Does going for deliverance mean I am possessed?
Text: Obadiah 1:17; Galatians 1:4
At salvation, Christians are at various levels depending on the degree of their involvement with the devil before conversion (whether through sin, crime or occultism). The three main categories of unbelievers at salvation are:
(a) Plain unbelievers who were just under the general bondage of hell through sin. So at salvation, they get free instantly as they surrender their lives to Christ (Col. 1:13). All they need to do is to come to the knowledge of the truth of God’s word, and walk by faith (Gal. 5:1).
(b) In this class are demonized unbelievers who have signed an accord with the devil via witchcraft; through involvement with familiar spirits, water spirits, false churches, witch doctors, occultic centers, idolatry, negative covenants with the devil, etc.
Once you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, don’t try to imitate the detestable things those nations do. There must not be anyone among you who passes his son or daughter through fire; who practices divination, is a sign reader, fortune-teller, sorcerer, or spell caster; who converses with ghosts or spirits or communicates with the dead. All who do these things are detestable to the Lord! It is on account of these detestable practices that the Lord your God is driving these nations out before you.
Deutoronomy 18:9-12
(c) This includes unbelievers that at one point or the other sought help from the devil either directly or by proxy to gain freedom from curses, negative ancestral linkages, fear of the future, money, power etc.
Examples of various demonic activities and avenues include:
- Necromancy –consulting the dead
- Horoscope – checking of stars (e.g. Leo, Libra, Capricorn, etc.) is demonic. Jesus is your star.
- Cutting covenants knowingly (e.g. being initiated into witchcraft, occultic groups, etc) or Unknowingly (e.g. taking concoctions from false priests and juju centres, or through incision marks etc)
- Palm-reading, magic mirror/rings, Ouija board, voodoo etc
- Initiation into the spirit world by parents, guardians, friends etc.
All these must be broken off in the life of a child of God and to achieve this, there is need to renounce former legal transactions contracted, else the devil will use this stronghold to keep operating in that person’s life and to set yourself free as a believer, you will need the anointing (Isaiah 10:27) to break such yokes of the devil.
If you are still not sure if this is for you,the presence of the following and more indicates that you may be harboring an activity of the enemy knowingly or unknowingly:
- Incision marks on the body
- Dreams of getting involved with water spirits – swimming and/or having sex in dreams
- Frequent eating in dreams with a group of people, drinking of blood or eating meat (human flesh) in dreams
- Sexual perversion in dreams
- Contamination through places of worship e.g. coloured garment churches or by receiving instructions from false prophet and Fulani predictions etc
- Recurring sickness at certain periods that is like a cycle, e.g. every two years, or towards school exams or during social functions, etc
- Being pressed down in sleep, etc
* You need to take note that the devil works with shame and secrecy. If one has been involved legally with darkness and he keeps it secret, he won’t be free.
The hidden works of darkness must be renounced and exposed.
Don’t cover them up
See these examples of true conversion in Acts 19:18-20. You cannot combine two covenants (of God and the devil’s), you cannot drink two kinds of blood. If you are for Jesus Christ, then you must be for him alone. 1 Cor. 10:14-17
Deliverance is on three levels, according to the degree of severity:
(1) Oppression – this is when someone’s body or physical/tangible things are afflicted or assaulted by demons contrary to his will maybe in sickness, certain unusual deformities, unexplained losses and failure etc. e.g. Lk. 13:10-16.
(2) Obsession: this is when someone’s mind has been captivated by a demon spirit. A demon camouflaging as a negative thought, can’t be stopped e.g pornography, envy, negative thinking etc. It is such a strong compelling force of evil that can drive the person to any evil act.
(3) Possession: this is when an individual is indwelt by a demon spirit and it is controlling his/her life from within his spirit; as in lunatics, witchcraft, etc.
The good news is that the yoke can be broken!
- Through the anointing – Is. 10:27.
- Through the power in the word of God and renewing your mind in it – Rom. 12:1-2.
- Through holy living and a decision not to return to acts that gave entry to those unclean spirits
It had been in the original plan of God that we being delivered from the hands of our enemies, we may be able to serve Him freely (Lk. 1:73-78). Hence, it is the will of God as seen in Obadiah 1:17, and promised in Isa. 10:27 for you to be free.
It is worthy to note here that deliverance comes only by Jesus Christ and in His name alone (Jn. 8:36.) Therefore, come out from among them (past associations of sin or sinful habits, practices and tendencies) willingly for your will is upmost in gaining freedom from the tyranny of the enemy. The Lord has promised to receive you and deliver you (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
A born again Christian cannot be possessed with demons and a possessed person cannot claim to be born again at the same time until the demons are ejected.
If you are not saved; or have not received Jesus Christ into your life as your saviour and Lord, you can do so today by asking Jesus into your life and accepting the sacrifice he made with his blood by dying on the cross after which he resurrected on the third day so that you can now have free access to God as your Father. Ask Him to forgive you of all your sins and receive him as your Lord to guide you in all affairs of life.
Also, if you were once saved but at one point or the other, returned to your old self and cannot really say you stand for Christ anymore, it is time to rededicate your life back to Christ and receive free zeal and fire to burn for Him.
At this point, I guess we have all certified the status of our salvation and can now move on to securing lasting freedom from the works of the enemy. First off, with your mouth, willingly and willfully renounce any known membership or association with the devil and break every covenant with the kingdom of darkness. Dedicate yourself to the Lord by pledging your loyalty to Him
It will be necessary to locate your pastor and request to be ministered deliverance especially if you were once in conscious partnership with the enemy. Feel free to contact us for counselling on issues that bother you. Don’t be deceived: Salvation is only a prerequisite to deliverance!
After deliverance what next?
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he come, he finds it swept and garnished. Then goes he, and take to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Luke 11:24-26
- Get filled with the word. There is no vacuum in the spirit: once an evil spirit is cast out that space must be adequately occupied by the Word of God stored in your heart Ps 119:11. If you are new to Christianity and you struggle with studying your bible and other Christian activities, watch out for our post: New in Christ
- Get filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the God Head who enables us live that life of faith in constant communion with God. Accepting Him into your heart with the evidence of speaking in tongues would be one of your greatest assets as a child of God.
- Apply the blood of Jesus often. The blood of Jesus can be compared to a sanitizer that keeps every where clean. The devil will try hard to get back at you with fearful thoughts and ideas or even symptoms. Establish your freedom by turning down his offer by the blood of Jesus. Take authority over them especially if they bordered around past sinful habits and cravings
- Avoid doing acts that attracts demons i.e. works of the flesh as seen in Gal. 5:19-21
* You are not to be afraid of demons! You have authority over them – Lk. 10:1-9, Mk. 16:16-17 because Jesus has conquered Satan! – Col. 2:15, I John 3:8.
We would love to hear from you especially if you desire to be be baptized with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Contact us today.
See you next time
Join us for the School of Calling everyday in the month of May at 6 -7am GMT+1
Live streaming of all the sessions are available here
The Anointed Daughters of Destiny 