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Learning From Your Mistakes

20 Jul
By Pastor Pam Sheppard 

 

Mistakes and Deliverance

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 It has been my experience that the doorway UNKNOWINGLY left wide open to demonic torment is a captive’s fear of ever making a mistake. Demons take great pleasure in tormenting people who they can control with criticism, shame and accusation. As a deliverance counselor, I realize that for each captive, there is a different root cause. For the most part, a fear of making a mistake comes from how you were raised. Those who have been under the authority of extremely judgmental, critical parenting are inclined to either become passive or aggressive in their response to this fear.

The passive ones try to “always be correct and proper” because they are afraid of suffering the consequences that judgmental parenting brings. On my web caseload over the last 14 years, those who are constantly hearing critical, accusing voices in their minds have been raised by critical, judgmental parents. Perfectionism in passive people also leads them to be ardent people pleasers–a breeding ground for depression.

The aggressive folks tend to become the rebels of the world who often seem to make mistakes on purpose and by design because they simply enjoy annoying people. In other words, “if you made me the black sheep of the family, I’m going to play that role with style and gusto! If you told me when I was 10 years old that I am going to be no good, just like my father, well, I am going to be “my father” to the 25th power. So watch me, Mom, as I go through the revolving prison door of recidivism. Watch me and suffer Mom, because you have tried to frame me with a fear of being like a Dad that I didn’t even know, because of you and YOUR failures!

Here is another pattern. January 2 of every year  could be renamed “Get Rid of the Fat Day. There are unseen reasons why some of us got fat. Here is the scenario for the rebel:  ” If you have called me “fat” all of my life when I was not fat but voluptuous and my sensuality disturbed you, Mom—-I am REALLY going to become fat just to show you what FAT REALLY IS AND that I don’t care what you think of my body type!!!!”

Scenarios like these are often played out on a sub-conscious level. Anytime you don’t know who you are and why you are behaving the way that you do, you are a prime target for demonic interference. As a deliverance counselor, this is the reason  why I am less concerned about whether or not you ever experimented with the occult or drugs than I am about how you deal with “making mistakes.” It does not take a great deal of education to become a great learner. Learning involves listening and mimicking. Even if we can’t read or write, life itself is going to teach us something!!!” If you have never made a mistake then you have not learned very much.

For the Christian in particular, God designs the lessons of life disguised in the form of obstacles, mistakes and difficulties through a maze of trials, tribulations, troubles and tests. Why? Because the Christian walk in the spirit by faith in God alone is what earns us our eternal crowns. Without any ashes, there is no beauty. Without failure, there is no glory. Without falling, we really don’t know how to stand. We are sinners who must totally rely on the Holy Spirit’s leading in order to please a perfect God. He is pleased when we can resist the pride of our sinful nature and embrace our ashes.

I was born 73 years ago. I was born again 40 years ago. All I have to give to God is a life of mistakes and failures. These are my infirmities, and like Paul, I actually glory in them. I know that I glory in them because when I speak or write about my mistakes, I have no inner pulling of sorrow, shame or regret in my heart. I know that I glory in them because I give practically no thought or expression to the things that man would consider successful accomplishments. I glory in my mistakes because I have come to know that the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is all over me when I can acknowledge my own weaknesses.

There is a difference between making a mistake and being a mistake. If I am in Christ, then I am not a mistake. On the contrary, if I rely on “self,” then I am functioning as a mistake. What the bible confirms is that God did not believe that I was a mistake or I would not be here. God does not believe that YOU are a mistake or YOU would not be here either. When we begin to see even an iota of how big and all-consuming God is, then we will stop worrying about our mistakes and the demons that are assigned to us will be bound and gagged.

Twenty eight years ago, I committed a serious sin that brought about its consequences and its ramifications. On last Friday, the religious demon assigned to me sent me a dream that showed me committing the exact same sin and “loving it.” Demons rarely accuse me of sin because they know that I don’t receive or respond to their guilt trips. However, THIS time, they “got me good” because the dream disturbed at least half of my day. The dream was a mockery. What I found offensive is that I was shown that I still have the desire to do the exact same thing, a sin that would be extremely hurtful to God as well as to other people whom I would certainly hurt.

Do I have the desire to commit the sin again? Absolutely not. Would I do so if tempted? Absolutely not. However, here is the truth of it. The flesh DOES NOT CHANGE! In my flesh, I am STILL capable of committing the exact same sin TODAY!!! Yet, though I am capable, I WILL not do it. Why not? Because I don’t walk in the flesh. I walk in the spirit. And because of Jesus Christ, the desires of my heart and my spirit HAVE CHANGED. There is NO CONDEMNATION TO THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS.

You see, Brethren, Christians who are afraid of making mistakes focus on self-righteousness and not on the righteousness of God in Christ. They are not looking to the cross. They are looking to self. They are trying to please God just as they tried to please their earthly parents. Yet our understanding and practice of perfection is totally different from God’s as it pertains to His people. Take Job, as our classic biblical example. He was as perfect as man can get, pleasing to God, yet prior to Calvary.

That was Job’s problem. He was toooo perfect. He had no mistakes to draw from. Without the mistakes, Job really did not know God very well. Once God allowed the devil to attack Job, Job’s hidden mistakes were revealed. He was focused on “self-righteousness. The true nature of God was also revealed. Once confronted by his religious friends, Job became defensive. Defensiveness is an outgrowth of pride. If you are defensive, then even the very thought of making a mistake becomes a bondage to you. On the real, face it. Mistakes are part of our lives and we will keep making mistakes till our last breath. In my book, “Faces of the Religious Demon” are scores of case summaries of professing Christians who religious demons tormented because their captives were afraid of making mistakes.  For one reason or another, deliverance counseling uncovered   a complicated pride system at the root.

If I am speaking to YOU, then deliverance counseling or mentoring will help you get the victory in 2017. So call and book a telephone session. 1-888-818-1117

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People Pleasing, the Flesh and Resisting the Devil

25 May

By Pastor Pam

Consider Jonah and his disobedience and sudden flight from God to a ship filled with men about to be shipwrecked because of Jonah’s folly. So to find out why they suddenly entered into a severe storm, the men on board cast lots and the lot fell to Jonah. Once Jonah was revealed, he confessed. You would have thought that the men would have immediately picked up Jonah and thrown him off of the ship. Instead, they tried to row faster. Yet when all human effort failed, they reluctantly threw Jonah overboard and peace immediately prevailed for them.

Why didn’t Jonah just jump overboard himself? Perhaps it was not physically possible and he needed someone to lift him up and cast him into the sea. My suspicion is that as it is in most cases, the people who are bringing storms into our lives are “all about self,” especially when their needs are being met by us.

However what I have learned by experience, is that once the cause of an attack has been uncovered or revealed to me, my next step is to refuse. Sometimes you have to refuse a condition or persuasion that is within your personality or in other words, a refusal may have to be made to your flesh.

For example, if you are a person that must be liked or approved of by others, you will have to refuse your flesh in this regard. If you can answer an emphatic “yes,” to the following statements as conditions of your own flesh, refusal will eventually be in order, if you are going to effectively resist the devil:

• I try to avoid being alone

• I let other people decide what to do.

• I get upset when people don’t include me in their activities;

• I am stressed if I don’t include other people in my plans;

• I am easily led;

• I hate any form of confrontation;

• I can’t stand being left out of things;

• I am emotionally dependent upon people.

So one way to crucify your flesh is by refusing to act out its nature.

Besides refusing your former nature without Christ, there are times when you also have to refuse your former perception or understanding as it relates to spiritual and religious matters. In fact, refusal is one of the ways that we cast down our imaginations, and every thought that is contrary to our obedience to the inner leadings of the Holy Ghost.

For example, if you have assumed that God would not allow the enemy to deceive you under any circumstances, to resist the devil that is assigned to you, you will have to refuse every thought connected to this false assumption. I personally know from experience that I can be deceived by the enemy because I have been, several times in fact.

Here is a personal example. It has been revealed to me that in 1996, I founded a church based upon the nature of my flesh and the leading of the religious demon assigned to me. Certainly, I believed that I was led by God at the time. However, with the discernment and the enlightenment that I have received over time, I can look back now with such understanding. What was confusing and complicated in 1996 is obvious and simple today.

Once my eyes were fully opened in 2008, I had to exercise refusal by closing the church doors. Certainly I had to face opposition to closing it. In fact, for a year, services continued in a members home, until her eyes were also opened and the doors of the church were permanently shut, never to open again.

As soon as I took the first step of refusal as I resisted the devil, the next revelation followed. Since the enemy was the secret force that led me to start this church in the first place, it logically and spiritually follows that each and every person who played a significant role in its operations was sent by the enemy also. In 13 years, several people were involved. Out of all of them, I have contact with two persons from the former church.

I published a e-book entitled “Be Delivered From Deliverance Ministry”.  If you have been in  bondage to people pleasing with deliverance workers who caused your spiritual and physical condition to worsen, you need this book.  If you have ever been in a deliverance session that lasted longer than 5 minutes, this book is for you.  If you have read a lot of books on deliverance ministry, this book will un-ravel the confusion and de-mystify how to cast out demons.

If you have questions about deliverance call 1-888-818-1117.

For links to get any of Pastor Pam’s other books CLICK HERE.

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Witchcraft As A Lust of the Flesh: Dealing With Manipulative and Controlling Captives

3 Dec

Witchcraft is the practice of cursing and controlling people and situations with a counterfeit spiritual authority and power, using white and black magic.  However, witchcraft is also listed among other traits and conditions as a “lust of the flesh” or a personality type.  We all have experienced these kinds of people.  It is one thing to be a pain in the ass  know-it-all.  However, when a person tries to manipulate, dominate and control the lives of other, that is when witchcraft as a lust of the flesh is quite obvious.   A personality trait cannot be cast out.  When the person is active and prominent in your life–perhaps  a parent, a spouse, a sibling, relative or a friend,— then you will have to develop diversified strategies to protect yourself. Once I continue too  discuss such strategies, this subject  could turn into a book that I might consider writing.  For now, let us look at witchcraft from the standpoint of moral purity.

Utterly committed to upholding their own self-image, captives in the grips of witchcraft as a lust of their flesh  will fight to uphold an appearance of moral purity. Moral purity in this instance is not so much a desire to seek after true righteousness but more a desire to appear righteous to his or her entire  public. A  Jezebelian personality type  is like her old testament predecessor in the flesh. Her  desire is “to kill the prophets of God” and to crown false prophets that are obedient to Satan. In this regard, the religious demon has found a seat in the organized church, a pivotal position to fulfill Satan’s goal of killing true prophets.

From the onset, I point out that a sensitivity and a compassion for those bound by witchcraft as a   lust of the flesh  is certainly essential to set a captive free. In fact, I  am always prepared to help these captives to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives when I perceive that  the Holy Spirit has confronted  them to face their own wickedness. Only God Himself can do this.  However, He may use you.  Just know that no amount of persuasion or debate will affect a captive who has witchcraft as a personality trait. And if the victim is in a position of authority in your life, you should never forget that you are   in for a formidable struggle where the odds are stacked against you. Remember also that the actual  spirit called  witchcraft will use its captives by  sending other  demons of accusation, rejection, condemnation and fear as a means of a counter attack, so it is imperative that you be  is wise as a serpent but as harmless as a dove.    The key is to remain humble, repentant and forgiving. Here are a few ways to be as wise as a serpent:

  1. Never reveal your innermost hopes and dreams to  a manipulative, dominating and controlling person.  One with a witchcraft personality trait will find both direct and subtle ways to disrupt, even destroy your plans. Most of the time, these kinds of captives are so narcissistic that they don’t really listen to others because they are very pre-occupied with the beat of their own drum.  So let THEM talk.  When they turn toward you and begin to ask questions, you ask THEM a question.  Their attention span is often  limited too themselves so  they can be distracted by another subject that interests them more than you and your pitiful life. But once such captives are bored, LOOK OUT!!!
  2.  Be very alert.  By example, when it is possible to do so, create a pre-prepared plan of escape from these people. Set boundaries and parameters ahead of time based upon the amount of time you can tolerate this person. For example, have some one call you at a certain set time, to interrupt either the phone call or the meeting.  Text helps out a lot with these kinds of people if you are not strong enough for a verbal or a face-to-face encounter.
  3. If you want to keep a new friendship or a relationship, do whatever you can to keep the witchcraft captive from meeting or getting involved with your friend.  Witchcraft captives can be quite engaging, and even if you warn your friend about the evil of the captive’s ways, YOU may  end up being the culprit who is unstable, jealous or judgmental because  the witchcraft captive has been both charming and engaging.  Once you start defending yourself, you have already lost the new friend.  In fact, don’t be surprised if the witchcraft captive has not stolen your new friend. So be wise and do not try to present a witchcraft profile ahead of time for it may backfire and leave egg on your face.
For more wise coaching on spiritual subjects, RESCUE may be for you.  We provide a 24/7 presence in our private Christian  fellowship group.  For more info on RESCUE, watch these two short videos  and/or visit www.aboutrescue.com  Then if you are interested to know more, tell us about yourself in the comment  box below or call toll-free, 888-818-1117.

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