Deliverance is the ‘Children’s Bread’–It Belongs to the People of God

While deliverance can be a confusing and controversial subject, it is a vital ministry for the church. Below is an excerpt from Can A Christian Have a Demon? that explains how deliverance is the ‘children’s bread’–it belongs to the people of God!

Mark 7 describes an interesting conversation that Jesus had with a Gentile woman. The woman came to Jesus and pleaded with Him to set her daughter free from the tormenting influence of an evil spirit. The response of Jesus is quite shocking: “But Jesus said to her, ‘Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs’” (Mark 7:27). Instead of being offended at Jesus, the woman demonstrated incredible faith and perseverance, and her daughter was delivered from the demon. There are several insights we can learn from this story, but I want to focus on one point. Jesus referred to deliverance as the children’s bread.

Deliverance belongs to the children of God. It is part of what Jesus provided for when He died on the cross for our sins. Without the ministry of deliverance, the children of God are deprived of their “bread.” The result is what I described in Chapter 1: the church in chains, alive from the dead but wrapped in the graveclothes of bondage, torment, and oppression. I am not suggesting that deliverance is the only factor involved in setting the church free. But certainly, it is an important one, and one that has been neglected by much of the church for far too long.

Our lack of understanding in this area, including the belief that a Christian cannot have a demon, is keeping many bound who should be set free. I prayed over a young lady once who was attending a Bible college. She had a past of involvement in witchcraft but had repented and turned to the Lord. She had been saved for a few years when I met her, but she was being tormented in the night and was suffering from fear and anxiety. In her Christian experience and Bible classes, no one had ever taught her about deliverance. I led her through a prayer for deliverance and several demons manifested and were cast out. When I followed up a few days later, I found out that she was at peace and sleeping through the night.

This is a perfect illustration of why we must overcome our misunderstandings, fears, and ignorance in the area of demons and deliverance. How many are not receiving the freedom that they seek because we are not feeding the people of God the children’s bread? How many are kept in a cycle of torment and oppression, because we have not acknowledged the reality of demonic influence in the lives of believers?

Much of the deliverance ministry of Jesus was done for the people of God in the synagogues. Mark 1:39 summarizes it like this: “And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.” Even though there were not technically any Christians yet, Jesus was demonstrating that deliverance is the children’s bread—that it belongs to God’s people.

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Can a Christian Have a Demon? is an eye-opening book that explores some common misunderstandings about evil spirits and the ministry of deliverance. It tackles the question of Christians having demons with biblical insight, personal experience, and compelling testimonies. When the confusion is cleared, the way is paved for many more to be set free by the power of God!