Casting Out Devils: The First Promise

by Dr. Aaron Powers

Mark 16:17-19: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Introduction: BE PREPARED.

The Apostles and first disciples dealt with this.

Luke 9:1 recorded, “Then he (Jesus) called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.”

After a time of preparation, Jesus called them together and gave them power to do what He did Himself.

Later, Luke 10:17 said, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”

John dealt with it.

John said, in 1 John 4:2-4, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: ³And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. ⁴Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

John has given us the knowledge to understand there is a process of discernment that works through the Spirit to expose the devil.

Discernment of spirits is one of the gifts of the Spirit of God listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11.

Do you want a practical application? OK…

Something we think could be demonic could simply be determined as or diagnosed as someone’s sinful attitude through the process of discernment!
Something that we misconstrue as condemnation may actually be the conviction of God at work!
When a person gets up and said, “God told me this” we must make sure that He really did or we may be speaking from the human heart and LYING on God in the process!

Discernment of spirits does encompass the need to determine the kind of demonic activity that is manifesting, but it also includes discerning what is the HUMAN spirit and what is not and what is from God and what is not!

Discernment of spirits helps us to determine if the problem that we are facing is due to the fall or nefarious spirits!

Discernment of spirits helps us to determine if the problem is with others or with US!

AND…It does not always happen QUICKLY…but sometimes it does!

Yet, when discernment does its work, and it will sift out the question as to whether or not demonic activity is at the root of the problem…so we must be prepared to act and we cannot be prepared without the proper time in the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines!

We must spend time with God to do the things that JESUS did; especially, casting out devils wherever they may be.

Even Jesus said in Matthew 17:21 and Mark 9:29, “…this kind goeth not out (or can come forth by nothing) but by prayer and fasting.”

BUT…one thing is certain, in my humble opinion, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is essential in this hour to both have and utilize the power of God to cast out devils…so…here we go…

Point 1: Preparing for the Unknown

How do you prepare for something that you do not know when it is going to happen?

Umph…Anyone ever have a teacher who liked to give pop quizzes?

I have had teachers like that…I have been a teacher like that…

You don’t know when they are coming so you must stay prepared for anything.

I am glad that EMT’s and nurses and physicians and firefighters have pop quizzes because they never know what the next call will bring or what the next ambulance will bring in the ER or what will stumble into the hospital.

This is what the church should be…preparing and prepared to handle any situation that pops up.

Why?

Because many churches and preachers, teachers, pastors, and ministers are far too accustomed to negotiating and debating with devils to actually cast them out.

And preparation for dealing with demonic activity begins with prayer and fasting!

No prayer, no power…little prayer, little power…some prayer, some power…more prayer, more power…much prayer, MUCH POWER!

And fasting should ALWAYS be coupled with PRAYER by replacing the MEAL time with PRAYER time!

Shut out the world and allow CHRIST to draw close to you and you will experience the transformative power of Christ in your life and be able to better help others in theirs!

Transformative power comes with submission to God!

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The spiritual bookends of HOLINESS must be met in order to be able to resist the devil and draw close to God!

Without the holiness bookends, without repentance and grief over sin, not just sorry we got caught but truly mourning, we cannot experience the grace of humility which grants access to the greater promises of God to become active in our lives.

So…discernment begins from a humble, repentant heart.

Anything other than a repentant, humble heart will allow our thoughts and attitudes to bleed through, especially when we are hurting and we must SUBMIT unto God in every capacity.

This hurts, and people DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT, but I declare to you, you and I cannot discern spirits or fight them, even our own HUMAN spirits, at all if we are not submitted unto God!

Point 2: Expect the Unexpected

Once demonic activity has been identified, and Biblical discernment has had its full work, confirmed the activity as malevolent and we are sure that the activity is demonic, then we must be willing to engage in the work of understanding if something is demonic infestation (or suggestion), oppression, obsession, or possession.

Knowing your enemy and his tactics are VITAL to understanding how to be rid of him!

So…what are they?

First is usually fear.

Every demon comes with fear.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 says, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. ⁷ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Paul tells Timothy to stir up the gift because Timothy was given an imparted anointing, not fear!

This is the reason that the angel of God always comes renouncing fear!

Luke 1:30 says, “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.”

Next is guilt.

In the Bible, unnecessary guilt is often associated with condemnation!

For the redeemed of the Lord, there is freedom from condemnation!

Jude, the brother of our Lord, warned us of this condemnation!

People will try and condemn you…Jude 1:4 says, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then Paul warned Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:6 that we should not “… fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

Why?

Because Romans 8:1 still says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

The lowest level of demonic activity is demonic infestation or suggestion.

Demonic infestation is what most people deal with on the regular day.

This is also the “haunted house” type stuff.

When you hear footsteps or whispers…you may see a shadow or even an apparition.
If it is a particularly bad demonic infestation or even a very bold devil, furniture or other objects may move without human intervention.
Doors may slam…and not just because the HVAC came on and caused the pressure in the room to change.
You may experience odors with no recognizable source…such as smells of sulfur, urine, feces, or even funeral flowers.
Rather than directly affecting or touching people, infestations affect only property, objects, or even animals and they are there to scare you away from what God has given you.

The next tactic of the devil involves demonic activity at the next level.

This level is called demonic oppression.

The activity steps up with physical attacks from unseen forces, sleep disturbances which can include reoccurring or regular nightmares, and frequent and severe unexplainable illnesses with medical professionals unable to diagnose or even see.

It touches you with feelings of dread or extreme anxiety or a habitual melancholy attitude that you have to shake off.
It exists to shake your faith in the Word of God!

This is why God said in Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

This level of demonic intrusion can cause major depression or anxiety.

These demons get involved in your finances and cause severe financial or employment problems.
I am not talking about “the devil made me spend too much this week” kinds of excuses.
I am talking about money that disappears and is untraceable or someone attacking your character for no reason on your job which could lead to your employment being severely threatened or even termination.
This level of activity can lead to relationship troubles which seem strange and unusual…as if people you have known forever are not acting like themselves or severe relational problems are a constant and reoccurring issue like being attracted to the wrong or dangerous crowd, having unusual or perverted sexual desires, or seeking relationships with people who are already taken.

While I am willing to admit that these things can happen in the normal course of life, all of them happening at once or in rapid succession could be a real sign of a working demonic presence.

This spirit, in the Biblical understanding, is called the “spirit of affliction”.

Acts 5:16 says, “There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.”

This spirit is often called an unclean spirit and can become a possessing spirit and this is why discernment is CRITICAL to this process because before possession, there can be HEALING!

The next level is known as demonic obsession.

The demonically afflicted person has a hard time functioning.

They are constantly preoccupied with thoughts of the demonic activity commandeering his or her life.
They frequently deal with thoughts of suicide as well and sleep becomes nearly impossible.
These are spirits of affliction AND spirits of infirmity, in many cases.

When these kinds of spiritual militias are healed by the power of Christ, they are often called miracles, or even special miracles, such as in Acts 19:11.

One of the greatest outright examples of these kinds of spirits are found in Luke 13:11-13, “And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. ¹² And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. ¹³ And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”

AND THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THESE KINDS OF HEALINGS…That the Lord may be GLORIFIED!

All three of these stages can be addressed by a competent minister who believes in the power of healing and deliverance because these people are considered HEALED from the vexation of the devil!

But there is another, harder, deeper level of demonic activity that is of the worst kind.

This is dealing with something that you have better put in the prayer and fasting before God in order to deal with!

This level is full on demonic possession.

While anyone who is truly saved can cast out a demon, not everyone should.

Why not…Because it is WAR.

You are warring for the soul of a man or a woman with an entity that has been around for ions and if you do not have the power of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Ghost, you can get HURT!

In Acts 19:11-16, we find a curious story that says, “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: ¹² So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. ¹³ Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. ¹⁴ And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. ¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? ¹⁶ And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”

We read that story for two reasons…

It shows the battle when we are unprepared that can be very dangerous.
There are only a couple of things worse than a demonic possession, as bad as that sounds.

One is a failed attempt to cast them out because it leaves the victim in a worse state than before and…
Two is when someone is, for lack of a better term, re-possessed after deliverance because of the same reason and there are more demons the second round than the first.

LISTEN…Demonic possession is a horrific state in which many people find themselves.

Possessing spirits enter the body and take control of the body but the person’s free will is never fully removed unless they have been turned over by God to a reprobate mind and has sinned away his or her day of grace.
Usually, those who are guilty of the sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and are reprobate are some of the ones who get into this living state of walking damnation…as being reprobate literally means to be rejected by God.
In regular possessions, if one can rightly be called regular, the free will is nearly completely compromised because the victim of possession, and that is exactly what they are, has given themselves either wittingly or not, over to the possessing spirit and YEILDED themselves to it for so long, they may not know how to take back control or that they even believe they have the ability to do so.

The word yield means to GIVE something.

Just as we can yield ourselves to the Lord, Romans 6:13 warns us, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

Demonic possession occurs when people are willing to give up fighting against the devil and give in to it!

The person is so victimized that they cannot see any means of deliverance from the life in which they find themselves, so they give up.
Possession is a result of the giving up of HOPE.
In possession, a person is so physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually broken down by going through the other three stages that demonic spirits are able to seize occasional control over that person’s actions.

In discerning of possession, there are telltale signs which may or may not include:

Superhuman strength like my friend who is a small guy and picked up three or four large men and tossed them like twigs.
A person possessed may begin speaking in a language the victim doesn’t know which is a mocking of speaking with other tongues or the voice changes altogether into that of the opposite gender or becomes animalistic and I have personally seen this many times.
The person may exhibit an inordinate aversion to holy objects such as anointing oil, the Bible, or a cross, and may try and scream over the sound of sacred music playing and try and hurt themselves like my friend who was delivered from witchcraft tried his best to rip a Bible to pieces, but for some reason simply couldn’t get the job done!
The person possessed may even gain knowledge of events or facts the victim could not possibly know…like if the minister is hiding sins…and they will tell that business outright!
They may experience changes in facial features and even physical changes like the woman who claimed to be pregnant with Satan’s baby and grew a 9-month pregnant belly in front of our eyes.

Mark 9:21-22 records the story of a possessed child, and Jesus had the following conversation, “And he (Jesus) asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. ²² And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Matthew 15:22 speaks of this, “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”

In these Biblical examples, the afflicting spirit became the possessing spirit!

Once full-blown possession takes place, there must be both healing AND cleansing along with confession and redemption.

In Closing: Cast them Out.

Mark 9: 17-29 records the story of a possessed child, and clearly illustrates that when casting out devils, you are dealing with at least four, possibly five kinds of spirits.

One, the spirit of the possessed, victimized person.
Two, the spirit of the person ministering to the possessed victim.
Three, the spirit possessing the victim.
Four, the Holy Spirit.
Five, the spirits of those watching…some of which may bring doubt and slow the deliverance.

Regardless, if the spirit of the victim, the minister, and the Holy Ghost come in line for deliverance, the demonic spirit MUST leave…It has no choice!

IF THE PERSON CHOOSES JESUS, AND JESUS MOVES INTO THE HEART OF MEN AND WOMEN, THE DEMON CANNOT STAY.

Why?

Because the Spirit of God moves out the demon and He cleanses the house and moves in!

2 Corinthians 3:17 states clearly, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

SO… how do we cast out devils?

Through total submission to God,
knowledge of demonic devices,
and resistance through faith and the Word of God!

2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Who are we fighting and what are our weapons?

Ephesians 6:11-18, tells us…Put on your belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, take these three: The shield of faith, so you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, The helmet of salvation, And the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

THEN GO TO WAR…Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints with BOLDNESS!

NOW is the time…

THIS is the hour…

Souls are lost without hope and we have the cure…

ARE YOU READY?

I AM!