DEMON DELIVERANCE: Pros And Cons On Techniques And Methods

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Although I wish to give you some guidelines, I want to 
make it clear that this ministry of deliverance should 
always be under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit. 
There is a tendency among Christians to look 
for pat formulas in spiritual ministries instead of 
remaining dependent upon the leading of the Spirit. I 
have observed that different persons involved in 
deliverance ministry utilize somewhat different 
methods. 

This is understandable inasmuch as the Bible does not 
give much detail as to methods employed by either 
Jesus or His disciples. We must not get bound up in little 
rules which we have made for ourselves. How do 
such rules come into being? If we get success through 
using a certain technique, then we are prone to 
conclude that it was the technique that did the trick. I 
have found that the Holy Spirit enjoys variety and that 
we can rely upon Him for whatever technique is 
required. 

What are some of these man-made rules? Someone may 
tell us that we should never lay hands on a person out 
of whom we are casting demons. Another person will 
insist just as strongly that we must always lay hands on 



the person. Still another will contend that you must rub 
the person's stomach or pound him on the back in 
order to get the spirits out. If we start looking for 
methods and techniques we will end up in hopeless 
confusion. That is exactly what the devil would like us 
to do! 

The truth of the matter is that the Spirit may direct you 
to do any of the above mentioned things. The Spirit has 
led me to do some strange things in deliverance 
ministries. It is our business to listen to the Spirit and 
obey. It must have seemed strange to Moses when God 
told him to strike a rock in order to provide water for 
the people, or to throw a tree into the bitter waters of 
Meribah in order to make them sweet. It seems strange 
that Jesus would spit on the ground and make a little 
mud pack to put on a blind man's eyes for his healing. 
What difference does it make as to the technique the 
Lord chooses so long as the results are forthcoming? 

Laying On Of Hands 

There are those who contend that Jesus never laid 
hands on anyone during deliverance. There are at least 
two instances that indicate otherwise. 

One is the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. In Luke 4:29 
we are told that "Jesus "rebuked the fever". He treated 
the fever as a personality. 

This indicates that the fever was demonic. The parallel 
account in Matt. 8:15 says, "And he touched her hand, 



and the fever left her." A second instance of touching or 
laying hands on a person for deliverance is the case of 
the woman who was bowed together by a spirit of 
infirmity. 

And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of 
infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and 
could in no wise lift up herself And when Jesus saw her, 
he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, 
thou art loosed from thine infirmity. AND HE LAID HIS 
HANDS ON HER: and immediately she was made 
straight, and glorified God. Luke 13:11-13 

Since there are only a few instances recorded when 
Jesus laid hands on a person during deliverance, we are 
not to conclude that the laying on of hands is always 
necessary. The same principle is true in ministering 
for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The scripture 
indicates that hands were sometimes laid on for the 
impartation of the Holy Spirit, but there are other 
instances when this was not done. Again, we need to 
remain sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as to 
what we do. 

Once we were calling demons out of a sixteen year old 
boy. The first demon we called for was fear. The boy 
was taken over by the spirits and was thrown to the 
floor. Five men present tried to restrain him physically 
with only partial success. Several other demons were 
called up and the violent manifestations accompanied 
each spirit. Then the Holy Spirit gave a word of 
knowledge that the manifestation was due to a spirit of 



violence. The boy was instructed not to let the demon 
take him over, but to fight it with us, in the Spirit, by 
continually commanding it to go in Jesus' name. The 
spirit of violence was cast out without much of a 
struggle and there was no further display of violence as 
a number of other demons were cast out. This taught us 
that one demon present in a person could somehow 
manifest itself even when other spirits were being 
called forth. 

This proved to be a very helpful bit of understanding. 

In many subsequent ministries when the person 
became violent, the demon of violence was cast out and 
the violent manifestations completely subsided. 

One very interesting case was that of a woman about 
thirty years of age. She was not a physically strong 
person; and had undergone major abdominal surgery 
about three months prior to ministry. Nevertheless, 
she showed unnatural strength under demon 
manifestations. As the ministry began she was thrown 
to the floor and was lying on her back. 

Because of the superhuman strength being displayed, 
one person was assigned to each leg and arm. My wife 
straddled the woman's right leg and said 
authoritatively, "This leg isn't going anywhere." 
Whereupon the woman lifted her off the floor with that 
one leg! 

There were many strong spirits in this woman. The 
struggle to get each one out was so intense that she was 



not physically able to bear the casting out of more than 
one or two demons each day. She was determined to be 
completely set free and would come each evening after 
work for more ministry. It was not until after two 
weeks of these daily struggles that we found a key. It 
was learned that when no one touched the woman the 
spirits would not react as violently. Each time someone 
touched her a demon would cry out through her, "Don't 
touch me." We addressed it as a "Touch-Me-Not' spirit 
and commanded it to come out. 

After this demon was cast out there was no further 
display of violence. We have encountered the "Touch- 
Me-Not' demon several times. In some instances the 
demon reacts only to the touch of a man, and in 
other cases only to the touch of a woman. These are 
cases when it is best not to lay hands on a person. 

The cases are much more frequent where the laying on 
of hands will aid in dislodging the evil spirits. In cases 
where the spirits are speaking through the person, it 
occasionally happens that the spirit will cry and whine, 
"Your hand is hot; it's burning me", or words to that 
effect. 

Demons can feel the anointing of the ministering hand 
and are tortured by it. Demons can indwell any part of 
the human body. One of the favorite areas seems to be 
the lower abdomen. When a hand is laid on this area 
in ministry the demons very often come up and out 
through the mouth more readily. This is why it is wise 
and helpful to have both men and women involved in 



the deliverance situation. Women can lay hands on 
the women and men on the men. 

On one occasion we were ministering to a young 
woman. I was standing behind her and had my hands 
on her head. The demons were coming out readily. 
Then a word of knowledge came to me that I must 
take my hands off her immediately. I walked around in 
front of her in order to see what manifestation was on 
her face. A spirit of lust had come to the surface which 
was identified as a "flirting spirit”. Through words 
and facial expressions it began to flirt with two of us 
men present in the room. Since the touch of a male 
hand would serve to "feed" such a spirit, it became 
apparent why the Holy Spirit directed me to remove 
my hands. 

Some of the reasons advanced for not laying on hands 
in deliverance are based on fear. Some persons have 
been fearful lest the evil spirit make an attack upon 
them. I heard one person say that while laying hands 
on someone during deliverance he felt an evil spirit 
move from that person into his own hand and up his 
arm into his body. I personally have had no experience 
of such an occurrence. I have been laying hands on 
hundreds of persons over a period of several years and 
have never been attacked by a demon as the result of 
such physical contact. 

The principle is this: no demon can attack us or enter 
us unless it has an opening to do so. Fear can provide 
such an opening. If one is afraid that a demon can 



attack him, then he has given the demon the opening he 
needs. 

There is a situation that might cause one to think that 
he has been attacked during a deliverance ministry. For 
example, a spirit or doubt is being cast out. Another 
person in the room may hay have a spirit of doubt, 
also. As the command is given for "doubt" to come out, 
the spirits of doubt in both persons may be stirred up 
and begin to react or manifest themselves. I have 
witnessed numerous examples of this. 

But what about the scripture that says, "Lay hands 
suddenly on no man" (I Tim. 5:22) Personally I am 
persuaded that this passage pertains solely to the laying 
on of hands at ordination and has no application to 
the laying on of hands for other purposes such as 
healing, administering the baptism in the Holy Spirit, or 
deliverance. Granting that reference could apply to 
deliverance, there is no prohibition to the laying on of 
hands but rather a caution against doing it 
prematurely. This is a principle applicable to every 
situation where laying on of hands is used. In effect, 
we are not to minister to every person we encounter or 
minister to a person before he has been adequately 
prepared. 

Again, I emphasize that the thing we must beware of is 
fear if evil spirits. If the devil can make us afraid of him 
he has made a successful counterattack. The Bible gives 
us assurance that we can engage demon spirits in battle 
with absolutely no fear of their being able to retaliate 



and harm us. 


Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and 
scorpions, and over the power of the enemy: and 
nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is 
to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of 
salvation, and that of God. Phil. 1:28 

Demons will seek to instill fear in those who are 
ministering. Many times I have heard spirits speaking 
through the person making threats to do harm. In one 
deliverance the demon opened the person's 'yes and 
looking at me with an icy stare, and with the person's 
face right up in my face, said three times with 
increasing emphasis each time ... "I'll get you! I'LL GET 
YOU! I'LL GET YOU!" I calmly replied, "No, demon, you 
will not get me. Jesus said I could tread on you and you 
could in no no wise harm me. I have no fear of you, so 
just come out in the the name of Jesus." It came our 
and no harm resulted. 

We must pay no attention to the threats of demon 
spirits because they are merely liars and accusers. On 
a number of occasions the demon has threatened by 
saying, "If you cast me out I will just come into you." (Or 
someone in the room is named). The purpose of such a 
threat is to cause fear and make the deliverance 
minister cease his attack. Fear is a very common tactic 
of the enemy, and one must be assured in his own heart 
that he truly has nothing to fear. The enemy has 



already been defeated by Jesus, and at the name of 
Jesus "every knee must bow;" (Phil. 2:10) 


Conversing With Demons 

It is not possible to stop all demon talk when dealing 
with them in deliverance. They will sometimes speak 
out without warning. They did this with Jesus. But 
should we converse with them when they are willing 
to talk? I have come to a very conservative view on the 
matter. One should not converse with demons unless 
the Holy Spirit indicates some specific purpose in doing 
so. 

In delivering the Gaderene, Jesus commanded the spirit 
to speak by demanding, "What is thy name?" (Mark 
5:9). What is to be gained by commanding a spirit to 
name itself? Experience has proved that a spirit's 
power is more readily broken by forcing it to identify 
itself. Some spirits are much more stubborn or 
tenacious than others. In most instances when a 
stubborn spirit is compelled to name itself it will come 
out. Its power is broken. 

However, there is an inherent danger in conversing 
with demon spirits. One must never allow himself to 
converse with demons in order to acquire knowledge. 
The Bible strictly forbids such communication 
with demons. (See Deut. 18:10-11). The Christian has 
the Holy Spirit as his source of knowledge, wisdom and 
guidance. Even when commanded to tell the truth in 
the name of Jesus, the demons will still lie on occasion. 



Yet, there are times when the Holy Spirit will have you 
force one demon to tell the names of the other 
indwelling spirits. Once again, this is for the purpose of 
breaking down their resistance. It should not become a 
substitute for the gift of discerning spirits. We do not 
have to depend upon the lying mouths of evil spirits to 
give us information which we can and must get through 
the Holy Spirit. 

When I first began my deliverance ministry I would 
command the spirits to speak. It did not take long to 
find out that they all talk about the same things and 
they mix a little truth with their lies. The novice is 
prone to want to hear the demons talk, but will soon 
learn that it is not necessary. 

The demons are smart enough to know that as long as 
they can carry on a conversation they will not have to 
leave. What they really hate to hear are the words, 

"Shut up, and come out!" Their talk is usually a delaying 
tactic. 

And there was in their synagogue a man with an 
unclean spirit; and he cried out. Saying, Let us alone; 
what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? 
art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who Thou art, 
the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, 
HOLD THY PEACE, AND COME OUT OF HIM. And when 
the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud 
voice, he came out of him. Mark 1:23-26 

There is also merit in questioning demons even when 



they are not speaking through the person being 
delivered. A lady once came to me for deliverance who 
had many "symptoms" of demon oppression. 

Two hours of intense ministry produced no results. 
There was not the slightest manifestation of a demon 
being present or leaving. The next day I was reading 
the Gospel of Mark. When I came to the familiar 
account of the Gaderene in chapter five, the Holy Spirit 
checked me on verse seven where the demon had pled, 
"torment me not". I went to my Greek lexicon and 
found that the word "torment' means "to question by 
applying torture". I called the lady and had her come 
back that evening. I began to bombard the spirits with 
questions: 

What is your name? How long have you been there? 

Are you so foolish as to think you can resist the name of 
Jesus? etc. Within a few minutes the woman began to 
cough out the evil spirits. The demons had not spoken 
through this woman or given any sign of hearing what I 
said, but the torture of being questioned had broken 
their power. We can be sure that our questions and 
commands are being effective even before we see any 
outward results. 

Interruptions During Ministry 

Deliverance can be done in a relaxed atmosphere. 
Experience will increase confidence and enable one to 
minster without tension. The minister must realize 
that he is the servant of the Lord Jesus and moving in 



power and authority granted him. He, and not the 
demon's power, is in command of the situation. 

A ministry may be prolonged. It can extend over 
several hours. The one being ministered to, as well as 
the deliverance minister, may need a few minutes to 
rest. It is usually convenient to break the ministry after 
a group of spirits has been cast out. No ground is lost 
when such a break is taken. You simply begin where 
you left off. 

It is often the case that in the midst of a ministry the 
person will recall other areas where demons have 
invaded, or the Holy Spirit will make him aware of 
some pertinent information. It is all right to stop and let 
him share these things. 

However, one must be careful of a ruse of the enemy. 
The persons being ministered to may say,"I need to get 
a drink of water" or "I need to go to the restroom" or 
make some other excuse to leave the room. 

Sometimes this will be a demon speaking and not the 
person. The demon will try to take the person away. If 
one is alert he need not be victimized by such a trick. 
How deeply has the person been taken over by the 
spirits? 

Are the eyes glazed or fixed? Is the voice that of the 
person? What does your own spirit say? 


A friend of mine was new in the deliverance field. He 



and a companion were casting demons out of another 
man. The spirits had taken the man over and the two 
men were down on the floor forcibly restraining his 
arms and legs. After awhile the man pleaded that they 
were hurting him and that he needed to rest for a few 
minutes. Not realizing that it was a demon speaking 
and not the man himself, they released their holds. As 
soon as the legs were released the demon caused the 
man to kick, and my friend suffered three broken ribs. 
This is an unusual case, but it certainly emphasizes the 
need to recognize who is speaking. 

Positions Of The Body 

Since demons are expelled primarily through the 
mouth or nose,and may be accompanied by mucus or 
phlegm, it is best to have the person in a position 
compatible with such manifestations. One of the 
best positions is for the person to be seated in a straight 
chair and bent forward from the waist with forearms 
resting on the knees. For shorter ministries the person 
can be standing. In a few cases the person may want to 
lie face down on the floor or get on his hands and 
knees. The position will vary with the type of 
manifestations that are coming forth. 

Usually the person will adjust to whatever position is 
best without any specific instructions. It is a matter of 
doing what is normal or natural. 


I was present in a service where a minister who is quite 
prominent in deliverance was conducting a group 



deliverance. It was a large meeting and over a hundred 
persons had gone forward for deliverance. The minister 
asked for those who had had experience in deliverance 
to mix in with the group to assist. One young man near 
me was immediately taken over and fell to the floor. He 
was coughing violently and the demons were coming 
out with phlegm from his mouth. It was in the summer 
and the air-conditioning had gone off and it was 
unbearably hot. 

A little crowd had gathered around and I could see that 
the man was getting extremely uncomfortable. He had 
paused in the process of deliverance, and I suggested 
that he sit up for a few minutes. A man standing nearby 
rebuked me sharply, and instructed me that it was 
necessary for the man to remain in the exact position 
he was in until all the spirits were out. I complied with 
this request since the man's deliverance was more 
important than engaging in a debate with the brother. 
But this is completely contrary to all my experience. 

The person receiving ministry can be in a comfortable 
position.