TRAVIS - Recently during sacrament meeting, a member of the high counsel was giving a talk and reffered to an event when he had to use his priesthood to cast out an evil spirit. I was ordained an elder a couple of months ago. I've been looking through the missionary's handbook for the way to cast out evil spirts and it's not in there. Is there a specific way to do it and if so, why is it no longer in the instructional guides?

JOEL - There are many instances of unclean spirits being cast out recorded in the scriptures (Matt 8:16, Matt 10:1, Mark1:23-27, Mark 5:1-20, Acts 8:6-7, 3 Ne. 7: 19). These are the spirits of Satan who were cast out of heaven and seek to obtain the bodies of the weak.
The casting out of an evil spirit is something that can simply be included within a regular priesthood blessing; like one would give for someone who is sick, relying on the spirit to know what to say. One might simply command the evil spirit to depart from the body of the individual by authority of the priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ. Fasting, faith, and prayer should always be involved.

"And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matt 17: 18-21)

Here's how Paul did it:
"And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour." (Acts 16:16-18)

I wouldn't worry about it much; the opportunity to cast out an evil spirit really doesn't come up very often. But it's nice to know that it can be done if needed.

Link to Scripture

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