There are a lot of books out there on spiritual warfare, but very few offer any good insight on the practical side of deliverance. It's a hot topic in religious reading so publishers are going to fill the market. What the market is filled with in top selling books and what actually goes on in intense prayer sessions are two completely separate topics.
Very few ministers are truly involved in exorcisms. What is an exorcism? I am a non-Catholic exorcist, which means I don't use 'The Rite'. I use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in warfare. Yes, the Catholics do to, they call these ministers charismatics. From my point of view, an exorcism is the expulsion of demons in what is identified as a true demonic possession. 99% of the demonic activity and manifestations most Christians have seen are what are known as demonic oppressions. A demon can manifest in a Christian and speak through them. A deliverance prayer team can evict this/these unclean spirit(s) because the individual is requesting prayer to be set free from them.
In demonic possession, which is difficult to diagnose (to the average deliverance minister), requires a lot more background and expertise. When our ministry is involved in a case of demonic possession, we already have some medical professionals involved who had aided in the diagnoses and medically deemed the situation to be spiritual in nature. A person may look and act demonically possessed but could simply be mentally sick. Their mind is broken. We commonly work with people that have dissociative identity disorder. You need spiritual discernment to determine what is an alter (an alternate identity) and which is a demonic presence. When we work with DID, there are both alters and demonic spirits, and the team has the discernment to tell the difference between the two.
In cases of demonic possession, the individual will not allow you to pray for them. All too often there are the horror stories that I have heard where an inexperienced deliverance team will hold someone down and try to cast a demon out of a possessed person. Then get tossed across the room in the process.
The individual that is possessed must want to be set free from their demonic prison. And they're not going to let you reason with them about wanting to be set free. There will be too many voices in their head and around them mocking every word you say.
This is where intercessory prayer comes in. For starters, you must pray to have yourself released into battle. And if you do make this prayer, you are certain of your prophetic gifting and that you hear God clearly. You are certain in your faith and you know how to pull down from the heavenly realm. You must also be a person who has their life in order and your family isn't dysfunctional at home. You must lead a life that is built on a strong relationship with Jesus. You will be a person who is free from bondage and can immediately identify demonic oppression as it is thrown at you. This is warfare. Demons fight back and bite back! If you're experiencing extreme warfare on your team it may be because you stepped out the covering and will of the heavenly Father. Be careful this doesn't happen to your team!You are a mature prayer warrior and understand the battlefield. You don't immediately start your prayers by binding regional principalities. Instead, you consult Jesus and the Heavenly Father for a battle plan. Jesus will heal this person from possession. Not you and your book on routing demons! You must listen clearly to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
You must be a member of a prayer team that works in unity for this intercession. You must be a person who is not closely associated to the possessed or the family. You will have limited contact with all individuals involved. All your information will come in through intercession and you will pray as the Holy Spirit directs you. On occasion, you will receive information from the family of the possessed on the individuals status. Don't rely on the status. Rely on what the Holy Spirit is telling the prayer team. Furthermore, don't get caught up in the chaos and drama coming from the person reporting the information. Many times Christians who don't belong in the battle get caught up in the fight for the excitement of battling demons. They will ignorantly and emotionally direct you how to pray. The demons will use these people to irritate, distract and even control your prayer team. If you allow these people to carry on like this your intercessor prayer team will be compromised. Stay out of the drama and focus on the time with Jesus.
Covert prayer ministry is the best approach to minimize outside influence. Never discuss the prayer ministry with anyone outside the prayer team. The information is confidential and it's disrespectful to the person who is in your pastoral care.
How long should intercession last? Many Christians get frustrated after praying for two weeks and give up. Intercession for exorcism can take months! If not longer. The purpose of the intercession is to turn the person's heart back to Jesus and pray for breakthrough for them to have a Jesus encounter. The exorcism can't be done unless the person willfully turns back to Jesus and wants the spirits driven out. Jesus knows how to deal with his own enemies. Jesus also knows it will take time to turn the demonically possessed person around. Jesus respects free will even to the point of it leading to one's demise. The person possessed must choose to turn to Jesus under their own free will.
Intercession will last up until there is a spiritual break through. The intercessor team that is listening to the Holy Spirit will all receive the same information on when to switch from intercession and move to evicting the spirit.
Intercession for an exorcism requires mature Christians, who are not doctrinal in their walk with Jesus. People on intercessor prayer teams were literally drafted by God and very seldom do people find themselves on these intense prayer teams because they felt called into it. The intercessor must understand that God is big enough to handle this situation while we only step in and work under his will and movement. Not our own battle plan!
This is not something to play around with and try. You must be a seasoned spiritual warrior who understands the enemy can manifest and inflict both spiritual and physical harm to the prayer team. The prayer team must understand to the spiritual nature of spirits of suicide and how they operate during the season of intercession. It is intense and it is not something for church intercessor team to take on.
If you're learning Deliverance ministry, I strongly recommend you pick up my book.
A Field Guide to Spiritual Warfare - the Power to PULL the IMPOSSIBLE from the HEAVENLY REALMS
Blessings,
Rev. Mike
