Month: February 2015

Space travel is a worthy goal of civilization, to understand more the universe in which we live. It’s wired into our collective consciousness, this desire to go where no one has gone before. We all marvel watching the old black and white video of the late Neil Armstrong taking “one giant step for mankind.” Fortunately, he and his crew came back alive, along with five other moon landings participants. But the moon is only a little more than 225,000 miles away. Mars is almost 250 MILLION miles from earth. And some are dying to get there – quite literally. Mars One, a group that intends to send humans to live on Mars, has selected 100 finalists out of 200,000 applicants who want to make the one-way trip. One man has even agreed to leave his wife behind. (As painful as divorce is, that seems to be a better way out of a lousy marriage than spending more than a year on a one-way space ship.) The first trip is planned in 2024, and only four will go. Count me out.

I see something demonic about this idea. “Of course, doesn’t Larson see something demonic in a lot of things?” you might be thinking. Not really. In this case the deceptions are several. First, this this isn’t a missionary venture, so why take sin to another stellar body when we can’t stop crime and war on the earth? Second, the idea of a non-returnable Mars mission is a suicide quest. According to scientists, those who do arrive on the “red planet” will live only about two months. Finally, it’s an escapist distraction from the real problems we face in the here-and-now, on earth. For those who want a stellar ticket outta here, the rapture is definitely a better way to go (First Thess. 4:16).

An encouraging word:  DON’T BE IN DARKNESS

Paul told the church in Thessalonica, “You, brothers, are not in darkness” (1 Thess. 5:4). I’m not sure that could be said of most American Christians today. There’s a lot of darkness around, in the form of departure from biblical truth and spiritual compromise. According to a Gallup Poll, only three of ten American say they believe the Bible is God’s Word. One other credible poll says 28%, with 21% saying it’s a book of fables. Less than four decades ago 40% believed the Bible. Obviously, respect for Scripture is trending in the wrong direction. Is it any wonder there is such a sense of faithlessness and hopelessness all around? Read the Book and believe the Book, and it will be lamp to your feet and a light to your path.

Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did (Luke 4:18).  You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.

The humor of the billboard above belies an even more serious aspect of today’s social media: texting, even sexting (sending sexually explicit messages via smartphones) in church. A new study regarding the behavior of Americans with regards to cell phones indications that they are interrupting some of their most secret and sacred activities to send text messages. The market research firm Harris Interactive discovered that 10% of respondents admit to checking their phones in the shower or during sex. For those ages 18-34 it’s 20%!  Twenty percent of those polled say they text during the pastor’s sermon in church, and God only knows what messages they are receiving or sending. A marketing expert commented on these findings, “People view their smartphones as an extension of themselves, taking them everywhere they go, even the most unorthodox places.” A disturbing 50% say they drive with their phones in hand to text, even if there are laws against it.

Prophecy buffs used to wonder how the Antichrist could communicate with the entire world almost instantly to enforce his edicts. Is that “mark in the right hand” (Rev. 13:16) an iPhone about to Apple Pay? Perhaps not, but the stage is certainly being set. And if you are wondering, I have known people to get demons by texting, sexting, porn viewing, and carrying on all kinds of illicit activities on their cell phones. Yes, I have a cell phone as do members of my family. They are great devices to navigate our modern world. Our International School of Exorcism� is raising up an army of spiritual warriors, many of whom trained by their smart phones. (For more information or to enroll CLICK HERE.) Technology has the capacity for good or evil. Your pastor may not notice your texting/sexting while he’s preaching, but the Lord knows what you’re doing with YOUR cell phone when you should be focusing on His Word.

An encouraging word:  IN DISTRESS CALL OUT TO THE LORD

“In my distress I called to the Lord” (Psalm 18:6). Today, we’d more likely use the word “depressed.” Stress had overtaken David, and he hit bottom. That’s not always bad. Sometimes that’s the place that God gets our attention. When we’re on top, we may think we don’t need the Lord as much. In this case David was mentally and emotionally exhausted. But he didn’t seek a shrink or pop a pill. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with getting good counseling; however, in a state of desperation there’s no substitute for turning to God. If you’re discouraged today, do what David did. In YOUR distress, call out to the Lord. 

Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did (Luke 4:18).  You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.

I watch little TV other than cable. But last Saturday morning I was surfing my way across the channels to Fox News when a History Channel special on Wild West firearms caught my eye. As a kid I was fascinated by tales of 19th century life, especially Western TV shows and movies. And no icon of that era was better known than John Wesley Harding, an outlaw turned model prisoner, turned lawyer, and turned again to a killer. He was gunned down in an El Paso saloon just 42 years of age. It didn’t have to be that way. His father was a Methodist minister, and Harding was christened with the namesake of the famous, godly founder of Methodism. While in prison, he became the superintendent of the Sunday School, during his reformation years. But after a brief stint at normal, law-abiding life, he turned again to booze, prostitutes, and killing. He was shot in the back while drunk and rolling dice.

How do things like this happen? How can the son of a preacher man go so bad? Yet we see it all the time.  People with hope and promise, and what we think is godly upbringing end up living in sin and self-destruction. The answer to this question isn’t really that hard to come by if you understand how curses work. (To learn more, read my book CURSE BREAKING: Freedom from the Bondage of Generational Sin. To order CLICK HERE.) In Harding’s life there were obviously blessings coming from his father. Perhaps not so obvious, perhaps hundreds of years and many generations prior, there was bloodshed and violence. Now that doesn’t mean that Harding was bound to become a killer. He could have made other choices. But what curses do is limit an individual’s ability to make good decision. Deuteronomy chapter 28 makes it plain that curses or blessings are the heritage of those whose ancestors walked in obedience to God or in rebellion to His Word. Being the child of Christian parents doesn’t ensure spiritual success. It’s a great start. But as we see with John Wesley Harding, it’s also necessary to make sold moral choices and break curses of one’s ancestors.

An encouraging word: DRIVE LIKE A MADMAN

“He drives like a madman(NIV).” That how Jehu’s enthusiasm was described in 2 Kings 9:20. He was a man on a mission to rid Israel of the wicked queen Jezebel. He was on his way to face this demonic monarch when a lookout described his haste. We need more men like that today. Not necessarily “madmen,” but determined men, men who are intent on facing down the devil and ridding him from every part of modern life.  Let this be a day in which you find some way that Satan has hurt those around you; “drive like a madman” to approach the situation with unbridled enthusiasm and bring the love of God to those in need. 

Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did (Luke 4:18).  You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.

They don’t call it Iceland for nothing. In winter, the average high never gets out of the 30s. In summer, the average high doesn’t even break 60 degrees. Warmest temperature ever-74! Agreed, that’s icy. But now this North Atlantic island is about to get much chillier, spiritually speaking. Having turned its back on God, like the rest of Europe, Iceland is experiencing a rise of interest in Norse witchcraft, with popular ceremonies to call up (or down) the ancient deities of Odin, Thor, Loki (Lucifer), and Freya (Jezebel). For the first time since the age of the Vikings a temple is being built in Iceland to honor and conjure these bloodthirsty, warlike demons. Christianity conquered the Land 1,000 years ago, but today, belief in the God of the Bible is in retreat. It’s among the top ten nations of the world with atheist populations. A high priest who heads up this occult religious revival says of the ancient Norse myths,”We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.” Yet plans are set to honor the old gods with a “blot,” a sacrifice to the gods which once involved human blood. Now, it’s mostly party with lots of drinking.

Much the same is happening all across Europe with the revival of worshiping long-forgotten pagan deities. As Christianity wanes, these old violent and sensuous demi-gods fill the voice of lost religious fervor. Likewise, as reported in my blog of January 2 of this year (To read “Witchcraft in America” CLICK HERE.), an estimated 10 million practicing pagans populate our shores. There are many reasons for this demise of biblical faith; but at the top of the list is the gutting of the gospel by market-driven, seeker-friendly, pious-pablum churches that cater to comfy Christians. When people no longer witness the supernatural power of Christ through salvation and deliverance they look elsewhere for empirical validation of faith. And in Iceland, ancient demons of barbaric cruelty have rushed in in to fill the spiritual void that is left.

An encouraging word: GOD WILL ANSWER

The Psalmist David speaks of crying out to God in Psalm 17:6 and firmly declares, “You will answer me.” That’s one of the no “ifs, ands, and buts” kind of statements. No doubt. No waffling. God WILL answer. That is the kind of faith that gets results. Granted, the answer isn’t always to our liking, but real prayer gets real answers. To exercise that kind of confidence in God takes desperation and verbalization. You must want the answer badly and you need to utter the request to God. Lay before the Lord your need in a way that demonstrates your belief in His hearing and you will get a response. He will answer.

Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did (Luke 4:18).  You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.

The logo above says it all. Whether you are Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist, Taoist, Pagan, Satanist, Wiccan, Muslim, Christian or whatever makes no difference. All roads lead to God (or should that be small “g”). And, according to the Universal Life Church (ULC), sanctioned by the IRS, you are entitled to perform all the rites of legitimate clergy, provided you pay your fee and have your “Credentials of Ministry.” The web site, claiming 20 million ordained ministers, asks only that you “do that which is right” (Didn’t Hitler and Stalin believe they were “right?”) and you’re on your way to marrying and burying. Among the faithful who’ve been ordained are the late Joan Rivers, British business mogul Richard Branson, and Conan O’Brien. Oh, and you have to be at least 13-years-of age. The web site of ULC is sophisticated, expansive, and a huge source of revenue for its custodians. I’ve known about this outfit for years, but only lately has it gussied up its image and gained Internet notoriety.

Here’s where it gets interesting. It was founded by a former Pentecostal preacher (first ordained a Baptist), Kirby James Hensley. He’s dead but his son has carried on the generational curse of heresy and now runs the organization. In keeping with the times, the ULC even has a branch known as The Order of Jedi. Founder Hensley was illiterate and had to hire people to read the Bible. Obviously, they didn’t read it to him well-enough. Their dissertations must have somehow skipped over the words of Jesus in John 14:6: No one comes to the Father except through me.

If the ULC wasn’t active and successful it would be a joke. Instead it’s a perversion of faith only the devil could have dreamed up. Its “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1) fit well into the eclectic landscape of spirituality in America. That a former Baptist/Pentecostal (Obviously he was a bit confused to start with.) would later deny the faith proves once again that Christians can have demons. Only a mind possessed by evil spirits of delusion could have created such an abominable enterprise of religious mockery.

An encouraging word: JUDGING THOSE IN MINISTRY

1 Timothy 5:24 is an interesting Bible verse: Remember that some men, even pastors, lead sinful lives (TLB). Paul goes on the say that in some cases this can be dealt with and in other instances “only the judgment day will reveal the terrible truth.” Amen to that sad commentary. But in the next verse Paul adds, “good deeds are obvious” (NIV) though sometimes not until “long afterward” (TLB). What can we take away from this? Obviously, there is a proper place for swift and stern church discipline in such matters. But Paul warns us that the good men do isn’t always immediately apparent and the evil may not be fully evident until Judgment Day. The lesson is that we should pray for those in spiritual leadership and encourage them in the Lord. And, apart from local church intervention, in many cases leave the ultimate justice for their bad behavior to God.

Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did (Luke 4:18).  You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.

It sounds like a harmless invitation: “Take me to church.” But we’re talking about the title to one of the hottest songs in the country, Grammy-nominated no less. You might want to think twice about accepting the offer. Hozier, the Irish sing-songwriter who penned the hit, has a different kind of church in mind – a sanctuary of eroticism and hedonism. The chorus declares, Take me to church, I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your life, I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife, Offer me that deathless death, Good God, let me give you my life. In fact, the lyric aren’t about a real church but the “worship in the bedroom” of his lover, a 50-shades-of-grey kind of love. Plus the lyrics are heterosexual; but the video features two gay men passionately making love, and then being pursued by a homophobic group of vigilantes. Confusing. But there is no confusion about the intent in the words to the song.

Hozier takes lyrical licentiousness to a whole new level; but the worst part is the sickening attack on Christian faith: ‘We were born sick,’ you heard them say [Original sin, I presume.], My church offers no absolutes, I was born sick but I love it. Amen. I’m a pagan of the good times, My lover’s the sunlight to keep the Goddess on my side, She demands a sacrifice. Something meaty for the main course, That’s a fine looking high horse, What you got in the stable? That look’s tasty. There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin. Only then I am clean. Amen. [Absolution through fornication?]

I hesitate to expose such filth, but remember that this song tops the charts and has been given the highest accolade by the music business, a potential Grammy. Beats headphone (I’ll never buy one!) featured the tune with basketball superstar LeBron James. The fact that mocking religious faith with pornographic lyrics could take America by storm is disgusting and telling about how far down the tubes we’ve gone as a nation. Hozier can be glad he didn’t write about Mohammed and call the song, “Take me to the mosque.” There would be a price on his head.

An encouraging word: GOD WILL SHOW HIS WONDER

Show the wonder of your great love. In Psalm 17:7 the writer issued this challenge to God. At first it might seem a bit arrogant for a mere man to issue this “dare” to the Almighty. To David, this was a kind of prayer, putting God to the test to demonstrate his power and awe. Some would be afraid to pray that kind of petition. They aren’t sure that God even answers prayers at all. Often these individuals had earthly fathers who were neglectful or indifferent. They wonder how they could expect more of their Heavenly Father. Your human parent may have been less than commendable, but God is perfect. If you ask Him, he will show the wonders of his love, a love you may not have known in your own home.

Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did (Luke 4:18).  You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.