The deliverance ministry is a Christian movement that performs rituals to cast out demons and evil spirits. They believe that these spirits possess individuals and are responsible for physical, psychological and spiritual problems.
Many believers in deliverance ministry cite Biblical precedent as an authoritative source for their rituals. This forms a significant part in arguments surrounding deliverance practices.
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual warfare is a real, ongoing, battle that believers engage in. It can be fought with prayer, God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible tells us that Satan is our enemy (Ephesians 6:10-18), and that he seeks to keep people from accepting Jesus as their Savior. He does this by using things, people and events in their lives to steal them away from God’s Word.
One of the most common attacks that demons use to attack their victims is doubt. Doubt can cause a person to fall back into sin and back into the hands of the enemy.
Christians should not be afraid to use the weapons of their faith in prayer to fight against these attacks from the devil. When we fight against these attacks, they can be removed from our minds and hearts. Then, we can begin to grow stronger in our faith and in our knowledge of God’s Word.
Identifying the Enemy
One of the keys to deliverance from demons is knowing the enemy. The more you know about the enemy, the better equipped you are to fight him and win.
The enemy is a created supernatural being who opposes believers. He is a powerful force that seeks to bring destruction to God’s children, and it is the believer who must identify him and take action against him.
Many people don’t recognize the enemy when he attacks them, so they don’t take action to protect themselves from him. Instead, they become anxious and afraid.
The enemy wants to immobilize you with fear, and he can do this in many ways. He may attack you with a fear of not getting a job or a fear that your children will be hurt. He may use other tactics such as slander or gossip. He will also try to distract you with questions or conversations that are not helpful to the work God has called you to do.
Identifying the Symptoms
Deliverance from demons is one of the most challenging and important aspects of Christian ministry. Often, people struggle to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a normal illness or caused by the presence of demonic influence.
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is able to provide a measure of guidance and discernment that will help Christians distinguish between emotional and mental illnesses and demons. However, this is not always an easy task, and it can lead to significant harm for many people.
The New Testament records numerous instances in which Jesus and the Early Church delivered people from demonic possession. These cases vary significantly in their symptomatology, but some common types of conditions are mentioned:
Identifying the Cause
In the past decade, a movement has developed among many charismatic Christian bodies known as deliverance ministry. These groups perform practices and rituals that they claim can help people cleanse themselves of demons or evil spirits.
Some advocates of this ministry believe that demons can cause strange behaviors and emotional problems in a person's life. These believers attribute these symptoms to demonic activity and may have the experience of being “cast out.”
Often, a child of God who suffers from these problems is not actually experiencing a demon. They are instead suffering from their own weaknesses and sins.
The Holy Spirit empowers the Christian to overcome these weaknesses and sins through a process called spiritual warfare. Through this battle with the flesh, the Spirit produces fruits of the Spirit in the believer--love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.