One of the most basic things to understand about spiritual warfare and deliverance is that we must not just presume we can cast out unclean spirits in a person and then everything will be alright.
Matthew 12:43-45 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
Before anything can be cast out, we need to be assured the person is saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. They must also sincerely repent of any sins. Even so, the Holy Spirit must guide us, as there can be many complications along the way. If someone is not saved, I’ve found the best way to lead them to salvation in Christ is to first bind any unclean spirits that would keep them from receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. DO NOT cast them out but bind them only.
One of the scriptures that is often taken out of context is in Luke chapter ten.
Luke 10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Many Christians have read this verse and assumed it pertained to them, simply because they were Christians. What they failed to do was read and understand the verses preceding this. In Luke 10:1 and 17 we are told whom Jesus is addressing. He is speaking to his disciples, whom have been sitting at His feet and learning. These disciples had attained a spiritual level such that Jesus was able to send them out to witness and deliver people from unclean spirits.
Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
Notice how, in the verses above, Jesus appoints His disciples, and He is the one who sends them out when He knows they are ready. To go before being appointed and sent by Jesus leaves you in the precarious position of being a “went one” instead of a “sent one.”
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. KJV
Jerusalem is considered the Holy City. What the scripture above is telling you is to stay in the Holy City, the Holy Place, until you receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay in a place of praying, worshiping, and pressing into the things of God, and remain there until you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Do not go out until the Lord sends you. There can be severe consequences for those who go out without being appointed and sent. The scriptures below give us one such scenario.
Acts 19:11-16 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
As you can see from the verses above, it is imperative that we first be disciples of Christ, then be appointed, and sent by Him. Otherwise, we risk the same fate as the seven sons of Sceva.
Another misconception by many people in the church is based on a scripture in Proverbs.
Proverbs 26:2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.
This verse has been used to make many unfortunate souls feel condemned. They are told “a causeless curse will not alight,” indicating they are being accused of some hidden sin. These people are just like the friends of Job, who accused him of some hidden sin that brought calamity on him, thus exposing their own ignorance.
Whenever someone is hit by a curse it does have a cause, but this does not mean the victim opened doors or did anything wrong. The cause for a curse can be a blood sacrifice that some witch or coven did, a generational curse, or some other (cause) which gives evil entities a legal right to attack someone. Usually, the victim is unaware of what the cause is, they just know they need help. Oftentimes church people re-victimize someone just because of their own ignorance. This is neither helpful or acceptable.
To help these people, we first need to take away the legal right that evil is claiming. This requires guidance from the Holy Spirit, and is a little more advanced and complicated than it sounds on the surface. This should be left to trained deliverance ministers and SRA coaches who understand the level of spiritual warfare behind it.
Proverbs 4:7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.