Month: February 2017

It has become a byword in conversation, an epithet thrown at the media, a point of contention between the Trump administration and news outlets worldwide. FAKE NEWS! The cry goes out across the land, and both liberals and conservatives have their own idea about what it means. To President Trump it’s scurrilous rumors about shenanigans in a Moscow hotel. To liberals it’s almost anything that Press Secretary Shawn Spicer says in media briefings. Crowd size at the Inauguration, intelligence leaks concerning Michael Flynn – if it’s controversial it potentially qualifies. Fake news is a deliberate lie, hoax, or collection of misinformation, often outlandish, disseminated by social media or major news outlets, intended to mislead those not aware of the facts.It’s nothing new. But recently, this news about the news has become the news itself. Movie stars have been victimized by it in the National Inquirer and politicians have been bitten by it in blogs and mainstream editorials. It’s been around a long time as propaganda and satire. To be sure that you’re getting the facts about the facts, journalistic experts advise giving any sensational information the test of “considering the source.” It’s also good to read beyond the headlines and consult a variety of information outlets.

Perhaps the greatest example of fake news occurred nearly 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. The Pharisees were fearful when they learned that Christ was risen from the dead so they created fake news. The gave a large sum of money to the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb of Jesus, and declared, “Tell them [the public and Roman officials], ‘his disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept'” (Matthew 28:13). The bribery didn’t work. Two millennia later, the Resurrection of Christ is believed by at least 2 billion people, for whom it is the cornerstone of their faith. And don’t forget the first example of fake news, in the Garden when Satan said to Eve, “You will not surely die.” The biggest source of fake news isn’t CNN or “The Onion.” It’s the devil!

An encouraging word: LOVE CONQUERS HATE

“Pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44 compels us. The “love your enemies” ethic of Christianity isn’t easy to practice. But if I’ve learned anything in all my years of dealing with demons it’s that love is more powerful than hate. Satan has a defense for almost every Christian counter-strategy, but he has no way to defend against unconditional love. Loving people is the path to their conversion and their liberation. The devil can’t understand Godly love and he is incapable of mounting a resistance against it.

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

In my many years of ministry, I thought I’d heard every objection to exorcism. Every criticism of deliverance, usually aimed at me. Not so. I was making a quick grocery run a couple of nights ago, and turned on my car’s satellite radio to a Christian channel. It was a call-in show with a preacher answering Bible questions, a prelate I’d never heard of before. A caller asked, “Why all these deliverance ministries today? Are they really casting demons out of possessed people?” It wasn’t this radio preacher’s answer that surprised me. “No,” he said. It was his logic that nonplussed me. He held forth that demons weren’t around anymore. Neither were gifts of the spirit, miracles, or the supernatural. If anyone claimed it, then they were simply wrong. As for 300 million Pentecostal, four percent of the world’s population, plus 1.2 billion Catholics (both groups believe in miracles), they’re all heretics. Deliverance ministries? Deceived by Satan.

While there was nothing particularly unique about the views of this “expert,” it was his biblical justification that was strange: Zechariah 13:2, which says, “I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirits to depart from the land.” The preacher went on to say, “There are no more demons. The don’t exist. God doesn’t allow them anymore. Anything labeled demonic is just a bad thought process.” Ouija boards? No worries. Witchcraft? It has no powers. Psychics? Nothing to be concerned about. And the 40,000 plus cases of exorcism that I’ve documented spanning four decades . . . the thousands of deliverance ministers who have labored tirelessly to free God’s people . . . simply an existential eccentricity.

Not only does this “expert” on demons have the millennium and the end of time confused with the post-apostolic age, he’s horribly uninformed. To hold his position, you have to throw out nearly 2,000 years of church history, and especially early church history as I’ve carefully documented in our online International School of Exorcism. You have to disregard all the commands of Christ to the two, the twelve, and the 70 to cast out demons. And you also have to throw out the Great Commission: “And these signs shall follow those who believe in my name, they will cast out demons.”

Yes, demons will be cast out of the land during the millennial reign of Christ on earth and at the end of all things, but in the meantime, real people are being tormented by real demons. Sadly, this preacher makes matters worse by disallowing tormented souls the opportunity to be free by the power of Christ.

An encouraging word: BE GLAD IN THE LORD

The prevailing idea of secular culture is that God is a killjoy, robbing people of all life’s fun. But Psalm 32:11 says, “Be glad in the Lord.” In other words, have fun. Enjoy yourself. Sinners are wrong when they think that God’s rules are designed to make us miserable, to keep us from having fun. Yes, at times the Lord is a “NO!” God, as with the Ten Commandments. But the reason for the no’s is to lead us to the affirmatives of personal happiness. God’s instructions are there in the Bible to guide us to pleasure, not keep us from it. So, today have fun. Be blessed, Enjoy the fruit of a godly life, and be glad.

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’m taking the occasion of this blog to introduce my latest book, my 36th book; or should I say OUR latest book? For the first time ever, I’ve co-written a book, this time with my wife, Laura. I’m addressing something that has long been our concern: the state of the American, evangelical, family. Set Your Family Free is a book I’ve wanted to write for a long time. By co-authoring with Laura, to address marriage and parenting challenges, we’ve achieved a dual perspective on what’s right and wrong with present-day Christian families.

In the book’s Introduction, Laura sets forth our mutual concern: All too many Christian parents haven’t reckoned with one simple fact of spiritual warfare: The enemy of our souls roams around like a roaring lion “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan wreaks havoc if left unchallenged. To apply the biblical metaphor–just as a physical boundary is needed to ward off an actual lion, we need appropriate spiritual boundaries to protect our children from the devil. Even when parents proactively use biblical knowledge to raise spiritually equipped children, that doesn’t mean the war for the hearts and minds of their offspring will automatically be won. The sincerity of a parent’s intentions won’t necessarily produce strong, overcoming faith in the lives of their children.

How then can a family walk in spiritual freedom? A strong theme we emphasize is the importance of families having a purposeful and intentional approach to the home. Chapter six is entitled “Intentional Dating, Marriage, and Parenting.” We put it this way: Intentionality seeks to set boundaries and benchmarks, which can help one evaluate how far into the relationship a couple should be. Intentionality makes it possible to reach conclusions based on hard facts, not starry eyes. Wherever you are in any relationship, whether romantic, professional, platonic, or marital, think about to what extent you’ve stumbled, fallen, or wavered into a soul-bonding relationship without intentionally seeking wise spiritual counsel and a biblically objective perspective.

As the publication date approaches in a few weeks, you’ll hear more about how this book can be the key you’ve been seeking to set your own family free from every intentional evil of the Enemy.

COMING SOON – SET YOUR FAMILY FREE!

The book you’ve needed to have a happy home.

AVAILABLE SPRING, 2017

An encouraging word: BECOME A SERVANT TO GOD

“James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” What a way to begin a letter, as James 1:1 does. A bondservant is a slave. A serf. Someone bound by service out of obligation, with no expectation of any benefit. How many Christians, and pastors, do you know who describe themselves as a slave of Jesus Christ? The emphasis in American Christianity seems to be too-much about all the goodies that God has for His people. Much preaching is about what we deserve as Christians and how God wants to give us everything, minus, of course, any sacrifices, struggles, or hardships. But for today, think for a moment about serving and see how it changes your perspective. Today be a servant to the Lord and to others.

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.

Trump advisor, Steve Bannon. Is he the enemy, or is Islam?}

An article this week in USA TODAY was an unveiled attack on Steven Bannon, formerly of the conservative “Breitbart News.” Bannon now serves as an Assistant to the President and part of the National Security Council. Because he’s a Trump advisor, USA TODAY attacked him in an article entitled, “Bannon takes a dark view of Islam.” I’m not writing to defend Bannon, but to focus on several things he’s said about Islam that horrify the liberal, and often anti-Christian, sentiments of USA TODAY. Here are a couple of quotes:

• “Islam is the most radical religion in the world and the United States is engaged in a struggle for civilization . . .”

• “Christianity is dying in Europe and Islam is on the rise.”
• “I think that most people in the Middle East, at least 50%, believe in being sharia-compliant [civil law must obey the Koran; beheadings, polygamy, death to Jews].”
• “If you want to impose sharia law, the United States is the wrong place for you.”
• “You have expansionist Islam . . . motivated . . .arrogant . . . on the march.”
• “If you want to impose sharia law, the United States is the wrong place for you.”
• “You have expansionist Islam . . . motivated . . .arrogant . . . on the march.”

So, what’s the problem here? What did Bannon say that isn’t true? As I said, this isn’t a pro-Bannon blog. He is a bit of a flame thrower with some very stark views; but at least these observations are spot-on. Of course, most Muslims are peaceful, law-abiding people. They are no more dangerous than your average next-door atheist, maybe less so. But the bedrock religion of Islam is determined to enslave Christians and eliminate Jews. They say so. History says so. My book, LARSON’S BOOK OF WORLD RELIGIONS says so. (To order CLICK HERE.) As I say on page 266 of my book, “Islam is an intolerant faith that has impeded progress and repressed women. The Muslim tends to see the world in black and white. There are only two classes of people, those who submit and those who resist. The later are fair game for whatever measures necessary to bring them under the authority of Islam . . .jihad advocates military ventures in God’s name.”

Yes, Muslim culture introduced algebra, sugar, paper, apricots and rice to the west. For nearly a thousand years their skills in architecture were unmatched. But at Islam’s core, Jews are damned by Allah and Christians are blasphemers. Not much room for compromise there. So before USA TODAY bans Bannon, the newspaper should take a closer look at Islam and see the radical branch for what it is – the enemy.

An encouraging word: BE BLESSED.

To be “blessed” means to be “happy.” So when we read in Psalm 32:1, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,” it means that every Christian should be happy; in fact, overjoyed. Remember a few years ago the Pharrell Williams song “Happy?” Over and over the lyrics said, “Because I’m happy.” Not once did the song give a concrete reason for being happy. It certainly didn’t say anything about transgressions being forgiven. Not that it was a bad song, just inadequate. Let me give you biblical reasons for being happy. The condemnation of your sin is gone. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to you. And your shame and sin have been removed. Today be blessed, and be happy in Jesus.

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.