Reuters – A priest performs an exorcism rite.
Do Christians have the power to cast out demons from enslaved souls?
The answer is a resounding “yes” as far as healing evangelist David Diga Hernandez is concerned.
Writing for Charisma News, Hernandez says Jesus Christ Himself mentioned this power in Mark 16:15–17, MEV, where He said to his apostles, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.”
This means, “you don’t need to be a ‘demon expert’ to be a threat to hell,” says Hernandez, who heads an international healing ministry based in Southern California.
“The ability to cast out demons and destroy the works of hell is not necessarily about how much you know about demons; it’s about how much demons know about Christ in you,” he elaborates.
Even an “inexperienced” but Spirit-filled believer, even someone “who may not always be able to discern the difference between a genuine demonic manifestation and emotional hype,” has the ability to drive away demons, the evangelist says.
However, Hernandez says the potency of the believer’s power depends on his “spiritual maturity.”
He warns that a believer who is compromised by sin will not be able to expel demonic spirits. Worse, the demons may even retaliate against these sinful believers.
“If you are compromising in sin, demonic beings will be able to resist your commands. They may even retaliate against your attempts to expel them,” he says.
Hernandez says Christians “living in the right state of being” will always have “God’s authority” with them everywhere they go.
“Your authority over fear works in the jurisdiction of faith. Your authority over demonic beings works in the jurisdiction of righteous living, and so on. The key is in remaining in the right jurisdiction,” he says.
