Frequently
Asked
Questions

We do not work with individuals unless their local church is participating in the process. That would involve the pastor(s), elders, or deacons agreeing with what is going on and learning from our process with the intention of ministering deliverance themselves later on. We strive to equip the local church with the resources and tools they need to develop and maintain their own deliverance ministries.

We do not operate outside of the USA and currently have no plans to do so.

It is important for individuals to have a personal desire for deliverance, as this often involves a significant life change. If a person is not willing to make necessary behavioral changes or follow God, it may not be prudent to proceed with deliverance. While it can be difficult to witness loved ones struggle with demonic oppression, it is crucial that the desire for deliverance stems from within the individual. Deliverance is a remedy for those who are in desperate need of it, and it is important to approach the topic with sensitivity and love. Forcing deliverance upon someone is not recommended; instead, we should pray for them and ask for opportunities to share our own testimonies with them, trusting in God to guide the situation according to His perfect will.

We do not have an official training program for individual "exorcists" or a school that accepts students. We do have a recommended reading list on spiritual warfare you can download HERE and we occasionally upload videos to our YouTube Channel HERE.

We do not have open volunteer positions at this time.

The training is spread out over 3 courses designed for brand new Christians to get them up to speed. We can easily modify that by removing unnecessary teaching for a more mature group of Christians. Our first course is an introduction to spiritual warfare. We use C.S. Lewis's writings to help visualize what is happening spiritually.

The Spiritual World

• “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” Summary

Angelology / Demonology Surveys

• Qualities, Knowledge, Activities, and Types

Spiritual Anthropology 1

• We discuss our view on how the "Body, Soul, and Spirit" all work together and fit in each human being

• Fruit of the Spirit and Acts of the Flesh 

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Our second course digs a little deeper into the biblical narrative with a quick survey of important moments in scripture, then we focus heavily on the gospel to make sure everyone has a very clear understanding of the "Good News"  and then where the Church fits into all of that. We also teach on Ephesians 6 with the Armor of God and about closing "open doors" in your life and keeping them shut.

Situation Report

• Biblical Narrative Survey

• The Gospel

• The Church

Spiritual Armory

• The Armor of God

• Donning Armor Prayer Example

Spiritual Anthropology 2

• Closing Open Doors

• Keeping Closed Doors Shut

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Our 3rd course isn't structured like the first two because it's tailored to whatever your specific ministry needs are. This is where we would get into how to practically expel demons and give the class an opportunity to participate. The degree of that participation is really up to the class or ministry leaders.

Our definitions of possession and oppression:

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Possession:

Possession is owning something. We do not teach it is possible for a Christian to be possessed by the enemy. Scripture makes it very clear that we are rescued from their kingdom and are now possessed by God (Colossians 1).

In an ownership sense, Christians cannot ever be possessed by the enemy. We were redeemed, purchased / bought and now belong to God (Romans 3).

The Holy Spirit indwells each believer at the time of salvation as a seal, deposit, and guarantee of God's ownership of us                    (2 Corinthians 1).

Oppression:

Oppression is controlling someone or harassing / mistreating them. Throughout human history, humans have oppressed other humans to varying degrees. In the same way, the enemy oppresses humans through varying degrees of control, harassment, and mistreatment (Ephesians 6 / 1 Peter 5 / Job).

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We don't use the term "demonic possession" at all. Instead we just say oppression and everyone falls somewhere on that varying line of oppression. Some are attacked more, some are attacked less.

The Greek word "daimonizomai (Strong's G1139)" is used 13 times in the New Testament. The KJV translates it: possessed with devils, possessed with the devil, of the devils, vexed with a devil, possessed with a devil, have a devil. The Outline of Biblical Usage by Larry Pierce states: to be under the power of a demon. Strong's defines it as: to be exercised by a dæmon:—have a (be vexed with, be possessed with) devil(-s).

The major points we would note here from Strong's are "exercised by" and "possessed WITH" and not "possessed BY" which is an important distinction.

With these definitions in mind, we teach Demons can influence our thoughts and actions and even sometimes give us physical problems like epilepsy or deafness. We do not affirm ALL issues are rooted in the demonic. Job (a believer in God) had severe oppression from the enemy. We think it's important to note that God placed limits on what could and couldn't be done at certain points.

The theological basis for our deliverance process is built on these scriptures:

• Matthew 4:23-24

• Matthew 8:16-17

• Matthew 12:28-29

• Matthew 12:43-45

• Mark 5:2-13

• Luke 8:27-33

• Luke 10:1-23

• Ephesians 6:12

We stand on these scriptures as the foundation of our model. Nothing in our model is against what the Bible says, but the specifics of how we do it are mostly based on experience and what is most effective and efficient.

When reading that Jesus "cast out a demon and it left" it can make you think it just happened super quickly and that was that. Sometimes it does happen quickly, but sometimes it does not. Deliverance requires patience.

Sometimes we are challenged by well meaning Christians who say exorcisms shouldn't take as long as they do for us if we are doing it the way it was done in the gospels. We kindly remind them that the gospels are historical books and don't include every detail of something it brings up.

Look at 1 Chronicles 23. The first verse in that chapter is very brief. The same story is in 1 Kings chapters 1 and 2 with many more details given about the event. We teach the same is true for deliverance in the New Testament. The Bible doesn't give every little detail about the process. It requires faith and action to fulfill Mark 16:17.

Sometimes the demons claim to be in the person, sometimes they claim to be on / over the person. We aren't convinced the physical location of the spirit matters, or if they even have a physical location at all. All we are concerned about is removing the influence the spirit has over the individual so God's fruit can manifest in their lives and families.

Deliverance is not the answer, The Deliverer (God) is the answer. Candidates for deliverance are freed from demonic influences that hinder their relationship with God and impede their ability to fully embrace or "live out" the Gospel. Deliverance is not the be-all and end-all of healing post salvation, but it should not be marginalized or neglected either. It is not a replacement for counseling and because of that, DSI wants to equip shepherds with resources and tools to best diagnose and meet the needs of their flock. After deliverance, individuals may find it easier to break through to new levels on their journey in counseling or recovery as God draws them closer to Himself. It is important to remember that God is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is our sanctifier and He may choose to use deliverance in any one of our stories. Everyone's story is going to look different, but that adds a unique beauty to the Gospel it would lack if everything simply fit into a template or formula.