Spiritual Warfare Is Not Just Attacking Demons in the Spiritual Realm

When I hear Christians talk about "spiritual warfare" or "deliverance," red flags go up and I become suspicious. While these concepts are legitimate and rooted in the Bible, I have  seen false doctrines and even witchcraft infiltrate into Christian circles under the guise of spiritual warfare and deliverance ministries. In some ways they have been hijacked. In an effort to set the record straight, this article will look at what the Bible says about spiritual warfare and contrast it with some unbiblical ideas.

Witchcraft

By witchcraft, I am referring to spiritual activities that God has clearly forbidden in the Bible. I am using King James for this passage because it seems more accurate than the modern translations:

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." - Deuteronomy 18:10-12, KJV

Passing a child through the fire is child sacrifice. Like abortion. The phrase "through the fire" may also be translated "crossing over the fire," implying an interaction across a dimensional barrier or portal with an entity on the other side - a demon or fallen angel masquerading as a god.

Divination is receiving oracles or prophecies from a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. I suspect the majority of "Christian" prophecies one can find online are false, which means they come either from divination or the person's imagination.

An example of an observer of times is consulting horoscopes, which claim there are favorable or unfavorable times for certain activities based on a person's astrological sign. That means there is witchcraft in the newspapers!

Enchanters and witches cast spells and perform rituals to influence people or cause something to happen by supernatural means. This kind of magic is real. In the time of Moses, the Egyptian magicians Jannes and Jambres imitated the transformation of Moses' staff into a serpent as well as the first two plagues of the Lord using occult practices. The power behind it is demonic.

I believe a charmer is someone who influences people's minds through hypnotic or mind control techniques. I'm not an expert in this area, but I can see how corporate news programs use colors like hues of blue and certain graphics and musical tones to put people's minds in a more suggestive state before feeding them propaganda. They're charmers. One of the best ways for people to shatter the matrix and wake up to reality is to stop watching TV.

A consulter of familiar spirits is more commonly known today as a psychic or medium. They commune with evil spirits, typically ones who claim to be angels or spirit guides but are really demons.

A wizard is someone who is knowledgeable and accomplished in occult practices.

A necromancer consults the dead, like the witch of Endor in the story of King Saul. In many cases I believe psychics who claim to consult the dead are actually consulting familiar spirits who pretend to be dead relatives or friends. In this way they can deceive and influence people.

There is a growing amount of overt witchcraft in our culture today and a massive amount hidden like an iceberg beneath the surface. It's practiced at the highest levels of Hollywood, Washington DC and Wall Street. Here's a secret: All power in this world comes from the spiritual realm, whether good or evil.

There is also witchcraft happening in the church.

Spiritual Warfare

Many Christians equate spiritual warfare with attacking, binding and casting out demons and demonic strongholds in the spiritual realm through fantastical prayers. This idea is especially popular in Pentecostal circles. I'm not picking on Pentecostals. In fact, they get things right that others completely miss, such the fact that all spiritual gifts are operational today!

However, this is not what the Bible says spiritual warfare is. The Apostle Paul mentioned spiritual warfare in several places in his letters to the churches. Let's look closely at what he said about it in Ephesians 6 and 2 Corinthians 10.

Ephesians 6:10-18

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." - Ephesians :10-13, NIV

Put on the full armor of God to stand against the devil's wiles. Paul acknowledged that we are in a war and our ultimately enemies are not even human. They are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms - the same fallen angels and demons that animate the occult powers discussed in the previous section. These entities are influencing people and controlling events here on earth to oppose God's agenda of righteousness, goodness and salvation.

Then Paul wrote about how to fight battle - the methods and means:

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place" - Ephesians 6:14, NIV

First of all we need the truth, the belt of truth wrapped around us. We have to discern what is true and speak and believe the truth. The devil has blanketed the world in a think fog of darkness and deception. Yet Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." When we connect to the truth, we are connecting to things of God. When we believe a lie, we are following Satan.

We need righteousness, the righteousness that comes from Christ by faith. As we grow in our faith, we learn to walk in His righteousness and fulfill the law of love.

"And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." - Ephesians 6:15

This verse is tricky to interpret. I think it refers to how the gospel of Christ brings reconciliation and peace with God. This peace quiets our hearts, calms our minds and frees us to be in a state of readiness to do God's will, like a pair of athletic shoes helps us to run and move at will.

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:16-17

Faith shields us from enemy attacks and anchors us to God and His power. Faith is trusting God and the promises of His word. It is really important to study the Scriptures to know what promises to put faith in. As we do, His power and protection are unleashed. We are able to fend off temptations, deceptions and attacks against us as well as make advances for His kingdom.

Salvation gives us hope for eternal life and promises of rewards in heaven. This hope consoles, motivates and directs us. It protects us from despair as we wrestle with troubles and tribulations in this life. In this way, salvation is a protective helmet. 

We also have the word of God, which is anything God speaks, especially as revealed in the Bible. Note that this verse says God's word does not become a weapon until it is animated by the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus said it is the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth. So we can't figure out the Bible with only our fleshly minds or seek education at a seminary degree to find all the answers. We need the Holy Spirit to bring understanding and to apply it. Then it becomes a spiritual weapon.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." - Ephesians 6:18

Finally there is prayer, all manner of prayers to God - praise, thanksgiving, listening,  making requests. When we pray in the Lord's will, we become like gateways for God's power to enter into this world from heaven. Prayer changes things. "May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Daniel 10 gives a great example of prayer and its interaction with spiritual warfare. Daniel prayed for insight and then humbled himself before God with mourning and fasting for three full weeks. Finally an angel appeared and give Daniel his answer. The angel explained how he was dispatched after Daniel initially prayed but was hung up for 21 days by the "prince of Persia," which refers to a spiritual force of evil in heavenly places - a fallen angel who presided over the territory of Persia. Since Daniel persisted in his prayer and fasting, the archangel Michael finally came to assist and the messenger angel was free to break through. Notice Daniel wasn't binding and casting out demons or praying special "warfare prayers." He prayed and fasted to GOD. That's what created the breakthrough in the spiritual realm.

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

Here is another aspect of spiritual warfare:

"By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete." - 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

While writing to the Corinthians, Paul acknowledged his reputation for being soft-spoken in person but bold in his letters. He was confronting problems that arose in his absence and hoped they would be resolved, so he wouldn't have to be confrontational when he returned in person.

Next, Paul discussed the spiritual weapons at his disposal. These weapons even demolish strongholds! What are they? He demolishes arguments and every pretense that contradicts the knowledge of God. In other words, Paul challenged people with the truth - gently yet boldly if needed. His goal was to make every thought obedient to Christ. This is a similar idea to the renewing of our minds mentioned in Romans 12. We mature in our faith by uprooting the lies and replacing them with the truth.

Again, the way to demolish spiritual strongholds is to challenge and confront people with the truth. Truth has a power all its own. It shatters illusions and tears down deceptions. God's words, which are truth, will accomplish what He intends:

"So My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do." - Isaiah 55:11

Spiritual Warfare Is Practicing the Christian Fundamentals:

According to these Scriptures, spiritual warfare is practicing the Christian fundamentals effectively: 

• Truth
• Righteousness
• Gospel of peace
• Faith
• Hope of salvation 
• Using God's word by the Holy Spirit
• Prayer, especially intercessory prayer
• Challenging people with the truth to demolish strongholds

Growing in these practices are what enables us to stand against evil in this world and have victories over the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms. In this way, we become effective agents of Christ. 

This biblical teaching contradicts the idea that spiritual warfare is directly engaging demonic beings with special warfare prayers. Yes, there are times to cast out demons. Jesus cast out a legion of demons from the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5. The poor, afflicted man was wandering around a graveyard and cutting himself. Jesus set him free and he came back to his right mind. Demon possession may come up more frequently when ministering to people who came out of the occult or who are victims of satanic ritual abuse (SRA) and trauma-based mind control. It's a legitimate ministry, but it isn't the main way we engage in spiritual warfare. Practicing the Christian fundamentals is the way.

I do pray that God will protect my family and home from evil. A handful of times in my life I have been harassed by demons at night during sleep and demanded they leave in Jesus' name. The last time it happened the demon was gone before I even spoke the phrase "in Jesus' name." He saw it coming and that was enough! But the primary way we engage God's protection is by drawing near to him through prayer, truth, righteousness, faith. As we abide in Christ, He automatically covers us with his wings:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, 'You are my refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart."   Psalm 91:1-4, Berean

It is God who protects us. We don't have to protect ourselves by constantly praying anti-demon warfare prayers. 

Deliverance Ministries

This brings us to deliverance ministries. Some claim that Christians need to "get delivered" as a matter of course. They suggest demons attach to us like leaches and we need deliverance ministers to remove them and set us free. I agree we are influenced by demons in our thoughts and desires, but what is the right remedy? Jesus never said that Christians need to "get delivered." The apostles (Paul, John, Peter, James) in their letters to the churches never mentioned deliverance ministry. If this ministry was essential for Christians, surely it would have been mentioned in the Bible! The apostles wrote at length about the importance of faith, prayer, truth, righteousness, hope, love, the Holy Spirit - all the Christian fundamentals. This is how we are set free.

I have seen and heard of deliverance ministries engaging in witchcraft. I know of someone who visited a deliverance minister and was supposedly set free from demons, but then started mimicking the deliverance minister's false doctrines and messages. Personally I am convinced the reverse took place. It was a demonic impartation.

I admit I'm not an expert in this area. There are godly people who engage in deliverance to help people. However, my knee-jerk reaction toward "deliverance ministry" is skepticism because it's not one of the Christian fundamentals and because it appears to be an area targeted for infiltration by the occult.

Example of Spiritual Warfare Gone Awry

I'll give a recent example of unbiblical spiritual warfare that manifested in a slick and deceptive way. The person involved is Glynda Lomax. She has the gift of prophecy and regularly posts messages on a blog and a podcast. I used to read her messages because they seemed encouraging and relevant to the end times we are now living in.

A couple months ago a word and interpretation appeared that claimed God intended President Trump to be a blessing for America but Christians weren't praying enough for him. This was a red flag for me because over the last three years God has spoken to me clearly that Donald Trump is a deception and an instrument of His judgment. Trump was sent to bring division, conflict and war to our nation and to test the hearts of Christians. Will people put false hope in a man (Trump) or turn to God alone? Here are several previous articles about this topic:

• Trump the Instrument of Judgment
• King Asa of Judah - A Prophetic Metaphor for Placing Hope in Donald Trump
• A Dream of Captivity
• Civil War Foreboding
• President Trump's Fascism Is Starting to Show
• Obamacare, the New World Order and the Mark of the Beast - Part 1

Other prophetic voices have expressed similar conclusions about Trump: Mena-Lee Grebin, Byron Searle, Linda Hasche, Shannon "Boldsojah4Christ" Johnson, Nathan Leal. To say Trump is supposed to be a divine blessing contradicts what the Lord clearly showed me and others. I'm concerned because those who follow Trump and put their hope in him will be judged for it (see the first three articles in the list above). To say we must pray for Trump because God intends him to be a blessing is a backdoor way of getting Christians to put their hope in him - and fall into that trap.

Lomax later delivered a podcast entitled "What the Lord Told Me About Pres Trump and America." She said God spoke at length to her one day about Trump and gave instructions to start a spiritual warfare prayer team to counter Trump's political and spiritual opposition. The underlined quotes are from the podcast. After each quote I'll write my comments.

"For a couple of hours straight, I got one word after another."

"I had been researching and writing a warfare prayer against all the witchcraft that's being sent against Trump. I was researching different things to place in the prayer to make it effective."

When we pray to God, He hears our hearts and answers if we pray according to His will. God knows what must happen in the heavens and on earth to accomplish His purposes. He doesn't need detailed instructions or specially crafted words to be able to answer our prayers. However, I have noticed that witchcraft is very concerned with specific details and verbiage, as if a spell won't be effective unless the recipe is exactly right.

I'm not saying that writing detailed prayers automatically makes it a spell, but this is a red flag.

"God began to speak to me. He said, "I want you to build me an army of prayer warriors... Then he said, "I have appointed you a general after the order of Deborah."

Lomax said God designated her a "general," a high ranking military officer. This reminds me of another person I wrote about in an article about false prophecy who said God referred to him as "Warrior General." Hmm, the same God who addressed Abraham, Moses and Jeremiah by their names in the Scriptures and called the Prophet Ezekiel by the generic "son of man," called that person "Warrior General?" Doubtful. Michael the Archangel might receive a title like that, but a mere mortal in the flesh? I also doubt the Lord would designate a mere mortal this side of heaven a General in the Order of Deborah. The Apostles referred to themselves as servants and slaves of Jesus Christ, not generals.

However, a false spirit who wanted to flatter and puff someone up in order to manipulate them might do such a thing. Keep that in mind. This is another red flag.

"He said, 'Teach them to do what you do - to pray a list every day. Guide them in how to pray over each issue. Start with the witchcraft prayer for your president. I have ordained him to be my man of the hour, but he has many enemies who are also my enemies. I desire that you would intervene in prayer that I would strengthen him and give him victories." 

Again, this message about Trump contradicts what the Lord showed me. Trump is not God's man of the hour, except as an instrument of judgment and a "strong delusion" to lead astray those who do not love the truth - in the spirit of 2 Thess. 2.

Moreover, who are Trump's enemies? Well, there are the Democrats who are in a fake conflict with Trump to keep the nation stirred up, distracted and divided. But no matter who is in Congress and the White House, whether Democrat or Republican, we get more war, debt, chemtrails and abortion because that is the globalist agenda both parties work for. Dismiss the rhetoric and look at they do. They are the left and right wings of the dragon that has seized control of the republic. They are showmen in a phoney contest who work together behind the scenes to deceive the American people. It's truly satanic.

Who then are the real enemies of Trump? It might be those who expose Trump's lies and evil agenda, like the small minority of Christians who are awake to what is really going on. So if that person is praying Trump will have victories, then that person is unwittingly praying for an unrighteousness agenda.

"He said, 'Tell my people that those who take this training, those who will commit to pray these prayers for me for one year, will be fantastically rewarded. I will open doors for them on the earth and give them things they have only dreamed about. I will increase their spiritual power to war in the heavenlies. They will have direct access to me in ways they never had before.'"

Yes, God promises amazing rewards in heaven for the faithful who use their talents to profit His kingdom. But this word says people who participate in this warfare prayer will be "fantastically rewarded" on earth and have things they "only dreamed about." It sounds over-the-top and strangely focused on earth, not heaven. Who else promises fantastic rewards on earth for pledging allegiance?

"Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to Him, 'I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus told him, 'Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.'" - Matthew 5:8-10

I'm not saying God is ungenerous on earth, but the Scriptures are clearly focused on rewards in heaven. So this message just sounds off. Another red flag.

"I want to pray not only protection over President Trump, but I want to clear a path around him. I want to kick legs out from under those people who are fighting him so hard."

Lomax wants to kick the legs out from under Trump's enemies. But Jesus said to love our enemies:

"You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." - Matthew 4:43-45

So did the Apostle Paul:

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." - Romans 12:14

"This is warfare. This is not praying blessings on these people. When I said take the legs out from under them, I meant that literally. I'm not playing here. I know what he's showing me to do and I plan to do it. This training is for hardcore soldiers only... If you want to pray for God's enemies to be blessed, knock yourselves out, but that is not what this is about, okay? "

Lomax plainly stated her intent is not to bless people. What is the opposite of blessing? It is to curse. She intends to curse people with their spiritual warfare prayers. This sounds increasingly like witchcraft, like hexing people.

There is not one single case that I can find in the Bible where God sent an army into battle for Israel and he said, "Yeah, go bless 'em." No, he said, "No, go in and don't leave a one of them alive, no matter if they are young or old.' He said, "Go get 'em and destroy them," is what he said in every case that I can find.

She clearly intends to destroy people with their "prayers." This is appalling.

I understand that God commanded the Israelites in ancient Israel to eliminate the Canaanites in the land. It was an exceptional situation where God used Israel to judge the centuries of evil committed by the Canaanites and to eliminate Nephilim bloodlines (i.e. fallen angel - see Genesis 6) among them.

But we are not under the law of Moses anymore. We are under the new covenant in Christ's blood:

“Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” – Galatians 3:24-25, King James 2000

This is the age of grace and salvation. I understand that when Jesus returns, his enemies will all be destroyed. But not until then! In the meantime, we love our enemies and bless those who persecute us. God said He will allow the wheat and the weeds grow together until the end, lest a good stalk of wheat accidentally be pulled up.

"We are not going to bless or love the enemies of God and the enemies of the cross in the White House. We are going to strip them of everything that we an strip them of. I plan to show no mercy whatsoever, just like when I am fighting demons. I don't show mercy at all. They have no mercy for us. The people who are fighting President Trump don't have any mercy for you as a Christian. Did you know that? Do you realize it is the antichrist spirit that is operating against President Trump? It is the antichrist spirit that is in these people. Please hear me on this, please hear me because this is something God showed me."

This just gets worse. Lomax is NOT going to bless or love the enemies of God, the opposite of which is to curse and hate. She will not show any mercy. That is ironic because Jesus said only those who show mercy will receive it:

"Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy." - Matthew 5:7

Furthermore, she is clearly targeting human beings, not just spiritual entities, with these "prayers" that are actually curses. She is dehumanizing people by saying they have the "antichrist spirit." But we all had the antichrist spirit until we were born again in Christ:

"You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience." - Ephesians 2:1-2, World English Bible

This is clearly spiritual warfare gone awry. I don't know this person's heart - she may be a Christian who has fallen into deception. Perhaps a root of bitterness or unforgiveness was allowed to take root. One thing led to another, and now Lomax has been deceived into casting curses and hexes and showing no mercy. It was not the Holy Spirit who told her to form a spiritual warfare prayer team to pray for Trump. It was another spirit, a false spirit. This is why I say this is witchcraft - divination, spell casting and consulting familiar spirits. I pray she will get back on track and will not be allowed to pull others down. 

Conclusion

We all need to stay true to the Scriptures. Study the Bible! There are so many deceptions in the world and they are increasing every day.

When it comes to spiritual warfare, stick to the Christian fundamentals and you won't go astray: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, hope of salvation, God's word empowered by the Holy Spirit, challenging lies with the truth.
 

Update - "Witch hunts," false prophecies, supernatural experiences

I just wanted to share a few comments to follow up the article Exposing Bette Stevens.

The realization and message in that article came about in an unexpected, organic way. I did not imagine something like that would happen. One thing led to another and, in hindsight, it was the Lord directing my steps.

Some people took the message to heart and others rejected it. I thank God for those who did receive it. It makes me feel like all I went through was not in vain. It cost me a lot in relationships, strain and illness. Of the people who rejected it and considered me a slanderer or something like that, not even one refuted what I said with the Scriptures. No one refuted the fact that Bette’s vision of the lake of fire inside hell is unbiblical, or that a vision uttering the cynical words “burn, baby, burn” about nuclear destruction of America is inconsistent with the loving, just character of God, or that Bette’s messages are sharp arrows of religious condemnation and fear. I think it says something about how they value the word of God, as compared to how much they value supernatural experiences or place blind loyalty in religious people who may be leading them astray.

Recently Stevens released a video entitled “Witch hunt in the church.” I did not listen to it, but would guess she says a “witch hunt” is a bad thing, divisive, based on false accusations. Her choice of the phrase “witch hunt” suggests medieval witch trials of dunking women in water to determine whether they float and are guilty. But what do the Scriptures say? We are supposed to test the spirits, root out false prophets and discern what is true and false:

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." – 1 John 4:1, Holman

"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." – Hebrews 5:14, ESV

Jesus warned us that the end of the age would be characterized by false prophets and great deception:

"Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many… False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note: I have told you in advance." – Matthew 24:11,24-25

In fact, false prophets and witchcraft have become common in the modern church. I see many false prophecies on Christian websites that collect and post prophecies from various people. For instance, all the prophecies that hail Donald Trump as chosen by God to restore America or give it a reprieve, a type of “King Cyrus” – those are all false. But where do the messages come from? Perhaps the fertile imagination of the person writing them, but in many cases I think the messages are fed to people by evil spirits. They are “channeling” spirits, which is witchcraft. That’s why we are commanded to test the spirits. There is only one Holy Spirit, but many impostors and many false prophets who give them voice.

Heeding and following false spirits is a form of idolatry:

"But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. " - 1 Corinthians 5:11

This is why I separated from the group who uphold Bette Stevens as a prophetess. They are not safe. Fellowship with them is an open door to attacks and deceptions. I pray they repent of this idolatry and are restored.

One more thing, and I've said this before: Seeking after supernatural experiences can be dangerous if we value them more than love, the fruits of the Spirit and truth revealed in the word of God. It can be a slippery slope into witchcraft. Witchcraft is real and gives people a sense of power and importance, appealing to the carnal flesh, because it taps into something other-worldly and beyond ourselves. God certainly gives supernatural gifts and experiences, but we need to keep it in perspective and make sure it is led by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, the greatest is love:

"Love never ends.

But as for prophecies,

they will come to an end;

as for languages, they will cease;

as for knowledge, it will come to an end."

- 1 Corinthians 13:8

Exposing Bette Stevens

The following exposé is intended as a warning to Christians about Bette Stevens and her ministry and teaching. I sincerely pray that those who have been victimized by the religious spirit of condemnation and fear operating through her will be set free and healed. 

There is no Christian omertà 

Omertà is an Italian word for the code of silence employed by members of the Mafia. Under this code, men do not interfere in the illegal, nefarious activities of others and do not ever cooperate with authorities or speak to them. Within the Mafia culture, breaking omertà is punishable by death. As the Sicilian proverb states, "He who is deaf, blind and silent will live a hundred years in peace.”

There is no such thing as Christian omertà. There is no code of silence concerning dark deeds and false doctrines in the Lord’s house. On the contrary, we are commanded to expose them:

“Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.” – Ephesians 5:11

Leaders in the church are to be rebuked publicly, just as the Apostle Paul did with the Apostle Peter when he stood aloof from the Gentile believers:

“Publicly rebuke those [elders] who sin, so that the rest will also be afraid.” – 1 Timothy 5:20

To be silent about sin and false teaching in the name of keeping peace, or to accuse people of gossip, slander or disunity when they are sincerely trying to expose works of darkness, is to assist the devil in his coverup. 

Background 

Bette Stevens and her husband John are leaders of a ministry called Victorious Vision Church. Bette claims to be a pastor and prophetess ordained by a man named Patrick Kirk who claims to be an apostle (more on this later). She specializes in “deliverance ministry” and prophetic visions. I do not know Bette personally, but I have read and heard some of her messages and have witnessed the harmful effects of her ministry on others. 

Doctrines of Condemnation and Fear

I think the best way to explain this is to just share my story.

My friend James exposed me to Bette Stevens. James manages a Christian blog and online forum called “jcsouthwest,” where for a long time I participated in the online community. James has a heart for ministry and regularly creates posts with Scriptures and illustrative graphics. For most of this year my wife and I also had regularly Skype sessions with James for conversation and Bible study that we enjoyed.

James knew Bette and John Stevens and had participated in Bible studies, calls and phone conferences they hosted. Bette’s videos and messages were posted in the jcsouthwest forum. I watched a little of her videos about end-times prophecies and teaching, but something about her tone and presentation disturbed me. In one video in particular about the Mandela Effect, she seemed fearful and hysterical. Fear and hysteria are not fruits of the Holy Spirit. This turned me off, but I thought, well, maybe it’s a personality conflict, maybe I’m being too critical. I know I can be that way sometimes.

In hindsight I was sensing something deeper. When I am around people or places with a demonic influence or presence, I sometimes feel deeply disturbed and agitated and intuitively know dark spirits are operating there. It happened twice in the last week, for example. The first time was when my wife and I met with a counselor at a local junior high school. The counselor was kind of cold and the conversation was discouraging and didn’t fully make sense. I experienced that disturbing, uncomfortable feeling and knew there was a spirit influencing this person to discourage us. The other time was in a small, privately owned bookstore. I felt darkness there and quickly left the store because I don’t like to be around demons if I don’t have to. Discernment of spirits is a spiritual gift from the Lord (see 1 Corinthians 12:10).

I first started noticing problems when James’ posts and comments became more condemning, harsh and perfectionist. One post was entitled “Many Professing Christians Are in Hell” and showed the terrified face of a man burning in hellfire and a woman falling backward into flames. Many of his statements were true, but the tone lacked mercy and hope, and not everything was true. He said that future sins not are covered when we believe in Jesus Christ, and that we need to confess and ask forgiveness for each and every sin to be forgiven of it. This implies we are continually bobbing in and out of the grace of God, and if we happen to die at the wrong moment after committing a sin, to hell we go. Is God’s faithfulness to his children really that fickle? This is what the Scriptures say:

“For by a single offering he [Christ] has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:14

This means Christ’s one sacrifice covers our sins for all time – past, present and future – for we who are being sanctified. Please hear me carefully, because I am not saying we don’t have to repent of sins, grow in our faith and remain steadfast in our faith to the end. That’s all true. For a full response to this issue, please see the recent post: 

Do Christians Have to Confess Each and Every Sin for God to Forgive Them? 

In another post called “The Great Falling Away,” James featured the verse in Hebrews 6 about those who have fallen away from the faith. It’s a sobering verse, yet the author of Hebrews ended it on an encouraging, hopeful note:

“Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation. For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them. Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope.” – Hebrews 6:9-11

But James left out that part of the scripture and ended his quote by highlighting the prior verse:

“But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.” – Hebrews 6:8

In other words, James focused on the fear of punishment in hell and neglected the hope, salvation, mercy and fairness of God.

He had also said we need to examine ourselves daily to check for unconfessed sin. It’s this idea of continually gazing inward and obsessing over whether we might have sinned here or there. This is not healthy and leads to paralyzing introspection. The Scriptures say our eyes are supposed to be on Jesus, not on ourselves. It’s the Lord who reveals what we need to repent of and correct. In fact, the Apostle Paul said he does NOT examine himself:

“But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

So, I watched James make a this turn toward doctrines and images of condemnation and fear. When my wife saw these posts, she asked what was wrong with James and cancelled her subscription to his blog. She is a counselor who specializes in treating trauma victims and understood readily how damaging this stuff is, especially for emotionally wounded people trying to heal. God does not intend for us to live in fear and condemnation:

“There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear.” – 1 John 4:18a, Holman

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1, NIV

"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice." - Isaiah 42:3, NIV

At that point, I began to gently challenge him on what he was saying. 

Witchcraft

I also noticed that James deferred to Bette Stevens as an authority on God. Both in person and on his blog, James justified viewpoints by referencing Bette and saying she taught those things. That seemed strange to me. For Christians, the only authorities for God’s truth are the Bible and the Holy Spirit. I wondered what this influence was?

Eventually I felt the Lord wanted me to re-listen to a sermon by Derek Prince on witchcraft:

Prince defined witchcraft as controlling or influencing people by any other spirit than the Holy Spirit, and said it goes on in the church more than you think.

After pondering all of this for a while, my wife and I went to the Lord one evening to ask a specific question: Is Bette influencing James with a spirit of witchcraft? My wife has an unusual gift of “randomness” where we ask God a question and she randomly opens the page of thesaurus or Bible and it is amazing how what appears speaks to the question, though it requires interpretation.

The first word we received was “nocturnal,” meaning “of the night” or “darkling.” This was about Bette. The second word was “non-believer,” which was also about Bette. At this point, I began to feel a bit sick to my stomach. I knew something was wrong, but did not think it was this wrong. I also knew that I would have to speak to James. Another word was “non-stop,” which I believe speaks to the nature of the spirit we are dealing with here. I later came to understand that this is a religious spirit of condemnation and fear operating in Bette and influencing James. This spirit drives people into a frenzied, almost manic, “non-stop” state of religious activity – out of fear that if they rest or stop they will surely be condemned to hell. What a contrast to the rest that the true God of heaven offers to his people:

“Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His.” – Hebrews 4:9-10

From picks in the Bible, we received Deuteronomy 28, which is about the blessings for obeying the Lord’s commands and the curses for disobeying Him. If we obey Him, we receive His blessings. If instead we obey a religious spirit not of Him, we will disobey the Lord and receive curses. We also received a reference to 1 Kings 11 about Athaliah, a female descendant Jezebel in Israel who usurped power through murder and intrigue. This was also about Bette and showed a Jezebel spirit operating in her, which would explain her strange influence over James as a man.

And we received a reference to Song of Solomon 5 about the beloved yearning to find her lover at night, but the city watchmen assaulted her and took away her cloak:

“I opened for my darling, but my darling had turned and gone. My heart had failed me when he spoke — I sought him, but I couldn’t find him; I called him, but he didn’t answer. The watchmen roaming the city found me; they beat me, they wounded me; they took away my cloak, those guardians of the walls!” – Song of Solomon 5:6-7, Complete Jewish Bible

Song of Solomon is a poetic metaphor about the relationship between the beloved, who is the bride representing the saints, and lover, who is the groom representing Jesus Christ. I believe this passage portrayed James as a sincere believer being victimized by a nefarious watchman. It is profound that the attackers are described as “watchmen,” which is the role Bette appears to play as a prophetess.

I was shocked and sickened by all this – both the severity of it and how strong the confirmations were. I knew I had to warn James and called him the next morning.  I talked about dark influences from Bette – not the specifics of our confirmation – and encouraged him toward messages of hope and redemption. He listened but ended up rejecting the warning.

The same day, I saw a message from Bette Stevens that James had posted on his blog. She described a voice that twice said “Burn, baby, burn,” and called her into a vision about a nuclear attack on America. “O My God….. Why????? Why Lord???????” she cried. It was clear to me that was not the Holy Spirit speaking, but a false spirit. God is just and He judges mightily, but He is not a mocking madman who delights in burning everything to the ground. The Jesus I know would not say, “Burn, baby, burn,” about a nuclear holocaust in America. That sounds like the sadistic Joker in the movie “The Dark Knight.” This word from Bette confirmed what the Lord showed us the night before. She is under the influence of a false spirit. I left a comment questioning the source of Bette’s word, but James deleted it. 

Religious Spirit of Condemnation and Fear 

There were more back-and-forth emails with James, and he left some comments on his blog that I felt were directed at me. Anyway, the bottom line was we were at an impasse. He thought those teachings and Bette’s ministry were from God, and I believed they are false and a deception. I sensed the Lord tell me to back away and so I did. I had stated clearly that the core problem was this religious spirit of condemnation and fear which needed to be dealt with.

Incidentally, I came down with a strange, energy-draining virus for about 3 weeks while confronting this spirit. It took a lot of rest and prayer to shake it, but praise God He delivered me.

In the midst of the confrontation, I also experienced a moment of doubt, because I felt like I was going way out on a limb. So I asked God if I was on the right track. Do you know what He said to me? He said, “Am I not leading you?” What else could I say to that but, yes, You are.

In the wake of this, the Lord moved me to read through the New Testament epistles with this question in mind: What is salvation? It was very helpful to clarify and refine my beliefs on matters related to salvation and what it means to live as a follower of Jesus Christ. The following two posts came out of my study: 

What Is Salvation (Part 1)

What Is Salvation (Part 2) 

During the time I was working on that study, I heard a song on the radio that I felt confirmed what was in my mind about how fear and condemnation drives people away from God. The song was "I Will Follow You into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. One of the lyrics says: "In Catholic school, as vicious as Roman rule, I got my knuckles bruised, by a lady in black. I held my tongue, as she told me, son, fear is the heart of love, so I never went back."

Several weeks passed and James reached out to me in a short email. It was nice and conciliatory, though vague considering the very specific issues I had raised with him. I glanced at his recent posts and they seemed more gracious and merciful. Perhaps he was softening? So I asked if he wanted to catch up via Skype sometime. I also left a brief comment on his blog. Shortly thereafter he left more hell-burner comments, such as: “You will indeed go to hell by knowingly sinning and not asking for forgiveness!” It was uncanny those popped up when I showed up again. Then he quickly put up two more posts with condemning tones and messages. There was that frenzied religious spirit again. 

Prophecy contradicts the Bible 

At this point, I emailed James and asked if I could post a couple comments on this blog that explain why the Bible does not necessarily support a couple of his assertions (see Is it Wrong for Christians to 'Debate' or 'Argue' about God's Word? and Do Christians Have to Confess Each and Every Sin for God to Forgive Them?). He did not respond to my email, which I took as a no. The Lord also put it on my heart to expose Bette Stevens publicly. That is why I am writing this.

I read Bette's book “Redeemed from Hell!!” in which she claims she was taken into hell and given a personal tour by Jesus Christ. The book was disturbing and clashed with my spirit. Since when does Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who sits at the right hand of the Father, descend into hell to give the living personal tours of that spiritual prison? Many of the people Bette said she encountered in hell were professing Christians! What a sinister message of condemnation. Eerily, it contained the same harsh, emphatic tone and condemning messages that I experienced with James. Because it was the same spirit.

Bette said “Jesus” took her to visit the Lake of Fire - in hell - and it contained people who committed the most serious sins, including "arrogance," "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" and, ironically, "religious and controlling spirits." But Bette’s account contradicts what we find in the Scriptures. According to Revelation 20, human spirits are not sent to the lake of fire until Judgment Day, which is after the end of this age and after Christ’s 1,000-year reign on earth. Then, at the judgment of the great white throne, even death and hell, as well as Satan and his angels, are thrown into the lake of fire. According to Revelation 14, the lake of fire exists "in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb."  So, the lake of fire is not in hell. Quite the opposite - hell one day will be thrown into the lake of fire. And there is no one in the lake yet – not until Judgment Day (except for the beast and false prophet who are taken there at the end of this age, but that hasn’t happened yet either). Bette’s description of hell contradicts the Bible.

I asked God if Bette's message was from Him, and this is what I heard in my heart: "Would I contradict My own word?"

No, He would not. No prophecy or vision from God would contradict the Scriptures.

Furthermore, on John and Bette's web page, their biography states they were ordained as ministers by their "Apostle and Overseer, Brother Patrick Kirk." I did an Internet search on this man and could find hardly anything about him, except for skimpy Facebook and LinkedIn pages. On his ministry website, the "About" section only contains some pictures of frilly handbags with Jewish graphics that he sells:

http://keminschurchesintl.org/hand-made-items/ 

There is only one prophecy on his website from 2014, in which Kirk said God addressed him as "Warrior General" and told him of an "impending annihilation" where the US government was going to lace our food supply with cyanide and arsenic. Then he gave an email for an infomercial that sells survivalist books.

That does not pass the smell test. Who is this man and who gave him the lofty title of apostle? What church or organization ordained him? His resume said he pastored a church for two years in the 1980s. I don’t see hardly anyone associated with him except John and Bette. He said God addressed him as “Warrior General.” The same God who addressed Abraham, Moses and Jeremiah by their names and called the Prophet Ezekiel “son of man,” calls Patrick Kirk “Warrior General?” I don’t think so. Maybe the Archangel Michael, maybe, but not a mere mortal.

I’m sorry, but all of this looks suspicious and strange.

I pray that anyone who has been harmed by Bette Stevens’ false prophecies and messages of condemnation and fear will be set free and healed. God loves us and his commitment to us is not fickle and fleeting:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

“My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.” – John 10:27-28

SEE UPDATE TO THIS POST:

"Witch Hunts," False Prophecies, Supernatural Experiences