Cast Out Demons: A Step-by-Step Guide
These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons… (Mark 16:17).
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given …the distinguishing of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:7-8,10).
In deliverance ministry, once you have determined whether or not a “problem” might be demonic in origin, and you have uncovered possible ways that dark forces may have gained access, you are ready to begin getting rid of those forces. It is really not a complicated process. God is the One at work. We just have to step out in obedience, and He does “His thing”!
In Mark 16:17 we see that the first sign for those who believe is: “They will cast out demons.” In 1 Corinthians 12, one of the gifts of the Spirit that is listed is the discernment of spirits. I interpret these two truths to mean the following:
First, casting out spirits occasionally is a general gift to the believer. Here I interpret believer to be a person committed to Christ as Lord and Savior. Second, there are some members of the body of Christ who are especially gifted and anointed by the Holy Spirit to minister in deliverance on a more regular basis.
Scripture is not very descriptive on the “how to” of deliverance. In Matthew 8:16 it says that Jesus “cast out the spirits with a word.” In Matthew 8:32 Jesus “said to them, ‘Go!’ And they came out….” In other places, Scripture speaks of “rebuking” spirits or “commanding” them out. And out they came!
Scripture is also not extremely descriptive of what happened when the spirits were cast out. Often it just says, “And Jesus cast them out.” There are other times when descriptions are given: the demons would cause the person to “fall down before Him," or “they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice." But in most of the references to demons being cast out it just states that they came out, or the person was healed. At times it was not a sensational process—but oh what freedom was achieved!
How I Do Deliverance
I want to share with you how I do deliverance. I find it to be very effective. Other gifted people may minister deliverance in a different way. The important truth to keep in mind is that as a Christian we have been given the authority to cast out demons by the Lord Jesus Himself.
I begin by sharing from my experience and from Scripture what deliverance is and why it is important.
I then pray over the ministry that is to take place, carefully giving Christ all the praise for what He will do. I pray protection over the person who is receiving ministry, over his or her family, over the one who is helping me, and his family. Then I lift up the same prayer for my family and myself.
Next, I break any destructive tendencies or demonic holds passed down through family lines—such as, but not limited to, alcoholism, immorality, occult involvement, suicide, divorce, etc. Sometimes the person has told me what destructive traits are in his or her family line; sometimes the Holy Spirit impresses me with what it is; and sometimes I just break anything in general that has been passed down that is harmful.
I ask the person to forgive all who have wronged him or her in any way. (I usually have them do this silently in their heart.)
I ask the person to confess his or her sins, asking the Lord for forgiveness through the accomplished work of Christ (again, in silence).
Then, I ask the person to forgive him or herself.
Finally, I ask the person to confess and renounce any involvement with the occult, with New Age, with any non-Christian religion, or with superstitions.
After this preparation I move into commanding demons to come out by the authority of Christ and His blood. The Holy Spirit impresses me with things like anger, fear, rejection, etc. The person can also tell you what to cast out.
After ministry I always pray for an infilling of the Holy Spirit to fill up the vacuum created by the spirits leaving.
The Setting
The ideal setting would be a comfortable, private place where all who are participating have comfortable seats. Each person with a cell phone should silence the phone. I typically have a box of tissues in case the person receiving ministry should tear up. The person assisting in the ministry will have a notebook and a pen to take notes that will become the property of the one receiving ministry. Many times I also will have a notebook where I write down spirits that God is showing me so I can repeat the command to leave at the closing of the session.
Concerning personal preparation, I will have prayed about the ministry and often I will have asked other people to pray that the persons receiving ministry will be set free. I typically have a glass of water by me because there is a lot of speaking in the ministry.
There is a period of orientation before the ministry begins. I try to make the persons feel comfortable with light conversation. Those receiving ministry may be nervous, and the light conversation helps them relax and connect with those of us who will minister to them.
After a brief period of small talk, I shift gears and begin the session of ministry. Usually I go in one of two directions. I will begin to speak about how this was one of Jesus’ major ministries and how He taught His followers to do this ministry. The other approach I take is to share my personal experience of receiving deliverance. Then I will talk about how people have come to me and the Lord has used me to minister to them. Often I will combine the two streams of thought.
During the session, I am intent on casting out spirits. I begin listening to what the Holy Spirit impresses to my mind. This is one way the gift of discernment of spirits operates. I then begin commanding out what the Holy Spirit shows me. There may be little or no observable reaction. Don’t be concerned; things are happening in the spiritual realm! Sometimes impressions may be spoken by those who are ministering with me, as well as by the recipient of ministry himself. If the recipient asks a question, I will answer it. But our main focus is to cast out spirits. I try to prevent it from becoming a counseling session, although some counseling naturally takes place.
Be affirming to the person who is receiving the ministry of deliverance. Assure the person with words like, “It’s not you I’m speaking to; it’s the personality in you that is driving you to do destructive things.” Often I say, “You’re not like a leper with spots. This is normal for people I minister to.” When I come against sexual spirits, I will inform them that 80 percent of the adults I minister to, both men and women, have sexual spirits.
I may continue, “It doesn’t make you any less a sexual being to have the spirits cast out. The spirit misdirects your sexuality.” I often use a quote from a book I read, “Fire in the fireplace on a cold winter night is a good thing. Fire in any other part of the house is not a good thing. So it is with sex. Sex in marriage is a good thing; sex in any other situation is not a good thing.”
I usually tell the person to whom I am ministering that I also have received deliverance. I want them to know that I am ministering to them on level ground. I am not ministering down to them. When a session of deliverance is completed, I want the person receiving deliverance to leave feeling affirmed and loved.
When I end a ministry session, I typically pray that God will fill the person with His Holy Spirit. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, so in the spiritual world the same principle exists. In the natural world something will fill a vacuum—air, water, or dirt will rush in to fill the emptiness. So it is in the spiritual realm. We have created a vacuum. In the name of Jesus, spirits have been ordered out of a person. Therefore, there is more room for the Spirit of God to fill the person by filling these empty places that have been left. So I pray and ask the Lord to fill the person with His Holy Spirit.
I extend reassurance to the person(s) after the session. I offer hope and encouragement. I typically will place books on deliverance and or spiritual warfare in their hands so they can learn more of the subject. Most who come are active in their churches. If they are not, I encourage them to get actively involved in a good church. I encourage them to find a mentor and a couple of accountability/prayer partners to help them break the patterns in their lives formed by demons.
Typically, I offer a second and even a third session if they seem to need the extra ministry. Sometimes we make such an arrangement before they leave. If circumstances permit, I prefer there to be several days or a week before the next session. This allows people to begin to recognize what good things have happened to them. We put calendars together and plan our next meeting. Other times, I leave the responsibility up to them to see if they are serious about wanting more help.
Again and again people who have received deliverance say, “I feel lighter.” A physician I ministered to recently has commented several times since the initial ministry, “I think more clearly.” Most people leave a deliverance session with hope that they can negotiate life. Sometimes a person who was moving toward an emotional breakdown was stopped from going over the edge because of the freedom and hope they received from deliverance. I always give the Lord the full credit for what He accomplished in our session together.
I cannot remember anyone leaving a session of deliverance in despair. Consistently they seem encouraged. They are appreciative. Usually they know something good has happened, and they are encouraged as they face the future.
We think of the New Testament accounts of all those people who received deliverance. There were no churches. Probably few homes had what we would think of as a living room or an office. Yet this powerful ministry still happened. Try to find a private and quiet place where other people cannot hear what happens. But if that does not exist, use what you have. Remember, it is God’s work, and He can work in whatever setting He chooses.
Operating in the Gift of Discernment
I was influenced to ask this question on your behalf by a physician who sought ministry from my wife and me. He asked this same question. I have referenced my answer earlier in the book, but I will try to amplify it to some measure. One of the many unanswerable questions in Scripture would be, “What was happening inside Peter, James, John, and Paul as they ministered in the same dimension?” Of course, we don’t know. What we do know is the Holy Spirit was guiding them and empowering them to do this work.
As I have stated before, different people minister deliverance in different ways. I would never say that my way is the best way or the only way. I receive impressions from the Lord. Rarely is it a voice speaking to me. It is more like a thought that comes into my mind. Through years of experience I am usually able to discern what is an impression from the Holy Spirit versus what may be my own thought or a thought put there by a force of darkness. It is not a picture, although God speaks to some people through pictures He puts in their minds. It is not even a really strong impression that many Christians on occasions have. It is just a thought that I clothe in words. It is an insight into what the evil spirit does to the person or through the person.
Sometimes this impression begins to form days before I meet in a scheduled appointment with the one who has called out for help. Sometimes the insights begin when I am breaking generational curses that have been passed through family lines. But most of the time the impressions begin as I step out in faith and call out spirits that the Holy Spirit gives in the moment.
Therefore, I don’t need to know beforehand what the needs of the person are. As I enter into ministry, the Holy Spirit gives me impressions and thoughts showing me what I should call out. Endless are the times people say to me, “How could you have known!” I explain to them that it is due to impressions from the Holy Spirit.
I do not get loud or weird as I minister. I calmly sit there in the authority of our risen Lord and do what He has commanded us to do, which is, in part, to cast out spirits in His name. I make every effort that the person understand it is God at work—it is not me.
If you do not feel that you have the gift of discernment, ask the Lord for it. As you step out in the ministry of deliverance, you can ask the person what spirits are bothering him or her. As he relates to you their names—anger, depression, etc.—begin commanding those spirits out. As you do so, be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He may begin impressing on your mind other spirits to call out. If you make a mistake, don’t worry. It is better to attempt to chase away something that is not there than to leave something there!
Spirit-Led Insights
The primary focus of the ones ministering deliverance is simply to call demons out of the person receiving ministry. In addition, God may also use this time to speak His insights, encouragements, and or prophetic words through the person ministering to the one receiving help. The individual keeping notes of the meeting writes down the insights.
These insights could come in the form of Scripture passages the Lord brings to mind or impressions from the Holy Spirit. These Spirit-led insights could be very valuable as God is speaking His mind to the one receiving ministry. I recently ministered to a lady who is in ministry and who is the adult child of missionaries. We cast spirits out of her that had come in through tragic events in her childhood and then through many years of betrayal by her husband. Not only did God do this great work for her, but He also spoke through the two of us ministering to her words of great encouragement concerning her future in Christian ministry.
Therefore, in the ministry setting several things happened: she was loved and respected by the two of us ministering to her; demons were driven from her; an encouraging insights about her important work for the Lord were spoken. I fully believe that what happened to her will impact her for years to come in her strategic work.
Demonic Voices
Some people involved in the deliverance ministry report sensational encounters with demons on occasions. People have told me that they have seen demons in the midst of ministry. Something like that almost never happens to me. I believe it is possible for the sensational to be experienced by some people in this good work. Frankly, I’m happy without the sensational experiences. I prefer the non-sensational encounters!
What I have experienced is an impression of the demons speaking, although I have not heard the actual voice of the demon, as mentioned previously. Sometimes the demon speaks through the voice of the person receiving deliverance, and I have experienced that on occasion. But sometimes I perceive what the demon is saying without hearing a voice actually speaking. I’ve perceived demons saying things like, “You can’t make me leave,” or, “This person doesn’t want me to leave.” It is not uncommon for me to perceive brief statements such as these.
What I do with this information is as follows. I say to the person receiving deliverance, “I sense the demon saying, ‘I won’t leave,’ but I say in the authority of Jesus Christ that it will leave.” Your response may be, “That would freak someone out!” On the contrary, I have never had anyone “freaked out.” A take-home observation is this lesson: If you, as a minister of deliverance, have confidence in the Lord, it is easier for the person receiving ministry to have confidence and faith in the Lord. Some of that confidence and faith can come with experience. Neither the person receiving ministry nor the persons ministering have to experience the dramatic for life-changing events to occur.
Physical Manifestations
Most of the time when I minister deliverance there is little, if any, physical manifestation. Occasionally, there are tears. I often keep a box of tissues on the table in front of the person receiving deliverance. At other times there may be more visible manifestations caused by a spirit. Sometimes the spirit takes over the personality of its host and uncomfortable things happen.
When this occurs, it can be disconcerting for the person receiving deliverance as well as for the persons ministering deliverance. If this happens, you have three options:
First, you can gently conclude the ministry and plan for another meeting in the near future.
Second, you can stop commanding the spirit to leave and begin speaking comforting words to settle the person down. Usually in a few minutes the person receiving ministry will relax. Following this, you can resume your commands for the spirit to leave.
The third option, and the one I opt for, is to press in and be victorious over the spirit that is causing the manifestation.
There are times when I take authority over a spirit that is causing a person to shake or to cry uncontrollably. I order it to cease troubling the person. I then continue to command it to come out and leave.
As I have stated, most of the ministry sessions I have led have not been very dramatic. I think this is God’s grace because in our Western culture most people shy away from excessive displays of emotion. In Scripture, though, there were tremendous outbursts of emotions and physical manifestations. But in our “sophisticated” culture, it is my opinion that many would shy away from seeking help if outbursts were a regular occasion.
But, there are times when dramatic manifestations do happen. Sometimes, in totally unexpected moments, the spirits inside a person will drive that person to bizarre actions. I don’t want you to be caught off-guard. This doesn’t happen often, but it can happen.
Years ago a psychiatrist friend brought his next-door neighbor, a young man in his mid-thirties, to me for deliverance. I knew nothing about this man, other than he was a Sunday School teacher in a Baptist church. As I began to command spirits out of him, he went into a rage. He began to cry out, “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” He was not expressing a personal hatred of me because we had just met. It was the spirit within him manifesting.
If that weren’t bad enough, he grabbed hold of the left armrest of my brand-new office chair where he was sitting and with supernatural strength broke the thick, solid wood arm off the chair. Then with his right hand he broke the right armrest off the other side of the chair. He continued to scream, “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”
My reaction was one of fear, to say the least. But the armrest stayed in his lap, and I continued to command the spirits to leave him. All the while I was trying to have enough faith to believe the power of Christ would bind the spirit. The ministry continued, and he was delivered from a number of spirits, including a spirit of violence. All ended well—except for a broken chair. After that I was more alert when I would encounter a spirit of violence.
On another occasion I was ministering to lady I did not know, nor did she know me. So, again, her reactions were not personal. This woman receiving ministry was a registered nurse. The ministry was proceeding well. But at an intense moment, as I was commanding a certain spirit to leave this woman, she made her hand into a claw shape and swung at my eyes.
I dodged the claw, which her hand had become, and continued the ministry. For the remainder of the ministry time, all went well. There, for a moment, a different being had taken over her personality and tried to do bodily injury to me. I did stay alert to what else might happen, but thankfully the demon did not manifest itself again.
A number of times over the years of casting out demons, the following has also happened. When I gave commands for spirits to leave, some people have fallen from a sitting position onto the floor. Sometimes they would simply lie on the floor as I continued to cast out spirits from them.
Occasionally, a person lying on the floor would begin to slither across the floor like a snake. This has startled friends who were assisting me in ministry. But my response was to continue to command the spirits out of the person. I knew from these manifestations that I was getting a response from the spirits tormenting the person. What may surprise you is that when the ministry was completed, no one seemed embarrassed that he or she had slithered across the floor. I am not even sure that they were aware of what they had just done.
I share these experiences with you not to frighten you, but to make you aware that physical manifestations of the demon can happen on rare occasions. Remember that you are ministering in the power and authority of Jesus Christ.
Spirits of Self-Hatred
Satan is described in Scripture as a liar, a murderer, and an accuser of believers. The hosts of darkness that follow him take on the same nature. Countless times in the ministry of deliverance I have encountered a spirit of self-hatred, a spirit of self-destruction, or a spirit of suicide. Sometimes all three of these spirits are in a person.
To understand that there are demons whose purpose is to try to make us take our own lives will explain, in part, why there are so many suicides in our culture. As I have come against one or more of the spirits just described, the person receiving ministry would confirm that suicide was indeed a problem that he or she had greatly struggled against. And many are the times these people would recount stories of relatives who took their own lives. As I look back over forty-seven years of ministering deliverance, I know of only one person who took his life after receiving this ministry.
If this ministry is accurately applied to people driven toward taking their own lives, I am totally convinced that many lives could be saved and made useful for the kingdom of God. Devoid of these destructive and lying spirits, the number of people taking their own lives would be greatly decreased. Christ is the life giver; the hosts of darkness are life takers.
Casting Out Demons Over the Phone
I serve on the board of directors of a significant ministry that has headquarters around the world. The US office is unique in that several of its staff people minister deliverance over the telephone. You may be wondering if this is even possible. I certainly believe the best arrangement is to be in the room with the person who is receiving ministry. But, the several people who are involved in praying deliverance over the telephone to persons who call in are having considerable success.
While this is not something I do very often, on occasion I have ministered over the telephone with God-honoring results. In one situation, the person was so transformed that the event was written up in a local newspaper. While I have only ministered a few times in decades over the phone, I’m convinced it has value.
Paul the apostle wrote prayers in letters, and those prayers were read weeks or even months later. It is as though those prayers went through time and space. Those of us who are serious about the Word of God have been touched by Paul’s prayers that he wrote nearly two millennia ago. Therefore, I believe prayers of deliverance can be prayed over the telephone and be effective.
Where Do Demons Go?
An 18-year-old young woman once asked me an unanswerable question. She was sitting in a deliverance session and saw this ministry for the first time. She asked, “Where do demons go after they are cast out?” There are different theories to answer this question. Some people who minister in deliverance “cast them into the pit.” I have heard one person give the command, “Go to the feet of Jesus.”
My answer is that we don’t really know where the demons go. It is my conviction that I have the authority in Christ to protect an area with His authority. If I am on the grounds of a church ministering deliverance to someone, my command is, “Don’t touch anyone on these grounds.” If a person has come to my home office, I give the command, “Don’t touch anyone on this street.” I often will say, “Don’t ever enter this person again.” Other times I will say, “Go far, far away.” In a biblical account of casting out demons, Jesus commanded, “Don’t enter this person again.” Seeing Jesus ordering a spirit not to enter the person again gives me authority to make the same command.
One of the concerns of many who receive deliverance is the possibility that the spirits might come back. Jesus speaks of seven spirits returning where one spirit had been cast out. This frightens people. It sometimes keeps people from seeking a much-needed deliverance. My consistent answer is our protection comes by not engaging in the sins through which the demons had originally gained entrance. If a lying spirit has been cast out of someone, yet that person purposefully continues to lie, the lying spirit may well come back into the person. Our protection is to be obedient to the commands of God given in Scripture.
Demons Can Harass Us but Not Be in Us
Some forces of darkness are not in us to be cast out or located in some physical place to be driven away—rather, they come against us from without, putting temptations and tormenting thoughts into our minds. Their purpose is to cause us to suffer defeat as we seek to walk with the Lord each day.
How do we oppose the opposer? We drive him away from ourselves! In Revelation 12:11 (NKJV) we read, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” How did they overcome the accuser? They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
When we feel an oppressive spirit opposing us, we can begin to speak out loud or to ourselves of what the blood of the Lamb does for us. “By the blood of the Lamb I am freed from my sins. The blood of Jesus Christ washes me clean. The blood Jesus shed on the cross is powerful against you.” Do you remember the words of the old hymn, “There is power in the blood”? That blood overpowers our accuser.
The words of our testimony are powerful, too. We can say, “Jesus is my Savior; I belong to Him. Jesus is the Lamb of God. He is my Redeemer and Deliverer….” We testify to darkness who the Lord Jesus is to us. Darkness has to flee. It cannot stand against so powerful a testimony.
Another way demons can attack us from without is through other people. Most of us have seen a second personality take over a person during a contentious and intense encounter. Often, that is a demon operating in that person.
If you are in a conversation with someone and rage arises in that person for no reason, you may be encountering a spirit. In your heart you can command the spirit to be muzzled.
Jesus commanded the storm on the Sea of Galilee to be muzzled, and the storm stopped. Was that a permanent solution? No, there are storms to this day on the lake. But the storm was stilled for the time being. Therefore, for the time being, a person can be helped by commanding the spirit to be still. For a long-term solution, the spirit needs to be cast out of that “attacking” person.
As I speak to groups of people on this subject of deliverance, I tell them that it is important to embrace their newfound freedom and walk in the victory God has given them. He will give them that strength. One can sit under the best pastor there is, but what counts is what one does with the truths he or she hears. So it is with receiving the ministry of deliverance—it’s what you do with it.
You may realize somewhere along the way that, in addition to strong fleshly desires that tempt all of us, there is something else troubling you deeply or even tormenting you. You may even begin to sense that it is an evil spirit. How do you get help?
Try to find someone who is being used of God in this ministry. Even if you must travel a distance to receive help, it is worth it. Some churches, even denominational churches, have a group of people who are trained in this ministry who are willing to help those in need. If you cannot find help, then I would encourage you to prepare yourself by prayer and maybe even fasting. Then, in the name of Jesus, command the spirit or spirits to leave you. Many people have been able to do this with success. This is called self-deliverance. But I repeat, the best way is to find someone who is anointed and skilled in this ministry. If you cannot find such a person, God can meet you where you are and do mighty things!
Don’t Give Up!
In the world of spiritual warfare, there is a temptation for each of us to give up too easily. I remember as a third grader receiving a really nice bicycle from my parents. They were poor, and it was a sacrifice for them to purchase such a fine gift for me. I had longed for a bicycle, and now I had one! We lived on a hill, and as a beginner with little practice I mounted the bicycle and started riding down the hill. Somehow the bicycle got away from me and I crashed into an obstacle in a neighbor’s yard. The bicycle was damaged, but my father was able to have it repaired. I continued to ride that bicycle for years.
I could have resolved never to ride a bicycle again. My father could have banned me from ever riding a bicycle again. But neither of those things happened. With much effort and practice I mastered riding that bike. It was not only used for pleasure because later I used it to deliver newspapers, and it was a modest source of income. As you attempt to minister to others or to yourself, you may have some “crashes.” But like me, you can resolve to continue and your Father in heaven can repair the damage.
Also, in retrospect, some attempts to minister to others that first appear to be crashes really aren’t crashes. Good comes out of the effort, and God is glorified. I became a better bicycle rider with the experience of the crash behind me. According to the Word of God, He causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him! (See Romans 8:28.)
Questions to Consider
How does Scripture define Satan?
What should be the primary focus of the person ministering deliverance?
How would you react if someone you were ministering to began to manifest in a demonic way? What should you do?
Prayer
Almighty God, I thank You that You call us and You empower us. Teach me to come against the demonic in the authority and power of Jesus’ name when I am in situations that demand it. Give me courage to confront darkness, knowing that You are with me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Percy Burns
