Month: December 2016

Let me be more grammatically correct regarding the title to this blog, I HATE HAPPY HOLIDAYS. What I mean to say is that I hate the greeting, “Happy Holidays.” I don’t hate holidays that are happy. More pecisely, I hate (Ok that word is a little strong . . . I intensely dislike) the politically correct greeting that uses “holidays” in place of “Christmas.” I’m disappointed that Trump covered both bases with “Merry” and “Happy.” But at least he did include “Merry Christmas.” President Obama, in his typical offend-no-one (except Christians) style, just can’t bring himself to say “Christmas.” Eight years in a row he has deliberately refused to issue a First Family “Merry Christmas” greeting.

But what is Christmas? It’s actually a Middle Ages compound word meaning “Christ’s Mass,” or “Cristemasse,” the commemoration of Christ’s birth. In case you haven’t noticed, there have been a lot more “Merry Christmas” greetings thrown around this year. Perhaps it’s the Trump-effect, the celebration that the Obama years of bowing to spiritual multi-culturalism are over. (Read that, criticize Christianity but always call Islam a “peaceful religion.”) I don’t know yet if public-square religious sentiments are going to change in the next four years, but I have hope. I’m not saying who history will judge as the best President between Obama and Trump, but I can tell you I do like the Trump card better. It’s not where it needs to be, but moving in the right direction, for now. Let’s pray that next year Trump puts an angel or a nativity beneath his “Merry.” That will make a lot of Christians happy, and it will certainly make Jesus more happy. After all, it is His birth that we celebrate.

An encouraging word: GIVE UNTO THE LORD

Christmas is a time of giving. We all wonder what is the best gift for those we love, especially that person who “has everything.” But God truly does have everything. He made it all, and it all belongs to him. So, what can we give the Lord? Psalm 29:1-2 has the answer: “Give unto the Lord . . . glory and strength . . . glory due to his name.” And, of course, we can give our tithes and offerings. Statistics indicate that in the American evangelical church, less than 5% give the 10%. If you are one of that 95%, remember that nothing you have of God’s blessings belongs to you anyway. Give of your resources and that will give Him glory.

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.

When a headline like that blares forth from the liberal “Washington Post,” it’s newsworthy. The report concerned a North Carolina man, Jeffrey Ward, who is facing murder charges for killing his 40-year-old wife and 14-year-old daughter. Then he threw their bodies down a 40-feet-deep well. When investigators arrested Ward, he blurted out that he “screwed up and killed them” during a blackout episode, when he was “overtaken by demons.” The wife, Dawnn Ward, had obtained a domestic violence protective order against her husband two years ago, because he strangled her until she passed out. He had also threatened to burn her house. The alleged killer had previously been convicted of breaking and entering and larceny. And, of course, liberal judges put him back on the street, this time to kill.

Did the devil make him do it? If he is guilty, the answer is “Yes” and “No.” Technically, Satan can’t make anyone sin. He can only tempt and influence evil acts. The commission of any unlawful deed, including murder, requires some cooperation of the personal, human will. But this is where it gets murky. I’ve dealt with people who have committed terrible acts of evil without realizing what they did. In some cases, they were in a dissociated state and an alter-ego acted out the crime. In some instances, they blanked out the despicable deed in a kind of hypnotic state. But in every instance, there was at least some prior plotting of the crime, by which the person’s will made an evil covenant with demons. In other words, in a way, the devil can make you do it, if you have given him prior consent. Or if you have been enraged in some part of your soul, held on to the hate, mentally disconnected, and then formed an evil alter-ego capable of the crime.

Whatever the case is with Jeffrey Ward, my heart breaks to think that this young mother and her young daughter would be alive today if some Christian who knew the killer had led him to Jesus and cast out his demons. All too many Christians in America deny the reality of Satan and demons, and they are ones who allow the devil to do it.

Discover what you can do to personally fight evil!

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An encouraging word: WHERE IS GOD LEADING YOU?

Some Christians are too fond of casually saying, “The Lord led me.” But in Mark 1:12 we find that when Jesus was led by the Spirit, he was driven “into the wilderness” to face the devil head-on. How many Christians do you know who are led in that direction? Too often Christians feel led to places of comfort and safety, not to risky places in life. But if you are really walking with Christ, there are times when His genuine leading will direct you to take on Satan. If you are only led to pleasant places, you may not be following the Lord at all. Where is God leading you today?

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.

Breathes there a person who doesn’t know what LOL in texting language means? OK, you may be a baby boomer-plus without young kids, or grandkids, and don’t know, so for the record it stands for “laugh(ing) out loud.” How about IWS or GNOC? Take a deep breath if you’ve seen this on your child’s phone, while looking over their shoulders. Those secret codes stand for: I Want Sex and Get Naked on Camera. And suppose that IWS is followed by actual sex or that GNOC means your child’s smartphone has images of them, or another peer, stark naked? And even if there’s nothing of the sort that you see, beware the number 9 on their screen, which is a warning that parents are watching, and they need to switch screens or delete quickly.  

Like all things internet, such messages, and the images that may follow, never ever really disappear. But beyond the usual concerns that any alert parent would have, as Christians this matters is more serious. The child who abbreviates sexual activity, such as GYPO (“Get your pants off.”) OR CU46 (“See you for sex.”) has opened a door to the devil. They may argue that cyber-sex isn’t real sex, if it’s only images on a screen or that they never actually acted out the solicitations. But the Bible places a high standard on intent as well as actions. Consider the words of Jesus: “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Then, there are the legal ramifications if your son, for example, is 18 or older and sexts an underage girl. He could be looking at prison time!

Considering my calling and ministry, you may want to ask, “Can someone get a demon by sending a sexually explicit text abbreviation? I answer, “Why not?” Its obscene, in the case of text messages, and its porn via erotic images, even if it only lasts for seconds on Instagram. Remember that 1 John chapter two tells us that the “lust of the eyes” is “of the world,” and not of God. Open that door to the devil, and he’s going to send demons your way, to oppress and even possibly possess. If you have indulged in smartphone sex, delete those images and abbreviations NOW and replace them with PTL (“Praise the Lord”) and OITNOJ (“Out in the Name of Jesus”)!

For additional information about immoral use of cell phones, consult our previous blogs “Sexting Statistics,” November 16, 2015 (To read CLICK HERE.) and “Sexting in Church,” published February 19, 2015 (To read CLICK HERE.)

An encouraging word: DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD

“Do not love the world,”
1 John 2:15 commands. But the apostle John gets more specific about what he means by “the world.” That designation includes, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” Do you love the world, in any way, more than Jesus? Here is the test. If Christ is truly first, put aside sinful cravings, protect what you allow your eyes to see, and stop boasting of the material possession that you have. Doing these things will put your focus on eternity and the things which do not pass away.

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.