“And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:7&8
In the spring of 2016 our family traveled to San Antonio, Texas to attend a Kickstart Conference being put on by Torben Sondergaard of Denmark. During that long weekend my husband got baptized for the third time. He grew up Baptist and was baptized once at the age of 8 and again at the age of 15. However, through Torben’s teaching Todd understood baptism in such a new way that he felt the need to do it yet again at the age of 51.
One of the things that Torben pointed out about baptism that hadn’t been a part of Todd’s previous understanding was the fact that when you go down in the water and “die with Christ” it causes any demons that have been tormenting you to lose their grip and is the perfect time to cast them out. Therefore Torben asked that each person getting baptized specify what demons they thought needed to be cast out. While Todd hadn’t given in to it for a long time, pornography remained something that he had to continuously fight. Anger was also something that he had to fight daily. Therefore, these were the two spirits that were targeted during his baptism.
While it isn’t always the case, for Todd this was a pretty dramatic event. He groaned and coughed and doesn’t even remember part of the battle that ensued when these spirits were told to leave. Afterwards those who water baptized him also prayed for him to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. One of the first things to happen to him after this was he received a word of knowledge for one of the other men getting baptized that day. It wasn’t until several days later when he was praying for my back that he actually started speaking in a language that neither one of us is familiar with. This is not something that he was seeking per se. He merely told God that he was open to receiving whatever God wanted to give him.
Regarding the anger, Todd noticed a difference the very next morning when he reported that it felt great not to wake up angry. I was surprised to learn that that had been the case. I knew he wasn’t a morning person, but I didn’t realize that anger had had such a hold on him.
Around this time frame we also read some interesting books on spiritual warfare such as “They Shall Expel Demons” by Derek Prince and “Pigs in the Parlor” by Frank and Ida Mae Hammond. I suddenly realized as I read these books just how many wrong spirits had influenced me and my family of origin throughout the years. I also realized that many had ceased to be a problem simply due to seeking the Lord for twenty plus years. However, I was somewhat grieved to realize that this growth could have taken place much faster if I would have had a better understanding of the spiritual realm sooner.
Because my method of application tends to be through music, it was only natural to write a song for the purpose of casting out demons. This is a song that we sing frequently in our household as a reminder not to give in to the ugly spirits that want to invade our lives. Our goal is to be completely emptied of self and all its ugliness and just be filled with the Holy Spirit. It isn’t unusual for us to put off breakfast and sing this song several times in order to try and get the spiritual climate of our home under control. It would be nice if the spirits just left and never returned, but we need to keep fighting and not get spiritually lazy. The fight doesn’t just involve casting out spirits. We must also be filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to seek God in all the ways outlined in His Word. May this song help you as you also fight the good fight of faith.
Note about the photograph: Unfortunately I am unable to find a photo of the baptisms that took place in 2016, but here is a photo of Todd and Tevya nine years earlier playing in the creek near our home.
Go (A Song of Deliverance)
Over the course of our history God’s children have suffered needlessly,
Surrendering to spirits not of Christ, leading to death instead of life;
God’s given the power to change our fate,
So lets cast them out before its too late
In Jesus Name we say
Go! to the spirit of selfishness. Go! to the spirit of pride.
Go! to the spirit of anger, self-righteousness and suicide.
Go! to the spirit of judgement, legalism and conceit.
Go! to the spirit of hatred, manipulation and deceit.
But we say, Come Holy Spirit! Come and come real soon.
Come Holy Spirit; We’re cleaning house so there is room.
Come God of Creation, our precious Prince of Peace.
Come Rock of our Salvation; may all other spirits cease.
In Jesus Name we say
Go! to the spirit of rejection. Go! to the spirit of lies.
Go! to the spirit of contention, sarcasm and compromise.
Go! to the spirit of depression, criticism, gossip and greed.
Go to condemnation and all others that we don’t need.
But we say Come Holy Spirit! Come and come real soon.
Come Holy Spirit; We’re cleaning house so there is room.
Come God of Creation and fill this void inside.
Come Rock of our Salvation so we have nothing to hide.
In Jesus Name we say
Go! to the spirit of bitterness. Go! to insanity.
Go! to the spirit of arrogance, rebellion and anxiety.
Go! to the spirit of division, irritation, resentment, and fear.
Go! to unforgiveness and all others unwelcome here.
But we say Come Holy Spirit! Come and come real soon.
Come Holy Spirit; We’re cleaning house so there is room.
Come God of Creation, our precious Prince of Peace.
Come Rock of our Salvation; may our unity increase.
Over the course of our history God’s children have suffered needlessly.
Let us now surrender only to Christ so we can enjoy the abundant life.
We can have fellowship with God and each other,
So let’s walk in His Spirit and reject all others.
Copyright 2016 Holy Spirit (via Paula Smith)