Spirit and Truth Ministries
Report on a Demonic Deliverance
by Don Hawley
December 16, 1998
A Christian gentleman, sensing demonic activity in one John Doe, sent Doe to meet with me. Since that man didn’t know just how to handle the situation himself, he asked God to "put the demon in a box" until it could be dealt with thoroughly. It appeared God had answered that simple request, as Doe experienced some peace.
When John Doe arrived in my area, I didn’t refer to the problem. I wanted Doe to indicate his strong desire for help by initiating the procedure himself. This he did.
I explained to Doe—a born again Christian—that since the Holy Spirit possessed him, he could not also be possessed by demons. However, I pointed out that if he had in some way invited the demonic into his life, then demons actually could indwell him and cause the great difficulty he had experienced for years. I further explained that it is possible, by our actions, to give demonic beings a legal right to enter and harass. As we examined Doe’s life it became evident that he had several times left himself wide open to such harassment.
For years Doe had been so controlled by the demonic that his growth in Christ was much hampered. He’d lived for years with an all-pervading fear, and now he approached our encounter fearfully. Still, he felt impelled to proceed.
We brought up each "door" he had opened for the demonic, and he assured me he had repented for those particular errors. We each confessed our own inability to deal with the demonic except under the authority of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. I then began the process of exorcism, addressing the demons directly. Although I’m not in favor of long, dramatic arguments with demons, I do believe there is much to be gained by forcing them, in the name of the Lord, to confess their presence and to identify themselves. They respond, reluctantly, by giving their area of activity such as "greed" or "anger."
Of course demons are not cooperative. They do not want to lose their place of abode, especially if it is of long standing. They’ll resist admitting even their existence, and won’t name themselves if they can avoid doing so. Under the direct command of Christ, however, they have no choice but to confess.
Sometimes demons actually speak through the vocal cords of the person under attack, but this time they didn’t. As I kept pressing, Doe began to exhibit agitation and extreme discomfort. Instead of responding to me directly, the demons told Doe of their presence and activity. The first to so manifest was "fear," and Doe shared that information with me.
With continued pressure, a demon of "lust: also made his presence known. By this time the demons were making themselves physically felt, and we knew that the demonic activity we had suspected was a reality. This was no figment of the imagination. As I addressed them by name, a demon would rise up and come within a hair’s breadth of leaving Doe’s body. Then Doe would say, "He’s gone." By this he didn't mean the demon had been expelled, but that it had retreated into a safer area.
This occurred more than once, and then Doe was given the knowledge that neither "fear" nor "lust" was the demon in charge. At this time I began to press for the acknowledgement and name of the "strongman." This resulted in Doe experiencing a wrenching in his stomach that was almost more than he could bear.
At one point Doe said to me, "They are very angry at you." I said I was sure they were, and responded "I am very angry with you (the demons). I’m not afraid of you; the blood of Christ covers me, and you have no power over me. You are the ones in trouble."
So enervating was the battle for Doe, that we were tempted to postpone our warfare for a later time. Instead we pressed on. We had come so close, and yet without full results. At last certain things transpiring elsewhere interrupted our session, and we quit for the night. I told the demons not to feel secure; their days were numbered. We would not back off until they were handed a total defeat; we would be back. The elapsed time was about two-and-a-half hours.
By the time Doe and I could resume the battle the following day, we were both so tired (from other activities) we wondered if we should enter into a strenuous encounter. Although weary, we both agreed we needed to get this matter settled.
This time I took a different approach. The day before I had been the one addressing the demons, and Doe was uninvolved except for passing along information he was given. This time I became the observer, as I directed Doe in carrying out his own exorcism. I explained that with this approach he would be able, if necessary, to deal with the demonic himself. He would not be dependent on me.
I asked Doe—in his own words—to admit to, repent of, and rebuke all previous activities that could have given demons permission to enter his body. The battle began to rage in earnest. We reached a point where Doe was so oppressed by the demonic struggle, that he later described it as "horrible pain. They really beat up on me." Still he wanted freedom enough to persist regardless.
During this activity Doe was told that the master demon, up to now able to remain anonymous, actually was "deceit." I explained that they now had no place to hide, and although Doe was experiencing fear, the demons were terrified. They were on their way out and knew it.
Now I encouraged Doe to command the demons to leave in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. In doing so he said, "I command you, spirit of deceit, to leave—along with the others as well." Less than a minute later a smile broke over Doe’s face, and he actually laughed softly. It was over. We were surprised how quietly and quickly it ended. When the Savior speaks, demons must obey without question.
Although excited about Doe’s new freedom, we took time to praise the Lord for his goodness. And to notify the defeated demons there was no use coming back to check Doe out for possible reinstatement. He would hold his victory precious, and he now knew how to deal himself with whatever they might attempt to bring against him.
We serve a mighty God, and he does not want us oppressed. Christians, even knowledgeable ones, seldom realize how common is demon harassment. We need to become aware, and take away the ability of the demonic to slow our growth in Christ. The final battle for this earth looms just ahead, and we need to be ready to play our role without restraint.