Not too long ago, I received an email from a mother that speaks to a lot of issues many parents are facing in our culture.  I thought I would share a response that might be helpful to those reading this blog or someone they know. She wrote…

Pastor Tom….My son is a young teenager, and he’s dealing with a lot of things. He’s been depressed, had more than one suicide attempts, he’s doing drugs, he’s very angry. He’s seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist and they’re throwing around some diagnoses that don’t seem to be affective or on target. I believe the issue is 100% spiritual warfare, demonic oppression… all that stuff. He was telling me that at one point not too long ago he had made a decision to actually follow Satan. I know that that can bring a lot of things spiritually into his life. He isn’t able to say, Jesus is Lord and Savior even though in the past, he’s told me that was the case. He says when he reads the Bible, he just gets angry and it makes him want to do things like cutting and doing self-destructive things. I definitely believe that mental illness is real, but I also believe that there’s a spiritual component here. My question is because, he’s not really willing to participate in any kind of like deliverance, how do I do that for my kid?

First, let me say that we have had many parents over the years express concerns that their children were being demonized and wondered what to so since the children were too young to make their own declarations or were unwilling to do so.  Demonization of children is not new.  

Mark tells us, “A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So, they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:17-23). 

Demons can enter children several ways.  They may come in through bloodlines from ancestors who have lived and died in sin without repentance.  This seems to be especially true when those ancestors were involved in sexual immorality, witchcraft and false worship, violence and severe trauma.  We see depression, anger, self-destructive behaviors including suicide attempts, etc. that often have come down through bloodlines. “Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children down to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 20:5).

They can also enter older children and especially teens when they have participated in witchcraft…psychic readings, video games with elements of witchcraft, pornography, seances at sleepovers, Ouija boards, etc. or when they have been exposed to their own trauma through abuse, the death of a parent or sibling, violence, or even scary movies. It is not uncommon that friends have introduced them to these things.

If you suspect or know that your child is under the influence of demons, here are a few responses to that situation.

As the parent, you have spiritual authority over your children.  Therefore, you can command demons to leave without your child having to make the declarations for themselves.  You can do so as they sleep which is best for small children. Authority does not have to be loud.  It simply needs to be firm and spoken by someone who knows they have authority.

You can do so with your older children and teens if they are open to it. You can do so in your teens room when they are not present, if that is necessary.  Be sure to anoint their rooms with oil and command any spirits in the room to leave and never return. 

Take an inventory of your child’s room and iphone or ipad.  Are there any objects, games, videos, magazines, music, posters, websites, etc., that glorify violence, witchcraft, new age activities, eastern religions, and so forth? These invite demonic spirits into your child’s space and, perhaps, into your child.  Take note of gifts that may have come from friends or family members who dabble in the occult or new age activities.  Sometimes demons come attached to objects that have been prayed over or blessed by those who serve false gods.  If you find them, you may need to remove them from the house.

If you are aware of generational sin that may have come through you to your child, you must acknowledge the sins of your ancestors, repent of the sin on behalf of your bloodline, and renounce them before commanding any spirits to leave. Always tell them to leave immediately and never return. 

If a child or teen has entered into some promise or covenant with Satan or some spirit other than the Holy Spirit, that covenant needs to be nullified. That covenant will give the enemy entrance to your child as long as it is allowed. However, in the same way that a twelve-year-old cannot legally enter into a contract without your involvement, that child cannot enter into a covenant with Satan without your involvement.  Therefore, by your authority as a parent and as a follower of Jesus, you can renounce the covenant and nullify it by the authority of Jesus and your authority as a parent.

Here is a sample declaration of how you might break any covenants made by your child with the enemy either because they were upset, angry or thought they were simply playing games. 

On behalf of my child, over whom God has given me spiritual authority, and in the name of Jesus, I declare that Elohim – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is the only true and living God and I totally surrender myself and my child to his Lordship. I renounce Satan and all the works of Satan.  I renounce all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God and the evil powers of this world that corrupt and destroy those God has created. I repent of and renounce all sinful desires that draw me and my child away from God. In the name of Jesus, I repent of and renounce any promises, covenants, agreements, dedications, or allegiances with Satan that were established by my child or spoken over my child by someone else. 

I plead the blood of Jesus over my bloodline and my child for forgiveness and repent of and renounce any agreements with Satan on his/her behalf. In the name of Jesus and by his authority, I declare all promises, covenants, agreements, dedications, and allegiances nullified and made void by the all-encompassing authority of Jesus Christ. By the authority of Christ and the sword of the Spirit, I sever myself and my child from all such covenants, agreements, or dedications and declare he/she is set free to serve Jesus alone.

In the name of Jesus, I also break and remove any and every seal of Satan that may have been established over him and declare that he is set free from these seals by the blood of Christ and the sword of the Spirit.  Amen.

You will need to make this declaration before you command any spirits of witchcraft to leave.  You may have to do all this several times over a period of days to break these demonic strongholds.   

Ultimately, our children need to know the dangers of crossing into enemy territory in the spiritual realm, but need to know more the power and authority that Jesus wields on behalf of his people. Children rarely can measure the consequences of their actions and will do and say and participate in things that seem fun or risky simply for the excitement or novelty.  That is part of immaturity, but we still need to teach and model spiritual awareness and the power and love of Jesus Christ in our lives.  From their earliest years they simply need to know…Jesus good.  Satan bad. 

In Matthew 4:1, we find Jesus being led into the wilderness immediately after being baptized by John and immediately after the Holy Spirit had descended on him. Mark tells us he was immediately sent into the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by Satan (Mk 1:12).  The word translated sent, more often means driven or forcibly led. What we see is Jesus being strongly compelled by the Spirit to go into the wilderness to face Satan during the entire forty days.  The final temptations are recorded by Matthew, but the language suggests that Satan was whispering all along the way.  

In the same way that Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received power from the Holy Spirit before they began to preach the gospel, it is apparent that Jesus could not have withstood the temptations of the devil without the Holy Spirit.  Neither can we.  The more we allow the Holy Spirit to manifest himself in us, the more we can withstand temptation.  I’m not speaking so much here about spiritual gifts but spiritual maturity. In the past few years, we have seen numerous Christian leaders fall to temptation. They were abounding in spiritual gifts, or at least in natural talent, but had a shortfall in character.  Paul tells us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but as we do, we must desire even more, the character of Christ to be formed in us.  The temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness were preparing him to carry the weight of his ministry and his ultimate sacrifice.

Most of us want to achieve our goals in life without paying a great price for it.  That is very human.  In Matthew 4, Satan saved that temptation for his finale.  Matthew tells us, “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him” (Mt. 4:7-11).

Ultimately, Jesus will rule over all the nations of the world.  Satan was offering him that position without the cross – worldwide rule without the suffering.  The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are – yet without sinning (Heb. 4:5).  This final temptation must have appealed greatly to his flesh.  Thankfully for all of us, he resisted.  In part, he was able to do so because he had already said no to temptation countless times in his forty days in the wilderness.  Each time he said “No,” he was strengthened in his spirit.

Here is the thing.  If we are given a crown without a cross, we will eventually fail.  That crown might be leading a large church, leading a nationally known ministry, gaining the coveted promotion at work, the marriage you have desired for years, recognition in the sports or academic world, winning the lottery, etc.  Satan knows our vulnerabilities and he will exploit them whenever possible.  

The ultimate example of this principle is Saul and David.  Saul was anointed one day and became King the next.  He was thrust into a position of power and significance he was not ready to carry.  His rule was marked by insecurity, manipulation, the fear of man, and even attempted murder.  David was anointed one day but was not given the crown for years as he ran from Saul, led men in the wilderness, learned to desperately depend on God, and even learned to control his temper.  Saul was given power and success without his heart being tried and his character developed.  His reign ended in catastrophe.  David assumed the crown after years of his heart being tested and is remembered as Israel’s greatest king…even with a serious moral failure in his life.  Men with character can recover even from failures, while those without character will be crushed.  Saul became an insecure and conniving man.  David became a humble man.

The lesson is not to despise the waiting, but trust that God is developing you to steward the fulfillment of your dreams well…if they are godly dreams.   The warning signs of men being given positions and recognition beyond their character is all around us…sports stars, politicians, celebrities, lottery winners, preachers, etc. whose lives are marked with addiction, a string of broken marriages, fraud, insider trading, moral failures, etc.  

When we have a dream or desire that would carry with it notoriety, huge financial success, power, influence, and so forth, we must first ask the Lord if that dream or desire is from him.  It may be a dream planted by the enemy for your destruction.  If you genuinely sense it is from God, next check your motives for pursuing the dream.  Is it obedience, bringing glory to God, extending the kingdom, or for personal significance?  Be honest with yourself! If it is about your personal significance, ask the Lord to change your heart.  If it is all about you, he cannot give you that desire since he loves you.  It would be to your detriment.  If the dream keeps illuding you, be open to the possibility that God is preparing you to fulfill that desire through the waiting.  Remember, his time table rarely matches ours.  If you can accept the waiting and still work with integrity, faithfulness, and thanksgiving, then you will be ready for the desire or the dream to given to you.  God will only give us more when we have been faithful with what we already have (Mt. 25:21).

Too many times in the waiting, we begin to resent the people around us, manipulate situations to get what we want, become critical of those who have what we want or who we think are standing in our way. We begin to doubt God’s care for us and maybe become angry with God because he hasn’t given us what we wanted. These feelings are natural, but need to be reined in and adjusted to be in alignment with God’s word and his promises for you. That constant testing and realignment is what develops our spiritual maturity and prepares us to steward well what we believe God wants for us. 

Paul, as a Pharisee, was once driven by selfish ambition and a desire for recognition. But after meeting Jesus, his heart was changed.  He said, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11-13. 

Paul found contentment because he had learned to see the hand of God in whatever circumstance he was in.  He believed God was using that circumstance to either develop his heart or to bear fruit in a difficult situation by demonstrating Jesus to those who were watching his life.  May we do the same when our life is not yet reflecting the dreams and desires of our hearts.

As Jesus stood before Pilot on Friday morning around 33 A.D., Pilot already knew that the charges brought against Jesus were bogus.  Matthew tells us, “For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him” (Mt. 27:18). The word translated as self-interest in the NIV means envy or jealousy. The gospels are clear that the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the elders felt that Jesus and his popularity threatened their positions as well as invited the Romans to oppress their little nation even more.

In his effort to persuade the crowd and Jewish leaders to release Jesus, Pilot offered to fulfill a Passover tradition of releasing a prisoner. As Israel had been released from bondage in Egypt, Rome would release another Jew from bondage as an acknowledgment of their great feast day.  So, he brought our Barabbas. Mark tells us, “A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising^” (Mk. 15:7).  All accounts of this man paint him as a thief, a murderer, and an insurrectionist.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Pilot asks the crowd, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah (Mt. 27:17)? It is ironic that both are named Jesus.  It is even more ironic that Barabbas literally means “son of Abba” or “son of a father.” This was no coincidence because God, who orchestrated everything about his Son’s crucifixion, undoubtedly orchestrated this as well.  One is Jesus, the son of an earthly abba, while the other is Jesus the Son of the heavenly Abba. 

In this very moment, a vivid snapshot of the gospel appears.  The guilty goes free while the innocent takes his place.  One who deserves to die is released, while one who is sinless is condemned to death. The man who is the son of a sinful father walks away while the Son of the Heavenly Father is nailed to a cross. That is the crux of the gospel. The crowd witnessed the eternal gospel that day without understanding what they were seeing, yet it was presented all the same.   Every Easter season it is presented to the crowds, but many never understand. However, God is faithful to present it all the same.

Another question remains, however.  What happened to Barabbas after his release?  The gospels do not say and history leaves no record.  Perhaps. that is God’s intent.  We don’t know the end of the story of this man. Did he continue in his sin and ignore God’s Passover deliverance for him or did he follow the man who took is place and was raised from the dead three days later?  We each must make that choice.

Today is called Good Friday because good came out of it.  Without his death there would have been no atoning sacrifice. Without his death, there would have been no resurrection.  Perhaps, it should also be known as Gospel Friday as each of us see the choice and choose again to follow or ignore the man who took our place.