You have probably heard about it in movies and the like: casting out the Devil / casting out Satan-/ casting out ghosts – also called exorcism or cleansing (Greek: ἐξορκισμός, exorkismos “canjuration”, from exorkizein “curse”, from ex- and horkos “ed”, also called Devil).
Spending your life as an active disciple of Jesus Christ, God’s only son, also involves the casting out of demons. Sure, it sounds like an action story or a fairy tale in the finest Harry Potter tradition …and I suppose it is, although with the distinction that this is truth and not fiction. The spiritual world is just as real as you are, sitting there reading this right now.
There are several kinds of exorcisms. There are exorcisms from a person who is possessed, or from a haunted house, where inexplicable phenomena occur. For instance, there may be sounds, things that are moved around inexplicably, or things that are literally tossed around – popularly also known as ghosts or a poltergeist (originally from German, from “poltern = making noise” and “Geist = spirit”.
In terms of possession of people, you typically see “inexplicable physical diseases” (e.g. unspecified pain, fibromyalgia, etc.), regular diagnosed diseases, or mental afflictions like anxiety, fear, uncontrollable anger and depression, schizophrenia, hearing voices, and uncontrollable suicidal thoughts, etc.!
Now, a lot of people will say… “What? Regular physical illness is a spirit?” I think I will let you be the judge of that after reading from the Gospel of Luke in the Bible, chapter 13, verses 10-13:
“Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”
In my logical human mind, I would think that a hunched back could easily be due to osteoporosis or a regular collapsed disc. And it may be, but what is causing this condition? It is quite clear that in this case it is a matter of a spirit living inside the woman. That doesn’t mean that she is otherwise aware of having been afflicted by the spirit in her daily life, but it has destroyed her back. Jesus casts out the spirit, and she is immediately able to straighten herself up. Personally, I often see these types of healings / casting out of spirits, where a physical illness or a mental disorder disappears.
The interesting thing is that the last words Jesus said to us believers before ascending to his father, God, are very important. When it is furthermore the last thing He says, it must carry significant weight. In the Mark, chapter 16 verses 15-18, it says:
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”
Note also that the Bible clearly states that you cannot drive out evil with evil – as this would require the kingdom of the evil one to destroy itself. Healers, clairvoyants, etc. work through spiritual forces which are NOT the Jesus Christ / Holy Spirit of the Bible. Also, many in this world do not believe that the devil exists and that it is therefore possible to be “possessed”. They call everything “divine”, because they don’t know any better. Therefore, I DO NOT recommend seeking out these people for the purposes of being delivered from a demon. Instead, get a hold of a Christian who is solid in his or her identity in Jesus Christ, who will help you…!
HOW DO YOU EXORCISE A DEMON FROM A PERSON?
How it happens varies a lot. In cases of exorcism from a person, laying hands on the individual and saying a brief prayer may be enough. Other times, it can take longer. Sometimes, the person feels nothing when you pray – and other times, the demon manifests powerfully in form of sounds, shaking, vomiting, foaming at the mouth, etc.! You never know until you get started. Once the demon is gone, the person will feel a lightness/freedom.
Every demon hangs on to a person’s sin – meaning things you have done wrong according to the Bible. It could be taking drugs, sexual sin, unforgiveness, etc.! If you are willing to confess your sin, the demon lets go much faster than it would otherwise. If you are not willing to confess the wrong you have done, there are times when the demon does not let go.
James 5
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
CAN YOU ONLY HAVE ONE SPIRIT IN YOU?
The simple answer is no. You can easily have several spirits in you. Instead of describing it, here are two short Bible passages where you can read two examples for yourself.
Luke chapter 8 verses 1-2
Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons…
Luke chapter 8 verses 26-33
Then they [the disciples and Jesus] sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion” [legion means 30], because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.
HOW SHOULD YOU RESPOND AFTER BEING DELIVERED?
Deliverance is nothing to take lightly. You really have to consider what you want with your life. You see, it is easy enough to be delivered from an evil spirit, but if you do not follow it up with receiving Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, you risk taking your condition “From the frying pan into the fire”…..and why do I say that? Actually, Jesus describes it very well right here:
Luke, chapter 11 verses 24-26
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it 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, the above means that if you are delivered without receiving God / Jesus Christ into the “house” – meaning into yourself, you risk the spirit returning along with seven others, making your condition worse than before, so you should seriously consider if it isn’t time to receive Jesus Christ into your life and actively follow him!
Read here who Jesus is and how you can choose Him as Lord of your life.
If you have a person or a house that needs an exorcism, it is FREE with us! You are welcome to come 🙂
Andreas Slot-Henriksen
February 2014
