Jesus Cast Out Demons; We Can Too

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Jesus Cast Out Demons; We Can Too"

The Wake-Up Call | Host: Dan Wilt with John David (JD)
Date: June 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dan Wilt and guest John David ("JD") dive deeply into one of the more complex aspects of Jesus' ministry: casting out demons and the spiritual authority Christians inherit to do likewise. The conversation is grounded in biblical texts and personal experience, aiming to demystify deliverance ministry while emphasizing love, prayerful discernment, and humility in engaging with spiritual realities. The tone is warm, encouraging, and practical, inviting listeners to engage thoughtfully and prayerfully with this "deep end" topic.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pentecost Season Context & Spiritual Authority

• The episode opens with a reflection on the season after Pentecost, a time to focus on how the Holy Spirit empowers the church for loving mission.
• Dan recalls the spiritual authority of Jesus and the early church, pointing out that all spiritual gifts—including deliverance—are rooted in the motivation of love.
• "Power in the Scriptures flows from love, and as JD says, love is the ultimate power in the universe." (08:47, Dan)

2. Biblical Foundations for Deliverance

• The daily scripture reading, Matthew 9:32-33, highlights Jesus casting out a demon and restoring speech to a mute man.
• "When the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." (07:01, Scripture Reading by Dan)
• Dan connects this act to Jesus’ mission of setting captives free (referencing Luke 4, Isaiah’s Jubilee proclamation, and 1 John 3:8). He affirms that spiritual realities—good and evil—affect the visible world.

3. Discernment, Not Demon-Hunting

• Emphasizing discernment, Dan and JD caution against attributing every problem to demonic influence.
  • "We're not out demon hunting. We're not looking for spiritual powers of darkness around every turn. Our primary mission is to embody the way of Jesus." (11:45, Dan)
  • Deliverance is only one part of Jesus' healing ministry, not the headline or starting point.
• John Wimber is quoted to reinforce that while not all maladies are demonic, some genuinely are.

4. Personal & Pastoral Experiences

• Dan shares personal experiences both of being delivered from demonic influence and of participating in deliverance for others. He underscores the necessity of prayer, wisdom, and the company of experienced, discerning believers.
  • "Prayer should always lead the way." (12:40, Dan)
• He recommends seeking guidance, training, and humility when engaging in this ministry.

5. Practical Metaphors & Encouragement from JD

• JD uses vivid metaphors to make the subject approachable:
  • "If you got a dog and you go out in the backyard, there's... stuff all over. The devil has done that all over this world. You can spend a lot of time cleaning that up or you can go after the dog. The issue is the dog, and the dog is real." (16:10-17:08, JD)
  • Cautions not to "go hunting the dog" alone, but to let Jesus lead the way.
• There’s acknowledgment of the real spiritual battle ("the dog is real"), but with assurance that "Jesus can take him. It's not even a contest." (19:46, JD)
• "Moving in the way of love is the primary way this works." (18:10, Dan)

6. Spiritual Practices & Encouragement

• The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.) is described as the everyday way Christians push back darkness.
• Deliverance ministry requires theological balance—gentleness, humility, wisdom, and training. It's not for spiritual thrill-seeking.
• Activation/Prompt: Take time to seek healthy teaching and wise practitioners regarding deliverance, and if feeling called, do so with caution and mentorship.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the nature of spiritual battle:
  "You're not up against your neighbor here. You're not even up against who you might perceive as your enemy in flesh. There is a battle, and the enemy is real." — JD (15:34)
• Wise caution:
  "Don't go hunting the dog. Let Jesus lead the dog hunt." — JD (19:10)
• On deliverance as a process:
  "Often I really believe it's the very last thing that should be looked at rather than the first. But it is a way that we move in the world with Jesus pushing back darkness in all the ways that he would lead us into it because it's him doing it through us." — Dan (12:19)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00-03:40 – Opening, prayer of consecration, episode setup
• 03:41-08:47 – Scripture reading (Matthew 9:32-33), ministry of Jesus overview
• 08:48-12:35 – Deliverance ministry in scripture and personal experience
• 12:36-14:59 – Deliverance as part of the healing ministry, discernment
• 15:00-20:00 – JD joins, metaphors for demonic influence, spiritual battle, practical encouragement
• 20:01-23:33 – Closing worship song: "Holy and Anointed One," prayer, sending forth

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Practical Journal Prompts & Activation

• Journal Reflective Prompt:
  • Can you name situations where an external power seems to influence people contrary to Jesus' teachings? Write them down and ask Jesus how to participate in undoing the enemy's work.
• Activation:
  • Seek credible, humble practitioners and mentors in deliverance. Read, ask questions, and approach this ministry gently and biblically.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a balanced, loving exploration of deliverance ministry, encouraging listeners to recognize both the reality of spiritual conflict and Christ’s victorious love and authority. Above all, Dan and JD ground their conversation in discernment, humility, and the imperative to let Jesus lead any spiritual engagement—reminding the listener that deliverance is only one part of embodying God’s light in the world.

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"Go out, be the bright light, the bright love of God, moving into all the places into which he invites you." — Dan (23:33)

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Fellow Sowers. Today is Tuesday, June 9th in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Dan Wilt and this is your wake up call. We are in the season after Pentecost. It's what it's called. I prefer, like many in church history, just to call it the season of Pentecost begins Pentecost Sunday, which is the 50 day after Easter marker where the Spirit comes on the church and we see these little flames of fire, a rushing wind from heaven. We see the Ascension ten days before that where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God and there's this outpouring of the Spirit and the people of God are filled with the spirit of God and they move into the world in love and loving mission. And I think that's what we see Jesus is exemplifying in his way of love and the body of Christ moving into the world. That is their spiritual authority is they are living in the way of love and then they are exercising spiritual gifts from that motivation of love. So we are in this series together. We're on a discovery journey really. We're just laying foundations for us to hear the word of God, to consider the ministry of Jesus and then what that means for us and in our day, in our time, not just individually, but as the body of Christ. JD's going to be joining me today, it's Taco Tuesday and, and it's going to be a really helpful conversation because today is more in the deep end of the pool of the ministry of Jesus and how that impacts us as the body of Christ. And so we're just going to lay some foundations today for further learning and, and study that we'll, we'll do later, later. I'll talk about that in a moment. So right now, wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Let's pray our prayer of consecration together as we begin. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Well, today's entry is titled Jesus cast out demons. We can too. And our text for today is Matthew 9, 32, 33. Hear the word of the Lord. While they were going out, a man who was demon possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel. The Word of the Lord. Consider this in the all the Things ministry of Jesus, casting out demons played a significant role in my own experience. I've had many encounters with spiritual power, including the power of the enemy who always seeks to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10 While those stories are often harder to tell and the dynamics of prayer ministry are more complex due to the discernment necessary, the have usually been wonderful and powerful. The punchline in every case has been this at the name of Jesus and in the presence of his spirit, demons flee. So let's take a moment to remind ourselves about how apprenticeship works. Like good apprentices, we are first watching the Master to both behold and begin to understand what he does. But we mainly want to know what why Jesus does what he does, not just what he does. A good apprentice apprentice watches, listens and models closely what the Master is all about. God is always looking for those who love why he does what he does even more than what he does. Let me say that once more, God is always looking for those who love why he does what he does even more than what he does. These witnesses of his glory want to know and appropriate the motivations of the Master. So when a healing or deliverance occurs, we tell the right story around the experience and help us all understand what is happening. What we see Jesus do, we see him do from love. Power in the Scriptures flows from love, and as JD says, love is the ultimate power in the universe. What we see Jesus do, we see him doing from love. He is embodying the message of the Kingdom of God, the message that he sets captives free and releases prisoners. Remember the the Isaiah proclamation, the year of Jubilee proclamation in Luke 4 to bring his loving order into the midst of an individual's personal chaos. And that is what the enemy does brings chaos. In fact, right after Jesus delivered his Jubilee proclamation from Isaiah 60:1 in the synagogue, he immediately began to heal and cast out demons. He confronted the devil in the wilderness, Luke 4:1 to 14 and his entire mission was oriented toward destroying, undoing the works of the enemy in people's lives. First John 3:8 For Western Christians, the idea that there are spiritual powers at work in the world is often immediately suspect. That is, spiritual power is suspect until a situation or circumstance arises when where darkness and pure evil feel obviously present, when an area of brokenness seems intractable for no reason, or when something just isn't right over time or is not easily explained by practical deduction. John Wimber writes this about casting out demons and particularly the ministry of Jesus. In it, Satan's methods of attack vary. People are tempted or inflicted with physical and emotional hurt. Their lives are threatened. They might be oppressed or possessed by demons. Demons exert various degrees of influence over people. And I want to jump down to the end of this quote. Of course not all or even most physical, emotional and psychological problems are caused by Satan. However, in some instances they may be caused by him. Now, what Wimber is saying here is that we're not out demon hunting. We're not looking for spiritual powers of darkness around every turn. That our primary mission is to embody the way of Jesus, to be light in dark places, to express his love, to do it in his character, gentleness and humility as he self describes the fruits of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Those are things that push back darkness darkness and resist darkness in the world individually. And then when the church is that light in the world. But what he's saying is, and we see it in the ministry of Jesus, sometimes we have oppression. That's happening. So in Matthew 9, 32, 33, there's a man who is unable to speak. And Jesus discerns. That's a gift. We get also from the Holy Spirit that what is disabling the man from speaking is a demonic presence. It's not simply a physical ailment. Jesus tells the demon to leave and the man speaks. In Luke 8:2, we're told that Jesus cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene. If we're followers of Jesus, we must embrace that Jesus saw the world as having an enemy and that this enemy, the devil, which means the adversary, the accuser and his minions, have power to influence people. Jesus did not seem to see a demon around every corner. However, he discerned moments where a demonic presence was at work and addressed it as far as we can see with calm spiritual authority and clarity. On a personal note, I've had the experience of being delivered from demonic influence from by Jesus in those ways related to temptation, but also in. In ways that brought incredible personal freedom from a bondage of fear in my life. And in those moments it has often been through prayer with another person discerned someone experienced someone who'd been around the block in that sense in ministering in prayer and. And a few people even. And from that experience I've had the privilege to. Of partnering with Jesus in seeing others delivered from unseen demonic forces that hide in plain sight and are called out in an act of discernment My friend Bud Simon Will will say that that part of the spectrum of the healing ministry of Jesus is deliverance. And so it's part of the spectrum. It doesn't lead the way. In fact, often I really believe it's the very last thing that should be looked at rather than the first. But it is a way that we move in the world with Jesus pushing back darkness in all the ways that he would lead us into it because it's him doing it through us. So prayer should always lead the way. This is an area that leads more explanation needs, that takes more explanation and learning. But I believe that we are all given the ministry of setting captives free in many ways for from demonic grips on their lives. Prayer always leads the way. Mark 9:29 so in a world that struggles to believe spiritual powers exist, an increasing number of people are becoming aware that there is light and darkness and that inhumane forces are at work. Jesus addressed those dark powers and he cast them out and we can too. Here's our prayer for today. Lord Jesus, the reality of demonic powers at work to steal, kill and destroy, like the accuser himself, is clearly evident in the world we live in. I want to partner with you in delivering those in bondage with discernment, with confidence and peace. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. And here are our journal prompts for today. Can you name any situations where you feel like an external power is at work influencing people to do things that go against the teachings of Jesus and the love of God? Write those down and journal Jesus. Answer to this question, Lord, how do you want me to participate in seeing the enemy's work undone in this situation and today's activation is this deliverance? Ministry, in my view, takes time to understand, to learn from healthy mentors, and to do in the gentleness, humility, wisdom and discernment of Jesus. Again, it's just a part of this whole ministry of Jesus, and we have some resources we're developing at Seedbed to help support understanding the extensive ministry of Jesus for us as lifelong learners together. So for today's activation, take some time to find some credible authors and practitioners who seek to do deliverance ministry from a deeply biblical, gentle, authoritative and humble approach. Do some reading and ask questions of those you trust, those who are spiritual leaders in your church, pastors and others who have ministered in this way before. All right, so again, this is a fascinating topic. It's part of understanding what it means to be an apprentice of Jesus that we are dealing with spiritual influences in the world as we Go out and be the love of God in all the circumstances that we're in. And so we thank you, Jesus, that you loosen the bondages that we are in. You untie, you break yokes, you raise. Restore us to wholeness and the fullness of who we were meant to be as your people by your great power and love. Amen. All right, I'm going to now invite John David to join me in a conversation on this, and then I'll lead us in worship together. All right, J.D. we are back together here on a Tuesday. And your Today shirt is on Tuesday.

[C]

I'm wearing my Today shirt again, gang.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

It's Taco Tuesday today. And I'm so happy, Dan, how this is unfolding and we're hearing such good feedback from people.

[B]

Yeah, about.

[C]

I mean, you know, what. What I think we're doing in this. All the things study. It's like. I mean, I don't mean this negatively or critical, but. Well, I'll just say. I'll just start with me. I spent way too much of my life and my faith in the shallow end of the pool. I think maybe I may have been in the baby pool, and then I got in the shallow end. And, you know, what you're doing in the series is you're not just making us go down and get on the diving board and jump in the deep end. Everybody, if you want to do that, you can do that. Today's kind of a deep end post. It's kind of a deep. But what you're doing, Dan, you're taking us. You know how a pool kind of has a graded descent and you kind of. You're walking still, but the water's getting up higher and you're learning how to kind of swim in the water that is really over your head, but still the bottom is in a comfort zone to you.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

That's what this. What's going on with all the things.

[B]

Yep, that's right. And this one, you know, comes in. We're in a season now of talking about, well, what did Jesus actually. So we just are naming it, naming these different expressions of the kingdom moving through the king that we're invited to participate in. So, you know, this entry is titled Jesus Cast Out Demons. We can, too. And I think this just really begins with an awareness of the world in which we live, the seen, the unseen. What are your reflections, Dan? You know, on that and.

[C]

Yeah, well, for starters, you know, back there as we were ending Ephesians Chapter six, right? This is where Paul goes He's like. But finally listen, he's like, you got to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Because he's like, I don't want to scare you, but you're not up against your neighbor here. You're not even up against who you might perceive as your enemy in flesh. You're not. We're not fighting people.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

There is a battle, and the enemy is real. And his name is Satan.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And the adversary, the accused adversary, and he is real. I use the example. And I was preaching the end of the series to my little church in Gillette, and I said, guys, it's kind of like if you got a dog and you go out in the backyard, there's, you know, that dog has left stuff all over the backyard. The dog has taken, you know, gone to the bathroom.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay. Well, that's what the devil has done all over this world. He has deposited horrible things.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Everywhere we turn.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And, you know, you can spend a lot of time just sort of cleaning that up.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Or you can go after the dog.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay. The issue is the dog, and the dog is real. All that dog dung should tell us something. The dog is real.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And he is. He's not everywhere. He's not omnipresent, he's not omniscient, but he's doing, has done and will do a lot of damage. And so part of all the things. And doing the things Jesus does is participating with him in the work of fighting the devil.

[B]

That's right. That's right. I'm thinking of, as you're saying that in the Bible Project world, there's a whole series on the Chaos Dragon. Right. And this idea that what the enemy brings to every life, these situations we see in the world, you talk about this in the invitation to awakening. That's in the front of all the things in all our Wake Up Call books. You talk about this idea that there is deep chaos that's been inflicted in our lives and then inflicted in the world around us. This cumulative effect of it all.

[C]

Poop everywhere.

[B]

Yeah. And when we make a choice to say, I'm going to see it, recognize it's there. And then I think our primary move is moving in the way of Jesus. I think that's, you know, people like, I'm going to start with casting out demons. I'm going to start with, I'm going to like, moving in the way of love is the primary way this works.

[C]

Just. Yes.

[B]

Love, joy, peace, patience.

[C]

Start off, just clean up some poop today. Okay. That's right. That's a good starting place. It's all around. Just kind of gently go take your little, you know, sack, clean it up. You're going to be with people who've got it on them. They've stepped in it. You can clean their shoes.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

That's part of this ministry of deliverance. Right. Jesus comes in, he's like, let me wash your feet.

[B]

Coming in the opposite spirit to what the enemy is doing, and let him.

[C]

Okay. Be careful.

[B]

Say it.

[C]

Don't. Don't go hunting the dog.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

Okay. Let Jesus lead the dog hunt.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

Let him lead the. Yeah, the dog is real.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

We. We can't take on the dog. Jesus takes on the dog.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

In the Bible. Interestingly enough, in another places, he's like a lion roaming the streets looking for something. This is not just your. This is not your nice little dog at home. This is. No, this is a rabid, feral dog.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And Jesus can take him. Nope, not. It's not even a contest. But this is where you might need to get a little training. This is a long journey.

[B]

Yeah, that's right.

[C]

I think we've covered it here today.

[B]

I think we have.

[C]

All right, well, let's have. We stepped in it.

[B]

We've done both. Because it's what we do. We move toward the mess like Jesus does. All right, man, thanks again. Let's move to singing, and we'll see you next week, jd. All right.

[C]

Yes, sir.

[B]

Such a good conversation with jd. We're going to worship now and we're going to use a song that's an older song, but it's meant so much to me over the years. And we get to repeat the name of Jesus over and over in it. So if you know it, worship along with me. And if you don't, maybe just let it wash over you. And sing the name of Jesus as you get from familiar with it. It's called Holy and Anointed One.

[A]

Jesus. Jesus. Holy and Anointed One Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Risen and exalted one Jesus. Your name is Lycopene on my lips. Your spirit's like water to my soul. Your word is a lamp unto my feet. Jesus, I love of you. I love you. Your name is like honey on my lips. Your spirit's like water to my soul. Your word is a lamp on to my feet. Jesus, I love you. I love you. Jesus. Jesus. Us Holy and Anointed one Jesus.

[B]

I was just thinking as we were worshiping together, how Jesus said, he's the light of the world. And. And you and I, we shine like stars in the world, as the scripture says. And so go out, be the bright light, the bright love of God, moving into all the places into which he invites you. All right, let's gather those seeds up, and I'll see you on the field. And I'll see you tomorrow for the awakening. I'm Dan Wilkinson.

[A]

Sam.