Can a demon-possessed person or one who is influenced by spirits do self-deliverance? Do we need the prayers of others to cast out the demon?
I can’t think of one example in Scripture where one who was possessed by a demon was able to do self-deliverance. They were either delivered by the Lord Jesus or by an Apostle that was given (by the Lord Jesus) the power to cast out the demon.
Let’s consider one of the worst cases mentioned in the Bible, which we find in Mark 5:1-5: “Then they (Jesus and His disciples) came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had been dwelling among the tombs; and NO ONE COULD BIND HIM, not even with chains, 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. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, CRYING OUT AND CUTTING HIMSELF WITH STONES” (NKJV). Here we see how helpless and hopeless this man’s case was; he was under the complete control of an unclean spirit and was VIOLENT, MISERABLE and SELF-DESTRUCTIVE. It is clear “he could not deliver himself.” Yet he was perfect candidate for the grace of God and thus we see the Lord Jesus entering the scene with the compassion and the power to deliver him with a simple word: “For He said to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit” (verse 8) and a moment later “the unclean spirits went out” (verse 12).
In Matthew 10:1 we read, “And when He (Jesus) had called His twelve disciples to Him, He GAVE THEM POWER OVER UNCLEAN SPIRITS, TO CAST THEM OUT.” We learn something else in Mark 6:7, “And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to SEND THEM OUT TWO BY TWO, and gave them power over unclean spirits.” The disciples were obedient to this commission, as we see in verses 12-13, “So they went out…and they cast out many demons.” Again, their ability to do this was based solely on the power Jesus had given them. So, not only is a demon-possessed person unable to deliver themselves by their own power, but no one else is able to deliver them by their own power.
Your mention of one “needing the prayers of others to cast out the demon” reminds me of an example in Mark chapter 9 where a father brought his son to the Lord Jesus to cast out a demon that caused his son to be mute and was throwing him down on the ground with terrible convulsions (see verses 17-18). He then told Jesus, “I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” We then learn that Jesus REBUKED HIS DISCIPLES by saying, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me” (verse 19). He then “REBUKED THE UNCLEAN SPIRT, saying to it, ‘Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more.” In rebuking His disciples He revealed their LACK OF FAITH and when they asked Him, “Why could we not cast it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out by nothing but PRAYER and FASTING.” What is the lesson Jesus was seeking to teach them here? Ah, that they LACKED FAITH because they LACKED DEPENDENCE ON THE LORD. They had no doubt trusted in previous successes instead of trusting, through prayer and fasting, in the Lord to once again give them the power to cast out the demon in this extreme case of possession.
In the case of one “influenced by spirits,” the same principle holds true; one cannot deliver themselves. In James 4:1-5 we have the example of a true believer under Satan’s influence and causing them to be “a friend of the world” (verse 4). This is not as serious as in the case of demon possession; in fact, a believer cannot be possessed and under the complete control of Satan or an unclean spirit. Yet as we saw he can be influenced to make friends with the world. What is the remedy for deliverance? Ah, it is found in the matchless GRACE OF GOD! Verse 6 tells us, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” We then read, in verses 7-10, how the believer who has come under the influence of the devil must respond. I will quote the passage and leave it to you to meditate upon what God expects us to do to experience His grace and delivering power. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (400.5) (DO)