Chapter 12: SelfDeliverance The question is often asked of me, "Can a person deliver himself of demons?" My answer is "Yes", and it is my conviction that a person cannot really keep himself free of demons until he is walking in this dimension of deliverance.

How is it that a person can deliver himself? As a believer (and that is our assumption) he has the same authority as the believer that is moving in deliverance ministry. He has the authority of the name of Jesus!

And Jesus plainly promised them that believe: "In my name shall they cast out devils." (Mark 16:17)

Usually a person needs only to learn how to go about self-deliverance. After a person has experienced an initial deliverance at the hands of an experienced minister he can begin to practice self-deliverance.

He must keep in mind that deliverance is a process. It would be nice if a person could get all indwelling demons out of himself and then forget about them for the rest of his life. But how many of us can keep ourselves completely free?

If we never sinned in thought, word, or deed, there would never have any need for deliverance. Sin opens the door for demons to enter. This is not to say thateach time a person commits a sin a demon enters. Yet, sin is a way by which the door is opened and sometimes it does not take much of an opening.

The biggest problem facing the self-deliveree is that of accurately discerning the spirits. Most persons are prone to confuse demon activities in their lives as merely expressions of human personality. It is not uncommon for a person to react to the discernment of a certain spirit with, "Oh, I thought that was just me." There are those who want to follow the do-it-yourself route so no one will know about hidden sins in their lives. This is not a good motive with which to begin self-deliverance.

The Word teaches us that there is a place for confession:

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16 A few cases have come to light where a strong deceiving spirit controls a person to the point he cannot see anything wrong in self. In such cases the person is unable to receive true discernment about himself. I recall one woman who came on the pretense of wanting deliverance. Her true motive soon came to light. She had come to propagate a false doctrine in which she was caught up. Then she told me that she had "the gift of opening her Bible" to answer questionsfor herself and others. Before she had come that day she had opened her Bible and placed her finger down at random and she received this message: "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole." She had interpreted this to mean that she had no need for deliverance.

During our conference she had revealed that she had lived with a fortune teller for some time during the formative years of her life. The influence of this association had opened her for a "spirit of divination" which operated through her practice of opening the Bible for answers. There have been times when a Christian has received a word from the Lord in this fashion, but when one depends upon this as a primary way of hearing from God he is treading on thin ice.

One does not need to go around thinking demons all of the time. We are to keep our minds on Jesus and things that are true, honest, pure, lovely and of good report.

Yet, when there comes a troubling that is from the evil one we should not hesitate to recognize it for what it is and to deal with it in the authority which our Lord has vested in us. The objective in dealing with the devil is to remove the hindrances to our spiritual fellowship and ministry.

Self-deliverance is experienced in the same way that occurs when a person is ministered to by another. The only difference is that the person delivered in his own minster. He will, by prayer, make his confession to God that he wants no part of the devil and desires the Lord to set him free. The demons will be addressed and called by name, one by one.After he has commanded several times for a specific demon to go in the name of Jesus, he will begin to expel his breath forcefully a few times or to initiate a cough from as deep as possible.

Since the manifestations vary from person to person no simple explanation can be given as to what to expect.

As in other deliverances, This display that accompanies the departure of the demon spirits can vary widely. In my own experience, as soon as I would address the demon I would feel a pressure in my throat followed by coughing and bringing up of phlegm. There would then be a perceptible release that the thing was out. Some individuals are able to accomplish this with greater confidence and aggressiveness than others.

As in other deliverances, This display that accompanies the departure of the demon spirits can vary widely. In my own experience, as soon as I would address the demon I would feel a pressure in my throat followed by coughing and bringing up of phlegm. There would then be a perceptible release that the thing was out. Some individuals are able to accomplish this with greater confidence and aggressiveness than others.