SEMINAR TOPIC: DEMONOLOGY AND DELIVERANCE

FOCUS – Kenya, Ezra Conference

Venue: Kabarak University,

Date: 29th Dec 2016,

Time: 3.30-4.45PM

Speaker: Rev John Wesley Nguuh, Senior Pastor, CITAM Eldoret

I. INTRODUCTION

1. Definition of Terms
a. Demonology
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term Demonology denotes:the study of demons or
evil spirits belief in demons : a doctrine of evil spirits a catalog of enemies. In this presentation,
Demonology is a brief study of demons or evil spirits.

b. What are Demons?

Virtually all religions & cultures have various supernatural entities that are considered malevolent or
even evil. In some cultures, these may be simply forces of nature like hurricanes. Sometimes they are
entities with capabilities for destruction such as fertility gods/goddesses. And in some belief systems,
they are evil spirits hell-bent on making one's life miserable. Demons, Satan and the powers of darkness
are real beings and they are actively at work in our world.

In the Bible, Demons are supernatural beings/angels who operate under the control of Satan and are
involved in countering the work of God on earth

Although the word demons is not found in the King James Version of the Bible but their existence is
evident in other versions and translations which use the word. The Bible teaches that apart from Satan
the Prince of the power of the air, there exists evil spirits of lesser degree of leadership and power. Their
designation is demon and is from a Greek word “diabolos”, meaning adversary, false accuser and
slanderer, and from the Latin word daemon meaning “evil spirit.”

c. Deliverance
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Deliverance is the action of being set free. It is also the state of
being rescued from danger, evil or pain.

From a religious perspective, deliverance is the process or act in which someone who is possessed of the
evil spirit is set free from such bondage.

It is a process, mainly through prayer, of freeing a person, who is gripped by evil spirits. The major issue
in ministry is dealing with the emotional garbage that is brought about by demonic oppression. Many
people’s lives and destinies in our continent have been bound and caged by witchcraft powers and
wicked spirit. Most struggles and battles that people are facing today are well planned from the occult
world. Through personal and fraternal deliverance on is able to stay free or be freed from demonic
bondage

2. Controversy about Demons

The discussion about demons is Controversial – Especially due to different world views:

a. World view 1: No demons hence its weird to even think about their existence let alone
deliverance

b. World view 2: Demons Exist.

Those who believe that demons exist also have varied views

i. They are powerless hence no need to deal with them

ii. They are so powerful that we are powerless before them and hence live in perpetual fear

iii. They are equal in power with the forces of God so we need always to be fighting them but we
are never sure of victory

iv. They are powerful but we the power of God through Christ is available to overcome them.
Those of this view also have differing opinions.

 There are those who think that only a small band of experts can defeat demons while
others believe that,

 Every believer can have power to resist and defeat them. This is the view we hold in this
discussion on demonology and deliverance

3. The Origin of Demons

God, who is good and holy, created the universe. As part of His creation, He created a great company of
angels. These angels were created as very beautiful, free-willed creatures with great intelligence and
freedom of choice.

One of the angels, refered to a cherub close to the throne of God, became preoccupied with his own
beauty, wisdom and importance and wanted to elevate Himself in the sight of other angelic creatures
and even desired to become like God (Ezekiel 28:11-18). He went berserk or mad with pride and became
totally corrupt, evil and violent, demanding worship just as God is worshipped (Isaiah 14:12-14; Matt
4:9). His pride cut him away from God and His goodness and holiness. He hence became completely evil
and became the adversary of God. He also persuaded other angels to join Him in His rebellion against
God. God then ordered His expulsion from heaven (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6-7; Rev 12:4,9-10). The devil is the
supreme spirit of evil, the enemy of God and the human kind. (Job 1:6, Eph. 2:2). The devil is also
referred in the Bible as a slander, accuser of brethren, Lucifer, devil, serpent and liar is believed in many
religions and myths to be a supernatural entity that is the personification of evil.
When Satan, fell from Heaven, he took a third of the angels with him. These fallen angels are the ones
that we call demons or evil spirits. With these demons, Satan set up an invisible evil government over
this world. These demons are the source of Satanism, false religions, cults and the occult.

II. COSMIC WAR: SPIRITUAL WARFARE

In the spiritual realm there is a cosmic war going on regardless of our opinions. We are either victors or
victims. Just because we cannot see the spiritual realm it does mean it is not there. Our spiritual battles
are real, even though we cannot physically see the attackers. Just because we don’t know or believe
there is a real devil and demons does not mean he is not there at all. Poor old job did not know that
there was existence of Satan but this did not stop him from attacking him and his household. The
Influence of Demons over a Believers life

Demon Possession / Demonic Oppression: Possession means to inhabit, to occupy, to control, to hold
as property, to dominate, to actuate, to rule by extraneous forces.

While Christians can’t be demon possessed, they can be oppressed, harrassed or influenced by Satan
and his demons (see Acts 10:38).

As Christians we are involved in Spiritual warfare on a daily basis. The actual job, goal and strategy of
demons, under the direct command of the devil, is to steal, kill and destroy one – spiritually,
emotionally, relationally, physically, economically and morally. Demons want to ruin your life as a
Christian. They seek to ruin one’s health, academic life, career, marriage, children, ministry etc. They
seek to overwhelm, discourage, deceive, and render believers completely ineffective in their
relationship with Christ, so that the Church and the Gospel are discredited, and believers become
miserable, and all the work of God, and the work of the cross, and the power of resurrection is nullified.

III. WORKS OF DEMONS AS REVEALED IN SCRIPTURES

1. Deception (Garden of Eden; 1 Kings 22:22; John 8:44)

2. Murder (John 8:44; Mark 5:5; 9:22)

3. Torture (Matt 12:22-Blindness, Dumbness; Luke 13:11-17-Deformity; Job 2:7, Acts

10:38-Physical Sickness; Luke 8:27-29 -Mental madness)

4. Sexual Uncleanness and Violence – Unclean spirits (Matt 10:1; Mark 1:23; Mark 7:25; Eph 5:5)

5. Influence in Human Governments (Dan 10:12-21; Rev 16:14; 2 Corin 4:4)

6. Hindrances to the Work of the Gospel (1 Thess 2:18)

7. Hindrances to Prayer (Dan 10:12-13)

8. General Harassment of the People of God (2 Corin 12:7)

9. Promotion of Idolatry, Witchcraft and Various Pagan Occult Practices (Psalm 106:35-37)

10. The Working of Strange Occurrences and Deceiving Miracles (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 16:13-14)

11. Slandering and Accusing Christians before God (Rev 12:10; Rom 8:33-38-39)
 IV. HOW TO ENGAGE IN DELIVERANCE
1. God’s Provision for a Believer in Spiritual Warfare
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians gives a clear cut strategy of countering the work of
demons in a believer’s live

Eph 6:10-20
10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that
you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of
God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your
waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all
occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on
praying for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth, words may be
given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an
ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (NIV)
2. Have the right worldview
Believe in the existence of demons as the enemies of God and His people, and know basic facts
about the spiritual battles we face
There are four facts that need to know before engaging in Spiritual battle or deliverance:
Fact No. 1: God has objectively defeated Satan in his agenda. He has delivered us from sin’s
penalty, and power, and ultimately will deliver us from sin's very presence. That's a fact. In
the interim, we're involved in guerrilla warfare with demonic forces.
Fact No. 2: As believers, we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the
kingdom of light with all the rights and privileges and position that being a child of God entails. A
believer cannot be demon possessed.
Fact No. 3: The spiritual battle that we fight involves a responsibility on our part to put on the
spiritual protection that God has provided for us. We can and we will resist the enemy's
attempts to deceive, accuse, and cast out when we stand firm by what? First, being honest
with God about ourselves and others: prerequisite to all spiritual battle. Second, responding
to the truth that God shows us about His will for our lives: righteous living. And third, a clear
understanding of the Gospel and taking opportunity to readily share it.
Fact No. 4: The vast or great majority of all spiritual warfare never need go beyond the regular
practice of living out your position in Christ by faith. What we're talking about now is not
necessarily the norm.

3. Prepare for the Battle

a. Prerequisites/Basic requirements
b. Be Born-again
c. Be filled with the Holy Spirit
d. Daily quiet time or personal devotional time
 e. Be in fellowship with others who walk in purity and in the right
f. Submission to authorities
g. Forgiveness of others
h. Confession of sin/faults to others
Put on the full armor of God: to use Paul's metaphor, the spiritual armor, protects us from
Satan's ongoing attempts to break our fellowship with Jesus and, as a result, greatly minimizes
any impact of the enemy. With the spiritual armor in place, most of the battles we fight will be
non-existent.
i. Belt of Truth: Integrity and accountability in one’s daily living in light of scriptures
ii. Breastplate of Righteousness: Ensuring holiness, righteousness and justice
iii. Shoes of the readiness of the Gospel of Peace: Sharing your faith and being a
peacemaker
iv. Shield of Faith: Confessing your faith in God and resting in His promises
v. Helmet of Salvation – Use of your testimony
vi. Sword of the Word – Daily listening, reading, study, memorizing, meditation and use of
the Word of God appropriately
vii. Alertness and cover of Prayer – Individual (private) and corporate (public), Prayer,
fasting,

4. Engage in Spiritual warfare

a. Identify the Signs of Demonic Oppression
i. Cutting /Self-mutilation
ii. Extreme feeling of loneliness
iii. Hatred of oneself and others
iv. Chronic depression /dramatic mood swings
v. Irrational rage/violent outbursts
vi. Filthy, uncontrolled swearing
vii. Refusal to submit to any authority
b. Understand the Door Ways to Demonic Oppression
i. Ouija Boards – communicating with the supernatural world including the dead
ii. Astrology/Horoscopes
iii. Karate/Tae kwon do
iv. Yoga
v. Horror books
vi. Classic Rock and Rock music and heavy metal
vii. Alcohol and Drugs
viii. Séances
ix. Consulting Mediums/Psychics/Fortune Tellers/Palm Readers/Tarot cards
x. Transcendental meditation
xi. Hypnosis
xii. Sexual immorality with a demon oppressed or possessed person
xiii. Violet video games
xiv. Pornography
c. Go on the Offensive
Engage the enemy with supernatural weapons which God has provided. Go on the offensive.
Start to break, a stronghold or a habit that's been in your life, hence experiencing a real
encounter with demonic influences around your life. Go out also and help others out to gain
 their victory over demons.
Get involved in ministry to others
d. Forms of Deliverance
The various types of deliverance are:
a. Personal deliverance (self-deliverance).
b. Fraternal Deliverance
This occurs where Christian brothers and sisters help to cast out demons. This includes
deliverance administered by the church leaders
i. Personal Deliverance
In personal deliverance, the individual by faith turns to Christ committing every area of life to
His Lordship. They confess and renounce all known sins and take on the authority and power
that is rightfully theirs in Christ and command the evil Spirits present to leave. They also
destroy all objects associated with the area of sin you are struggling with especially Occult
objects and books.
ii. Fraternal Deliverance
This type of deliverance occurs in extreme cases where the ministry from pastors is sought by
believers to deal with the demonization. It involves ongoing pastoral care after the person has
been delivered.
In other instances, there are people whom God has given special gifts of discernment,
revelation, and authority to overcome Satan and evil spirits.
The Lord Jesus said in Mark 16: 17ff. that ‘them that believe should be the ones to cast out
demons,” meaning all believers in Christ.

V. BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR DELIVERANCE.

From Genesis to Revelation God warned His people to be free of demon power; The following
portions of scripture support the issue of deliverance:,
1. Deliverance in the Old Testament
The Old Testament is rich on teaching about healing and deliverance. Examples of scriptures
include Psalms 40:1-3; 34 :7;91; 103:2-3; 2 Kings 20:1-7; Isaiah 38:1-8; 2Chro.32:24-28; 1Kings
17:20. Moses warned against witchcraft, in (Deuteronomy 18:10-13). There was the death
penalty for witchcraft (Lev 20:6).
2. Deliverance in the New Testament
a. Healing and Deliverance in the Gospels

The Gospel witness, Jesus taught about healing and deliverance. Casting out demons out of
people is part of what Jesus did in his earthly ministry. In His life and ministry, He constantly
dealt with the devil and demons. Mt 9:32-33, Mk 9:25 Matthew 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-29; Luke
9:37-43. In the book of Luke 10:17-19, Jesus sent again seventy disciples to cast demons
without. Jesus delivered Insanity (lunacy, epilepsy) Mt 17:15. It is recorded of the Wild
strength-maniac in Mark 5:3-4, the healing of the Blind in Mathew 12:22, the Convulsions Mk
9:20 and in the great commission to all believers (Mk 16:17).
b. Healing and Deliverance in the Book of Acts
In the Apostolic Church, healing and deliverance was evident. Peter and the other Apostles
testify to Jesus’ power of healing and deliverance. Acts 3; Acts 5:15-16; 8:5-8; Acts 16.
c. Healing and deliverance in the NT letters
This is indicated by the provision of various spiritual gifts as found in 1 Corinthians 12, and other
 places in NT letters.

VI. JUSTIFICATION FOR DELIVERANCE MINISTRY IN THE

CHURCH TODAY
The following factors should convince any Christian of the reality and necessity of deliverance
ministry in the church.
a. The Ministry of Deliverance is scriptural. Jesus practiced it, and taught both His
immediate disciples, and wider groups of followers to do the same. Believers have the power of
Jesus name. They need to be taught that they are liberated and deliverance is possible through
this very name. John 14:12-14; Acts 4: 12; Phil 2: 9-11.
b. The church has been endowed with spiritual gifts for the benefit of all. 1 Corinthians 12
Although the gift of deliverance is not specifically mentioned as one of the gifts, abundant
evidence shows that that it was at work in the NT and continues to operate in the contemporary
world.
c. The ministry of deliverance operates alongside other spiritual gifts such as discernment
as in Acts 5: 1-10. Every believer is engaged in spiritual warfare and the enemy we deal with is
a very evil. As we wrestle and withstand this enemy (Ephesians6: 12,13), we also snatch others
from the fire through deliverance (Jude 23).
d. The people in the churches today face diverse challenges, emotional, mental torment,
Confusion, Speech problems- outburst or uncontrolled use of the tongue, cursing, lying,
blasphemy; Sex problems- masturbation, fantasy, sex experiences, lust, perversions,
homosexuality, adultery, incest, harlotry; Addictions to drugs, alcohol and other substances;
Physical maladies, infirmities (Luke 13: 11) and False teaching, Christian cults, Occultism and
Spiritism and false doctrine.
VII. PITFALLS IN DELIVERANCE MINISTRY
While the ministry of deliverance seems to be of great importance, there are a number of areas
that the Church must give greater attention on in order to eliminate misuse of this good vice.
Some of the areas of concern are:
1. Dealing with the wrong or even imposed diagnosis. Trying to exorcise non-existent
demons or spirits does great damage. Those prayed for can be to feel guilty when the prayers
are unsuccessful and left feeling far worse than before.
2. Unfinished ministry. Ministry may begin on the right track perceiving and praying about
a real problem, but somehow is never quite finished. The list of evil spirits grows inexorably and
the person prayed for becomes trapped and far too depended upon the group who are doing
the ministry.
3. The Minister may lack authority (Matthew 18:18-20). Deliverance ministry is part and
parcel of the overall ministry of the church. Therefore, those who practice it should operate
under the authority of the local church or denomination. Lack of clear guidelines for deliverance
ministry from church leadership leaves those practicing deliverance room to abuse or deceive
their own methods.
4. Being stereotyped or obsessed with a particular deliverance method. Jesus used different
approaches and methods to minister to the many people who came to Him. Similarly, in
The OT, God used various methods and strategies to bring deliverance to His people.
VIII. CONCLUSION
Deliverance is part of believer’s salvation. Although the believer has been set free from the
penalty of sin, the process of sanctification continues daily. The sanctification process involves
the deliverance of the believer from all kinds of evil and demonic influence (Matthew 6: 13).
Christ Jesus is greater than the devil (1 John 4:4), but the believer has been commanded to resist
the devil and he (the devil) would flee from him (the believer)-James 4:7.
A Holy Spirit led church cannot shun the ministry of deliverance, and therefore the following
recommendations are made:
1. Teaching on the subject should be done from our pulpits.
2. The actual ministry of deliverance has to be regulated and supervised by the leaders of the
fellowship. Those who have the calling into this ministry should operate under the
established guidelines.
3. Every method or strategy should be fully supported by the Holy Scriptures.
4. The ultimate purpose of deliverance should be Christ-likeness of the believer.
5. All deliverance ministries should be guided by the Holy Spirit, and should be part of The Great
Commission.
6. Those who abuse the practice should be instructed in the biblical way of doing deliverance.
7. A follow up should be done for those who have gone through deliverance to ensure total victory
through discipleship.