Battling demons is not only for deliverance ministers, but for us all. We may not be called to do deliverance for others as our primary ministry, but spiritual warfare is the responsibility for each one of us. Spiritual warfare begins in the home.
Jesus never asks us to do something we could never do. Jesus commanded, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
I served in a deliverance ministry under a mighty minister for many years in one of the prisons I ministered in. The casting of demons is an area of ministry much needed in our world today. We have such a massive need for people to be set free from the demons that hold them in bondage and torment them along the way.
If you don’t cast the demons then you keep the demons. Jesus taught, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons…” (Mark 16:17).
I have found that the more I served in ministry, the more the attacks would follow. Nobody tackles a football player sitting on the bench, but when they are running towards the goal. Don’t think demonic attacks are because you’re on the wrong track, when often they come when you’re on the right track.
Enemy attacks are proof you are in the battle. “Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you.” (James 4:7 TPT).
In ministry, I have had many battles with demons. Sometimes I won, sometimes I did not. In my personal life I have had many demonic attacks. Many times, I have had demons come into my bedroom at night, and I can feel them walking on the mattress around me. I have had them do this both at my house and when I am staying in hotels.
If you want to call yourself His disciple, then act like one. “Then He appointed twelve…to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons” (Mark 3:14-15).
I have seen demons in the open but more often in the eyes of people who have demons inside them. But when the demons are walking on the mattress around me, I do not see them. I only feel their evil presence. But I can physically feel them walking on the mattress. I can feel their footsteps as if they weighed fifty pounds or more.
The Devil uses trials to be the end of you, but God uses them to create a new beginning in you. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3 NASB).
It can be a terrifying feeling when a demon is near me in the night. Sometimes I will be afraid and wonder what they might do to me. But it is then where I plead the Blood of Christ over me. I speak this aloud for them to hear. Demons cannot read our thoughts, but they can hear our declarations.
If you don’t evict the Devil, then don’t be surprised when he stays. “And they cast out many demons…” (Mark 6:13).
Sometimes I will get so angry with the demons, and I will cast them to the feet of Jesus and declare that they have no right over me. I will tell them that I have been bought by the Blood of Christ and demand that they leave the room in the name of Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, my Savior.
Jesus intends for us to have a faith that takes hold of His power. “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons…” (Luke 9:1).
There are times when I declare they must leave, but they do not. I am not sure if it is a lack of faith or a test of faith that this is so. I will have to lay there with my eyes closed as I feel the demon walking up and down on the mattress behind me. I can sense their longing to attack me, but they cannot. It is only by faith that I can fall asleep in the midst of this.
It is not enough to know about the armor, but you must wear it. “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan.” (Ephesians 6:11 TLB).
Demons can manifest in a thousand ways. Perhaps you have experienced something different from me. Many people are afraid or unsure to tell others of what they experience. I want you to know that we can tell the truth and shame the Devil for what he does. We have a mighty Lord Jesus and we do not have to fear the Devil and his demons, nor the mocking of those who may not believe us.
If a saint refuses to fight, by their forfeit the Devil wins. The Apostle Paul said, “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy…wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18).
In however demons may be harassing you, directly or through others, I pray that you will tell someone that you trust so they can pray for you. Anoint yourself with oil and read the Word aloud in your home. Declare the truth of your Lord Jesus and your position as a child of God. Speak your mind knowing demons cannot read your mind. And know that He has you.
The more you realize His greatness in you, the less you will worry about the things around you. “…He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
I am most blessed to be in a season where no demons have come near me for many months. But I know if they do, I can say with all assurance, “greater is He in me.”
Blessings to you,
Paul
Unless otherwise denoted, all Bible translations are NKJV.
If you’re interested in studying more on spiritual warfare and battling demonic activity in your life or in the people around you, I would suggest reading a book called “I Give You Authority” by Charles Kraft. I have read many books on spiritual warfare and found this one to be very well written with a strong foundation on the Word of God.
Paul you say you could tell he wanted to harm you but could not. I get very confused, I hear people say the devil can put thoughts in your head, cause your body to be ill with diseases.
It seems like each time I go into a study especially Revelations my body is attacked. Last time I went into a very deep clinical depression, this time I am having heart trouble and crazy pain in my leg . I just thought it was all in my mind…
Hi Rita, I know that there are ways that I can be hurt by the demonic, either by sickness or circumstance, but I can pray against those things and I can be sure that God has a greater power than the Devil. When I say the demon cannot hurt me, it was in faith that I believed that and have by experience seen it to be true, for that circumstance. But we must be prayed up against all that can come against us every day. Perhaps you might read the one book I referenced at the end of the article, I found it had a wealth of practical information on this topic.
I believed if the Holy Spirit is in me, how can the devil get to me?????
If the Devil went after Jesus in the wilderness, then I am most sure the Devil will come after us. We must remember the Holy Spirit can protect us, but if we don’t walk in the Spirit we risk tripping into the schemes of the Devil. It does not mean we lose our salvation when we are attacked, and often it proves we are. It is the saved that are the enemy of Satan.
I too have been under attack by the enemy and at times if I’m honest I freeze and don’t know what to do. But this time around he messed with the wrong one! I have learned that we have to remember who we are and Whose we are, and speak the Word of God over or lives. God’s Word is our sword. We have been given authority! Luke 10:19
It is a wonderful moment in the life of a believer when they realize Whose they are! Oh, how much we need to learn like you, that we have a mighty God who goes before us! This verse reference you had, the Words from Christ, this is the power we were meant to walk in!!!
Luke 10:19 New King James Version
Jesus taught, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Yes Paul, wonderful indeed! I’m learning to fight the enemy with the Word, and not my feelings (flesh). It is a daily battle. That punk devil has already experienced Heaven and he knows what great Glory awaits us who persevere. May we all continue to fight the good fight of faith!
Many blessings to you Paul.
I have a neighbor who shares my kitchen wall with me. Every weekend he spends one night playing music on a guitar and singing in growls. EVERY time I pray against it– it stops immediately even if he just began. If I pray that it be driven out of the whole building my neighbor actually goes out and leaves in his car.
The thing is…when the evil music is going on I think about it. But whatever is behind it is still in the house all the time I am sure…yet I forget to pray up when it is quiet. I will say though, (never before) since I moved into this apartment in this house — and specifically when I have been sleeping in the room near his wall– I sleep 12-18 hours a day. I have depression but I have NEVER slept like this where I cannot put out effort to read anything nor even watch tv. Everything is too much effort and all I want to do is lay down. When I was sleeping in the living room I slept 8 hours all together in shifts. 4 hours sleep 8 hours up repeat. Never a desire to just keep sleeping for 5-8 hours and then another 5 hour nap in the afternoon.
I am going to get the book you recommend. There are so many out there and it is helpful to know you recommend this and you yourself have had experience with this– not just a curiosity.
There is so much power in prayer, because prayer reaches into the resources of heaven. That is a wonderful testimony of battling evil and seeing the results right away.
I have experienced the great weight of the demonic and how it can drain us of energy and make us sleep in excess. One time I walked for hours in a prison by myself going cell to cell and praying for those who would let me. It was a dark yard, high security with lifers, and many with sex crimes. As I would pray at one cell, there were demon-filled men speaking out against me words of hate and evil. I could feel the demonic presence so thick with attacks coming at me from all around. After that event, I went home and I slept for three days.
Jump ahead three years later, the same prison, but I did not stop with one unit of 200 men, I spent eight hours and prayed where I could to all 800 men at that prison. The same demonic attacks, for a much longer time period, and yet I walked away refreshed and full of energy. I don’t say this to promote me, but the Holy Spirit who had grown more filled in me. As we get filled with more of the Holy Spirit in us, His strength will go through us.
For sure get the book to learn how to cleanse and keep cleansed your home and your self. Pray too for the Lord to fill you with the anointing of the Holy Spirit who can carry you through the valley of darkness, shining His light all along the way. Praying for you sister. And praying that it just might be through you that this neighbor would gain deliverance.
Thank you. Your words give me hope and encouragement
Thank you for your article.
You are most welcome!