Deliverance!
A Biblical Guide To Freedom from "Another Spirit"
The Possible Consequence of the Unbiblical Practice of "Slain In the Spirit"
by Sandy Simpson, 2/08

Updated 8/30/18!

 

The cases are legion.  Let's look at John (a pseudonym) as one case in thousands that I read through the years in the emails sent to my site.

John attends a "Christian" event where he is told he should have the star "apostle" or "prophet" of the event lay hands on him so he can get the "anointing" and subsequent manifestations to prove he really has it.  John goes forward hoping and praying for the "power" to come on his life that has been so empty of purpose and zealousness, opening himself up to all possibilities.  At the touch of the "apostle" or "prophet," John falls backward, having experienced an electrical-type shock effect.  He finds himself temporarily incapacitated.  He then begins to exhibit one or more of the following "manifestations":

Laughing, crying, shaking, babbling, running around the building, fast dancing, running followed by collapse, a sensation of being stuck to the floor over being so heavy it is impossible to stand up, barking-howling, trances, drunkenness, falling out, oinking, being "hot", fanning self or blowing, walking like chickens, high pitched whine reminiscent of a lively horse, mooing and crowing, swimming in the spirit … on the back and also breaststroke style…, women and men going through imaginary birth pangs, loss of consciousness, trying to soar like eagles, hissing and moving like a snake, inability to speak and involuntary body spasms, Kung fu-like stances, vomiting in the spirit, holy head-banging, stripping, etc.

The exaltation of having experienced something "supernatural" excites John to the core and begins to take hold.  John finds that he wants more and more, so He continues to attend the meetings.  While being slain in the spirit over and over again, John has also become a fan of the “anointed ones” and soaks up all the teachings and actions he can get.  He begins to see the “apostles” as a "holy men of God".  Before long, when someone speaks a cautionary word about one of John's "holy men of God" he tells that person not to judge or to “touch the Lord's anointed”.  This is because John has been taught this defense by the leadership himself.  If someone dares to tell John that his “apostolic” hero is a false teacher or false prophet, and shows them the evidence to back up their claims from the Bible, John tells that person they are demonic, of the devil, a "heretic hunter", a Pharisee, or simply tells them to "go to hell".

By this time John is totally immersed in this new "slain in the spirit" lifestyle.  John ends up spending most of his time at events, and most of his money traveling to them and giving "seed faith" tithes to the movement.  John's belief system alters to fit that of the "apostles" or "prophets" he is following.  Notice that he now follows those other people endorsed by the movement. Things John would never have believed before are now a part of his worldview, and he has been convinced that this is the "new" way of doing things and a "new" wave of teaching beyond the old historical, dusty pages of the Bible.  The new "apostles" and "prophets" are bringing a fresh "Rhema" word to the churches, and those who want to be involved in Joel's Army and not a part of the "Jezebel spirit" must jump in the "river".  John already jumped in and is now encouraging others to do the same.

But privately John is having an inner struggle.  He interprets this struggle as one against the devil because what he is thinking is in opposition to what is being taught and done by his apostolic idols.  Along with this mental struggle of belief, he is also experiencing physical symptoms and emotional upheaval.  He goes to his new friends who follow the same people he is following since there is little chance he can get help directly from his favorite idol, and explains his troubles.  They gather around John and cast out the spirit of Jezebel.  They bind Satan and slay him again in the spirit.  John feels better ... temporarily.  But when he returns home the same doubts resurface.  Weird things begin to happen to him in his home and to his family.  In talking to his new "friends" he learns that this is simply an attack of the enemy and he should shut his mind to any doubts about what is being taught and done in the movement’s events.  They tell him not to read books or online materials that are exposing unbiblical teachings and practices by people in their movement and “quoting them out of context”.  They even get together to pray against the "heretic hunters" and ask God to bring sickness and trouble into their lives until they realize the truth and get slain in the spirit.

All these actions produce a temporary salve for the problems John is facing, but none of them produce a lasting effect.  At this point, John is at a crossroads.

(1) If he continues down the road of the movement eventually his conscience does not bother him about anything they are saying or doing.  He doesn't even think about it anymore.  He becomes a diehard supporter of everything in the Latter Rain, Third Wave or Word of Faith and becomes a "prophet" himself making more "prophets".

(2) But perhaps one day John is presented with evidence he cannot ignore.  His favorite apostle/prophet has made many false prophecies and has never repented of them.  He is teaching things that are so far afield from what the Bible actually teaches that John begins to question what is really going on.  He cannot deny the experiences he had at the hands of his idol, but he also cannot deny that his favorite teacher is teaching falsely and prophesying falsely.  He is thrown onto the horns of a dilemma.  To top all this off, things worsen in his life.  He is becoming even more conflicted, has personal family troubles, is sick a lot, and accidents are far more likely to happen.  Everything in his training under the star is screaming at him that this is the devil trying to tempt him and ruin his life. But since he has never really received any "deliverance" from those who follow the teacher, the thought occurs to him that there might be another answer.  But it is too radical to think about.  He can hardly bring himself to think the thought that "maybe the Holy Spirit has been trying to convict me of sin … maybe the devil really is causing problems in my life, but for the purpose of getting me to follow a false teacher … maybe the Holy Spirit has been at work to try to break through the deception I have allowed in my life and that is the cause of my struggle."  Without telling his friends, who would surely run over to his house and dissuade him, he begins a search of the web for articles having to do with the teacher he has been following.  It isn't too long before he finds a number of sites, some of which are by respected Christian leaders, that show strong documented evidence of false teaching and false prophecy on a consistent basis coming from his idol and movement.  John begins to be afraid.  What if he has allowed "another spirit" a foothold in his life?  How can he be free of this and belong totally to Christ?

Deliverance!

This story is just a compilation of many, many accounts we have been told and our friends and family members have experienced.  If you find yourself in the second category with John there is definitely hope and freedom waiting for you!  Don't despair.  Just realize these things you have become involved in will take time to fade into memory.  You have a rough road ahead, but it is a road to freedom and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's walk that road together for a moment.

Salvation

(1) The most important point to consider, in fact, the crux of the matter, is that you need to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  Why do I say "knowledge"?

John 17:3  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
1 Timothy 2:4  who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:13  But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

Your belief system is the most important thing about you.  If you don’t’ believe at all or believe the wrong things about the Father and the Son you are on your way to hell.  If you believe the right things, then you have eternal life.  If you have been involved in the Third Wave or Word of Faith movement for long, and especially if you were "saved" under their system, it is highly likely you do not know the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  This is because a false concept of salvation, the Trinity, the Son, the Scriptures and His second coming are being taught in the New Apostolic Reformation which encompasses the Third Wave and Word of Faith among other Latter Rain heresies.  You can read about what the true five core doctrines of Christianity are here: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/5doctrines.html

The only way to be free of demonic influence and the sin of self-righteousness and self-deception is to truly believe that we have deliverance from sin, the world, the flesh and the devil through the cross of Christ, God Who came in humnan flesh.  I would be remiss at this point if I did not present the Gospel so we have a basis to know what we must do to be saved.

Acts 16:30-31  He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved— you and your household."

What we must "do" is believe.  Without the conviction of the Holy Spirit Who opens our eyes to our sin and need of the Savior we would never know what to "do".  But when a person has heard the true Gospel message and Jesus Christ knocks at the door of our hearts, we have a choice.  To be saved we must believe and believe rightly.  Let's step through the Gospel.

Who is God?

... He is the Creator who made everything and still holds it together.  He is involved right now in His world. The Bible says:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth...He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." Acts 17:24-25

... God wants to be our Father.  This was His purpose in creating man -- to have a family He could love and who could love Him in return. The Bible says:

 

In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:5

 

... God the Father is changeless and trustworthy.  He loves us with an everlasting love.  When we become His children we are safe.  He will never fail us or forsake us. The Bible says:

 

"I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

 

... God created heaven as a beautiful home where He and His children could live together forever in peace. The Bible says:

 

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.  They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain." Revelation 21:3-4

 

What is sin?

...God's beautiful plans for men were spoiled by the entrance of sin and shame.  Sin began with the pride and rebellion of some of the angels of God.  They were thrown out of heaven and became Satan and the evil spirits.

...Sin and shame came upon man when Satan tempted Adam and Eve, the first people.  Because of their pride and rebellion, they disobeyed God's command.  They chose to obey Satan instead of God.

... The result of Adam and Eve's sin was:

- they were ashamed before God for the first time
- their relationship with God was broken
- all men became sinners because of them
- all men are condemned to die and be eternally
separated from a holy God
- no one could go to the heaven God made for them;
all must go to hell.

The Bible says:

 

"Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men because all sinned...For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 5:12, 3:23

 

...Sin is the result of falling to temptation like Adam and Eve did.  It is disobeying and displeasing God.  We sin when we do what we know we shouldn't do.  We also sin when we don't do what we should do. The Bible says:

 

"When tempted no one should say,'God is tempting me.'For God cannot be tempted by sin,nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed ... Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." James 1:13-14, 4:17

 

What is salvation?

...God the Father was not willing that we should all die and go to hell.  His plan was to send His Son Jesus to die in our place.  Jesus is the only One who could be our substitute because He is the only One who is sinless and so has no sins for which He must die.  He could die instead of us. The Bible says:

"God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

... Jesus, who is Himself God, was willing to be born as a baby, live on earth, suffer and die on the cross for our sake to fulfill the Father's plan.  The Father's plan was to bring us lost sinners back into His family. The Bible says:

 

"God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them." II Corinthians 5:19

 

... Christ's death on the cross totally defeated all evil powers -- Satan, evil spirits, and death.  His shed blood provides cleansing from sin and power over evil. The Bible says:

 

"Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who has the power of death -- that is, the devil -­ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2.14-15

 

... Jesus rose, from the dead proving His victory over Satan.  He ascended to heaven and is now at the Father's right hand praying for us. The Bible says:

 

Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him because He lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7:25

 

How are we saved?

... There are not many ways to God as some people think.  There is only one way -- the way God has chosen: His own Son! The Bible says:

"Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me."' John 14:6

... Although Christ died for the whole world, this doesn't mean that everyone in the world is automatically saved.  If we want to be children of God we must each be born individually into His family. The Bible says:

 

"In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3

 

... Since our sin separates us from God, we must first repent of our sin.  Repentance means not only feeling sorry for our sin, but also humbling ourselves before God and then turning from our sin. The Bible says:

 

'Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord,  and He will have mercy on him,  and to our God, for He will freely pardon. Isaiah 55:7

 

...Then we must confess all our sins to God and ask Him to forgive them.  Only God can forgive sins against Him. The Bible says:

 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

 

... Next, we need to have faith.  Faith is believing that God hears my prayer and forgives all my sins; that when I ask Jesus to come into my life as Lord and Savior, that He does; that when God says He will make me His child, He really does. The Bible says:

 

"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. I John 1:12

 

... We need to turn our whole lives over to Christ, making a complete commitment to Him and asking Him to be our Lord and Savior.  At the same time, we need to renounce any connection from the past with evil spirits, magic, and witchcraft, claiming the cleansing and protecting power of Jesus' blood. The Bible says:

 

"I know whom I have believed and am convinced  that He is able to guard what I have entrusted  to Him for that day." II Timothy 1:12

 

Here is a sample prayer you can pray.  This prayer is just a sample.  Think of it like the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught the Disciples.  It is not to be prayed verbatim.  No prayer is a magic formula.  What God is looking for is a prayer placing your faith in Him completely for salvation. You must pray your own prayer of faith. 

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness.  I believe that You died for my sins.  I want to turn now from all my sins and any connections with evil from the past.  Please forgive me and wash me clean with Your blood.  I now humbly ask You to come into my heart and life and be my Lord and Master.  I give my life totally into Your hands.  Thank You for Your mercy to me, and for making me a child of the Father.

 

What difference does this decision make in our lives?

...We enjoy the freedom of having our sins cleansed away and no longer being under Satan's control We must sha-re this good news with others so that they, too, can experience this freedom from sin and Satan. The Bible says:

'When the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

... We become members of God's family with Him as our Father, Jesus as our Savior, and all other true Christians as our family members.  It is important to regularly attend a church where you can fellowship with other believers. The Bible says:

 

"You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. Ephesians 2:19

 

...We have the certainty of eternal life - living forever with our Father and our new family. The Bible says:

 

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,  but God's wrath remains on him.  " John 3:36

 

... The Christian has the Holy Spirit, who is God, living within him.  He is the Christian's Guide, Teacher, Comforter and the One who shows him his sin.  We need to fellowship with the Father and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit each day by reading our Bibles. The Bible says:

 

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my (Jesus') name, will teach you all things. and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

 

... As Christians we can come at any time to Christ to ask for His forgiveness for our present sins and failures, and to ask His help in times of need.  We need to spend time in prayer every day for these things. The Bible says:

 

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy  and find grace to help us in our hour of need  Hebrews 4:16

 

The beginning of deliverance!

After taking this first step of repentance of sin and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, let me give you a good resource for Christian growth: ABC's For Christian Growth - Laying The Foundation by J. Hampton Keathley III, Biblical Studies Press,1996. For further Bible study, I recommend the following site: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/biblestudies.html

After you have tested yourself to see if you are in the Faith (2 Cor. 13:5) and have believed in the true Jesus Christ of the Bible, you will be free to ask the Lord Jesus Christ for deliverance and forgiveness.  One important aspect of this process is that you repent of your sins of false belief and self-deception.

Ac 3:19  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

You must fully acknowledge that you have been led astray by false teachers who are actually working out the plans of the enemy and that you may well have been demonically oppressed.  Lay those things at the cross and die to them!  Understand that in the cross of Christ we have victory over death, hell, and the enemy.

 

1 John 5:4-5  for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
1 Cor. 15:55-57  "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" {Hosea 13:14} The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Col 2:15  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

 

The power of deliverance is not in some laying on of hands, but through the cross of Christ.  There are no magic words of deliverance, only words of confession, belief, trust, and repentance.  You must stand on the promises of God's Word and in the power of the cross over demonic influence.  You must separate yourself from false teachers and the false anointing.

 

2Co 6:17  "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
Ro 16:17   I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

 

This is a very important step.  You must no longer associate with the apostle and movment you were following or his followers.  You must leave the church you were attending that was promoting these things.  Then you need to find a good church.

Find a church that is Bible-believing and Christ-centered -- that is a church that considers the Bible to be the highest authority in all matters of Faith and practice instead of new revelation, and the main focus is on Christ and not the Holy Spirit, Who Himself focuses our worship and attention on Jesus. Write an email or call the pastor of the church you want to check and ask him for his doctrinal statement. You should also ask him what his position is on the Toronto Blessing, Brownsville, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Church Growth, Emerging Church, the Third Wave/New Apostolic Reformation, etc..  If you are given any response other than that they reject and stand against those teachers and teachings, then don't bother with that church.  Find a smaller church that has not gotten into any wacky stuff, or a good home bible study, not cell group.  Get into the written Word and pray.  Ask the Lord to give you His wisdom and understanding on these matters.  That means you will have to put some time into Bible study and reading articles on the movements.  Seek out someone who can help you who is a mature Christian.  Be careful of most Pentecostal denominations today because many are compromised, but there are still a few that hold to orthodox doctrines.  Stay away from United Pentecostals, International Church of Christ, Brownsville, Vineyards.  They are apostate cults.  Some denominations to check for good churches would be Calvary Chapel, Evangelical Free, North American Baptist, Congregational Christian Churches (CCCC), Conservative Baptist, some Southern Baptist, some independent churches.  But be sure to test each individual church because even some of the denominations mentioned above have churches that are compromised.  Be sure they are not into the C. Peter Wagner organizations like the New Apostolic Reformation, Mission America, Lighthouse, cell church, YWAM etc. Stay away from megachurches, particularly those that are using the "Church Growth" models of Bill Hybels/Willow Creek, Robert Schuller, Rick Warren and C. Peter Wagner.  Finding a good church can be daunting in some areas because so many churches are compromised these days.  Some are open and upfront about being involved in the Third Wave, but be aware that many will be deceptive about their level of involvement. Still, others don't realize they are already accepting many of those false doctrines.  Stay away from churches that play Vineyard and Hillsong music constantly with songs that talk about a great end times revival, the "river", and treat the Holy Spirit like a pantheistic force.  Stay away from those that urge people to pray the prayer of Jabez, support Promise Keepers, have Healing Rooms, use Cleansing Stream, do Theopostic counseling, run Cell Groups, etc.  You do need fellowship, but be sure that fellowship is with true believers, not heretics. Come fo my site and read the sites of the authors linked there: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/

Here are a few other articles you might find helpful in finding a good church:

http://www.catholicconcerns.com/Former/Church.html
http://www.letusreason.org/CultHOM.htm
http://www.christian-witness.org/active/goodchurch.html

If you still have problems with demonic oppression due to being slain in the spirit, seek out godly counsel from someone who has not been in the movement and has experience with these issues.  There are many fine discernment and apologetics ministries out there that you can contact.  For a list of them, go to http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/actauthorlist.html or check the ACT web site http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/page4.html and contact authors from there.  You may also want to avail yourself of some principles of deliverance http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/heresy.html#Guiding%20Principles.

If you are struggling with these issues you are welcome to contact me also via at ditc@hotmail.com.  I and many others have been privileged to help hundreds if not thousands of people worldwide who have gone through very similar circumstances related to demonic influence brought on by following false teachers.  Don't feel like you are alone.  You are not.  Many of us have been through issues that resemble your own.

I hope these precepts have been a help to you.  Please begin a regular regimen of searching the Scriptures daily and reading the articles on the http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/ because you need to have your worldview changed to a Biblical one.  Then you will be able to stand and resist the devil.