Children and Deliverance – Part 3

Scary Things

When I was a kid, my grandmother owned a two-story house.  When we spent the night at her house, the kids had to sleep upstairs.  The upstairs was one large room with a fairly large closet and in the closet was a door to the attic space around the room.  My grandmother used to tell us that if we didn’t behave, the boogey-man would come out of that door at night and “get us.”  That knowledge did not help our sleep patterns when we stayed at grandma’s.  Kid’s have great imaginations and sometimes imagine the “monster under the bed.”

However, I’m also convinced that many children see into the spiritual realm and often report seeing “scary” things to their parents that are written off as simple imagination.  I’m somewhat convinced that all children see into the spiritual realm until we teach them to ignore what they are seeing by calling it “imaginary.”  So…when our children come to us reporting such things, how should we respond? 

Seth Dahl is a good resource for such questions.  I probably don’t agree with everything Seth says, but I don’t even agree with everything I say six months after I say it.  However, I do agree with much of what he says.  regarding this question. He says, “When we see things that are scary or demonic, we must keep in mind that the enemy’s first goal is to make us afraid.  Why? Because fear is agreement with the enemy and is permission for the demonic to keep on visiting. Once fear enters our hearts, we have opened a door for the enemy’s second goal to be fulfilled: control…Fear is like an open door in the spirit world through which the demonic can enter.  If we do not fear, their access is stopped…Imagine that your child calls you to his or her room in the middle of the night and tells you there are three weird creatures near the wall…giving into fear is the first thing to avoid.  The second thing we do not want to do is to act as if the spiritual battle is not going on. Too many parents tell their kids that what they are seeing is not real or that it is just their imagination. There are, of course, times when kids make things up, but we need to approach each situation as if this is not happening. When we discount what our children experience, they begin to discount their own ability to trust themselves and what they are seeing.  Simply because we do not see it, does not mean what they are seeing is not real.”  

Dahl goes on in his book, Raising Spirit Led Kids, to suggest that we ask our children questions about what they are seeing.  We might ask if they also see Jesus or an angel in their room.  If so, then we can ask what Jesus or the angel is doing or what Jesus or the angel is asking them to do. The key is that we direct our children from a focus on the threat to a focus on the solution or the protection that Jesus provides.  We direct them from fear to faith. In those moments, we can also show them the power of the name of Jesus to command spirits to leave.  Even if the moment turns out to be a moment of imagination, we can direct our children to imagine Jesus defeating the creature or sending it away.  Those moments can be practice sets for the real thing.

Spirits are a reality.  Many of us cannot see into the spiritual realm because we were taught to ignore what we were seeing and to give credibility only to the natural realm.  The ability to see into the spiritual realm is a gift of discernment that should be developed rather than quenched. 

Secondly, when we as parents model faith rather than fear, our children will take on the same perspective.  Our reaction should not be one of fear ourselves or dismissal of what our child is seeing, but rather a confident reaction that “Jesus has got this!”  Even our attempts to deny the reality of something our children are seeing or think they are seeing is an expression of fear.  We tend deny what we think we cannot cope with.  We must always choose faith.

The enemy is very active in the world right now and as we move closer to the return of Christ, we can anticipate that he will be even more active.  If we try to convince our children that what they are seeing or even feeling in their room is not real, we risk teaching them by implication that the unseen or spiritual realm is not real.  These are opportunities to equip our children for the fight that lies before them because our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6).  The key is for us and our children to know who we are to Christ and to know who he is to us: King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has all authority in heaven and on earth.  The earlier our children learn those truths, the more able they will be to fulfill their destiny in Christ.

This is the last blog of three on Children and Deliverance, I’m sure I have not answered every question, but hopefully have pointed you in a good direction regarding this topic.  Blessings in Him

Last week we discussed the reality that children can be demonized as well as adults.  They can be afflicted through generational curses and spirits that attach themselves to bloodlines.  They can be afflicted when those who have authority over them speak curses over their children…intentionally or unintentionally.  They can also be demonized through trauma.  

One question that usually arises when parents discover the realities of spiritual warfare and generational curses is whether or not the enemy’s right to afflict their children is extinguished when the parents break the curses and are themselves delivered from any demonic affliction.  

The answer is that the enemy’s right to afflict the children has been taken away, but demons rarely leave simply because a legal transaction has occurred.  

Typically, like bad renters, unclean spirits need not only to have papers served but often, with bad renters, the sheriff and a few deputies have to show up and escort them off the property.  The first step is to break the generational curse through the blood of Christ.  That action revokes a spirit’s legal right to afflict the child, but then the demons afflicting the child must be commanded to leave in the name of Jesus.  That is best done by parents who have spiritual authority over their children or by those representing the parents – perhaps, someone with more experience in deliverance than the parents.  

So, if deliverance needs to be administered to a child, what does that look like?  We certainly don’t want to traumatize the child by telling them that terrible things from the devil are living in them and then begin to scream and shout to cast them out.  First of all, if you have authority you don’t need to scream and shout.  We need to be stern, but we can do so in a calm, quiet manner.  For small children, believing parents or some experienced person trusted by the parents can firmly but quietly command spirits to leave while the child sleeps. 

I would actually recommend deliverance when children are very small…and, especially, children who have been adopted or biological children when there has been notable sin, witchcraft, violence, etc.  in their bloodline. If the adoptive parents know any background on the biological parents and know there has been violence, abuse, drug addictions, excessive anger, etc., then spirits that may be present because of those things should be named and commanded to leave.  The same should be done over biological children where bloodlines need to be submitted to the Lord and spirits banished. In our experience, nearly every adopted child may carry spirits of rejection or orphan spirits.  These should also be dealt with. Sometimes we can’t be sure of the presence of such spirits, but it doesn’t hurt to “cover that base.”  If nothing is there, then no harm has been done.  If something was there, you have gained a real advantage over the enemy.  

If you need to minister to deliverance when the child is awake or a little older, do so quietly and calmly with the mindset that such things are normal and ordinary. You can convey that you believe that spirits are harassing the child and you simply want to send them away.

In general, as children mature we need to teach them some of the realities of the spiritual realm and, of course, this should be done appropriately based on their maturity.  I believe the primary thing we need to teach them is who Jesus is and who they are to Jesus.  We quickly make children aware of the dangers in this world (don’t play in the street, don’t play with electrical outlets, etc.) and that there are dangerous people in this world (i.e. don’t talk to strangers, etc.) We need to teach them that there are also spiritual beings who would try to lead them away from Jesus and into disobedience.  When tempted, they need to know how to say “No”  and even how to call on Jesus or command those unwelcome spirits to leave in His name.  They need to be aware that Jesus is watching over them and that angels are watching over them because we have asked the Lord to assign those angels.  

In the same way that we teach children to be cautious (not afraid) as they play in the yard or go to school, we can teach them to be cautious (not afraid) of spirits that would tempt them or lead them away from God. The focus should not be on Satan, but on Jesus and his great love for them. Teaching them the power of prayer and the declared word of God are great ways to help them develop in the area of spiritual warfare without being weird or scary.  In summary, we teach our kids enough to be wise about demons but our real focus is on Jesus, his love, his power, and his authority for them.

In my next blog, we will talk about children seeing scary things in their rooms, around the house and other places.  Are those things simply the imaginary “monster under the bed” or is it possible they are seeing into the spiritual realm?  How we navigate those moments is important.

As a church that has ministered deliverance to adults for years, we are often asked about children and deliverance.  The questions generally are:

• Can children be demonized?
• If parents break generational curses, are the children set free from the effects?
• Should you minister deliverance to children and, if so, how?
• What should you do if your child tells you that he/she is seeing something scary in their room?

These are legitimate questions that books on deliverance rarely deal with, so I thought I would take a couple of blogs to respond to these.   By the way, there seems to have been a definite increase in demonic activity in the last year, at least in our area, and children are being affected as well.   As many in America pursue sin and perversion and as many of our national leaders do the same, the spiritual gates have been opened wide for the demonic to be active in our nation. Because of that, we can expect demonization of individuals and demonic manifestations to be heightened.  The enemy always pursues the most vulnerable, so we can also expect children to be targeted as well as adults.  

The first question is whether or not children can be demonized.  I guess we ask that because we assume that God would protect children because he cares for them in a special way (Matt.18:10) or because they are innocent and Satan should have no legal right to afflict them.  In Mark 9, a man came to Jesus whose son had been tormented by demons manifesting as seizures.  The text says, “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’” (Mk.9:20-22). Clearly, children can be afflicted by demons. 

Demons can attach themselves to children as a consequence of generational sin, curses, or trauma. The trauma of abuse, the loss of a parent or sibling, a severe injury or illness, etc. can easily open a child up to a spirit of rejection and/or fear.  Spirits of trauma can also attach to physical or emotional wounds and hinder their healing.  

Curses spoken over the child by those who have spiritual authority over them (typically parents) can also give the enemy a legal right to afflict a child. This can happen in unplanned pregnancies where a parent might say that he or she wishes the child would miscarry or “never be born” or that this child would bring them nothing but pain and sorrow, etc.  Words like that can open the door to spirits of rejection, infirmity, death, or an orphan spirit. 

Generational spirits of fear, anger, infirmity, lying, rejection, stupor, etc. can also be passed down to a child. We have seen these show up and manifest as learning disabilities, feelings of self-hatred from an early age, cutting, extreme anger, obsessiveness, chronic lying, etc. even in young children.  Of course, all these conditions can be physiological and not demonic, but in our experience, many have a demonic componnt.

I always feel a need to remind anyone reading this that demonization is not possession. Demonization means that demons are afflicting an individual in one part of their life while the rest is fairly functional. One part can impact the other parts, but typically the person is out of control in only one or two areas and not all of the time.  The most effective demons are those that mimic physiological or psychological conditions that exist in the natural realm.  They do so without manifesting in such extreme ways that we might suddenly wonder if something beyond the natural was occurring.

We also need to remember that demonization does not nullify salvation.  Demonization effects our ability to mature spiritually or develop fruits of the Spirit, but does not affect our salvation. Sometimes, believers want to deny demonization because they think it means they belong to Satan and are, therefore, lost. Deliverance is about sanctification rather than salvation.  

So, how do we know if a child’s “issues” come from the natural realm or are a manifestation of the spiritual realm?  Sometimes, it is hard to know.  However, if everything has been tried that should help, but has not brought any lasting healing or freedom, demonic activity could be indicated.  If you see something in the child’s eye’s that seems unnatural when an issue is manifesting, it is likely demonic. If a child tells you that something or someone is telling them to hate, hurt, or be afraid, that could be demonic.  If a child has been abused or traumatized, then be sensitive to the possibility of demonization.  Before anything else, ask the Holy Spirit to show you if something demonic is in play.  If you know someone who has a strong gift of discernment, ask that person for their impressions.

Our general rule is that if we are unsure, minister deliverance. Cover the base.   If something manifests or something changes, then demons were involved. If not, keep seeking answers in the natural realm.  Next week, I will talk about appropriate deliverance for children and how to equip them appropriately for spiritual warfare.

The holidays are wonderful times of love and laughter for many families as they gather around a warm Thanksgiving table or around a brilliant Christmas tree.  For many others, the holidays are darker because their family get-togethers resurrect old emotional wounds inflicted by some family member in their past or because they know that before the day is over, “that person” will say something hurtful to them again.  

I’m officiating a wedding this week and, in that ceremony, I will take a moment to talk about the power of our spoken words.  The familiar proverb (Prov. 18:21) declares that “the tongue has the power of life or death.”   Never is that more true than in marriages and in families.  

Years ago, when I first became aware of that proverb, I thought of it as figurative language that was reminding us that we could hurt people with our words or encourage people with our words. That is certainly true, but I now take the proverb literally.  Our negative words cannot only sting a person’s heart and assault a person’s perception of their worth and value, but can also set things in motion in the spiritual realm to enforce the things we declare over others.  That is the nature of a curse and curses are very real.  

In Numbers 22-24, we encounter the story of Balaam.  In the story, Balak, the king of Moab, tries to hire Balaam to declare a curse over Israel. Israel had encamped on the borders of Moab and were so numerous that Moab was terrified of them.  Apparently, Balaam was well known and had a track record for cursing and blessing because Balak declared, “Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps, then I will be able to defeat them and drive then out of the land. For I know, that whoever you bless is blessed and whoever you curse is cursed.”  

Balak wanted Balaam to speak words over Israel that would invite or direct demonic forces to afflict Israel. Perhaps, spirits of fear would rob Israel of courage on the eve of battle.  Perhaps, spirits of infirmity would inflict some sickness on the people so that they could not fight or fight well. Perhaps, a spirit of confusion would cause them to choose battle plans that would be doomed to fail.  That is the nature of a curse.  Some words give demonic spirits permission to afflict, harass, or oppress someone.  That is especially true when one person has authority over another…such as a parent over a child. Words can also bring blessings. That is the nature of our prayers and words of good will we speak over others.

Before we write off the story of Balaam as an expression of superstition by Balak who “believed such nonsense,” we need to note that God himself took the curse very seriously.  If you read the story, God told Balaam that he must not curse those he had blessed.  Balaam, kept trying to find ways to declare the curse because he wanted the payoff from Balak.  God took the curse so seriously, that at one point, God sent an angel to kill him if he persisted in his efforts to declare the curse.  

All this is to say that our words have power to bless or curse those we speak them to.  Many families and even spouses have spoken curses over one another with their hurtful and accusing words and those words have invited the enemy to come and fulfill the words that were spoken over a family member…perhaps, for generations.

God directs his people to speak only blessings over others…even our enemies (Luke 6:38).  We need to speak positive things over ourselves as well. This is simply a reminder to speak positive words over others because most of us know the damage of negative words.  If you are with a family with a hurtful history during the holidays, this may be a challenge. However, speak life even over your enemies or hurtful family members, regardless of what they might say to you. When we speak, we are sowing seeds of life or death and we reap what we sow.  Curses come back to us, but so do blessings.  So, watch your words and be blessed in all you do.

Well…Thanksgiving will be upon us in just a few days. It is one of my favorite family holidays and is traditionally intended to be a day of thankfulness for the blessings that we enjoy.  Hopefully, that is not the only day we express thanks for the good things in our lives.  What I want to suggest in this blog is that Thanksgiving should not be merely a day, but a lifestyle. In fact, I think it is a very powerful form of spiritual warfare.

The apostle Paul told us that we should not be unaware of Satan’s schemes.  He should never be our main focus, but we do need to be wise in his ways.  Satan doesn’t seem to have many strategies, but only a few which are expressed in many ways.  The first encounter with him is recorded in Genesis where the “serpent” tempted Adam and Eve.  This strategy is a primary strategy that he uses over and over. Basically, he did what every successful salesperson does…he created a sense of discontentment  with their circumstance so that they began to feel a desire for something different or something more in their lives. 

Satan planted a seed of distrust in Adam and Eve when he said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the Garden?’”  With that question, which was more of a statement, he implied that God had a stingy side that might be withholding good things from them.  He was hinting that he knew Yaweh was the kind of god that would surround people with abundance, but then refuse to share it with them. He knew there was only one tree from which they were not to eat, but his question suggested that there was something spectacular and good to be gained from that tree, that God did not want them to have.  

Suddenly, instead of being thankful for all that they did have – every tree in the Garden, including the Tree of Life – they suddenly felt a lack in their life and began to resent God for withholding the “one thing they really needed for happiness.” As soon as they accepted the premiss that God withholds good things from his people, they came into agreement with the enemy which gave him open access to their lives.  Within a few years, they were not only living outside the Garden,  scratching a living out of a hostile earth, but one son murdered the other.  

Satan loves to get us to define God by something he hasn’t done for us that we think is the key to our happiness, rather than defining him by all the things he has done for us. If God has answered ten thousand prayers for us, we are prone to only think about one prayer that has not yet been answered or was not answered in the way we wanted. We then begin to believe that God doesn’t hear our prayers or that he doesn’t care about us.  That view of God makes us very susceptible to the schemes of Satan.

A lifestyle of thanksgiving is a very effective way to push back against the lies of the enemy.  We need a lifestyle of thanking God for every blessing we encounter…large or small.  If it blesses us, thank God for it.  Thank him for Jesus, your salvation, his grace, his patience, his Spirit, but also a beautiful morning, a parking spot, hot water, an old car that still gets you where you need to go, an amusing squirrel, friends, purpose, a job, health, four inflated tires in the morning, etc.  These are things we don’t always pray for, but they are gifts from God none the less and we should thank him for each of those as we go through our day.  

When we recognize and verbalize the abundance of small blessings from God that make up our lives, it creates a belief in us that God is, indeed, good and faithful.  

When we have that view of God, it is much more difficult for the enemy to suggest to us that God may not have our best interests at heart after all, and is keeping from us the very thing that would give us happiness.  Remember, Satan is the ultimate salesman and he has been selling lies for thousands of years.  He is always highlighting what we don’t have and convincing us that there is something or someone out there that would make our life complete and worth living, if God were not standing in our way.  

Paul believed that God would always give us what we needed for life, love, joy and peace. He stated in his letter to the church at Philippi, “for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil.4:11-13).

Paul believed that God is a good father who always gives us what we need in every season and, in his wisdom, sometimes says “no” to what we want.  A lifestyle of thanksgiving helps us walk in the same contentment because it keeps is focused on what we have, rather than what we don’t have.

So,  this Thanksgiving, give thanks for all the big things, but all the small things as well….then keep it up for the next twelve months.  You will find that a heart of thanksgiving slams the door on Satan in many, many ways. 

The Political Spirit

I have lived longer than most of the people who might be reading this blog.  I am a Baby Boomer who remembers the cold war and daily threats of nuclear annihilation.  I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of JFK, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and all the wars that have followed.  I remember the Black panthers, skin heads, civil rights marches, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and a number of other traumatic events for this nation.  I remember all that and the controversy each one stirred, but I have never seen a more divided America than now.

I think there are a number of reasons for our current division.  Social media and 150 television stations in every market make it possible for a person to never see any point of view that differs from their own except as presented by those who want to vilify and demonize all those who hold an opposing view.

The idea that there is an objective truth out there that needs to be presented so that people can consider the facts, has long been tossed out the window.  “Truth” is now a subjective opinion based on who can make the loudest and most impassioned accusations against their opponents.  Civil debates in search of truth are no longer possible because we believe we must hate and destroy anyone who holds a different view.  And now, regardless of your affiliation, who will believe that any election was honestly won and not stolen?  Certainly, Satan is alive and well on planet earth.

This is the political spirit that works to divide people, nations, and even churches. I had an article cross my desk recently that wanted to make the case that, for many, the church has recently become a mere extension of their political party and that Jesus is now cast as either a Democrat or a Republican.  The article suggested that the politics of hate is now infiltrating the church so that any who do not agree with a person’s politics is judged as un-Christian and as a person who should be shunned, disciplined, and distrusted.  

I have to agree that we are trending that way in many churches.  It is the spirit of politics and division and it is a winning strategy for the enemy. One interesting point made in the article was that the church typically has only an hour or so a week to disciple it’s members, while media has hundreds of hours each week to disciple those who listen to their “doctrines.”

The question is how the church should respond to this creeping reality.  For brevity’s sake, let me just bullet point some truths that I think we need to consider as followers of Jesus.

• Our primary citizenship is in heaven and our primary source of values and action must be the Word of God.  Jesus is neither Democrat nor Republican nor even an American. He is the king of the kingdom that must always be the source of our identity and values.  If my membership in either party carries more weight with me than my identity in heaven, something needs to be adjusted.  

• God hates division among his people, so we must make every effort to be unified.  There are times to draw lines in the sand, but biblically, those lines are drawn around the doctrines that define who Jesus is and what he has done or about immoral living. They are not drawn around political perspectives.

• We do not have to be in agreement with each other about everything in order to love one another and live in unity.  The idea that if we disagree about political or even religious perspectives, we are enemies is absurd.  None of us totally agree with any person in our life about everything.  Besides that, even if someone were our enemy, we must still love then or fail as followers of Jesus.

• We should be involved in the political process since we are salt and light in the world and must be an influence for righteousness whenever we can.  One temptation in this discussion might be to simply withdraw from politics and neither serve nor vote.  But to do so simply hands America over to Satan without a fight.  We are to disciple nations which means that we are to redeem both culture and government by our involvement and influence.  We must be an influence or a leaven for righteousness in every way possible.  In America, voting and serving in political offices are ways to be salt and light.

• We must vote based on biblical values of righteousness, not party lines. The question for believers should not be which party do I subscribe to but which values line up with God and which values will I vote for? It’s not always an easy decision because I may feel that some parts of a political platform may line up with biblical values while others don’t. So, prayer and the Holy Spirit may need to direct our votes or involvement.

• We must equip our people to operate in this charged political environment as followers of Jesus rather than as followers of political parties or personalities. The church needs to talk about abortion, same sex marriage, gay rights, racism, and even economics and teach our people biblical perspectives on each.  We need to do the hard work of thoughtfulness. We need to teach our people how to disagree and still treat others with love and respect.  We need to teach our people who they truly are in Christ and remind them of their mission.

As believers in America. We need to be aware that this political spirit is operating and will split and divide churches if allowed to operate there.  We must make sure that we don’t become contributors to division and choose to love those who disagree with us.  We should also encourage our leaders to proactively equip us as disciples of Jesus to navigate the rapids of social media, political divisions, and even persecution because the next four years of politics in America promise to be white water… the likes of which we have never seen.

If you minister in deliverance on any kind of regular basis, you will minister to people who are manifesting some kind of demonic spirit that will not come out when it should be coming out.  At some point,  you will have to search for something that is continuing to give that spirit a right to hold on to the individual to whom you are ministering.  Sometimes we miss the “something” because we are making assumptions about the person that we have not confirmed. For instance, we may assume they are saved because they attend church when they have never actually entered in to a covenant relationship with Jesus.  They may not believe that Jesus is more powerful than demons.  They may have a sin or a sinful relationship that they are not truly willing to give up.  Perhaps, there is still unforgiveness toward another or a judgment towards another person they have not renounced.  Maybe they have placed a judgment on God.

In spiritual warfare, one primary principle is that we must never come into agreement with Satan. If we agree with him, we empower him in our lives, give him influence, and give him a legal right to operate in our lives and family.   The principle is first seen in Genesis 3 in the Garden of Eden.  Satan, in the form of a serpent, engaged Adam and Eve in a dialogue about God and his commandments.  If you read the text, by way of a question, the serpent hinted that God was unfairly withholding good things from Adam and Eve. Satan was questioning God’s character.  The question hinted that God might be selfish, withholding, egocentric, and did not have their best interests in mind after all. 

As the dialogue continued, it is clear that Adam and Eve began to buy into the serpent’s view of God.  They judged God by choosing to distrust his command and his motives.  As a result, they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and lost their place in Eden. Of course, their view of God suggested by Satan was a lie, but their agreement was enough for Satan to claim the authority on the earth that had once belonged to Adam.

When ministering deliverance to broken people, it is not unusual for those individuals to feel as if God has betrayed them or abandoned them at some time in their past.  Perhaps, they feel that God didn’t protect them or someone they loved when they were wounded, abused, or even died in some tragic incident.  They feel that God allowed some loss he could have prevented or that he was unfair in something he did.  When they hold that view of God, they have judged him and come into agreement with Satan and that agreement gives the enemy legal access to them.

You may want to explore their past hurts and see what their view of God is regarding those hurts.  If we doubt God’s goodness or righteousness, we will be a fertile field for the lies of the enemy to take root. Those conversations are not always easy but we need to be prepared for them.  Asking Jesus to speak to them about those hurts can be a powerful way to uproot the lies of the enemy.  Some conversation about the nature of free will may also be in order. Sometimes the individual has been only vaguely aware of the view he or she has been holding about God and once they recognize it are very willing to renounce the judgment they have placed on the Creator, which removes the demon’s legal right to continue to afflict the individual.

Even in our own lives, we can begin to questions God’s goodness or fairness without recognizing where that will lead.  If we are to navigate life and the troubles that Jesus told us we would face, we need to be anchored in a belief that, no matter what, God is good and he is good toward us.  If he is not…why pray?  If he is not…how can we have faith?  But he is good and all his judgments and actions are righteous.  All my experiences must be interpreted through that lens.  I may have to live with some mystery, but I cannot move off of those convictions or Satan will surely lead me away.  

Whenever we are ministering to hurting people, it is a good idea to explore their view of God and, if needed, to gently lead them back to the truth about who God is and his love for that person.  Remind them of the good things that God has done for them and help them understand that we live in a world where bad things can happen to good people.  It is the nature and risk of free will.  God has not promised to keep all trouble from us, but he has promised to walk with us in those troubles and see us to the other side. Be blessed today and stand on the truth that God is good…all the time.

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.