I got saved in prison and learned deliverance because I—and people I ministered to—was dealing with issues that counseling and inner healing couldn’t seem to solve. Through the years, God had been showing me step by step how to help people get free. But there was even more to deliverance than I realized. Christians could not only need deliverance, but demons could lodge themselves in hidden areas of our lives—both in our souls and body parts.
Not every problem is caused by a demon. But those who have been through counseling and inner healing with no breakthrough might need to consider that a demonic spirit may be involved. Those demons need to be removed through targeted deliverance prayers.
Please hear me: I’m talking about prayers that are specific and detailed. Standing in front of a door yelling out generic prayers hoping the demons inside will leave won’t get you far. No, we must stand before these rooms and use the keys of the kingdom to open the door, go inside and cleanse the room. With our authority in Christ, we can command the demons to leave and they have to obey. It’s a four-step process:
1) Recognize.
2) Repudiate.
3) Remove.
4) Restore.
Recognize
The first step in the deliverance process is to recognize that these rooms in the human soul exist and that a believer can have a demon occupying them if the door is left open. The Greek word ginosko is sometimes translated “recognize.” It means “come to know” or “get a knowledge of.” The opposite of recognizing is denial, and denial is hard to overcome. Many believers today refuse to even acknowledge that demons are real and that a believer in Jesus can open a door that allows a demon to occupy a room in their hearts. Demons don’t just hang out around open doors; as soon as they see an opportunity, they enter the rooms! The church of Jesus Christ’s faulty theology and lack of discernment has kept countless believers with real demonic problems bound, because you can’t expel something you refuse to recognize.
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This first step will require boldness and bravery because it may challenge what you’ve previously been taught about demons. The apostle Paul says, “Examine yourselves, seeing whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5a). This means we are to constantly perform self-diagnostics to make sure our beliefs line up with God’s Word. When we do find something malfunctioning, we are to acknowledge and fix it, not deny that it’s broken. In true biblical deliverance, we acknowledge what’s there ,and with the help of the Holy Spirit, make the necessary adjustments to fix it.
The apostle Paul didn’t deny his weaknesses; he actually acknowledged them when he said, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10b). In the same chapter, he also identifies the real problem, what he called “a messenger from Satan” (v. 7b). The Greek word translated “messenger” in that verse is aggelos, which is also used to refer to angels. Paul was saying that this thorn in his flesh was actually a demon—an evil spirit sent on assignment to attack him. Paul was not saying he was possessed but rather that in one area of his body, he was demonized, as a thorn doesn’t affect the whole body but punctures only one area.
Refusing to recognize the issue you’re dealing with will result in continual malfunctioning in that area. Allow the Holy Spirit to bring light to your house. Allow Him to turn on the lights in dark rooms. Allow Him to go into areas in your heart that say “Do Not Enter” and acknowledge that you need the great deliverer, Jesus Christ, to purge those rooms.
Repudiate
The second step is to repudiate the demons. This step is just as important as the first. Demons are legalists; they must honor the legalities of the courtroom of heaven. They can only carry out their function when humans violate the established edicts of heaven on earth. That is why when the prodigal son recognized his sin, the first thing he said was, “I have sinned against heaven” (Luke 15:21b). In essence, he was saying he violated the commandments sanctioned by heaven’s courtroom.
You must repudiate something verbally, not mentally, because demons don’t read minds. The Bible says life and death are in the power of our tongues, not in the power of our thoughts. You don’t have to yell to be effective. I’ve had some people write down their renunciation of demonic spirits, and in group settings, I’ve had others nod their heads to affirm that they renounce the devil’s work in their lives. However it is done, the renunciation must be done openly.
An example of this is in Mark 5:7-8, when Jesus cast Legion out of the man in the Gerasenes: “[Legion] cried out with a loud voice, ‘What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me.’ For Jesus said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!’”
This passage is a clear example of repudiation. Jesus renounced the spirit. He didn’t have to repeat Himself multiple times, as many charismatic believers who don’t know any better do. Once is enough.
Remove
At this point, the devil is screaming in terror because what frustrates unclean spirits most is being discovered. Demons are like roaches that work better in the dark and scurry when the lights are turned on. I would be surprised if you didn’t feel some resistance as you follow these steps.
This is where the confrontation begins. If you’re helping someone receive freedom through deliverance, the demons will begin to display open forms of resistance. The manifestations may include shrieking, animalistic movements, shouting insults and supernatural acts.
Whatever you do, don’t stop now that the demons’ authority has been stripped. Now it’s time to remove the demonic spirit. Demons won’t leave simply because we desire for them to go. Nor do they read our minds. We must command them to leave in Jesus’ name—and keep commanding them until they all leave.
Restore
When a demon is expelled, the room must be restored to its original purpose. This is done with your authority to bind and loose. You must release and restore what had been removed back into the room or empty area. So if the demon connected to unforgiveness was expelled, you must replace it with a fresh empowerment for forgiveness. If the demon of hate was removed, you must release the power of love to restore what the devil took.
If you don’t know what to say, you can always declare blessing. Decreeing blessing is the same as declaring the opposite of what was removed.
My favorite part of every deliverance session is watching the Holy Spirit restore joy, peace, gentleness, love, happiness, excitement, creativity, ideas, holiness, prayer and intimacy with God. It’s actually the moment in deliverance ministry when you step back and watch the person bask in God’s presence. The Holy Spirit and God’s ministering angels are doing their sovereign work, and you get to be a fly on the wall to observe that holy moment. It’s amazing!
This final step must also be done verbally, when you begin to function as a royal priest and declare the blessing of God upon your life or the person you just helped get free. It’s done through what is called “commanded blessing,” where you command God’s blessing to be over, through and upon the person. Without this process of restoration, the deliverance is incomplete and you or the person receiving ministry run the risk of losing control again in this area (Luke 11:24-26).
If you’ve followed these four steps, you can rest in Christ, knowing your deliverance process has begun and heaven will respond. We have been promised in Scripture that whatever we bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven. How marvelous it is to know that heaven is eager to join us in our freedom process.
Alexander Pagani is the founder of Amazing Church (formerly He Is Risen Tabernacle) in New York City. He is an apostolic Bible teacher with keen insight into the realm of the demonic, generational curses and deliverance. An internationally sought‐after conference speaker, he been involved in more than 400 deliverance sessions. He has appeared on various television networks, including TBN and the Word Network. An honorary graduate of Central Pentecostal Bible Institute, he carries a spirit of wisdom and discernment to unlock secrets of the kingdom with signs and wonders following his ministry. He currently lives in New York with his wife, Ibelize, and their sons, Apollos and Xavier. His new book, The Secrets to Maintaining Your Deliverance, released this month and is available now at amazon.com.