So has anyone ever blown on your face during a small prayer group and you fell ever too weak to stand? My friend witnessed this who is also visiting this church.
People can make themselves feel things like that from emotional hype. Why does feeling weak in the knees or fainting make one think "Wow.. that was the Spirit of the Lord?" Oh yeah? What was the Spirit wanting to do for you? Make you pass out? To what purpose?
While they were in a state of relaxing on the floor and thinking about God they got freed from a habit? I don't think so.
OK walk it out. What? They are back in the habit next week? Apparently fainting is not the answer.
Maybe back to the scriptural pattern of resisting the devil and submitting to God is in order.
That is a walk of sanctification that has to be walked out in the moment of temptation. Knowing that God has made a way of escape and that you can trust Him that nothing is too hard for you to resist while yielding to the Spirit for power to obey. And Obey you will. One temptation at a time until you are strong in that area you were once weak in.
There is no shortcut.
Look at Jesus in the Wilderness tempted by the devil and do what he did. "It is Written".
We don't get to have someone blow on us or lay hands on us and Voila! we are strong without needing to go through the process of resisting the devil and submitting to God.
It is a circus act, a sham, even if they believe it is real, it is a waste of time, wood, hay, stubble.
Every person who falls down and lays on the floor, and every person who pretends that snakes are coming out of their ears are still going to have to say "No! to the devil in the moment of temptation and Yes! to God even if there is suffering involved, knowing that God has made a way of escape.
And sure, some who go to these deliverance events might testify about how they got over some besetting sin later, but ask them if they are honest they will tell you that it was "easier to say No to the temptation, and submit to God" but they still had to walk it out just the same way everyone else does who do not go to these events or have deliverance prayers over them.
The reason it is easier the next time they face the temptation is because during all that deliverance ministry stuff they have made various prayers and commitments to God that they are going to fight the fight and use the weapons of our warfare like the word of God when tempted, and they are ready and willing to do so when the temptation comes. It was not that they were delivered from a demon it was they that they set their heart to be serious about resisting the devil and submitting to God. They started making it a life and death issue. Anyone who gets serious like that and starts DOING The word in the moment of temptation will overcome without going to an event where a person who is pretending to be a celebrity prays for them.
The deliverance ministries that have come and gone since the 80s are feeding on the hype of emotional well meaning seekers but they don't replace the necessity to resist the devil and submit to God.
No one get's a short cut.
As long as someone can bool meetings and make money doing deliverance ministries it will be around. But they are not necessary. Teach the people how to Love God and hate sin and go through the battle we all have to face to get strong and you will have delivered and overcoming saints.
Did Jesus tell any of the seven churches to hold deliverance meetings? There is personal responsibility involved in deliverance and no talking to fallen angels about it is necessary. The only think you need to tell the devil is "It Is Written followed by a relevant scripture to your temptation. Do that and you will soon have the devil flee from you and the Grace of God will strengthen, settle and establish you in that area.
