Month: May 2022

It happened again. Occasionally one hears of an exorcism gone wrong. Usually, it occurs in countries with an African population, like England, where some immigrants influenced by witchcraft try to drive out demons physically. This time an errant exorcism happened at a Hispanic church in San Jose, California. A 25-year-old mother, Claudia Hernandez, has been charged with murder. Authorities claim that that she tried to drive demons out of her three-year-old daughter by choking her and withholding food from the child. The mom admitted that she had tried to squeeze the demons out. Claudia’s pastor-father assisted in the exorcism, though he hasn’t been charged yet.

How did they determine that the child had a demon? According to the mother, the little girl would wake up screaming and crying. Someone in the family, it’s not clear who, determined that this was the work of evil spirits. Weirdly, after the child’s death the family held a Disney-themed funeral for her. The mother posted on social media about the death, “I am happy. I am at peace.” Obviously, the police thought otherwise, and I agree.

Our Do What Jesus Did deliverance teams are required to go by specific ethical guidelines. One might pray gently over a child if spiritual oppression is suspected, but never exercise physical brutality to expel a demon. Any kind of prayer over an infant should be gentle and with great caution to not upset a little one. Whether intended or not, this incident was thoughtless, unbiblical, and abusive. And it was murder to some degree.

Here are three ways to avoid a tragedy like this:

#1-The presence of a demon must NEVER be determined ONLY by subjective criteria. Telling someone they have a demon because their actions are suspicious, or they exhibit abnormal behavior is wrong. That is why our International School of Exorcism teaches you must make every effort to make the demons speak. That is the one sure way to know that someone has a demon. The cry of a child is not a sufficient indication.

#2–Demons are spiritual beings and can’t be driven out physically. No amount of pushing, shoving, hitting, or infliction of pain of the host’s body will cast out a demon. Demons only respond to pain when it is spiritually inflicted, such as with a Bible, cross, or anointing oil. But that is a spiritual act. Strangling a child on the pretext of deliverance is abuse, not exorcism.

#3–Demons leave because they dread the name of Jesus. They do not fear human exertion to resist them. We sometimes need to physically restrain a person for the safety of those involved in an exorcism. But that is a defensive action not an offensive assault. A biblically legitimate exorcist knows that it is what he says by the power of the Holy Spirit, not what he exerts by physical maltreatment that drives out demons.

My prayer is that the mother and grandfather of this dead child will see the error of their actions and repent. So far, they are hiding behind a cloak of religion which makes matters worse. It also empowers the spirit of Jezebel who likely orchestrated this spiritual catastrophe. It is imperative that those of us who do REAL deliverance do more than ever to set people truly free. Then the real deal will be witnessed and exorcism by affliction will be discredited!

When I first started ministering deliverance and exorcism it was a steep learning curve. There was no internet to share experiences and information. There were few books on the topic, and no communication portals to know who else was doing deliverance. I was the first person to use the web to demonstrate deliverance. Now there are hundreds, and the number is growing.

Things have drastically changed. This phenomenon is mostly good. But I have concerns that some seeking deliverance from demons are being confused and sometimes mislead.

Certainly, there will be different approaches and methods; different styles of ministry and calling. But if a deliverance is to be successful there are constants that should not change. An important factor is where you tell demons to go. I see people telling demons, “Up and out,” or “Go, go, go!” That’s OK, but up and out to where? Go where? Matthew 8:12, 22:13, and 25:30 speak of “outer darkness” as the destination of demons. This is just another term for hell, since it’s described as a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There are about 25 cases in the Gospels of Jesus casting out demons, and it’s not clear how His exorcisms ended and with what specific language. But here are five arguments in favor of casting them to the Pit, the Abyss.”

#1 — Hell, the Bottomless Pit, the Abyss, is the eternal destination of all demons. Some are there already as spoken of in Jude 1:6. (“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain [“first estate” KJV] but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”) Demons possessing people can and should be sent to the Pit.

#2 — Isaiah 15:14 speaks of “the Pit” as Lucifer’s destination. Revelation has many references to the Pit of Hell: Rev. 9:2, 9:11, 11:7, 17:8, 20:3. According to Matthew 8:29, demons were fearful of being sent to “torment before the time” of their final judgment, which is in Hell. Lucifer is there. Send his minions back where they belong. (It’s not clear in Scripture if demons can ever escape temporarily and enter a willing human vessel on earth. I suspect that some can and do, but I can’t quote chapter and verse.)

#3 — Some Bible teachers argue that there is no indication Christ told the demons that He cast out to go to a particular place. In Mark 5:12-13 they are “sent away.” Mark 1:24 says “judgment.” But would Jesus send a demon to anything less than maximum anguish? “Sent away” is another way of commanding demons to go where they belong, the Pit, Hell.

#4 — Those against precision in deliverance language regarding the Pit argue that Jesus allowed demons to go into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8:30-32); however, that was a unique situation. It was an object lesson to the Gadarene Jews who weren’t supposed to eat pork, let alone raise swine. Anyway, the pigs ran off a cliff, were all killed, and the demons went back to Hell.

#5 — Jesus spoke of unclean spirits going to “dry places” [KJV] [“arid” NIV] (Matthew 12:43; Luke 11:24) seeking “rest.” I have sometimes commanded marine spirits to enter dry places on their way to the Pit. They love moisture and scream in torment at this judgment. Dry places are temporary locations of vexation for “water demons” on their way to the Abyss.

As I have previous pointed our blogs, books, and the International School of Exorcism, we do not have in Scripture a single, complete formula for the precise verbal command expelling a demon. But like many things in church life for which there is no exact biblical pattern, we use biblical wisdom and practical knowledge to guide our faith. It is the same with exorcism. The original 1614 Roman Catholic Ritual of Exorcism, The Rituale Romanum, states as follows: Now He is driving you back into the everlasting fire, He who at the end of time will say to the wicked: Depart from me, you accursed, into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” For you, O evil one, and for your followers there will be worms that never die. An unquenchable fire stands ready for you and for your minions, you prince of accursed murderers, father of lechery, instigator of sacrileges, model of vileness, promoter of heresies, inventor of every obscenity.

As we less pedantically state in our School of Exorcism, demand the demon to say these words: I go now to the Pit. Demons don’t want to say it. They fight to avoid it. So, I make them do it. It seals the deal and ensures that demon won’t be back. To have certitude during deliverance, command to the demon to declare his doom — everlasting torment IN THE PIT!

Can Satan kill you? NO. The idea that the devil can take your life is a lie. Christian or non-Christian, Satan can’t make you pull the trigger of a gun. Force you to down a bottle of pills. Get you to OD on drugs. Drive your car into a lane of traffic. Jump from the window of a tall building. BUT the devil can push you to the edge of self-destruction. He can put you in a seemingly irreversible situation where you act out your own end. Or he can gradually take over your mind until you become incapable of rational thought and you take your own life. I’ve addressed this issue in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of counseling sessions with individuals despairing of life. Please hear what I say. It could rescue you or someone you love.

This blog came about because of an article I read concerning a beautiful, 19-year-old African American college student, Arlana Miller. She was a popular cheerleader who killed herself just over a week ago. Looking at pictures of her one would think she had everything to live for. But the lengthy suicide note she left behind was gut-wrenching and revealing. She confessed to dealing with depression for a long time. She started by say, “I have fought this urge since my early teenage years”. It was obvious from the note that she had catastrophized her situation, blowing her adversity way out of proportion. But that’s the nature of clinical depression, loss of ability to sees one’s own challenges in perspective.

Among the heartbroken words of her suicide note were these: “I’ve lost my connection to God. The devil seems to have won. And that is OK. I blame no one for this. I’ve been dead inside for too long. I’m done fighting. My battle is over. I’m SO, SO SORRY.”

I only know about this young woman from what I read, but I want to give my observations from decades of counseling and ministering to thousands like her. I’m not saying that this tragic death involved any of the issues I’ll address. But her loss is a warning to look for these signs:

• Lack of a supportive, two-parent family structure. It appears Arlana came from a broken family. Of all the photos posthumously posted, none show a father present. Don’t ever believe the lie that children aren’t deeply affected by divorce and family disintegration. I can’t underscore enough how important it is to have a loving father in the home, especially if the child is female.
• What I’m about to say doesn’t necessarily reflect on this young woman, but the majority of suicidal cases I’ve dealt with, especially women, involve past sexual abuse. Most have never told anyone and never sought spiritual and mental health assistance. If this is you, please tell your story immediately to a pastor, priest, therapist, mental health professional, or an inner healing and deliverance minister. Talk to a trusted, adult authority figure and don’t bottle up the pain of trauma.
• If the person in question has battled major depression over a prolonged time, get help. Don’t assume that good looks, talent, intellectual ability, and even a Christian faith will get that individual past the persistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in normal activities, or lack of interest in life.
• Many people I’ve counseled have experienced what I call the X-factor, some unrevealed, tragic incident. It could be any of a thousand things, but for the suicidal person it is some life-defining moment: sexual violation, personal failure, drug addiction, occult involvement, or family dysfunction that has led to demonic oppression. In this case, confronting the evil spirits of death and destruction will be necessary, in addition to competent counseling.

Remember Arlana’s words: “I’ve lost my connection to God. The devil seems to have won.” If you or someone you know feels that way, remember this. The devil can’t kill you if you are a child of God, but he can push you to the point of such despair that you’ll do it for him. A suicidal or severely depressed person needs help immediately. Get them to an emergency ward. Seek competent counseling. And if the person reveals some previously unknown abuse, contact us to arrange a deliverance encounter with me or a trained Associate Minister. Satan can’t kill a depressed and despairing Christian, but he can lead them to the edge of destruction where a mentally imbalanced mind can make ending it all seem like a way out. As Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death (NIV). And as Hebrews 2: 14 reminds that “through death [Christ’s crucifixion] He [Christ] might destroy him [Satan] that had the power of death, that is the devil” (KJV).

Actor Will Smith isn’t punching anyone out these day as he did at the Oscars. Instead, he has flown to India with his family to meet with a Hindu guru to resolve his anger problem. This is a typical Hollywood approach to resolving deep moral issues. Pass the buck to some quick fix of occult spirituality, like Kabbalah, yoga, or the New Age. In recent months, Smith has talked about both he and his wife committing adultery, she with a man half her age. Smith bragged about wanting a sexual harem of 20 women. Considering all this, Smith has gone to the “right” place.

Hinduism has no defined moral code. No Commandments. Nothing is specifically proscribed. Lord Krishna had more than 16,000 sexual partners. Tantric yoga teaches that enlightenment is achieved by mutual orgasm, no marriage contract needed. I have visited Hindu temples in India specifically devoted to eroticism. The entrance to one temple I researched was covered with hundreds of pornographic sexual carvings, some involving bestiality. The scenes were so perverse that I had to avert my eyes upon entry. I questioned the main priest of the temple how a building devoted to religion could contain such immorality. His answer? “We encourage the people to experience all their lusts before they enter the temple so they can be holy inside. Sinning so that grace may abound? Such is the logic of Eastern religions.

The guru whose help Smith is seeking is the yogi Sadhguru, whose real name is Jagadish Vasudev. The controversial Hindu yogi first met Smith in 2020. The yogi told Smith, “Are you suffering life or your memory. What may happen tomorrow you already suffer. You’re suffering your imagination.” Typical Hinduism. All life is illusion. Nothing real ever happens. Only spirit is real and all else is what the Hindus call maya, the illusion of time, space, and matter. And this is supposed to cure Smith of his issues?

Yogi Sadhguru isn’t without controversy. He claims that human suffering is because people don’t know who they are spiritually. No need for objective principles to guide human decisions. There is no place for moral evil in the yogi’s ideology and certainly no devil. And he has other controversial views. As a devout Hindu he worships the cow as a god and has advocated for a ban on slaughtering cows for meat. He teaches that cooked food consumed during a lunar eclipse depletes the body’s pranic energy. (Prana is the Hindu vital life force, like chi to Buddhists, and mana to Polynesians.) He promotes the use of Vibhuti, sacred ash made of burned cow dung and cremated bodies. It is applied with three horizontal lines across the forehead to honor the god Shiva, Lord of death and destruction. Hindus believe that it has the erotic power of procreation and that the ash comes from the ray of the third-eye of Shiva. The real answer to Will Smith’s anger, and his infidelities, can be found in a transformational encounter with Christ. That isn’t likely to happen anytime soon after he returns from India. His bondage to dark, demonic forces will have only gotten worse. Whatever spiritual processes the Sadhguru will engage with the actor are designed to achieve occult enlightenment. Smith was raised a Baptist Christian, but by 2018 he had embraced Hinduism and Indian astrology. Will Smith needs to leave India quickly, leave the Sadhguru behind and make a sharp spiritual U-turn before he gets slapped by the devil.

Things are not well in America. Inflation is out of control and middle America is suffering. In Wisconsin, a 14-year-old kid was just charged with raping and killing a 10-year-old girl. (His father is a convicted pedophile. The mother of the girl is on probation after conviction for multiple counts of credit card theft.) Crime is way up, and New York City, for example has seen an increase of nearly 40% in one year.  On top of this, Russia is threatening nuclear war. And with all these important events which should get our attention, millions have been glued to their TV screens to watch the spiritual shipwreck trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. These two spoiled, dysfunctional, and very rich Hollywood stars have been duking it out in a Virginia courtroom. The testimony has been silicious, titillating, and at times down right obscene. When $150 million is at stake, things can get messy.

With disgusting, profane, and gut-wrenching charges going back and forth, the whole thing sounds and looks like a page from the script of Depp’s 2015 film, “Black Mass” about a mafia hit man. Testimony has featured tales of defecation in bed, enormous amounts of alcohol consumed, cocaine addiction, severed fingers, and various bodily injuries between each other. The biggest joke is that this whole thing started because Depp said that a major newspaper editorial by Amber, alleging domestic abuse, ruined his reputation. What reputation? The one carefully cultivated with him always scowling and sneering with an evil look? The Jack Sparrow pirate wanna-be? The Sauvage, meaning savage, Dior fragrance ads with him looking like an animal on the prowl? And when you’re worth at least $200 million, does one article really bring down his acting empire?

By the way, there are such things as real pirate demons. I don’t see them much in the mainland U. S. but in coastal cities, and I do encounter them when ministering in the Caribbean. These are nasty demons. Bloodthirsty. Lawless. Murderous. Did Depp get actual pirate demons from playing his Jack Sparrow role? That depends. If he was merely a character actor, that means he was taking on an eccentric role that wasn’t like his real personality, perhaps not. The other style of acting is personality acting in which the actor becomes the character. I think Depp did that with his pirate role. What he did onscreen was larger than life. He became too much like the a real pirate, the ocean-going outlaws who operated during the late 17th century and the early part of the 18^th century. They terrorized merchant ships and ports, stealing gold, liquor, or whatever they could get. The most infamous was Blackbeard, an English pirate who operated mainly in the West Indies. For all his evil, he died sometime around the age of 35. I believe that Depp was evil before Jack Sparrow and that playing the role through five films opened a door for pirate demons to enter. His spiritual implosion, the roots of which were already there, only got worse. Amber had her problems too. She is a real-life Jezebel.

These two are the best examples I could think of the Ahab-Jezebel complex. Johnny, the whiner conceding dominance to Jezebel and then complaining about it. You remember the story from 1 Kings chapter 16. Verse 30 of that chapter says, “Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.” Up to that time in history, he was the most evil king ever in Israel. And then he was outdone by Jezebel, priestess of the demon-god Baal whom he imported from Phoenicia to be his queen. They conspired to commit murder (1 Kings 21) to get the vineyard of a man named Naboth. Imagine, killing a man for grapes? Then there was the showdown on Mount Carmel when Elijah called down fire from heaven to prove who really was God. Jezebel’s response was to say that if Elijah wasn’t dead in 24 hours, she should be. And she was, trampled by horses and eaten by dogs. The only thing missing with the real Ahab and Jezebel was the courtroom drama of Johnny and Amber.

Ahab and Jezebel were the ultimate power couple, but their evil brought them down. The same could happen to Depp and Heard. I’ll not cry if it happens, except for their poor, lost souls. Ahab and Jezebel could have repented, and their story would have ended differently. There is still time for Johnny and Amber to repent of the evil they caused each other in the name of fame and fortune. One or both might lose their reputations, but they don’t have to lose their souls. In this case only the pirate demons of the Caribbean will win.