DESTINY IMAGE BOOKS BY BOB LARSON Jezebel Curse Breaking Demon Proofing Prayers © Copyright 2016–Bob Larson All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Please note that Destiny Image’s publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from some publishers’ styles. Note: Throughout this book, clients’ names have been changed to protect their identity. DESTINY IMAGE® PUBLISHERS, INC. P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 “Promoting Inspired Lives.” This book and all other Destiny Image and Destiny Image Fiction books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors worldwide. Cover design by Eileen Rockwell For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040. Reach us on the Internet: www.destinyimage.com. ISBN 13 TP: 978-0-7684-0967-3 ISBN 13 eBook: 978-0-7684-0968-0 For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 20 19 18 17 16 DEDICATION TO THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHOSE STORIES ARE TOLD ON these pages, I dedicate this book. In spite of their bondage and suffering, they courageously reached out for help. Through tears and brokenness, they revealed the deepest secrets of their souls, often telling me what they’d never told anyone before. They laid aside their shame, anger, and fear to expose the terrors of evil of which few speak. Through much prayer and intensive probing, they allowed the Holy Spirit to uncover the schemes of Satan so they could be liberated. Today, they are living testaments to the hope of a changed life, through the power and presence of Jesus Christ. And, of course, I also dedicate this book to my wonderful wife and three precious daughters. They shared my time and life with those who had nowhere else to turn, and for whom our ministry held the key to their true freedom. Thanks to my family for understanding the unique, and often misunderstood, commitment and anointing of this ministry to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free! CONTENTS Introduction and Reader’s Guide Chapter One Cracking Satan’s Code Chapter Two From the Hollers to Hell Chapter Three The Fingerprint of the Family Chapter Four The God Factor Chapter Five Witchcraft and the Occult Chapter Six Sleuthing Spirits of Body and Soul Chapter Seven Second That Emotion Chapter Eight Closing the Demon Door of Trauma INTRODUCTION AND READER’S GUIDE JESUS TALKED. HE TALKED A LOT. FOR EXAMPLE, HIS SERMON ON the Mount takes up three whole chapters of the Gospel of Matthew, chapters five, six, and seven. And remember, what we have in Scripture is not a verbatim account. It’s like reading a Reuters or Associated Press report with the main points, the most important quotes, and the central ideas condensed and emphasized. What’s recorded in the Bible’s account of the Sermon on the Mount may take ten minutes to read, even at a good rate of intellectual absorption. In reality, it lasted an entire day. Likewise, the lengthy Sermon on the Plain in Luke chapter six is another marathon message. But Christ also talked a lot on an individual basis. Consider the so-called “woman at the well” account of chapter four of John. Like the Sermon on the Mount, there’s no indication of actual length. We can surmise that it might have lasted at least an hour or even several hours, as Christ lovingly drew out the life- facts of this Samaritan woman. Later in the book we’ll consider the demon- possession account of the Syrophoenician woman whose faith Christ sorely tested in Mark chapter seven. His interchanges with her went on for some time, as He challenged the depth of her faith. My point? When Jesus ministered to people He took time. He touched their feelings and illustrated to us how to elicit the deepest needs of people, which are often hidden behind wounded emotions. In some ways, Christ was the first psychotherapist, using a process of listening and talking to bring hope and healing to emotional disorders. Certainly, Christ ultimately intervened supernaturally and miraculously. But preceding that, it’s obvious that He met people right where they were psychologically, even when they were in the midst of intense pain. Consider, for a moment, these interchanges with people to whom Christ ministered. They are instances in which Jesus cast out demons. ■ “What is your name?” (Mark 5:9, a question directed toward the demon Legion.) ■ “How long has this been happening to him?” (Mark 9:21, a question asked of the man with a demon possessed son who tried to kill himself.) ■ “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 15:26, though stated affirmatively, is actually a rhetorical device used to provoke the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed.) In each case, Jesus knew the answer. After all, He was fully God incarnate. Why then, did He ask questions to which He already knew the answer? He did it in order to demonstrate that deliverance isn’t always an act of power-packed intervention and that more often it is a painstakingly slow process of well-asked questions and much-analyzed answers. Like good Christian counseling, the path to an exorcism is paved with listening skills and Spirit-led inquiries. It is in this give-and-take that the keys to winning in spiritual warfare are often unveiled. That is why in this book the reader will learn the value of a deliberate, intricate approach to setting people free from all forms of demonic bondage. Frankly, the portion of the Christianized world that does believe in exorcism and deliverance must discard some old ways of attempting to expel evil from the lives of individuals. Those deliverance ministers and counselors who have tried these insufficient approaches must honestly admit that they really haven’t worked very well. Either people didn’t get fully free, or their freedom didn’t stick. Delivered individuals were all too soon back to their old ways, and sometimes much worse than before. Allow me to ask some pointed, uncomfortable questions that challenge the traditional way all too many deliverance ministers have approached the demonic. Why would you bombard a demonic manifestation with lengthy high-volume tirades against evil, when what’s really needed is to methodically get the relevant information that will destroy the power base of the demons, which usually involves sins, unbroken curses, and ungodly soul ties? Why would you rely primarily on unprovable “prophetic” revelations and highly subjective “words from the Lord” to guide the deliverance process, when an effective interrogation of the demons can get to the root of the matter faster and more objectively? Why would you think it is more spiritual to keep demons from speaking or “acting up,” when Christ clearly allowed demons to verbalize and also permitted demonic manifestations in His presence, even in the synagogue/church? The time is long overdue for those who say they believe in deliverance to reassess their motives and methods. The deliverance ministry has been rejected or ostracized in most mainstream evangelical churches. Part of the abstention is due to cessationist theology, the idea that the miracle of casting out demons ended with the passing of the apostolic age. But there is another reason many conscientious Christian leaders eschew the idea of casting out demons, even among those who have a continuationist approach to spiritual gifts and the miraculous. To some Christian leaders, a lot of deliverance ministry is just plain weird and does more harm than good. Why should they allow exorcism a place in the body-life of a congregation? My answer to those accusations may surprise the reader. In many cases, I agree. Deliverance has often been performed with few sound psychological approaches and far too many outlying behavioral practices that reasonable people can see have the potential to be emotionally injurious. There has sometimes been a lack of proper ethical boundaries and much unwise dependence on supposed supernatural revelations. Critics seldom witness the hard work of spiritually investigative approaches to battling Satan. Some of the ways that certain ministers do deliverance is embarrassingly inept and potentially damaging to mentally unsound people. Often, good common sense and empathetic concern for the one seeking help take a back seat to an authoritarian approach that borders on the abusive. I pray that what’s in this book will display enough depth and caution to counter-balance all the bad “press” given to the ministry of casting out demons. We must stop giving