A demonic possession, whether it only affects a home or has progressed enough to take hold of a person, requires a particular set of steps if the victim wants to get rid of the demon.
Generally, Christian theology recommends the presence of a priest to perform such a function.
However, the steps can be followed to the same effect even by laypeople. The only condition is that they have a sufficiently strong will to overcome the possession.
Most people do not, and so a priest becomes necessary.
Finally, there are two types of processes to get rid of a possessive demon: exorcism and deliverance.
An exorcism forces the demon to leave personally, while a deliverance calls upon God to send the devil away. Deliverance is the much powerful and comprehensive measure, while exorcism is more limited in scope.
Thus, deliverance is much more common in religious practice, while exorcism is very rare.
To get rid of demons that posses a body or a home, the victim must abide by a prayer that follows these steps:
- Confess and affirm your faith
- Humble Yourself
- Confess any known sins
- Repent all Sins
- Forgive all Other People
- Break with the occult and other religions
- Prepare to be released from every curse over your life
- Stay on the God’s side
- Expel the demon from your body
9 steps to get rid of demons & evil spirits
Step 1: Confess and affirm your faith
Casting out demons cannot be done without the aid of Jesus and God. Thus, the victim’s first step is to affirm their Christian faith, that they believe in God, as well as Jesus’s teachings and a wish to live within them.
When doing so, the victim invokes Jesus’s ministry as their High Priest that brings their need before God the Father, thus releasing the whole authority of heaven on the victim’s behalf.
If the victim does not confess and affirm their faith, then Jesus has no basis on which to intervene to God on behalf of the victim.
Whether or not this confession is truthful is pointless, because if the victim didn’t believe God could help, then they wouldn’t appeal to Him in the first place.
Last but not least, it is imperative to remember that demonic powers seek to prevent occult victims from trusting God and believing that Christ can and will liberate and save them.
It is in the nature of demonic beings to instill doubt in all things holy.
Step 2: Humble Yourself
We cannot access God if we approach Him with pride. As a result, we must humble ourselves before God and say, “I need you.”
Throughout the Bible, God places the responsibility of asking for aid on the person who desires it.
Thus, to obtain God’s aid, requires the victim to recognize their limits and ask God for help when the challenge is too great. Only then will God provide aid.
When a person seeks to cast out demons, there may come a point when they have to choose between dignity and deliverance.
A person who becomes more concerned about dignity than deliverance has not truly repented of his pride.
Taking the steps that follow will not be possible if you are not willing to humble yourself.
Step 3: Confess any known sins
God never commits Himself to forgiving sins that have not been confessed. However, His promise is clear to those who do confess:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” ( 1 John 1:9).
God is faithful to His promises. The penalty for our sins has already been paid by Jesus, so He can be considered just.
Be honest with yourself if you are troubled by a particular sin. Don’t use any fancy psychiatric terms to describe it.
The names we give to our basic sins aren’t pretty, and it is only when we acknowledge them as sins that God forgives them.
For example, God does not forgive “problems”. If your “problem” is overeating, call it by its name: the sin of gluttony. If it is lust, name it as lust. If hatred, name it hatred. If gossip, name it gossip.
God sometimes visits the sins of the fathers on their children and this may apply in your case. You are not guilty of your ancestors’ sins, but their consequences may be harming you.
Confession and disassociation from any sins committed by your ancestors may be advisable for you. Particularly applicable are occult practices.
Step 4: Repent all Sins
Confession is essential, but it is not sufficient by itself. Repentance is also required.
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
First, you must confess your sins, then you must forsake them. Forsaking your sins means completely turning away from them.
Repentance involves two aspects.
First is accepting personal responsibility for your actions. You cannot hide behind some other person, such as a parent, and claim they are responsible for what you have done. Neither can you blame demons.
Your attitude must be: I am guilty, and I acknowledge it.
Second, you must understand why God hates that particular sin, and not to minimize or excuse its gravity. Hate the sin just as much as God does, since doing so will make the sin not have any power over you.
Step 5: Forgive all Other People
An essential spiritual law of Christianity is:
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Forgiveness from God is only possible if we unconditionally forgive everyone who has sinned against us.
To be delivered from the demons, you must freely forgive anyone who has hurt you or offended you.
If you are reluctant to forgive, know that the act of forgiving someone else is a decision of the will, not an emotion.
Step 6: Break with the occult and other religions
As part of this process, you will have to remove any occult or satanic objects from your possessions and from where you live. This includes books, souvenirs, charms and objects of art.
A reminder of this is Moses’ warning to Israel:
“Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it.” (Deuteronomy 7:26).
The best way to dispose of such things is, if possible, to burn them, because fire both purifies but also releases the spiritual from the material.
Step 7: Prepare to be released from every curse over your life
A demonic curse can be compared to a dark shadow over your life that shuts out God’s blessings.
Two of the blessings a curse can block are physical healing and deliverance from evil spirits.
Signs that a demonic curse is at work:
1. Mental or emotional breakdown
2 Repeated or chronic sicknesses (especially if hereditary)
3. Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry or related female problems
4. Breakdown of marriage and family alienation
5. Continuing financial insufficiency
6. Being “accident-prone”
7. A family history of suicides or unnatural or untimely deaths
Step 8: Stay on the God’s side
Standing on the side of God means having the power to overcome all evil, for as Romans 8:31 says:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
To stand on the side god, simply make a firm decision and speak it out loud:
Make a firm decision and speak it out:
“I submit my will, my purpose, my future, my whole life to God. I take my stand with God against all sin, all evil and every kind of demon”.
As soon as you take your stand with God, He also takes His stand with you.
One way God can help is by revealing the identity the demon(s) that needs expelling.
As mentioned previously, knowing the name of a demon gives one power over it
If God does provide you the name of a specific demon, then the next step is to take adeliberate stand with God against the demon, and to speak it out loud:
“You spirit of lust [or rejection or confusion or whatever], I take my stand against you in the name of Jesus. I no longer submit to you. You have no more place in me. I command you to go!”.
Step 9: Expel the demon from your body
After saying the prayer for deliverance and ending it with “Amen!” comes the expelling of the demon from your body.
This process can be surprisingly understated. It can be barely perceptible, such as a yawn or sigh or even a stronger, deeper breath.
For some though, it can be more active and vigorous, such as hyperventilation, violent coughs, screaming or roaring.
Throughout this process it’s important to keep your mouth open to let out all of the evil spirits and demons to leave your body.
Get rid of demons from your home or other locations
If a demon possesses a location, but not a person, then this problem is called a demonic infestation.
A demonic infestation is the first step in the process where a demon ends up possessing a person.
Thus, the sequence is as follows:
- First, a demonic infestation where a demon first enters a location and begins to manifest itself.
- Second, demonic oppression where the demon torments the inhabitants or visitors.
- Third stage is the actual possession, where the demon enters and possesses one person in the household.
A demonic infestation is the stage at which the demon’s powers are weakest, to the point where even small, simple cleansing rituals are sufficient to cast out and expel the demon.
Causes of demonic possession
To cleanse or cast out demons from your home, one first needs to know, or at least have an idea, of what caused the demonic infestation.
There are a number of reasons why an infestation occurs, including curses, magical spells, and rituals, as well as human actions.
For example, the Catholic Church says that using spirit communication devices like Ouija boards, dabbling in occultrituals and spells, black (or dark) magic, making deals with the devil, or living a sinful life can create conditions for infestation.
Infestation of demonic spirits can also occur on sites where pagan rites were held centuries ago, which involved human sacrifice, worship of false gods, or cruel rituals.
Casting curses and hexes can also attach demons to certain objects, which essentially anchors the demon(s) to a certain location.
Getting rid of demons from a house or location
Exorcising or delivering demons from a home or location follows much of the same steps as those found in delivering demons from a person.
The biggest difference however, lies in the preparation and cleansing of the location.
The demonic infestation usually emanates from one particular room in the house, such as the victim’s bedroom or the location where occult practices were performed.
First, identify this room, and remove small objects such as rugs, lamps, dressers, curtains, tables, and trunks to prevent them being thrown about and causing injury.
Secondly, doors and windows must be closed, but not nailed shut, because some air is required to circulate through the room.
Doorways must be kept covered, whether door is open or closed, as an extra protection to prevent the demonic influence from seeping out to other rooms in the house.
Thirdly, mildly infested objects, or those used to commit sins, should be exorcized with a prayer and sprinkling them with holy water.
If holy water is not available, then simply use water mixed with salt since those are the main ingredients in holy water, alongside a blessing by a priest.
Fourthly, if some objects are severely possessed or were used for occult practices, then burning the objects is required, followed by disposing the ashes in running water.
After all these steps are completed, the victim must then follow all the steps outlined when dealing with personal possession.
This must be done as a way to “heal the wound” as it were, to treat the spiritual break between the victim and God and prevent the wound from reopening.
For your convenience, below is a repeat of the outlined steps. Not all are included, since not all are required for demonic infestations.
- Confess and affirm your faith to God.
- Humble yourself and ask for His help.
- Confess any known sins.
- Ask repentance for all sins.
- Forgive all other people.
- Break with the occult and other religions.
- Stay on God’s side.
Prayers to get rid of demons
Prayer 1
This prayer contains all the steps mentioned above in a simple prayer form.
The important thing to note is that you don’t need to repeat the exact words. In Christian belief, the exact wording of a prayer is not as important as the intent and faith behind them.
Feel free to alter the prayer to suits your needs, as long as the basic requirements are met.
The Prayer
1. Personally affirm your faith in Christ:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I believe You are the Son of God and the only way to God- that You died on the cross for my sins and rose again so that I might be forgiven and receive eternal life.”
2. Humble yourself:
“I renounce all pride and religious self-righteousness and any dignity that does not come from You. I have no claim on Your mercy except that You died in my place.”
3. Confess any known sin:
“I confess all my sins before You and hold nothing back. Especially I confess (specific sins)”
4. Repent of all sins:
“I repent of all my sins. I turn away from them and I turn to You, Lord, for mercy and forgiveness.”
5. Forgive all other people:
“By a decision of my will, I freely forgive all who have ever harmed or wronged me. I lay down all bitterness, all resentment and all hatred. Specifically, I forgive (person’s name)”
6. Break with the occult and all false religion:
“I sever all contact I have ever had with the occult or with all false religion-particularly (religion name)”.
“I commit myself to get rid of all objects associated with the occult or false religion.”
7. Prepare to be released from every curse over your life:
“Lord Jesus, I thank You that on the cross You were made a curse, that I might be redeemed from every curse and inherit God’s blessing. On that basis I ask You to release me and set me free to receive the deliverance I need.”
8. Take your stand with God:
“I take my stand with You, Lord, against all Satan’s demons. I submit to You, Lord, and I resist the devil. Amen!”
9. Expel
“Now I speak to any demons that have control over me. [Address the demon by name] I command you, (demon name) to go from me now. In the name of Jesus, I expel you!”.
Prayer 2
Make, O my God, my sovereign, I, [YOUR NAME], who is your creation, deliver me from all ill deeds, peril, danger, the language and pernicious eyes of my enemies, who seek to destroy me.
O All-Powerful, God the Father, and eternal, deliver me from the dangers which surround me, as you delivered your children, Shadrac, Mishak, and Abednego, from the furnace and fire. Deliver your servant from all peril and danger, in heart as well as in body.
Amen
Source: Enchiridion of Pope Leo the Third
Prayer 3
Move away from us all evil and malignant spirits, Lord. That all evil men and pernicious women move away from us, flee us, and us them, that all enemies and adversaries move away from us, that they do not have the capacity to reach us. We ask by the virtue of the Most High. And if somebody, Lord, wants to harm or do even the least evil to me, put me under your Holy protection, my God, I, [YOUR NAME], who are your creation. Condescend to do good to me. I ask you by the virtues and merits of all your Holy Angels, who draw power through you unceasingly; and by all your Patriarchs, your Apostles, your Saints, and your Holy Paradise. Deliver and preserve your servant from the malignities of the glances of all my enemies, and the same of those which could harm me. Thus, it is.
Amen
Source: Enchiridion of Pope Leo the Third
Getting rid of Succubus and Incubus
A Succubus is a demon in female form that seduces men and leads them astray, but also forms a parasitic relationship of sorts of with them, since it needs sexual intercourse with men in order to survive.
The male counterpart is called an Incubus, and it functions in much the same way as a Succubus except it preys on women.
Succubi and Incubi are not the especially powerful demons, so escaping from their clutches is not especially difficult, and there are in fact multiple options.
In summary, the three most straightforward methods to get rid and exorcise succubi and incubi are:
Getting rid of succubi or incubi demons can be done in three ways: the first is to confess the sin to a priest and asking for deliverance. Second method is reciting a Hail Mary and signing a cross. The third method is changing address to break contact with the demon.
Below are these methods in greater detail:
- Sacramental confession.
Like all demons, an Incubus or Succubus possession is only possible when one falls victim to sin, in this case the sin of lust.
To obtain release, one must undergo the sacrament of confession, where the victim confesses their sin to a priest while asking for deliverance from the Succubus or Incubus.
- Making the sign of a cross and reciting a Hail Mary
As mentioned previously, succubi and incubi are weakers demons, and so they can be repelled simply by making the sign of the cross as a form of protection, reciting a Hail Mary or even just showing a cross amulet.
- Moving to another town or house
According to Christian inquisitors, moving to a different address is often sufficient to break the connection between demon and victim, since demons are not capable of easily navigating our material world.
- Excommunication of the demon by priests
In particularly severe cases, the intervention of multiple priests may be necessary to expel such demons, and break their connection with the victim.
References:
- Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible by Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter W. van der Horst
- Dictionnaire infernal by Collin de Plancy
- Demon dictionary by Kimberly Daniels
- The History Of Witchcraft And Demonology by Montague Summers
- Malleus maleficarum by Heinrich Kraemer
- The encyclopedia of demons and demonology by Rosemary Guiley
- Dictionary of gods and goddesses, devils and demons by Manfred Lurker
- Devils, demons, death, and damnation by Ernst Lehner
- Man, Myth & Magic The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Mythologyby Richard Cavendish
- Demons and elementalsby John Gatehouse
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