Faces of the Religious Demon
Freedom
Through
Deliverance
Counseling
by
Pamela Sheppard LMSW
Published
by Pam Sheppard Publishing at Smashwords
Copyright 2006 by Pamela
Sheppard
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Copyright
2006 by Pamela Sheppard
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or printed reviews, without prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4524-8647-5 (epub)
Scripture
taken from the King James Version
ISBN 978-1-84728-975-9
Published
by:
Pam Sheppard Publishing
P.O.Box 356
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Digital
edition by: Maureen Cutajar
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Other books by Pamela Sheppard MSW include:
“To Curse the Root: A Christian Alternative to 12 Steps,
ISBN
1-4259-0766-0
“Come Out of Her, God’s People: Don’t Receive Her Plagues”
ISBN 978-0-557-41416-1
“The Fake Jesus: Fallen Angels Among Us
ISBN 978-0-6152-1977-6
DEDICATED TO JESSIE PENN-LEWIS
As reflected also in “To Curse the Root and “Come Out of Her, God’s People-, as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ since March 29, 1977, I am a believer who has withstood a lot of deception simply because I have walked “too comfortably” in things supernatural. For three years prior to becoming a Christian, I was deeply entrenched in New Age occultism, including but not limited to necromancy, hypnosis, telekinesis and astrology. Once I was converted and became exposed to religion, the organized church was ill equipped to advise me on how to recognize demonic deception. Therefore, I have believed that every voice that I have heard and every dream or vision that I have had was from the Lord— a very serious mistake. Only by the grace and mercy of God, have I survived to overcome. A significant cause of my problem was that I often anchored my faith into scriptures taken out of context.
In spite of my many failures, my heart has not been hardened because much fruit has been obtained through trial and error, a godly wisdom worth more than rubies and gold. Moreover, I realize that the wisdom that I have acquired in Christ Jesus is extremely valuable in the times in which we live. However, without Jessie Penn Lewis, a woman who wrote a life changing book called “War on the Saints” almost 100 years ago , I believe that the mixtures within my own spiritual life would certainly have hindered me from the true victory of authoring this work. An incredible woman of her time, I acknowledge Jessie Penn-Lewis as having written the most life changing book that I myself have ever read. Therefore, “Faces of a Religious Demon” is dedicated to this powerful saint who wrote these words:
“There must be more than one quantity to make a mixture; at least two. The devil mixes his lies with the truth, for he must use a truth to carry his lies. The believer must therefore discriminate, and judge all things. He must be able to see so much to be impure, and so much that he can accept. Satan is a “mixer.” If in anything he finds ninety-nine percent pure, he tries to insert one percent of his poisonous stream, and this grows, if undetected, until the proportions are reversed. Where there is mixture acknowledged to be in meetings where supernatural manifestations take place, if believers are unable to discriminate, they should keep away from these “mixtures” until they are able to discern.”
Although I quote “War on the Saints” throughout this book, I recommend that every reader purchase a copy of the unabridged edition for themselves. If Jesus Christ is truly your Lord and Savior and as a born again Christian you desire that your spiritual walk be free of mixtures, then you need to be aware that because of your sincerity and commitment, you are definitely a target for a religious demon. Therefore, the enemy will come at you by trying to insert a mixture, probably under the pretense of counterfeiting the Holy Spirit in order to obtain your cooperation in accepting a deadly deception. I thank the Lord for opening my eyes through the words of this great warrior, a Christian woman of tremendous fortitude and perseverance.
I thank the Lord for using Jessie Penn Lewis to open my eyes. I hope that in turn, you will be blessed by the impact that this powerful woman of God has made upon my life as revealed in these pages.
CONTENTS
SECTION I WILES AND STRATEGIES
8 MENTAL DISORDERS AND THE COSMIC POWERS
SECTION II: A CALL TO PROFESSIONALISM
11 THE DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY AND CULTURAL WITCHCRAFT
SECTION III: MORE FACES AND PROFILES
You will be shocked to read a serious warning from a minister of more than 25 years contending that it is best that you NOT attend church in your local community. I have a pastor’s heart and have functioned in the pastor’s calling for about 15 of those years, and I am still a pastor. However, I personally believe that a person can grow spiritually without regularly attending an organized church. Most definitely, you should assemble with the saints, but the word of God does not lay out a detailed order of service, nor does it suggest the day you should assemble, the time or even the nature of the place or building where gathering together should take place. We live in a computerized world, where we can “assemble” 24 and 7. Simply put, I truly believe that the organized church as it now stands will be completely revamped by the Lord. Why? Because quite frankly, the traditional structures are not working. I myself have no replacements to offer, as Healing Waters is in the process of being completely revamped and reformed.
When I wrote the first 3 books, I was hopeful that repentance would bring about reformation and renewal to the organized church. However, the love of money, which is the root of ALL evil, has permeated most of the church and I seriously doubt if the Lord is going to allow it to continue to exist in its present state. Judgment is swiftly coming and I shunder at what is going to happen to church and to churchgoers. In the meantime, for those of you who feel that you need to assemble in an organized church, the following comments are provided for you to assist you in your pursuit to find a church.
Point #1: Simply stated, I personally suspect that the organized church has already been judged relatively recently, perhaps decades, maybe even a century ago. If not, then judgment is very close at hand.
It seems that Satan began to progressively establish a seat within church divisions, sects, and organizations since around the third century. Therefore, I believe that the book of Revelation was written to and for every church age. However, death has been a real blessing for the saints who have already left this earth prior to “the end.” Truly, those who are alive when the Lord Jesus Christ returns for the dead and the living will face a challenge that no other church age has been required to face. I believe that we are in that hour NOW—as we live in the best of times and the worst of times. I may see the grave, maybe NOT—-but my daughter and my grandson may yet be alive when He comes.
So where do we stand now?
Point #2. Well, I believe that we are in the midst of a transition.
Back in the summer of 1981, as I sat in a chair dozing,—(not asleep yet not fully awake either,) I heard the audible voice of the Lord. I didn’t have to try the spirits on this one. Didn’t have a chance to. He said “Pam,” and my spirit caused my mouth to answer immediately— “Yes, Lord.” Then He said “I am about to do a new thing with My Church.” I stirred, stretched a bit and answered, “ Uh, huh.” Then, in the sweetest voice I have ever heard in my life, He asked very politely, without a hint of command or demand—- “Can I use you??”
I was spiritually ignorant back then and so I answered without even thinking, “Sure Lord. Let’s start with the Roses of Hope.” It took years for me to realize that “His church” was not just the local church that I was a member of. In my local church, The Roses of Hope was a money raising group who organized house parties where they had card games and sold liquor to raise money for the church. I had only been a churchgoer for two years in 1981 when the Lord called me.. Likewise, I was still as carnal as the rest of the members, but commonsense told me that there was something not quite right about THIS kind of money raising. lol. Once I mentioned the Roses of Hope, my conversation with the Lord stopped immediately and there was a deep silence. Disappointed, I thought to myself “what did I say that turned Him off?” I was such a babe.
I have heard His voice a few times since but never again quite LIKE THAT!!!
Looking back, I realize that this encounter with the Lord was one of the several ways that I received my calling 26 years ago prior to entering the ministry on Oct. 25, 1981. At that time, I did not know what a sermon was much less a calling to ministry, so it took at least 10 signs for me to finally comprehend that I was being called.
Even so, I have never forgotten the Lord’s mentioning of “the new thing.” What is the new thing that the Lord is going to do with “His Church?” In 26 years, I can honestly tell you that I do not yet know for sure, but there have been some signs and indications that I will share in upcoming issues.
In August 2007,— I had yet another “conversation.” There was no audible voice this time, as the communication was from “ the sender of the message to my spirit and then to my mind.” At the time, I was attempting to set up a conference schedule to conduct deliverance training seminars for a local church leader and I ran into a “closed door.” Almost immediately, the Lord revealed to me that He was the one who closed the door.
Wondering why, I sought the Father in prayer. It didn’t take long for me to be answered. In less than a week, a kind of telepathic communication took place to let me know that I was “on the wrong track”. I didn’t even have a chance to emotionally respond to the unexpected rejection I had recently experienced. Once I understood that it was God Himself who had “hardened her heart”, I completely changed my ministerial direction and I forgot about the particular “friend” in ministry that stood in my way. I realized that God used her to “close the door.” I realize now that my ministry is not to equip or edify the traditional church on church property.
My answer came through a kind of parable. I was asked, “would you put up curtains at the windows of a condemned building?” I answered with my mind. “No.” Then a kind of a speech was made that went something like this.
“A homeless person will make a home in a condemned building. To escape the elements of the weather on the outside, he will satisfy himself and “make do” with no heat, no running water, no lights, and he will share his dwelling with the occupants: the rats and the roaches.” Then I was hit in the face with this statement. “If you try to edify the organized church with seminars and conferences, you will be putting up curtains at the windows of a condemned building.”
Wow! I was stunned. Metaphorically speaking, it was clear to me that the condemned building was a symbol of the organized church. If this “mental conversation” was from the Holy Ghost) — then the metaphor is suggesting that the organized church is a condemned building. Please note that I am still trying the spirits, so I am not saying “thus says the Lord” in this instance. If you have heard different, please let me know so that we can try the spirits together!!!
Condemnation suggests “judgment.” The word says that “judgment will begin at the household of faith.” Therefore, natural logic by simple commonsense suggests to me that “the organized church has either already been judged or will be judged very soon.”
In keeping with this parable of sorts, sheep who attend church regularly are those who are afraid of the outside elements of a dangerous and sinful world, —and rightly so—Therefore, it makes sense to run inside church walls for protection. Yet, in keeping with the symbols, when we run inside, we find that there is no light. God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all. No light—No God!!!!! So what do we do? We “make do!!!” Reminiscing along with James from Atlanta, the church has become skilled at “making do!”
Since Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Light and His people are referred to “as lights”, the next logical thought is that He is not the Head of the organized church and very few of His people are attending church. So what of the massive, mega congregations? Same thing. No light. No God. As astutely recognized in the commentary of Michelle from Va, it’s just a crowd of gatherers worshipping someone that they refer to as Jesus. To quote her exact words, “wherever the crowd gathers, there is sin crouching at the door.”
In addition, there is no running water in the condemned building— no rivers of living water—therefore, no Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost, then the 7 stars are removed. The 7 stars are the angels of God.(Rev.1:20) Angels are assigned to the churches to guard and protect each flock. Without the Holy Ghost and the angels of God, it is understandable why the sheep are being spiritually damaged by the shepherds—- The RATS are the wolves in sheep’s clothing—- hirelings—the so called shepherds of the flock—- countless pastors who fellowship with uncleanness, ie. the roaches.
So it stands to reason, that if this parable be from the Lord, then the leaders of the church as it now stands have fared poorly in the Lord’s eyes. If this be so, then what about the sheep? Sheep need shepherds?!!! Where are the shepherds of the Lord? A condemned building can stand, maybe for years but ultimately, the beams and the walls will crumble and fall. If it doesn’t fall, then the city will come along with a bulldozer and “take it down.” How will the organized church come down? Read Revelation Ch. 17 and Rev. 18 about “the harlot” called Mystery Babylon.
After the fall of the towers of the World Trade Center, I thought that Rev. Ch. 18 was fulfilled for several reasons. However, one fact caused me to know that the dust fallout in NYC and the fall of “world trade” was not the complete fulfillment of this chapter. Why? Because the World Trade Center is being rebuilt. The scripture clearly states that when Babylon falls, there will be no rebuilding of her.
So I wrongly assumed that Mystery Babylon was NYC. I was born and raised in NYC. Therefore, in error, I warned everyone I knew to “come out of her.” After a few years passed, I realized that NYC is NOT Babylon, nor is the USA. Any one who knows the Lord realizes that He would not command us to “come out of her, my people” (Rev. 18:4), “lest you share in her sins, lest you receive of her plagues,” unless there was an actual place where we could flee to.
Where are God’s people? Well, for the most part, God’s people are known to be in the organized church. If Mystery Babylon were an actual city or nation, where on earth could all of God’s people go in an exodus of unimaginable global proportions? Recognizing the signs of the time, a few Christians have already fled to Canada, believing that in doing so, they are going to escape the fall of America.
I say this to you. America is not Babylon because God’s people are everywhere so where are His people in every nation on the planet supposed to go? To the Moon or to Mars? No. I don’t know about you but I don’t own a space ship. Even though severak mega-tv evangelists own personal jet planes, they don’t own space ships!!! Regardless of what anybody says, America is the best country in the entire world. Meaning no disrespect to non-American readers, seekers of freedom from around the world flee their native lands all the time to find a safe harbor on American shores. There is no actual “place” that God’s people can go to on this earth.
Ironically, the USA is a country founded upon the flight of spiritually oppressed people from the Old World. However, since Christopher Columbus, oppressed Americans have no earthly place that we ourselves can flee to. Think about it. Can all of God’s people in the USA fit into Canada? Let’s be real, here. Anyway, if America is to fall, how safe is Canada? Canada is just around the corner from us. We’d be better off in Australia or the South Pole!!!!
BUT Fear not!!! Mystery Babylon could certainly not be a physical place. In previous issues, I referred to “the Fake Jesus” and other Ascended Masters aka “fallen angels”, with the two leading ones calling themselves Maitreya and Jesus Sananda Immanuel. (To read the first 6 issues on the Fake Jesus, click here.) I am not alone in my belief that Mystery Babylon is a mataphor symbolizing idolatrous religion. The “judged” church is not Mystery Babylon in its totality, but merely a part of it, Actually, there are several signs that the organized churches of today will eventually unite with all of the other false religions that relegate our Lord to a mere teacher or a prophet who they claim is a created being, “not divine”.
Yet I believe that most of the true church will rise out of a righteous remnant that still remains within the organized church and others whom the Lord has touched and called who have never been church members. I realize that the outpouring of the spirit of God upon ALL flesh is coming upon “the remnant church” but clearly, the Holy Ghost will not manifest Himself in a corrupt place. The Lord will not put new wine into old wineskins. However, where the rivers will flow, I do not yet know.
Does the “new thing” require buildings to do the work of the Lord.? No, but if so, I suspect that buildings will be used on a very limited scale. The early church of the book of Acts “was not organized,” as followers of the resurrected Lord assembled in each other’s homes. Likewise, I don’t believe that the “new thing” will be organized with boards, bishops and buildings either!!!! The only covering required is the Head Himself, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Praise His Holy Name!!!
Nor do I believe that anyone will be able to stand in the way of “the new thing.” I have perceived some signs that quietly and secretly the Holy Ghost has been taking His time over the last few decades, preparing righteous and holy shepherds—Joshuas and Calebs— who have been refined in the fires of trial, trouble and tribulation— leaders across the globe. There are not many of them, but like Gideon’s army, there will be enough to do the job.
So what should we do in the meantime? Well, we should “watch, pray and wait. “ Some of God’s people have already heeded the call and we have “come out of her.” Others of you may have to stay within the condemned building for a time or at least on its periphery, until you too “hear the call.”
It is not my job to “call you out.” This is not my intention. Some people are addicted to church and if they were to “come out” without the proper care and support systems in place, additional spiritual damage might be incurred. As withdrawal from alcohol without medical supervision is life threatening, so too, an exodus from the organized church at the present moment may be too shocking to the spiritual system of longterm “churchaholics.”
Actually, it is wise NOT to come out until you hear the Holy Ghost for yourself. The problem is that most sheep within church walls for a considerable length of time are so deaf and so blind that they simply cannot hear and they cannot see. Moreover, the enemy has built up a formidable stronghold by seducing them to heed and believe false doctrines or to become emotionally attached to pastors, buildings, church traditions, choir members, etc.. The god of this world has blinded them, almost beyond repair. (II Cor 4:3,4) Only God Himself can release the prey of the mighty and set free the lawfully captive. (Isaiah 49:24-26) In each case of spiritual blindness, prayer should beseech the Father based upon His mercy, grace and pardon.
My job is simple. I preach righteousness and truth, both by mouth and on the printed page. That’s all I have to do. The Lord does His work of deliverance, and from time to time, allows me to share in His power. I commit to sending you the truth through each and every issue and let the Spirit of Truth —aka- the Holy Ghost open your spiritual ears to hear, to understand and to obey Him when He calls you out of Mystery Babylon. By His grace anad mercy, I believe that He will restore your spiritual hearing and your spiritual sight, if the condition of your heart is sincere, meek and upright. You yourself have an unction from God to see and if you hunger and thirst after righteousness, I strongly believe that when the time is right, you will hear His call.
To simplify matters, here is a general overview of the organized church of today.
There are two main sects of Christians: Catholics and Protestants. Within Protestantism, there are three main branches: the denominations, the non-denominations, and the word of faith/charismatic movement. The church of James from Atlanta’s youth falls under the category of a denomination, the Baptist Church. The second church that James and Michelle both describe is what is categorized as a word of faith, non-denominational charismatic church.
There are many denominations. There are a few denominations that are charismatic, ie. the pentecostal churches. There is one denomination that calls itself “full gospel baptist.” It should be pointed out that every non-denominational church is not necessarily charismatic or word of faith. However, practically ALL word of faith churches are charismatic and therefore they have much in common with some denominational pentecostal churches.
So where should you attend church while you “watch and wait” for the Lord’s “new thing?” Good question. Everyone is not like me. As a watchman, I was actually called to stand alone. So this is just my opinion for those who have a different calling. My advice may be of some value to you, as it is based upon decades of experience with the denominational and the non-denominational, charismatic word of faith movement.
Point #3 In truth, I personally believe that the best option—the wisest choice—is to stay out of the organized church entirely, especially if you are a babe in Christ or one who is lost, but seeking Him.
However, if you a churchgoer and you are still attached or even addicted to “church”, then know this. By far, if you are attending a charismatic church, be it Pentecostal, or word of faith…
you are not in a safe place.
WILES AND STRATEGIES
Chapter 1: “The house is burning!!!”
Only second to preaching the gospel in His Great Commission, the Lord Jesus Christ instructed His disciples to go forth and cast out demons in His Name by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Mark 16:17) In the Lord’s day and time, this was a rather simple instruction. During His ministry, Jesus did not have to teach, defend or explain the existence of the unseen world because the people grasped the reality of demons without difficulty. In fact, both natural and spiritual discernment of evil spirits was commonplace. For example, when a woman of Canaan came to Jesus on behalf of her daughter, He did not have to convince or persuade her that her daughter was demonized. This Canaanite mother was certainly not ignorant as she cried out to Jesus “my daughter is severely vexed with a devil.” It is obvious from the scripture that she understood what demonic oppression entailed. (Matthew 15:2)
Yet, almost two thousand years later, the ignorance of bible toting people of God concerning the powers of darkness has caused “Faces of the Religious Demon” to be both vital and necessary. In truth, Satan has been extremely successful over the centuries to not only keep the church in the dark about himself and his devices, but the religious demon has actually been able to manipulate the organized church to even promote Satan’s sinister agenda. Almost one hundred years ago, Jessie Penn-Lewis, in collaboration with Evangelist Evan Roberts wrote a life-saving and life changing book entitled “War on the Saints.” As indicated in my dedication, this book has no competition or comparison. Simply put, the pain of opening my blind eyes to how the religious demon had deceived me palled to the astounding joy that truth brings. “War on the Saints” literally set me free, equipped me to serve and inspired the contents of this book.
One hundred years ago, Sister Lewis and Brother Evans saw evidence in their time that the church of their day had been restored to a good measure of the Pentecostal power and authority of the early church. Therefore, “War on the Saints” was written as a kind of textbook to the church of the early 1900’s. These two brave spiritual warriors were compelled to warn their contemporaries of the special onslaught of an army of deceiving spirits unleashed upon the organized church of their day:
“Through lack of knowledge, the majority of even the most spiritual people, do not carry out a full and perpetual war upon this army of wicked spirits; and many are shrinking from the subject, and the call to war against them, saying that if Christ is preached it is not necessary to give prominence to the existence of the devil, nor to enter into direct conflict with him, and his hosts. Yet large numbers of the children of God are becoming a prey to the enemy for lack of this very knowledge, and through the silence of teachers on this vital truth, the Church of Christ is passing on into the peril of the closing days of the age, unprepared to meet the onslaught of the foe. On account of this, and in view of the plainly given prophetic warnings of the Scriptures; the already manifest influx of the evil hosts of Satan among the children of God; and the many signs that we are actually in the ‘later time’ referred to by the Apostle; all believers should welcome such knowledge about the powers of darkness, as will enable them to pass through the fiery trial of these days, without being ensnared by the foe.” (War on the Saints, 9th edition, pg. 2)
Unfortunately, from the spiritual workshop of my own ministerial experience within the organized church, I have perceived that this warning certainly has not been heeded and the perilous prediction of “War on the Saints” has been virtually ignored for almost a century. In this present hour, I sense that the organized house of God is burning and the man-made institutional programs and structures themselves are headed toward ever increasing worldly compromise. As the institution of “church” moves toward becoming “Mystery Babylon,” the blind lead the blind. Since the publication of “War on the Saints,” the 20th century has come and gone. How pathetic it would be if we who live in the 21st century allowed ourselves to be destroyed for a lack of knowledge of the wiles of the devil, when we are the unique recipients of a computerized age, unprecedented within human history for the availability of knowledge and information.
I myself wonder if the wiles and strategies of the religious demon within the organized church have been overlooked for too many decades. Is it possible that the revival and restoration of its former glory may not be resurrected, no matter how hard the faithful pray ? At this point in time, I can honestly declare, “I don’t know.” Too often I hear in the spirit the Lord’s voice cry out to those who remain in Mystery Babylon, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4) Those whom the Lord would call “my people”, could He be referring to traditional churchgoers? I suspect so.
Therefore, I call the discerning to rise up out of the burning house and arm yourself with knowledge concerning how to extinguish the fires that are tormenting and ultimately destroying God’s people for a lack of knowledge of the truths that are in this book. I call those in the true church, the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be baptized with the powerful waters of the Holy Ghost, waters that heal. As long as I live I will never forget the day— January 8, 1983—that the spirit of prophecy overshadowed a 9 year old girl in my living room when this young child cried out “the waters of heaven shall flow down upon the house of the minister and the minister’s daughter. These waters shall heal the city. Great miracles shall flow from this house.” Then, 7 months later, the first trickle of deliverance water that flowed from our spiritual house materialized when my daughter at 14 years old and I faced a demon for the first time, and together, we cast it out.
For many years I believed that this prophecy about miracles flowing from the outpouring of “waters that heal” was yet unfulfilled, completely overlooking the words of Jesus Himself when He revealed that the casting out of demons is, in itself , a miracle. ( Mark 9:39). God’s prophetic announcement is not empty or void of power but it will bring forth what it boldly commands. Most certainly yet rather unobtrusively, I have been casting out demons from professing Christians since 1983 yet not once within the approval or even the concern of any organized church. In truth, to operate this ministry openly and without hindrance, the Lord chose to call me out of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion denomination in June 2004. He showed me in a dream that I was like a light that was hidden under a mattress. The Holy Ghost made it very clear to me that He would not perform miracles in my ministry if I remained in a dark, dry, defamed place. Therefore, I moved out of the dark and dry into the light and wetness of “healing waters.”
Could it be that the destructive fire within countless denominational, and non-denominational churches of the 21st century may be too out of control to extinguish? Could it be that the parable of the kingdom of God, where Jesus described how a mustard seed grew to monstrous proportions—a huge tree where the birds of the air came and lodged in its branches is symbolic of the organized church in our times? Moreover, are the birds a metaphorical depiction of the religious demons that now lodged in the organized church’s many branches or denominations and sects? ( Matthew 13:31) It is rather clear in the beginning of Matthew Ch. 13 verses 4 and 18 that Jesus opened the parable with “birds” as symbolic of demons or of “the evil one.” Consequently, I don’t believe that within the very same teaching, the Lord would not maintain the same symbolism for birds throughout Chapter 13 of Matthew’s gospel.
There are those who are feverishly trying to save the institutional house through evangelistic programs and revivals, church reformation attempts, mass media marketing campaigns, and ecumenical collaborations and compromises. These are those who believe that emphasis should be placed on saving the institution of the organized church. However, I believe the Lord’s declaration of the prevailing power of the church was not referring to her as an institution, but as a spiritual body of believers who, by not denying His name and keeping the faith, would remain His. The question is not whether or not the burning house SHOULD be saved. No, the question goes a lot deeper. The question is “CAN the burning house be saved? Quite frankly, sin and deception has permeated the house so deeply, that only a profound, deep move of repentance and contrition can save the organized church. As Jesus declared to the 7 churches in the book of Revelation, “Remember therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and REPENT, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick from his place, except thou REPENT.” (Revelation 2:5) Since He clearly states that the candlestick is a metaphor for the church, it is apparent that Jesus Himself will bring down various organized church systems.
Therefore, “Faces of the Religious Demon” is a work of love to those who remain in the true spiritual house without walls— His Body—a house that cannot and will not burn. The destructive fire of deception that emanates from the gates of hell may have already prevailed against the institutional buildings of stain glass, brick and mortar. I don’t know. However, of one thing, I am certain. Satan’s army will never win against the true Body of Christ. As such, with this book, I am steadfastly committed to fighting to win freedom for souls who are in bondage to religion. As a spiritual fire-fighter, my job is to rescue the perishing. Perhaps various readers will recognize that they are bound by perceiving a reflexion of themselves in either one case or in bits and pieces from other profiles. If you are among believers in Jesus Christ, non-believers in Him and even among agnostics who happen to be tired of the superficial, the unfruitful and the religious, then reading this book is worth your while. In fact, if one reader receives light that penetrates his or her darkness, I count it as the ultimate success. I pray that you will have an open mind to face the truth and seek help.
Endnotes:
1. Iaking of a Prophet: A Spiritual Indictment to the Organized Church.” Also published by Author House and Healing Waters Counseling Center, (ISBN 1-4208-4725-2) this book will be an eyeopener regarding how a religious demon has infiltrated a historic African American denominational church over a 200 year period.
2. If you would like to officially register in our deliverance training program called “The SEW Program”, then email us at thesewprogram@yahoo.com , expressing your desire to register.
If you seek deliverance counseling by telephone, then contact us at hwccdeliverance@yahoo.com or call our toll free number at 1-866-492-2409
Chapter 2: Exposing Counterfeits
When I consider the Lord’s parable concerning the five foolish virgins and the five wise virgins, my attention is drawn to His last words of admonition—”watch therefore.” (Matthew 25:13) My understanding of the symbols in this particular last days parable is that the five foolish virgins are born again believers within the spiritual house who will be ill prepared to recognize the signs of the times and the Lord’s soon return. Some have considered that since the foolish virgins were “without oil,” that this is a sign that they were not saved in the first place and therefore represented nominal, unsaved churchgoers. I disagree with that interpretation. Metaphorically, a virgin symbolizes purity in the natural. Since a parable is a natural story that highlights a spiritual truth, virginity is akin to sinlessness or righteousness from a spiritual perspective. How can an unsaved person be symbolized as clean and untainted? Therefore, I believe that all 10 of the virgins in this parable symbolize the elect of God , with the five foolish among them falling to the deception of counterfeits, mainly because “they were not watching.”
To watch is to keep awake, attentive and alert as the epitome of vigilance. Watching involves caution, discretion and an emotional detachment from every factor that would distract one’s attention from the primary issues at hand in a particular situation. The best watching is an observation that maintains a certain distance from those obstacles that are distracting , because obstructions of this kind draw our attention away from what is crucial to discern. I suspect that Peter the Apostle remembered the words of the Lord’s prediction concerning how he would deny the Lord three times. Peter neglected to be vigilant to guard himself from the influence of the religious demon on the day the Lord was crucified, a factor that provided a doorway for the lying spirit and the demon of fear. Although Peter did not heed the Lord’s warning that Satan desired to sift him like wheat, the prayers of Jesus kept Peter’s faith from failing him. (Luke 22:31) With the hard lessons of Satan’s wiles well learned, Peter was well equipped by his own failure, truly capable of warning the Christians of his day through first hand experience:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (I Peter 5:8,9)
To this equation of watching, the Lord Jesus also added prayer. (Mark 14:38) In teaching His disciples to pray, the Lord provided His followers in every generation that followed with the reason why prayer is mandatory. Simply put, God’s will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven. We watch to know how to pray and what to pray. I myself take every new counterfeit exposed by alert and purposeful watching as the meat of my prayer life. Today my prayers stop demons in their tracks before they can even initiate a deception. By maintaining an attitude of watching as a strategy of resisting the enemy, my continual prayer is that the Lord will allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten my path. In this regard, I have found that prayer involves making a commitment to refuse all ground to demons and taking back all that we ever gave to them by our mistakes and ignorance, surrendering ALL to Jesus Christ.
Although not terminology directly used in the bible, a synonymous term for the religious demon in the New Testament is the spirit of the Antichrist (I John 2:18) The spirit of the Antichrist will cleverly infiltrate the church and use religion to both deny and defy Christ very sneakily. The Apostle Paul also warned Timothy about seducing spirits that teach false religious doctrine (I Timothy 4:1-4) as well as those who have a form of godliness but who deny the power. ( II Timothy 3:5). Paul also warned the church of a class of demons that could transform themselves into beings of light,— false apostles and deceitful workers hidden within human vessels, within a clever masquerade of genuine apostles of Christ. (II Corinthians 11:13-15) The Catholic deification of the Lord’s mother Mary is yet a very clever device of the spirit of the Antichrist. A classic example is evident within Catholicism, where followers not only pray to Mary , but teach that she herself was immaculately conceived. Truly, the deification of the Lord’s mother is a subtle, though outright denial of the Lord’s sole divinity. It is true that Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, but she did not remain a virgin. She became the mother of James and the Lord’s other brothers and sisters, children conceived through carnal knowledge.
If you are a Roman Catholic, I will tell you the truth in love. It is true that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born but she did not remain a virgin throughout her lifespan. Furthermore, in scripture, one could surmise that there was some friction between Jesus and His family during the course of His three year ministry. This is why when they sought to speak with Him and Jesus was told that his family was waiting outside, Jesus practically retorted, “my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” In other words, the implication was that his natural family were not obeying the word of God, and that would include Mary. Mary was at the cross, and John took care of her for her remaining years. She was a saint in the same way that all who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are called “saints.” That means you , if you are born again. In short, Mary is dead, her spirit is with God but her body is in the grave with the rest of the saints. Only the saints who were dead at the Lord’s crucifixion have been raised. (Matthew 27:51-53) Since Mary was not among the dead at that time, she too is waiting for the return of her Son to obtain a bodily resurrection of the saints along with the rest of those that have departed in Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ is merciful and full of grace. For centuries, He has tolerated a unholy competition with the false image the Roman Catholic Church has created of His birth mother. In his Internet article entitled “The Truth About Roman Catholicism” by M.H. Reynolds, you will find these words:(http://catholic.cephasministry.com/the_truth_about_catholicism.html)
“The place accorded Mary in the Roman Catholic Church is not scriptural nor is it new, but it cannot be denied that, during the last one hundred years, veneration of Mary has dramatically increased....note that the exaltation of Mary and the term, Mother of God, became official Catholic dogma in 431 AD with prayers to her proclaimed in 600 A.D. But, note also that the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was not proclaimed until 1854; her ‘Assumption’ not until 1950; and her title ‘Mother of the Church” ‘not until as recently as 1965.”
In the Bible, the word fornication and idolatry were connected. In heathen nations like Ephesus for example, prostitutes would have sex with men right in the temple to appease the goddess Diana. Throughout the old testament, God would speak to His people through the prophets and call them harlots because they followed after or worshiped other gods of neighboring heathen nations. In the Book of Revelation, when Jesus addresses the church at Thyatira, He expresses indignation at a local false prophetess that he surnamed “Jezebel.” I believe the Lord is saying to the church at Thyatira, “you have created a goddess out of a woman to worship her. In this way you have committed fornication or idolatry and have broken My commandment which says that you shall have no other gods but Me!” Along these same lines, I believe that Roman Catholicism has created “a Jezebel” out of the Lord’s mother Mary.
Therefore, in keeping with the spirit of Mary, another synonym for the religious demon is “the spirit of Jezebel,” imputed by the Lord with both an old and a new testament influence. (Revelation 2:20) The spirit of Jezebel will be defined in more detail in later chapters, but simply and generally defined, the spirit of Jezebel is a demon with two interconnected facets: religion and witchcraft. As a false prophetess and a religious goddess, these two demons also function separately but they work together in the spirit of Jezebel.
I also believe that unseen force behind old testament Babylon, the building of the tower of Babel and several other forms of pre-Christian idolatry are in themselves “religious.” The first time I personally heard the term “religious spirit” or “religious demon” was in a prophecy that I received in 1983. In this word, I was given a spiritual warfare assignment against 7 high ranking demons that I began to refer to as “the Seven Walls”, with the religious demon as wall number 5 in the list: alcohol and drugs, homosexuality, prostitution, witchcraft, the religious demon, prejudice and poverty. Years later, I was surprised to learn that the term “religious demon” was actually being used by well known Christian writers like Derek Prince, Rick Joyner and others.
What has astounded and simultaneously humbled me the most in my personal contact with the deception of the religious demon is that like Jesus, religious demons were assigned to me from the very foundation of my ministry. As Jesus was driven into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan at the beginning of His ministry, I too was confronted on the day that I preached my first sermon. To memorialize the occasion, a picture was taken of me on October 25, 1981 at the conclusion of the worship service. To my amazement, the face of a gargoyle is quite distinguishable in the background, outlined in green on the photograph, with its green eyebrow positioned slightly across the forefinger of my left hand. The religious demon has been my unseen watchdog for decades,— sending me false dreams, false healing, ministerial enemies and counterfeits of all kinds, particularly pretenders sent to befriend me as ministerial helpers.
Yes, I have been surrounded by Judas Iscariot types, a few as betrayers but most of these religious demons have used counterfeit professors of faith in Jesus Christ, disguised as believers. Planted within my ministry to try to derail me from my divine purpose, it has taken years for some of them to be exposed. [1] As Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was crucial to the Lord’s fulfillment of His destiny at the cross and as Peter who denied Him was used as a vessel to start and build the New Covenant church upon the rock of the Lord’s victory, religious demons sent to me within various proclaimers of faith have also served me well. As no spiritual experience is ever wasted for those who are in Christ Jesus, these counterfeits and hypocrites were also used by the Lord to bring forth the truths revealed in this book. The spiritual fruit that is presented within these pages is the conclusive evidence that the evil inflicted by the enemy to a true child of God will work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
In the final analysis, my love for the Lord Jesus Christ is upheld in my relentless search for and commitment to truth. Therefore, I can look back over almost 3 decades in the Lord and declare that no weapon that the enemy formed against me prospered. From members in churches that I have pastored to church leaders of all ranks and positions, to friends and even men who became my husbands, the religious demon either in the form of the spirit of Judas, Jezebel or the Anti-Christ was each exposed before major damage was inflicted upon me. What was covered has been uncovered, and what was hid has been made known. What I have learned in the dark, is now manifested in the light. Birthed out of much trial, tribulation and trouble, the persecution, the wiles and the strategies of this many faceted demonic trio of the spirits of Judas, Jezebel and the Anti-Christ have been progressively unmasked over time. In truth, I am a rebel with a cause—my cause is complete deliverance for the captives in spirit, soul and body. As a revolutionary, I personally concur with the words of George Barna in his book entitled “Revolution”:
“Get used to the fact that your life is lived in the context of warfare. Every breath you take is an act of war. To survive and thrive in the midst of the spiritual battle in which you live, seek a faith context and experience that will enhance your capacity to be Christ-like. This mission demands single-minded commitment and a disregard for the criticisms of those who lack the same dedication to the cause of Christ. You answer to only one Commander in Chief, and only you will give an explanation for your choices. Do whatever you have to do to prove that you fear God, you love Him, and you serve Him—yes, that you live only for Him. That is the commitment of a Revolutionary.” “(Revolution, pg. 26,27) [2]
I myself am so committed. In view of the fact that I have dedicated this book to Jessie Penn-Lewis, a woman who, in my estimation, is one of the most outstanding spiritual revolutionaries of the 19th and 20th centuries, I believe that it is important to point out to her critics from the outset that I do not personally believe that a demon can enter into the spirit of a born again person. Jessie has been misquoted and therein misunderstood. I believe that the regenerate spirit is the exclusive domain of the Holy Spirit, where light and darkness have no fellowship or concord. (I Corinthians 6:9). Even so, it is clear that demons of sickness and infirmity are capable of residing in various parts of a true Christian’s body. Demons may also seduce, vex, torment and confuse the human soul, but I personally believe that the newborn spirit of the bona fide Christian is demon free.
Moreover, I believe that the deception surrounding whether or not demons can possess a Christian,— spirit, soul and body— is caused by the fact that there are many professing believers in the organized church who are not really saved and therefore any apparent possession is rooted in a counterfeit salvation experience. A deeper treatment of this subject can be found in Chapter 4 entitled “Counterfeit Births.”Sister Jessie maintained that any ground obtained by a demon, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, is “ground possessed,” even though the captive himself may have no obvious manifestation of total possession. I myself happen to agree with her point of view.
It is important to note that a powerful tool of the enemy is to cause believers to argue and contend over the concept of Christian possession, a clever device to divert attention away from the real issues. In my mind, even though the term “possessed Christian” is an oxymoron, even the slightest of ground claimed by the enemy can be so debilitating and even toxic to spiritual growth and empowerment, that “what’s the point of quibbling over terms and inches?!!” I have found that if a demon has only one inch of territory, it will seem like a mile to a tormented captive. Once the Body of Christ clearly “gets the picture” of the existence of an unseen host of evil spirit-beings actively engaged in deceiving and misleading every human being, only then will we be able to trace and track their operations in the lives of others and especially within our own lives.
The main purpose of this book is to unmask the true nature of the warfare as it pertains to exposing religious counterfeits. Counterfeits come disguised like faces covered with various masks. Each face of the religious demon offers new insights and new challenges because of the various façades that human beings unconsciously employ as defense mechanisms in order to maintain pretenses. Since the flesh is naturally adept at self deception, demons use human innate weaknesses as an entrance or “doorway” to mix their own brand of deception with the self deception of the captive. Consequently, the demonic face hides behind the captives own persona, making exposure problematic. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life within the captive’s natural carnality provides a convenient cover to the unseen forces where demons will hide within.
As the pride system wavers, I have found that the captive will begin to get a better view of his real self. As he starts to feel his own feelings, to recognize his own desires, to gain his freedom of choice, to make his own decisions, the opposing forces line themselves up to keep the captive bound. With increasing clarity, the captive’s real self begins to emerge and his soul senses the difference between his real image or “face” and the mask of the religious demon. Yet, he has become accustomed to passivity. This inner conflict of great dimensions is astutely explained in “War on the Saints:”
“Passivity! How many have fallen into it, little knowing their state! Through the passivity of their faculties much time is lost in dependence upon the help of outward circumstances, and environment. In the lives of so many there is much ‘doing,’ with so little accomplished, many beginnings, and few endings. How familiar we are with the words ‘Yes, I can do that,’ and the impulse is moved by the time the need for action has come, the passive man has lost his momentary interest. This is the key to much of the lamented ‘apathy,’ and the dulled sympathy of Christians to really spiritual things, whilst they are keenly alive to the social, or worldly elements around them. The worldling can be stirred in the acutest feeling for the sufferings of others, but many of the children of God have, unknowingly, opened themselves to a supernatural power which has dulled them in thought, and mind and sympathy. Ever craving for comfort and happiness and peace in spiritual things, they have sung themselves into a ‘passivity’—i.e., a passive state of ‘rest,’ ‘peace’ and ‘joy’—which has given opportunity to the powers of darkness to lock them up in the prison of themselves, and thus make them almost incapable of acutely understanding the needs of a suffering world.” (War on the Saints, 9th edition, pg. 84) [3]
The subtle inroads of passivity are hard to travel. However, once the captive commits himself to walk in the light as opposed to continued darkness, the counterfeits become progressively clearer to the open-minded believer in Christ Jesus. The many devices of the religious demon become clear once the searchlight of truth begins to shine on those areas that the captive’s pride system had trained him to ignore, justify or minimize. For example, as the captive learns the difference between the presence of God and the Person of God, he will understand the counterfeits of the religious demon. When the captive learns that both the Father and the Holy Spirit will never usurp or even minimize the Son’s place within the godhead, the captive will begin to see how counterfeits were able to fool him once he began to pray directly to the Holy Spirit or to the Father without mentioning the name of Jesus.
SPIRIT AND SOUL ARE NOT THE SAME!
Various strategies of the religious demon are presented in these pages so as to prepare the elect not to fall to deception in the latter days. Therefore, in order to understand how a person becomes demonized, it is important that the reader understands himself as a triune being: spirit, soul and body. In summary, the spirit is that part of man’s nature that receives communication from God and learns to understand Him. The soul acts as the conductor or mediator to the spirit. Man’s soul includes his personality, his intellect, his emotions and his will. All people have such a soul, and the different elements of the soul can either serve God or be yielded to sin. Man’s spirit is a higher faculty in man that comes alive when a person becomes a Christian, as Paul had written in Romans 8:10, “If Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness.”
Therefore, the spirit of a person is that part of him or her that most directly worships and prays to God (John 4:24, Phil 3:3). New Testament writers identify the ‘body’, — a person’s physical being,— as distinct from one’s soul and spirit. Since the spirit is the exclusive domain of a born again person, I believe that the demons that afflict the saved reside in either the soul or some internal organ of the body. The stomach and the brain seem to be the most likely location of the precise place where the demons take residence in the body of a saved person. When in the soul, demons most often inhabit the mind, the emotions and the human will.
In Greek literature, the word ‘flesh’ usually meant nothing more than the human body. It was also used this way in the New Testament (John 1:14, Rev 17:16; 19:18, 21). However, Paul often used the word ‘flesh’ to denote the entire fallen human being, not just the sinful body but the entire being, as affected by sin. When the unbeliever “walks in the spirit”, he can only experience the dark side of the occult and even when he believes that he is walking in the light, he is still in darkness. Since witchcraft is a work of the flesh, no one but a saved person can truly “walk in the spirit.” However, the believer can also live in the flesh or in his carnal nature. Paul repeatedly encourages the believers to overcome the deeds of the flesh by living in the spirit. In Galatians 5:17, Paul writes “For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”