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We live in an age of scientism and rationalism. To suggest that a viral disease has a spiritual identity appears on the face of it ludicrous. But look at it this way. Yes, the coronavirus is an intracellular organism, an infectious agent. Its composition and agency are observable. But its identity as a pathogen can also be spiritual, if we look at what results from its presence. COVID-19 does more than cause physical suffering. There are also spiritual ramifications. 

We are all learning that there are profound social and financial costs to COVID-19. Travel, consumerism, the stock market, even toilet paper are collateral consequences. But consider the spiritual impact. For the first time in America’s history, churches nationwide have been shuttered. Sunday morning congregational worship is non-existent. A tiny virus has hindered corporate prayer, worship, and giving. 

I understand the necessity of stopping the spread of disease. But whatever the motive, the facts are incontestable. Many churches and Christian ministries are fighting for survival, including us. Tithes and donations have dried up. Mission programs are stifled. Mortgages and rents are coming due. Marginalized Christians who irregularly attended church, now have an excuse to stay home, and many won’t be back. They’ll fall victim to all kinds of evil without the support of a preaching pastor and a caring community. That’s what I mean when I say that this virus is spiritual in nature. 

There may be some good things that come of this. Families will spend more time together at home. People will learn to live without professionally performed praise music. Some pastors may get more real about human need with less emphasis on feel-good theology. But if this pandemic lingers, the fallout is going to change the face of American Christianity into something unrecognizable at present. Our ministry, for example, is being prohibited from ministering deliverance in person by way of seminars because of social distancing edicts. The devil’s got to be happy with that. We’re fighting back with weekly live-streaming ministry on YouTube. We still meet privately with people for encounters at our ministry center in Phoenix, Arizona. And we cast out demons daily on Skype. We’re determined that if coronavirus is spiritual, we’re going to wage spiritual warfare more than ever!

The coronavirus epidemic, known by its abbreviated designation COVID-19, is demonic. But perhaps not in the way you think. This virus, which is causing panic in every sector of society, certainly could be a demon functioning as a disease. From my experiences, demons can operate three different ways. They can 1) cause a disease, 2) take advantage to exacerbate a pre-existing diseased condition, or 3) be the actual disease itself. For example, using the disease of cancer as an illustration, some people have cancer due to genetic or environmental conditions. Some have their malignancy exploited by spirits of infirmity. Others have cancer because they have a cancer demon. I have seen instances of all three factors of infirmity with many different diseases. Often, only an exorcism, or attempted deliverance, will find the root cause of an illness. 

I say that COVID-19 is demonic, not because I have empirical evidence. As of yet I haven’t ministered to anyone who has the virus. If they were diagnosed, they’d be in quarantine, not scheduling an encounter with me; however, here’s what’s really demonic. Not the disease itself, which in a nation of more than 330 million people has so far affected just over 1,000 people, which is about .000003 percent of the population! That’s about 3/1,000 percent of the population.    

What’s demonic is the fear factor. In Luke 21 Christ spoke of the End Times and declared that during the final hours of humanity these things would be present: (1) “nations will be in anguish and perplexity “(v. 25), and (2) “men will faint from terror” (v. 26), or as the KJV puts it “men’s hearts failing them for fear.” Can you find a better depiction for what’s happening with COVID-19? No, the end isn’t yet. What we’re witnessing is a trial-run for the Apocalypse. And demons of fear are milking this for every ounce of terror they can foment.   

Even one death of COVID-19 is one too many. As a country we must do all we can to fight back against this killer. But this disease, by itself, shows no signs of destroying us as a nation. The fear of this disease could transform our lives, our freedoms, and how we worship. And that is demonic. As I’ve often taught, one of the most powerful demons is the spirit of Fear. It is a gateway demon that opens the door to many other evil spirits. Fear is the antithesis of faith. When a nation, or an individual, becomes driven by fear, all kinds of evil impulses take over.   

Instead of wringing our hands and pointing political fingers, why not declare a National Day of Prayer to combat COVID-19? Better yet, a National Day of Exorcism to confront every spirit of fear in our land. That, and seeking a medical cure, would be the best way fight back against the demons of fear which are exploiting COVID-19.  

Coronavirus is a health crisis, especially in China. I get that. But balance is needed concerning how serious this really is. The media is milking it. Politicians are exploiting it. And people are dying, but not exactly in apocalyptic proportions. Depending on the actual stats by the time you read this, the deaths from this disease won’t come anywhere near the yearly toll of the common flu – up to half a million deaths each year worldwide and 36,000 in the U.S. About 50,000 Americans die each year from drug overdoses. The total of murders each year in America is pushing 20,000. In 2018 over 48,000 people killed themselves. In perspective, coronavirus is an exceedingly minor threat. In fact, less than 2% of those infected die.   

But on TV, it’s all coronavirus.  Cable news needs crises to get ratings. Having exhausted themselves catastrophizing immigration issues, Russian election interference, climate change, and identity politics, the coronavirus crisis is made to order to get the public’s attention. Horror stories of disasters incite fear in the public, and that provides talk show topics. Meanwhile, the real crisis of a demonic takeover of society by New Age mystics, yoga classes, reiki energy healers, mindful meditation gurus, enneagram advocates, Wiccan covens, and Satanist cults marches on. Worse yet, it’s being exploited by preachers who treat the topic as it if were the fulfillment of the plagues in John’s Revelation. It’s not even close.  

A global health threat is concerning; but a spiritual pandemic of occultism has a 100% eternal death rate if left untouched by the power of Jesus. What’s really scary is the seven angels with the seven plagues in Revelation 15. That should strike fear in the hearts of all those who flaunt evil. Revelation 9:20 sadly states that even after the visitation of God’s wrath many in the End Times will not repent of their sorceries. Before the final apocalyptic catastrophe of disease and destruction strikes, turn to Christ now, and escape that awful day. Be set free from the spiritual epidemic of demonic influence and the infectious effect of sin. 

People are shocked when I say that half the people in good evangelical churches have demons. They are offended at such a suggestion. It makes them angry that I would dare make such a claim. But I stand by it, as preposterous as it sounds to some. As I’ve stated previously, only in North America is the teaching discredited that Christians may be demonized. The church in most parts of the world accepts the idea that demons can torment Christians, and that all believers need some measure of deliverance. Here are some wrong beliefs that allow demons to stay in Christians and torment them. Far too many Christians inadvertently keep their demons by believing these falsehoods. 

• CHRISTIANS CAN’T HAVE DEMONS: The training in our International School of Exorcism (ISE) thoroughly debunks this argument from a biblical and practical standpoint. Many of our books, such as “Dealing with Demons,” do the same. Many downloadable videos in the “Online Resources” section of our web site teach on this matter in detail. No need to articulate here what is already available in print and on video. The point is this: If you believe a Christian can’t have demons, and you do have demons, it’s impossible to expel them. 
• ALL CURSES WERE BROKEN AT THE CROSS: Demons often enter and maintain their stronghold through the curses of ancestors. If you don’t confront these demonic matters in your bloodline, your demons aren’t leaving. They will remain attached to unbroken curses. Again, ISE and our book “Curse Breaking” explain how to remove the influence of generational evil which may allow demons to attack Christians. 
• DON’T ALLOW DEMONS TO SPEAK: Even some deliverance ministries propagate this false teaching. Jesus permitted demons to speak (Mark 1:24). He questioned them (Mark 5:9 & Luke 8:30). He set the example of what’s necessary in an exorcism. Interrogating demons can provide critical information about how they got there and what legal rights they claim. Forbidding demons to verbally communicate with the deliverance minister is another way of keeping your demons. 
• I’LL GET RID OF MY OWN DEMONS: Some think they will fast and pray their demons away. That may work with minor demons not deeply entrenched, but powerful generational demons must be forced out. Cast out. I sometimes tell such an individual, “If you could have gotten rid of your demons, you would have.” The biblical model of the Great Commission is for followers to cast out demons from others in the name of Jesus. The Bible gives many examples of demons being exorcised, but no instances of self-deliverance. It’s possible, but rare and potentially dangerous.

Of course, you don’t want to keep your demons, but believing one or more of these falsehoods will keep you in bondage. Take our Demon Test (click here) and discover the probability of whether you might have demons. We can help. Contact us today. Schedule a personal one-on-one encounter or let us connect you with one of our many local Do What Jesus Did ® prayer teams. Don’t keep your demons. Be set free in the name of Jesus of all the evil inside, and discover the complete freedom offered by Christ. 

A week-ago Sunday, I was present at the church our family attends when I’m home. It’s a great church. Great worship. Great teaching. Great outreach. The opening welcome was a video presentation of all the ministries they offer to special groups. Singles, seniors, college, youth, the grieving, the addicted, marriage enrichment, to name a few. All the bases were covered except one – those spiritually bound and oppressed. This is a great church. A great pastor. Dedicated people. But they don’t offer deliverance.  

Based on my experience of more than 1,000 personal, face-to-face encounters each year with individuals confessing Christ, there is a tragic, untold tale regarding this blessed church. At least half of those worshiping with me likely spend the other six days of the week suffering some degree of private, unspoken torment. They are bound by demons, in most cases through no fault of their own. Generational curses were passed on to them with a legacy of spiritual hindrance. It is for them that I declare again, as I did at the beginning of this year, THIS IS THE DECADE OF DELIVERANCE. 

Some say we’re living in the Laodicean church age of spiritual apathy. God condemns such indifference in Revelation 3:16 by declaring, “I will spit you out of my mouth!” I think we may be closer to the Thyatira church of Revelation 2:19-20 of whom Christ says, “I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance . . .. Nevertheless, I have this against you . . . you tolerate that woman Jezebel!” Thyatira was a great and good church. Like so many successful churches today, it isn’t what they do that is upsetting. It’s what they don’t do! They don’t do deliverance. 

My book “Jezebel” (Click here to order.) reveals how this demon operates in the church. Jezebel isn’t always present by what she does, such as bringing worldliness, immorality, and false spirituality into the church. Jezebel’s goal in many good churches is to prevent congregants from receiving the fullness of life in Christ by keeping them demonized in some measure. Many commendable churches make sure there is never any mention of demons and deliverance – except for the false assurance that Christians can’t have demons. I say to the hurting people in the pew, “This is your time to be free. The power of Jesus is available to cancel your curses, defeat your demons, and offer you a life of freedom you’ve never experienced.” If you are afflicted and tormented, what your church may not offer, we do. Contact us today to arrange for your very own Personal Encounter with me or one of our ministry teams worldwide. Where so many churches are silent, we boldly herald, “This is your decade of deliverance!”

Most of my time is spent doing one-on-one Personal Spiritual Encounters, on the road during seminars and at our ministry center in Phoenix, Arizona. Every year, I minister face-to-face to nearly 1,000 hurting individuals. That gives me unique insight into what spiritually holds people in spiritual slavery. The most common causes of human bondage I witness day after day are drugs, lust, and false religion. 

DRUGS: It’s not just teens on weed. Aging hippies, middle-aged matrons, successful businessmen and women. Doctors, lawyers, even Christian leaders. The opioid crisis has invaded the church. Cannabis, with it’s devastating mental damage (especially psychosis), is epidemic. In 2017, the last year of available government statistics, more than 70,000 died from drug overdoses. But the biggest toll is the millions who have lost the ability think clearly enough to hold a job or parent a family. Most of them are demonized and in need of an exorcism. 

LUST: The porn industry rakes in $100 billion a year!! Did you see the Superbowl halftime show? Shakira salaciously wagging her tongue and her bottom? Jennifer Lopez seductively pole-dancing? Such simulated sex by body-to-body rubbing used to be reserved for “gentlemen’s clubs,” not an all-American event. The debauchery made Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” of 2004, where Justin Timberlake exposed her breast on national TV, seem almost quaint. That was a flashing moment. Super Bowl LIV halftime was an erotic spectacle for a quarter of an hour. Any wonder, that half the people who come to me for ministry are bound by demons of Lust and Jezebel? 

FALSE RELIGION: The New Age is a no longer the curiosity of fringe kooks. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has launched a new Netflix series called “Goop” showcasing all kinds of New Age spiritualism. The advertising poster for the show features her standing in front of a huge, styled woman’s vagina! The show promotes the benefits of energy healing and psychedelic drugs. According to one press release, women will be encouraged to masturbate, including one woman who achieves an orgasm on-camera and describes it as an exorcism!!!! More than half of all my encounters involve casting out demons which invaded through such forms of New Age spiritualism. 

For those bound by drugs, lust, and false religion, there is hope. There is no sin too great to be forgiven. No emotional wound too deep to be healed. No demon so strong that it can’t be dislodged by Christ’s power. If you’re a victim of this unholy trinity of evil, or other spiritual rebellion that is destroying your life, Jesus can and will set you free today. Call us for help. Call on Him to be delivered from drugs, lust, and false religion.

It’s been two weeks since basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others died in a California helicopter crash. The Superbowl paid homage with a moment of silence. His former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, immortalized him by giving every attendee a replica of his jersey at the next home game after the tragedy. Bryant has almost universally been praised for greatness on and off the court. But a few journalists with long memories, have brought up the issue of his Eagle County, Colorado rape charges back in 2003. That occurred near the community where Laura and I were living at the time. Bryant was there to receive treatment from a noted orthopedic clinic, which also operated on my knee. 

In conversations taped by the police, Bryant admitted his actions, which included forcing perverted sex and leaving his victim with lacerations and bruises. The official reading of the police report, which is in the public domain, describes lewd and extremely perverted actions by Bryant. The matter was finally dropped when the young victim decided not to testify. Her later civil suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum of money and a public apology, issued by Bryant. He said the act was consensual. Kobe went on to become a megastar with little public censure. He eventually amassed a fortune of nearly one billion dollars, something that certainly would be questionable in today’s “Me Too” environment.  

I come neither to exalt or condemn Kobe Bryant. Who knows if he really turned his life around? He is generally praised as a loving father and husband who through philanthropy and mentoring helped many. The question that remains unanswered is this: Should the total of his life be judged by the best or the worst of his actions? Would any of us want our lives to be summed up by the most foolish or sinful thing we’ve done? Rape is an especially egregious act, and one must wonder how his victim feels today, seeing Bryant lauded with few detractors. But consider the apostle Peter; what if he’d been judged all his life by his actions when the cock crowed at his denial of Christ?  

There is no indication that Kobe Bryant, who was raised Catholic, was a religious man. He did attend 7:00 a.m. mass the morning of the crash. And what of his victim? How was her life scarred? What of the people all of us have hurt walking through life? It all comes down to grace, God’s grace. That’s the lesson of Ephesians 2:8-9, that we are all saved by the mercy of God. And it’s what He has done for us that we couldn’t do for ourselves. Millions of dollars won’t buy off God on judgment day, and neither will statements carefully crafted by expensive lawyers. You, me, and Kobe Bryant will all face the Eternal Referee’s call on the court of life. And what will matter is whether our actions on earth, however trivial or horrendous, are under the blood that Jesus shed at the cross.

It has come to this. Many larger congregations already have armed security guards standing at the entry of their places of worship. But some have taken things further. Recent fatal shootings inside church buildings are now cause for alarm, prompting guidelines regarding what can be taken inside the sanctuary. Metal detectors aren’t at the entries yet, but at least one megachurch has compiled a list of verboten contraband. The prohibited items include backpacks, fanny packs, briefcases, luggage, shopping bags, laptop bags, and boxes of any size. Subject to security check, attendees may be allowed to bring inside purses, bible covers, diaper bags (with baby present), and medical devices. 

This got me thinking about other things which are prohibited in successful, market-driven millennial megachurches. So far as I know, no congregation has posted the following list at the sanctuary entry; nevertheless, such things are not allowed. It’s a mystery why these crucial matters, so important to the well-being of all believers, are avoided and neglected. The off-limits list looks like this:

• NO DELIVERANCE GROUPS AVAILABLE: With all the specialized meeting groups (seniors, singles, college, kids, the addicted etc.), why isn’t there a deliverance and exorcism group that meets regularly? Don’t ask or you’ll be escorted away as quickly as if you were carrying an AR-15.
• NO DEMONIC MANIFESTATIONS ALLOWED: This includes screaming, twitching, growling, rolling on the floor, or displaying Adam Schiff eyes. Keep those demons down if they’re aroused by the worship music, or you’ll be escorted to an ambulance providing a one-way ride to the psych ward.
• NO CURSE BREAKING PERMITTED: Contacting the pastoral staff to get an appointment for curse breaking prayers is unnecessary. They believe such ideas are nonsense, that your conversion to Christ settled such issues and renunciations of ancestral evil isn’t spiritually required. Don’t refer them to our book “Curse Breaking” unless you’re prepared for a theological tongue-lashing.
• NO DISCUSSION OF CHRISTIANS HAVING DEMONS: Suggesting that a forum be available to air both sides of the “can a Christian have a demon “controversy isn’t welcome. They think the mere mention of such a concept is biblically unacceptable.

 The mystery of millennial megachurches is that, with all their attention to edgy issues, they willfully neglect the core values upon which the early church was established, including miracles such as exorcism. But perhaps it’s not such a mystery after all. Though millennial Christians like to think of themselves as more open minded than their predecessors, they are not. They retain the same time-worn prejudices against anything outside conventional theological thinking. But I remind those who could censor deliverance from their ecclesiastical spaces. If your parishioners click on YouTube and go to the “Bob Larson Exorcism Channel” they’ll see real spiritual warfare in action. And there’s no mystery to the demonstration of God’s power defeating the devil and glorifying the name of Jesus!

“Take off on an epic adventure with Luz as she explores a magical world full of witches, demons, and mysterious supernatural creatures! Watch ‘The Owl House’ on Disney Channel.” 

When a promotional announcement starts off like that, you know we’re in for trouble. This quote was taken directly from a Disney Channel announcement about an upcoming series that is aimed at children. From the plot lines released so far, demons, witches, and witchcraft will be the themes of this new series. And it won’t be a biblical view of such topics. The gist of this “House” revolves around a teenage girl named Luz, who finds a magical portal leading to a witch named Eda. Luz forms a bond with Eda to become a witch’s apprentice. As with Harry Potter, witchcraft is seen as an affirmative tool to fight evil. “Newsweek” magazine claims that one of the originators of the series wanted to make the “demon realm feel like home.” There’s a “good witch” named Azura, lovable little demons, and a “Boiling Isle” Hell, that’s not exactly eternal damnation. No wonder that the Christian-based American Family Association has launched a petition drive for the Disney Channel to cancel the show. Good for them! 

We’ve been down this road so many times with Disney (beneficent witchdoctors in “The Lion King” and benign sorcery in “Frozen” for example) we shouldn’t be shocked. But the official rating for this series recommends it for children as young as age seven! We’ve heard this demonic pitch before from J. K. Rowling (author of the Potter books) and countless TV programs. It goes like this: Witchcraft can be good or evil depending on the motive of the participant; the supernatural isn’t an arena of the devil v. God but an exploratory realm of delightful phenomena for the curious.  

Nearly half of the people who schedule Personal Spiritual Encounters with me have dabbled in such dribble via the New Age, yoga, meditation, or mind control. They have been victimized by psychics, fortune tellers, reiki practitioners, success gurus like Tony Robbins, and deceptive wizards like Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer. Beware the so-called wisdom of anyone who fails to heed the warning of Isaiah 8:19: “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists . . . should not a people inquire of their God?” Avoid anything that violates the principles of Scripture, even if it is a wise, old owl.

November 5, 2017, Devin Kelley walked into a small Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and opened fire during Sunday morning services. The ensuing massacre resulted in 26 dead and two dozen seriously injured. Little more than a week ago, Keith Thomas Kinnunen, attempted a similar mass murder at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. Kinnunen began shooting during communion service with over 200 in attendance but was only able to kill two individuals. His sister said that the incident happened on the anniversary of their brother’s suicide, and that Keith was on a mission to to have his own life taken.  

The difference between the kill count of Sutherland Springs and White Settlement was due to a shot fired by Jack Wilson, a security Guard who shot Kinnunen just six seconds after the killer opened fire. In addition to Wilson, another dozen or so congregants pulled their guns in self-defense. If Wilson hadn’t shot the murderer, others were ready to take him out. Afterwards, Wilson commented, “’I’m thankful to God that I have been blessed with the ability and desire to serve Christ in the role of head of security at the church. Evil does exist in this world and I and other members are not going to allow evil to succeed.” 

Scores of people might have been murdered by Kinnunen except for a law the state of Texas passed in the aftermath of the Sutherland Springs tragedy. The law allows church members to carry concealed weapons as a deterrent to incidents such like this. In the aftermath of the Sutherland slayings, the Texas State Attorney General prophetically stated, “It’s going to happened again. If more church-goers were armed, there’s always the opportunity that the gunman will be taken out before he has the opportunity to kill very many people.”  

Think of how this applies to spiritual warfare and deliverance. Christians are being taken out by the devil because God’s people aren’t trained and armed to fight back. I earlier quoted armed security guard Jack Wilson saying that he was “not going to allow evil to succeed.” That’s the attitude needed toward today’s evil onslaught of witchcraft, the New Age, a corrupt culture, and creeping political godlessness. One man made the different at White Settlement Church of Christ, saving countless lives. You can be that one person to stop the spiritual slaughter of Satan in your community, church and family, if you are armed and dangerous and know how to cast out the devil. Our International School of Exorcism will give you the spiritual firepower you need. Enroll today and be the one person who stops allowing evil to succeed.  

TO ENROLL IN BOB LARSON’S SCHOOL OF EXORCISM, CLICK HERE OR CALL
303-980-1511.