I will tell you up-front, there are three main ways to get rid of demons. You can (1) fast them out; you can (2) starve them out, or (3) you can cast them out. Most churches don’t address the issue of Christians having demons. I was recently watching the sermon of a pastor I respect. He’s an excellent Bible teacher with a passion for souls. He was talking about seeking ungodly wisdom and quoted from James 3:15 in the ESV: This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. This pastor emphasized the danger of operating from ungodly logic that comes from demonic forces. I knew what was coming next in his sermon. Because of his theological persuasion, he felt the need to emphasize that demons can tempt, oppress, and influence Christians, but they cannot live INSIDE a believer. I looked at my wife and grinned knowingly. Ironically, just a few minutes earlier he had bravely admitted he was physically and sexually abused as a child. I was heartbroken that this good man of God might be unknowingly harboring an evil spirit. It may not affect him now, but life is long, and Satan is patient to hide and look for opportunities. Even if this pastor were to accept the concept of having some internalized demonic presence, I doubt he’d go straight to an exorcist. He’d more likely try one of the other two ways to get rid of demons. Let me share from five decades of deliverance experience why the first two options to rid demons are seldom effective.
The pastor I’m referring to might try to fast it out. Jesus said in Matthew 17:21, “This kind does not go out except by fasting and prayer”(NKJV). Many preachers miss the point of this scripture. Jesus isn’t suggesting that fasting be a substitute for verbally commanding demons to leave. Christ is pointing out that fasting is spiritual preparation for both the deliverance minister and the one receiving deliverance. Fasting is a way to get ready to cast out demons. Yet some believe that the discipline of going without food actually makes demons go. If that were true, Christ would have said so explicitly and there would be ample evidence of this in church history. Fasting strengthens the host who has the demons and weakens the demons. Fasting facilitates the deliverance process, but it doesn’t replace it.
As another option, this pastor might try starving out demons by living holy enough. The idea is that one deprives the demon of its spiritual sustenance. The presumption is that the demon will leave on its own accord when it is soffocated by the godly living of the host. But as we teach in our School of Exorcism, “Demons don’t go until they are made to go.” Evil spirits seldom ever leave on their own no matter how closely one draws to the Lord. A pure and dedicated life will hinder the indwelling demons and lessen their options of affecting the host’s behavior. But they usually just dig in deep for the long haul, hoping the person will develop a spiritual weakness they can use. Starving a demon by godly living will make it less active and less threatening. But a caged wild beast is still a wild beast if it escapes. Better to completely get rid of the demon rather than hope it will go away of its own accord.
This is what the Bible says about getting rid of demons (NKJV):
He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons (Mark 1:34).
And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them (Mark 6:13).
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you (Luke 11:20).
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons (Matthew 10:8)
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons (Mark 16:17).
If you want to get rid of your demons, now not later, go through deliverance. Experience an exorcism. Fast if possible before your time of prayer against evil spirits. Certainly, live as godly as you can to narrow the areas of your life where demons can operate. But know that in most cases, these factors alone won’t usually make a demon leave. They got in by legal rights, and by removing those rights they can be forced to leave, expelled, cast out — IN the NAME OF JESUS OF NAZARETH!
