At the risk of sounding elderly, this is going to be one of those “when I was a kid” blogs. When I look at the current cultural and political landscape, I cannot help but be somewhat astonished at the accelerated cultural collapse of values I see and our nation’s passive acceptance of them.

When I was a kid and even a college student, I remember that every presidential candidate was somewhat scrutinized to see if he and his family were church members somewhere. The idea behind that was a need for biblical morality (even feigned) among our leaders. When JFK was running for president there was concern that he was Catholic and that he might be taking direction from the Pope. That was somewhat absurd, but the fear reflected how important we thought faith affiliations were.

Fast forward to 2023. Now it seems that if a presidential candidate has some actual faith and commitment to biblical values, he or she is considered radical and dangerous. It almost disqualifies them from leadership. How have we come to a place in a nation built on Christian commitment, to the place where a commitment to biblical truth disqualifies you from leading a nation, a university, a major corporation or major media outlet?

It wasn’t that many years ago when homosexuality was against the law in many states because it was considered sin and a perversion. I’m not in favor of jailing gay people, but the value that homosexuality was a deviation from healthy, normative reality was based on biblical standards. Now we have gay pride month..not just a day, but a month. In addition, we have transgenderism being championed in many of our schools and in the media. Now if you object to same sex marriage or transgenderism for children you are labeled as perverse. We are in such a place that some are seriously arguing that pedophilia should also be considered an acceptable alternate lifestyle. Millions of abortions are not just allowed but celebrated.

Recently, there have been serious attempts to make biblical preaching that doesn’t agree with “cultural norms” illegal under the category of “hate speech.” Preachers who presented homosexuality and same sex marriage as sin, have already been arrested in Canada for hate speech and if we stay on our current political and social track in America, we will se that soon here.

In past decades in the U.S, it was comfortable, acceptable, and even advisable to speak out for God, the church, and biblical standards of morality. To do less made you suspect as a political leader, a teacher, or a business man. People wondered if you had integrity in your business dealings if you were not clearly a Christian. I’m not naive enough to believe that all those who professed Christianity really lived it or even believed it. But biblical standards were at lease promoted to be the correct standard for living. Nearly all of that has been erased in our cultural landscape at this point.

What I truly wonder is whether the average American has given up those values or if the average American is simply remaining quiet because of the fear of man. It truly seems that a very small percentage of people in America are calling the shots for everyone else who doesn’t want be labeled as “a hater” or “perverse” by this truly small number of media, political, or educational “elites.”

I am encouraged that there seems to be some who are now speaking up against “wokeism” and the cultural tyranny of these few elitists. But all of us who believe in biblical or at least traditional values better begins to speak up. In past decades, it was acceptable and comfortable to be a Christian. Now, in many places and settings in America it is no longer comfortable and speaking up will cost you your job and will certainly cost you the praise of men..

I was reading in the book of Acts this morning and felt that the apostles prayer for their little group who were being persecuted by the religious and political elite of their time, must become our prayer now in this “new normal” in which we find ourselves. Peter and John had just been warned by the authorities to no longer preach or minister in the name of Jesus at risk of imprisonment. When they reported the threat to the church in Jerusalem, the church prayed a prayer we should begin to pray daily.

“On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “ ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Ac 4:23–31).

If power and boldness do not mark the church in the coming months and years, this nation that was once a beacon of light will slide into darkness. Much if what God will do with this nation is up to us, In Deuteronomy 28, God marked out two paths for Israel. One was a path of extreme blessing if they would be careful to follow the commands of the Lord. The other was a path of cursing, loss, poverty, and oppression if they failed to follow his commands. I believe America is at that crossroads. What we decide to believe, to do, and speak has never been more crucial; I am praying for boldness. I hope you will as well.

Have you ever felt “less than” because you didn’t find the connection with God in a certain environment that other people did?  Maybe it was a worship night at your church where, afterwards, you heard others talk about how thick the presence of God was…but you didn’t feel it.  Maybe it was a night of prayer in which many talked about how close they felt to God as they “pressed in”… but you didn’t.  Maybe it was a winter retreat in which everyone got up to experience God in the sunrise, but you just found yourself wishing you weren’t so cold.  It wasn’t that you didn’t enjoy the worship, the prayer, or even the sunrise but you didn’t feel as connected to God as the others did in those moments, so you begin to doubt your own spirituality.

Well, take heart.  Not everyone connects with God in the same way.  In fact, a great deal of study has gone into the subject of how we best connect with God and those who did the studies have determined that there are a least nine different ways in which people best connect or feel closest to God.  These are usually called primary pathways or sacred pathways to God. These findings actually should not surprise us.  Afterall, God has made us all to be unique.  He has given us different gifts, temperaments, and experiences with which to fulfill his unique purposes for us, so why would we expect to all experience him in the same way? Gary Thomas suggests nine sacred pathways. Let me briefly list these as a sampler of what I am talking about.

The naturalist feels most connected to God when he or she steps outside and observes God’s creation.  These are the “let’s watch the sunrise folks.”  Whether mountains, deserts, beaches, lakes, rivers, city parks, or a flower garden in their own backyard, they seem to see and hear God best in those environments.

The sensate experiences God though their five senses.  They feel connected by majestic music, sacred architecture, sacred art, communion, candle light services, etc.  These symbols stir their spirits to sense the presence and grandeur of God. God made us with five senses so we must be able to experience him through those as well as other ways.

The traditionalist loves traditional forms of worship including liturgical readings, historic rituals, keeping to church calendars and holy days. They feel the presence of God when they align themselves with centuries of faith through these traditions and hundred-year-old hymns.  Praise bands and light shows do not connect them to God in the same way.

The ascetic finds God most clearly in simplicity and solitude.  These men and women probably tend to be introverts who process their faith more internally than externally.  They gravitate toward traditional spiritual disciplines such as fasting, prayer vigils, and solitude.  They find God best in silence rather than in a sanctuary of spirited worshippers.

The activist meets God best in the midst of battle.  It is in confronting the enemy or injustice or poverty that God seems most real, immanent, and exciting. These folks campaign for change, become evangelists, pray in front of abortion centers, and so forth.  

The caregiver feels closest to God when meeting the needs of the poor, the sick, and the oppressed.  Mother Theresa comes to mind. These individuals feel closest to God when serving others. They often are the first to sign up for service projects. They may gravitate toward the medical field, social services, or even first responders.  They feel most connected to God when they are there for others in crisis.

The enthusiast loves the excitement and celebration of faith.  They love conferences where they are challenged to take risks…missions, prayers for healing others, sharing a prophetic word, etc.  They love creative and contemporary forms of worship and wake up every morning hoping that God will perform a miracle that day in them or through them.

The contemplative is marked by emotional attachment and abandonment to God. Perhaps, more than any other, these individuals seek a personal relationship with God through extended quiet times, extended periods of seeking his presence or hearing him. They like to show their love for God through secret acts of devotion, anonymous gifts of charity, or private worship just for God.

The learner discovers God through study.  His or her spirit is stirred when they discover new truths about God. These are individuals who want to get through with the worship so they can discover more of God in the sermon.  Bible study is the center of their devotional life. They want to talk theology with friends and always have a new book feeding their hunger to discover more about the Father.

These pathways are not exhaustive but demonstrate that we all connect best with God in different ways.  We often connect in several ways.  This doesn’t mean that if worship is not my high point of the day, that I don’t need to worship. We are commanded to do so.  We are commanded to serve the poor, study the word, be still before God, etc.  But, when we don’t experience the presence of God in one setting like others do, we don’t have to feel less spiritual or less acceptable to God.  

A caution:  we are all human.  We tend to think that our primary pathway to God should be everyone else’s primary pathway as well.  If we are not careful, we may judge them as less spiritual than we are, but that would be a mistake.  God has given each a different role in the body, different gifts, and different personalities.  Each is valid, each is valuable.  When you find your primary pathway(s) to God, put yourself in that place more often.  Don’t discount your pathway because it is not the pathway most celebrated in your church or the pathway of other believers you admire.  Rest in the fact that it is part of how God made you and seek him on that pathway on a regular basis.

I try to stay away from politics because a political party won’t save us and political stands often splinter the body of Christ.  However, many believers are choosing political values over biblical values.  When we stand before God, and we will, he will not ask us about political affiliation but how faithful we were to his word and how we stood for biblical truth in the face of social pressure.

Adam and Eve compromised the commands of God by coming into agreement with Satan. The devil presents objections to God’s truth that always sound reasonable to an unrenewed mind that is ruled by the flesh.  The flesh wants to submit to no one.  It wants to be in charge or, at least, wants no one else in charge.  The Old Testament says that during the period of the judges, there was no king in Israel and every man did that which was right in in own heart. Remember, these were unregenerated hearts and “no king” meant that they were often not held accountable for their actions.  That is what the flesh wants and that is what Satan peddles. You can be like God and the master of your own destiny.  Do your own thing.  Follow your heart.  Do it your way. Follow your own truth.

I was in China a few years ago ministering to underground church pastors and members.  I was having lunch with a young pastor in Hong Kong and asked him what the condition of the church was in China at that time.  Of course, people were coming to Jesus by the thousands and even hundreds of thousands and most Chinese believers are willing to go to prison or even die for their faith.  He said, however, there was a lot of division among church leaders.  I asked why and he said, “There is just something in every Chinese man that wants to be emperor.”  In other words, there is something even in these church leaders that wants to be in charge and call the shots while being unanswerable to anyone.

We have to guard against that dynamic in each of us.  Paul says in Romans 7, “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Rom. 7:21-23).  In other words, even among the saved there is still a fallen nature warring against our redeemed nature.

In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul declares, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:2-5).  Because we still have a natural man warring against our spiritual man and because the tempter is frequently whispering lies in our mind, we have thoughts that are not obedient to Christ.  Therefore, we must take those thoughts captive and bring them into alignment with the Word of God. 

The Word is the only unchanging standard in this world.  It is unchanging because 

God us unchanging.  We must stay true to his word without compromise, even though some of the world’s arguments seem to make sense…to our unrenewed mind.  I am still astonished that many churches, Christian schools and universities are buying into the worldly arguments that homosexuality is an accepted lifestyle to Jesus or that abortion for any reason is a godly value.  They are buying into arguments that transgenderism or the effort to do away with gender differences altogether is somehow compassionate and righteous and that those who speak against that cultural view are haters. Scripture says that God made them male and female and no other genders are mentioned.  Churches and educational institutions who adopt cultural views in these areas seem to believe that God needs to be informed by our “science” and “progressive thinking” in these areas.  The Word must inform culture; culture cannot inform the Word. 

We have, perhaps, the most consequential election in the history of the United States coming up.  Ultimately, it will be a decision by the nations to either return to God’s values and standards or to continue to depart from them. We should not be voting on personalities or even our pocket books, but on values.  We must inform ourselves of what God says about the issues at hand and vote for those who best reflect his standards.

Paul is very clear when he writes, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life^” (Gal. 5:6-7).  That is true not only for individuals but also for nations. When November of next year rolls around, we must not listen to the voice of culture or our fallen nature or the voice of the enemy.  We must listen to the voice of God.  The future of this nation depends on it…not just for us but for our children and grandchildren.  

Some of the issues we will need to have an informed biblical view of are going to be abortion, same sex marriage, homosexuality, transgenderism, globalism (a one world government), holding criminals accountable, the state having authority over children rather than their parents, and so forth.  As these political platforms are presented, please find out what God says about the issues.  Remember, at first glance the issue may sound right because our natural man gravitates toward those positions, but determine to represent God rather than the world.  So much depends on us doing so.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. (Ps. 33:11-12). 

Back in 1970, a little book came out entitled The Late, Great, Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey.  It was viewed by many as the ultimate blueprint of the end times.  Of course, the beginning of the countdown to the return of Christ was the establishment of Israel in 1948.  Lindsey took all kinds of Old Testament prophecies as well as the book of Revelation and some prophetic statements by Christ in the gospels to connect nations, leaders, and world events to a seven-year tribulation of terrible plagues and natural disasters on the earth. 

Then, either before or in the middle of this great tribulation, the rapture of the church would occur when Jesus would evacuate every believer from the face of the earth to avoid what was coming.  Then, after the tribulation Christ would return to begin a thousand-year reign on the earth during which Satan would be bound and then released for a final confrontation. Then would come the end of time when Christ would destroy all his enemies and the eternal heaven would be ushered in on a renewed earth.

This book had a profound impact on the church in the coming decades.  Lindsey was not the first to develop this theology but he was the first to popularize it in such a way.  For me, the discouraging part of this view of the end times was that all of the earth would plunge into an inevitable spiritual darkness that no efforts of the church could forestall.  It suggested that no matter how hard the church prayed or evangelized, this inevitable triumph of darkness over light would transpire until things were so bad that Jesus “raptured” every believer from the face of the earth.

As a result, an attitude developed that any great efforts of the church at redeeming nations and cultures were doomed to fail.  Some believers simply took on the notion that we could no longer be world changers, but simply needed to bunker in until Jesus returned.  That mindset still exists in many believers today. I believe that some of this theology crept into churches to the extent that Christians began to pull back and isolate themselves from our culture with the sense that our involvement could actually make no difference. We handed over politics, education, science, and the arts to relative unbelievers – an expanded version of separation of church and state. 

This separation has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Someone prophesied that culture would continue to inevitably deteriorate in spite of our best efforts and so Christians abandoned it.  Because we withdrew from these cultural playing fields, of course it is deteriorating.  My objection to this view is that it inadvertently presents the power of Christ and his church to be insufficient to withstand the power of evil for decades while billions of people that Jesus died for are funneled into hell.  

And yet, Jesus demonstrated his power over evil through preaching, healing, and deliverance during his entire ministry on the earth.  His greatest demonstration of power came through the resurrection. He then sent his Spirit to empower believers to do what he had been doing.  Jesus himself declared that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church.  We are also told in Isaiah, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isa.9:6-7). 

This prophetic passage declares that the increase of his government will have no end.  In other words, his kingdom will continue to advance until the end of the age.  Jesus stands for victory rather than defeat. He taught us to pray…thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.  There is no place for a sense of inevitable failure, defeat or impotence in the kingdom of God.  Every election cycle, it feels like many Christians believe that their involvement in the political process is either futile or unbiblical…because they refuse to vote.  It seems that many believing parents discourage their children from academia or politics or involvement in the arts because those systems have been heavily infiltrated by the enemy.  

The questions is whether we should withdraw or retake those influential systems of culture for the kingdom of God?  To do so will require a theology of victory rather than defeat, power rather than weakness, and engagement rather than abandonment.  That is the Spirit of Christ. No matter how the end times roll out, we should remain committed to taking back the world from the enemy until Jesus appears again. God commanded Adam and Eve to subdue the earth for his purposes. That command was restated in the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. We may want to begin right here in America to reclaim what belongs to God.

I was browsing Facebook last night and was once again reminded of how enamored we are with our celebrities.  Singer, actors, athletes, politicians, billionaire businessmen, television personalities, etc. are everywhere.  They look bigger than life and project an image of significance, happiness, and competence.  People fawn after them, want to be seen with them, and want to be like them.  Even preachers and worship leaders can carry celebrity status in our culture and some hunger after that. 

The ideal of celebrity status is a real trap. Sometimes I wonder if our friends who show selfy after selfy and personal video after video online are somehow trying to mirror celebrities and find their own sense of significance. When we constantly seek our significance through the eyes of others, it usually suggests that we carry very little of that within us.  As a reformed people pleaser, I know that we can become a slave to the evaluation that others place on us.  We only feel valuable, loved, or competent when others tell us that we are those things or act as if we are. 

So, we seek success and accomplishments at any cost. We look for our fifteen minutes of fame wherever we can find it, and we hurry off to interact with people who help us feel good about ourselves.  We thrive on the affirmation but it drains out every night and we start the new day in search of the approval of others again.  It is an exhausting hamster wheel. For Christians who suffer from this lack, there is a real danger of seeking the approval of men rather than God.  When we are in that place, we have yet to receive a revelation from the Spirit of God’s love and his fatherly approval and delight in who we are.  In that condition, we are easily tempted to compromise with the world in order to gain some level of acceptance and approval from the world. I often cringe when well-known celebrities come to Christ and Jesus becomes their new banner.  Even Christians then begin to fawn over them and invite them to speak in large pulpits.  But they have the notoriety before they have the Christian character to stand in public places for Jesus.  How many quickly fall or get caught up in some sin…discrediting the discipleship of sincere followers.

The cult of celebrity is seductive and deceptive.  Very few who live in that world are actually happy and content except for the moment when awards are given or recognition and adulation is poured out over them.   But again, that feeling of significance, worthiness, and contentment bleeds out overnight. I remember a segment in Philip Yancey’s classic book, The Jesus I Never Knew, in which he talked about hundreds of celebrities he had researched and interviewed as a journalist. 

His observation was that, as a whole, he had never met such an empty, self-absorbed, addicted, tormented group of people who were nearly always in therapy, always moving on to the next relationship or next marriage, always having to be in the spotlight to feel any sense of importance, and always afraid that the next day they would be forgotten by their admiring but fickle fans.  From the outside, this group looks like everything we think we would want in life to be happy, but on the inside they are desolate and desperate.

He contrasted them to a group of missionaries he had also interviewed who were preparing to go to desolate places in the earth to translate the Bible into the native languages of isolated people groups they would attempt to befriend.  They were preparing in a hot, dry location in the southwestern U.S., living in tents with little to no creature comforts available.  Most people would never know their names or know what they did with their lives. Many would live and die without the world taking any notice.   

Yancy said he was prepared to admire these young missionaries, but was not prepared to envy them.  But, he said he found in this group a selflessness, a joy, and a sense of purpose and heavenly significance he had never seen among the world’s elite. This group had found the approval of a heavenly father and the joy of living a life focused on the significance of others instead of themselves.  In caring more about others than themselves, they actually found their value and the contentment Hollywood and Nashville will always long for. That is why Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive.

If you are in search of a residing sense of value and significance, let me invite you to look at the cross rather than American Idol and to seek the presence of God rather than the presence of celebrities.  God is not opposed to fame, but he invites us to be famous in heaven for our humility and service to others rather than seeking to be famous in the world.  Let me invite you to pray consistently for the Holy Spirit to reveal to your heart the immense value that God sees in you and the immense approval he feels for you.  In seeking the approval of God there is real freedom.  In seeking the approval of men, there is only bondage. We need to be clear about whom we are trying to please. 

Blessings in the one who has written your name in the palm of his hand. 

Mark’s account of the demon possessed man in region of the Gadarenes (Gerasenes) is always intriguing.  This man certainly comes closest to the idea of “demon possession” of any person in scripture.  Demonization is usually the more accurate term when a person is afflicted by a spirit from time to time, but not controlled 24/7.  This man seems to be possessed because he was tormented day and night.  

Mark writes, “They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones” (MK.5:1-5).

The story of Jesus setting this man free by allowing multiple (Legion) demons to enter into a herd of swine which then rushed down a hill and drowned themselves in the sea is dramatic and memorable.  But the part I want to focus on in this blog is the man’s response after he had been set free.

We don’t know how long this man had been in this ultra-tormented state, but it seems like it had been more than a few weeks. These tombs in which he lived were along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  On still nights he shrieking as he cut himself could be heard for miles across the water. It is likely that even Jesus had heard him from time to time.  If any consciousness of “self” remained in this man, he was truly a tormented soul feeling helpless to control his body.  

One question I have always asked is how did this man become susceptible to this many demons?  Perhaps, he had become involved in the occult and had lost himself to witchcraft through which he invited “spirits” into himself.  Modern day witches invite demons to take up residence within them because they draw power from the demons.  As we draw power from the Holy Spirit, witches and Satanists draw power from unholy spirits.  Perhaps, this man did as well and it simply got out of hand. We often see spirits of witchcraft afflicting the children of parents or grandparents who were involved in the occult, so perhaps he was the victim of generational curses. 

Whatever the source, this man was in overwhelming torment and without hope…until Jesus.  After Jesus commanded the demons to leave, we are told that he was dressed and in his right mind.  The locals who had witnessed the miracle and the destruction of the swine, begged Jesus to leave.  As he was getting into a boat, this formerly possessed man begged to go with him.  I certainly would have done the same.  I would have expected to be rejected by most people as a man who used to run naked among the tombs screaming at night.  More than that, I would been terrified that those spirits whom Jesus had cast out would return without his presence and protection.  I would have been terrified that I would have found myself in the same torment as before.

I would have expected Jesus to understand all that and take me with him, if I had been that man.  Afterall, Jesus had some other formerly demonized folks who travelled with him…Mary Magdalene for one.  But Jesus did not let him get in the boat. Instead, he told the man to, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you” (MK.5:19).  

This command of Jesus to a man who had been tormented and humiliated by the devil, is the heart of evangelism.  So often we feel unequipped to share the gospel with others.  We think we need more knowledge, more answers to possible objections to what we are declaring. What most of us need is not more Bible before we share the gospel, but a testimony of what Jesus has done for each of us.  People may try to argue against our understanding of scripture, but it is hard to argue against our experience with Jesus.  Remember the Samaritan woman at the well.  She did not go back to her village trying to convince them that Jesus might fit the profile of Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah.  She simply said that she had just met a man who told her everything she had ever done. That testimony drew people out of the village and when they themselves had heard Jesus speak, they believed.

Perhaps, like the Gadarene, we should spend more time thinking about what Jesus has done for us and more time sharing those experiences rather than continuing to think we need more Bible knowledge before we can share our faith.  More Bible is always good but Jesus did not command him to go to Torah school and become a Rabbi.  He told him to go and tell those he knew what Jesus had done for him.  By the way, when Jesus returned to that area, crowds were waiting to hear him.

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. Luke 11:20-22.

Jesus spoke the words above in one of many confrontations with the Pharisees. Seeing Jesus cast out demons, the religious leaders declared that he was casting them out by the power of Satan rather than the power of God. Religious people have always had a problem with those who operate in the power of God. They have the problem, because they don’t operate in the same power. God does not work miracles through those who trust in rules and rituals for their salvation, but through those who trust in Him. Though healing and deliverance, Jesus demonstrated that the power of the kingdom of God is much greater than the kingdom of darkness. That same demonstration needs take place today.

Religion, in the sense of being a system of rules and rituals through which one tries to find favor with God, can be a hindrance to actually discovering God himself. The rules can become the thing rather than the relationship. it is interesting to note that many of the men through whom God did his greatest miracles, such as Elijah and Elisha, did not spend much time at the temple in Jerusalem, but spent much of their time in the wilderness pursuing a relationship with God. Jesus did spend time at the Temple but did so trying to redeem those at the Temple from religion rather than participating in all the temple rituals himself. It is those who have a relationship with God that God will entrust with his power.

This is not an invitation to spurn churches and go to the lake every weekend. We are commanded to meet with fellow believers, but the emphasis is love God and love one another. The Old Testament was full of detailed rituals regarding sacrifices, temple worship, being clean or unclean, etc. But the New Testament has very little instruction on what we do when we come together or how we do it. It is relational. Our commands are to love God with all of our heart , soul, mind and strength and to love one another, encourage one another, serve one another, pray for one another, and so forth. It is in that environment that God will impart his power to be used to build up the body of Christ and to bless each other.

There are still many voices today who accuse those who prophesy, speak in tongues, heal, and cast out demons of being false prophets and pawns of the devil. Even though Paul was clear that the church must not despise prophecies nor forbid tongues, many church leaders still do so. I’m not saying that “prophetic words” or tongues or even healings are always from the Lord. There were plenty who abused spiritual gifts in the days of the apostles and some tried to lead the young churches in the first century away from the truth. Most of those were in it for personal gain or were in it to lead these new believers back to religion and away from relationship. It is important to note that in the face of these abuses, Paul didn’t forbid the exercise of these gifts, but simply instructed the church in their proper use.

The reason he did not forbid the exercise of these gifts was they were one way in which the reality of the kingdom of heaven and the Kingship of Jesus was demonstrated. Again, Jesus said, “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” The pattern of gospel preaching in the New Testament was always with power. Preach it, then demonstrate it. A gospel without a demonstration of power is a different gospel from the one the apostles preached. In Acts 17, Paul made his way to Athens where philosophers and pagan priests stood on every corner. Paul was invited to speak at the Areopagus, a public forum where philosophers and religionists gathered to share their ideas. There Paul stood and expounded the gospel with great elocution and with his most persuasive words. At the end of the day, only a few believed.

His next stop was Corinth. There he declared to the church, “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Cor. 2:1-5). He had different results in Corinth. After Athens, he determkned that a simple gospel with a demonstation of God’s power, was much more effective that eloqurnce and education.

It appears that we are on the brink of a great move of God in the world once more and in our nation. Churches are beginning to fill again. Revivals are breaking out on college campuses. God is bringing in a great harvest around the world. Where true revival breaks out, there have always been manifestations of the power of the Spirit. That was true on the Day of Pentecost, during the Great Awakening, during the Restoration Movement of the 1800’s, and even during the Jesus Revolution of the 70’s. Those who embrace the power of the Spirit along with faithful preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be those who God uses to bring in the Lion’s share of the harvest. If you are not in a church that embraces a gospel of power, I hope you will pray for that chuch to open up to the Spirit of God. If you sense they will not open up, I encourage you to find a healthy, holy church that points you to Jesus and to his Holy Spirit.

Worship without the Spirit becomes entertainment. Eloquent preaching without the Spirit draws men to the preacher rather than to Jesus. Prayers without the Spirit, are bereft of power. Without power we are left to turn to men for the best man can do rather than turning to God who can do all things.

In my last two blogs, I discussed the benefits and necessity of removing legal ground from the enemy before ministering deliverance. If a person is demonized, it is nearly always because something has given the enemy a legal right to do so. Unrepented sin, word curses , generational curses. soul ties, and trauma can give the enemy access to an individual. These are typically handled by renouncing the sin in the name of Jesus, repenting of the sin on your behalf or on behalf of your bloodline, and then applying the blood of Christ to sever soul ties and nullify curses. Then the unclean spirit can be commanded to come out with much less drama and trauma than doing so without taking away the legal right of the spirit to be there.

There are a few special circumstances where more may be needed to release the individual from the legal claims of Satan. These circumstances involve situations in which a person has entered in to a covenant or agreement with Satan or when someone has been dedicated to Satan or a demon by another person…usually a family member. This is not as unusual as you may think.

Where witchcraft has been practiced in family lines, it is not unusual for the descendants of the one practicing witchcraft to be dedicated to a spirit or to Satan. In some cases, where individuals practice “white magic,” they may believe that they are consorting with “good spirits” and think dedicating children, grandchildren, etc. will be a blessing…as if the spirit they are working with will protect them. These dedications give Satan access until they are renounced. Of course, there are times when a descendant won’t know if a dedication took place. If witchcraft was practiced either as white magic, psychic readings, horoscopes, satanism, wicca, etc., it is best to assume some dedication took place and simply go through the renunciation. I believe it is always best to “cover the base.” If nothing is there, then nothing will happen. If something stirs, then the individual can be set free.

There are also those who enter into agreements or covenants with Satan on their on. Some are members of witches covens and satanic groups. Others may be active members of groups like Freemasonry who are taking oaths and entering into covenants with the lodge, not knowing that the lodge has occult ties that are not revealed until men get to high positions in the lodges. There are also strong historical ties between Freemasonry and the Mormon church so Mormons may also have open doors to the enemy. I will say where there are organizations with secrets to be maintained and penalties for disclosing the secrets, Satan is usually active there. Freemasons and Mormons, of course, may also dedicate their children to the organizations and in doing so, to the spirits that rule over the organization.

Freemasons, especially, make vows and call down curses on themselves if they reveal secrets of the lodge or fail to serve the lodge. When their children or grandchildren, whom they dedicated, are not serving the lodge, demonic spirits have a right to enforce the curses invoked by their father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc. who participated in the lodge. The curses often manifest as unusual health issues or emotional struggles such as anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and so forth.

You will also find a number of adults who made promises to Satan in moments of despair as children or teens. “Satan…if you do this for me then I will serve you.” They have no idea what they are setting themselves up for and some barely remember the moment. However, Satan remembers the moment and uses it as legal ground to afflict the individual.

In order to take away the legal right of the enemy, these covenants, contracts, dedications, and agreements must be renounced. If these covenants or dedications came though an organization, those organizations must be renounced as well. In addition, soul ties with the organization or influential people in the organization must be repented of, renounced. and severed by the sword of the Spirit.

If the individual personally made a commitment to Satan or has been practicing witchcraft, he or she should…

• Declare their faith in and allegiance to Jesus.
• Renounce Satan and all of his works.
• Renounce the evil powers of this world.
• Break and renounce the contract, covenant, agreement or any allegiance to Satan.  ‘In the name of Jesus, I break and renounce my contract, my dedication, and my former allegiance to Satan.” 
• Sever themselves from the contract by the sword of the Holy Spirit.

You may need to have that person declare each of those things three times.

In addition:  

If occult spirits are involved, have the individual commit to get rid of any occult objects in their house when they return home.Sometimes, if a person has been involved in Satanism or was a satanic ritual abuse survivor, Satanic seals have been placed over spirits of witchcraft to protect the demons. These seals need to also be removed by the blood and the name of Jesus before deliverance begins. “In the name of Jesus and by his blood, I remove and destroy any satanic seals that have been assigned to this person.”

If there is influence from Free Masonry (Masonic lodge, Eastern Star, Shriners, etc.) you may need to call out those spirits as Masonic spirits rather than just a spirt of witchcraft.   Be especially clear about Masonic tokens…jewelry, books, aprons, etc. being removed from the home.  When things are removed, burning is a very good way to deal with the spiritually infected items, if possible. Recently we have discovered from multiple sources that the ruling spirit over Freemasonry is Jahbulon. We have also found it helpful to renounce Jahbulon and any agreements made with him before deliverance begins.

This may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. We simply need to spend time helping the person to whom we are ministering do a reasonably thorough inventory of the things in their life that may have given the enemy access. Doing so will facilitate deliverance and help them maintain the freedom they receive when spirits are driven out. Take your time. Don’t always rush to the battle but discover where the enemy strongholds are that you will need to take down in order to win the war. Blessings.

This blog is a bit long, but if you minister deliverance or need deliverance, please read it all. In my last blog, I discussed the need to spend adequate time discovering what has given a demonic spirit access to a person before ministering deliverance. Many people who minister deliverance just cut to the chase and begin immediately to drive out a spirit without discovering where the “open door” is that allowed the spirit to take up residence in the first place. Many spirits are hard to dislodge because they still have a legal right to afflict the person. Until that legal right is resolved, the spirit may stay or, if driven out, will simply return at a later date because the door is still open. Deliverance is about authority. If you do not remove the enemy’s authority to afflict a person, deliverance becomes a power struggle and that is when things can get weird.

There are five typical categories of things that give demonic spirits a right to afflict or oppress a believer. You need to consider each of these before ministering deliverance. Before exploring each of these categories, I want to affirm that the demonization of a believer is not a salvation issue. If a believer has a demon, he still belongs to Jesus. He or she is still saved unless they are driven to unbelief and rejection of Jesus by demonic influence. Demonization is typically a sanctification issue of continuing to grow and uproot the sin in our lives. Demonization simply means that the enemy is trespassing on property that belongs to Jesus and it is our responsibility to clear the property.

The first category is sustained and unrepented sin in the life of a believer. These sins can range from sexual sin (pornography, adultery, fornication, sexual fantasies, cohabitation, etc.) to drunkenness, gossip, theft, pride, anger, unforgiveness, judgments, anti-semitism, occult involvement, unbelief, and so forth. Sometimes the individual is aware of the sin but finds pleasure in it so they don’t truly want to give it up. These are often “secret sins.” Sometimes, the individual doesn’t recognize that what they are doing is sin or he/she rationalizes and excuses the sin so that repentance never comes. Anything in our lives that is out of alignment and remains out of alignment with the Father’s will can give the enemy a legal right to afflict the individual. It is crucial that we take an inventory of these kinds of behaviors and attitudes because if they continue without confession and repentance, deliverance will have little effect for the individual or, at least, the effect will be short lived. The danger here is that the demon will return and bring others with him.

Secondly, generational sins can come down through bloodlines in the form of a curse that demons may have a continuing g right to enforce. Remember the sins of the fathers are passed down to the children to the third and fourth generation (Ex.20). The unconfessed and unrepented sins of our ancestors gave Satan a legal right to enforce a curse against them but that curse can be an unfortunate inheritance unless dealt with by the blood of Christ as we renounce the sins of our fathers and repent on their behalf. Spending time exploring patterns of sin, dysfunction, and calamities in family lines can give real clues to generational sins that need to be dealt with before deliverance.

Even cultural history may need to be explored if ancestors were involved in false religion, idolatry, human sacrifice, genocide, or hatred of the Jews. [God declared, “Those who bless Abraham I will bless and those who curse Abraham, I will curse” (Gen. 12:3).] We have also discovered that massive amounts of demonization occurs in blood lines where ancestors were involved in Freemasonry and even Mormonism. Some cultures have a great deal of witchcraft woven into the very fabric of society so that may need to be renounced as well. Where there has been witchcraft or Satanism, family lines were often dedicated to Satan and that dedication must also be broken to set people free.

A third area has been mentioned but is prevalent enough that I want to highlight it. Unforgiveness and judging others are wide-open doors for the enemy. In several texts, Jesus was clear that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, our Heavenly Father will not forgive our sins against him. Many believers have been wounded by others, and have not forgiven them. Sometimes they are operating under the assumption that the offending party must ask for forgiveness before we have to extend it or that somehow, the offending party must have acted in some way so that they now “deserve” to be forgiven. That misconception needs to be clarified and biblical forgiveness needs to be extended or the enemy has total; access because our other sins stand unforgiven.

A close cousin to unforgiveness is judgments. Jesus said “judge not or you will be judged and with what judgment we judge, we shall be judged.” This judgment its not pointing out another’s sin out of concern for their soul, but is a judgment of moral superiority on our part and a judgment of their hearts so that we always see that person in negative ways. We always see them as less than ourselves because we have judged them. Those two areas need to be explored in length to see if they are open doors inviting the enemy in.

The fourth category is soul ties or covenants made with others (individuals or organizations) in the context of sin that can also be open doors. Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 6 not to be yoked together with unbelievers who, by nature, belong to Satan. Those sinful relationships need be explored, renounced and severed before deliverance. Somehow, those covenants, spoken or implied, give demons continued access to believers.

The fifth category is word curses spoken over us…especially by those who have authority over us. That could be a parent, a spiritual leader, a spouse, or ourselves. When others or ourselves speak negative things over us, those words can function as curses which the enemy can use against us. There can also be curses assigned to us through witchcraft which seems to be increasing exponentially in our culture. Most of us are familiar with the scripture that says, “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest” (Prov. 26:2). In other words, if there is no cause there is no curse. However, Satan is diligent in finding a cause in our lives when witchcraft is directed at us. Curses also need to be nullified and dealt with through the blood of Christ before deliverance is ministered.

As you can see, there is a lot to explore in order to close doors that have allowed the enemy to come in and to take away a demon’s legal right to remain or return. What I have mentioned is not everything but it suggests that sin has to be dealt with by the blood of Christ through confession, renunciation and repentance. in order to close spiritual doors. Trauma is another door through which the enemy can enter, and that also should be considered. I would suggest that if you don’t know how to deal with these issues in a person’s life, you may not be ready to m minister deliverance. Find some training. We and others can provide that.

When we take the time to deal with these sin issues and curses, deliverance is much more effective, much less dramatic. and actually leaves the individual not only free but cleansed. Revelation 12:10 describes Satan as the “accuser of the brethren who accuses them day and night before our God.” This and other scriptures affirm that Satan is always appearing before the Father accusing believers so that he might gain a legal right to afflict them. Because God is just, if a cause exists, he must grant Satan the legal right he is asking for. But by his grace and the blood of Jesus, those issue can be submitted to the cross and dealt with so that Satan no longer has claim to the individual.

We should also remember that demons, like some troublesome renters, will not leave just because his right to stay in the house has been nullified. Even after removing his legal right to be there, some rebellious renters will still have to be forcibly evicted. But he can be evicted because he no longer has any right to stay. That is where deliverance comes in. Do the legal work first, and the eviction will be much smoother. It will also prevent the “troublesome renter” from returning. Take your time. Maybe even spend a whole session exploring these issues before scheduling another session for deliverance.

In my next blog, I will address some special circumstances that need a specific approach to nullify the claims of the enemy on an individual.

This past Sunday, I met with a small group of Christian writers at our church. We meet from time to time to encourage one another and share resources, new things we have learned about writing and publishing, and so forth. One of our group members, who is also a leader in our Freedom Ministry, was recounting a recent experience at a summer camp where there was a surprising amount of spiritual warfare…even among teens.

She said two things. First of all, she mourned the fact that very few Christians take spiritual warfare seriously and, secondly, if they do, they typically aren’t well equipped for the battle. I agree with her. I have been involved in spiritual warfare, deliverance, house cleansings, etc. for about 25 years. I have written on the subject, done seminars on the subject, and have helped other churches establish healthy, thriving freedom ministries. And yet, the number of churches actually ministering in this arena and training their members to do so remains a tiny fraction. This is true in spite of Paul’s famous affirmation that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual principalities and powers, and in spite of the gospel records that a great deal of the ministry of Jesus was given to demolishing demonic strongholds and setting people free.

We should pay attention to the emphasis. We are told that Mary Magdalene was delivered from seven demons. The Gadarene had enough demons that they identified themselves as Legion. We are told that Satan actually entered into Judas. Paul drove out a spirit of divination in Ephesus. Dozens of people were healed of physical maladies through deliverance…including years of crippling back pain, blindness, deafness, muteness, seizures, and a host of other conditions. This emphasis is not accidental.

So…do most Christians read those accounts as fiction or novel stories to entertain us or as accounts that actually happened then but mysteriously happen no more? In fact, we are told that all scripture has been written for our learning and application. Whatever we see in the written word, has application for our lives today. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Numerous examples and teachings regarding demons is found in scripture, yet simply disregarded by most believers…at least in America. We gladly believe in the ministry of angels but seem to steer quickly away from the topic of demonization.

I do believer balance is needful in the world of spiritual warfare. Not every flat tire, every achy joint, every physical ailment, or every fight with our spouse is demonic. Jesus healed many physical ailments that simply came from living in a fallen world. However, whenever healing numerous people is mentioned, deliverance was usually part of the evening. We are also commanded in many contexts to crucify the flesh. Not all anger, selfishness, manipulation or lust is demonic. We have to resist our fallen nature. We must be careful not give the devil too much credit. However, we must also be careful not to assume that demonic involvement is rare or occurs only in third world countries because to do so disarms us. The church should take spiritual warfare much more seriously than it does, because we are leaving too many of the people God has entrusted to us in bondage and torment with spiritual conditions that drug therapy and conventional counseling can’t touch. When demons are involved, more is needed.

Secondly, our churches need to know how to do spiritual warfare in effective ways that aren’t always highly sensational or dramatic. To be sure, there can be drama, but not nearly as much as some believe. Deliverance does not require screaming and shouting or power confrontations that go on for hours. Deliverance is about authority and authority can be established quietly. When an FBI agent appears at your door, he simply announces himself and shows you his credentials. He doesn’t have to shout and scream and get in your face and there doesn’t have to be a dozen others agents doing the same. Authority can be established and deliverance done in “a decent and orderly manner,” just as Paul instructed the church in the exercise of prophecy and tongues (I Cor. 14:40).

We have seen deliverance done in ways that were more traumatizing than the demon. Perhaps, that is why many churches steer away from deliverance. Our experience is that demons that won’t come out in a few minutes, usually remain because something is giving them a legal right to stay. That right may be secret sin, a generational curse that needs to be submitted to the blood of Jesus, a half-hearted desire to get rid of the demon, witchcraft, soul ties that need to be broken, unforgiveness, etc. We find it is more fruitful to give more time to prayer and to interviewing the person we are ministering to than in shouting at demons. Once the legal right is taken away, the demon will usually exit in a reasonable amount of time and in a reasonably orderly way.

That is not to say that, on occasion, we don’t have drama but it is only about 10% of the time and usually because we have not discovered what is giving Satan legal access to that person. Training in spiritual warfare and deliverance should be done on a wide basis with balance, discernment, and a healthy and orderly approach to setting people free. It doesn’t have to be weird or crazy…although some seem to prefer it that way.

The first step in deliverance is removing legal ground from the enemy and more time should be given to that than to the actual deliverance. In order to help those who are new or lack training in this area, I will spend the next blog or two talking about removing this legal ground so when a spirit is cast out, it cannot return. Hopefully, this will be practical and helpful.

Blessings in Him.