Spiritual Warfare 101Sýnishorn

Authority - How We Evict the Enemy

Every Christian has authority over demons. It is not a gift given to a few. We have authority in the name of Jesus because we are God’s children and because we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6).

When it comes to using our authority in Christ, there are three core activities mentioned in the Bible.

1. Binding

When we bind spirits, we limit their activity. This is pictured in the words of Jesus when He talks about tying up a strong man before you can rob his house (Matt. 12:28–29). Binding is often done while demons still have permission to be someplace. For example, people sometimes get demonic interference as they are trying to process information. I have seen people fall asleep in mid-sentence, watched their eyes roll back in their heads, or glaze over. I’ve also seen them simply unable to maintain their train of thought for no apparent reason. For many, they only experience this type of interference when they start to pray, read the Bible, or listen to praise music. In such moments, binding the enemy from creating this interference is a helpful tool. It is usually done with a simple command like this one, “In the name of Jesus, I bind you and command you to stop interfering.”

2. Loosing

The idea of loosing suggests untying someone who is in bondage. In Luke 13:16, Jesus refers to His eviction of a wicked spirit from a woman as “loosing” her. In modern language, I think of loosing as canceling permission. Thus, when I forgive someone, I loose myself from the bondage of bitterness. When I repent of a sin, I loose myself from the demonic claim that comes from it. When I renounce a lie, I loose myself from the slavery created by deception. By forgiving, repenting, and renouncing, I loose myself from demonic claims against me. Many times, this is all that is needed in order to experience victory over the enemy. We don’t always have to evict wicked spirits, especially if there are no other signs of demonization. Most of the time forgiving, repenting, and renouncing are all that is needed.

3. Evicting

When it comes to evicting wicked spirits, the most common mistake people make is relying solely upon authority instead of dealing with issues of permission first. Evicting a spirit that has permission to be someplace falls into the category of a miracle. It can happen, but it is not the normal legal process. The process I am describing here emphasizes removing any legal claim the enemy has (i.e., its permission), before using our legal authority to remove that spirit. I think of removing the permission as the work of a lawyer and the exercise of authority the work of a police officer. One deals with legal work in court that removes permission. The other enforces the legal work that has been done.

Dr. Karl Payne has put the following practices together in a simple pattern that can be remembered with three C’s:

1. Confess. Admit whatever gave permission to the enemy in the first place. This is usually something from the SOUL-L list. This doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out prayer. It is usually sufficient to say, “I confess that I participated in the occult.” Sometimes it is necessary to be more specific, but not always.
2. Cancel. Choose to forgive, repent, or renounce in order to loose yourself from whatever claim the enemy has on you. You can think of this as tearing up the agreement that has given them permission to a place in your life.
3. Command. The actual eviction takes place after the permission has been removed. This is also a pretty straightforward process. I may say, “In the name of Jesus, I command every spirit that has taken advantage of my sin to leave.” Experience has led many people to add more elements to the eviction statement or process. It can be necessary to get more detailed in more complicated situations

Additional commands that often go with eviction

These additional commands are largely based on experience. Many people who have dealt with demons through the years have found that the enemy often tries to find loopholes to keep some level of permission to stay engaged. Here are a few commands to close loopholes

1. “I bind you all together as one and command that you all leave as one with no one left behind.”
2. “I command you to take all of your works and effects with you.” In other words, if they have built a stronghold in the person’s life, they need to tear it down and take it with them.
3. “I command that no spirits will come to replace the ones who are leaving and that you will truly leave and go where the Lord Jesus sends you. No hiding allowed.”
4. Some people send demons to the pit. I usually send them wherever the Lord Jesus Christ tells them to go.

Depending on their training and experience, different ministries may add other elements to the process of confessing, canceling, and commanding.

This study was taken from the book Breakthrough! by Dr. Marcus Warner. we encourage you to purchase a copy if you'd like to keep learning about deliverance and other ways the Bible and brain science can help you break bad habits and overcome trauma!