THE ROLE OF THE PERSON BEING HELPED.

Simply put, a person who seeks deliverance from evil must, at minimum, truly desire to be free and must place faith in Jesus Christ for that intervention. It is not possible to permanently deliver someone from evil who does not want it at all costs and who does not invest faith in Jesus during that process.

The Bible never portrays Jesus casting demons out of someone against that person's will. He did not "mug" afflicted persons by pouncing on them unawares, nor did He ever force Himself upon them. A more common biblical scene is of tormented individuals running to Jesus and falling at His feet while demons within cry out in protest.

This does not mean the person seeking help must be perfect in his desires or faith. Jesus meets us where we are in life, takes what is offered and works His miracle with it. Think of the feeding of the great multitude with the five loaves and two fish, that little which was offered Him. Think of the father of the demonized boy, who cried, "Lord, I believe. Help Thou my unbelief." In both cases, Jesus did much with little.

If in spite of the chaos within, a demonized person cries out to Jesus with whatever's left of his free will, Jesus will answer. In that appeal and in that faith (however little, but sincere), the Lord is invited in.

Sadly, this simple prerequisite sometimes falls beyond reach. I personally have tried and failed to help some individuals of far-eastern religions who came seeking deliverance from evil spirits, but who declined to trust Jesus Christ in that quest. And I have failed to help some who were Christians, but who refused to give up the behavior which first got them into trouble, such as witchcraft or illicit drugs.

There is another responsibility of the person being helped which we will consider in the next blog entry.