in the educational system.
In contrast to any other nation in the world throughout history, adherence to God-given regulations was central to Jewish culture. Though Israel had a history of rebellion against God, the Torah was the textbook; rabbis ran the schools; fathers taught their sons a trade; wives were stay-at-home moms. People were executed for involvement in occultism, idolatry, premarital sex and similar activities.
In comparison to modern living, their society bore the benchmarks of a godly nation. Yet Jesus and His 41 teams found it necessary to expel demons from normal, productive Jewish people everywhere they went. (Non-Jewish peoples also benefitted from this ministry—such as the Canaanite woman whose daughter was being tortured by a demon. Her story is told in Matthew 15:21–28.)
Ancient Jewish society did not have the high density of God-defying practices that flood most nations of the world today. Even though they were largely protected from demon-attracting societal ills, they were not free from demonic infestations.
This gives us vital insight into the nature of evil spirits. Granted, direct disobedience of godly principles puts out a welcome sign for demonic invasion, but by nature they are ruthless. Wicked spirits do not wait for an obvious invitation; they are spiritual parasites that attack the innocent as well as the wayward.
Types of Demons
The function of all demons is to infiltrate people’s lives. The particular drive of a demon is usually revealed in its name. The New Testament mentions a number of evil spirits, and we see that, generally speaking, their names relate to their functions. Most of us have encountered people who might be struggling with these types of manifestations. Note, too, that this list of spirits that are specifically named in the Scriptures is by no means exhaustive. Demons can be the culprits behind any malady of soul or body.
Jesus dealt with a spirit of infirmity that caused a woman to have curvature of the spine (see Luke 13:11–12).
He expelled a mute and deaf spirit from a young boy (see Mark 9:14–27).
The Lord also rebuked the fever that had kept Peter’s mother-in-law bedridden (see Luke 4:38–39). The act of rebuking implies the presence of an entity capable of understanding and obeying the dictates of the scolding.
The apostle Paul cast a spirit of divination out of a young woman who earned money for her owners by telling fortunes (see Acts 16:16–19).
In 1 Timothy 4:1–3, Paul mentioned deceiving spirits that would espouse false doctrines relating to marriage and diet. Most of us know men and women who say they want to get married, but continually break up with hopeful prospects. When asked why, the routine response is, “I just can’t commit to a long-term relationship.” Some of those people may be influenced by demons that obstruct commitment to marriage. We also likely have friends who are fad-diet buffs. At times their insistence that others adhere to their diets can become uncomfortably intrusive. In such cases, the voice we are hearing might be that of an evil spirit chattering away.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul spoke of the spirit of fear. The word for “fear” can also be translated “timidity.” All of us have met unusually shy people who have no obvious reasons to be so. A multitude of phobias—such as claustrophobia, microphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder—are common manifestations of the spirit of fear.
In relation to the spirit of the Antichrist, the apostle John spoke of the spirit of error (see 1 John 4:3–6). The spirit of error causes people to voice acute opposition to any suggestion of the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth. Islam and atheism are two prime examples.
The types and functions of demons also affect how they infiltrate human lives. There are three primary gateways that these demons use: (1) our untempered negative emotions, (2) the aspects of our fallen nature that Paul called “the works of the flesh” and (3) the dangerous path of spiritual adultery. Let’s look briefly at each of these.
How Demons Enter Using Our Emotions
Without question, the most common access for evil spirits is through the negative emotions rising from negative dynamics of interpersonal relationships. All human emotions fall roughly within six basic categories. We respond to three positively and three negatively. The positive emotions are love, peace and joy. The negative emotions are anger, fear and pain.
Every emotion evokes corresponding sensations in our souls and bodies. To give an example, think how tension over a domestic situation might cause the muscles in a person’s back to stiffen, or it might lead to migraines or depression. For the basis of discussion, let’s call this response to our emotions “emotional energy.” We welcome the happy emotions of love, peace and joy because they give us pleasurable feelings. We do not welcome anger, fear and pain because they make us feel bad.
Whether positive or negative, our emotions are for our benefit. They help us understand what is going on within us and enable us to respond in some manner to life situations. Our responses to the negative emotions, however, have particular import in the discussion of demons. Dealing in a healthy manner with the energy of negative emotions can help us grow and mature. Suppressing the energy of those negative emotions, however, can wound our souls and bodies (see Proverbs 15:13; 17:22) and open the door to demons.
This is why it is necessary to deal with our negative emotions in a biblical manner, or else we will begin to act in ways that are detrimental to us and displeasing to God—and evil spirits will take advantage of the situation. Anger that is not dealt with welcomes demons of hostility, bickering, violence, retalia
tion and rebellion. Fear invites demons of anxiety, various phobias, lying, rejection, sexual hang-ups and the like. Emotional pain can attract spirits of depression, defeat, despair, self-pity, escapism and suicide.
Surges of emotion from anger, fear and pain that might cause us to want to strike out are striking inwardly with equal force. These surges can literally be felt throughout our psyches and our bodies. Though we are unaware of what is happening, the sensations of anger, fear and pain are actually pounding our souls. If left unattended day after day, incident after incident, these sensations can give the devil a foothold within us (see Ephesians 4:26–27). Satan does not take up personal residence. He sends one of his demons to nest in the festering wound that the energy of our repeated negative emotions has created within our souls.
How This Process Starts
The process by which demons gain a foothold through our emotions is given in the book of James. We should note that the people to whom James is addressing his letter are Christians.
But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
James 3:14–16
These verses speak of the emotions of bitter envy and selfishness. Both can be manifestations of the emotion of anger. An embittered, self-seeking person is angry because he or she perceives others as possessing something he or she does not. The anger begins as an earthly, natural reaction. If allowed to heighten, it will become a preoccupation of the soul and mind.
The word used for such preoccupations is sensual. A more accurate translation is soulish, pertaining to the soul. Incessant rehearsal of bitter, selfish feelings can wound the soul. If the person does not repent, demons will enter our lives and intensify the anger inherent in those soulish, embittered, self-seeking preoccupations.
Here is an example of how the process works. Say a friend comments with a laugh that it looks as though I have “put on a few extra pounds.” My earthly, natural reaction is to shrug it off as inconsequential. Throughout the coming days, however, it returns to my mind, and I begin to think through scenarios about how I will respond the next time he makes weight comments.
At that juncture my natural reaction has spiraled down into a soulish preoccupation. My soul is now being wounded by the sensations of anger that strike it every time I think of him. This is an open invitation for a demon of anger to pounce upon me.
If I do not repent and forgive my friend for his jovial remark, my end condition is to allow that demon of anger to have residence within me. At the mention of my friend’s name, my soul and lips go into attack mode. Though I still love my brother in Christ, I shun opportunities to fellowship with him. Unbeknownst to him, I have allowed his lighthearted comment to stir my emotions and to propel me into a state of demonically inspired offense.
Facing the Truth about Ourselves
The verses cited from James speak of a form of misdirected wisdom that can lead to conditions in which demons can torment us. James’s words warn us against suppressing how we really feel. Denial is one and the same as lying against the truth. In that regard, believers tend to be the kings and queens of denial. Far too often, we refuse to acknowledge the negative emotions of anger, fear and pain that we feel in our daily lives.
Most Christians are conditioned to be performance-centered. The performance-centered tend to interpret the expression of legitimate emotion as carnality, lack of self-control and the like. Negative emotions can be expressed appropriately by those who are willing to speak the truth in love to those who have brought offense. Not disciplining ourselves to do so opens the gateway for demons to enter our lives.
With this truth in mind, it would behoove us as believers to ask ourselves some hard questions. How many church splits have been spawned by demon-induced squabbles over nonessential doctrines? How many dear Christian friends have been lost due to minor offenses? From a personal perspective, do I express my negative emotions of anger, fear and pain appropriately to those who purposely or unwittingly stir up my emotions? Or do I seethe inside, allowing my emotions to batter my soul day after day?
The way we answer those questions will very likely indicate whether we or other Christians we know are candidates for deliverance related to our emotions.
If you are a candidate, you have nothing to fear or to be ashamed about. It is not a crime to have issues related to demons. It is, however, self-inflicted abuse to suspect demonic activity and not do something about it.
How Demons Infiltrate through the Flesh
The works of the flesh that Paul lists in Galatians 5:18–21 are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness and revelries. Evil spirits can attach to any of these offenses and exacerbate them. There are, for instance, demons of jealousy and selfish ambitions.
In addition, each one of the works of the flesh has correlating sins that spin off from it, and demons can attach to those as well. I refer to such spirits as “spin-off demons.” Fornication, for instance, includes spin-off demons of every aberrant sexual practice, including homosexuality.
Lewdness includes spin-off demons such as overt sensuality. A young lady came to me complaining about workplace sexual harassment. As she spoke, I had a vision of several male dogs trailing a female dog that was in heat. Because I did not want to insult the woman, I did not tell her what I saw. I simply asked her if she would be willing to repent of dressing in a sensual manner. She repented tearfully. I commanded the demon of sensuality to leave her. She had no more office difficulties.
Drunkenness includes spin-off demons attached to any addictive substance, such as tobacco. On numerous occasions smokers who could not quit have come to me seeking deliverance. Many have reported complete freedom after I cast the spirit of addiction to nicotine from them.
I am not suggesting, of course, that everyone who exhibits the symptoms of one of these demons is being influenced by that particular entity. Nonetheless, there are millions who do not discern that they have given themselves to works of the flesh, and that they are now being manipulated by more than the routine weakness of being human.
How Demons Enter through Spiritual Adultery
Along with the gateways of our negative emotions and our fallen human nature, we allow invisible enemies to infiltrate our lives through specific choices we make that are in direct conflict with God’s laws. Here, we address practices the Bible labels as spiritual harlotry or spiritual adultery. These include idolatry, superstition, the occult, as well as seeking psychic and paranormal experiences. (Uninvited psychic and paranormal experiences are commonplace; seeking them is problematic.) You may experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit as you read. Specific steps to freedom begin in the next chapter.
Occult Practices and Resultant Curses
Involvement with the occult and idolatry brings with it self-inflicted curses and penalties. The curses are often set in motion by demonic entities. A study of the Old Testament reveals two lists pertinent to this topic of spiritual adultery. The first list gives types of occult practices. The second list describes the curses attached to idolatry and occultism. The curses are too numerous to cite. Here we note the most common ones that batter the lives of their victims, describing their effects in contemporary terms.
Keep in mind that evil spirits actually empower the occult practitioners and activate curses in their lives. That is why it is common for those consulting them to become likewise infested by spirits.
To introduce the first list, occult practices, let’s look at a helpful passage in Deuteronomy 18:
“When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass throu
gh the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.”
Deuteronomy 18:9–14
Witchcraft. This is the attempt to manipulate people and situations through the exertion of the human spirit or demonic spirits. Witchcraft also employs curses, spells, charms and potions. Practitioners sell amulet jewelry charms, spoken charmed incantations and concocted drink potions to customers.
Soothsayer. Soothsayers claim psychic empowerment. Their abilities are used to gain prophetic insight into hidden matters of the past, present and future.
Sorcerer. This is a wizard who is consulted to put positive or negative magical spells on unwitting victims. It includes the offering of “blessed” amulets and potions to ward off evil and to ensure health and success.
A medium, spiritist or one who calls up the dead. This category covers a variety of practices. The first is that of mediums and spiritists. The modern idiom for the way they function is called channeling. This is old-fashioned spiritism wherein the information and voices coming through spiritists are alleged to be from the dead. Mediums cannot actually contact the dead. Most of them have one or more evil spirits within them that make contact with the demonic powers that either inhabited or were familiar with the departed (thus their designation as “familiar spirits.”) At times, mediums conduct séances asking for the inquirers to participate. Most often, however, psychic spiritists prefer to put on one-man shows. The most common form of medium activity is through Ouija boards. A participant asks the operative spiritual power in the board (a demon) a question. The planchett pointer under the inquirer’s fingers points to letters and numbers spelling out information, or goes to yes and no to answer specific questions.
