Ministering Deliverance

With Bishop Ronald K. Powell
Text: Luke 4:18

Introduction
The purpose of this message is to point you in the right direction and
to prepare you for this ministry, so you will be ready to help and
minister to a wide variety of people, in a wide variety of bondages,
and bring them into complete freedom in Christ! This message alone
is by no means a complete manual for a deliverance ministry, it was
never intended to be, but it will give you an overview of what you
will need to learn before entering this ministry.

The purpose of ministering deliverance
The purpose of this ministry isn’t about demons! It’s about guiding
and helping our brothers and sisters come into the victory that Christ
died to give them! The purpose of ministering deliverance is to set
free those who are in bondage. As Jesus was sent fourth to preach
deliverance to the captives (Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he hath anointed me to… preach deliverance to
the captives…”), so we are also sent out (John 20:21, “Then said
Jesus to them… as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”) to
do the works He did (John 14:12, “He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also…”), and this includes casting out of
devils (Matthew 10:8).

The ministry of deliverance is about bringing spiritual victory
and freedom to those who are in bondage.

It doesn’t matter what you call it (demonized, possessed, oppressed, etc.), if they are
in demonic bondage, whether they need to tear down a stronghold,
break up a legal ground, cast a demon out, or all three… it’s still
deliverance, because it’s setting the captives free. Casting out
demons, is just part of the overall ministry of deliverance.

Four important elements of this ministry
This is where I see some deliverance ministries miss the
mark. They think it’s as simple as commanding the demon to
come out, and there’s nothing more they can do. This is a
grave mistake that causes a lot of people to walk away from a
deliverance still in bondage.

There is more to it than simply casting out demons.

In Luke 9:42, we are told a story of how Jesus not
only rebuked demons in a boy who was mentally affected by
evil spirits, but also is said to have healed the boy. There is no
mention of the boy needing physical healing, but if you look up the
word healed in this passage, one of the meanings is, “to free from
errors and sins…”, which is likely what Jesus did with the boy,
Jesus removed the boy’s legal grounds (sins) and freed him
from errors (strongholds). This case of deliverance required more
than just rebuking demons!

There have been times when I have successfully helped people out
of their demonic bondages, without even having to cast out demons!
Sometimes all that is needed is the pulling down of a stronghold, or a
breaking up of a legal right. Other times, all three areas need to be
addressed to bring the person into complete freedom.

A educated deliverance minister should be knowledgeable with all
three of these very important elements, and be prepared to address
them without hesitation:

1-Inner healing: Many times when a person has been abused,
rejected, wounded, or hurt in some way, there is an emotional wound
that needs to be healed. Demons will use these wounds and
weaknesses against the person, as leverage to hold them in bondage
and get them to re-open doors so that they can re-enter. Inner
healing is a vital step in the overall restoration process that needs to
take place in the lives of many who are seeking deliverance. There
is more information on this process in the teaching Steps to Inner
Healing.

2-Tearing down strongholds: Strongholds are incorrect thinking
patterns that people develop over time, and are often set up and
nurtured by demons through lies and deception. Demons thrive on
strongholds, and use them to hang around a person and torment
them. I recommend reading the teaching on Strongholds for a clear
insight into exactly what a stronghold is, and how to go about tearing
them down. Failing to tear down strongholds can hold up a
deliverance and prevent us from walking in complete spiritual
freedom.

3-Removing legal rights: Legal rights are things that give demons
permission to enter and remain in our lives. Before demons can
often be cast out, it is important to address and remove these legal
rights. The teaching on Legal Rights lists the most common legal
rights and how you can go about removing them. Failing to remove
legal rights can hold up a deliverance very easily.

4-Casting out the demons: This requires two basic elements:
knowledge of your authority in Christ Jesus over the powers of the
enemy, and faith in that authority. Demons are cast out with a simple
spoken command, such as, “I command the spirit of fear to come out
in the name of Jesus!” You can learn more about your authority and
how it works from the teaching on Spiritual Authority.

I believe it is a good idea to give the person requesting deliverance a
Deliverance Questionnaire that will give you an overview of their
background, the bondages they are facing, the root or source of their
problem, as well as legal grounds, strongholds and any particular
spirits that need to be addressed. Then begin to work with them to
receive inner healing, break up any legal grounds, and tear
down any strongholds you see in their life and of course, cast
out any demons that need to go.

It is always helpful to have a general idea of what the different
common demons are, what they do and how they enter, how they
usually operate, etc. For example, the Bible speaks of spirits that
cause physical health problems such as the spirit of infirmity,
blindness, deafness, etc. along with spirits that cause fear and
depression (King Saul), mental illness, etc.

The teaching on Demon Possession is a good place to start and will help you begin to
understand how demons affect us, and what it really means to be
‘possessed with a demon’.

I don’t recommend reading occult books
or books on demons that were not written by solid Christian
ministers, because that can cause you to pick up demons yourself!
Whatever you do, don’t wander into the dark world to learn about it!
The best place to learn about demons, is from the Bible itself!
Whatever you can’t find in the Bible, you can learn from other solid
Christian ministers such as Derek Prince, Frank Hammond, or Doris
Wagner.

Don’t lose insight on what really matters
It bothers me when I see people placing so much of their focus on
demons, curses, and what the enemy is up to, that they lose their
focus on Jesus and what the true purpose of this ministry is all about.
It is important not to lose sight of what Jesus has done for us, the
goodness of God, and what the true purpose of this ministry is all
about. It’s not about the demons at all, it’s all about what Jesus has
done for us on the cross, and helping fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ come into and walk in that freedom in their lives.

Fear-driven ministries: One thing that I like to watch out for, is
fear-driven ministries. I call them fear-driven, because they often put
a lot of fear into people that is NOT from God, and is completely
unnecessary. They don’t show you the love of Christ and build you
up, instead they are good at giving you warnings and telling you how
serious of a condition you are in, or how badly you messed up and
how serious your sin is, etc. They tell you that if you aren’t careful,
the demons will return and you’ll be worse off the second time than
the first (which is true if you are a sinner, but that doesn’t apply to
believers).

They give you the impression that you’re in serious
danger and if you don’t follow their instructions to the tee, you aren’t
going to be set free. They overall speak a lot of fear and
condemnation to you, which can set you on the edge of your seat
sometimes. By the time you are done, you could be worse off than
before, because of all the false lies and deception they feed people
who are in bondage.

Always remember this important point: It’s not about the
demons… it’s about the children of God receiving and walking in the
freedom that Christ died to give them!