deliverance

A Divine Interruption

A Divine Interruption

Are you ready for a Divine Interruption? I don't know your situation, I don't know what you need right now. Maybe right now in your life things are kind of "blah". Or maybe you're facing pressures that you've never had before and somewhere in the midst of your life you need God to interrupt you. You need something fresh and dynamic that will change your life forever.

Deliverance - Ministry Environment

Deliverance - Ministry Environment

“And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’” (Acts 19:15). Demons understand authority. Without accountability there is no authority. Accountability empowers authority by establishing unity. Our authority comes from the Father through Jesus Christ. Our accountability is to the Holy Spirit in obedience to God’s Word. And our unity with one another is through the blood of Jesus. Within the local church all must be accountable to pastoral leadership. Apart from that, chaos ensures. To have a successful deliverance ministry, those who are involved must be accountable to spiritual authority.

Deliverance - Covering, Teaching, & Training

Deliverance - Covering, Teaching, & Training

In any church, for deliverance ministry to have success it must have the full support of the senior pastor. This ministry cannot be placed in the hands of those who seek to build their own little kingdoms. For all the great benefits that come from legitimate deliverance, it can also attract the weird and the wacky, giving deliverance a bad reputation. The pastoral leadership must heed the scriptural admonition, “Recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,” (1 Thess. 5:12, NKJV).

5 Habits of a Dysfunctional Deliverance Ministry

5 Habits of a Dysfunctional Deliverance Ministry

Over the years I have noted the marks of a healthy deliverance ministry within the church – and some of the characteristics that lead to disaster. Below are five habits of a highly dysfunctional deliverance ministry:

1. Believe that only the gifted can minister deliverance. What you don’t want in your church is an elitist hit squad of God’s Special Forces going around seeking whom they may deliver. Having said that, you do want well-trained mature believers who can be called together at required times to minister in the love and power of Jesus Christ. I have found that some of the best-trained people were once those who needed deliverance the most – high-maintenance individuals who are now healthy, functioning believers who are being used by God to help others.

Deliverance - Lifestyle

Deliverance - Lifestyle

Some would suggest that deliverance ministry merely caters to weak-minded Christians looking for a quick fix. Hospital emergency rooms and ICUs are filled with people who need a “quick fix.” Some arrived there through their own fault and others by accident. In either case, they probably need to have some long-term rehabilitation once they are past the critical stage.

In the same way, deliverance offers a needed operation that must be followed up with long-term lifestyle changes.

Deliverance - Extra Baggage

Deliverance - Extra Baggage

Most believers carry “extra baggage” from the past into their Christian walks. And although we have been perfected through His work on the cross, there is still a work to be done – a process – as I am being sanctified (see Heb 10:14). This sanctification process does not go unchallenged by Satan.