Demon Possession and Deliverance in Clinical Practice

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Demon Possession and Deliverance in Clinical
Practice
Willliam P. Wilson, MD Distinguished Professor of
Counseling Houston Graduate School of Theology
(NC) Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry Duke
University Medical Center
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Demonization

• Christianity as a moral force has lost its
  influence.
• Heresy and apostasy are rife
• People are worshiping false gods
• The authority of the Bible has been compromised
• Universalism has become a common belief
• The supernatural is rejected
• The reality of personified evil is rejected

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Supernaturalism
Cosmology

• Norbert Wiener and others have stated that there
  are 7 dimensions of existence. Three of these
  are supernatural
• Thinking about thinking provides evidence of the
  supernatural in our lives
• Jesus resurrection was a supernatural event
• Jesus could appear and disappear in a
  supernatural way after his resurrection
• His wounds could be seen and felt
• He could eat food
• He ascended into heaven

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Supernaturalism
Continued

• Jesus apperared to Paul after he had ascended
  into heaven
• In his commissioning of Paul he told him he was
  to turn people from the devil to God
• Paul was taken up to the third heaven and
  witnessed inexspressible things

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Satan and the Supernatural
Evil

• Evil exists and man has always wanted to control
  it.
• Most nations have tried to control it. There are
  universal taboos
• Modern society has thought it could control it by
  joining forces with it
• The Bible is clear in its statement that evil
  entered the world through Satan.
• But few people today believe that Satan exists.
  This is true of the theological and mental health
  professions
• Therefore, there is no spiritual warfare

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Evidence
Biblical exegetes

• There are a number of prominent theologians who
  have written extensively about him.
• Barnhouse
• Unger
• Koch
• Pentecost
• Davies
• All have carefully exegeted the biblical
  evidence related to Satan.

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Mental Health Attitudes

• Most theologians, pastors, and secular mental
  health professionals do not believe that Satan
  exists.
• Most Christian mental health professionals
  equivocate or do not speak of Satan because they
  do not want to suffer the derision or rejection
  of their unregenerate colleagues
• Some do take Satan seriously

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Satans Strategy

• He convinces people he does not exist
• He convinces people that God does not exist.
• He tells us we we can be like God.
• We are hardwired to seek a god
• He then offers us false gods
• He convinces people that the Bible has no
  authority
• He gets people to become so preoccupied with
  Demons that his reality appears foolish

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Satans Strategy

• Barnhouse quotes Baudelaire and De Rougemont as
  saying his cleverest stratagem is to convince the
  world he does not exist.
• The Bible speaks about him and his works in many
  places.

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Satans Strategy
Continued

• He spreads false knowledge. Myths (Kraft)
• Christians cannot be demonized (false)
• Many people are possessed by demons (few)
• Demonization is really all psychological (J.
  White)
• All emotional problems are are caused by demons
  (false)
• Demonization is uncommon in the US (False)
• Only persons with special gifting can cast out
  demons (false)
• Deliverance always entails a big fight (rarely)

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Satans Stratgegy
Continued

• The demonized speak in different voices (only
  those who are truly possessed)

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The Truth About Satan

• An evil supernatural person really exists. Jesus
  said so, and the Bible is explicit in speaking of
  his existence from beginning to end
• He has supernatural followers that are organized
• Rulers-over countries
• Principalities-over states and cities
• Powers-over areas
• Demons-foot soldiers

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The Truth About Satan
Continued

• Satan is a created being
• His troops are created beings
• God and his son Jesus have power over them and
  they can do nothing without his permission
• Satan has personality characteristics
• He is a murderer
• He is a liar
• He is the author of temptation
• He is a great imitator

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The Truth about Satan
Continued

• He is the ruler of the world
• He rules the lives of unregenerate people
• He seeks to destroy all people because we are
  created in the image of God
• He is an evangelist. He wants all people to
  worship him

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Nosology of Demonization

• Demon Possession
• Oppression
• Obsession (fanaticism)
• Satanic possession

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Portals of Entry

• They may be invited in
• They may enter when a person in a state of
  rebellion pays satanically contrived games
• They gain entry and influence through strongholds
• Any habitual way of thinking or behaving that is
  contrary to Gods law. It may be personal or
  cultural
• Belonging to occult groups
• Attendance at occult ceremonies

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Other Views
Attributing too much to Satan

• Hammonds
• Emotional problems
• Mental problems
• Speech problems
• Sex problems
• Addictions
• Physical infirmities
• Religious error
• Bobgans list over 200 demons

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Other Views
Recent more temperate views

• Don Basham agreed essentially with Nevius
• McNutt
• Unger
• Wilson
• Koch
• Charles Kraft
• Neil Anderson

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Criteria for Demonization
Possession According to Nevius

• There is an automatic presentation of a new
  personality in the victim both cognitively and
  behaviorally
• They have names
• They have attributes that harmonize with their
  name
• Facial expressions
• Body posture and movements

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Possession
Continued

• The personality possesses supernatural knowledge
  and intellectual power
• There is a complete change of moral character
• There is a hatred to God and especially to Christ

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Case Report
Possession

• Thirty year old female who had falling spell
  precipitated by asking her if she had made Jesus
  Lord of her life
• Bruised
• Turned violent when help offered
• Facial expression of hate
• Supernatural strength
• Her spells lasted up to 15 minutes

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Oppression
Symptoms

• He robs a person of the joy of their salvation
• He convinces them the essence of Christianity is
  to obey the law
• He instills a supernatural fear of God
• He is the source of temptations
• He creates doubt in the mind of a believer
• They feel a sense of blackness around them

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Case Report
Oppression

• 24 year old Christian worker with a complaint of
  depression
• Dysfunctional home, father committed suicide when
  he was 9. Patient and mother cleaned up
• Medications, spiritual interventions and
  cognitive behavioral therapy of no avail
• Much worse while in China
• Wrote vile descriptions of his parents, but
  claimed he did not do it
• Holy Spirit revealed that he was demon oppressed

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Obsession
Manifestations

• Feel they cannot be saved
• Cannot accept a trinitarian view of God
• Instill a supernatural fear of God making him
  appear super wrathful
• Create chronic doubt
• Constantly bring temptation before the person

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Satanic Possession
A question

• McCanlish Phillips has proposed that Satan
  himself can control a person
• Judas had Satan enter him to cause him to betray
  Christ
• I have seen five persons who meet his criteria
• They are evil looking
• One discerns that they are evil
• The are violently antiChrist
• In many instances they are murderous
• And they may be liars
• They do not meet the criteria for possession

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Case Report
Possible satanic possession

• A prominent layman in a mainline church
• Attended a lay revival
• Was disruptive and encouraged the people in
  attendance to go home
• Threatened lay staff
• Finally threatened me
• Very hostile and evil looking
• When rebuked he finally left

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Deliverance
Application

• Deliverance is to be applied to all forms of
  demonization and satanic possession
• All born again Chistians have the capacity to
  deliver demonized persons
• They have the same power that Jesus had
• All they have to do is to confront the demon or
  discern his presence or influence
• If the demon creates a fuss or acts up you can
  command him to be still
• You must then authoritatively command him by name
  (if you know it) to leave in the name of Jesus
  with no fuss or bother

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Deliverance
Application continued

• If the demon hesitates or refuses to go you can
  command him to go more authoritively and he will
  usually go.
• Some are highly resistant and you have to
  continue to command them to go and remind them
  that they were defeated at the Cross and Jesus
  blood bought the victory
• If you suspect it will be difficult then have
  some prayer backup
• Once they are free, lead them to the Lord or have
  them rededicate their lives if they are already a
  Christian
• Teach them to maintain their spiritual immunity
• The Lords Prayer saying, Adeliver us from the
  evil one_at_ is a good prayer of deliverance

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Personal Care
What the counselor needs to be, know and do

• You must be a mature Christian
• You must maintain your spiritual immunity
• Regularly practice the means of Grace
• Pray
• Remain in the word
• Celebrate the Eucharist
• Praise and worship God regularly
• If so gifted pray in tongues regularly
• Do all things for the glory of God (1Cor1031)

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Some Comments of Use
Taking Satan seriously

• I routinely have a patient who is accepting
  Christ repudiate Satan and all his works
• If I suspect or discern demon possession I have
  the patient say AJesus is Lord._at_ This will cause
  most demons to reveal themselves
• After I finish my work up of a Christian patient
  I pray that all demonic forces be bound and taken
  to Jesus for disposition

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Some Coments of Use
Continued

• If the persons faith is weak I have them
  rededicate their lives to Christ
• And be sure they have been discipled or will be

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Scripture References
Old and New Testaments

• Old Testament
• Genesis 31-15 Enmity Man vs Satan
• Genesis 41-6, 61-10 Man attacked by Satan
• Job 381-7, Ezekiel, Lucifer created
• Psalm 955, Idols are demons
• Deut. 3217, same
• Psalm 1066,7, same
• Leviticus 17-7, same

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Scripture References
2

• Chronicles 1115, same
• Isaiah 1321, 1412, 3414, Same
• New Testament
• Matthew 4 1-12, Satans opposition
• Mark 5 1-10, same
• Matthew 101, Jesus expelled demons
• Matthew 1422,28, Satans opposition again
• Luke 1017,18, same

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Scripture References
3

• James 219, Speaks of demons
• Revelation 920, Same
• Luke 433, 618, Their nature
• 1 Timothy 41, Their activities
• Revelation 1614, Same
• Ephesians 610-20, Their opposition to a believer
• Luke 831, Their abode
• Revelation 911 his name in Greek and Hebrew
• Matthew 2541, Their eternal doom

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References
Three Critical

• Barnhouse, D. G. The Invisible War, Grand Rapids,
  MN Zondervan 1965
• Davies, T.W. Divination and Demonology, London
  James Clark and company, 1998
• Montgomery, J.W. (Ed) Demon Possession,
  Minneapolis MN Bethany Fellowship, 1976

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Dr. Wilsons Addresses
Website WWW.instchristiangrowth.org Email
wpwilson_at_netpath.net

• Mailing address
• Institute of Christian Growth
• Box 2347
• Burlington, NC
• 27216-2347
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