Terry Bone is a former software systems analyst, pastor, and the author of The Great Exchange: Passing the Baton Between Generations of World Shapers. He is also a mentor and a personal friend. On a call a couple of weeks ago, Terry shared the following story of a deliverance based on the presence of God with me.

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­In the Gospels we see on more than one occasion that as soon as Jesus showed up, demonic forces would panic. His presence was enough to cause them to begin to lose their grip on people’s minds and bodies.

Recently, during a weekend workshop on the topic of the person and gifts of the Holy Spirit, one of the participants confided in my wife and me. She told us that she had almost checked herself into the psychiatric ward of a local hospital that day due to the voices in her head that were urging her to self-harm. On her way to the hospital, her vehicle seemed to be unsafe to drive, so she turned around and came to the workshop with her husband instead.

This woman was eager to have the Lord bring a resolution to the problems she was facing. During ministry time the first evening, she confided this story to us. We sensed that it wasn’t the moment to try to discover and deal with the root issues in her life, so we prayed a simple prayer of protection and blessing.

In the course of one of the sessions the next day, this woman suddenly felt ill. She went to the bathroom and threw up. After returning to the main session, she again felt ill, and a second time went and threw up in the bathroom. Afterwards she said, “I feel really good. The voices are gone!” During the rest of the seminar, she enthusiastically joined in the worship times.

Although there might also have been a physical component to her condition, it was evident to us that the enemy of our souls had gained access to her thought life and had been hounding her with evil thoughts.

What impressed me was that we didn’t need to employ any special prayers. We didn’t need to engage in a power encounter. The manifest presence of God was enough to bring deliverance to one who knew that Jesus is Lord and who was eager to be set free.

Seeking to be a carrier of the presence of the Holy Spirit may be the most powerful weapon to add to our prayers in the name of Jesus when we are confronting demonic entities.

Amen! Thank you, Terry!