- Charles Carrin
FOR THE FIRST 27 YEARS of ministry I saw no one miraculously delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit. Nor did I expect it. My church members suffered from alcoholism, depression, anger, and other problems, but the only help I provided was in directing them to secular therapy. At the time of my ordination in 1949 “Deliverance Ministry” was definitely not part of the church’s practice. In 1977, however, my personal life and ministry were permanently revolutionized when I experienced deliverance and was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Within a short time “signs and wonders” appeared in my ministry--deliverance was one of them. In the years following, I ministered exorcism to more than 1,000 people privately. Some were pastors who came from out of state. Others were psychiatric patients. That number does not include hundreds more who received freedom in public meetings. During that time, Derek Prince invited me to become part of his Pastors Conference ministry-team and to accompany him to Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and locations in the U.S. His book, They Shall Expel Demons, contains a section on homosexual deliverance he asked me to write.
THE FOREMOST QUESTION in Deliverance Ministry is this one: Did Jesus intend that the modern church continue His work of casting out demons? The answer is found in numerous Scriptures--but one in the Great Commission is primary. Read it carefully:
“Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20.
Jesus clearly expected believers “to the end of the age” to be taught the same truths, maintain the same disciplines, and do the same works, He gave to His original followers. There is no way to avoid the clarity and directness with which He spoke: “Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Language cannot be more explicit. Yes. Jesus intended that the modern church would do the same works as the ancient church. This includes exercising authority over demons and driving them out. To refuse obedience to Christ on this point is as inexcusable as disobeying Him on any other.
30% of Jesus recorded ministry was spent in direct conflict with unclean spirits. The modern Church, in contrast, has a near “zero” percent involvement. In consequence, thousands of Christians suffer from problems affecting them mentally, financially, physically, personally, domestically, and in countless other ways. Christians who fail in their commitment are frequently accused of “backsliding” when that is not the problem. The real problem is that the Church oftentimes never gives them the full benefits of the Cross--specifically, deliverance from demons. Jesus never said there would be an “Apostolic Church and a “Post-Apostolic Church” with different practices, teachings, expectations, and achievement. He established one Church; not two, which was to continue unchanged to the “end of the age.” Whether ancient or modern, Christianity must retain the same love, truth, and power.
Question # 1: Can Christians be possessed by demons? No. Christians cannot be possessed by demons. But, Christians can be oppressed by demons. Demons go anywhere sin and disease go. If a Christian is immune to demons he is immune to sickness and immorality. Obviously, that is not true. The New Testament Greek word diamonidzomai, or its English equivalent, “demonized,” has no connotation of the devil’s ownership; it speaks only of one’s susceptibility to demons and their assault.
Question # 2: Who should have Deliverance Ministry? Christians need to be aware that health problems, emotional instability, aggressive or retarded behavior, persistent failures, etc., may be effectively helped through Deliverance Ministry. Wrong attitudes, ideas, habits, are changed and tragedies sometimes averted.
Question # 3: How do demons enter a person? Sinful acts, ancestral curses, traumas, participation in occult organizations, occult rites, superstition, are some of the ways demons gain access. Hate-groups, uncontrolled anger, mysticism, provide openings.
Question # 4: How is one delivered? Repent of all sin. Forgive everyone. Renounce every occult influence. Surrender to Jesus Christ. Hands should be laid on the person in the Name of Jesus. Rebuke the unclean spirit and command it to go. “Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. Demons respond to authority. Acts 3:6; 4:10. Mark 1:23,24. They do not obey emotion and noise, only authority. Fasting helps. Matthew 17:21.
Question # 5: Who can provide Deliverance Ministry? Jesus said, “These signs will follow those who believe. In My name they will cast out demons ...” Mark 16:17. While every believer is potentially capable of ministering in this authority, not every one is Scripturally informed and prepared.
Question # 6: Can demons re-enter a person after they have been cast out? Jesus taught, “ When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first ..” Matthew 12:43-45.
Question # 7: How does a person protect himself from demonic re-infestation? Demons can only return to an empty, unprotected “house” (person). They cannot enter someone by mere choice. A wilful act of sin must allow their re-entry. If fear replaces faith, it becomes sinful and provides the demon that needed opportunity. Following deliverance, the person must be filled with the Holy Spirit (and remain so), develop a godly lifestyle, become a student of Scripture, and maintain active, worshipful relationship with the Body of Christ.
Question # 8: Are demons able to attack those working in Deliverance Ministry? Jesus said, “Nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19. Demons cannot enter someone by choice; they must have an opening through sin. It is important for those ministering in Deliverance to ask the Holy Spirit’s protection and the covering of Jesus’ blood.
Question # 9: Besides Deliverance, what else does a person need for healthy development? Deliverance from a spirit is usually an immediate, instantaneous experience. Renewal of the mind is not. Following deliverance, it is absolutely essential that the person’s mental attitude be corrected, made healthy, godly, and normal. Patterns of pessimism and skepticism must be broken, negativity replaced by positive, constructive, affirmations of faith. The person’s tongue must be brought under control of the Holy Spirit. Follow-up ministry is vital in every case.
Question 10: Is there proof of benefits of Deliverance Ministry in people-groups and individuals? Yes. In Latin America more than 90% of people saved in public crusades stay committed to the Lord. In North America, more than 90% of people saved in such crusades fall-away. The reason for Latin American success is this: Most people saved in Latin meetings are given immediate Deliverance Ministry. Demons are cast out, family curses are broken, attitudes are changed. Hands are laid on new converts to be filled with the Holy Spirit. These go home aflame with the power of God. As a result, 25,000 to 30,000 people are saved in Latin America every day.
TESTIMONIES
Dear Pastor Charles, I grew up in a home filled with alcohol, hatred and abuse. I cannot remember ever feeling loved or wanted. I attempted suicide twice as a teenager. I have had two failed marriages and have lived forty-three years without one ounce of self-confidence or self-respect. My mother told me God didn’t want someone like me ... The night you said for those wanting deliverance to line up at the front my feet got up and took me ... As I stood there, while you spoke, my insides began to tremble. But it was a very strange and different feeling. It was like it wasn’t my insides that were trembling but something inside my insides that was trembling. The more you talked the worse the thing in me shook ... It felt like a tornado ... very, very angry. I could barely hear you say, ‘In the name of Jesus I command you to go!’ That tornado lifted up out of the middle of myself and ripped out of my body with hatred, anger, and despite beyond belief. As it left, I passed out. Brother Charles, let me tell you, by the grace of God, I woke up as God’s little girl who is loved! This thing is so overwhelming to me. Each day I love Jesus more than the day before ...”
“Dear Charles, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free! Thank you for being my ‘Ananias.’ I have received my miracle! For 34 years I have been in bondage to a curse of homosexuality and rejection placed on me by my Dad. I had begun to contemplate suicide because I could not handle it any longer. I prayed one last time for God to send me the person that could help me get a ‘break through’--and the rest is history. No one could imagine the pain and suffering I've endured in my life but thank God it has been ‘Swallowed up in Victory.’ Charles, the church is so ignorant in this area. The homosexual behavior may be a choice but not the curse. I was five years old when my Dad threatened to castrate me and make me into a girl. I endured this abuse all during my childhood. I had forgiven my Dad years ago but I never could break the curse until now. I not only experienced deliverance but also an inner healing. I now can begin the ministry God has intended for me. I could go on for days! To me my miracle is as great as the lame man walking or the blind seeing ... You are free to use my experience to help others ..."
“Dear Brother Charles, The first time I came to your meeting I weighed 86 pounds, suffered from bulimia and anorexia, and vomited as much as 30 times a day. The first night I shook so violently that I could hardly sit there. The next night I left early and went home with fierce thoughts of suicide. Thank God, I returned to the service again. That third night when I met you at the door I tried to speak but my body froze like a pretzel. I could not talk. You took me to a private room with several other women, put your arms around my head and prayed. When you did that, I felt something like hot oil pour down my head and body. One of the women gave me a ‘word of knowledge’ about my suicidal anger the night before. That final, wonderful night I was delivered! After you left, I went to the rest room and looked at myself in the mirror. For the first time I did not see myself as big and ugly. I not only looked normal--I was normal. I want you to know that I have been free ever since.”
Dear Pastor Carrin, We lost our 4 year old daughter in a boating accident but knew nothing of the deeper workings and the healing power of the Holy Spirit. My husband and I were both very depressed and angry at God. When you ministered deliverance to us we were “slain in the spirit” for the first time. The Holy Spirit began a healing work in us that has given us a reason to live and worship His Holy Name. A hunger for more of God began in us that summer night--and praise God--the hunger has never been satisfied!! Since that time, we have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit operates in our lives. Thank you and God bless you ...”
EARLY CHRISTIAN FATHERS TELL OF THEIR AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS:
1. Cyrpian, 3rd. century, after explaining that evil spirits inspire false prophets and deliver oracles by mixing truth with falsehood to prove their claim, Cyprian added, “Nevertheless, these evil spirits adjured by the living God immediately obey us, submit to us, acknowledge our power, and are forced to come out of the bodies they possess.”
2. Tertullian, 3rd. Century, in his address to the Roman Senate said: “Let a person be brought before your tribunals who is plainly under demoniacal possession. The wicked spirit, bidden to speak by a follower of Christ, will as readily make the truthful confession that he is a demon, as elsewhere he has falsely asserted that he is a god. Or, if you will, let there be produced one of the god-possessed, as they are supposed, if they do not confess, in their fear of lying to a Christian, that they are demons, then and there shed the blood of that most impudent follower of Christ.
“All the authority and power we have over them is from our naming the Name of Christ and recalling to their memory the woes with which God threatens them at the hand of Christ their Judge, and which they expect one day to overtake them. Fearing Christ in God and God in Christ, they become subject to the servants of God and Christ. So at one touch and breathing, overwhelmed by their thought and realization of those judgment fires, they leave at our command the bodies they have entered, unwilling and distressed, and before your very eyes, put to an open shame.”
3. Justin Martyr, 110-165, said to the Roman Senate in his second apology, “Numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world and in your city, many of our Christian men--exorcizing them in the name of Jesus Christ who was crucified under Pontius Pilate--have healed and do heal, through they could not be cured by all other exorcists, and those who use incantations and drugs.”
At age 93, and looking back over a continuous ministry of 75 Years, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to all of you who shared my Vision and helped me fulfill it. It all began in 1947 when I was 17 years old. That was a long time ago! While I will never quit preaching, Heaven daily becomes more real. Thanks for your wonderful support!
Charles Carrin