It was a sunny afternoon somewhere in the South of Nigeria. I had been on the road for a couple of hours, and I was quite tired. I walked into the little room we were using for a college ministry to speak with two students that needed counseling. I sat down to speak with them, and having listened to them for a while, I discerned that the issues they both had were caused by demons. I proceeded to explain to them using scriptures that they needed deliverance. One of them stood and said she doesn’t need deliverance; she explained that she was a Christian and there was no way she could have a demon in her life. After some time, I asked them if I could pray with them—they both agreed. After about 2 minutes of prayer, demons started to manifest through both young ladies. They screeched as the demons cried out. I laid my hands on them and commanded the demonic spirits to leave them in the name of Jesus. They soon left after some minutes of speaking the word of God.
The ministry of deliverance
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Mathew Chapter 10 verse 8).
The command to cast out devils which Jesus gave his disciples over 2000 years ago is still relevant today. If there were demons at that time, then there must be today. Many people are faced with all manner of demonic oppression, but because a large part of the church has not understood deliverance, we often medicate them or just counsel them. Well, you can’t counsel a demon away; you have to cast it out!
I have personally been involved in many deliverance sessions and I have seen people transformed once the spirits that tormented them are casted away in the name of Jesus. The western world is plagued today with all manner of demonic oppression: suicide, sexual immorality, depression, anxiety, etc. Isn’t it strange that the most medicated generation has been the most depressed generation? Because the church for the most part has not understood deliverance, we just counsel people or medicate them when most of them actually need to be set free from tormenting spirits.
When Jesus met the demon-possessed man of Gadarenes, he cast out the demons and the man became free (Luke 8:26-39). A man who had been insane for many years suddenly became sane. No amount of medication could have saved this man, but one encounter with Jesus saved him from years of torment.
The church needs to get back the ministry of deliverance. It pains me to see people let the enemy destroy their marriages, families, and ministries because they could not discern the movements of the enemy. They could not see when that old serpent crept in to ruin their lives. A lot of churches have become business organizations where all they do is talk without demonstrating the power of God. Some ministers have never seen the sick healed or demons cast out of people. Do you go to a hospital to see a doctor and expect to just get counseled about managing your disease? A doctor is employed to solve medical problems. If you are a minister and you are not setting the oppressed free, it's time to go on your knees and ask the Lord to anoint you with his power and authority!
Look around you and see how messed up people are. If the church does not arise and start to war with principalities and powers as we have been instructed to, then don’t criticize people when they do all manner of crazy things. The reason the world has gone crazy is because the church has lost her authority. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Our fight is not against some community or the far left. Our fight is against demonic principalities who have made it their business to twist the minds of men! (Ephesians 6:12). We are fighting a spiritual battle, so rise up, take up your armor, and start fighting.
Rume Kpadamrophe is a graduate student at the University of South Carolina. Before leaving Nigeria, he mentored several youths in prophetic, intercession, and evangelism. He is a revivalist, a writer, a researcher, and an enthusiastic lover of revival history. He desires to see revival ignited and sustained in the nations of the earth. He currently serves as the president of The Carolina Church, a campus ministry at the University of South Carolina.Rume’s email is rumekpadamrophe@yahoo.com.