I believe one of the most important principles in scripture is found in Galatians 6. Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh , from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:7-9).

This is a spiritual principle confirmed over and over agin in scripture. It is a spiritual principle revealed in nature and in the outcomes of our own decisions and the decisions of others if we pay attention. First of all, it is an immutable law. Like gravity, you cannot escape the reality of consequences. If you accidentally step off the edge of your roof, you are going down not matter how often you test the law. To deny the law of consequences is to mock God. That word means to belittle, to not take seriously, or to treat with contempt. When we live as if we can violate God’s law without consequences, we mock him.

We often think of those who mock God as brazen sinners who shake their fist in God’s face as if they determine the outcome of their own lives. But many believers do so as well. When we operate outside of God’s will in parts of our lives, we often are doing so because we are deceived. The enemy whispers his familiar phrase spoken first in the Garden of Eden, “You will not certainly die!” He whispers that we will be the exception, even though we know others who have done what we are doing and ended up in a very deep ditch..

When it comes to sin, Satan’s favorite strategy is to simply convince us that we won’t be found out, we won’t get addicted, our unhealthy habits will not end up destroying our health, or that we can cash in on God’s grace so that nothing really hurtful will come from our actions. I can’t count how many church- going believers I know have been deceived into believing that an affair won’t be found out, that dabbling in pornography won’t end up in an uncontrollable addiction, or that they will be able to put the money back before the boss realizes it is gone. Here is the thing: these secret sins will not be without consequence because either God will bring it into the light to cleanse it, or Satan will bring it into the light to destroy you and your family. Why? Because God will not be mocked. There will be consequences. We will reap what we sow. If we sow to the desires of the flesh, we will reap hurt and destruction.

This deception from the enemy can be incredibly strong. There is no greater expression of sowing and reaping than in Deuteronomy 28-30. In these chapters, God spelled out in detail the blessings he would grant Israel if they remained faithful to him. He also spelled out in detail, the disasters that would come if they chose to reject God and his commands. And yet, Israel chose to ignore God’s commands and to chase after other gods. The only explanation is that they believed Stan’s lie that God was all bluff and no action. Yet, they were destroyed and scattered all over the world….not because God was evil or unfair, but because those were the consequences of their choices. When we choose the path, we choose the consequences.

Now the good news is that, when we do life God’s way (sow to the Spirit), God promises good outcomes and blessings. We receive life…in this world and the world to come. God cannot be mocked in this matter as well. This is not a promise that trouble will never come our way, but that God will ultimately bring blessing, even out of trouble. “And we know that in all things, God woks for the good of those who love him. who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom.8:28). Sometimes, the challenge is in waiting for the blessing to manifest. Remember Paul said they we must not grow weary in doing good (sowing to the Spirit), but should know that in due time, a harvest will come.

When a farmer plants, it takes time for the seed to germinate, the stalk to grow, blooms to form fruit, and the fruit to mature. It can be the same with prayer or acting righteously whenever all those around us are ignoring the commands of God. Waiting is hard. Satan will whisper that God does not hear our prayers or that he has obviously said “No” to our prayer, so that continuing to pray or act in faithfulness is pointless. Like a crop, It takes takes time for blessings to manifest and we will have to fight discouragement at times, especially when we see those who don’t serve God getting what they want in this life while we wait But don’t be deceived, God will not be mocked. What you sow in faithfulness will bear a harvest.

When we think serving God is pointless because the wicked seem to prosper, we must remember that it takes time for curses to manifest as well. That is part of the trap. People disobey and see no immediate consequence and, because of that, they believe nothing will ever happen. I have a pastor friend who had a secret addiction for years, but was eventually found out. It became a huge embarrassment to him, his family, and his church. He told me that the deception was that you only imagine the moment of pleasure or excitement, for relief but you need to “run the film to the end.” What he meant was that you need to imagine not only the pleasure of the moment but the pain that will come when your sin is revealed…because it will be. “Running the film to the end” is a very effective way of discouraging the persistent sin or secret sin in our own lives because it recognizes that consequences will come because God will not be mocked. Of course, when negative consequences arise we are prone to blame God for our losses, our embarrrassment, or our hurt. But God is just and has revealed the truth to us about our choices. he simply honors our choices, whether we choose curses or blessings.

When we make choices, we need to do so with Galatians 6 in mind. Every deed, every word, every prayer is a seed that will some day bear fruit. It is up to us to determine the harvest. Because seeds take time to grow, we often forget this immutable law of God. But if you remember, you will see the faithfulness of God in blessings as the years of your life wear on.

We get lots of warnings about our words…and rightfully so. We all know the proverb, “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Provide. 18:21) and the stern warning from Jesus that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to give account for every careless word he or she has spoken (Matt. 12:36). We tend to focus on the negative effects of the tongue, but perhaps we should focus more on the positive effects or the positive potential of our tongue.

The truth is that words carry power and authority. As followers of Jesus, we have been given authority to represent Him on the earth. As children of the King, our words carry great weight in the spiritual realm and in a sense, direct the activities of heaven. When we pray with faith, things start stirring in the heavenlies. When we declare the word of God over something, we release the powers of heaven to fulfill that word.

Although God is clearly sovereign, in his sovereignty he has decreed that much of what happens on this earth depends on our prayers, declarations, commands, and actions. The psalmist declared, “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind” (Ps. 115:16). When he created man, especially Adam and Eve, he gave them dominion (authority) over the earth. They were to rule as his representatives, extending the ways of heaven over the earth. I believe Jesus demonstrated the dominion man once had before he was separated from God by sin. Of course, they sinned and, in doing so, turned that dominion over to Satan.

Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law and from the sovereignty of Satan. God, then, relaunched his initial intent to rule the earth through his sons and daughters, as they represent the Great King on this earth. As a result, we have authority and our words have authority. So, let’s consider how our words might bring about tremendous good in the earth.

Most of us are familiar with the Old Testament passage in which God declares, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desired and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). We get some insight into how this works from the prophet Jeremiah. There, the Lord tells the prophet, “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 over throw, to build and to plant” (Jer. 1:9-10).

Jeremiah never led an army or fought a battle, but accomplished those things by declaring the word of God over those nations as God decreed. When God’s word was released by Jeremiah, then the heavenlies got busy making those words a reality. When God’s word goes forth from his lips to ours, and then from our lips over situations and circumstances, that word of God will still fulfill its purpose. We simply need to be Spirit-led to know when to declare God’s will over a person or circumstance. I also believe he gives us some freedom to declare his word and exercise his authority based on our own judgment and discernment as long as our declaration or command is consistent with his word and his ways.

Now consider the power of your words for good. Healing comes when we declare healing with our tongue, just as Jesus did. Demons are driven out when we command them with our tongue in the name of Jesus. Heaven moves on behalf of a person when we verbalize prayers because we represent the Father. When we bless thoughtfully and with faith, we should expect that blessing to manifest because we have standing in heaven.

Remember we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6). Being seated is a position of authority. We sit with Christ, therefore, we share in his authority. When we encourage, something happens beyond the emotional realm of a person and bears some kind of spiritual fruit because encouragement is one of the spiritual gifts. When we prophecy over a person, we are releasing the Word of God over them just as Jeremiah released that word over nations. It will accomplish God’s purpose. God has given us an amazing position in heaven so that we speak with authority…which is why we need to be very intentional with our words.

Most of us fail to recognize the power of our words and their authority. Our words can release angels in the heavenly realm to bless and protect or, because of our authority, can release demons to fulfill a curse if we speak carelessly. James tells us that we are not to utter curses, but are to be a source of blessing for all those we encounter (James 3:9-11). How much fun can it be to release blessings over people and know that good is coming their way because you have spoken and you have authority in heaven? That knowledge should brighten every day.

Because God has put much of this in our hands, he often wishes to do something but waits on us to declare a thing or pray a thing. He honors the authority he has given us. We have so much more power than we imagine because we forget who we are. It’s true that we need to ask with godly motives, but when we do, we should expect heaven to respond to our lead. You are a designated distributor of God’s blessings and heaven has no supply-chain issues to keep those blessings from manifesting. Know who you are. Speak blessings, healing, freedom, provision, encouragement, destiny, etc. over others and yourself. Speak with faith and purpose. See the good you can sow in the earth and enjoy the good fruit of your words. Oh by the way…be blessed today with the fulfillment of your greatest need.

Another interesting cultural trend took the spotlight in Scottsdale, Arizona this past weekend.  Hundreds of members of the “Satanic Temple” held a three-day convention there called SatanCon.  Reported, the Satanic Temple had filed a request to present an invocation before the City Council of Scottsdale.  They were refused the right to offer their invocation, so they decided to have a large gathering in Phoenix to demonstrate the quality of their organization in an effort to discredit the City Council for their rejection and refusal to be “inclusive.”

Although the Satanic Temple uses the satanic pentagram and its symbolism and erects statues of Satan (Baphomet) wherever possible, they declare they are not really Satanists but libertarians joining together to do noble works through social activism.  If you check their website, their mission statement sounds like the Rotary Club.  They claim that they do not participate in satanic rituals or sacrifice, but are simply having fun with the satanic symbols and the name. 

The leaders of the Satanic Temple are either whitewashing their real intent or are incredibly ignorant people playing with fire.  Satan is never more in the driver’s seat than when we don’t take him seriously or don’t recognize his activity.  It is amazing how many people, including believers, think of Satan as mythological or mere superstition.  Many main stream Christians would tell you that they believe that both Satan and hell are real, but have no awareness that there is an actual spiritual adversary scheming against their lives and families on a daily basis.  

The great majority of churches in America have no curriculum or training to address spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:12) or the use of divine weapons. (2 Cor. 10:4). Remember, Paul declared that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms and that divine weapons are required to bring down these demonic strongholds.

If we do not view Satan as a real adversary, he will operate, disrupt, and disable without detection like the invisible man or like a cancer that has not been diagnosed.  I know of several churches that have been divided and rendered ineffective by the strategies of the enemy, but have never identified the real cause of their struggles.  Some of these churches had 2000 members a few years ago but now have only a few hundred in attendance.  They replace their staff over and over, remodel to make the building more attractive, and try to employ the “newest” church growth strategies only to continue to waste away.  Yet, it never occurs to them to enter into prayer and fasting, repentance, cleansing the property of demonic spirits or breaking curses that have given the enemy access to that church for decades.

I personally know of individuals who were former witches in our community, but have now come to the Lord and confessed that they used to sit in Sunday services at influential churches and pronounce curses over the church and the pastoral staff.  Some of those churches have since experienced moral failures by leadership, a loss of passion for the kingdom, serious divisions in their membership, and significantly shrinking numbers.  They continue to look for solutions in the natural realm, but have no idea about how to wage war in the spiritual realm.  

If the members of the Satanic Temple think that Satan is not real, but just a mythological character whose likeness and symbols can be used for fun like Santa Claus, they will soon be co-opted, demonized, and controlled for the purposes of Satan.  If you wear his name and wield his symbols, you belong to him…whether you know it or not.  If they are simply putting up a socially acceptable front, we should not be surprised.  After all, the apostle Paul warned us when he said, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14).

The SatanCon in Scottsdale is symptomatic of a culture who does not take evil seriously and is too “sophisticated” to consider Satan to be a real being who truly is our adversary.  It is symptomatic of a culture who no longer believes in the absolutes of good and evil.  It is a culture that no longer believers that there is a God in heaven who judges individuals and nations.  As believers, we cannot afford to be casual or ignorant about the adversary.  We do not have to be afraid because Christ has all authority, but we need to be wise and know when the enemy is involved and how to take action when needed. We all should ask the Lord daily for spiritual discernment and wisdom to know how to wield.  We must learn how to do battle, how to pray for our families, churches, and nation and how to stand against the intrusions of the enemy withthe weapons he has given us through the  victory of Jesus Christ.

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.