Month: December 2022

One of the most stressful times of the year is Christmas. How ironic. We celebrate the Prince of Peace, but for some, the holidays are anything but peaceful. One reason is the unrealistic expectation that the day will be celebrated with one, big, happy family. But remember that those relatives who fight all year long probably didn’t take a break at Christmas dinner. The obnoxious uncle or the rebellious teen may have been at their worst with the high tensions of Christmas. Also, there is a lot of pressure to be joyful when in fact life’s circumstances the past year may have made you depressed. The expectation of happiness at Christmas can put a harsh light on someone who has lost a loved one.

Christmas may also exacerbate differences and misunderstandings that already exist in the family. Plus, there is a lot of pressure to get the right gift, one that isn’t too expensive but also doesn’t look cheap. And did the person even like what you got, no matter the price? Add to that loneliness for the person at the Christmas table who didn’t fit in well, the older person whose friends have died, and the teenager who wasn’t around his or her peers. And then there’s the devil who is very active this time of year in ways I’m going to describe. Here are four things the devil does at Christmas. Read this and prevent suffering from a spiritual Christmas hangover.

FOUR THINGS THE DEVIL DOES AT CHRISTMAS

#1-He exploits spiritual oppression, depression, sorrow, and grief. *

*Suicides don’t increase during Christmas, but they shoot up afterwards in January, a delayed response. Watch out!

#2-He encourages commercializing the meaning of the season for the masses. *

*It’s the biggest commercial windfall of the year. Estimates this year are close to $1 trillion!

#3-He tries to turn this holiday season into a time of drunkenness and debauchery. *

*During Christmas liquor sales are up 24% and beer 30%.

#4-He wants to change the joy of the world into the merriment of sin. *

*According to statistics last year, people spent an average of nearly $1000 on gifts, 41% took on debt to do it, and $15.2 billion of gifts were returned as unwanted.

CHRISTMAS IS OVER – NOW PREPARE FOR THE AFTER-HOLIDAY LET DOWN

#1—As you reflect on the family gathering, remember those who offended you whom you need to forgive.

#2—Take stock of the generational curses in your extended family. Think about the all the evils of those gathered around the Christmas feast and determine not to repeat their errors.  

#3—Don’t let yourself spiritually be hungover by the thoughtless comments of dysfunctional family members.

#4—Consider any soul ties you have with family members that may still be spiritually hindering you even though you’ve gone separate ways.

There you have it, what you need to do now to prevent a Christmas spiritual hangover. Apply this advice and move on to a New Year, where you can GET FREE IN ’23!

No one really wants a demon. Well, almost no one, There are Satanists and black magicians who deliberately conjure demons for nefarious purposes such as money, sex, power, or control. But most people aren’t so sinister. It’s against the wishes and inclinations of basic human nature to want a demon. Several courses of Bob Larson University (BLU), especially our new College of Apologetics and Demonology, explain the ways that various world religions seek to expel evil spirits.

Conversely, some cults invite entities to enter, such as Haitian Voodoo, Brazilian Macumba, Hispanic Santeria, and westernized Satanic sects. These groups deliberately indulge in possession ceremonies. But these religious systems don’t believe that the forces they call forth are implacably evil; however, if you believe in God and the devil, angels, and demons, I have a warning for you. I’ll cite three ways that you may get demons.

These are doors to evil spirits that most people don’t understand are demonic. First, understand that the devil doesn’t play fair. It is possible that you can give uninformed consent for demons to enter. That’s because you’re unaware that your actions are an invitation to evil. The Bible in Second Corinthians 2:11 warn that we should not be ignorant of the devil’s devices. Remember the adage, “Ignorance is no excuse for disobeying the law.” If you’re driving 50 in a 30 mph zone and a police officer pulls you over, it won’t do any good to argue that you didn’t see the speed sign. If you’re going to drive, you are responsible to know the speed of your automobile and the speed limit. In spiritual matters you are accountable for knowing what the Word of God says and abiding by it. You can’t go through life living in sin and disobedience and claim unawareness or spiritual, cognatic dissonance.

Here are three basic ways people open doors to demos:
1) Traumatic abuse from family, friends, caretakers, lovers, spouses, or spiritual leaders.
2) Failing to recognize the power of family and generational curses and knowing the need to cancel these inherited or genetically acquired evils.
3) Delving into the occult through New Age, spiritualism, cults, or non-Christian religions.

Let’s explore these three reason a little more.
1) TRAUMA—Physical, sexual, and spiritual abuse are the main ways that trauma opens doors to demons. There isn’t time here to explore all these possibilities, but this is the key issue. The individual who has suffered such abuse needs counseling, therapy, inner healing, or prayer ministry. Trauma which isn’t processed, but remains buried inside the soul, is emotionally toxic. It can poison the mind with anger, bitterness, self-condemnation, false shame, and other negatively damaging falsehoods. This condition provides a doorway to demons.
2) CURSES: As we have repeatedly pointed out previously, unbroken curses can provide demons a legal right of entry. Once again, there isn’t space to explain how this works, so please consult our publications, Members Only Channel on YouTube, or enroll in Bob Larson University. This is especially important if you’ve never confronted the past evil of generations, both known and unknown. Breaking curses closes the doors of the soul to demons.
3) OCCULT—Our various publications, videos, and BLU list hundreds of demonic practices that are commonly accepted in our society, such as astrology, divination, energy work, psychics, yoga and meditation, fortune telling, and witchcraft. These evils must be renounced. In some cases, the demons attached to these occult indulgences must be confronted and expelled. If you need deliverance and/or an exorcism, please meet with me personally or virtually. Or we can refer you to one of our Associate Ministers or a local prayer team.

Take to heart what I’ve shared, and you’ll avoid common ways that people get demons and keep demons. If you’re reading this after the fact, and you are tormented, it’s never too late to resist the devil and make him run away (James 4:7). You’ll avoid getting a demon if you start by closing the doors of abuse, curses, and the occult.

It’s the most-watched cable TV, streaming show in history. Now in its 5^th season, the neo-western “Yellowstone” commands audiences of more than 12 million with some episodes. The series showcases a tough talking, hard living Montana family with a massive ranch, “Dallas” style (Remember that 80’s TV show?). The ranch, named Yellowstone, is supposedly the largest spread in the state. Four seasons had gone by before my wife and I finally tuned in to season 1, episode 1. Why? So many Christians had raved about it and claimed it was a must-see experience. We expected Hollywood to go gutter with sex and violence as in most movies, but we quickly found that Yellowstone was far worse that imagined.

After the first 15 minutes I lost track of how many times God’s name had been used in vain; how many crude sexual expressions, including the F word, had been tossed around in casual comments. Then there was a sex scene with two of the main characters. It was violent, abusive, and bordering on S&M. It was so bad that even the scoundrel Larry Hagman (remember him) must have rolled over in his grave. But what’s worse is the amoral universe of depraved values exhibited by each character. (If you’re not familiar with that word “amoral” it means totally lacking any sense of rightness or wrongness.) The word immoral supposes a standard from which character and behavior departs. AMORAL connotes being without ANY sense of consequence regarding actions and intentions. Let me repeat that. Amoral means having NO concern about the consequences regarding one’s actions and intentions. Psychopathic!

The themes of Yellowstone are murder, shooting victims not once but multiples times to emphasize the violence. Taking the law into one’s own hands; politicians bought and sold; betrayal; cutthroat manipulation. That’s Yellowstone. One character opines that the only way to stop evil is to kill it. The lead female character, Beth Dutton, daughter of Yellowstone’s owner, responds with the venom of a Jezebel demon, “The way to kill is to be meaner than evil.” Her self-interest and that of her rancher father is the only thing that matters. The character Rip, Beth’s lover, describes killing as “a favor.” Beth adds, “I believe in loving with your whole soul and destroying anything that wants to kill what you love.” For those lines, she has attained the status of a cultural heroine with a line of T-shirts saying, “Don’t make me go Beth Dutton on you.”

Yellowstone is a moral low point for American culture. It is cinematic proof of the biblical description in Judges 17:6, “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” To which Proverbs 14:12 adds. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” You may argue that “Yellowstone” is just a movie, but I warn you that if you become immersed in watching this series, you contribute to the moral demise of America and your soul may be in jeopardy of Hell!