Perhaps one of the most common mistakes I’ve seen in this type of ministry, is failing to find out and clean up the root of the problem before attempting to cast out the demons. For example, a young girl makes a vow (bound her soul) never to let anybody get close to her again, and then years later a deliverance pastor attempts to cast out a spirit out of her which continually puts up a wall between her and others to prevent meaningful relationships from forming. There’s a good chance that the pastor won’t even get the spirit out because the legal grounds were never broken up, and even if he did get it out, there’s a very real chance that it will return because it has a right to be there.

Another example is when a person has a bondage to addiction of some kind. The root of many addictions in either an unmet need or an indulgence in escapism in effort to escape reality (or projected reality). Let’s say a woman has been divorced and was hurt in the process, and she turns to excessive eating in effort to ease the pain, thus turning to escapism to suppress the pain and wound. In a moral sense, she is harming her body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of addiction will gladly take her up on this opportunity to destroy the body which God has given her. Years later, she seeks deliverance from this spirit, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to budge (even after persistently commanding the spirit to come out in Jesus’ name), or the minister is able to get the spirit(s) out, but they keep returning. My first question is, were those wounds from the divorce ever truly healed? Or were they suppressed? Could it be that those wounds simply remained her the darkness of her soul, and are still infected? It would be a good idea in such a case, to make sure that the wound has been opened up (bringing it out into the open and before the Lord) and healed (stop trying to hold on to or justify the wound and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to them). Once that root (that which has brought on this bondage in the first place) is cleaned up, then it is time to move forward and begin casting out the demons.

When you clean up the root of the problem in a deliverance, you are giving the enemy no excuse to return. You are enabling that person to come into complete freedom in that area of their life, and maintain that freedom for the rest of their life.

This may sound reasonable, but it is simply not true. There are many cases where demons will come out without a manifestation. I would never count on a manifestation to determine whether or not the demon has left the person. A successful deliverance does not rely on demons manifesting!

Perhaps the best person to tell when a spirit has left, is the individual to whom is receiving ministry. A manifestation may take place when the demon is coming out, but it is certainly not a rule of thumb in determining if the spirit has departed. When walking a person through deliverance, I will often ask them how they are feeling, if they are experiencing pressure in a part of their body (chest, stomach, mind, etc.), confusing, unusual feelings (mental or physical) or anything else. Have they felt a release from that spirit? If they feel some release, but it’s not completely, then there are likely other similar spirits that must be driven out as well. I like to work closely with the person as they are often your best guide as to how things are going.

Once a demon leaves, there is usually a feeling of release or relief from their bondage. This is not always the case, perhaps in a case of epilepsy, where they may not be able to tell until days later because their seizures have stopped. The Holy Spirit can also give the minister a feeling of confirmation that the demon has left.

Every child of God (believer in Christ Jesus) has the authority necessary to drive out demon spirits:

Mark 16:17, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils…”

We are given authority over all powers of the enemy, but we need to exercise our authority through faith.

Anybody who is a child of God is quite capable of casting out evil spirits, however, it is always helpful to understand this type of ministry, as there are often more factors involved that may not be solved by simply casting out a demon. Many times there are strongholds, legal grounds and groupings of demons that need to be addressed. Therefore, the more you know and understand about this type of ministry, the more effectively you will be able to minister to those in bondage.

Absolutely! Simply having a demon or even a stronghold does not reduce your authority in Christ Jesus. What may be a factor to consider is if your bondage is limiting your faith or hindering your confidence in Christ Jesus. For example, if you happen to be in bondage to shame and guilt, then you will lack confidence in your relationship with God, and therefore your faith in your authority in Christ Jesus will be hindered or limited. Does this mean you cannot cast out a demon if that is the case? No! But if you are working with stronger demons or deeper bondages, it can limit the effectiveness of your ministry to that other person. This very reason often limits a person’s success in self-deliverance.