Dear Tim, thank you for asking. Scripture does not teach that demons automatically come out of a person after they receive Jesus. According to what we see in the gospels and Acts, demons must be cast out in Jesus' name. So even though a person ia born-again, he or she might still need "have" demons which afflict them in some way, and which need to be cast out. For example, a Christian who cannot stop smoking may need to be set free from the spirit of nicotine. Christians who cannot overcome a certain sin in their lives might need "deliverance".
@ElijahChallenge This is an ongoing discussion in my home. My wife says there is no scriptural evidence of anyone who followed Jesus having spirits cast out. Me? I am still searching...but your experience has weight with me.
Tim, what we are teaching is that Jesus did in fact cast demons out of many people. Nowhere does Scripture teach that demons automatically leave on their own after someone accepts Jesus. Those who followed Jesus evidently did not have demons which needed to be cast out. After I followed Jesus back in 1976, I did not need to have demons cast out. But if I did have demons, they would---generally speaking, although they can be exceptions---have needed to be cast out. After you receive Dancing on the Edge of the Earth, turn to Chapter 7: Demons Are Cast Out. Then when you get to p. 76, you will find at the first paragraph there: "The question is, when someone who has been a long-time dwelling place for demons repents and turns to Jesus Christ, do all the evil spirits automatically move out?" Keep reading for what we experienced subsequently. In the end, there turned out to be a HUGE difference in our new believers before and after we ministered deliverance to them. It was only after they were delivered from the demons from their idol-worshiping past that they began to grow, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and bear fruit as true disciples of our Lord Jesus. Evangelical believers in the West will have little experience and understanding of such matters.
Tim, I love your question! It's such a crucial one because if we don't ever consider to look for demons where they may actually exist and be at work, people we love may stay in some level of bondage unnecessarily. I attended Pastor William's Elijah Challenge training in Austin, Texas in 2019. The reason I'm posting this comment is just to say i was greatly helped with this question, especially as someone from an evangelical church background, by a book that Charles Kraft wrote a book called "The Evangelical's Guide to Spiritual Warfare" which answers this question "can a Christian have a demon," specifically and directly, using a Biblical framework as well as lots of personal testimonies. Kraft (still living, and has some teachings on TH-cam) agrees with what William is saying, and has personally ministered to hundreds of demonized believers. My own quick testimony: My brother has been a professing believer his whole life, but continually in bondage to lots of doubt, fear, depression, suicidal thoughts, as well as struggled with bipolar and manic/depressive disorder for over a decade, including multiple attempts on his life. He had 4 demons cast out of him a year after this Elijah Challenge training. I was in the room when it happened. Needless to say, for me that put the question of "can a believer have a demon" to rest. I've known him his whole life. I know his profession of Jesus and it was and is genuine. He was in bondage for a long time to suicidal thoughts and mental attacks, and after that day these kinds of thoughts stopped entirely. Two years later they started coming back when he reopened some of the same doors that allowed them in to begin with. So, it's a work in progress. I know he's saved, but he still needs to walk in freedom, and deliverance has been part of that road for him.
I have a question. In session 1 you said that if we speak to a person directly this is a prophetic act. You said when you speak to the infirmity or the demon, it's a kingly act. When Jesus healed the woman's back in Luke 13, He spoke directly to the woman. He said, "Woman, thou art loosed from your infirmity." So, He spoke to the woman. How is that not a prophetic act? Help me to understand. Thank you.
Brenda, sorry for the confusion. Typically in charismatic churches when believers speak directly to a person for healing, we almost always say things like “I proclaim/declare/decree/affirm you are healed in Jesus’ name”. Such words of course are prophetic declarations, and not kingly commands. Instead we should be issuing COMMANDS---WHETHER DIRECTLY TO THE PERSON OR THE INFIRMITY OR THE DEMON. All these are kingly in nature. But today in most charismatic churches, healing ministry consists mostly of prophetic declarations directed to the sick person, perhaps with a command thrown in for good measure. Hope this clears up the confusion, Brenda!
Thank you for these seminars and your time to train us.
You're most welcome, Marie! Do feel free to spread the word about this training to other disciples of our Lord.
I love it
Thank you for your kind word, Charles!
Good morning Mr MJ
These are interesting teachings. Do you beiieve a Christian can be infected with demons or impure spirits?
Dear Tim, thank you for asking. Scripture does not teach that demons automatically come out of a person after they receive Jesus. According to what we see in the gospels and Acts, demons must be cast out in Jesus' name. So even though a person ia born-again, he or she might still need "have" demons which afflict them in some way, and which need to be cast out. For example, a Christian who cannot stop smoking may need to be set free from the spirit of nicotine. Christians who cannot overcome a certain sin in their lives might need "deliverance".
@ElijahChallenge This is an ongoing discussion in my home. My wife says there is no scriptural evidence of anyone who followed Jesus having spirits cast out. Me? I am still searching...but your experience has weight with me.
Tim, what we are teaching is that Jesus did in fact cast demons out of many people. Nowhere does Scripture teach that demons automatically leave on their own after someone accepts Jesus. Those who followed Jesus evidently did not have demons which needed to be cast out. After I followed Jesus back in 1976, I did not need to have demons cast out. But if I did have demons, they would---generally speaking, although they can be exceptions---have needed to be cast out.
After you receive Dancing on the Edge of the Earth, turn to Chapter 7: Demons Are Cast Out.
Then when you get to p. 76, you will find at the first paragraph there: "The question is, when someone who has been a long-time dwelling place for demons repents and turns to Jesus Christ, do all the evil spirits automatically move out?" Keep reading for what we experienced subsequently. In the end, there turned out to be a HUGE difference in our new believers before and after we ministered deliverance to them. It was only after they were delivered from the demons from their idol-worshiping past that they began to grow, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and bear fruit as true disciples of our Lord Jesus. Evangelical believers in the West will have little experience and understanding of such matters.
Tim, I love your question! It's such a crucial one because if we don't ever consider to look for demons where they may actually exist and be at work, people we love may stay in some level of bondage unnecessarily.
I attended Pastor William's Elijah Challenge training in Austin, Texas in 2019. The reason I'm posting this comment is just to say i was greatly helped with this question, especially as someone from an evangelical church background, by a book that Charles Kraft wrote a book called "The Evangelical's Guide to Spiritual Warfare" which answers this question "can a Christian have a demon," specifically and directly, using a Biblical framework as well as lots of personal testimonies. Kraft (still living, and has some teachings on TH-cam) agrees with what William is saying, and has personally ministered to hundreds of demonized believers.
My own quick testimony:
My brother has been a professing believer his whole life, but continually in bondage to lots of doubt, fear, depression, suicidal thoughts, as well as struggled with bipolar and manic/depressive disorder for over a decade, including multiple attempts on his life. He had 4 demons cast out of him a year after this Elijah Challenge training. I was in the room when it happened. Needless to say, for me that put the question of "can a believer have a demon" to rest. I've known him his whole life. I know his profession of Jesus and it was and is genuine. He was in bondage for a long time to suicidal thoughts and mental attacks, and after that day these kinds of thoughts stopped entirely. Two years later they started coming back when he reopened some of the same doors that allowed them in to begin with. So, it's a work in progress. I know he's saved, but he still needs to walk in freedom, and deliverance has been part of that road for him.
I have a question. In session 1 you said that if we speak to a person directly this is a prophetic act. You said when you speak to the infirmity or the demon, it's a kingly act. When Jesus healed the woman's back in Luke 13, He spoke directly to the woman. He said, "Woman, thou art loosed from your infirmity." So, He spoke to the woman. How is that not a prophetic act? Help me to understand. Thank you.
Brenda, sorry for the confusion. Typically in charismatic churches when believers speak directly to a person for healing, we almost always say things like “I proclaim/declare/decree/affirm you are healed in Jesus’ name”. Such words of course are prophetic declarations, and not kingly commands. Instead we should be issuing COMMANDS---WHETHER DIRECTLY TO THE PERSON OR THE INFIRMITY OR THE DEMON. All these are kingly in nature. But today in most charismatic churches, healing ministry consists mostly of prophetic declarations directed to the sick person, perhaps with a command thrown in for good measure. Hope this clears up the confusion, Brenda!
@@ElijahChallenge Thank you so much. That does clear it up. I see that you can also issue a command to the person.
@@daletrade5178 William does make use of the idea behind healing in the atonement, by referencing 1 Peter 2:24, and Isaiah 53 in these teachings