A recent news report was about as bizarre as it gets. A five-year-old child faces a lifetime of permanent disfigurement from burns, cuts, beatings and unspeakable torture because of a Voodoo deliverance. The Haitian mother of the youngster claimed that her child was behaving badly due to evil spirits. So, she took the little girl to a voodoo priest. The officiant blew fire on the child and lacerated her with a sharp object. All the while, the girl’s hands and feet were tied, rendering her helpless. Now, the mother and the witchcraft priestess are in jail charged with indecent assault and battery on a child. Ironically, whether the child had demons, she most certainly does now after being subjected to this satanic trauma.
Of course, the mother and priestess are to be blamed for this despicable tragedy. But should part of the blame be shared by American evangelical Christians, those who are supposed to believe the Bible, word for word? As pointed out in our International School of Exorcism, Level 1, Course 3, in the gospel of Matthew 7 of 28 chapters refer to demonic activity; in Mark’s gospel 15 chapters deal with the demonic, and in Luke’s gospel 8 of 24 chapters contain accounts of demonic encounters. That’s roughly a third of the chapters in the synoptic gospels.
There is no excuse when Christian leaders avoid the mention of exorcism’s importance in the ministry of Christ. Fewer searching people would be going to psychics, energy healers, and even Voodoo witchdoctors if they knew they could find help in churches. Whether or not such seekers of exorcism really do have demons isn’t the issue. The tragedy is that they can’t find legitimate answers in most of the evangelical community. In fact, anyone who approaches a Christian pastor saying they have demons will likely be treated as a nut-job or handed over to a psychiatrist without the slightest benefit of deliverance prayer.
I’m angry at the injustice of that little girl being tortured in the name of exorcism, but I’m even more upset at the neglect of this much-needed ministry among followers of Christ. You may think that God will severely judge that mother and Voodoo witchdoctor, but what does the Lord think of those in Christian ministry who fail to offer answers for the satanically afflicted, especially Christians who think they may have demons?
An encouraging word: Don’t Envy Evil
Psalm 37:1 offers advice we need to be reminded of over and over: “Do not fret because of evil man or be envious of those who do wrong.” Our celebrity-obsessed culture does the opposite. Take a glance at the Grammy’s or the Academy Awards and you’ll see the opposite of what God advises. In such showplaces, it seems as if the most outlandish and morally egregious behavior is honored. As Christians, we’re not to admire or envy such people, who often lead evil lives. Set your sights on godly examples and those who live scriptural lives instead of envying those whose fame is fleeting.
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.
