I don’t often quote a secular writer as a source of wisdom; in this case John Steinbeck, author of classics such as Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and The Grapes of Wrath, and winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. Of his detractors, which there were many when he was alive, he declared, “Time is the only critic without ambition.” As I reflect back on many years of opposition to our ministry of healing and deliverance, I cast an amusing smile of knowing at Steinbeck’s observation. I also want to encourage, by this blog, those who share this calling to cast out demons and set the captives free.
What may be said of those who oppose the deliverance ministry? Think about who they are and what their motives may be. Without ambition? Hardly. Most have a theological axe to grind. They are often self-appointed heresy hunters who’ve never encountered an actual demonic manifestation that they were forced to deal with. They analyze from afar, never getting into the trenches of spiritual warfare. They hide behind their slick Sunday morning presentations, with all the right praise music and theatrical lighting. Nothing wrong with that per se, but the ministry of deliverance isn’t about mass consumption of the gospel in a palatable setting. It means getting down-and-dirty with the devil, relentlessly challenging him on his territory, over hours-weeks-months.
The “ambition,” to quote Steinbeck, of many critics of deliverance is to silence this aspect of ministry because it uncomfortably exposes the shallow, spiritually anemic Christianity of slickly-packaged, mass-marketed American Christianity. We who do deliverance are the thorn under the saddle of those preachers and “prophets” who want to ride comfortably into the sunset to write their next ghost-written best seller, pitch their latest health product or survival edibles, or cavort and consort with godless superstars in the name of relevancy. Such ambitions are exposed for their obvious paucity of true spirituality when compared to the efforts of dedicated deliverance ministers These individuals are often lay people who weep with those who lives have been ravaged by demons. They aggressively confront evil spirits with unflinching boldness. To them I say, soldier-on no matter what the critics say. You only answer to One, your Commander in Chief, who compels you to cast out demons by His authority (Galatians 1:10). Be faithful no matter what others say. “Time” will win out in the end.
An encouraging word: CREATED FOR GOOD WORKS.
What is your purpose in life? God has a plan for each of us individually. But the one purpose we all have is to do “good works” (Ephesians 2:10). That full verse says that we were created “in Christ” for this very purpose. Perhaps you were created with a great talent for music or the arts. God may have destined you for a leadership role in society or the church. God perhaps ordained that you would be successful in commerce or government. Your calling may be to be a pastor or an entrepreneur. But the one thing we all have in common is that God made us to do good and be a blessing to all around us. What is the good God would have you do today?
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online
