I am part of a church that recognizes the reality of the spiritual realm…both angelic and demonic.  We talk about it, pray about it, and exercise spiritual gifts that touch the unseen realm.  Because of that, I often forget that a large portion of the American and western European church still gives little thought to the reality of the spiritual realm or spiritual warfare. These churches do seem to be comfortable with the idea of angels … especially, guardian angels watching over our children.  However, I wonder how many actually believe in the constant activity of angels or just think of angels in vague ways as a nice sentiment or a comforting thought with little reality behind the notion…kind of like Santa Claus?

In his book, Deliverance from Evil Spirits. Francis MacNutt wrote a chapter entitled, “Do Demons Really Exist?”  Let me quote a little from that chapter.  “Two hundred years ago few Christians questioned whether Satan and the demonic realm were real. Then there would have been no need to write a chapter like this. Even as recently as 1972, Pope Paul VI, reaffirming the age-old understanding of scripture (and human experience) wrote:  ‘It is contrary to the teaching of the Bible or the Church to refuse to recognize the existence of such a reality…or to explain it as a pseudo-reality, a conceptual and fanciful personification of the unknown causes of our misfortunes…’” The Pope would not have written that unless many were trying to write off the teachings of scripture about the kingdom of darkness as mythology and quaint stories told to explain why bad things happen in this world.

MacNutt goes on to say, “As we read through the Gospels, we cannot help but be struck by the extraordinary numbers of references to Jesus confronting Satan and the whole realm of demons. A major theme in the New Testament is the clash between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan. The climax of human history, in fact, occurs when God, in Jesus, overpowers Satan and frees the human race from Satan’s dominion. Nor do I propose that the ministry of deliverance is simply one minor ministry among many that need to be resurrected in today’s Church, but that Jesus’ ministry of deliverance is central to an understanding of the gospel. ‘The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work’ (1 Jn.3:8).”  

Paul clearly states that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil (Eph.6).  He then discusses the necessity of implementing divine weapons in 2 Corinthians 10 because our enemy must be faced in the spiritual realm with spiritual weapons if we are to overcome him.  Currently, the activity of the demonic is raging in America because our national leaders have opened the door for him by declaring evil things to be good and good things to be evil. Many believers are being tormented, oppressed, and defeated and are unaware of the source of that oppression and torment.

Charismatic churches are exploding in third world countries because they bring the power of God into the battle against the demonic forces these people recognize and deal with through witch doctors and shamans. It is in the west that Satan has become invisible.  I didn’t say inactive, but invisible. He is invisible because our material, technological culture denies his existence. Many of us have a world view that simply filters out any recognition of his reality or activity. We see the same symptoms in people that were diagnosed as demonic affliction in the Bible, but diagnose them as psychiatric or physiological conditions that can hopefully be managed with medications.  Most Christian counselors will recommend medications for emotional torment but would never suggest deliverance.  The Biblical model demands that we seriously consider both forms of healing when ministering to the illness, torment, and bondage of people.

During the Civil War in America, we are told that more men died from infections than from actual gunshot wounds. The enemy was unseen bacteria. There was little understanding of the cause of infection and the care of wounds, so bacteria thrived and infections went untreated.  What was unseen and unrecognized caused thousands of deaths and amputations.  In the west, Satan seems to operate unseen and unrecognized because we have placed the demonic realm in the category of fiction or superstition.   Satan, then, has free reign to do as he wants as long as he can masquerade as mental illness or some rare physiological condition that is yet to respond to treatment. All the drugs in the world will not expel a demon and so mental health facilities cannot keep up with demand.  I know that Covid is a real thing but I also believe there are spiritual dimensions to Covid that have made the reality much more destructive than it has to be…especially spirits of fear, suicide, depression, distrust, isolation, and so forth.

I am not saying that all depression, suicidal thoughts, gender confusion, rage, violence, and so forth is demonic. But some of it or much of it is or is magnified by demonic spirits.  When Paul said that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual entities and forces of evil, he wasn’t speaking metaphorically.

The western world has enthroned science and “reason” above revelation.  Many Christians have done the same and are even embarrassed to talk about things like demons and supernatural healing as if those are vestiges of some ignorant superstition that used to infect the church.  Many Christians often exhaust all natural healing possibilities before even beginning to pray for healing because they believe more in science than the promises of God.  However, Satan is very real and is still very active. I can’t list all the people we have ministered to over the past twenty years or so that were set free by Jesus in a few minutes while their therapists and medications had only been able to take the edge off their pain, fear, depression, or despair for years. They were delivered because someone believed the Bible and that biblical realities don’t go away as technology advances.

Doctors can help a great deal when the issue is rooted in the natural realm and I am very thankful for the grace if medicine.   But Jesus is the only physician that can provide a cure when the issue is rooted in the spiritual realm.  Wise people will consider both realms when someone needs help and discern where the root lies.  In many cases, both realms will need to be engaged, because all of us are both physical and spiritual and are touched by both realms.  To deny the demonic realm because it makes us uncomfortable or because it doesn’t fit the cultural view of reality is like a person who refuses to get a checkup for cancer because they are afraid of what they might find. In both cases, early diagnosis and treatment is the best approach.  Both cancer and Satan produce devastating results when they go unnoticed and untreated.

The gospel of Jesus Christ will never meet its full potential in the lives of God’s people until his church universally accepts biblical realities and goes to war with an unseen, but very real enemy.  The victory is already ours, but it still must be enforced because demons tend to be non-compliant types who won’t get out just because an eviction notice came in the mail.

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It’s hard to watch the news, read the paper, or listen to the radio these days without feeling overwhelmed, angry, discouraged and even fearful.  Whether its Covid, the economy, educational challenges, supply chain woes, or divisive politics, it hard not to feel as if everything is out of control and spiraling down.  When we feel helpless, it is because we forget who we are and whose we are.  

The prophet Isaiah also lived in a time of cultural decline, turbulent politics, economic woes and constant military threats. During that time, God spoke to him and said…

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it 

without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, 

but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:9-11

In the beginning, God’s word had the creative power to reach into absolutely nothing and produce the heavens and the earth, the seen and the unseen.  The prophet Isaiah declared that the power of God’s word had not diminished and would still accomplish his purposes when it went forth from his mouth. We discover later that he often used the mouths of his prophets to launch his words on this planet. The beginning verses of Jeremiah confirm that God often chooses to send forth his word through the lips of his people.

But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’  Jer. 1:7-10

God’s original intent was to rule the earth through his people who would represent him and rule as he would rule. Psalms 114:16 declares, “The highest heavens belong the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.”  He commanded Adam and Eve to subdue the earth and rule over it.  Initially, Adam was to be the “prince of this world.” But after his sin in the Garden at Satan’s prompting, he turned his authority over to Satan.  Satan then used his authority to distort and make perverse everything  God loved.

However, God still determined to rule this planet through his people and so God’s will was often declared by those he appointed as prophets.  Their declarations became a starting gun for God’s will to be manifested on the earth. Because God still intends to rule this planet through his people, he often honors that intent by waiting on us to pray or declare his word over a situation before he acts.  Jeremiah never led an army or a rebellion, but by declaring the word that God put in his mouth, nations and kingdoms were torn down and built up.  As God’s word was declared, God moved to make that word fulfill its purpose.

If we don’t understand this principle, then we will often wait on God to act while he is waiting on us to pray and declare his word, his promises, and his blessings over people or situations.  We are now his representatives on the earth and each of us walk in the authority of Christ while the Spirit of prophecy lives within us. If the Holy Spirit gives us a word or places something on our hearts, we need to begin to pray into it and declare what God wants to do.  Because he honors our position on the earth, he waits on us. 

Sometimes, I forget the role and the importance that God has given us (me) on the earth.  The enemy whispers that I am insignificant and weak while just the opposite is actually true. Sometimes, I get weary and lay aside the mantle God has given me as his authorized representative.  Sometimes, I slip into a season of “unbelief” about who I am in Christ and have to be reminded.  

Paul uses the metaphors of soldiers and athletes as he describes the Christian life.  Each of those must train, fight, endure, and remember the prize if they are to experience victory.  God wants to rule this earth through us. Our prayers, our declarations, our actions that release light and goodness into this world all matter and matter every day.  

In this season of national division and insanity, it is easy to believe we can’t make a difference and that all is lost.  But remember, the fervent, effective prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.  We have more influence than we think and are more powerful than we imagine because of who we represent.  Don’t give up.  Pray harder, declare more.  Remember that you are launching the will of God on the earth each time his word goes forth from your lips.  Be encouraged.

As the emphasis on transgenderism, same sex attraction, and sexual identity continues to grow in America, we need to know what God says about these things so that we know we have firm footing wherever we stand.  Our senior pastor is about to preach on these issues so some of our discussions around his sermons has prompted me to share some of my thoughts in this blog.

The first time gender is mentioned in scripture is in the first chapter of Genesis where we are told, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen.1:27).  

God created two sexes, both of which have been made in his image. In the beginning, before sin shattered our relationship with God and our environment, God made men and women.  If we follow the science (real science) we are told that there are vast differences between men and women – not just physically but also in their hormones, brain chemistry, and so forth. There is a real sense in which men and women complete and compliment each other.  That was God’s plan from the beginning and there is no biblical suggestion that God was ever going to change his mind about his creation, the nature of marriage, or that there are more than  two genders.  A man is to leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they are to become one flesh. Jesus quoted the same scripture in his teachings about God’s intent for marriage.

Now, we have to account for all the views on sexuality, gender confusion, transgenderism and so forth that we see championed around us these days. The confusion around sexual identity was not introduced by God, but by sin when Adam and Eve stepped into Satan’s trap in the Garden and forfeited their authority over the earth.  At the point of their ejection from the Garden, not only did they lose their intimate spiritual connection with God, but became subject to both death and sickness.  The natural realm became subject to decay (Rom. 8:21). Satan took authority over the earth and began immediately to distort God’s creation. 

In my forty years of ministry, I have seen several things that contributed to gender confusion in men and women.  One is trauma.  When a boy or girl is molested at a young age, especially by the same sex, it seems to create questions about the individual’s sexual identity as he or she grows up.  Typically, shame and fear are both attached to the experience. None of that is brought about by God, but by sin and Satan who comes to kill, steal and destroy. 

A second source of gender confusion and, eventually, homosexual relationships can be spiritual.  I have personally ministered to several people (men and women) who were afflicted by a spirit of homosexuality or lesbianism to the degree that they pursued the lifestyle.  In these cases, deliverance set them free from their confusion and their God-given sexual identity was restored.

A third source I have seen is misinformation.  I have also personally ministered to individuals who decided that they must be “gay” because they had developed emotional ties to others of the same sex.  Scripture is clear that both men and women (David & Jonathan / Ruth and Naomi, etc. ) could be extremely close emotionally and relationally without being homosexual. Our culture has put a sexual imprint on every relationship so that we confuse love with sex.  We think that if we love someone, that love must have a sexual expression.  It does not.  Scripture says that David and Jonathan’s souls were knit together, but both were healthy heterosexual men.  One of the young men to whom I have ministered thought he must be gay and, therefore, became homosexually active with a friend although he had no sexual attraction to the other man.  After discovering that he could have deep friendships with men and not be “gay,” he was able to leave the lifestyle.  Solomon said, “There is a friend, who is closer than a brother.”  In our culture, Satan has perverted both sex and friendship.  The church needs to redeem both from a broken culture sl that men and women can love one another without a perverse sexual component.

We must also acknowledge a fourth source of gender confusion.  When the earth was cursed because of sin and became subject to decay, genetic damage and sinful predispositions also became part of the gene pool that gets passed down from generation to generation.  In the same way that birth defects are a side effect of sin and decay in the natural realm, due to genetic distortions that vary from God’s original intent, gender confusion can be experienced in the same way. Research suggests that we can be born with a propensity toward alcoholism or other addictions.  It also suggests that even emotional predispositions such as fear, anger, or depression can be transmitted generationally through genes.  It may also be that gender confusion is passed down through genetic codes. 

Each of these sources of gender confusion arise from the effects of sin on the world.  There is something so holy about our sexuality, that Satan has targeted that part of God’s creation with a vengeance.  Lust, pornography, human sex trafficking, sexual abuse, molestation, incest, transgenderism, and even homosexuality are a distortion of God’s intent for our gender identity and our expression of God-given sexuality. 

The first key to dealing with these issues is to understand that these are not part of God’s plan for his people. We don’t have to demonize those who have been victimized by sin and Satan.  In fact, we should love and have great compassion for who struggle in these areas.  Many of these men and women are truly tormented. Having said that, we cannot enable the pursuit, normalization, or even glorification of these things that depart from God’s intent.

For every sin, God has a solution.  For every wrong path, God has a way back.  Whether truth sets us free, deliverance, emotional healing, physical healing or simply the grace to say “No” to sin, as believers we cannot bow to cultural pressures orchestrated by the enemy to compromise God’s intent when it comes to gender and sexuality.  If we come into agreement with Satan on any of these issues, we empower him in our nation and our own lives. We must have faith for a solution so that every person damaged by sin can be redeemed and walk in a right relationship with the Lord. To do less, is to miss the mark.

In his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey wrote, “How easily do we who live in material bodies devalue the world of spirit. It occurs to me that although Jesus spent much time on issues such as hypocrisy, legalism, and pride, I know of no television ministry devoted to healing those “spiritual” problems, yet I know of many that center on physical ailments. Just as I begin feeling smug, however, I remember how easily I am tormented by the slightest bout with physical suffering, and how seldom I feel tormented by sin.”

His point is that we focus too often on the material and physical part of our existence and seem to look to the spiritual only as a last resort.  In our healing and deliverance ministries, we must be careful not to be only concerned about emotional health and freedom from the demonic while not being concerned about developing the character of Christ in our people.

I have seen believers who were crushed by the weight of their freedom because they felt that their freedom was the stamp of God’s approval on their lives.  Torment had driven them to Jesus.  Freedom somehow took their eyes off the Lord and placed it on the pleasures of the world.  The outcome was ugly.  Some spirits returned and found the house clean and orderly.  They moved back in and brought a lot of friends. 

Even when praying for physical healing, we often think the only issue is faith.  But often, unconfessed and unrepented sin get in the way of healing.  James tells is that we must confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that healing might follow (Ja.5:16). In a rush to help people, we often pray before we help them examine their lives.  Our spiritual condition is ultimately much more important than our physical or emotional well-being.  

Freedom and healing need to be steps in the process of discipleship, not ends in themselves.  I believe that emotional healing and freedom from the demonic are God’s will for our lives, but we must not offer them as stand-alone benefits, but as an expression of God’s love and power that are simply aids to becoming like Jesus.  When ministering to people, I often have to remember to slow down. Do some work before praying or before deliverance.  As Yancy suggests, we may need to come to a place of being tormented by our sinfulness before attacking the other torments in our lives.  Just a thought.