Guest article courtesy http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2012/spring/contesteduniverse.html?paging=off
Have you encountered something in ministry that you would say was clearly demonic?
There are many examples, but let me select two. One evening I spoke on demonism, and then invited everybody who’s ever been in involved in the occult to come to a special room. I wanted to give them group counsel, along with our elders and pastoral staff who were on hand to help. We had about 20 or 30 people that stayed afterwards. I began the session by saying, “Do not leave this room, no matter how much pressure you feel to leave.” I knew that some people have demons that agitate them, and they often want to flee the room. They want nothing to do with confrontation or deliverance.
Almost immediately a young woman gets up to leave. I’d never seen her before. She started grabbing at her husband’s coat and saying, “Let’s get out of here.” I turned to her and said, “I want you to come back. I want you to sit in the front seat right here.” And she did. She sat down and stayed. You have to take authority like that, because some people are bound and feel too weak to overcome the evil spirit they are battling with.
Afterward, another pastor and I counseled her. As we questioned her, she told us how she had been brutally date-raped, and we wondered if during that horrific event there had been a transfer of evil spirits. So we began to pray, and we encouraged her to renounce any sins and the devil. She was filled with self-hatred, and when we asked if she thought she was responsible for the rape, she began to weep uncontrollably, nodding her head in agreement as she was unable to speak. It was then we were sure we had uncovered the lie she was believing. When we assured her that God did not hold her responsible for what happened and that her self-hatred was demonic, she immediately felt the darkness lift, and when she prayerfully embraced the truth, the demon was forced to leave. Thankfully, she cooperated with us throughout these prayers of renunciation and confession. It’s very difficult to help anyone if they don’t cooperate. But finally, to the glory of God, she left a free woman.
The next Sunday she came to me, and I hardly recognized her because she was so joyful. I gave her a hug and weeks later she wrote me one of the loveliest letters that I ever received in the ministry. It’s one of those things that you treasure. She thanked us that she was free of this evil presence that had dogged her all this time, and you can only think about what a difference it made in her marriage. It brought tears to my eyes.