You may not know this, but your name is written in Mark 16:17-18 of the Bible. It says “And these signs will [not maybe, not might] accompany those who believe.” If you believe, that’s you. “In my name, they will [not might] cast out demons. They will speak in new tongues [a gift of the Holy Spirit, not a reward]. Verse 18 says, “And they will pick up serpents with their hands and if they drink any deadly poison, it won’t hurt them.” In other words, this is saying there is divine protection for those who do war in Christ’s name. “And they will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.”
If you haven’t seen sick people recover, it’s not because God can’t do it through you. It’s probably because you have not allowed Him by a simple act of obedience, laying your hands on people and praying. If you are not under the authority of Jesus, you cannot cast out demons. But if you are under the authority of Jesus, you can.
Delegated Power and Authority
I have two daughters, Bella and Everly, and sometimes they argue. And Bella comes to me and says, “Dad, my little sister won’t stop annoying me.” So I tell big sister, “You go and tell little sister Dad said to stop it.” When she goes back to her little sister, she listens to her, not because she, the older sister, has authority, but because I, her dad, have authority and I gave it to her. So when the little sister hears her big sister say, “Hey, dad said you better stop or he’s gonna deal with you,” she’s like, “Oh, I’m gonna act right.” When you are effective at casting out demons, it’s not because you are a powerful person, but it’s because you have been given power and authority by Jesus and the demons respond to your Dad through you.
Matthew 12:28 (ESV)
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
The Badge and the Gun
Imagine that you are a police officer. You wear a badge that everyone can visibly see. That is your authority. Your gun is the power that you use to act on your authority. The badge is a visible sign of authority, but the power that you enforce it with (if it becomes necessary) is the gun. So in this sense, Jesus is the authority and the Holy Spirit is your power, your gun to enforce it.
If you go out and shoot without a badge, that makes you a criminal. But if you go out and try to fight crime with nothing but a badge, the bad guys will easily overpower you. So to have Jesus without the Holy Spirit, you’re powerless. You have authority, but you have nothing to enforce it. But then to say you have the Holy Spirit but not have the authority of Jesus, you are shooting without a badge, you’re a criminal. There are people who have tried to cast out demons without belonging to Jesus, and the demons say, “We know Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15).
You Can’t Fake Deliverance
I’ve been in deliverance situations where we cast demons out of multitudes of people, and I’ve had people even on my own team that demons called an imposter. And that’s why I love the ministry of deliverance because you can preach from the gift of preaching even though you don’t have a relationship with the Jesus you’re preaching about. You can sing and sound like a good worship leader, but not even have a relationship with the Jesus you’re worshiping. But deliverance is different because you can try to cast demons out, but there has to be a reality of your reliance on the Holy Spirit.
How Do You Know It’s a Demon?
When you’re praying with someone, how do you know if it’s a demon? Speaking from personal experience in deliverance, you have to constantly diagnose and assess, which requires discernment through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it’s a demon and sometimes it’s an issue of the flesh. Sometimes it’s discipline that is needed, not deliverance.
Discipline Vs. A Demon
How do you know the difference? The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:24 to crucify the flesh, and in Mark 16 to cast out demons. So you cannot crucify a demon and you cannot cast out the flesh.
So we must increase in our discernment of which one it is. I have been in deliverance ministry for a long time, over 20 years, and learned a critical lesson. On one hand, if you never think it’s a demon, but you are perpetually giving in to the desires of the flesh, there is a very high likelihood that you have opened up a doorway to the demonic through repeated sin. We use scripture and discernment from the Holy Spirit to determine what that situation calls for.
Saul And David
The analogy I always give with determining whether it’s a demon or it’s the flesh is simply this. You have the Old Testament figures David and Saul. David was quick to repent. He sinned and made mistakes, but he was quick to repent. Saul was unrepentant, which means that the sin in his life was perpetual. We see that Saul was vexed by demons, but we do not have a biblical account that David was vexed by demons. They were both sinners, so what’s the difference between them? Saul opened a door and left it open. David opened a door and immediately slammed it closed through repentance.
Imagine your home. If you left the doorway to your house open all the time, something is going to come in, whether it’s a raccoon, a rat, or a mouse. It’s just a matter of time. When somebody tells me, “I think it’s just a problem with the flesh,” I would ask them, “Well, how long has that door been open? Because you’ve dramatically increased the likelihood that it’s demonic.”
What Do I Say During Deliverance?
You’re praying for someone. What should you say in this deliverance situation? When you go back to the biblical account of Jesus Himself doing deliverance, casting demons out of people, it’s not that formulaic. He has a dialogue with demons. They ask him questions, like, “Why are you here to torment me?” and He cast them out into pigs. He cast out the spirit of infirmity. So we see that there’s sickness connected to the demonic. But we don’t have any biblical account of Jesus teaching a formula for deliverance. Why? Because you do not get better at deliverance, you become more surrendered to the Holy Spirit. That’s it.
The Bible says the Holy Spirit will teach you all things. When you are religious, you’re always trying to learn rituals, formulas, and the right words to say. Witches and warlocks say the right words. They have incantations and spells that they cast that require the right words. But that doesn’t happen in deliverance. That’s not what happens in deliverance. There’s no certain prescription or repetition of words.
In fact, you must be reliant on your relationship with the Holy Spirit. And that’s why it’s important, like John the Baptist, to say, “I decrease so that God can increase in me and through me.” It’s not about getting better, it’s about becoming more surrendered. As you’re doing deliverance, the Holy Spirit will show you what demon you’re dealing with. Sometimes it is necessary to call them out by name.
Will Someone Who Has a Demon Always Manifest?
Will someone who has a demon always manifest? A manifestation is a demonstration of the personality connected to the demon. Oftentimes, demons of lust and perversion will cause people to contort and manifest lustful behaviors. I placed my hand on a young woman once who began to act sexually and physically grab my hand and it was an extremely bizarre situation.
Demons are disembodied personalities. So if it’s a demon of rage, that demon will manifest rage while you’re trying to cast it out. If it’s lust, you may see lust. Whatever the personality is will be a part of the manifestation, and that will help give you discernment to see, okay, I can visibly and spiritually see that behavior and it points to the name of that demon. Then you can begin to cast the demon out.
What Prevents You From Being Effective In Deliverance?
One of the things that will stop you from being effective is pride, unconfessed sin, or lack of knowledge, which just means, in a certain situation you didn’t know what to do. You haven’t built your reliance on the Holy Spirit and you’re doing ministry out of your head, or even out of your heart, which is the soulish realm, but not the spirit realm.
You Go First
the first person that you should get good at doing deliverance on is yourself. That’s how it started with me. The scriptures teach us that there is a necessity to unlock the shackles and chains and loose thyself. The very first deliverance I ever did was my own. I was vomiting uncontrollably in my shower as a teenager as I went through the process of breaking curses off of my life and then casting demons out of myself. It was so crazy and bizarre, but so liberating, and such a confirmation of how real this all really is.
There are three telltale signs that you do need deliverance.
1. Intrusive Thoughts
If you’re having thoughts that contradict who you are and you can’t stop imagining doing things that really you would never actually do in your right mind, that can be a sign that you were demonized. If you’re having perverted evil thoughts on repeat that you’d be even mortified if anyone ever found out, it can often be because demons are planting those thoughts in your mind and trying to conceive them into actions that become sin. Do you have random thoughts of enacting violence, even on loved ones or yourself? Do you have perverted sexual thoughts and fantasies on repeat? Or another one that’s very common is even thoughts of blaspheming God and blaspheming the Holy Spirit. If you can’t stop having thoughts that you don’t want to have, you may need deliverance.
2. Paranormal things happening through you or around you.
Mark 5:1-4 says,
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 And when Jesus[b] had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
Many times when people are demonized, they receive supernatural abilities as are described in this passage. The demonized man was given supernatural strength to break chains that would be impossible for a mere human to break. Now maybe you haven’t been running around breaking metal chains, but for you, the supernatural ability may look different. For you, it might be that you’re able to stay awake all through the night, looking at pornography, or seeking out sexual partners when you would’ve normally fallen asleep, exhausted, doing any other activity. Demons will many times give you a supernatural ability to carry out sin. People can go in comments sections and debate and tear people to pieces for hours and hours. People can gossip for hours upon hours. People can go and satisfy the desires of their flesh, but really behind that is a demon. Think about this. If you would fall asleep instantly trying to read your Bible but can stay up all night satisfying the desires of the flesh, behind that may be a demon.
3. You’ve tried everything else
Maybe you’ve tried doing more devotionals. Maybe you’ve tried praying more. Maybe you’ve tried fasting. Maybe you have gone to Christian therapy. Maybe you’ve got an accountability partner. Maybe you’ve written the scriptures on your mirror in your bathroom and you read them to yourself, but you still aren’t free. If you’ve tried everything else and you’re still in bondage, you need deliverance.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve encountered people who tell me, “Pastor Mike, I don’t need deliverance. I don’t have a demon.” And you know what I always tell ’em? Well, let’s go ahead and check. And then right there, as soon as I start praying a prayer of deliverance, they dramatically start manifesting. The demons expose themselves as they’re being revealed. And so if you truly wanna be free, it may not be a demon, but if it is, you need to be delivered.
I encourage you to start with my video on self-deliverance and go through the process I take you through, with repentance, renouncing, breaking curses, and casting demons out. Pursue your freedom and then go forward and help other people find theirs!
Further Resources
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When The Issues Is Simply Physical
I’m not referring to what you rub your turkey with at Thanksgiving or what you use to season your chicken soup. I’m referring to the ritualistic burning of sage. Some people claim that burning sage has medicinal purposes, that it is antimicrobial, and that when you burn it in your house it helps destroy bacteria. Truthfully, though, there are many other products that you can use to destroy bacteria. 
Some people say, Pastor Mike, we don’t have an ouija board. But I want to increase your awareness because there are digital forms of Ouija boards. Or it’s possible that your child has one hidden in their room and you may not know. There have been times when I’ve gone into my teenager’s room and played video games with her, and together we have found that the internet browsers within her gaming system will involuntarily bring up horoscopes and things of the occult. So don’t assume that because you don’t see it, it’s not there. 
The New Age gets packaged with everyday things. Candles, linens, and home decor are packaged right along with crystals. You won’t see many Bibles or crosses in home stores, but the New Age is becoming a commonplace piece of decor in people’s homes. The reason crystals are so popular is that they’re aesthetically beautiful. You can collect stones and enjoy nature; God created crystals, gems, and stones. But you need to discern the spirit behind these items. Deuteronomy 7:26 says “Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing.” When you purchase these crystals, often they’ll come with packaging that has statements or phrases that have ungodly intentions. These are cursed items because of the system behind them. 
Years ago, I visited the home of a woman who was experiencing strange phenomena in her home. There were strange noises and things were falling off the walls. I set up my GoPro cameras to try to capture demonic activity. Now I knew that the woman needed deliverance, but at the same time, I do believe that there are cursed objects and things that demons draw strength from and create a value system around objects so that they can get access to your life. (In fact, demons don’t even want you to read this right now because after you hear the truth, you’re going to get rid of these items and they’re going to lose a source of power in your life!)
I used to document a lot of experiences. This guy called me and said, “You’ve got to get to my house now. Something is physically turning off the light switch.” He said, “I turned the light on, took a shower, and I heard it click in the other direction. I came out, and sure enough, it was off.” He lives alone. He said, “I turned it on again and then I was walking around the living room and I heard the click and it turned off. I’m hearing all kinds of noises and I’m having these Poltergeist supernatural experiences.” I told him I would come over and pray for him. He was a tough guy, a bodybuilder, but he was completely powerless because this thing was spiritual and he didn’t have any resources to fight this spiritual battle. 
If you grew up in a Pentecostal family where your mom made you throw away your Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and GI Joes, you’re thinking, “I get it, Pastor Mike! You want me to throw away all my toys!” But there 
These are items like the all-seeing eye, and Masonic rings that are sometimes handed down from generation to generation. “But Pastor Mike, it’s supposed to help me, it’s supposed to ward off evil!” No, it’s not, it’s attracting evil! It’s bringing evil into your life! How do I know that? Because I have helped thousands upon thousands of people be delivered from demons and many times I’ve had to make them take off the jewelry. 
3. Inheritance/generational 
7. Ungodly soul ties
10. Fears and phobias
Acts 1:8 says, “After the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power.” I’ll never forget because I had basically poltergeist-like experiences in my home. But if you knew the trauma, if you knew the witchcraft and things that came through family members, it wouldn’t be any surprise to you what I experienced. I stood up, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and I’ll never forget, I confronted. Why? Because now I had the boldness of the Holy Spirit.
Discipline vs. Deliverance
Psychics, mediums, witches, and warlocks are seeking knowledge. The devil will give people knowledge and reveal things they could not possibly know. Some will say, “I have had premonitions my entire life. I felt like I’ve known things.” Just like in the Old Testament, young Samuel was brought into the temple to be trained under Eli so that he could develop the prophetic gifting; I also believe that Satan grooms people. Demons groom people under a counterfeit spirit of prophecy. 
This is not an exhaustive list, and the presence of any one of these things can’t tell you if you have a demon. Ultimately you must rely on the Holy Spirit, coupled with experience to discern.
I’ve seen this evidenced by cabinets slamming, doors slamming, boxes being thrown, foul smells, and strange shadows. Some may say their homes have ghosts. There is no such thing as a ghost. What we refer to as ghosts are demons masquerading as deceased people. Maybe in a moment of grief, you started talking to dead loved ones, and the devil used it as an open door. 
Lust and perversion make you repeat shame, guilt, and condemnation. When you go to worship God, lust says, “What are you doing? Don’t you remember what you did?” And lust repeats your failures. So you must learn how to take those thoughts captive and worship continuously. 
In cleaning house, you may have to delete some apps off your phone. You may have to block numbers of friends with benefits. You may have to remove the things that are a part of your identity. But that is the key to freedom – it’s removing a part of you that is cancerous so that you can save the rest. 