Month: March 2021

By now you probably know that popular 23-year-old rapper Lil Nas X modified a pair of Nike sneakers based on a demonic theme and sold them as “Satan shoes.” The shoes include a Satan worshipping pentagram, an inverted cross, and a drop of human blood placed in the sole. Only 666 (Get it) pairs were sold, but they were gone in 60 seconds at a price of $1,018. (Even the price was based on a scripture about the devil – Luke 10:18.) The shoes were promoted with an obscene video in which the rapper first simulates gay sex. Then he becomes a demon riding a stripper pole to hell. In the abyss he gives Satan a lap dance and mimics sex with the devil. No surprise, Miley Cyrus, who was baptized and raised in a Southern Baptist Church has already been seen wearing her very own pair of Satan’s shoes.

Should Christians avoid being goaded into a response by what is obviously a publicity stunt? With important issues such as rising crime, a southern border crisis, and a worldwide pandemic should believers ignore this pathetic attempt at notoriety? Can one pair of shoes matter that much?

Christians need to understand that Satan plays a long game. He inches his plans along with small victories. He is patient and looks for openings to normalize his agenda. Consider the oft-quoted scripture 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” Notice that the devil “walks about.” He’s not frantic or rushed. He picks his opportunities carefully and introjects himself in ways that are shocking but don’t seem overwhelming at the time. He raises the water temperature in the boiling moral pot of social interaction a slight degree at a time so that secular, dying culture has no sense of impending spiritual doom.

Yes, the shoes should be taken seriously. If this affront doesn’t spark outrage, what will? Satan isn’t a theatrical prop or a marketing gimmick. Symbols, like pentagrams, have the power to evoke evil. To place human blood in a shoe is an invitation for demons to enter the wearer. If those who bought these shoes were to be tracked for some years, my guess is that many would suffer foot, ankle, and leg problems. These shoes are an orthopedic surgeon’s dream come true. Satan’s shoes aren’t made for walking. They are worn by those whose feet, according to Proverbs 6:18, are “swift in running to evil.” Better you should walk in the armor of God with the gospel of peace on your feet.

Recently, my blog commented on the tragic end to Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. Please read or view part 1 to understand my concerns. In brief, after a spiritually illustrious career defending the faith over 40 years, upon his death it was discovered that Zacharias led a double life. The “other” Zacharias sexually abused countless women in many countries. The cell phone he left behind had sexually explicit photos of more than 200 women. I concluded in Pt. 1 that Zacharias was likely demonized, perhaps afflicted with a curse from his Hindu ancestors in India.

As I have pondered more on this, there are other factors to consider. I’ve watched several of Ravi’s lectures on YouTube. They were masterful displays of love for Christ and His gospel. In one presentation he told the story of a morally hypocritical man and concluded, “We are comfortable to use holiness to judge others, but we are uncomfortable when that same holiness judges us.” How could the man who engaged in rampant fornication say this?

In addition to demons, perhaps he had what I call a highly developed “performing self.” Some in business and entertainment learn to do this. The person on stage or in the conference room is a self-styled caricature performing for fame or profit. Many entertainers say and do things as an act that has little resemblance to their everyday demeanor. Carrying on in that way long enough leads to self-delusion and an inability to separate the morality of the oppositional selves.

If we consider dissociation as an explanation, it is easy to see how Zacharias could have been two completely different people, acting out opposite moral codes. Add in demons, and the potential of becoming a psychopath is very real. I have dealt with thousands of such individuals. Here are some actual cases: the pastor who cross-dressed and preached from the pulpit wearing women’s underclothing; the singer who fantasied about sex with children while he led praise and worship; the evangelist who dealt drugs and himself used meth while laying hands on people for healing and deliverance. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.”

If you have another self that is a parody, a mockery of who you claim to be, get help. Confess your evil to a pastor or counselor. Get professional help quickly. Get deliverance even quicker. Schedule an encounter with me online or in-person before the evil of the “other” you destroys your life as it did Ravi Zacharias.

Ahmad Alissa, age 21, has been charged with killing 10 people in a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. Two were murdered in the parking lot, another six inside the store. One was a police officer and father of seven children. The FBI had known about his radical leanings and rantings concerning “Islamaphobia” and hatred for former President Trump. The press rushed to say that Alissa was not politically motivated, just mentally ill. How about both? And add to that demon possessed. People said he was scary to be around and threatened to kill his wrestling squad teammates.

What kind of tormented mind kills eight people in Georgia massage parlors? What compels a man to kill 10 people in a Colorado supermarket? Both deeds were diabolical. Yet these two men came from different perspectives. The massage parlor killer was a born-again Christian. The supermarket murderer was a Muslim. What sense can we make of this? 

Demons are no respecters of ideology. Crimes of hate aren’t always about what a person believes. Jesus said in Mark 15:19, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Often, Satan doesn’t care what you believe so long as he can live in your soul and seek opportunities for evil. Sadly, everyone is capable of the horrors in Boulder and Atlanta if they allow their minds to be infected with seeds of anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. 
 
Day after day as I do virtual and personal encounters, I often wonder how many violent crimes of hate we have averted. Almost every day I cast out spirits of death and murder. These people are now free, not a potential newspaper headline because of the inner rage. We need to encourage troubled souls to seek inner healing and deliverance. That’s the spiritual path to no more massacres.

I didn’t tune in to this year’s Grammys. Who wants to watch such a grotesque display of sexually-graphic entertainment? It used to be about the music, but now the Grammys have degenerated into Sodom on CBS. I did watch news reports after I heard about the controversy regarding Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Their performance was based on the song WAP—the crude, vulgar, meaning of which I can’t quote here it’s so disgustingly demonic. Look it up online if you must but be prepared to be spiritually gut-punched.  

It’s hard to discreetly describe what CBS-TV aired. These two marginally talented women, pole-danced, progressively disrobed, and eventually ended up on an over-sized bed simulating hardcore porn, lesbian sexual acts. It wasn’t erotic. It was nauseating. And it was done in the name of black pride and feminist liberation. Frankly, it was racist in its degrading depiction of African American women as sex objects, connoisseurs of Jezebel inspired lust. Sadly, too many young, black, and white, women may now aspire to this path of fame and fortune.

Both women are obviously possessed by Jezebel spirits. But what made them this way? Cardi B is of Trinidadian descent, an Island nation filled with Shango witchcraft. I’ve been there and cast out Shango demons. Her bio includes membership in the Bloods criminal gang and a stint at stripping. Her first rap release was called “Gangsta B**** Music.” Stallion started rapping in her teens and even as a youth was known for sexually explicit lyrics. Her rap “Don’t Stop” includes lines like, “When we **** my ***** talk, cause I’ve got another n**** that’s gon’ do it if he don’t.”

By the time God’s judgment fell on Sodom, not even 10 righteous men could be found in the entire city. Even after the angels of the Lord had stricken the sodomites blind (read Genesis 19) they persisted in their perversions. In 1965 Billy Graham was quoted as saying, “If God doesn’t soon bring judgment upon America, He’ll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!” That was 50 years ago. Today, the Cardi-Stallion display of debauchery is 50 times, maybe 500 times, worse. Dig up Sodom now. Apologies are in order.

Over 50 million people have watched the Oprah/Prince Harry/Meghan Markle interview. Oprah, already a billionaire, was paid nearly $8 million for this celebrity confessional. Markle, lives in a $15 million home with a luxurious lifestyle and an unlimited supply of money for a lifetime. Yet there she was whining about how badly she’s been treated. Forgive me if I sound cynical about the obviously contrived pathos. To make matters worse, Meghan’s mock misery of playing the race card (that the Windsor family rejected her mixed-race child) without any challenge from Oprah appeared sadly disingenuous. Who in the Royal family exhibited supposed racism, when they did it, and in what context may never be known. Never mind, Oprah and friends scored in the ratings.

Spiritually, what’s behind all of this? First, the Queen of England is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and is also called the “Defender of the Faith.” During her Coronation ceremony in 1953, she knelt and swore on a Bible to “maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel.” When Markle publicly married Prince Harry, she vowed “in the presence of God” and “within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” But now Markle says, that ceremony was a sham. A production for the public. They really married three days earlier in a separate ceremony with only the Archbishop of Canterbury present. So, which vows are valid? I’m not trying to defend the British monarchy, but vows matter, and what a person says plus when and where they say it can open or close doors to demons.

Markle’s parents were not married in a church but in the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) temple in Los Angles. The ceremony was presided over by a Buddhist priest. The SRF, founded by Hindu guru Paramahansa Yogananda, was the first major Hindu religious sect to take hold in America in the early 20th century. Yogananda taught “cosmic consciousness” by means of Kriya Yoga. I have cast demons out of people who’ve practiced Kriya Yoga. It is one of the most demonized forms of yoga. It focuses on raising the serpent Kundalini power through six spinal chakras to achieve “god-communion.” Meghan’s mom is a devout yoga teacher. Meghan is also devoted to the practice. Perhaps the Royal Family would be better off burnings bridges then trying to mend them after the Oprah fiasco. Officially Queen Elizabeth is on a mission from God, and she might be better off with Jezebel half a world away.

The sad story of Ravi Zacharias and his tarnished legacy has disillusioned millions of Christians. Until his death May 19, 2020, he was celebrated as the world’s most effective apologist for the Christian faith. For 40 years, in more than 30 books, he defended the validity of Christianity. His Indian origins enabled him to effectively counter the mystical claims of Eastern thought. He died a theological hero, but has since been exposed as a disgraced sinner with a private life of rapacious lust.

According to a detailed, independent investigation ordered by his ministry’s successors, Zacharias left behind a cell phone with sexually explicit photos of more than 200 women. He used tens of thousands of dollars from ministry funds to provide housing and monthly support for some of his mistresses. He frequented massage parlors where he demanded sexual favors. One masseuse said he masturbated in front of her more than 50 times. Others said he had sex with them, praying before and after intercourse, thanking God for allowing him to have such pleasures. These women claim he viewed his actions as a reward for his dedication to the ministry. How could this be?

Discussing this is so distasteful that I avoided the topic for weeks. But when I saw a video of Christian author Josh McDowell trying to explain how this could have occurred, I felt the need to speak out. I have a passing acquaintance with McDowell and consider him to be an unimpeachable hero of the faith. His books such as “Evidence that Demand a Verdict” have long been on my must-read list for new Christians. Josh is a good and great man, but I watched him struggle to make sense of the Zacharias tragedy because he lacks an adequate understanding of deliverance. For those of us who constantly confront cases of Christians with demons, the Zacharias catastrophe is easily understood.

Yes, Zacharias was sociopathic, but he was also clearly demonized. His forebears in India were Hindu priests of the highest caste. He understood Hinduism philosophically and ably demonstrated its folly compared to Christianity. But he apparently didn’t understand the need to cancel his generational link to the idolatrous worship and blood sacrifices of his ancestors. His downfall is a classic case of Shiva and Kali possession (Shiva the Hindu god of destruction and Kali the bloodthirsty Hindu equivalent of Jezebel).

This sordid affair might have been avoided if Zacharias had submitted himself for deliverance prayers and exorcism. He didn’t. When is the evangelical church going to learn that EVERYBODY needs some measure of deliverance, and that some form of exorcism prayers should accompany every ordination? As explained in our School of Exorcism, that was the case in the early church. It still is in some parts of the world today. Why not America?

This past week, for a third time, golf great Tiger Woods was involved in an automobile investigation. In 2009 Woods crashed his SUV into a tree after his wife, Elin, confronted him about his serial adultery. In 2017 he was arrested and charged with DUI after falling asleep at the wheel of his car. Woods blamed pain medication. This time he was involved in a car crash that could have killed him. Driving down a steep hill at a high speed in Los Angeles County, Woods lost control of his automobile, hit a center divider, and flew several hundred feet in the air. He survived, but the car was destroyed. Woods suffered multiple leg injuries, likely ending his professional golf career. We all should pray that Woods will have a speedy recovery.

Tiger’s affairs 11 years ago were sordid, including a New York nightclub hostess and a Los Angeles cocktail waitress. Tawdry text messages were made public, and Woods subsequently lost major product endorsements. According to the Canadian “Globe and Mail,” at least 19 mistresses came forward. In the aftermath, Woods went 11 years without winning a major PGA title, a remarkable string of failures. He also underwent many surgeries, including five back operations and four knee surgeries. All this and only 45 years old. That’s a lot of misery for one of the world’s richest and most famous people.

Is Tiger Woods cursed? A curse is apparent when recurring, tragedy and misery visits a person more than might be statistically probable. That is certainly true with Woods. If he’s cursed, what can he do about it? His religion is Buddhism, taught to him by his mother. To understand his misery in that context would involve unbiblical explanations of reincarnation and karma. The Christian view is different. Sin has consequences, according to Galatians 6:7: “A man reaps what he sows.” I wonder what doors to demons he opened with the many soul-ties of his sexual partners? Were any of them involved in witchcraft? Did one of them curse him in revenge? Was there any violence, murder, bloodshed, or sorcery in the bloodlines of his many mistresses that passed on to him by sex? If Tiger is cursed, Buddha isn’t the answer. Only Jesus can cancel curses. And only Jesus can remove the curse of sin from Tiger Woods and deliver him from eternal tragedy, worse than any car crash.