Spirit of infirmity

Description

Luke 13:11 describes a woman who for eighteen years had a "spirit of infirmity", was bent over and could not straighten up. Jesus later says that she was "bound by Satan" and releases her. The text therefore provides a direct biblical example of physical suffering having the dimension of a spiritual bond.

Derek Prince teaches about demons or spirits of infirmity, Frank and Ida Mae Hammond have INFIRMITY in their groupings, Vlad Savchuk/HungryGen teaches about the spirit of infirmity, and John Eckhardt prays against sickness and infirmity. Each of these authors develops the subject with somewhat different emphases.

Not every illness has a demonic cause. However, the Bible and the authors cited indicate that illness may also have a spiritual dimension. Discernment may include the history of the problem, possible spiritual bonds, wounds, and other elements indicated by sources.

Symptoms / signs

Long-term, medically unexplained ailments, a sense of being "bound" by illness, no improvement despite treatment.

Possible roots / causes

Deliverance ministry sources consider spiritual bondage, long-term encumbrance, and other specific spiritual doors depending on the person's history. Emotional wounds and long-term burdens can be recognized as part of a larger chain, but there should not be a universal cause for every illness.

Doors / context

Do not create an automatic door list for all diseases. Discern specific facts from a person's history and those spiritual areas that are actually supported by sources and his or her history.

Effects

Long-term suffering and limitation of functioning, feeling bound by the disease, discouragement and loss of hope. In Luke 13, a woman's physical limitation is explicitly described in the context of a spiritual bond.

Help / what next

Praying for healing and deliverance in the name of Jesus Christ, discerning possible spiritual bondage and working with the specific roots revealed in the person's history. We pray in faith for a real breakthrough; ongoing medical care or prescribed medications should not be interrupted arbitrarily.

“A woman was there who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years.”
Luke 13:11. Teaching sources: Derek Prince — spirit of infirmity; Vlad Savchuk / HungryGen — Spirit of Infirmity; Frank and Ida Mae Hammond — INFIRMITY group; John Eckhardt — sickness and infirmity.