Today I want to share with you the story of Juanita in Venezuela who was delivered from a spirit of infirmity in the name of Jesus. Before we get into Juanita’s story, let’s look at a few passages of scripture so that we can identify some of the common characteristics of demon oppression.
Mark 9:17-27 NKJV Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. (18) And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” … (20) Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. (21) So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. (22) And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.” … (25) When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” (26) Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” (27) But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
The characteristics of this particular spirit of infirmity (aka demon) include: deafness, muteness, seizures, foaming at the mouth, gnashing of teeth, rigidity of body, convulsions, falling to the ground, rolling around senselessly on the ground, attempted destruction and murder (fire / water) of the child, and crying out. This was a powerful spirit that really bound up the child in a terrible way. Now let’s look at some more characteristics from the story of Legion.
Mark 5:2-15 NKJV And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, (3) who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, (4) because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. (5) And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. … (8) For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” (9) Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” … (13) … Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. … (15) Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
In this passage we see that the oppressed man was homeless, insane, violent, mentally anguished, and suicidal. Furthermore, realize that the man himself wasn’t speaking when Jesus addressed him, but rather the demons responded and spoke through the man saying, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” We also see the murderous nature of the demons which caused the pigs to commit suicide in the sea. Finally, we see that the man was mentally restored and in his right mind once the demons were gone.
When you are working with someone who needs healing, especially in cases where doctors can’t identify the cause of the illness, always reflect back on the spirit of infirmity passages in the bible. Many times when doctors can’t find a medical cause or come up with a clear diagnosis, it is because the person is oppressed by a spirit. If you find that some of their sickness characteristics align with the spirit of infirmity passages, then there is a good possibility that your person is oppressed by an unclean spirit rather than an actual disease. This may help you to minister to them more confidently, such as in the case of Juanita…
Juanita’s story
Juanita was in good health until about four years ago when she suddenly began to have seizures. In the beginning the seizures were quite random and occurred about twice per month. For years the doctors did numerous tests trying to determine the cause of the seizures, including MRI, electrocardiogram, x-rays, etc. They were unable to determine the cause of the sickness, nor able to effectively treat her.
Things took a dramatic turn for the worse on Sunday, June 21, 2020, when Juanita began manifesting a multitude of symptoms: frequent seizures, body shaking, eyes rolling back in the head, staring into space (loss of cognition), nonsensical behaviors (like putting her hand into her food), loss of memory, loss of her own identity (did not know who she was), and inability to recognize the people around her.
On Saturday, June 27, 2020, Satan further escalated the attack on Juanita’s body and soul, and she began to have one seizure after another, foaming at the mouth, and stoppage of breathing which resulted in oxygen deprivation throughout her body (hypoxia). Her family rushed her to the hospital emergency room where doctors attempted to treat her and perform more tests, in which they identified a cardiac condition on top of all the other issues.
At this point, Ana (a friend of the family) reached out for prayer for Juanita. It was determined that Juanita was most likely dealing with a spirit of infirmity due to these factors: inability of doctors to find a cause of the illness, seizures, coming and going nature of the illness, rolling eyes, loss of cognition, and foaming at the mouth. All of these factors strongly indicated a spirit rather than a true physical sickness. Based on this idea, we put into practice Mark 16 casting out of demons. (Note: A spirit of infirmity is a type of demon which produces symptoms of sickness.) We prayed in agreement by commanding Satan and his spirit of infirmity to leave her body in the name of Jesus. We also commanded her body to be healed and function properly in the name of Jesus.
Mark 16:17-18 NKJV And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; (18) they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
The initial response was that Juanita’s condition further deteriorated on Saturday. However, the people praying were persistent in prayer on Saturday and Sunday, and by Monday she woke up and started to talk and eat and had no more seizures. She was so completely set free and healed that the doctors released her from the hospital and this picture was taken on Monday where she is seen with her sister completely healed and whole! (Juanita is the lady in white.)
Consider this… On Saturday Juanita was on the brink of death and there was no medical hope for her. Then prayer occurred a few times over the course of two days. And then suddenly in the name of Jesus she was turned from death to life by the casting of a demon in the name of Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!
