Reading through the gospels shows that deliverance ministry was very normal for Jesus. Mark 1:39 says, “And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.” Casting out demons was just as common for Jesus as preaching sermons. Not only that, but He commissioned His followers to cast out evil spirits as well. 

And yet, deliverance ministry is often not practiced by the modern church. Why is that? What keeps people from seeing the truth about the work of evil spirits and the need to deal with them?

In Sunday’s message I named three major barriers that keep deliverance ministry from being more widely accepted and practiced in the body of Christ.

1. Fear

One of the obstacles to seeing deliverance ministry restored to the church is fear. For many, the topic of the devil, demons, and spiritual warfare is one that they would rather avoid. Hollywood portrayals of demon-possession glorify the power of the devil, and cause an unhealthy fear of evil spirits. But Jesus is Lord, and we do not need to be afraid of demons!

The fact is, Satan is a defeated foe. As we grow in our understanding of our authority in Christ, we will not be afraid to talk about or engage in the ministry of deliverance.

2. Confusion

There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding that surrounds the whole topic of evil spirits. For example, many believers assume that deliverance must be rarely needed because they have never seen it. Some think that it is only for extreme cases. And it is often believed that once a person is a believer, they will not ever need to be delivered from a demon. But many of the beliefs we have regarding this subject are based more on human logic and tradition than on the Word of God.

We need clear, biblical teaching in this area so that confusion and ignorance will be removed.

3. Stigma

Lastly, there is often a stigma associated with the need for deliverance from demons. Many feel that if they need deliverance, they must be an evil person or something must be terribly wrong with them. They may feel embarrassed, or that they will be misunderstood and looked down upon by others.

There does not need to be any embarrassment or shame associated with a need for deliverance. The Bible speaks plainly and openly about it, and does not try to hide it away as something to be ashamed of. Just look at how Mary Magdalene was described: “Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons” (Luke 8:2). It was looked at as quite normal for a person to need deliverance; certainly not something to be humiliated by.

As we remove the barriers of fear, confusion, and stigma, the way will be paved for many to be set free by the power of God. Deliverance was normal for Jesus; it must be normal for us!