Can Christians Need Deliverance? A Short Theology and Practice of Deliverance

Other Typical Deliverance Questions Answered

What are the different types and times of deliverance?

• Brute-force deliverance – on the streets. Shouting competitions.
• In-meeting or online mass deliverance – commanding general commands.
• One-on-one in-meeting prayers – during a meeting’s ministry time.
• One-on-one repentance, inner healing, and deliverance sessions – including deep repentance and ownership of all sin, deep forgiveness, rejecting deep rejection, deep inner healing, generational curse breaking, and interrogation-style deliverance of demons revealing their names and legal rights.

Is doing deliverance sessions biblical?

Why do a lot of people set up deliverance sessions, often going through a written form and then hours of prayers, confessions, etc.? It doesn’t seem they did that in the Gospels and Acts.

• If people have not forgiven everyone, they need to be led through that. If they do not, demons clearly have a legal ground of access to them (Matthew 18:34-35).
• Deliverance can take time. Jesus first commanded the demons in the man influenced by Legion to go. They didn’t just go! Then He asked for the name. Then there were the pigs… then they were cast out. The disciples couldn’t cast a particular demon out, and Jesus said they needed more faith, prayer, and fasting – to be more effective.
• As you do deliverance, you find that people have opened themselves to demons through sin they have to repent from. You also find that demons have come in through curses and the sins of ancestors, where spirits are inherited through generations.

Should I be afraid of the demonic and of deliverance?

No. Drop the Hollywood scare movies. We should have respect, yes. We should have understanding, yes. We should teach those getting deliverance to fill their house with Jesus, truth, the Holy Spirit – and with fierce resistance. We should know our authority in Christ, 100%. We should know that “greater is He, the Holy Spirit, who is in us, than he, Satan, who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). We should understand what deliverance is and what it is not, and how to do it effectively – because Jesus did deliverance, and He has commanded us to do deliverance.

“I will do deliverance when a demon pops up”

I have heard that said, but I say: That sounds macho and balanced, but it is not 100% balanced and biblical. I understand the balance of not calling a broken leg from a football injury a demon. But Jesus commanded His disciples to GO and drive out demons – proactively. In the Gospel of Mark, on several occasions it was even the only thing Jesus is described as doing, and the only thing He sent them out to do (Mark 1:39, Mark 3:15). And to Jesus Himself, it was normal practice at public healing meetings to also drive out demons as part of healing the sick, prophesying, etc.

“Christians can be influenced by demons – but not possessed like the demoniac”

I have heard it said: “Christians can be influenced by demons – but not possessed in such a way that they are like the demoniac, completely taken over.” But I say: This is, first of all, based on the wrong word – possession – which is a false base for demonology and deliverance. This is addressed above.

Secondly, this theology then messes people up, because during normal deliverance of normal, born-again, tongue-talking, radically serving Christians, the demons sometimes come up, reveal and expose themselves – and “take over” completely during a deliverance!! So now they are not saved according to this false deliverance theology!?! EEEEE – WRONG!! They are born-again Christians – they just need deliverance. That’s it.

Is it only for non-Christians, only for Christians – or not at all?

Some Christians say it is not even for today. Others say it is only for Christians. Others, that it is for today but not for Christians – for how can a demon possess a person in whom the Holy Spirit lives? See how messed up “possession” is for healthy theology? The Bible and I say deliverance is for both. Jesus never said not to do it on non-Christians. Jesus and the disciples did it to people who were NOT born again by the Spirit of God – before Pentecost, before people could be born again by the Holy Spirit. He did say that people should “clean house” so nothing worse happens to them (Matthew 12:43-45) – and “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you” (John 5:14). People need to repent from sin and go for complete holiness – always.

Do people need to be born again? Yes – but not before they get deliverance. But to stay delivered, it is the best choice – as well as, of course, for the sake of eternity and Heaven.

Who can do deliverance?

Anyone who wants to! You prove you want to by studying it, by learning from those who do it, and by actually stepping out and doing it. This is for any disciple – not for special, holy, called ministers. Submit yourself to be trained and discipled by a “master deliverer” – someone who, hands-on, will teach you and train you how to do it.

Jesus was a Master Deliverer – as well as a Master of all things – and when the disciples had seen enough, learned enough, and done enough under His supervision, He sent them out to do it themselves. In Luke 10:1, Jesus sends out 72 “others” – no titles, no names; they had just hung out long enough with Jesus and learned how He did it… and then He pushed them out of the nest. Come with me as I do it.

When can deliverance be done?

At all times. Publicly. Privately. At work. In school. At parties. Everywhere. Do not limit Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Father. Jesus and the disciples did it literally everywhere.

Who can benefit from deliverance? How do you know if you need it?

Demons love to hide – and might have nothing to do with you personally having sinned. Demons might be generational, they might come from curses, they might have come in through trauma or surgery, or they might have gained access through a sin you committed and need to truly repent from.

How to do deliverance

First, read all the stories in the four Gospels and Acts about deliverance, and do Bible studies on the demonic. Then watch modern-day deliverances on YouTube – for instance by Vlad Savchuk, Isaiah Saldivar, Mike Signorelli, Todd White, and Daniel Adams. Also read good books about deliverance by Derek Prince, Don Basham, Don Dickerman, etc. Then sign up to help via Daniel Adams’ Forerunners and Isaiah Saldivar on Discord, where you can be trained to take part in deliverance sessions – and end up leading your own.

Binge-watch this so that it becomes normal to you – as it was to Jesus and His disciples. What you eat, you become. What you focus on, you learn. What you practice, you grow in.

Other great resources on deliverance

• Liberated – a book by Rodney Hogue (pastor and deliverance minister used at Bethel Church in their Bible school): read it here.
• The ministries and books of the following – and here are some of their personal stories:
• Alexander Pagani – a big part of his personal story of getting deliverance and freedom as a pastor: watch here.
• Daniel Adams – a big part of his story: watch here.
• Isaiah Saldivar – his story of becoming a Christian and getting deliverance: watch here.
• Vlad Savchuk, Mike Signorelli, etc.