How to Cast Out Demons

Note: This page is intensely practical. It contains suggestions and principles for the ministry of exorcism, intended for use only by Christians truly devoted to Jesus Christ. The theological principles upon which this ministry is based can be found on this site. Read it before proceeding to read and study the information on this page.

Legal Disclaimer:

By reading further you agree that the author is not legally responsible for anything that happens to you as a result of putting any or all of the suggestions on this page into practice. You do so at your own risk. I do hereby warn you that taking on demonic forces means entering into a spiritual battle - and war is dirty. It can have consequences in every area of your life. You must live right with God and others to do this ministry. By reading on, you agree that you alone are responsible for happens as a result of putting into practice the knowledge gained by reading this page.

Read on if you belong to Jesus Christ and you believe He may be calling you to learn how to drive out demons.

If you agree to these conditions click here, otherwise back out now!

Practical Suggestions for Deliverance Ministry

Be Prepared

To be in this ministry you need to be a person of prayer. At the very least, you need to have a strong anointing from God, which you could only have received through previous faithfulness to God in prayer. However, in this ministry, more than others, we are dependent on God the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus did not drive out demons except by the Spirit of God. So keep close to God through prayer. Remember the seven sons of Sceva who were humiliated by the demons because they did not know Christ for themselves. Acts 19:13-16.

Work in A Team if at all possible

Jesus sent his disciples out two by two to heal the sick and cast out demons. It is better to work with others. In any case, never get into a counselling or deliverance situation alone with a person of the opposite sex. Satan does send people to come for counselling who later accuse ministers of sexual misconduct and other false things. If you were alone with that person and they accuse you, it is your word versus theirs. You can lose your reputation and ministry like this through false accusations.

Make sure your team relationships are in good order. Be watchful, practice humility and forgiveness so that Satan cannot gain an advantage over you. Where there is unity between brethren, Christ is present and commands His blessing.

Bind The Devil

You have effective authority over evil spirits to the extent that you submit to God and resist the devil. To use the name of Jesus Christ you must live under the authority of Jesus Christ. As the spirit leads, you should bind the devil according to Matthew 18:18 with words such as these:

"In the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, we renounce all the power of darkness which may exist in this area or in the life of [Counsellee's name] for any reason. We bind all evil spirits assigned to [Counsellee's name] and forbid you to operate in any way, in the name of Jesus Christ."

Determine if the counsellee (person needing deliverance) is a born-again Christian.

If they are not, its much better to spend time explaining the gospel to them, and leading them to a point of trust and faith in Christ. Without this basis, they cannot be properly set free from demonic influence.

Some people are too bound to respond directly to the gospel. There are too approaches you can take here.

(a) While others pray and bind the demons, patiently explain that Jesus can set them free, that Jesus can save, that Jesus paid for their sins at the cross and that Jesus rose again and is alive. Make it very simple, since demons will attempt to work overtime to confuse their minds with distractions and irrelevant considerations. Invite them to call upon Jesus for salvation first.

(b) If the anointing for faith and power is upon you, ask for permission to lay hands on them [on the head and the back are good places for this], and, then, in the name of Jesus, do so, releasing by faith the anointing and commanding the demons to get off their mind and out of their lives. This will work for long enough to get them to a point of being able to hear and understand the gospel message. You must lead them to Christ at this point before continuing ministry.

For Deliverance Ministry Aiming for Thorough Cleansing

If possible, create an atmosphere of PRAISE where Jesus Christ is honored.

God dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). So acknowledge God's greatness by beginning times of deliverance ministry with songs of praise to God. This builds faith, invites the Holy Spirit to come with his anointing, and weakens the power of Satan in the area. Demons feel uncomfortable with praise directed towards God and will be more willing to leave when they feel bad in a place. Praise silences the voice of the enemy.

"Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength, because of your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger." (Psalm 8:2). In Matthew 21:16 Jesus quoted this Scripture as follows, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise". Together, these verses reveal the secret that PRAISE silences the voice of the enemy (demons). We are exhorted to "continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise" (Hebrews 13:15). The more we do this, the less problems we will have with demonic harrassment. Teach people to praise God. A lot of their problems will be solved if they learn to praise God through the difficulties until God's light starts to shine through. People can only keep deliverance by continuing to praise God.

Just before the time for the person to confess their sins and call upon the Lord, it is good to really get into praising God. Music helps here.

Be Thorough

Identify what areas of demonic influence are in a persons life (a) by listening to them (b) by asking questions (c) by listening to God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some things are obvious, others require revelations from God.

Do not depend on the demons themselves for information. Although Jesus once asked the demon what its name was, you generally don't need to. In any case, Jesus did not ask each of the thousands of demons in that man what its name was.

In commanding demons to go out, you don't need to know their name. They can be identified by what they promote. Thus demons of fear, lust, deception, pride, anger, violence and so on can be commanded to leave using just those names. For example, you can say, "You spirit of fear, come out in Jesus' name!" or "I command you spirit of infirmity to loose her in Jesus' name!"

It is outside the scope of this article to give a complete list of the demonic problems that may afflict people. You need to keep learning and studying. Read books by authors like Noel Gibson, Graham Powell, Bill Subritzky and others with plenty of practical experience of actually doing it. Learn from the Lord yourself through each experience.

Some Questions to Ask the Counsellee

Have you truly given your life to Jesus Christ? Would you like to?

What do you want freedom from?

When is the first time you had this trouble? (Be listening, and seek to discover through what action or event the demons got in in the first place. These doorways need to be closed through renunciation for deliverance to be lasting.)

What experience have you had of personal rejection by others?

Are there people you find it difficult to forgive? (People must forgive or God hands them over to demonic tormenters - see Matthew 18:34,35).

Are you aware of any occult history in your family or your ancestors - e.g. witchcraft, freemasonry, false religions etc? (All these must be renounced).

Procedure for Deliverance

Practical Instructions

Explain the Need for Laying on of hands

Some say that we shouldn't lay hands on those with demons, lest they come into us, but we need not fear if the power of the Holy Spirit is truly upon us. Jesus took Peter's mother-in-law's hand, rebuked the fever and it left. Demons hate the power of the Holy Spirit that comes through the laying on of hands and when hands are laid on in Jesus' name, demons are more likely to leave quickly. It is not an absolute requirement but it can be a point of contact for faith.

NEVER lay hands on a person inappropriately. Avoid touching areas which may open the door for lust. (It shouldn't be necessary to say this but it is better to be clear).

Explain how a person may co-operate in the process of expelling demons

Tell the person that they should co-operate with their deliverance after prayer by deliberately breathing out, and perhaps coughing. The word for spirit is the same as the word for breath or wind in Greek and Hebrew, and evil spirits can be breathed out by an act of the will and by faith, once the legal conditions are met - see lesson on deliverance which describes what these are.

Instruct them during the time of ministry not to pray audibly, to use the name of Jesus, or to pray in tongues. Instead, they should focus their minds on Jesus and breathe out in faith. Demons can't leave a person while that person is busy praying or has the name of Jesus on their lips. They have to know this in order to let the demons out.

Manifestations of demons may occur, but are not a condition of deliverance. These manifestations could include coughing, yawning, tears coming to the eyes, vomiting, spitting etc. A person should not let the demons talk through them. The only manifestations they should permit are those where the demon is leaving.

Experience has revealed that demons in the body many times are located around the stomach or chest and during deliverance move up into the throat from where they are expelled. They tend to produce knots of tension in the body in the places where they are. You can command the demons not to link and reinforce. Faith in the power and authority of the name of Jesus combined with the anointing will drive them out.

After these things are explained it is easier to do the ministry.

Prayer for Deliverance

Lead the counsellee in a prayer something like this:

"Jesus, I come to you as my deliverer. I believe that You are the Son of God, that You died for me and rose again. I confess You as Lord and renounce all influences of Satan in my life. Lord, you know the demons that oppress me, that harrass me, that entice me, that enslave me. I confess all my sins to you. (You must name them out loud before God). I repent of (turn away from) all my sins. I renounce any form of the occult or idolatry in my life or in the life of my ancestors (Name them to the extent of your knowledge of it). I forgive anyone who has ever hurt me in any way and I let go of any bitterness or resentment. (Name any such people whom you associate with personal pain and forgive them by name).

(Repeat for each significant stronghold). In the name of Jesus, I break and cancel the invitations to demons that have come through . The blood of Jesus now annuls any legal right held by the Kingdom of darkness in these areas.

In the name of Jesus these doorways are now closed.

I believe I am saved by the blood of Jesus and Satan has no further legal rights to my spirit, soul, mind or body. Through the blood of Jesus I am justified, just as if I never sinned. Through the blood of Jesus I am sanctified, set apart to God. Jesus Christ is my Lord. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.

Jesus you said whoever calls upon the name of the Lord SHALL be delivered. I call upon you. Deliver me!

Now in the name of Jesus Christ I bind every evil spirit in or around my life. In the name of Jesus I command you to get out and leave me alone. Go in Jesus' name!"

A shorter prayer taken from the writings of Noel Gibson:

"I confess Jesus Christ to be my personal Savior. I confess and renounce every iniquity, transgression and sin that I, my parents, or ancestors may have committed and which has brought bondages and dominations to my life, and ask for forgiveness and cleansing. I repent from any action, attitude or habit which does not glorify Jesus Christ. I renounce the devil, and all of his works, influences, bondages, dominations, inflictions and infirmities in my life. I claim the release and freedom promised by Jesus Christ, that He may be the Lord of my whole life. Amen."

Please note though, there is power in the specific renunciation of sin. The more specific and definite we are, the better the results. For this reason I would suggest leading the person to name the sins and bondages they want broken off their lives. Corresponding confession is appropriate.

It is important for people using the authority they have in Christ, to verbally CANCEL and BREAK all invitations to the devil/evil spirits they have created through sin or their ancestors have created throuh their sins.. Otherwise the demons may leave and then come back at an opportune time. Also, remember that deliverance is for people who want to live in fellowship with God. We need to daily seek that presence of the Holy Spirit and walk submissively to God, enquiring Him about things if we are to stay free.

Command the Demons to Leave

The actual words to use might be: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command all evil spirits - get out now! Spirits of ..., get out in Jesus' name! (repeat for each category if necessary)."

Follow the Holy Spirit

If things seem to block, ask the Holy Spirit what to do next. You may be led to ask the person what is going on in them. Many times the counsellee gets information during deliverance which when shared provides effective keys to their own deliverance. Remember that they are co-operating in their own deliverance and that the Holy Spirit is showing them things too many times. In effect, they are part of the deliverance team also.

After Deliverance

If you have peace from the Holy Spirit that no more deliverance should happen at that time, the person counsellee should be encouraged to invite the Holy Spirit into all the areas of their lives from which the demons have left. It may be appropriate to have another time of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Teach the counsellee the things contained in my lesson on deliverance concerning how to maintain deliverance. The most important thing is that they draw near to God through meditation on the Word, much prayer and through faithful obedience to the Lord. These things are very important, since demons always try to get back in later. People must be full of the Holy Spirit if they want to be sure of staying free.

Further Deliverance

Sometimes people are not ready to get all the demons out in one session. They need to learn to walk in the freedom they have received until that point, making adjustments in their life. If they are faithful the Lord will soon enable them to go further in the process of deliverance. They may be able to continue their own deliverance by the themselves following the principles in this lesson and the foundational teaching on deliverance.

In reality it is rare that all the demons come out in one session, although it is possible. However, the counsellee should be taught how to depend on Jesus and get himself or herself free as soon as possible, rather than creating a situation of perpetual dependence on the counsellor or deliverance minister.

Further Principles to be employed in this Ministry

Seek the root causes, not just symptons. By dealing with the most powerful demons at the root of the person's problems, many of the smaller demons will have nothing to cling onto and be forced to leave. However the reverse principle is not true.

Study and learn more. Any disobedience to the Word of God which becomes a habit can open the door for demons. Study and meditate on the Word. Build faith in this way and resist demons which seek to bind with unbelief, doubt and fear.

Learn to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can give us thoughts and images just as demons can, so be open to these revelations from the Holy Spirit which can greatly assist in ministry.

Give the glory to God and keep Jesus central. Resist demonic suggestions that you are so great now that you are casting out demons. If they can trap you in pride you will be in for a fall. We must respect all the biblical conditions for our own freedom in Christ before we can effectively minister freedom to others. Remember that it is God's power not yours that drives the demons out. We didn't earn this power. Jesus paid for and supplied everything through the cross and by His grace. We are just privileged to be vessels and messengers for God. So we should never seek to take credit for the results.

"Freely you have received, freely give" ( Matthew 10:8). Do not stoop to demand monetary payment for delivering the gifts of God to people. Nowhere in the Bible did any servant of God accept money for healing or ministering freedom to a person. Those who do so are on dangerous ground indeed.