Lesson 1. The “Discerning of Spirits” School will help you succeed in recognizing demonic forces. Author: John Edwards.
Accepting the Challenge
In 1979, I received a prophecy that changed the course of my ministry and that of the New Life Christian Church in Croydon*—a church that had seen many thousands of people delivered from torment by evil spirits.
An evangelistic team conducting tent meetings throughout the United Kingdom once stopped by our church to hold a series of meetings. The team included three ministers who were working together at the time: Andrew Shearman, Clyde Sandry, and Robert Faird[g]uson. They had witnessed manifestations of evil spirits at the crusades they conducted, especially when they prayed for those who came forward in response to the Gospel preaching or when they called on those present in the tent to praise the Lord. During their stay in Croydon, we discussed all these manifestations and how the Lord was moving in each of our lives. Everyone longed to see the power of God at work and desired manifestations of healing and miracles. One evening, while we were praying together at my home, Clyde spoke a very powerful prophetic word over me. He said he saw Satan standing opposite me and throwing his glove in my direction, and that if I accepted the challenge, the Lord would give me power over evil spirits, and they would tremble before me. Clyde also warned me that if I took this opportunity, it would be a lonely path: I would not be understood and would be rejected by many, but the Lord would be with me. Deep in my heart, I was shaken by the seriousness of this challenge, but before the Lord I decided to accept it. A few days later, I shared this prophecy with one of the pastors of our church. He said that during that same week someone had approached him and asked for prayer for deliverance. Thus, an opportunity arose to begin acting on the promise I had received. The man who asked for help was about fifty years old and, as I later learned, had been raised in a family of Satanists and had been involved in occult practices for most of his life. I arranged to meet with him a week later in the evening, together with that pastor and another brother. I had never prayed for deliverance before, but I had read about what Jesus did and what others had experienced. While waiting for the man to arrive, I became convinced that before we began casting out demons, I needed to “bind him in the chair.” Not tie him with a rope literally, but declare over him in Jesus’ name that he was bound in the chair. It turned out that this truly was the leading of the Holy Spirit, because later, when the demons began manifesting in him and speaking through him, they stated that they wanted to attack us but could not, because the man could not get up from the chair. After a brief conversation with the man, we prayed, asking the Lord for help, “bound him” in the chair, and commanded the evil spirits to leave him. Immediately, the demons began speaking through him. They were angry, boastful, and irritable. The process continued for three hours, and several spirits came out of him, but not all of them. It was like taking an intensive crash course in deliverance, and when I returned home early in the morning, my mind was reeling from everything I had seen and heard that evening. I would not recommend that anyone praying for deliverance for the first time begin with such an extreme case. I stayed in contact with the man for several months, but sadly, he showed no desire to break completely with his old way of life. Living in freedom requires breaking with all impurity and firmly deciding to follow Christ as Lord.
Breaking the Curse
A few days after my first experience in deliverance, I traveled through London to my brother Philip’s place to talk about my discovery and tell him that he might need deliverance in certain areas. I began to realize that traumatic experiences in people’s lives can open a door to evil spirits, and, knowing certain things about my brother’s life, I was convinced that I needed to see him and lead him into prayer.
The first thing that struck me when I arrived at his home was the stained-glass design of the front door. I had never paid any attention to it before, but now it seemed demonic to me. I went in to talk with my brother and his wife, Daphne, about some things I had experienced, assuming that Philip might also need deliverance. As I stood with him in the hall, the telephone rang. It was a call from the rugby club my brother played for, informing him about their next game. Watching my brother speak on the phone, I felt that I saw bondage to rugby in his face; it had become the ruling passion of his life. Without thinking for long, I snatched the phone from him and told the caller, “Philip will not play rugby anymore,” and hung up. My brother was surprised but did not say a word! Later, when I approached the front door again to leave, I told Philip and Daphne that there seemed to be something wrong with the design in the glass and that I wanted to smash it. They replied that I had their permission to do so. I went into the kitchen, took a knife, and began knocking out the small window in the door with its handle. When I struck the glass, one piece fell out differently from all the others and flew past my face, as though some evil power had thrown it, trying to cut and harm me. At that same moment, Daphne, who was standing behind me, cried out and clutched her heart. When I had completely knocked out the window, she felt a tremendous weight leave her chest. After the incident with the broken glass and all the commotion, I left them and drove back to Croydon. That evening, a believing friend visited Philip and his wife, and they began praying together and seeking the Lord, as I had advised them. Suddenly, an evil spirit began manifesting through Philip, and he was thrown from his chair onto the floor. That evening, he was delivered from several demons.
Later I learned that the design on Philip’s door depicted two bull’s horns piercing a heart. My brother’s house is situated on a bend in the road where serious accidents often occurred. From the day the glass was broken, the number of road accidents near Philip’s house sharply decreased. Removing the symbol from the door apparently broke the curse. It also turned out that shortly before my visit, Daphne had seen a black figure in the house. From that day on, the figure never appeared again. Gradually, I realized that the impression I had about the door and the sudden awareness of the control my brother was under were examples of spiritual discernment. The authority I received to combat demonic forces activated the gift of discerning of spirits in my life.
Soon after this rather dramatic introduction to deliverance, Philip also became involved in full-time Christian ministry and thereafter had an anointing for praying for the deliverance of others. I see God’s purposes being fulfilled in his ministry, and I thank the Lord that on that day He prompted me to travel across London to my brother’s house.
“Lord, show me the truth”
What brought me to such a prophetic promise that so dramatically propelled me to this new level? Although I grew up in a Bible-believing church that was open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I had never accepted any teaching on deliverance and had never witnessed anyone receiving deliverance. When I was in my twenties, at the end of a youth meeting, we listened to an audio cassette that mentioned deliverance for Christians from evil spirits. But at the time, we considered it foolish because our pastor categorically rejected it. We accepted his teaching that a Christian could not have any evil spirits and were convinced of it. Many ministers today reject the idea that a Christian may need deliverance from evil spirits dwelling within them. The result of such stubbornness is that believers are cut off in their churches and fellowships from the opportunity to hear teaching on deliverance and receive the help they often desperately need.
Because of this teaching, it was very difficult for me to accept that a believer might need deliverance. Now I understand that this is one of Satan’s fabrications, designed to close Christians’ minds to such a possibility; it keeps those who should be free in bondage and prevents many in the Church from growing and living joyful, victorious lives. I became increasingly convinced of people’s need for deliverance as I talked with others who ministered to people in this way and read various books on deliverance. My wife and I noticed that some people we counseled and prayed with seemed not to change at all, but remained with their fears, depression, controlling habits, and other problems. So we began seeking the Lord, trying to find some answers. I came to pray: “Lord, if it is true that some Christians need deliverance, then please show me.” This became one of the most important steps in my journey; if our minds are completely closed to something, God rarely compels us to see the truth. Yet when we seek Him, willing to set aside our preconceived ideas, He will always lead us into truth. My experience shows me that those who most fiercely oppose deliverance usually need it themselves. The enemy establishes opposition from within.
Deliverance in the Church
Soon after my first experience praying for deliverance and after the strange experiences in my brother’s home, we saw unusual new developments in our church. We had always made it a practice to invite people to come forward for prayer during our Sunday services, especially the morning meetings. But now, as we prayed for people in confirmation of the prophecy that “evil spirits will tremble before you,” we noticed that some began to shake and tremble when we laid hands on them in the name of Jesus. Demons manifested exactly as the prophecy had said. I was extremely surprised by this because at the time I would not have associated the problems we were praying about—the people’s poor health—with a need for deliverance. I also would never have thought that those we prayed for could be oppressed by evil spirits. Yet the Holy Spirit caused them to manifest so that they could be dealt with.
As I continued praying for brothers and sisters in the Church, I came to appreciate the various ways in which the Holy Spirit gives the discernment necessary to those involved in this work.
Sharing the Burden
Many people received deliverance at public meetings, but most received help during personal counseling and prayer. This is how it has taken place in our church for the past twenty years.
My wife Doris and I continued praying for those who sought our help, including those who attended our meetings, as well as the growing number of people contacting us from other churches. There was no need to publicize the fact that we were praying for deliverance: the news spread like wildfire! Such were the needs in people’s lives. It seemed the phone calls never stopped. Most were Christians who wanted to meet with us, often in complete desperation. It soon became clear that we could not meet all the demands placed upon us, so others had to be involved in this ministry. For several weeks, we held a course on “How to Minister Deliverance,” as a result of which several more people in the church began participating in the work of delivering captives—remarkably, people who had recently received ministry in the same way. When these new recruits got to work, they also began receiving revelation and help from the Holy Spirit in discerning during prayer for those in need. It seems that whenever we move forward in the work of the Kingdom, the various gifts of the Spirit begin to operate in our lives.
What Is This Book For?
The purpose of this book is to share some of our experiences from the time we entered deliverance ministry and to explain the various ways in which the Holy Spirit can give us revelation when we encounter demonic forces. I hope that as you read this book, you will be encouraged and gain a clearer understanding of the battle in which we are all engaged. It may even help you see that the gift of discerning of spirits has already manifested in your life, although you did not realize it before.
* Croydon is one of the largest towns in the London area. Translator’s note
Teacher: John Edwards
