One of the most rewarding, and frustrating, parts of my ministry is meeting with people who have already seen one or more deliverance ministers. In far too many cases these outside evangelists were not trained by our organization or any credible ministry. They’ve never been taught serious deliverance and exorcism protocols based on logic and methodical strategy. As a result, the people who come to me are often damaged by such impromptu, provisional deliverances. Their emotional instabilities are even more chaotic after what they’ve been through. Their suffering is often worse. Their fear of what they have been through is a serious barrier to further ministry.
For years I’ve overlooked such incompetencies with the attitude that any deliverance is better than no deliverance. Credit must be given to sincerity and the desire to alleviate people’s suffering. But consider this analogy. What if you had not been trained in thoracic surgery and someone handed you a scalpel and told you to cut open a patient’s chest. Would you do it? I hope not. Then why would anyone dissect the soul of an individual who has mental health issues, multiple personalities, and acute anxiety without proper training. Here are five mistakes that inexperienced deliverance ministers make:
1) They take a noisy, bombastic, aggressive approach with emotionally fragile people. There is a danger that the anxieties and stress disorders of that person may get worse because of spiritual maltreatment.
2) They immediately rely on “prophetic” words to diagnose what’s going on. They say things like, “The Lord has shown me that you have such-and-such demon.” That self-proclaimed prophecy may be right, but if it is wrong, great harm can be done by an unwise, subjective spiritual determination.
3) They fail to ask pertinent questions about the individual’s personal and family history to know what kinds of demons they might be facing. For example, is there a history of sexual abuse? That might suggest a Jezebel demon. Is Freemasonry in the family? That may mean there has been a ritual dedication that needs renounced.
4) They don’t ask about the individual’s ancestry. As the ADVANCED ACADEMY OF DELIVERANCE in Bob Larson University teaches, knowing the family bloodline can be clues to determining types of demonic bondage. Irish? There could be witchcraft curses to break. German? Nordic gods may have been worshipped by ancestors.
5) They rush the process. They think that every deliverance is a power encounter with evil. But sometimes it’s the subtle nuances of a prayer process that brings out an unlikely stronghold of demons.
Let me put it simply. If you’re going to do deliverance, if you are going to exorcise evil spirits, get some good training. Make certain your biblical foundation is solid. Don’t rush to judgment about the supplicant’s spiritual condition. The more questions you ask the deeper you’ll probe into the real source of demonic bondage. Be forensic. Be systematic. Wait patiently on the Holy Spirit for authentic revelation. Discover as much as you can about the person seeking ministry and be led by the Lord, not your own self-styled, irregular approach to doing deliverance. Avoiding these five pitfalls will help you be more effective in setting people free from Satan.
