Blog

Students of Bob Larson University know the teaching is extremely thorough — 60 courses, nearly 50 hours of video training, and more than 200,000 words. Nothing like it in the realm of spiritual warfare study has ever been attempted. It wasn’t possible to cover everything to be known about demons and the devil, but by God’s grace we did our best to emphasize the most important facts. As I look back on my many years of ministry, I reflect on what I wish I had known about demons. When I first embarked on deliverances, there were few books and very few teachers. And there was no internet. The knowledge base was extremely small. I did my best with the information I had. But there are two things I wish I had known to be more effective. 

First, I wish I had known how much power the devil has. Most preachers say that we should be careful about giving the devil too much credit. Certainly, some folks do that to their detriment. But by my observation, the church understands too little about what the devil can do. So, they tell people not to worry about Satan’s wiles. I’ve heard preachers declare that the devil was defanged at the cross, completely defeated in every way, and poses no serious threat to Christians. I was influenced by that perspective in my early ministry. As I dealt with more and more demons, I had to backtrack. Many times I witnessed things I thought Satan couldn’t do. 

Some things I witnessed during deliverance were inexplicable. Others were downright supernatural. I have spoken about some of these occurrences in Bob Larson University such as: objects disappearing in one place and appearing again in another; things moving before my very eyes; voices from people’s bodies that spoke in human languages unknown to them; superhuman strength that defied logic; an earthquake under my feet at the exact moment I was casting out a demon; bodily deformations which were physically impossible; a possessed and blind person reading effortlessly from a book while the demons manifested. I understand what Aaron must have felt when Pharoah’s magicians threw down their rods which also turned into snakes. 

Ironically, the second thing I wish I’d known, is how little real power the devil has. Despite what I’ve just described, in the greater scheme of things, the devil has paltry puissance, actual power. Satan can’t make a flower grow. He can’t give peace to a spiritually weary soul. He can’t comfort the brokenhearted. He can’t create something out of nothing, ex-nihilo, as God did by creating the heavens and the earth. Satan can’t give a bird a song or hope to a troubled soul. He can’t raise the dead to eternal life, and he can’t create the innocence of a newborn baby. He can only kill, steal, and destroy, as the Bible says. Pharoah’s magicians did mimic Arron’s feat of transmuting matter by creating snakes out of their own rods. But it was Aaron’s snake who swallowed the serpents of the Egyptians—the devil’s evil was consumed by the goodness of God’s power. 

Think of your own life and the clever attempts of Satan to destroy your faith. You’re likely reading this because the devil failed in his mission to thwart your salvation. That is why Romans 12:21 tells us to overcome evil with good. The battle for souls is not a competition of God or the devil prevailing in some pugilistic showdown. Satan was defeated in the wilderness, at the cross, and with the empty tomb. I wish I’d know more about what the devil can and can’t do. I would have avoided much frustration in my early ministry. But the years have taught me to trust and obey, knowing that the forces of good and evil are not in an eternal contest to prove which is stronger. Spiritually confident Christian have read the end of the book. We win, and all the power and might of evil losses — eternally!

Some followers of Jesus have become victims of Christian mind control without realizing it. I’m not talking about covens of witches or a cabal of satanists. The mind control I refer to is any system that involves unscriptural manipulation of a person’s beliefs and behavior. This happens when group-think psychological tactics are used to shape an individual’s ideology and theology.

An eschatological example would be Jehovah’s Witnesses and their obsession with the 144,000 witnesses of Revelation 7:4. Or the Mormon fixation with creating what they call a “forever family” that survives death and continues in a celestial heaven where good Mormons go to procreate children and populate other planets. Other forms of religious mind control are designed to perpetuate financial sway over the money of members. Spiritual mind control creates a framework that destroys personal autonomy, creating a moral vacuum which can be manipulated by a powerful religious figure.

You may think I’m referring to something like a bearded, Eastern religion ascetic who manipulates followers with meditation and mantras. Or a separatist sect like the David Koresh cult that ended in a fiery explosion in 1993. You may also think of the mindless Moonies of the late 20th century who seemed to stand on every street corner in America selling flowers and raising money. But the most dangerous mind control may exist in your own church or prayer group. Here is what to look out for:

1. An either-or mentality regarding the Bible, insisting that only the leader of the church or group knows what God is really saying. Add to this strong emotional reinforcement by lengthy, intense prayer sessions accompanied by a succession of spiritual revelations. This system is fortified by theological isolation, such as an attitude that “we’re right and everyone else is wrong.” Ecstatic utterances and a succession of prophetic revelations may be used to suggest that one or more leaders are hearing from God about specific moral, cultural, or political events. These may include how to prepare for a coming financial calamity, who to vote for in the next election, or detailed events that indicate the coming of Christ is imminent.
2. Cohesive pressure to give financial support so that you’ll automatically get a hundred-fold blessing, so long as the money goes to a preacher who hears directly from God on a regular basis. Adding to the financial control is a certain dress code, lifestyle, or rule of behavior that requires top-down approval. The not-too-subtle suggestion is that by following certain rules laid down by the leadership, there will be blessing. Disobedience will bring retribution and suffering. When a religious leader is long on emotionalism and short on rationalism, some degree of mind control may be at work.
3. Personality cults are the most egregious example of mind control among professing Christians. In most cases the websites of such leaders are short on details about education, publications, and position papers on belief. Control is maintained by the revelations the leader gets which discourage dissent. Questions about doctrine and practices are quickly shut down. An example would be questioning the biblicism of teaching that there are heavenly legal jurisdictions adjudicating events on earth. If a certain belief or practice doesn’t have historical church precedent it may be spurious or trendy. Unwavering trust in such new revelations may foster a religious system which is inspiring but won’t stand the test of time.

Not all religious mind control is intentionally evil. Some religious practices fall into error because a particular system of belief leans heavily on the pronouncements of an individual who has no theological oversight. Caution — if you find yourself being irritated by what I’ve just said, that may be the first indication that you are a victim of a splintered Christian teaching that suspends critical thinking. In short, you may be affected by mind-control Christianity. Heed the words of 2 Timorthy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables (NKJV).”

As an exorcist I do, on average, nearly 2,000 face-to-face or virtual exorcisms each year. These individuals who seek my help have some awareness that evil lurks inside their soul. In most instances, they don’t know what it is, how it got there, and how to get rid of it. That’s why they turn to someone with my experience. But if you add up all the people to whom I minister, and then add to that all those seeking deliverance with others who have this calling, it’s still an extremely small percentage of the Christian community. The sad truth is that many Christians have demons and don’t know it. You may be one of them.

Before you say, “Not me no way,” let me explain how demons operate. They don’t always show themselves when they first enter. In fact, they may hide for years, even decades, waiting for an opportune time to strike. That’s when they seek me out. I’m glad they finally took that step, but here’s the problem. All those years of clandestine, demonic activity have taken a toll, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Better late than never to seek deliverance, but even better to get your demons before they get you.

How would you know if a demon is hiding somewhere inside? You can consider the same clues I look for with those who seek my assistance. Is there severe abuse or trauma in your life? Does your family have a history of being drawn to the occult? Do you know of an ancestor who was a Freemason, a witch, murderer, or sexual pervert? Do you suffer from undiagnosable illnesses? Does financial success elude you no matter how well-educated you may be or how hard you work? If your bloodline is filled with troubled relationships, addictive behavior, anger, illegitimacy, and spiritual instability — take note. Having one or more of these factors doesn’t confirm that you have demons. But it should arouse considerable suspicion that evil spirits may be hiding somewhere in your soul. In most cases, only an exacting deliverance process will determine whether you have a demon and don’t know it.

Start that process of seeking spiritual freedom now. Spend more time in God’s Word. Develop the discipline of fasting. Read books like the ones I’ve written such as “Curse Breaking,” “Jezebel,” “Dealing with Demons,” and “Larson’s Book of Spiritual Warfare.” Sign up for our streaming platform XDUNAMIS and enroll in Bob Larson University. The more you become educated about how demons operate, the more you’ll be aware of possible indwelling evil in your life. And the better prepared you’ll be to confront these demons which previously may not have been detected. I’ve ministered to people who were born with demons because of generational curses. Some of these individuals never thought about being demonized until much later in life when they started to assess the source of serious spiritual problems. Take action, NOW. Push back against any demons that have secretly embedded in your soul. Don’t be the victim of demons that you didn’t know you had.

Following on the interest in so-called Angel Cards is a spin off fad call “angel numbers.” I got a pop-up on my computer last week from USA-TODAY, what used to be a reasonably respected national news magazine. The online version of USA-TODAY featured a promotion for angel numbers. The article declared, “Have repeating eights popped up on just about everything that has numbers, from clocks to prices on receipts? If this is the case, great successes could be on your way! In numerology, angel numbers, or repeating number sequences, can be used as guides for deeper spiritual exploration as each numeral has its own significance.”

Is there any truth to this? What are angel numbers? Let’s first look at the occult practice of angel cards. Angel cards are a form of divination to receive the message of supposedly angelic beings who are willing and ready to assist spiritual seekers. The angel cards are like tarot cards but focused specifically on connecting with angelic energies or higher spiritual beings, rather than the random and ambiguous symbolism found in tarot cards. So, here’s how angel cards generally work:

1. Angel cards typically come in a deck and each card features an image of an angel.
2. Individuals ask for guidance on a specific issue.
3. Just like in a regular card game, cards are shuffled and drawn.
4. Then the drawn card’s message is interpreted in the context of the user’s question.
5. The message on the card is supposed to give guidance, which is usually in the mind of the seeker or card reader. It might suggest a course of action or be applied to some aspects of the user’s life, depending on who reads the card.

Angel numbers are based on occult numerology, believing that certain sequences of numbers carry special messages or guidance from spiritual beings. These numbers are thought to hold symbolic meaning beyond their numerical value. For example, you might frequently see numbers like 111, 222, 333. The sequential numbers might be the time on a clock, license plates, receipts etc. Each number sequence is supposed to have a specific meaning. Here are some commonly recognized angel numbers and their supposed interpretations: 111: New beginnings; 222: Harmony and balance; 333: Guidance from your angels; 444: Protection and presence of your angels; 555: Change is coming so get ready; 666: Often associated with the antichrist.

Consulting angel cards and angel numbers is witchcraft, the sin of divination which opens one’s life to demons. Often the advice of the card reader or number interpreter may lead a person deeper into the occult. These combinations of numbers mean nothing more than what any individual reads into them. Certain biblical numbers do have meaning, like the number 7 which stands for completion or perfection. Six is imperfection, such as 666 which indicates mankind’s rebellion. I deal daily with people who have explored angel cards and numbers. Most of these individuals started out innocently but are now demon possessed and tormented day and night. If you are interested in angel numbers, beware. First Peter 5:8 says the devil is seeking to devour you. If you practice any form of the occult, he’s got your number.

In Minnesota, millions of taxpayer’s dollars are going towards funding witchcraft. And they aren’t hiding it. The Minneapolis Walker Art Center, which is largely supported by state income taxes, recently put on a display performance called “Lilit [Lilith] the Empathic Demon.” Promotional literature bragged, “Demons have a bad reputation, but maybe we’re just not very good at getting to know them.”

The advertisement also goes on to say, “The performance is inspired by Lilith, an aerial spirit demon with origins in Sumerian mythology. Families are invited to create a vessel to trap the demon that knows them best and then participate in a playful ceremony to summon and befriend their demon.” The artist behind this demonic debacle also has a website advertising “31 cards to connect with your demon.” And to make it worse, instructions are given on how to call up the Lilith demon by texting the word SUMMON to a phone number which I’ll not give out.

This is happening here and now in America. This is the same art center that on its web site features photos of children appearing to be about age 5 or so wearing PRIDE T-shirts and waving rainbow-colored gay flags. Again, mostly paid for by taxpayers who have no consent about how their money is being used. If those same T-shirts read, “Jesus is Lord,” and taxpayers funded it, there would be a public outcry from progressives coast to coast.

Our book “Jezebel: Defeating Your #1 Spiritual Enemy,” which was originally published eight years ago, featured an entire chapter on Lilith. Back then, I was the first person to put in print a theological and practical analysis of this despicable demon. I call Lilith “Jezebel on steroids.” When I first started doing deliverance decades ago, no one knew who Lilith was. Now, countless web sites and many deliverance ministries talk about confronting this demon. That’s great.

As explained in my book, the witchcraft identity of Lilith is rooted in mystical, Kabbalistic, occult Jewish speculation. Lilith is believed by black magicians to have been the true wife of Adam. As this phony take on both Hebrew and Christian theology goes, Eve sexually seduced Adam to supplant Lilith and mother the human race. It is therefore the responsibility of every practitioner of the dark arts to restore Lilith to her rightful place as Queen of the Universe and the true mother of humanity. This belief is historically unfounded, biblically spurious, and diabolical.

But the Minnesota Walker Art Center takes it further by inviting whole families to deliberately invoke demons by using “ancient Babylonian techniques.” I have no doubt that Lilith, and a legion of other demons, have responded accordingly. Who knows how many thousands of unsuspecting Minnesotans have become demon- possessed with government consent and underwriting. We need no further proof regarding how far American culture has fallen into witchcraft, and how near we are to God’s judgment. And this emphasizes how important it is to train a generation of warriors to understand how to wage real spiritual warfare. Please enroll in Bob Larson University today or sponsor someone who is willing to learn how to cast out the Lilith demon. Unless our nation has a sudden spiritual reversal and turns back to God, the next generation won’t be Gen X or Gen Z but Gen Lilith, infested by the queen of demons.

Let me settle this controversy once and for all. UFO aliens are demon spirits. Bob Larson University has a detailed teaching on this in the College of Apologetics and Demonology, Course #3 on Cultural Demonic Portals. What I’m about to say isn’t a repeat of what is in the curriculum. In this blog, I want to address the continuing controversy that the government knows aliens are real, and that they have classified information about when and where flying saucers have landed, along with bodies of actual aliens. I don’t doubt that the government is hiding lots of things from us, but the idea of visitors from other planets isn’t one of them.

Recent congressional hearings have stoked this fire about UFOs and where they supposedly come from. Three former military officers told Congress earlier this month that UFOs, now known as UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) are a fact and that Washington is hiding the truth from us; furthermore, the U.S. military supposedly has in its possession “nonhuman” biological matter. Polls show that nearly 40% of Americans believe in UFOs and aliens. That nonsense was reinforced in these hearings when one former intelligence official, David Grusch, claimed that the Pentagon has tried to collect and reconstruct UAPs. Grusch said that “multiple colleagues” were injured by UAPs with what he called “nonhuman” pilots. But he refused to offer details claiming the information was too sensitive.

Let me be clear about what I’m saying. I believe that there are unidentified flying objects that aren’t weather balloons or projections of atmospheric conditions. They do defy the laws of gravity and thermodynamics. And there are beings who have come from these objects and have terrified people, even beaming them up for sexual probing. But they aren’t extraterrestrial aliens, and they aren’t from a foreign government, though some military technology could be exploited by the Russians and Chinese. But that’s another matter.

Here is my reasoning:

1) Aliens aren’t from another planet. They aren’t Greys, Reptilians, or Little Green Men. These beings are shape-shifting demons that take on strange forms to deceive people. Those who claim to have had a “close encounter of the third kind” speak of being pierced by unwelcome probes, sexually molested, and surgically examined. Such is clearly demonic.

2) The critical issue to be addressed is whether biblical theology allows for life on other planets and interaction with such beings. First, the idea of extraterrestrials inherently encompasses the theory of evolution, which I assert is not a biblical option. Those scientists who believe in alien life universally reject the idea that life on Earth was created uniquely and divinely by God. If we adopt the premise that the entire cosmos has been spiritually contaminated by original sin, then any aliens would be as much in need of a Savior as we citizens of Earth.

3) UFOs and UAPs may be experimental aircraft or advanced weapons of destruction in the trial stage of development. Sightings which are not hallucinatory or atmospheric might be our own government trying out military hardware they want kept secret. Who knows. But I believe that most UFOs are spiritual phenomena, demonic manifestations of interchangeable demonic energy appearing in physical form to spook us into believing New Age lies about higher ascended beings.

Make no mistake. Christ appeared only as God in flesh to save the sons of Adam on Earth. The question isn’t whether there is something out there but whether you have accepted the salvation of Christ on the Cross down here.

No one wants to have a demon, right? That is generally true. But some Satanists want demons to have power. Of course, that power comes with a price, torment now and Hell later. Rational people don’t want demons, especially those with faith in Christ. In five decades of doing exorcisms, I’ve learned what allows demons to hang on to a person once these evil spirits have entered. The two ways that the devil tries to keep from being cast out are these: 1) Stubbornness, and 2) Strategy. Let me repeat. Once the devil has possessed an individual, he tries to prevent being driven out by exhibiting stubbornness and employing clever strategies. To live demon-free from the devil you need to apply a counter offense to these two evil tactics.

First, if the devil is anything, he is stubborn. Obstinate. Tenacious. He doesn’t back down without a fight. This is why soothing prayers and polite words of healing seldom make real demons leave. Demons consider the person in whom they dwell to be their “home,” as pointed out in Luke 11:24. They don’t want to be evicted. To stay they may become violent and physically intimidating. They might argue that they’ve been there a long time and have squatter’s rights. They can scream, thrash about, and point out the many ways that their host has accommodated them with sin. Demons are stubborn and those who minister deliverance must be stubborn too. When confronting an evil spirit, be persistent and unswerving in your demands that they must leave once their legal rights have been removed.

Secondly, demons are strategic. They cleverly embed themselves in the habits, addictions, desires, and spiritual failings of their victims. They find the weakest point in a person and hang on to it. Tell them to leave and they may hide behind a dissociative alter-ego personality. They can also sometimes put the host into a trance and blank out their mind. I’ve watched demons create distracting pain in the host’s body or cause the victim’s mind to go blank. If you’re praying to free a person of demons and things like this happen, don’t give up. Find a work-around to the demonic strategy. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a way to circumvent the Enemy’s game plan. In sports, and in deliverance, a good offense can always overcome the best defense.

The stubbornness and strategic maneuvering of demons can be defeated. God wants His people to be free. I’ve found from experience when praying for those bound by Satan that no amount of demonic stubbornness or cleverness of strategic tactics can prevail against the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. As James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives to all liberally.” God has an abundant supply of determination to overcome Satan’s stubbornness. And the Lord has effective counterstrategies that will set people free from spiritual bondage. Stubbornness and strategies are no match for the power of Jesus Christ.

Horror movies are demonic—PERIOD. Case closed. End of discussion. But I was shocked recently to read an article in one of the most respected Christian, evangelical publications. The writer of this article strained to find something good to say about horror movies. And he did, much to my chagrin. I’ll not cite the publication because I’ve always been careful not to publicly attack another believer by name, but this article wasn’t in a small magazine/news feed.

The article began by noting the rising interest in horror films. He writes, “Paranormal horror manifests the unseen reality of spirits and demons beyond my control.” What? He’s a Christian and finds demons beyond his control? Maybe that’s the problem right there. Then he moves on to note that some Christians “make compelling defenses for the genre.” I’d like to meet those Christians and tell them that they likely need an exorcism. But here’s the kicker. The article states: “Horror can speak to the supernatural reality of the world, demonstrate the power to overcome evil, and become an evangelistic tool to reach unbelievers.” I ask, “What planet is this guy living on?” And he adds that a potential benefit of horror is to “help us discern what is truly good and evil.” The article goes on to offer intellectual arguments in an apologetic role as a defender of God working through horror films. We’ll, I’m here to say that He doesn’t.

Whatever happened to 1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from every form of evil.” You think that might include the horror in Netflix’s “Wednesday,” featuring an actress who gets even by putting live piranhas into a swimming pool?  Or the demonic savagery of Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands?” And what about Philippians 4:8 where Paul commands us to meditate on things which are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report.” Try doing that while watching “Psycho,” “Halloween,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” or “Scream –1, 2, 3, and 4.”

And if you want my opinion as an exorcist, I can speak from ministry experience that an unsuspecting individual can get demons from watching terrifying flicks. We are clearly instructed in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given believers the spirit of fear. (Forget some new translations that turn the word “fear” into “timid.”) Fear is a demon. I call it a gateway demon, because if you have fear, every other kind of evil spirit can enter through the door that the demon of Fear opens. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith you can’t please God. So, guess who you are pleasing when you deliberately submit yourself to the endorphin rush from the terror of horror films.

Are you suffering from a curse that could easily be broken? I’ll not take space here to debate the viability of curses from evil people or ungodly ancestors. My books and Bob Larson University cover that information adequately. For the purposes of this blog, we’ll assume that you’ve moved beyond a denial that curses can affect Christians. No matter what you’ve been taught to the contrary by well-meaning preachers, curses CAN and often DO hinder the faith and spiritual effectiveness of true Christians.

Consider these few thoughts. You have lived long enough to know the patterns of your impulses and sinful tendencies. By now, you may have identified some of the lies upon which you base your decisions and actions. You may have tried to overcome these vulnerabilities and liabilities through prayer, Bible-reading, and even counseling. And you may have discovered that nothing seems to work. You can stuff them and bluff your way past them for only so long. Sooner or later, you will realize that no amount of counseling or effort can banish certain evil thought patterns, physical ailments, or insecurities. Maybe it is time to consider how curses are holding you captive.

Curses can be predicated on known events, but often we do not know what has happened to our families, especially if something occurred a long time before we were born. To find out what we are dealing with, we must rely on a combination of spiritual discernment and acquired knowledge of common sources for curses. Besides surrendering our lives as much as possible to the ultimate curse-breaker, Jesus Christ, we must educate ourselves about how curses work, biblically and historically, before we can achieve total victory over them. Begin your journey to freedom from curses by doing these three simple things.

#1 IDENTIFY WHAT THE CURSE IS: Take an objective survey of your life experiences, your moral equivocations, and the sins which beset you. Consider the possibility that your struggles to overcome spiritual problems in your life might be the result of more than the ordinary challenges we all face in life. Ask the Lord to show you what issues might be the result of a curse

#2 DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE CURSE: Where did it come from? Is it the negative influence of your family of origin or do you have extended family members who are evil? Perhaps there may be an ancestor in living memory who practiced witchcraft or indulged in violence, perversion, or criminal activity. If it is an unknown ancestor, the Lord knows who it is. Simply pray, “Lord, if any of my forebears indulged in diabolical practices, I renounce their evil and cut it off from me and future generations.” (Our book “Curse Breaking” can help you with scores of specified prayers to say.”)

#3 DECLARE BY FAITH THAT THE CURSE IS BROKEN: In Bob Larson University, we teach a simple maxim. It goes like this: “A curse isn’t broken until it’s broken, but when it’s broken IT IS BROKEN! You don’t need to keep breaking the same curse. Declare it broken, being as specific as you can about the facts of the curse, and then move on to other spiritual struggles. The battle to overcome the curses that you renounce are won and done, by the power of Christ.