One of the gifts I am praying about and trying to develop is the gift of discerning spirits. I believe this gift, if well developed, would make me more effective in the ministry areas the Father has called me to. I also believe that this is a gift for all of God’s children and that he wants us to live with a greater awareness of the spiritual realm than even the natural realm. The Bible is full of accounts in which men and women saw and heard in the spiritual realm. Those moments are described as dreams or visions and sometimes are simply described as experiences. Let me catalogue of few of those incidents to jog our memories.

Remember Jacob dreaming of angels ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven? Remember Moses perceiving God on Mt. Sinai? And then there was Gideon’s encounter with the supernatural. “The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And Gideon did so. With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared” (Judges 6:20-21). Elisha prayed and God opened the eyes of his servant to see the hills surrounding Dothan filled with chariots of fire that were already in place in the spiritual realm. Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah all saw things in the spiritual realm that were realities or that became realities. Balaam found himself talking to his donkey and then seeing an angel of the Lord standing in his path (Num.22). David saw an angel of the Lord standing over Jerusalem with a drawn sword. In the New Testament both Mary and Joseph had angelic visitations. The apostles had angels lead them from prison and Paul had a conversation with an angel one night as he stood on the deck of a storm tossed ship.

At times, God spoke out of the spiritual realm. Some heard his voice while others only heard thunder. Others felt things from the spiritual realm even though they could not see what was there. Daniel reported, “ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold round his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightening, his eyes like flaming torches…the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves” (Dan.10:4-7). All of these experiences and many more recorded in scripture reveal that God wants to show his people things in the spiritual realm for faith, understanding, and direction.

But isn’t that just for a few or for the super-spiritual? I used to think that but now I believe it is the Father’s will for all his children. The reason I believe that is because God has equipped each of us to hear, see, feel, and more in the spiritual realm.

We are all to be led by the Holy Spirit and we are all directed to hear God. Therefore, we all have spiritual ears that, at least, have the potential to hear the Spirit as he leads us and to receive a rhema (fresh word) from God. Paul prayed that God would enlighten (open) the eyes of the hearts of the believers in Ephesus. He did not pray that God would give them spiritual eyes but that he would open the eyes they had (Eph.1:15-18). In addition, we are also promised that the pure in heart will see God (Mt.5:8).

How often did Jesus or the prophets declare that God’s people had eyes to see and ears to hear but neither saw nor heard? I believe he was speaking about spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear so that we might receive things from the spiritual realm. I believe that just as we have five physical senses to discern things in our natural environment we also have five spiritual senses with the potential to see, hear, smell, touch (feel), and taste in our spiritual environment. The capacity is there, be we have to believe in that capacity by faith and then begin to exercise those senses. We do so by paying attention to our own spirit and the Holy Spirit rather than filtering out what we could otherwise perceive or attributing the sensations we are having to natural or psychological phenomena rather that spiritual realities.

I believe all humans have these senses, not just believers, and that the devil uses them in some who distort them and operate in them as psychics, mediums, witches, etc. We are probably attuned to these spiritual senses as children although we many not be able to interpret what we are seeing. The “monster under the bed” may be simple imagination or the awareness of something evil in the room that parents could easily take care of with the authority of Jesus. Children who just “saw an angel” may have just seen an angel. As the adults in our lives discount these childhood experiences we may learn to filter out the input from these senses.

Think about it. If the idea of being born with spiritual senses as well as natural senses resonates with you, then you may want to start praying that the Father would open your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear in the spiritual realm as a beginning place. Then start to pay attention to all your senses not just those you tune into in the natural realm. Of course, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth as you tune in. He must govern all of spiritual experiences to keep us from wandering off, but if our lives, as children of God, are to be anchored in the spiritual realm more than the natural, it seems we must have spiritual senses along with wisdom that every believer needs to develop.

But solid food belongs to those who are full of age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Heb.5:14, NKJV).

I grew up in Amarillo, Texas. When I was twenty-three years old I started dating a girl who went to church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night. She finally talked me into attending church with her on Wednesday nights. When I was younger I had attended a Baptist church with my family for a few years but after my mother and father divorced I had not been in a church. The people were friendly, the preaching was fairly entertaining, and the music was what I expected.

After I had begun attending on a regular basis, the girl I was dating asked me if I might be interested in a Bible study with a married couple at the church. Dinner would be included. I thought it over and agreed. I wondered who the couple might be. I assumed it would be a young, successful professional couple in a nice home with small children.   On the evening of the Bible study I was surprised. We drove to a low-income area of town and pulled up in front of a small clapboard house with a neat lawn, sparse flowerbeds and a few small trees. When we knocked on the door, a woman answered who was old enough to be my mother plus a few years. Her name was Mary. She invited us in and explained that her husband Joe and just gotten home from work. He was a mailman who walked a route everyday putting mail in boxes neatly mounted next to the front door of every house on his route.

Mary introduced me to Joe and during a simple meal I discovered that he not only was a “letter carrier” but also preached at a small country church a few miles from Amarillo on most Sunday mornings. He was paid in produce and eggs by the farmers who attended the church. We were eating some of his “pay check” that evening. Joe and Mary had raised two boys who were married and raising children of their own. After dinner, Joe pulled out a small projector and a filmstrip that was advanced manually after each slide would come up with a scripture and a brief explanation of some Biblical truth. We talked and I asked a few questions and then the evening was over. Joe and Mary asked if would come back the next week at the same time for another meal and more Bible study. I agreed and so it went for several weeks. Eventually, Joe asked if I wanted to give my life to Christ and be baptized and after some thought I said yes.

What I wanted to tell you was that the Bible study was academic and boring and not in the least compelling. What was compelling, however, was the love I felt in Joe and Mary’s home. Coming out of a very disengaged family of divorce, the genuine warmth and love extended to me along with the genuine warmth and adoration I saw exchanged between Joe and Mary was almost mesmerizing. The first time Mary opened the door you could almost feel the love in the home as if it had substance and was drifting out into the street. The Bible study explained Jesus but did not draw me to him. But the love I saw in the lives of two people who followed him did. I remember thinking that if that kind of love was found in Jesus then I wanted Jesus.

About five years later, I got word that Joe had died of a massive heart attack while delivering the mail. His funeral was scheduled mid-week and was to be held at a large church in Amarillo. I don’t remember if I had ever attended a funeral before but I was compelled to attend Joe’s. I ran a little late getting to the church and when I arrived I discovered that there was not even standing room left in the sanctuary so I had to stand outside and listen through open doors.

This was not a funeral for a preacher of a mega-church, a dignitary, or a pop-culture celebrity. It was the funeral of a letter carrier and country church preacher. Joe was, however, a celebrity in heaven. I’m certain of that. People were there because he and his wife Mary had touched so many with the genuine love of Christ. Every human being on the planet is starving for love. When someone genuinely touches that need, they remember. Even in the kingdom of heaven, faith, hope and love endure but the greatest is love.

As we search for more of Jesus, more of the Spirit, greater gifts, etc. we cannot forget love. Love is outward focused. All other things can look good – even spiritual – but can be self-focused. Jesus was outward. He came to serve rather than to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many. In his recent book, Soul Keeping, John Ortberg reports a quote from Dallas Willard who said in a response to Ortberg’s question about successful ministry, “What matters is not the accomplishments you achieve; what matters is the person you become” (p.49). The measure in heaven apparently is not how many people you bring to Jesus, the number of people you heal, or the number of demons you cast out but the number of people you love as Jesus loved. Joe knew that. Now I need to remember it.

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thess.5:17)

Most of us are aware of the verse above. Have you ever considered its meaning? If we think of formal prayer and take Paul’s injunction literally, we could never leave our knees or our prayer closet in which case we could not fulfill a great deal of what Christ has commanded us to do – go and make disciples, visit those in prison, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, cast out demons, etc.

In another verse, Paul counsels us regarding prayer when he says, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Eph.6:18). In this scripture, the word “times” is kairos. In the original language, kairos does not speak of just any time but speaks of strategic times or opportune times.

Paul is encouraging us to be watchful for significant, strategic, and opportune times to pray for kingdom outcomes as we oppose the enemy. I believe his call to “pray without ceasing” has the same sense. In other words, every time a challenge arises, a temptation floods our minds, the hand of satan is evident, or a need is apparent, etc. then pray.

Remember, it is our prayers that release the power and resources of heaven into any situation. If you are in a war, it is a good practice to shoot anytime you see the enemy or encounter a stronghold. Prayer is our way of shelling the enemy. If the enemy is constantly under fire, he will always be on the defensive rather than launching an offensive. We should pray, then, on every occasion when we sense the presence or work of the adversary.

But what if you find it hard to pray? I love a story I found in a book by Johnathan Welton entitled The School of the Seers (p.40). He writes of an old man who is sick in bed. His daughter asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. As the minister arrived he noticed an empty chair by the bed and the old man felt like he needed to give an explanation. He said, “ I never told anyone this, not even my daughter…But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the preacher talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempts at prayer until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and, in faith, see Jesus in the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, ‘I’ll be with you always.’ … So I tried it and I liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”

The story goes on to tell about the afternoon the old man died. His daughter found him dead. As she talked to the minister she reported that there was something strange about the way he died. She said, “Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?” I don’t know about you, but I think that would be a great way to go. Pray without ceasing. Keep the enemy on the run. Pray in your own way but, if need be, pull up a chair. Blessings in Him today.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron. Tim.4:1-2

Doctrine is one of those words that sounds old fashioned or too theological to be of much interest. However, it is a word that shows up numerous times in the New Testament with warnings attached to it in the same way that Paul warns Timothy in the passage above. Actually, doctrine is simply a word that means teachings (and is often translated that way) or the body of truth the bible reveals about Jesus and godly living. Godly living does not just mean moral living, although it includes that, but means to live as God, rather than culture, would have us live.

We live in a day when the Word of God is under attack. Some simply reject the idea of God and anything attached to the notion of faith or a spiritual realm. These are men and women who proudly wave the banner of atheism and scoff at anything religious. Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher, and a number of other intellectuals and celebrities wave the flag of unbelief proudly and influence those who have formed no religious convictions or those who simply want to emulate their cultural idols. These individuals oppose anything religious but are not the greatest enemies of the cross.

Warnings in scripture typically point to religious leaders who oppose the cross by not rejecting Jesus or God but by twisting or diluting the gospel. A lie which is flavored with truth is the most insidious and damaging because the lie is typically in seed form – barely detectable initially but growing later as cultural values and perspectives water it.

Doctrinal error tends to fall into two broad categories: teachings about Jesus himself and the nature of salvation. Even in the days of the apostles false teachings were beginning to emerge about Jesus. Some said that although he was an interesting figure and had an unusual gift for teaching, ultimately he was only the illegitimate son of a carpenter. Others said he was John the Baptist risen from the dead or Elijah or Jeremiah come back to call Israel to repentance. Even in John’s letters you can discern that some were teaching that Jesus did not actually come in the flesh and never literally died a physical death. Instead, Jesus was a spirit that only appeared to be human. In our day some make the same arguments or say that he was a great prophet but not the Son of God and that after his preaching career he settled down with Mary Magdalene and raised a house full of kids. A few still claim that Jesus never lived but was only a myth although the weight of history and scholarship is greatly against them.

The second area of doctrinal error tends to fall in the arena of what saves us. The man on the street may simply believe that if you live a pretty good life compared to neighborhood drug dealers or co-workers cheating on their spouses you will go to heaven. Muslims, Hindus and Jews argue that when you finally stand before God in judgment, your good works will have to outweigh your sins or there is no salvation. That is “works salvation.” In the minds of many, grace is simply God giving you the opportunity to earn your salvation by your own efforts.

The pure gospel declares that salvation comes by grace alone through faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus. Nothing we can do can obligate God to open the gates of heaven for us but he does so willingly, as a gift, through Jesus. Paul is very clear when he says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph.2:8-9). Works matter – but only as evidence of a changed heart after salvation has been given or as a criterion for rewards that will be given by God to the faithful at the judgment.

The most sinister doctrines seem to be those that agree that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, who died for our sins but that salvation not only depends on our faith in him but also on our works or our religious rituals. There were a group of Jews who hounded Paul from place to place. These men would come in behind Paul where he had established churches and teach that salvation came not only through believing in Jesus but also in keeping the Law of Moses. Paul calls these “false teachers” out in Galatians when he says, “As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned” (Gal.1:9)! The false gospel was “Faith in Jesus + works of the Law = Salvation.” Notice the strong language Paul used as he passionately condemned these teachers.

Jesus also warned about the doctrines of men taught as the commandments of God as did just about every writer of the New Testament. In the scripture quoted at the first of this blog, Paul warned Timothy that there would be deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons taught by men who would present misleading teachings without any pangs of conscience. Those teachings will draw people away from essential truths of scripture that will cost some their salvation while being wrapped in enough truth to be received without protest by many believers.

Today whole denominations are ignoring clear biblical teachings regarding homosexuality and the nature of marriage not to mention 2000 years of church doctrine on the matters in an attempt to be tolerant and loving as defined by our culture rather than scripture. The same groups of believers are questioning biblical infallibility because it disagrees with cultural norms and are hedging on the biblical position that only one road leads to heaven and that road is faith in Jesus Christ.

Believers who depend only on preachers or popular writers for their understanding of biblical truth are highly vulnerable to confusion and misleading doctrines. I’m not saying that preachers and writers should be avoided. I preach, teach, and write myself but I don’t want to be the sole spiritual authority in any one’s life. Every believer is responsible for knowing and studying the word of God for himself. Personal study is the only way to be settled on the revealed will of God and the solid essentials of the faith so that you can recognize the counterfeits of the enemy – the doctrines of demons that are so prevalent today. What we believe matters.

In a world where presidents and politicians arrogantly misquote scriptures to sell their point of view, where Hollywood celebrities push their own brand of spirituality, and where new Bible translations have chosen to be politically correct rather than accurate we need to know for ourselves what the Word of God says and stand on that Word.  Let me encourage you to be in the Word every day – not just reading it but studying and reflecting on what it says. It’s not all easy to understand but the essentials of the faith and salvation are clear. The practical teachings of godly living are clear.

If we are not confident about what God says on many issues we will fold to the pressure of culture when the heat is on. If we deny biblical teachings that are culturally unpopular then, in time, we will most likely begin to deny Jesus. Get the word of God in you. Listen to preachers, teachers, and read great books but be sure to confirm their teaching by your own study. It’s more important today than ever.

A number of years ago a young single woman named Cheree (not her real name) came to my office wanting to talk about some spiritual issues in her life. She was not a member of our congregation but had attended several events at our church and I had gotten to know her by name. She was a schoolteacher, very bright, and very faithful in her church.

I asked her what she wanted to talk about and she told me immediately that God didn’t seem to be answering her prayers anymore. She was frustrated and confused. Cheree told me that she had always had a powerful prayer life and was used to God answering her prayers in amazing ways but over the past few months she felt as if her prayers were just hitting the ceiling and falling to the floor. She was concerned about the shift in her spiritual life and hoped I had some insights that might help her get back on track.

I asked Cheree what she had been praying for lately that was seemingly not getting through to God. I was prepared to talk about God’s timing and his working behind the scenes and not to be discouraged but to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. But then Cheree told be what her prayer focus had been lately. Without hesitating she told me that she had been involved with a married man for several years. Her prayer had been that he would leave his wife and children and marry her so they could live happily ever after. Okay… for a moment I was grasping for a pastorally professional response. Cheree was bewildered with God and frustrated because he was not answering her heart-felt pleas.

After a moment, I asked Cherie why she thought God should answer that particular prayer. She then stated a theological position that I suspect many of us subscribe to from time to time. She said, “God should answer my prayer because he wants me to be happy and that would make me happy.” We talked about her theology and went on to explore the meaning of adultery and God’s unwillingness to participate in our sin while leaving a wife and three small children abandoned. It was interesting to watch the lights come on when we talked about her sin. It was as if Cheree had never considered the implications of her desires. For her it felt good so it must be good.

Cheree was also operating on an unstated premise that God’s sole commitment to us is to make us happy. In the kingdom of God, however, holy must come before happy and sanctified must come before satisfied. Paul tells us, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Rom.8:29). God’s primary commitment to us is not to make us happy, as we understand it in our immaturity, but to make us into the image of Jesus. Being “conformed” usually requires some bending, shaping, stretching, and sometimes hammering. Like diamonds it involves time, pressure, heat and often a Father’s discipline. Ultimately, the work of God in our lives will bring happiness but it rarely comes in the form we first imagined.

The idea that if God loves me he will give me everything I want is very childlike – not in the good sense of innocent and trusting, but in the self-centered sense of a two-year old demanding his way and being angry at his parent if he doesn’t get it. If we are honest, we all have a bit of a two-year old inside of us. God works on us with an eternal perspective while we tend to operate in the here and now and seek immediate gratification even in spiritual things. Sometimes we do get that immediate answer and an amazing miracle where God manifests his goodness for us in a singular event. But more often God manifests in a process that takes time and even effort on our part.

That is because process is usually more formative than an event or even an impartation because process develops character. I remember Renee, the wife of a former senior pastor at Mid-Cities, saying with a laugh, “ I don’t want to have to work for it, I just want an impartation.” We all laughed, but secretly I’m with her – I just want an impartation. But God is wiser than that. Too often, if God were to give us the desire of our heart as soon as we asked for it, we would not have the character to manage the gift or the blessing. We would mess it up or misuse it.

So, does God want us to be happy? Yes, God wants us to be happy but not just for a brief season until “the new” wears off of our latest toy. He wants us to possess joy and possess happiness but that comes after the shaping and the molding of our hearts. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask for what you desire but first of all examine that desire of your heart to see if it lines up with God’s values and purposes. Ask him to reveal the areas of growth he wants to work on next in your life and invite him to do the work and cooperate when he does it.

God is a great coach. When I ran track in high school, what I wanted and what would make me happy on a daily basis was an easy workout, finishing early, and a pat on the back for a job not done. That would make me happy in the short run but that happiness would quickly fade. The coach had something else in mind – the joy that would come from winning the race at the next meet and the race after that and the race after that. The joy and satisfaction that would come from a career of winning with medals in the display case would far out weight the happiness of an easy workout. So…we didn’t get easy workouts. We went home late not early and there was always one more lap.

There is a cost to lasting happiness. So when God says no or not yet don’t despise him. When you face hardships that are not quickly settled but that you must endure, know that God is making you into a champion who will one day possess joy and happiness rather than always seeking it in the “next new thing” you desire. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Heb.12:1).

Have you ever been disappointed or felt betrayed by God? Those feelings typically arrive when we feel that God let us down in some way or didn’t give us the desires of our heart. I’ve known a lot of people who were angry with God. I recall one man in particular that I worked with when I was a new believer in my college days. I rode in a company truck for two hours with him every day and each day I tried to share my faith in some way. One day he stopped me and said that he didn’t want me to talk about “the God stuff” anymore. He went on to explain that he had once been a strong believer and very involved in his church. But one day he had come home from work early only to find his best friend in bed with his wife. He said, “I decided right then that if that was how God was going to treat me after the way I had been serving him, I didn’t want any part of him.” I don’t know if he and his heavenly Father ever reconciled.

In his short book, Hiddenness & Manifestation, Graham Cooke speaks about the phenomenon of unmet expectations in our relationship with God. He says, “…if we’re honest, we sometimes have a perception of how God should be, how things should work, and what He should be doing. When things don’t happen the way we expect, we live with a sense of disappointment that maybe God has in someway let us down. The disciples said to one another, ‘We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.’ They had this expectation of God which he had no intention of fulfilling at the time. I wonder how many of us are living with an expectation of God which He has no desire or intention to fulfill in our life, because our expectation is flawed? Often our hopes and expectations about God are built on very shaky thinking and need to be pulled down” (p.27-28).

The Jews had a set of expectations regarding their Messiah that Jesus didn’t meet. They expected him to come as a statesman and a warrior to deliver them from Roman oppression. However, Jesus seemed to skirt politics and he told his followers to put up their swords rather than to raise an insurrection. The Jewish leaders expected the Messiah to come to them with praise for the way they had maintained traditions and kept the Law. I’m certain they expected to have seats of honor around him as he established his kingdom on earth. Jesus, however, had little to do with the Jewish leaders and little regard for them. Most of his encounters with them led to scolding them for their hypocrisy rather than praising them for their religious fervor. They expected Messiah to be born into an aristocratic family of the Jews and attend the finest rabbinical schools. However, Jesus was raised in the backwater town of Nazareth and attended only the local synagogue school. Jesus did not meet their expectations of Messiah so they killed him and, in a sense, missed God altogether.

My co-worker from years past expected God to override his wife’s and his best friend’s free will and to guarantee him a happy wife and happy life because he taught Sunday school and coached church softball. Others I have known felt betrayed by God when a loved one died or when a marriage ended in divorce as if God had contracted to keep us from all hardship if we were followers of Jesus. I believe that one of Satan’s great strategies is to establish unbiblical expectations about God in our minds so that sooner or later we will be disappointed and blame God for welching on a promise he never made.

If you were to sift back through the New Testament you would find that Jesus never promised smooth sledding but, instead, he assured us that in this world we will have trouble. He never promised “the good life” as the world defines it, but tells us clearly that in this world we will be persecuted because if we love Jesus the world will hate us.

God does not promise us a trouble free life. What he does promise is that he will be with us in all of our troubles. He does not promise a pain free life but does promise healing from the pain. On the other hand, He does promise to fulfill the desires of our hearts but some believers approach that promise as if God were a genie in a bottle doing their bidding. We need to understand that he fulfills the desires in our hearts when those desires are aligned with his heart.

An inaccurate expectation of how God works in our lives has caused many to miss the Father just as the Jews missed Messiah. If we find ourselves disappointed or angry with God, it might be good to examine the source of our anger and to make sure that we are not holding Gold responsible for something he never promised. It’s also good to get alone with God and air out your thoughts and feelings. Shout a little. Pace back and forth. Talk to God about your frustrations and ask him for a revelation that will help you understand what has happened in your life and how you can find his love in the midst of your pain. You will find that he is faithful and that he can be counted on to keep his word.

Expectations are important but if you have felt disappointment with God or are angry with Him,check your expectations. See if they are biblical as you consider the whole counsel of God rather than just one verse. But more than that, have it out with Him if you must. He can handle it and in the end, all He wants is for you know Him better and to trust Him again.

I’ve put off commenting on the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage because everyone and their dog have been commenting on it from every direction. For some it was no surprise – just the inevitable end of a long slide toward anti-biblical and anti-Christian values in America. For others it was the last nail in the coffin that will surely bring down the wrath of God on this nation. For still others it was a step in the right direction for tolerance in America moving us toward a “just America” where everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.

I guess I will share my thoughts now to add to your own. First of all, God was not taken by surprise when the edict from the Supreme Court was announced. In fact, very few of us were surprised. We had hoped for another outcome but did not have a great deal of expectation. A large majority of states has already legalized same-sex marriage and the number of homosexual couples in America did not suddenly spike because of the ruling. Those individuals were already living the lifestyle and won’t be anymore displeasing to the Lord today than they were a week ago. In addition, all of the heterosexuals in America who are cohabiting or secretly sleeping with someone else’s spouse or abusing their children won’t be any more displeasing to the Lord than they were a week ago.

I’m not saying the decision doesn’t matter. It does. Leadership matters. The White House or now “the Rainbow House” has not only tolerated the homosexual agenda but has now elevated it to a celebrated lifestyle. This, however, is just one more example of a nation’s leaders labeling those things that are good as being evil and those things that are evil as being good. My biggest concern is that this public declaration by the Supreme Court will convey the idea to our children and teens that homosexuality is now a moral lifestyle because it is protected by law. Remember, however, that at one time, slavery was protected by law. A nation’s law may say something is good or acceptable, but does not make it so.

I am also convinced that since our leaders continue to align themselves with Satan, they have opened the doors to even more demonic activity in America than we have seen before. We will be seeing a spike in the “spiritual warfare meter” over America. The mainstream media will be complicit with this agenda and will celebrate and continue to normalize same-sex marriage so that our children will grow up believing that it has always been part of the fabric of American culture – along with the sexual immorality, violence, and “real housewives” behavior that they see hourly now.

In the midst of this, what is our response? We live for Jesus. Our King is still on his throne and has not compromised. We have dual citizenship as Americans and as citizens of heaven but our citizenship in heaven must always have our greatest loyalty. As the light of the world, His church should shine even brighter in this darkness. Our values do not change even as culture ebbs and flows. Our assignment is still the same – make disciples of all nations beginning now with America. Will there be persecution in America? Probably. Christians who stand on the Word of God will be labeled as intolerant bigots and those who demand tolerance will attempt to crush those who don’t agree with them. But that is already happening.

Undoubtedly we will begin to feel some of the heat that our fellow believers in the rest of the world have felt for decades. Believers in America will have to decide whether they will stand with Jesus or bend to the culture trying to seek acceptance. Is all lost? Not at all. The church survived the brutality of Rome and built churches on the ruins of that nation that tried to stamp out the faith. The church is thriving in China while government bulldozers level church buildings and drag pastors off for interrogation and re-education. House churches are springing to life in Muslim nations where there are severe penalties for being a Christian. The church will prevail. The only question is whether we will be faithful or not.

Is it too late for America? That probably depends on the church. God would have spared Sodom for the sake of ten righteous men. There were many times that Israel seemed doomed to be erased in the dust of history but God would raise up a righteous leader, the people would repent, and Israel would prosper in peace again for a generation or two.

No doubt the Supreme Court decision is another wake up call. Judgment may come on the nation but God’s judgment always has a redemptive purpose and he will be with his people in the midst of that judgment if it comes. The church can roll over and let culture have its way or the church can rise up in prayer, holiness, love, and disciple-making and exalt the name of Jesus in this nation once again. Paul reminded the church at Corinth that many of them had been in bondage to sin as adulterers, drunks, homosexuals, swindlers, and so forth ( 1 Cor.6) but that they had been redeemed and transformed. Our culture is not beyond the reach of God and his power to save.

If you have seen the Apollo 13 movie with Tom Hanks, there is a scene in Mission Control where some are beginning to talk about the disaster that the probable loss of the spacecraft and crew will be for NASA. Everything was against them. A multitude of unknown variables probably did mark the flight for disaster. At the moment everyone else was despairing, however, Gene Krantz, the flight director played by Ed Harris, stands and says, “I believe this is going to be our finest hour.” A few minutes later the Apollo 13 capsule landed softly in the ocean and the crew was retrieved shaken but unscathed. I believe this too can be the church’s finest hour in America if we will stand.

In my last blog I shared a list of reasons from an older book by Don Basham that explain why some people are not set free by deliverance. Today I want to speak a little into the experience that many of us have had in which a person seems to genuinely get freedom from a spirit only to come back under the power of that spirit within a few days or weeks. Knowing how people lose their deliverance enables us to counsel those going through deliverance so that they might maintain that freedom in the months ahead.

First of all, people lose their freedom when their house remains vacant. Let me explain. Jesus said, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first” (Mt.12:43-45).

The “house” in this teaching is the body or the soul of the person who has been set free. When a spirit is cast out, it leaves a spiritual vacuum or vacancy. That vacuum will be filled by something. In the story Jesus told, the spirit returned and found the house unoccupied. It should have been filled by the Spirit of God and with the things of God rather than being left vacant. We always counsel those who have experienced deliverance to fill their lives with the Word of God, praise music, worship, godly books, and godly fellowship. We encourage them to avoid anything that would draw them back into old ways of thinking, old behaviors that are sinful or that border on sinful, and to stay away form relationships that might draw them back into the very things that opened the doors for the enemy in the first place. We encourage them to ask the Holy Spirit to fill them up so that there is no vacancy when an unclean spirit comes looking for a place to camp. Some lose their freedom because they fail to maintain a regimen of godliness during the days and weeks following their deliverance.

A second reason that people lose their deliverance is unbelief.   Satan’s only real weapon against believers is a lie. He lied to Adam and Eve and he lies to us. After a person experiences freedom from a spirit or numerous spirits, the devil immediately begins to inject doubt into the situation. He will suggest that nothing really happened and nothing really changed during the deliverance session. He will suggest that the person is no different from before and that he or she still belongs to Satan. He will attempt to discredit those who ministered to the individual and, in general, create doubt about the individual’s newly found freedom. He may also suggest that he is more powerful than Jesus and that the individual will never be free. If the person buys into the lie, then Satan has an open door to demonize that person once again.

Because of the temptation and lies that inevitably come to the person who has been delivered, we need to prepare them for that moment with biblical truth. The gospels are abundantly clear that demons are real, many people are demonized, and that Jesus and those who follow him have authority to set people free. They must be clear that Jesus has all authority in heaven and in earth and that he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. They must also expect the lies to come. As they come they should not consider those lies to be their own thoughts but tempting spirits and should command them to leave in the same way that they commanded spirits to leave during their deliverance. Guarding your own thought life and rebuking lies with God’s truth is essential to maintaining freedom.

A third way that people lose their freedom after deliverance is to go back to the same old relationships and environment that contributed to their demonization in the first place or to spend time with unbelievers – especially unbelieving Christians who would deny the reality of demons and deliverance or who are casual about their faith. If a person has been delivered from a spirit of rejection, he or she should not stay around people who practice rejection until they are fully healed and strong enough not to “receive” the rejection. If a person has been in a sinful relationship that opened them up to demons, they must not go back to that relationship or even be close to it. If they have been around people who cast doubt on the scriptures or the truth of Jesus Christ they should avoid those relationships for a while because the devil will attempt to undermine the persons deliverance and peace through those people. Typically, there is a season of vulnerability after deliverance. For that season, those who have just been set free should avoid relationships that will discourage them, re-wound them, or tempt them to sin.

The fourth reason some lose their deliverance is that they withheld some part of their life from the Lordship of Jesus and continued to love or value some sin or some sinful relationship more than their relationship with Jesus. They may have said all the right words but their heart didn’t match their declarations. Double-mindedness is an open door for the enemy. A lack of true repentance still keeps part of us in agreement with Satan and that agreement gives him a legal right to harass us. Some people come to Jesus wanting to be set free from the consequences of a sin but not from the sin itself. Typically, when a believer has a persistent, unrepented sin in his or her life there is some demonic deception attached that keeps the person from seeing the destructive nature of the sin. Prayers for God to lift the veil of deception and to give them spiritual eyes through which to see the truth may be in order before deliverance. Sometimes we must learn to hate a sin we have once loved before a spirit can be driven out.

I’m sure there are other reasons that individuals may lose their deliverance and slip back into spiritual bondage but these represent some of the primary causes. As we minister deliverance, we need to instruct those receiving deliverance so that they can guard against these pitfalls. We need to practice the same cautions in our own lives as well to keep the enemy at bay. Blessings and freedom in Jesus today.

All of us who minister deliverance or healing or who share the gospel or counsel believers have experienced the frustration of doing our best and then seeing nothing change. Sometimes self-doubt creeps in as if we failed in the moment and at other times we simply wonder what went wrong. I was browsing through an old book on my shelf written by a man named Don Basham entitled, Deliver Us From Evil. If you think healing and deliverance has just begun to be practiced in the church, many were doing these things in the 60’s and 70’s.   Don’s book was first published in 1972. He and a few others like Derek Prince were leading lights in renewing this ministry to the contemporary church.

Don’s book is basic and simple. I like that. The other reason I like it is because it reminds me that, as Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun. Our current experiences mirror his and his thoughts and experiences confirm that we are still on the right path. I think I’ll share some of his wisdom with you in my next few blogs.

In his book, Basham states, But knowing that Satan and his demons are defeated is one thing: appropriating the benefits of that belief is another. The more I was thrown into this strange ministry, the more complex it seemed to become. Why, for example, should deliverance achieve such spectacular results in one tormented person and fail miserably with another. Gradually, I began to see that there were certain contributing factors, certain requirements or conditions for deliverance. To a large degree, success was determined by whether or not the one seeking help was willing to meet the conditions (p. 147). Basham then goes on to list six of those conditions. Our experience at Mid-Cities confirms his list so I will share it with you and as I do I will make some of my own comments related to his.

1. The person must desire deliverance. I agree. We must recognize that many people only “sort of” want deliverance or want deliverance from one thing but not another (like a sinful relationship). That mindset continues to give the enemy a legal right to continue to harass that individual. Deliverance is most effective when the individual is done with sin and Satan and hates what both have done in his or her life. Everything in the person’s life must be placed under the Lordship of Jesus…not just some things.

2. The person must be willing to admit that he has a demon. Basham’s point here is that, in many cases, the individual must acknowledge that his condition is not just physiological or genetic but that there is a sin component that may have demonic origins. With the sin component comes personal responsibility to repent and renounce that behavior as sin. I’m not sure that the individual must be convinced that he has a demon but he should be open to the possibility. He or she could read my book or any number of books on the topic to understand the reality and possibility of demons if that is an issue.

3. Those ministering deliverance must take authority in the name of Jesus. If we ever believe the deliverance depends on us, our ability, our holiness, or our methodology we will fail. Demons have no regard for us but on for the one whom we represent. We act in the authority and power of Jesus. We must always remember that and make sure that the demons know whom we serve.

4.  It helps to get the demon to name itself. I agree with Don’s statement in principle. If you get the demon’s name it typically comes out easier. It reminds me of kids playing in the yard. When the mother yells, “You kids get in the house,” the kids will usually drift in over the next few minutes as if “you kids” may not have included each one of them. However, when momma says, “Billy Ray, you get in here this minute!” more and quicker action follows. You may know the demon’s name by his fruits – anger, rage, lust, fear, rejection, etc. or the Holy Spirit may reveal the name to you. At times you can command a spirit to reveal his name but he may resist and he may lie. Getting the name is helpful but not necessary.

5. The afflicted person must renounce the demon. Basham makes a good point when he says that repentance of the sin is necessary but renouncing the sin and the demon carries more weight. Repentance says I don’t want to do this anymore. Renouncement says I hate this and want nothing to do with it ever again. I have seen demons persist in the face of anointed and experienced members of a deliveranceteam until the afflicted person gets angry at the demon and commands it to leave with absolute conviction. Half-heartedness on the part of the afflicted still gives the enemy a place.

6. The person must forgive. Unforgiveness is an open door for the enemy. Jesus told us in several places that if we don’t forgive others, the father won’t forgive us. Unforgiven sin gives the enemy legal access to us. Typically, we need to explain biblical forgiveness to people as a decision rather than a feeling and that forgiving a hurtful person doesn’t necessarily mean giving them access to us again. It is simply a decision to no longer require payment for the wrongs done and to release all judgment to God. But it is absolutely necessary for deliverance to be successful.

7. A person must repent of any persistent sin. This was not in Basham’s list, perhaps because it is so obvious, but it needs to be stated. A person must repent of his or her sins because unrepented sin gives the enemy a legal right to harass. We are in agreement with the devil in that slice of our lives if we do not repent and renounce the sin…and any sins of the Fathers that we are aware of. Sometimes people rationalize a particular sin as being “a little sin” or they hold onto a sin that gratifies them or makes them feel powerful or significant. You must explore those possibilities and move them to a sincere acknowledgment and repentance of sin in their lives. Secret sin continues to give the devil a foothold.

If those conditions are not met, you may not accomplish much or anything in your attempts to minister deliverance. Sometimes, individual’s want to start commanding right away without discovering where the enemy has gained entrance and whether or not the person’s heart is aligned with the Jesus. That is like a doctor jumping into surgery without an MRI, a CT scan, or a thorough diagnosis. Not a good idea. If the person’s heart is not right, you may gain some temporary deliverance but more than likely that spirit will return and sometimes bring others with him. Take your time with the diagnosis. It will save you time with the treatment.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:1-6).

Most of the Christians I know have longed for the gift of healing at one time or another. The idea of imparting supernatural healing to someone who is suffering or dying stirs something in us because Jesus is in us and healing is his nature. Paul tells us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts so it is a good thing to desire that gift and others because it is through those gifts that God wants to manifest his love and grace – both to the church and to the world. So, let’s draw some lessons from this account.

Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, opens the curtain as Peter and John are going up to the temple to pray. In this account we discover that the Jews had set times of prayer throughout the day. In Daniel 6:13, we are told that the prophet regularly prayed three times a day. Peter and John were men of prayer and apparently had a discipline of prayer in their lives which is one major key to receiving spiritual treasures from the Lord. They were going up to the temple at 3:00 which was designated as a time of prayer for the Jews. That time also coincides with the time Jesus died on the cross. You can make your own connection.

On their way, they were accosted by a beggar who strategically had his friends or family bring him to the temple gates just before this designated time of prayer. It was strategic because anyone entering to pray would want to enter the temple in the good graces of God and giving to the poor might just set them up for a blessing. Peter and John lived under a blessing so I’m certain that their motive for healing the man was not that.

Notice that the two apostles were going up for a designated time of prayer. I’m sure they were focused on things they wanted to bring before the Father, getting into the temple on time, and maybe even finding a place in the shade. It is almost certain that there were many other beggars and disabled men and women who had strategically staked out the same area, but the lame man caught Peter and John’s attention. Although these two were set on a mission of their own, they were alert to the possibility that God might want to do something else while they were on their way. I believe that as they learned to be sensitive to God, God would direct them to speak, pray, heal, preach, etc. as he directed. Jesus told us that he only did what he saw the Father doing (Jn.5:19) which is a sensitivity I believe God wants every follower to develop.

I believe many of us (myself certainly included) do not experience what we hope to experience when sharing our faith or praying for healing because we are planting seeds in ground that has not been prepared. We are planting in places where God has not already been working. It’s not wrong to plant in those places, its just not always productive. Jesus sensed God’s leading and involved himself where God had already been working. Peter and John were doing the same thing I believe and sensed that God was directing them to a certain man. When we know God has directed us, we can have faith for a miracle.

In this story, the man was expecting a little financial blessing but God had a greater blessing in mind. Directed by the Spirit, Peter declared healing over the man in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Peter was very specific about the name as if to leave no doubt about the source and authority for the healing. As people began to respond to the miracle, Peter and John were again careful to take no credit for the healing but to point everyone to Jesus. That is also a key to walking in power. As a result of their faith, their prayer life, their sensitivity to God’s leading, their willingness to have their plans disrupted, and their willingness to point others to Jesus through the miracle, God was able to entrust a greater measure of the miraculous gift of healing to them.

Interestingly, they didn’t pray for Jesus to come and heal the lame man as we probably would. Instead, Peter said, “What I have (possess) I give to you. In the name of Jesus….walk.” Peter possessed a gift of healing that resided with him. After all, Jesus told his followers to go, preach, heal, and cast out demons. He told them to do so because he had given them power and authority to do so. That same power and authority is still available to those who have the Spirit of Christ within them today.

I do believe that there are those who have a gift of healing and, like Peter, the gift resides with them. The rest of us can offer prayers of faith for healing at any time. In that moment we might ask for Jesus to come and heal but I also believe that many times the Spirit releases a gift for a given moment that does not reside with us. Many of us get a prophetic word, a word of knowledge, or a spike of faith on occasion that doesn’t seem to be available most of the time. I believe healing can be the same but when it is released for a specific moment, we can command healing just as Peter did. When we occasionally in a gift, it is also likely that we have the gift in seed form that can develop into a gift we can frequently call on if we nurture the gift and risk exercising it as it develops.

If you hunger for a gift or if God has put a desire for a gift on your heart, remember the lessons of Peter and John – a discipline of prayer, a growing sensitivity to the direction of the Lord, a willingness to be detoured or inconvenienced, a willingness to point all eyes to Jesus, and the faith to exercise the gift when you feel directed by God – even if healing does not always occur or a prophetic word is not always on target. We grow in these gifts as we grow in all parts of life. When desiring a gift we should do three simple things: pray, pursue, and practice. If you hunger for a gift, then go for it. See what God does.