WHY DOES DELIVERANCE SOMETIMES TAKE SO LONG?
As I continue to minister to people who are suffering from demonic attacks, one question keeps coming up. If God is sovereign, and if Jesus cast demons out of people instantly in the Bible, then why does it often take so long for people to get free from demonic oppression today? I often pray for people to be delivered, but progress seems slow. Did I do something wrong? Doesn’t God want this person freed? Is the person doing something wrong that keeps them in bondage? Should they go to a deliverance ministry that does it a different way? I’ve written about this before, but it’s a good, common question so I want to deal with it again now.
First, the miracles Jesus performed were to show others who He was. John calls them “signs” for that reason (John 1:12 through the end of 12). If He has power over physical things, then He has power over spiritual as well. If He can heal a body, He can heal a soul (see also Exodus 4:8; 4:28-31; 2 Corinthians 12:12). I am aware of times in India when God healed and delivered now as Jesus did in the New Testament in order to show His power over sin and Satan. That doesn’t happen much in the USA where we have a long and deep tradition of knowing about Jesus and salvation. When you or I pray for someone to be delivered, it is for a different reason than when Jesus did it.
When Jesus doesn’t deliver immediately, it is always because He has a more important reason. The fact that He even allows demonic oppression in the first place when He, in His sovereignty, could prevent or remove it, shows He has something more in mind. There is always something Jesus is teaching us through our spiritual warfare struggles. It could be He wants the person afflicted to recognize and turn from a sin, discover and close demonic openings from the present or the past, learn how fight spiritual battles, grow in trust and learn patience and perseverance. God’s purpose in our lives is to make us more like Jesus, and this is one tool He uses. It is also so the person will be filled with God’s Spirit when the demons go. If not, they will return and bring many worse demons with them (Matthew 12:43-45). It is because of these things that I feel group deliverance often fails. There is too much counseling and personal growth that is needed. These things take time, and thus deliverance also takes time.
God also allows our victory to come slowly in order to stretch our faith and patience as well as others who are praying. It forces us to focus on God, face our own fears and persevere in prayer. God uses it to help us become more Christ-like as we go through this process. This, too, takes time.
So don’t be alarmed when your battles continue, or those you are praying for seem to make little progress. Each person has a free will and God doesn’t force anyone to follow Him. Even those who choose to follow face life-long battles. Jesus did. We are no exception. Many Christians have an entitlement attitude toward God, believing that salvation removes all struggles and problems and that God owes them an easy, happy life. That is not true!
The Jews had to fight physical battles following Joshua to possess the land God had given them. We have to fight spiritual battles following Jesus (“Jesus” in Greek is the same name as “Joshua” in Hebrew) to possess the blessings God has provided for us. Even so, the Jews under Joshua didn’t drive out all their enemies, God left some for the next generation to learn how to fight (Judges 3:1-2). God allows our enemies to attack us to teach us how to fight and make our faith stronger. God is in total control over all of it and promises to bring good through it (Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:20), and that includes our long spiritual struggles as well.
Judges 3:1-2 “These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience).”
What battles is God allowing in your life now?
Do you recognize how He wants to use them to help you grow spiritually and become more like Jesus?
Are you allowing that to happen, or do you complain and feel sorry for yourself because of all you are going through? If so, confess your sin and submit to God’s perfect will.
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling)
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