I would break this out into two categories: Necessities and things that are desirable. We shall start with necessities.
#1 Love for people and a desire to see them set free. 1 Cor. 13 tells us that no matter how ‘awesome’ our ministry might look, if it is not rooted and grounded in love (Eph. 3:17) then it amounts to nothing. Our work cannot be for us, our reputation or glory. It must be for the glory of God, for the glory of the name of Jesus, and for the restoration of people to wholeness and fruitfulness.
#2 Faith in God, in the revelations in the Scriptures, faith that our delegated authority over all the power of the enemy is greater than that of the enemy. If we don’t really believe that Christ conquered the enemy at the Cross and Resurrection, if we don’t believe that Christ delegated His authority to us for the relief of suffering people, then we will get nowhere in deliverance.
#3 Willingness to take risks and trust God. We never know in advance what will happen when we approach a deliverance situation. Things can go fast or slow, easy or difficult, fun or frustrating. We need to be ready to trust God and follow Him to see the person freed. We need to be willing to say something that we’ve never said, do things we’ve never done. As John Wimber taught us years ago, “Faith is spelled R-I-S-K.”
#4 A conversational relationship with the Holt Spirit, and the ability to hear His voice in ministry situations. The Spirit may say, Stop, Keep going, Linger, Move along, Repeat, Read this Bible verse. He may speak to us a certain word or phrase for the afflicted person that will break open the session and lead to freedom. There is no formula that will bring deliverance. We rely on the voice of the living Christ, through the Spirit, who alone can set the captives free.
#5 Experience is the key. The more ministry you do, the more you will learn. The more you learn, the more effective you will be over time. What will help you most is doing as much as you can. You don’t need a certificate or formal training.
Things to be desired:
Teachers or mentors – These can be very helpful. Years ago I was mentored by a man of God who had a mature and powerful ministry of healing and deliverance. For two years we traveled in Asia and Africa, and he taught me, corrected me and encouraged me. I had opportunities to minister in healing rooms and healing meetings, and to learn the basics of healing and deliverance. We at Multiplying Freedom will be holding training meetings this summer, so contact us if you have an interest.
Study – There are many good books on deliverance. I am a bookworm, so I read a lot of the best ones out there. My next blog post will make recommendations.
