Root Work: The Deliverance Sessions
Session Two – The Process: Identification, Renunciation, and Filling
The work of deliverance is not a spectacle. It is not a formula. It is not an emotional release session dressed up in spiritual language. It is the careful, Spirit-led process of removing legal ground the enemy has been given and then filling the cleaned space with the presence of God.
Anything less is incomplete. Anything theatrical is dangerous.
The Biblical Order
Scripture gives a clear sequence, and James 4:7 states it clearly:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Submission first. Resistance second. The order cannot be reversed without consequence.
Jesus models the same pattern. Before He began His public ministry, He was led into the wilderness and confronted the enemy only after the Spirit had come upon Him and the Father had affirmed Him (Matthew 3–4). Authority flows from relationship and yieldedness, not from technique.
Paul reinforces this in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Strongholds are destroyed by divine power operating through a submitted life, not by human effort or psychological insight alone.
Step One: Identification
The first movement is honest identification of the open door and the strong man that entered through it.
This requires more than naming symptoms. Rage is a symptom. Addiction is a symptom. Chronic self-hatred is a symptom. The question is what primary spirit was given legal access and what lie was agreed with.
Common open doors include:
- Trauma and violation (especially sexual or relational betrayal)
- Persistent unforgiveness and bitterness
- Occult involvement or New Age practices (even those rebranded as “Christian”)
- Generational patterns where Scripture indicates real spiritual consequence
- Agreements made in childhood to protect the self (“I will never need anyone,” “I must perform to be loved,” “I am on my own”)
Identification is not achieved by endless introspection. It is revealed by the Holy Spirit as the person submits and asks to be shown the truth. Psalm 139:23-24 remains the proper posture:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Step Two: Repentance and Renunciation
Once the door and the lie are identified, repentance and renunciation must follow.
Repentance is not merely feeling sorry. It is a decisive turning. Renunciation is the verbal cancellation of the agreement that gave the enemy access. This is not magical language. It is the exercise of the will in alignment with truth.
A person may need to renounce specific statements such as:
- “I renounce the lie that I was abandoned and therefore worthless.”
- “I cancel every agreement I made with fear as a means of protection.”
- “I renounce the right I claimed to withhold forgiveness.”
This step is where much modern practice fails. Therapeutic Christianity often stops at awareness and validation. New Thought approaches attempt to overwrite the lie with positive declaration while leaving the legal ground untouched. Neither closes the door.
Step Three: Resistance and Expulsion
With the ground removed, resistance becomes effective. The enemy has no remaining legal right. At this point the authority given by Christ is exercised – quietly, firmly, without theatrics.
Mark 16:17 records Jesus’ words:
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons…”
The authority is in the name and finished work of Jesus, not in the volume of the voice or the intensity of the atmosphere.
Step Four: Filling
An empty house is a dangerous house (Matthew 12:43-45). After ground is removed and the spirit is expelled, the person must actively receive the filling of the Holy Spirit and the truth that replaces the former lie.
This is not a one-time emotional experience. It is the ongoing discipleship of learning to live from the new reality. The old pathways of thought and reaction must be starved while the new mind of Christ is practiced (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-24).
Why the Process Matters
Skipping any of these steps produces temporary relief at best and greater bondage at worst. Many people have been through dramatic “deliverance” sessions only to find the same patterns return stronger. The house was swept but never filled. The legal ground was never fully removed. The person was never taught to walk in sustained submission.
This is why covering and maturity are non-negotiable. An isolated or immature person attempting this process can open more doors than they close.
Moving Forward
In the sessions that follow we will apply this process to specific strong men: abandonment, fear, pride, the spirit that enters through sexual violation, the performance spirit, and others. Each will be examined through Scripture, the common lies attached to it, the secondary spirits it typically invites, and the particular renunciations required.
The goal is not information. The goal is freedom that remains.
Submit first. Then resist. Then be filled. Then walk.
Closing Prayer
Father,
I submit myself again to You.
Search me and reveal every place where the enemy has been given ground.
I choose repentance over self-protection and truth over the lies I have lived with.
Prepare me for the deeper work ahead and keep me under the covering of mature, Spirit-filled believers.
Fill what has been emptied. Lead me in the way everlasting.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Closing Thoughts
The process is simple in outline and costly in practice. Most resistance is not to the steps themselves but to the surrender required before the steps can be effective.
Stay yielded. The Spirit knows the way through.