At Awakening House of Prayer, I've been doing a series on deliverance ministry. Part of that training includes protocols for casting out demons.
Before you engage in deliverance ministry, the first thing you need is a revelation of who you are in Christ and, more specifically, your authority in Christ. See, Jesus commands us to cast out devils in Matthew 10:8, “As you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
Listen to Jennifer's podcast on this topic: How to Cast Out Demons.
Of course, you won't have much success casting out demons if you are afraid of them or don't understand your authority. It's important to fully understand Luke 10:19, in which Jesus said, “Look, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Serpents and scorpions are symbols of evil spirits and demonic powers. The word “authority” in that verse comes from the Greek word exousia, which means “power, authority, and weight.” Merriam-Webster defines “authority” as the power to give orders or make decisions: the power or right to direct or control someone or something; the confident quality of someone who knows a lot about something or who is respected or obeyed by other people; a quality that makes something seem true or real.”
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The first protocol in casting out devils, then, is to understand your authority. Here are 27 other protocols for engaging in deliverance ministry:
1. Make sure your own heart is clean before you go into a deliverance session. Repent of any unconfessed sin. Sometimes demons will call out your sins.
2. You don't have to cast out every devil that comes your way. I pray about deliverance ministry assignments. The person may not really want to get delivered or may not be willing to do what it takes to walk out the deliverance or may like the attention they get from the issues in their life.
3. If possible, have a team of intercessors praying in another room during the deliverance session.
4. If possible, the deliverance team and the one being ministered to should fast before the session.
5. The deliverance team should come together and pray before the session. Ask the Lord to reveal the strongholds that are in place and share your insights with each other so you can be on the same page. The Holy Spirit is likely to reveal other matters during the session but you want to go in with as much foreknowledge as possible.
6. Don't cast out devils alone. This is not a one-person job. Jesus sent the disciples out two by two.
7. The one seeking deliverance should be given Scripture to study and prayers to pray before the deliverance session in preparation. This helps begin the process of renewing the mind with the Word of God.
8. Warn the one who is getting ministered to in advance that they will be tempted to run, to fear, or to be otherwise discouraged from coming.
9. Explain to the person seeking deliverance what could happen with manifestations. Tell them to resist the manifestations with their will.
10. Ask the one being ministered to if it's OK to touch them before the session begins.
11. If we're ministering to a man, a man needs to be on the deliverance team. If we're ministering to a woman, a woman needs to be on the deliverance team.
12. Confidentiality is key. You never share publicly what happens in a deliverance session.
13. It's not wise to minister to a husband and wife—or two people—together. They may not be completely transparent.
14. Have a trashcan and Kleenex on hand.
15. One person is designated as the leader. One person leads the charge. Others on the team should submit any words of knowledge, discerning of spirits or other prophetic insight to the leader and then leader can release that person to minister at the right time.
16. At the beginning of the session, pray for the gifts of the Spirit to be in operation.
17. Support members on the deliverance team should pray in tongues quietly during the session. If the person starts manifesting, the support members should plead the blood of Jesus.
18. As the session begins, ask the person if they know what the issues are. This can be revealing and get you started. Sometimes they think they know and they are only seeing the surface-level fruit of their issues.
19. Ask the Holy Spirit to show the person seeking deliverance if they need to forgive anyone. Unforgiveness gives the enemy a legal right to operate.
20. Once you identify a stronghold, lead the person in repentance over the issue. Then cast it out. Command the demon to go in the name of Jesus.
21. Don't engage in conversations with devils. This is not a show, and devils lie.
22. You don't need to scream and yell.
23. Don't get distracted by the manifestations. Bind them. Dignity of the person.
24. If people begin manifesting, safety is a major priority.
25. If you hit a wall during the session, stop and pray. Sometimes the spirit of counsel will come up on you.
26. You can't always cast out all the demons in one session. A person can only take so much.
27. Understand that no two deliverances will be exactly alike. Some people never have one manifestation.
28. Don't try to force anything or play guessing games or make assumptions. Always be led by the Holy Spirit. It is His power that delivers people in the name of Jesus.
Knowing When the Demons Are Gone
As noted, you may not be able to do a clean sweep of the demons oppressing a person in one session, but if you follow the leading of the Spirit, you will know when to stop and when the person is delivered. The person may sense a dark presence has lifted. Their countenance may change. Symptoms they were experiencing may be gone—though this is not an end-all sign because demons can hide. The Holy Spirit may also tell you that the person is free. Other times, you don't know. You'll have to check in on the person in the days ahead.
Satan will be angry that you've evicted demons from their homes. After the person you are ministering to exits the scene, the team should stay behind and pray for one another. Plead the blood of Jesus over yourselves. Pray for protection for yourselves, your family and friends. Break and bind all retaliatory attacks.
You also need to instruct the person who received deliverance what to do next. Consider Matthew 12:43-44, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through dry places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.”
You can read my article on Walking Out Your Deliverance From Demons for more on this topic.
Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of awakeningtv.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening;Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Jennifer's Periscope handle is @propheticbooks.
Thank you so much for this article. I just went thorough a few sessions of deliverance and found this very helpful.
It is awesome. Thank you so much for sharing, and bless you more.