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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
Satan=s 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
Satan=s 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.
Satan=s 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)
Satan=s Stratgegy
Continued
The demonized speak in different voices (only
those who are truly possessed)
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
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
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
Nosology of Demonization




Demon Possession
Oppression
Obsession (fanaticism)
Satanic possession
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 God=s law. It may be personal or
cultural
 Belonging to occult groups
 Attendance at occult ceremonies
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
Other Views
Recent more temperate views
 Don Basham agreed essentially with
Nevius
McNutt
Unger
Wilson
Koch
Charles Kraft
Neil Anderson
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 (1Cor:10:31)
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.@ 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
Some Coments of Use
Continued
 If the person=s faith is weak I have them
rededicate their lives to Christ
 And be sure they have been discipled or
will be
Scripture References
Old and New Testaments
 Old Testament
Genesis 3:1-15 Enmity: Man vs Satan
Genesis 4:1-6, 6:1-10 Man attacked by Satan
Job 38:1-7, Ezekiel, Lucifer created
Psalm 95:5, Idols are demons
Deut. 32:17, same
Psalm 106:6,7, same
Leviticus 17-7, same
Scripture References
#2
Chronicles 11:15, same
Isaiah 13:21, 14:12, 34:14, Same
 New Testament
Matthew 4: 1-12, Satan=s opposition
Mark 5: 1-10, same
Matthew 10:1, Jesus expelled demons
Matthew 14:22,28, Satan=s opposition again
Luke 10:17,18, same
Scripture References
#3
James 2:19, Speaks of demons
Revelation 9:20, Same
Luke 4:33, 6:18, Their nature
1 Timothy 4:1, Their activities
Revelation 16:14, Same
Ephesians 6:10-20, Their opposition to a
believer
Luke 8:31, Their abode
Revelation 9:11 his name in Greek and Hebrew
Matthew 25:41, Their eternal doom
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
Dr. Wilson=s Addresses
Website
WWW.instchristiangrowth.org
Email wpwilson@netpath.net
 Mailing address
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Box 2347
Burlington, NC
27216-2347
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Fax 336-570-1392