Biblical Worldview of Spiritual Warfare #5: Satanic Techniques

BINDING AND LOOSING Some years ago, we witnessed a "deliverance" service conducted by a well-known pioneer in the field. Many bizarre things happened at the service. Many of the demons had names, such as the demon of lust, gluttony, worry, gossip, and criticism. One demon was even named after a particular food. The "deliverance" evangelist had a routine that he followed in casting demons from people. First, he found out a little about the individual. He then asked him what his problem was (he always assumed that it was caused by a demon rather than some other source). Then he spoke authoritatively to the demon and commanded the demon to manifest itself. Having done this, he usually carried on a conversation with the demon, often quite humorous, as he would insult, and finally command the demon to leave "in the name of Jesus" and "by the power of the blood of Christ." Some demons required several conversations before eventually departing. One of the things he always did when he was commanding them to depart was to bind them and send them to the "pit of hell." The practice of binding Satan and/or the demons and evil spirits is not only something that some Christians do during public and private deliverance sessions but also is often a personal activity exercised regularly by an increasing number of Christians. Sometimes a person will pray that Satan will be bound from blinding a person to whom he or she is presenting the gospel in the belief that this will improve the likelihood of the listener's trusting Christ as his Savior. Or someone might pray that an upcoming event would be protected from the influence of demonic powers by binding the demons.