Casting Out Evil, Part 1: The Truth

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Throughout His ministry, Jesus constantly cast evil from His presence. No matter if it was an individual demon or legions of them, He was quick, decisive and tremendously confident at telling Beelzebub to beat it. And every time, it worked.

Since the first endowments were given over 175 years ago, what little faithful members have learned about casting out evil has been gleaned in bits and pieces of the endowment. Even then, the information has been scant at best.

To make matters more difficult, there’s nothing written in the General Handbook of Instructions, no General Conference talks and in fact no scriptures about who should cast out evil and how it should be done. So, it’s reasonable to conclude that much of what we church members have done in terms of casting out has been based on nothing more than oral tradition.

One tradition: only faithful priesthood holders can cast out evil from their presence. Yet as I review the scriptures, I can find nothing -- absolutely nothing -- that says it’s the case.

Bring on the Believers 

If you’re looking for scriptures about casting out, you’re in luck; there’s not too many. Here are all the scriptures regarding casting out evil (minus those which are duplicated roughly word-for-word elsewhere):

Matthew 7:20-23 Matthew 8:16 Matthew 9:33 Matthew 10:8 Matthew 12:20-23, 26-28 Mark 1:34, 39

Mark 16:17 Luke 9:49-50 Revelation 12:9 1 Nephi 11:31 Mosiah 3:6 Alma 50:13 3 Nephi 7:19

3 Nephi 7:21-22 3 Nephi 14:20-23 Mormon 9:24 D&C 35:8-9 D&C 84:65-67 D&C 124:97-98

Amazingly, none of these 19 passages mention the word “priesthood” once. They don’t even mention “men”.

(Paul admonished that we “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21). No gender is mentioned in that scripture, either).

So who are the lucky ones (besides Jesus and his 12 apostles) who get to cast out devils and demons? Four scriptures (in red above) have our answer:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17; emphasis mine) 

“And these signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover;” (Mormon 9:24; emphasis mine) 

“For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast out devils; they shall heal the sick; they shall cause the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk.” (D&C 35:8-9; emphasis mine) 

“And these signs shall follow them that believe—
In my name they shall do many wonderful works;
In my name they shall cast out devils;” (D&C 84:65-67; emphasis mine)

These four scriptures are the only ones which definitively identify who can cast out devils. All four say the same thing: believers.

Now, my next question is, are believers in Jesus only limited to men? Of course not. The scriptures, the church and even your local fast and testimony meeting definitively proves one undeniable truth:

Believers know no gender... 

Lest I be considered “off” on my analysis, here are some latter-day leaders who agree with this truth:

Joseph Smith's private journal, called the Book of the Law of the Lord, specified the priesthood promise in his instructions to the women on April 28, 1842: “April 28 At two o’clock P.M. I met the members of the “Female Relief Society” and after presiding at the admission of many new members gave a lecture on the Priesthood shewing how the Sisters would come in possession of the privileges, blessings, and gifts of the Priesthood, and that the signs should follow them, such as healing the sick, casting our devils &c and that they might attain unto these blessings by a virtuous life and conversation and diligence in keeping all the commandments. A synopsis of which was reported by Miss Eliza R. Snow.” (Book of the Law of the Lord, 28 Apr. 1842, in Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith, Vol. 2 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992), 378-79; https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-c-1-2-november-1838-31-july-1842/500)

"The Lord offers to his daughters every spiritual gift and blessing that can be obtained by his sons." (President Joseph Fielding Smith, “Magnifying Our Callings in the Priesthood,” Improvement Era, June 1970, p. 66). 

“Where spiritual things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit, with reference to the receipt of revelation, the gaining of testimonies, and the seeing of visions, in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness in all these things men and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord. He is no respecter of persons nor of sexes, and he blesses those men and those women who seek him and serve him and keep his commandments.” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, Jan. 1979, p. 61; https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/1979/06/our-sisters-from-the-beginning) 

"Many of us already have spiritual gifts, but we sometimes fail to recognize them. We may think they are reserved for people with special needs or callings. For the same reason, we may neglect to earnestly seek spiritual gifts, even though they have been promised to us." (Relief Society General Presidency, “Seeking the Best Gifts,” Ensign, Jan. 1997, p. 55)

...nor age 

Not only women, but also children, can cast out evil if they but believe:

“Levi Hancock’s children heard the devil telling their mother that she would be healed from her six-year convalescence if she would but deny the work of God. The mother resisted, and in the interim “the children heard the Conversation reached upon the bed and laid hands on their mother & the Devill departed at an instant”; Utah Stake General Minutes, v. 10 [1855-], LDS archives.”

The name of Christ is a word - but with power when you believe in it. 

There are some who say that such healings, based on faith alone, have limitations, whereas those based on priesthood authority have no limitations. Their beliefs are not based on the word of God, for in the above scriptures and quotes, no such differentiation exists.

I personally know many people with great faith who have received priesthood blessings given by high-ranking local church leaders, and the blessings had zero effect. They were later ministered to by another with great faith, and the healing was immediate and permanent. Am I the only one on the planet who has witnessed this? I doubt it.

God is no respecter of persons. Would He deliberately keep people in countries which outlaw Christianity from His blessings just because there is no priesthood holder for thousands of miles? I think not. I worship a God who is inclusive, not exclusive...who is ever-expanding, not limiting...who loves more than we can conceive, not vindictive and vengeful.

We've been told that in this mortal life, Satan has the power to bruise our heels. However, we've also been told that through Jesus Christ, we have the power to crush Satan’s head. Don’t let Satan fool you into thinking that’s an impossible task. Don’t let him fool you into thinking that only men have that power. He knows -- and now, YOU know -- that both the scriptures and prophets testify that believers of Jesus can have a role in crushing Satan’s head...if you’ll just believe in Him who is mighty to save.

Next, in Part 2 of this series, you’ll hear from some men and women who've successfully cast evil -- and along with it, fear, intimidation, molestation and worse -- from their presence.

In the meantime, if you’d like to interact with a few who have experience casting out evil, you’re invited to subscribe to The Perfect Day Facebook group. Follow the instructions on this page, and in the subscription form, tell us you’re wanting to learn more about casting out. We look forward to meeting you online.