deliverance

Deliverance from Demons in the Early Church

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While not regularly practiced in all segments of the charismatic and Pentecostal community, deliverance ministry is prominently featured within some circles. Most leaders within the movement acknowledge its validity as a legitimate continuation of the ministry of Jesus and the apostles.

The rise of the charismatic movement in the 1960s engendered a corresponding increase in the practice of casting out demons. Attuned as they are to supernatural realities, charismatics take seriously the presence and influence of demonic powers in the lives of both Christians and unbelievers. It is not difficult to locate biblical support for the casting out of demons. Jesus himself is reported to have cast evil spirits out of a great number of people as he went about healing the sick. This is one of the specific areas of ministry he delegated to his disciples (Matt. 10:1, 7–8) and to all believers (Mark 16:17), along with preaching the good news, healing the sick, and raising the dead.

In some biblical narratives the presence of a demon is related to physical illness (Mark 1:23–26; Luke 9:38–42; 13:32), while in others it results in bizarre behavior, violence, divination, and the like (Matt. 8:28–32; Luke 4:33–34; Acts 16:16). In accordance with these precedents, charismatics often view intractable behavior patterns, incurable illnesses, social evils, and other problems as having their origin in demonic activity. The key to curing the difficulty is commanding the demon, by the authority of Jesus Christ, to depart from the afflicted person, group, or social system, using the New Testament accounts as a pattern.

Deliverance can and often does take place in the context of public worship. Sometimes entire services or conferences are specifically convened to deal with demonic activity and engage in spiritual warfare, and within the Pentecostal/charismatic community a significant number of ministries have arisen that specialize in deliverance. (The term exorcism is rarely used to describe this activity.)

A typical deliverance service will begin with praise and worship, after which those persons with severe problems are invited to approach the altar for prayer. The minister or another Christian worker may ask the nature of the problem or might receive a supernatural revelation about it through a word of knowledge. Sometimes the demon will be asked to identify himself. The minister then lays hands on the head of the afflicted person and commands the demon to come out in the name of Jesus. It is not uncommon for the person being delivered to cough or even vomit up a phlegm-like substance or to fall on the floor, at which point the demon is said to have departed.

Although most Pentecostals and charismatics accept the validity of deliverance ministry, not all of them practice it on a regular basis or in the same way. Some believe that Christians may be subject to demonic influence and need deliverance; others vehemently deny that anyone who has the Holy Spirit can be oppressed by other spirits. There is a stated reluctance in many circles to accord prominence to Satan by calling attention to him and his hordes. Many charismatics prefer to engage in spiritual warfare through worship, which lifts up the person of Jesus Christ instead.

LED BY THE LORD

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What could possibly be more essential, more important for Bible-believing, God-loving Christians than discerning and walking in the will of God? Psalm 25 displays David’s confidence in turning to the LORD for his instructions and forgiveness. Indeed, David reminds us that those who fear the LORD will be led by the LORD!

Psalm 25 zeroes in on God’s character, resulting in those of humble heart responding with confession and prayer. In the Hebrew text, Psalm 25 is actually an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

We can outline Psalm 25 as follows:

  • David Petitions The LORD, 1-7
  • David Pictures Some Of God’s Attributes, 8-14
  • David Prays For Deliverance, 15-22

David Petitions The LORD:

Verses 1-2: “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.”

In verse 2, David asks that he be kept from/protected from anything that might bring disgrace, anything that might give his enemies an opportunity to point their finger — anything that might arm his opponents with legitimate accusations.

Indeed, the most appealed-to excuse for rejecting the claims of Christians when sharing their faith is hypocrisy — believers who say one thing but in practice do the opposite.

We may not be able to articulate with great eloquence our faith; we may not be able to effectively debate creation versus evolution; but there is one thing every Christian can do: walk with God! Sincerity of purpose, single-hearted devotion, integrity, humility — these are attributes that speak volumes to folks seeking answers. No, we’ll never be sinless, at least in this life, but we can be real, transparent — and repentant when necessary.

This was surely David’s desire, hence his plea to remain as the “apple” of God’s eye (Psalm 17:8). Dr. Charles Caldwell Ryrie, in the Ryrie study Bible, comments that this phrase “the apple of Your eye” refers to “the pupil of the eye, an emblem of that which is tenderest and dearest.” This was David’s heart — and it can be ours as well.

Verse 3: “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.”

To paraphrase David: “Fact is, no one who trusts in You has to worry about that (being put to shame)! Disgrace comes only to the treacherous — to the disloyal; to traitors.”

Verses 4-5: “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Recently I was pondering my own pilgrimage with God, and I was reminded that God’s guidance most often came within the context of obeying and trusting Him in the things he had already revealed to me. In other words: those who fear the LORD will be led by the LORD — the theme of this 25th psalm of David!

I offer my life to You, Lord. My God, I trust You

Verses 6-7: “Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.”

In this appeal to God, David uses the word “remember” three times. Of course we know God doesn’t need to be reminded of anything for He is omniscient (all-knowing). “Remember” is simply an appeal to God’s infinite mercy. Perhaps the New International Reader’s Version best captures the gist of what David means: “LORD, remember your great mercy and love. You have shown them to your people for a long time. Don’t remember the sins I committed when I was young. Don’t remember how often I refused to obey you. Remember me because you love me. LORD, you are good.”

Verses 8-14 present some of the attributes of God: “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of His covenant. For the sake of Your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.”

The attributes listed by David are anchors for us, stabilizing truths about our God that will enable us to enter this coming new year with confident expectation that He will shower His mercy and love upon us, accompanied by His direction and enabling-power to take us over and through whatever challenges may befall us!

What, specifically, does David say about our Lord? In sum, God:

  • Is good
  • Is upright
  • Instructs unworthy sinners!
  • Guides/teaches the humble
  • Is loving and faithful in the way(s) he deals with us
  • Forgives our iniquities
  • Instructs, prospers, and confides in those who fear (revere) Him

Like me, you too no doubt have found every one of these to be true in your life! Proverbs 9:10 and 3:5-6 say it all:

  • “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
  • “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

David Prays For Deliverance, 15-22. Here David candidly admits his need for God’s help, God’s deliverance: “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in You. Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!”

These verses remind me of something the great missionary Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), once said: “All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.”

Taylor observed that: “Want of trust is at the root of almost all our sins and all our weaknesses.”

David was certainly a mighty man of God, the fearless yet contrite warrior-king. David, who demonstrated trust in the Lord even as a youth (e.g. the slaying of Goliath), by his own candid admission reveals his finite, needy dependance upon the Lord. None of us will ever rival the greatness of this man of God — a man who nevertheless admitted his human limitations and weaknesses.

As so many of the ironies and paradoxes of our faith show us, it’s the humble individual that God supports, enables, pilots on his or her journey of faith. David, much like the disciple Nathanael (see John 1:45-51), was a man with no pretense, no false veneer of holiness, no feigning of faith. God honors such men and women of faith — those of single-hearted devotion to God.

Specifically, what does David want deliverance from? The answer is spelled out in verses 15-19:

  • Snares
  • Loneliness
  • Affliction
  • Trouble
  • Anguish
  • Distress
  • Personal sin
  • The increase of hateful enemies

In verse 20 David asks God, his sole refuge, to deliver him from all these things — then, in verse 21, he asks that the virtues of personal integrity and honesty be honored, serving as a shield.

Application: David, mighty in faith and deed, was nonetheless much like any one of us; a human being with precisely the same needs, desires, and weaknesses we all share. As we emulate him, the theme of Psalm 25 will come to pass in our lives: Those who fear the LORD will be led by the LORD!

LIFE’S CHALLENGES

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I recall crafting a sermon on the challenges we face in this life. Consulting my Webster’s Thesaurus, I noticed how many of life’s challenges begin with the letter “d.” We sometimes have to deal with…
• Despair
• Delays
• Defeat
• Darkness
• Desolation
• Disappointment
• Disaster
• Detours
• Danger
• Death
• Dismay

When I finished, the Lord spoke to my heart these words: “Now, write My promise across that list: Deliverance!”

Indeed, the LORD promises in Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

A Prayer for Deliverance

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Jeremiah 3:21-23 (KJV)
A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

A Theme to Remember:
While salvation is promised to those who believe, the believing sinner is always a praying sinner. God has no promise of pardon for a prayerless sinner just as He has no promise for the prayerless professor of religion. (Adapted from E.M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer)

Words to Remember:
The way to be saved is not to delay, but to come and take.
–D.L. Moody

A Prayer for Deliverance

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Psalm 46 (NLT)
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
Interlude
A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High.
God himself lives in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
God will protect it at the break of day.
The nations are in an uproar, and kingdoms crumble!
God thunders, and the earth melts!
The LORD Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
Interlude
Come, see the glorious works of the LORD: See how he brings destruction upon the world and causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; he burns the shields with fire.
“Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
The LORD Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
Interlude

A Theme to Remember:
We know the end of the story – God wins, there is a new Heaven and a new earth, His people are preserved. Keep this in mind when your heart is filled with anxiety and trepidation about the things of this world. Since God is in control and His love for you is perfect, there is nothing of any real consequence to fear.

Words to Remember:
Providence has at times been my only dependence, for all other resources seem to have failed.
–George Washington