May 2015 -

Born Evil?

Today’s my birthday. It’s time to reflect on a lot of things. I’m writing this before boarding a plane. You’ll read it as I’m halfway across the Atlantic en route to London, on my way to Africa for our mission there. On our birthdays, and ever day, each of us needs to reflect on this question: “Was I born Evil?” Is it possible to have the residual of iniquity in one’s genes without realizing it? Next week I’m doing a series on generational curses, but the question of whether an innocent child could be predisposed to evil because of ancestors is troubling to many people. Take it a step further and ask this question of yourself: “Was I born with demons?”

Consider this biblical example. In Matthew chapter 15 a pagan woman from Canaan came to Jesus claiming her daughter was possessed of a demon. Christ did not dispute the claim. He didn’t tell her that her daughter was delusional or bipolar. He validated the mother’s claim by His silence in not countering her assessment of what ailed her daughter. The child (We don’t know the age.) had demons, but how did the youngster become possessed?

Jesus tested the woman’s faith and then delivered her daughter. (“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Matt. 15:28) There is no suggestion that the woman’s daughter did any evil herself to invite in the demon, else the Lord would have instructed her to sin no more. Because of the idolatrous Syrian-Phoenician culture into which she was born, this child undoubtedly had demons from birth. If this conclusion sounds strange, consider that the early church in the first three centuries established the office of “Exorcist” and established specific prayers for “energumens” (the possessed catechumens) in preparation for their baptisms. Those churches who do not believe in generational curses, and the possible possession of infants, are simply not historical in their faith.

NOTE: This and other valuable information is more fully explained in Level 1 of the International School of Exorcism. To enroll now, CLICK HERE.

An encouraging word: ONE WAY TO GOD

Ephesians 4:5-6 is a classic statement of faith: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” There is no room here for “all paths lead to God.” No suggestion that sincerity will take anyone to the correct, eternal spiritual destination. Heaven isn’t simply a place where all “good” people go. One’s ticket to paradise isn’t by Islamic martyrdom or enlightened meditation leading to Nirvana. Paul was dogmatic about eternal verities. One, one, one, one. He says it four times. Don’t think that noble intentions will merit a happy afterlife. Your only way to peace with God forever is the one path of one 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.

Jezebel is Everywhere!

The media constantly asks me, “What demon do you deal with the most?” The answer is easy – Jezebel! That name conjures ideas of an adulterous female character. To call a woman a “Jezebel” is to evoke images of seduction, cleavage, come-hither glances, and sexual fascination. But that’s missing the point. Jezebel isn’t a one-dimensional character lifted from a grade-B erotic flick. Jezebel is mentioned 22 times in the Bible as a literal, historical figure. But this name also represents one of the most hideous demons in Satan’s kingdom, an archetype of evil and the #1 spiritual enemy of this age.

As Chapter Two of my book JEZEBEL points out, this demon has appeared in many forms and with various names throughout the ages. Some such identities include Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Diana, Aphrodite, Isis, and Kali, to name a few. Whether Egyptian, Greek, Roman, or Middle Eastern, cult worship is the focus, and the ultimate purpose is the same: Disparage the patriarchy of God the Father and displace the Holy Trinity with devotion to a matriarchal-based system of occult worship. And Jezebel is to be found in the church.

As I state on page 124 of my book, “One of Jezebel’s main purposes is the destruction of true worship. You’ll find Jezebel haunting the precincts of religion, even fervent worship of God. Jezebel especially likes to be found behind priestly robes and thunderous pulpits. What better place to subvert God’s word and purposes.” Thus, a strategy is needed to recognize when the Jezebel spirit is at work so it can be countered effectively. It’s critical to understand how this evil spirit operates to avoid the traps that Jezebel sets to destroy relationships, churches, families, and marriages.

NOTE: The above is adapted from my book “JEZEBEL: Your #1 Spiritual Enemy.” To order CLICK HERE.

An encouraging word: JESUS SAVES

As I was recently walking down the streets of a busy city, I saw a man carrying a hand-written sign saying, “Jesus Saves.” You’ve probably also seen such. The man didn’t stop and said nothing. He simply bore witness to a basic spiritual truth. It shouldn’t get more complicated than that. The apostle Paul declared in 1 Timothy 1:9, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” In America’s culturally sophisticated Christianity we emphasis, and sometimes over-emphasize, the most minute aspects of Christian living. But we must never forget that none if it matters without the foundation that will get us to heaven: Jesus saves. Are you saved?

Killing Christians!

The extent of Christians being persecuted is reaching a scale that is historically unprecedented. Most evangelical Americans who flinch at the slightest incursion on religious liberties, and protest they should, have little idea regarding the scope of worldwide attacks on the church, especially from Islam. Dr. Walter Russell Mead, distinguished scholar in American strategy and statesmanship at the Hudson Institute, has written an incisive account of the slow death of Christianity in its cradle, the Middle East. His views are too voluminous to recount here, but the facts he cites are profoundly disturbing.

For example, early Christianity took root in Syria and Iraq and has survived there for 2,000 years. Even under Saddam Hussein there were still 1.5 million Christians. Today less than 20% of that amount remain. As recent as the 1920s, one-third of Syrians were Christian. Today it’s less than 10% due to the persecution of Islamist radicals. In 1900, most of Constantinople’s (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) residents were Christian. Today about 1% claim any faith other than Islam. And the nation of Turkey recently refused to acknowledge the genocidal slaughter of 2 million Christian Armenians in the early 20th century.

Perhaps the devil really does know that his time is short (Revelation 12:12) and has pulled out all the stops. One thing we certainly can learn from this is that the church must be very serious about its mission in these Last Days. All Christians everywhere are combatants in an openly declared war, and we must be prepared for battle. That’s the mission of our International School of Exorcism?. If you haven’t yet enrolled, do so NOW! Learn the strategies of spiritual warfare before it’s too late to protect yourself and those you love. (To enroll CLICK HERE.)

An encouraging word: THE MESSAGE OF CREATION

We should all be grateful for the Bible. But what about those who had no scriptures available while the 66 books were being compiled for more than 1,500 years? And what of those who didn’t speak Hebrew or Aramaic or Greek and had to wait for St. Jerome and others to start the process and Guttenberg to make it available to the masses? Psalm 19:3 in the Living Bible makes the obtuse more understandable. Of the glories of creation the psalmist says, “Without a word or sound their (the heavens) message reaches out to the whole world.” God has spoken through creation to every living soul so that none may be excused from comprehending His might and power.

Spiritual Warfare Moms

Okay, so I’m a week late. But I had to write about what I shared in a brief homily delivered to family and friends last week on Mother’s Day. My scriptural reference was Matthew chapter 20 where Salome, the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John (and likely the sister of Mary), approached Christ to ask a favor. In verse 21 she said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” Remember that, even though Christ had already started to speak of his suffering, his followers still expected some kind of earthly kingdom, overthrowing the Romans. That’s one Jewish mom with a lot of chutzpah. She was thinking big. She was bold. She was brash, but Christ didn’t condemn her desire. We need more moms like that. She was a spiritual warfare mother.

After decades of ministering to broken lives, many of them demonized, I’ve made some interesting observations. I have no intent to diminish the important role of fathers, but here’s what I’ve noticed:

A strong mother can help to compensate for a spiritually inept father. It’s not God’s best plan, but a godly mom can help to fill the vacated role of an ungodly dad.
A warfare praying mom can keep a kid out of sin when they are determined to rebel.
An abusive mom is often worse than a bad dad. We expect more of moms, so when they fail a child, the hurt may be very deep.
An Ahab dad can damage a child. But worse yet, a Jezebel mom can turn a youngster into a dangerous menace. (If you question this, read my latest book on JEZEBEL. To order CLICK HERE.)

In summation, an unloving or neglectful father causes profound emotional damage, but the brokenness from a derelict mother is harder to heal. Those involved with inner healing and deliverance will likely find that what I say resonates with their own experiences in ministry.

An encouraging word: HE CREATED ALL THINGS

Christ is the Creator. Not of just you and me, but EVERYTHING. Colossians 1:16 puts it this way: “For by Him all things were created . . . all things were created by Him and for Him.” You can’t get much more specific than that. The evolutionist may argue that Bible doesn’t say how He did it. True. But HE DID IT! There was no “ascent of man” from primordial soup. No transition from monkey to souls with intelligence. Most importantly, it didn’t just happen. It was designed by intelligence. Knowing this gives life meaning that there is purpose, not randomness to our existence. Be encouraged that God made you and He formed you with intent and design.

America’s Lost Soul

You’ve likely seen the reports this week about the drastic decline of religion in America. The respected Pew Research Center has revealed some startling facts comparing spiritual faith today in America with spiritual conditions in 2007.

Atheists and agnostics have doubled their share of the religious marketplace.
The percent of people saying they are Christians has dropped 8%.
Of those who grew up Christian, 19% have left the fold.
The number of evangelicals is down 2%.
The “nones,” with no faith at all, are up 23% — more than Catholics.

There is no one answer for this loss of faith in America, but it is clear that the born-again community isn’t doing its job and is a diminishing influence. The Pew Research director concludes, “Overall, there are more than four former Christians for every convert to Christianity.” SHOCKING, is an understatement.

There’s now proof that all the hyper-prophetic-charismania, rocking worship bands, and Krispy Kremes with lattes in the lobby are not reversing this slow death of American Christianity. What to do about it? I recently held a weekend conference with my good friend Pastor Garrick Brown of Miracle Life International Church in Raleigh, NC. In just a couple of years Pastor Brown’s church has exploded. And guess what? It’s a deliverance church. Visiting that weekend was a pastor from the Congo, Apostle Alpha Lushima. In a short time, his congregation in Kinshasa has grown from a dozen people to over 7,000. How did he do it, in a third-world country? “Deliverance,” he told me. “No other churches were casting out demons and setting people free, so we did it and God blessed.”

Has the time come to put away metal power-cords and slick A/V presentations for the simple message of spiritual freedom from demonic slavery? If slick marketing and sophisticated sermons haven’t worked to stem the bleeding of members from the American church, spiritual warfare just might be a good biblical solution for what ails the USA Body of Christ!

An encouraging word: GREAT DELIVERANCE IS YOURS

Deliverance from every attack of Satan can be yours. Psalm 18:50 declares, “Great deliverance He gives to His king.” Though David was speaking of his escape from King Saul’s murderous intent, this promise applies to each of us. Under the New Covenant, every Christian is a king and priest unto the Lord. If the kings anointed in the Old Testament could count on “great deliverance,” how much more so those of us who live this side of Calvary. And there is an even greater promise in the last part of this verse. This great victory is also promised to your “descendants for evermore.” Start claiming this Word of the Lord now.

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.

Christianity for Dummies

What does an exorcist read? The Bible, of course. Every day. Beyond that I stay in touch with politics, religious trends, social change, world events, and church history. I’m particularly interested in knowing how the American evangelical church has adopted such a mostly pathetic state of dumbed-down Christianity. I don’t mean that Christians are dumb. I’m referring to our culture-driven, comfy-cozy, intellectually-dull, entertainment-oriented, commitment-phobic brand of Christianity that so predominates American spiritual life. Mostly, I fear how any call to real spiritual warfare is avoided assiduously.

In addition to all my other reading, I work my way through several major books a year. My current passion, a book my wife got for me (she knew I’d love it, and I do) is entitled, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought. The nearly 400 page volume seeks to uncover the true roots of post-apostolic Christianity by delving into the mindset of the greatest early theologians. The author, Robert Louis Wilkin, is Professor of The History of Christianity at the University of Virginia. The book is published by Yale University Press. Wilkin’s exploration ranges from St. Augustine to Cyril of Alexandria to Maximus the Confessor in the 7th Century. The book is deep and I’ll not bore you with its complex intellectual meanderings.

What a book like this does make clear is that for the first 1,000 or so years of the Church, the leaders of Christianity took the Bible very seriously. They often wrote hundreds of pages (on parchment by hand, not churned out on a laptop) about a single sentence, or a single word. Take John 6:38, for example and the word “will.” Huge church councils were called to debate exactly whose will was being exerted, and whether Christ’s will was different than that of the Father. The outcome of that discussion determined much of what we believe today.

Sadly, it is hard for American Christians to even read God’s Word, let alone parse deeper meanings. And when it comes to the thought that the true Kingdom of Christ is established by casting out demons (Luke 11:20), that is incomprehensible to most evangelical. What we have is a version of Christianity for Dummies, ignorant of the battle with Satan that rages all around us, and mostly unaware of how Christians can be demonized. Our International School of Exorcism is out to change all that. If you haven’t enrolled, please do so today and learn the truth about spiritual warfare. (To enroll, please CLICK HERE.)

An encouraging word: LET GOD AVENGE YOU

Everyone has enemies. They may be disgruntled family members, former friends who turned against you, or people in the pathway of life who oppose you for seemingly little reason. There are good and bad ways to handle this problem. The bad way is to retaliate and make your enemy angrier. The psalmist

David had the proper attitude in Psalm 18:47-48: “He is the God who avenges me, who saves me from my enemies.” When you meet opposition, it’s better to leave it in God’s hands than to take matters into your own hands.

Freemason Witchcraft

During a Skype Personal Encounter session recently, I encountered a strong Freemason curse. It was so powerful that it went back nearly 800 years to the reign of King Philip IV of France. I knew that the individual to whom I was ministering had Freemasonry in her family, but it was when she mentioned that her ancestors were French that my spiritual discernment was aroused. This woman had spent several decades mired in the deception of occult phenomena and the New Age. The French connection immediately made sense. I explained to her that Philip had persecuted the Crusaders’ monastic military order known as the Knights Templar because he wanted their accumulated wealth. He even burned at the stake the last Grand Master of the Temple, Jacques de Molay. (Masons and ex-Masons will recognize that name from which the Masons get the designation of their youth organization, “DeMolay.”)

Those familiar with occult history are also aware that during and after Philip’s reign of terror over the Templars, the formerly godly Crusaders turned to the worship of Satan, which eventually led to the development of the so-called Black Mass. Out of this was later to come the Illuminati and Freemasonry. As a keen student of both history and clandestine occultism, I was able to link the torment suffered by my Skype client to her ancient French forebears who had been cursed by witchcraft which was employed in revenge by the Templars. In fact, the moment that I mentioned this nefarious scenario, her demons immediately manifested. The chief evil spirit? None other than Mammon. (Read about this demon to further explain what was revealed. Reference the chapter on Mammon in my new book JEZEBEL. To order CLICK HERE.)

To those interested in deliverance, I emphasize how important it is to have a knowledge base of history when uncovering deeply buried curses. Many times the Lord has prompted me to understand the workings of Satan by combining spiritual discernment with historical information. If you are interested in spiritual warfare, know the Lord, know your Bible, and expand your knowledge base. There is no better way to do this than by enrolling in our International School of Exorcism ® (Enroll now by CLICKING HERE.) If you need to get free from spiritual oppression, call now 303-980-1511 to schedule your own Personal Encounter Skype session.

An encouraging word: WHOM DO YOU PLEASE

One of the most difficult challenges faced by a dedicated Christian is how to stay true to the Lord when others, even Christians, deride sincere consecration. The apostle Paul declared, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). Two words from that statement of faith stand out: “please” and “servant.” Those with a true servant’s heart know that often one cannot please both Christ and the feelings of others, sometimes even friends and family. Who are you trying to satisfy with your words and actions? Of course we all want the approbation of others, but it should never come at the cost of failing to honor the Lord in all that we do.

R.I.P Louie Louie

As an unsaved teenager with my own rock band, I strained at the sounds coming from my 45 rpm record player. Did the singer really say what I thought he said? Like many other kids my age, I was fascinated by the controversy. It all seems prosaic now when compared with today’s foul-mouth rap artists spouting constant obscenities. It was a million miles from the disgusting vulgarities of Eminem. But “Louie Louie” was scandalous for its time, for what we thought were clandestine four-letter words. I bring this up because the man who fronted the band the Kingsmen, Jack Brown Ely, died last week at age 71. He took to his grave the secret of what he really said that day in the recording studio when he belted out that early rock classic.

What I never knew, until he died, is that Ely eventually became a Christian and even released a Christian rock album, “Love is All Around You Now.” Strangely, he eventually turned to the Christian Science cult, according to a surviving son. (Christian Science is explained in my book LARSON’S BOOK OF WORLD RELIGIONS. To order CLICK HERE.) He died of skin cancer because he refused medical treatment. Still, at one point he obviously walked close to the Lord. In the song “The First Time I Touched His Hem,” Ely sang, “Oh, praise Him, Just praise Him, Yes, praise Him for His wonderful love.”

However things ended up for Ely, it’s a testament to what God can do with a life headed the wrong way. I got saved and so did Ely. I left “Louie Louie” behind for spiritual warfare, and Ely left the muttered obscenities of his song for Christian music, at least for a while. God does amazing things we can’t comprehend. If there was hope for Ely and me, there is hope for anyone to find Jesus.

An encouraging word: OVERCOMING TRIBULATION

“In the world you will have tribulation.” The words of John’s gospel are sobering (16:33). Jesus followed that warning with the promise, “I have overcome the world.” But reflect on that first part. The Lord has not promised us freedom from suffering and heartache. He hasn’t said by that following Him all would go well. Quite the opposite. As long as we dwell on earth, there will be trials. The right response isn’t to suggest, as do some theologians, that God only wants us healthy and wealthy. Reality testifies that sometimes Christians have to go through deprivation and pain. But never fear, we too shall overcome no matter what the world throws our way.

Month: May 2015

Born Evil?

Jezebel is Everywhere!

Killing Christians!

Spiritual Warfare Moms

America’s Lost Soul

Christianity for Dummies

Freemason Witchcraft

R.I.P Louie Louie

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