“When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.” Mark‬ ‭9:25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Have you ever been praying for a sick person, and nothing seems to be working? You tried all of your best prayers, confessed Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24, and nothing seems to happen? Or, they seem to have symptomatic relief, but it the sickness returns just as bad? The problem you’re having may not even be physical, which is the case more often than you might think.

Follow the Holy Spirit

Now, I probably don’t need to say this too much, but let me stress it really quick. You really need to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey Him. He will show you wether or not there is a spirit involved, in the person you are ministering to’s, sickness.

Very early on, when I was first seeing healings, I worked with a man, I’ll call him Doug. (not his name) I was in the kitchen one day, and he came down for something. I had music playing and I said to him, “hey is this too loud?” He said “oh I don’t know, I can’t hear very well out of my right ear.” So I asked him, “hey, can I pray for you?” He said “if you want… I’m up for anything at this point. Ten years ago, I was at the beach and a wave hit my right ear and punctured a hole in my eardrum.”

Stop right there. You may be thinking, “but Lee, this is obviously just a physical healing problem, not a spiritual one.” That’s what I thought too. So, later in the day when I actually had a chance, me and another Christian friend from work decided to pray for him. (Note, Doug is not a believer, and he is also a practicing homosexual.) So we started to pray for him, and I put my hand near his ear. I felt as though I should pray in this way, “Spirit of deafness come out. Ear be healed in Jesus name.” Doug then said “why is my ear so warm? Oh my God it’s so hot! What’s happening??” I was SUPER hype at this point. I pointed at him and said “DUDE! JESUS IS HEALING YOUR EAR RIGHT NOW!” After his ear cooled off he grabbed his headphones and played music in his ears. He looked at me and said “it sounds the same in both ears. What happened?” I then shared the gospel with him. I’m still praying that God would show Himself to Doug once again. The Holy Spirit was at work, revealing things to me, and I was hardly even aware of it. The key here is to pay attention to His leading. Keep up your relationship with Him. This isn’t a method or a program. He is our best friend.

Demons?

A large chunk of the world, and even the church doesn’t even believe that demons exist. Which I don’t understand, they are in the Bible. Everywhere. So many people have strange diseases that are seemingly incurable, and we have no idea what to do about them. Doctors visit after doctors visit, prescription after prescription, and we still don’t know what’s going on.

I do understand that not all sickness is demonic, but not all sickness is caused by natural means either. The forces of darkness are on a mission to stop the church from ever being effective. Deliverance is like taking land back for the king. In war, there are strongholds and keeps that keep the enemy safe, and a stronghold can be good or bad. Normally they are referred to as a bad thing. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:3-4‬

Think of how effective a person becomes when the Holy Spirit creates His stronghold. That “land” becomes vacant of demons, and occupied with God. The Lord sets up His attack point, and it is from that person. He ever increasingly fortifies them, and the enemy wishes he would have destroyed that person when he had the chance.

So, we want to take ground, but the ground may be occupied with some demons. (yes, even if they are Christians) Demons do not play fair. They make promises they don’t keep. They tell lies all the time. They cause sickness, disease, and torment. We have to cast out demons. It is a command, NOT a suggestion. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:17‬a

If you move, you lose

Here is a simple, but practical way to know if someone’s illness or pain is caused by a demon. When you pray for the afflicted area of their body, and the pain or illness moves, it’s a spirit. Tell that thing to leave in the name of Jesus. Use your authority as a believer! There have been quite a few times where I’ve prayed for people who say “I’ve had this problem for months (weeks, years etc) and people have prayed for me, the problem goes, and comes right back.” They don’t have a physical problem, they have a spiritual problem. Usually I will say some like this, “Spirit of affliction (or infirmity, depending on the Holy Spirit’s lead) come out in Jesus’ name.” And they are healed. Sometimes it takes persistence. Don’t give up on the person you are praying for.

I don’t usually run into demons who talk through people. (although, it is real and I’ve experienced it a few times) You may not run into many screamers either, but don’t put it out of the picture. Sometimes they do manifest. Keep praying. Keep commanding it to leave in Jesus name. You want this person to be free, or healed as we are talking about here.

Not about us anymore

Since we’ve surrendered our lives to the king, we are doing His service. We can’t live life on our terms. This is a kingdom, and king Jesus is the prime example of what Christianity looks like. Follow His lead, and let’s set people free.

Jesus bless you, and I hope you enjoyed this!