Do you call a demon by its name or not? Some say yes, some say no, and others say sometimes! What’s right? And if you do need to know it’s name…how does one go about figuring out what it is?
Different Opinions
My issue with other ministries sometimes is that they have an opinion that is experiential and it becomes a doctrine or a fastened practice. The only problem is that I have seen successful ministries use diverse methods and everyone gets a good result. There’s no sense in arguing and causing division, but for the purpose of this article, I am going to give some of my own opinions. I’ve tried a lot of things since I started doing deliverance over twenty years ago.
Some Say:
- The name of a demon doesn’t matter. Just tell it to come out.
- If you don’t know the name of a demon, it’s not coming out.
- The only demon names you call out are the 16 listed in the Bible
- Demand the demon to tell you its name and then cast it out.
How Did Jesus Do It?
Jesus didn’t seem to do ministry the same way twice…why should we? We can have a method, but we must allow Holy Spirit to direct us.
Jesus both called out the spirit’s name (Mark 9:25) & just said come out. (Mark 1:25) So we can do both.
About Demon Names
I respect many of the ministers who only call out the names listed in the Bible. Those in the deliverance ministry can lean over into the weird pretty fast. It’s like we can’t seem to walk down the road without leaning into one of the ditches on either side of the road. One minister came from a ministry where they called out hundreds of names of demons when he finally decided to just stick with the sixteen listed in the Bible. For me, it isn’t very logical that the only names of demons are named in the Bible. All of the people in the Bible aren’t named and it’s unlikely all demon names are in there. But…I understand the need to keep it balanced, so for those who do this, I say, “Do your thing if it’s working for you!”
The following are some links if you want to see what other people are teaching about demon names.
4 Ways to Know Demon Names
- Word of Knowledge. (Mark 9:25 Deaf and Dumb)
- The demon introduces itself (Legion in Mark 5:9)
- Just like a knucklehead is known because he’s a knucklehead, we can know a spirit by how it acts. (Matthew 15:22 – vexed)
- The person knows what kind it is. (1 Samuel 28:9, she knew she had a familiar spirit.) Note: Sometimes people are right in knowing what kind of spirit is afflicting them. However, they may not see the root. For example, a woman may think anger is her issue, when really there is a spirit of fear at the root.
Tips to Short Cuts to Demon Names
Tip One
Instead of being all technical to call out the “proper” demon name, call it out by its behavior.
- If a spirit begins to growl, simple say, “Whatever is growling, come out.” or, “Whatever is growling, what is your name?”
- If a spirit begins to say, “I am not leaving.” Simple call the name by what it said and say, “Whoever just said they’re not leaving, come out. I am not leaving, come out now.”
- If a person reports they are vexed during a church service with wild assaults of cursing in their head when preaching begins, simple say, “Whoever or whatever is cursing in his head during preaching, come out now!”
TIP TWO:
If the person has been abused or has had a soul tie with an ungodly person, just call out the name of the person in lieu of a spirit name itself. “Every spirit that came from Leroy, come out. Leroy, come out!” (Have them renounce the name and then command it to leave!) I like to do this after cutting a soul tie as well. In addition, if a person has been involved in witchcraft, eastern religion type activities or has someone controlling them, those names can be called out and commanded to go.
In addition, if a person has been involved in false idol worship, you may call that name out as a representative of the demon’s name.
TIP THREE:
If needed, I will command the demon to tell me its name. However, there are some things in place before I do that:
- The demon must already be manifesting. (I do not walk up to a person and start commanding when there’s no activity.)
- If the demon is already talking like saying no or making threats, then I may ask it’s name if I felt led to do so.
Some people are relieved at knowing the name of a spirit and some do not care. For example, a man who has filthy perverted dreams every night but doesn’t want to have them may be very relieved to know the filth wasn’t him, but the presence of a perverted spirit.
TIP FOUR:
An easier method might be to command the demon to tell the person being delivered what their name is. This is particularly helpful when it is a spirit located in the mind. Not all spirits seem to be able to access the vocal chords. If it is a “head talking” demon, then the person or the minister can simple command it to only speak when spoken to and command it to reveal its name or the strongman’s name. The person can then tell the minister what the spirit says. Note: I have had a person who heard the name but then was unable to speak. If this happens, simple command the spirit to stop blocking the person from speaking.
TIP FIVE:
At any point, you can simply ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you need to know. He may give you the name or a wonderful strategy. He may show you the roadblock is unforgiveness or some other open door. This should actually be tip number one!
TIP SIX:
If the person feels movement in a body part, simply command what is in that body part to loose them now in the name of Jesus. The command might look like: “Whatever is in the stomach, come up and out the breath now.”
TIP SEVEN:
Demons are persons with no body! They have specific traits and personalities, as well as different demon names! You may recognize them because you’ve been set free or you’ve seen them act out in other people. If you do, you’ll know the name and can just call it out. I have noticed that people who grow up with specific environments recognize those spirits when they see them again. One woman I know was raised in a house where they took a lot of pills and drugs. She can point out a spirit of addiction/bondage in seconds. In addition, when a person does a lot of deliverance, it becomes easier to recognize certain spirits by their behavior.
TIP EIGHT:
You may want to address what is there because it runs in the family. Most of the time if a mother is bound by a spirit of rejection, then a child will need to check for that too. Make notes and if you’re doing deliverance with a family, you may be able to use this shortcut. If a mother gets set free from a spirit of rejection, most likely, the children will also deal with this generational assignment.
Demon Names Summarized
In conclusion, we must remember to follow the leading of Holy Spirit. In my opinion, there is value in knowing the legal workings of how the kingdom of darkness operates. If we need to know the name of a demon, we have the authority to know it. I have seen successful deliverances where ministers have said, “Everything that does not glorify Jesus Christ the son of the living God come out now!” I have also seen stubborn demons only submit after commanding them to leave by a name.
I do know this one thing: Holy Spirit knows what a person needs. It seems to be a pattern with humans that if we get success at one way of ministry, we make it into a permanent method. What I find is that if we lean into our own understanding, it opens the door for pride. Why can’t we just learn some methods, but trust in the Lord! If He wants to use a method then fine. We must remember do minister His way. A perfect example was that Moses was used to using his staff to do miracles. One day, God told Moses to speak to a rock to get water, but Moses was comfortable hitting it with a staff. That misstep cost Moses a great deal of heartache even though the water still came out of the rock! Numbers 20
