When you smoke, you inhale up to 4,000 toxic chemicals. After you meditate on the list below, you will hopefully consider healing and deliverance to quit smoking permanently.

Acetone - paint stripper

Ammonia - floor cleaner

Arsenic - white ant poison

Butane - lighter fluid

Cadmium - used in car batteries

Carbon monoxide - car exhaust emission

DDT - insecticide

Methanol - rocket fuel

Napthalene - mothballs

I began smoking cigarettes as a teenager when I was a 7th grader.

My parents smoked and several of my friends.

It looked like such an enjoyable thing to do as well as looking cool and grown-up.

Almost needless to say, a habit of 5-7 a day soon became a ritual.

As the years progressed, I got pregnant with my second child and was encouraged by my doctor to quit and I did.

Since my husband was a smoker, it begin to appeal to me again.

Admittedly, trying not to smoke once you have been a smoker and you live with a smoker is challenging at best through human efforts.

So, I started smoking again.

Another doctor encouraged me to quit since I developed high blood pressure/hypertension.

Even though I only smoked 1 cigarette a day after supper in the restroom so my children wouldn’t see me, it was still a habit and just as difficult to quit.

This time, I prayed for the Lord to take the desire away.

As of today, I haven’t had another cigarette since.

That has been at least 15+ years ago.

For whomever may be wrestling with the smoking habit, I encourage you, my sister, brother, or future Christian, to believe the Lord will deliver you, too, if you sincerely desire to be delivered.

Signed,

Smoke-free Sister

Prayer for freedom from smoking including renouncing

A biblical complete set of instructions for the smoker who is dying to give up smoking!

Why is it so difficult to stop?

Jesus said that the devil is a murderer from the beginning and cigarettes are one of his preferred methods of killing humans since it is such a slow, seductive, and finally painful process.

As we study the origins of smoking tobacco products it becomes clear that there are many spiritual roots, which hold a person in bondage to this habit. The benefit of the following teaching has been proven over several years and as readers exercise their freewill to pray and cut off the spiritual roots associated with smoking, freedom will result. Let's start with a story.

True story
When I was only about six, my older brother found a brand new packet of cigarettes beside the road and we felt very grown up as we smoked almost the whole packet between us.

By the time dad arrived home from work we both were very sick and probably looked green. When he smelt the tobacco and enquired if we had been smoking we lied at first but were questioned till the truth came out!

I am so glad, now, to have been put off smoking by that experience. Although I did experiment with cigars and a pipe in my 30s, I couldn't forget how sick I had felt as a child. I have since seen a lot of sick and spiritually bound friends who have ignored the warnings on tobacco and cigarette packets.

Out of concern for two friends who were heavy smokers, I studied the historical spiritual roots of smoking tobacco and was amazed.

Soon after finishing my research, I prayed with a taxi driver who wanted to quit smoking explained the history of tobacco etc. and he was set free of his habit of years through deliverance ministry, dealing with the various roots.

Many other friends have seen the victory, but some only partially since I have found that you must deal thoroughly with the roots of this dying habit.

In many countries the law requires that warnings be printed on cigarette and tobacco packets e.g. Smoking causes lung cancer. Smoking causes heart disease. Smoking causes fatal diseases, etc.

True story
One morning as I sat having morning tea with a friend, I asked him how he could still use cigarettes in spite of the warning on each packet that it causes fatal diseases. My friend got very upset and almost shouted, "It does not say causes!"

I asked him to read what his packet said and he read aloud with amazement, "Smoking causes lung cancer." He paused, looking quite stunned. "I've never seen that word causes before!" he said quietly. The demons of addiction had blinded him to the truth.

So first, it's helpful to understand the spiritual background to smoking; and therefore, why it is so difficult to stop.

1. Biblical roots

This sin is described in Deuteronomy: "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 [one who consults the dead] or 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

Incense = Idolatry. Also, the burning of incense like tobacco is described as a form of idolatry in the Bible and is condemned as an abomination to God.

"He that killeth an ox [is as if] he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, [as if] he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, [as if he offered] swine's blood; he that burneth incense, [as if] he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose [that] in which I delighted not." Isaiah 66:3 - 4

Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.
Jeremiah 44:23

"A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable [things is in] their vessels; Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.

These [are] a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Behold, [it is] written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom." [Lungs?]
Isaiah 65:3 -7

The incense that we should burn is prayer; Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.
Psalm 141:2

Next, the great Spanish explorer, Christopher Columbus, had to smoke the Indians peace pipe of tobacco before he would be accepted by the North American Indian tribes. So now we can see the typical.

2. Emotional roots | Most smokers will acknowledge that they have taken up the habit through fear of rejection by their peer group who were experimenting with smoking and thought it was cool. When they are rejected, people seek a comforter and tobacco smoking, like over-eating, masturbation, drug taking, even expressing violence can be the false comforter they turn to.

Christopher Columbus took the tobacco curse back with him to Europe in the 16th century, where one of its early uses was as a medicine, and from where its use spread throughout the world.

3. Chemical roots | The tobacco plant [nicotiana tabacum] is a member of the group of plants described as the solanaceae group. Solanaceae means comforter and nicotine is renowned for the sense of false comfort that it gives to the addict, yet nicotine is used as an agricultural insecticide. This group of plants includes the potato and the deadly nightshade or belladonna plant.

4. Bodily roots/effects | Nicotine causes disorders of the respiratory system, dizziness, increased blood pressure, and disturbances of hearing and vision.

It seems that the first thing that the spirits behind smoking do, is to mask the true taste of the tobacco. The taste, which is disgusting to a non-smoker, becomes attractive to a smoker.

A simple prayer asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the true taste of the tobacco is sometimes enough to cause a smoker to seek to be free of the habit. However, without prayer, and once hooked, smokers usually carry on smoking even though the smell rejects non-smokers.

True story
One of my nephews was a smoker, a drinker and loved rock music. However, we loved him enough to pray for him as a family one day; binding satan, all spirits of addiction to nicotine through smoking, alcohol and rock music, in intercessory prayer. He was not present!

We prayed that God would let him see these things for what they are, to taste the true taste and to help him to find the real Comforter, God's Holy Spirit. Only two weeks later he became a Christian and his testimony was that he had tried to drink a Bacardi and Coke but it tasted like poison.

He reached for a cigarette but couldn't smoke it as it tasted disgusting, and that when he looked at his rock music posters in his bedroom, he saw how evil they were for the first time. So, he got down on his knees and prayed and asked Jesus to come into his life and; "Boy, did He come!" He testified to us.

"While smoking tobacco directly destroys the lungs, nicotine slowly damages the arteries and the heart. In its pure form nicotine is one of the most powerful poisons known. A direct link between lung cancer and tobacco was established in 1950." [Penguin Hutchinson Reference Library.]

Having achieved his end to slowly kill the unaware smoker, satan then offers those who want to try to give up, his alternative remedies. These often only lead to greater bondage eventually. Products like nicotine patches [the poison without the pong!], a program named after an Egyptian false god, i.e. the Isis program, and Hypnosis.

Hence, many people get out of the frying pan and into the fire. The real cure = cut out the roots of this multiple bondage til the tree falls over.

Perhaps you need to repent of:

1) the fear of rejection by [a peer group];
2) lying [to anyone like parents];
3) rebellion against [anyone like parents];
4) self-will;
5) lack of self-control; and,
6) seeking false comforters.

Renounce:

1) All historic roots;
2) Communication with familiar spirits (even in ignorance);
3) challenging or worshipping death;
4) burning incense, therefore Idolatry; and,
5) damaging the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body is where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Renounce the ungodly lie
"Man, this is living."
Then believe, speak and confess the truth
Smoking is death in disguise

Renounce the ungodly lie
"I'll be accepted."
Then believe, speak and confess the truth
"Cigarettes make you stink."

Renounce the ungodly lie
"Smoking just comforts me."
Then believe, speak and confess the truth
"Smoking is an addiction."

Renounce the ungodly lie
"Cigarettes tastes great."
Then believe, speak and confess the truth
"Cigarettes taste like poison."

An excellent way to help you quit the habit is to put a small New Testament Bible in the pocket where you would normally keep your smokes. Then you have three choices when the habit to reach for a smoke nudges you.

1st choice: Read God's Word, which is health and medicine to all your flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22

2nd choice: Read God's Word, and smoke, or

3rd choice: Smoke and ignore God's medicine. Die young!

However, don't let the devil make you feel condemned if you can't immediately quit a long-standing addictive habit. Ask Jesus to help you one day at a time. Perhaps hum the tune when you feel like a smoke! "One day at a time, sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of you." Pray!

The following steps will help you to freedom. These are based on the principle of drawing nigh to God, resisting the devil and then, God’s Word promises that, he shall flee from you!

1. So call on the Lord and ask Jesus to help you one day at a time. Remember that His Holy Spirit is The Helper.

2. Throw away all items associated with smoking, even ashtrays, and all eastern incense and idols.

3. Tell every spirit associated with your addiction to leave you and never to return, in Jesus' name!

A true testimony

"After 17 years of smoking, I have stopped!" I didn't just give up - I just got on a winning team. Jesus did the work for me. This testimony is not a condemnation of smokers - I pray it will help someone, somewhere. During the 17 years that I was chained to nicotine I tried all sorts of methods to give up - hypnosis, Isis, patches, cold turkey, cutting down, etc. -- and contrary to advertising myths, you don't get your money back.

I was amazed at how I could do without practically everything else except my beloved cigarettes [my best friend]. I would even choose buying a packet of cigarettes over something my baby needed. And when I was really desperate, you guessed it, I rolled those butts up! After failing so many times and everyone sick of hearing I'm giving up smoking' song - I sought deliverance prayer.

First I had to pray about praying - to learn what might be behind my bondage. This led me to remembering that I had enticed others into smoking when I was a kid, so I needed to apologize to God for this and ask His forgiveness as well as for deliverance from the spiritual bondage.

I believe, because I had been baptized in the Holy Spirit, prayer was able to release me from the cravings. Although this was just the beginning, it marked the start of the battle. The sword had been drawn - my job was to determine who, or which side, I was giving the sword to. The choice was mine.

Here's what I mean. Every time a trigger set my mind off about smoking I started to think praise and worship thoughts towards Jesus - thanking Him for setting me free and breaking the chains of bondage. I would just keep doing this until the thoughts of smoking were no longer there. Initially I was doing this a dozen times a day, maybe two or three times in a row. It was a battle, but one I was allowing Jesus to fight for me.

Three times I was lazy and allowed my mind to entertain the smoking triggers - three times after receiving prayer I had a cigarette. Although it's important to point out that I didn't crave nicotine, but I had entered the trap. I had allowed the thoughts to penetrate and lead to no good.

Over a year later, I still get the occasional trigger and each time I thank Jesus for continuing to break those chains. I can't believe I haven't smoked for so long and neither can members of my family. They honestly thought that I was so spiritually attached to it that I would be smoking until the day I died.

In fact the very experience has spoken volumes to my grandmother who has strengthened her own faith through this and also my sister who has given her heart to the Lord because she has seen through this just how real He is. How real Jesus is! This testimony is written by Awhina Leca, but belongs to God. Please feel free to copy it and share it.

Another young woman named Juliana writes after being delivered of her smoking habit." It was a miracle! I could not resist smoking before, and now, there I was, throwing the lighter away over the hill." "Coises! These Christians are getting free! Soon there'll be no houses' left for us demons!"

Other scriptures relevant to smoking

John 8:44
... you belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [NIV]

John 8:44
For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth -- there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars. [TLB]

John 8:45
And so when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe it! [TLB]

Deuteronomy 18:10-13
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. [NIV]

Deuteronomy 18:10-13
For example, any Israeli who presents his child to be burned to death as a sacrifice to heathen gods must be killed. No Israeli may practice black magic, or call on the evil spirits for aid, or be a fortune teller, or be a serpent charmer, medium, or wizard, or call forth the spirits of the dead.

Anyone doing these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord, and it is because the nations do these things that the Lord your God will displace them. You must walk blamelessly before the Lord your God. [TLB]

Isaiah 66:3-4
But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig's blood, and whoever burns memorial incense, like one who worships an idol.

They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me." [NIV]

Isaiah 66:3-4
"But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. God will not accept their offerings. When such men sacrifice an ox on the altar of God, it is no more acceptable to him than human sacrifice. If they sacrifice a lamb or bring an offering of grain, it is as loathsome to God as putting a dog or the blood of a swine on his altar!

When they burn incense to him, he counts it the same as though they blessed an idol. I will send great troubles upon them -- all the things they feared, for when I called them, they refused to answer, and when I spoke to them, they would not hear. Instead, they did wrong before my eyes and chose what they knew I despised." [TLB]

Isaiah 65:3-7
A people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat; who say, 'Keep away; don't come near me, for I am too sacred for you!'

Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day. "See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps; both your sins and the sins of your fathers," says the Lord. "Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds." [NIV]

Isaiah 65:3-7
All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in many gardens and burning incense on the rooftops of their homes. At night they go out among the graves and caves to worship evil spirits, and they eat pork and other forbidden foods. Yet they say to one another, 'Don't come too close, you'll defile me! For I am holier than you!'

They stifle me. Day in and day out they infuriate me. "See, here is my decree all written out before me: I will not stand silent; I will repay. Yes, I will repay them not only for their own sins but for those of their fathers too,' says the Lord, 'for they also burned incense on the mountains and insulted me upon the hills. I will pay them back in full. [TLB]

Jeremiah 44:23
The very reason all these terrible things have befallen you is because you have burned incense and sinned against the Lord and refused to obey him." [TLB]

Psalm 141:2
Regard my prayer as my evening sacrifice and as incense wafting up to you. [TLB]

Proverbs 4:20-22
Listen, son of mine, to what I say. Listen carefully. Keep these thoughts ever in mind; let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they will mean real life for you and radiant health. [TLB]

Miracle prayer

Lord Jesus, I come before you just as I am. I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In your name I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce satan and his evil spirits and all their works. I give you my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and forever. I believe that God the Father raised you from death and that you are alive to save me right now.

I invite you into my life, Jesus, and I accept you as my Lord God and Saviour. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul and spirit. Come, Lord Jesus, cover me with your precious blood and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I love you, Lord Jesus. I praise you, Lord Jesus. I thank you, Lord Jesus. shall follow you every day of my life. Amen.

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If you are going to do business with God, the currency is forgiveness.

Hello Beloved reader. I decided to write this unforgiveness article for you because it helped me. A few months back I attended an open-to-the-public ministry session where these questions were asked. I think many of us Christians were surprised at how many times we answered yes. Remember now – be honest with yourself. No one will see your paper but you.

Unforgiveness is one of the most powerful enemies in the body of Christ today. Do you know how many illnesses or infirmities are directly related to unforgiveness? One thing all people who are called to work in healing and deliverance should know when dealing with illnesses is to learn if the person standing or sitting before them has an issue with unforgiveness.

It is critical to learn if there is a single person that they’ve not forgiven. It is necessary to ask the person when exactly in their life were they diagnosed with the illness. Proceed to ask the person what life events were going on at or near that time. Often, the following are typical responses a person might give.

I've experienced betrayal. I lost my job and the boss could have let another person go because I was there longer. These are two of many reasons any person could share as to why they’ve not forgiven someone.

Now listen, beloved reader, do you know that sometimes people have instantly been healed of their infirmity on the spot once this unforgiveness has been taken care of spiritually. Keep in mind this is one of four things that must be addressed in an integrated healing & deliverance ministry session.

Will you get out a piece of paper and a pen, pretty please? Now, read the statements below. Each time the statement is true for you, make a check mark on your paper. Once you’re done reading each statement on the unforgiveness stronghold, you’ll talley up your score.

Answer these unforgiveness questions honestly

1) I find myself holding grudges.

2) I retreat into isolation from others.

3) I erupt in anger or I boil inside.

4) I think of ways to get even with others who hurt me.

5) I just bury the wrongs done to me without really addressing them.

6) I pity myself.

7) I carry bitterness and anger towards those who have hindered me or willfully, purposely wronged me.

8) Instead of stating the truth, I make excuses for those who wronged or hurt me.

9) I often feel sorry for myself.

10) Occasionally I think I truly am some kind of martyr.

11) Nobody has had it as bad as me.

12) I want to get even with people who’ve cause me pain.

13) I insulate or protect myself behind the walls of defensiveness.

14) I don’t trust others.

15) I just can’t forgive [which really is you want forgive].

16) I’m anger with God for allowing bad things to happen to me.

17) I act like nothing happen instead of confronting issues that have hurt me.

18) I can’t get over my past.

Please talley up your check marks to see how you scored.

If you have 1 – 4 check marks, you’re in the lower percentile [25%] of operating in unforgiveness.

If you have 5 – 9 check marks, you’re in the middle percentile [50%] of operating in unforgiveness. This is average for most Christians. Now, we all know what the Bible clearly states about any unforgiveness, right? So even if you scored in the lowest percentile, it needs to be taken care of.

If you have 10 – 14 check marks, you’re in the upper percentile [75%] of operating in unforgiveness. Yep, you betcha – this sure enough has to be addressed because you’re in bondage beloved.

If you have 15 or more check marks, you very likely have the stronghold of unforgiveness. If you don’t know how to break this stronghold and remove the demons holding it in place in your life, learn or go receive ministry please. What book would I suggest that’s a must read, Biblical Healing & Deliverance: An Integrated Approach to Biblical Healing Ministry by Chester & Betsy Kylstra.

Beloved reader, you already know the key to forgiveness is releasing the debt. By forgiving, you are not justifying what the person did to you is okay. By forgiving, you are not minimizing the devastating impact what they did has had on your life.

Well, here's the age old question – why is it that it’s so darn hard to forgive some things, some people. It is because the one time hurt or the repeated hurt has wounded your soul or wounded your spirit or wounded both. Usually the hurt(s), even though they can’t be seen, have really crippled you inside. The crippling could be mentally and/or emotionally and/or physically. Some hurts have downright debilitated some of us to the point that illness occurs.

And if we're transparent here, not forgiving the person make some Christians they have a [false] sense of power over the person [especially if the person wants to be forgiven]. As long as we choose to not forgive any person for any thing, we literally carry that person with us daily. What do I mean? You have a shackle attached to a ball-and-chain at the bottom of your ankle.

The weighted ball-and-chain is directly attached to each person you've not forgiven. You literally carry their body weight around with you all day long. In the shower, to bed with you, in the car with you, to the grocery store with you. More importantly, you carry those you've not forgiven with you mentally and emotionally every day, which is yet another reason you're weighted down internally. Although we still respond to people saying, "We're fine, blessed, highly favored."

So beloved reader – we’re at a crossroads here. The Bible says to forgive and that forgiveness is non-negotiable. Well yeah, this is true. What’s been learned in integrated healing & deliverance is sometimes we first have to have the Holy Spirit take care of the hurts at every spiritual and emotional level before the forgiveness can even be approached. And in very extreme cases, the forgiveness takes times, like in layers, which is better than not at all.

Please know if you are a person who works in ministry or if you are a leader of any kind, people will violate you. You cannot afford to allow this unforgiveness to place you in bondage. Let’s look at Joseph’s life in the Bible. He had so many reasons to not forgive his brothers. What did Joseph do [Genesis 39]? He stayed before the Lord, and yes, he forgave his family. Even though Joseph was a grown man, he sobbed like a child.

What is forgivness?

Is a spiritual decision to release the person, entity, institution or group who hurt you, betrayed you

Is cancelling someone from the consequence of falling short of God’s standard in your life

Is releasing resentment toward the very person who exacted very real hurt on you

Is dismissing our demand that the person owes us something

Is releasing the right to be bitter

Is releasing the right to get even

Is of God

Is releasing the right to hear the words, “I’m sorry.”

Is an act of our spiritual will

Is a process especially for those who’ve been abused/deeply hurt

What forgiveness is not

Is not a feeling

Is not an emotion

Is not being a doormat

Is not conditional

Is not stuffing your anger

Is not based on what’s fair

Is not excusing the wrong done to you

Is not justifying the wrong done to you

Is not you executing God’s wrath

Is not repentance

Is not based on what a person deserves

Is not you waiting for time to heal all wounds

Is not reconciliation [requires a minimum of two people] [forgiveness only requires 1 person]

Is not enablement [a form of people pleasing and repeatedly having no boundaries]

Is not letting the guilty off the hook, you are placing them on God’s hook

Is not denying that the wrong happened to you

The characteristics of an unforgiver

Danger - If you persist in resisting and disobeying God by being unforgiving [or whatever the sin is], you can eventually to given over to the influence of evil, satan and immorality. Acts 7:42

does not agree with God that sin is sin

delayed or even the prevention of spiritual growth

heart is turned away from God

go through verbal acts of repentance

an unforgiver often has diseases & functionally sick

is limited in hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit

an unforgiver can have psychological problems

an unforgiver can be a person laden with stress

elevate yourself above your offender

you’re emotionally stuck to your offender

you share negative information about offender

automatically open the door to satan and his demons

a hardened heart, a condemning heart

tend to be verbally abusive

blind that you’re becoming like your offender

an unforgiver ages faster

being an unforgiver affects your body’s ability to fight disease by weakening your immune system

an unforgiver can have emotional instability – fly off the handle easily or show very little emotion

Define the spirit of unforgivness, which is a stronghold

A simple word to describe this spirit of unforgiveness – hurt, a person who is deeply hurt.

A spirit of unforgiveness goes beyond temporary unwillingness to forgive.

The spirit of unforgiveness is a spiritual acid that eats through the spirit within us.

The spirit of unforgiveness is a supernatural cancer that slowly and deliberately eats you up.

There is a long time period between the time you are hurt and the time you forgive the person who hurt you.

When does unforgiveness become a stronghold?

When you refuse to forgive and the unresolved anger develops a fortified place in your mind and heart; you become mentally captive to do the enemy’s will. Ephesians 6:16

The three parts of forgiveness

Part 1 |Horizontal line of The Cross -- Forgiving others and others forgiving you

Especially needed toward family and church members because this is where most hurts come from

Part 2 | Vertical line of The Cross -- Receiving God forgiveness and us releasing God

Part 3 | Circle or halo where The Cross intersects -- Forgiving yourself and receiving forgiveness from self

Why do Christians have the most difficulty forgiving themselves than any other person?

Lie no. 1 - Sin we committed, the offense is too big to forgive

Lie no. 2 - We knew better and committed the sin anyway

Lie no. 3 - It’s a habitual sin and we continue to do it, it doesn’t deserve grace

Lie no. 4 - We’re so shamed by the sin, we should not exchange the shame for forgiveness

Lie no. 5 – You believe you don’t deserve forgiveness because of who you are

Here, it’s effective to say your own name.

For example, “Your name goes right here, I forgive myself for ____.”

So why do you not forgive when you know to do so

What was done to you or by you was too big

The hurt was planned, intentional and/or repeated

No modeling of forgiveness from our parents

They didn’t forgive me, I will not forgive them

You deny it never happened

Don’t understand God’s forgiveness

You believe the lie that bitterness is a normal response because God knows how you feel.

The pain is so deep [even though it may be simple to others] you just don’t know where to begin.

It is here where you allow the Holy Spirit to heal the pain completely first, then you’re able to forgive.

How does unforgiveness affect your prayer life?

blessings are withheld from us

our prayer life is blocked

we are spiritually dim

God doesn’t forgive us

God resists you

What is unforgiveness?

unforgiveness is a form of pride

is of satan and his demons

grieves the Holy Spirit

showcases a godless heart

keeps us in bondage to sin

is an offense to God, which makes us an offender to God

Forgiveness scriptures

Ephesians 4:30 – 32

Matthew 18: 21, 34 – 35

II Corinthians 2: 10 -11

Matthew 6:12

Mark 11:25

Luke 17: 3 – 4

Luke 23:34

James 4:32

Acts 10:43

Acts 6:4

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Psalm 118:8

It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. Help me sweet Jesus to write this article. Okay, beloved readers, a part of this Healed People, Heal People community. Why am I stammering at the keys on my keyboard today? The Holy Spirit taught me a lesson about 10 years ago that I will never forget. It’s about s-o-m-e people, good people, Christian people, loving people, those who love you, those who surround you on a regular basis, or those who may even be in your corner.

Psalm 118:8 declares it's better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man.

Okay, here goes.

We all have churches that are headed by pastors and leadership teams.

We all have family members, some of which we love, some we don’t care for too much – and some we just can’t stand [sorry, but it’s a reality for some].

We all have confidantes.

We all have those fun-to-hang-out with partners.

We all have those let-your-hair-down with friends.

We all have those kicking-it with buddies.

And we even have those select Christian people we like being around who will not check us when we are clearly stepping outside of the boundaries and principles of the Lord.

We even have accountability people -- we still have a choice in how much we disclose to them.

We all had or have secrets, some are not-so-big secrets, some are closet secrets, some are in-the-dark secrets, some are go-to-your-grave secrets, some secrets just cripple the hell out of you.

You decide what you do with your secrets. I can tell you this, the Lord never intended for us to carry the internal weight of the secrets. Many of our illnesses come from keeping secrets. Some of our constant mind racing comes from not being able to still the secrets.

Much of depression spurs from buckling secrets that people try to keep the lid shut down on. Many of your spiraling urges come from trying to holster your secrets. Many things we do to escape, including sleep, is to not deal with the harshness of our reality -- the secrets, the impending, unnecessary, illegitimate weights.

We all have those ride-and-die friends – no matter what, these friends will be there for us. Make no mistake about it, this is an extremely short of list people – it may even be one person – it may only be the Lord Himself.

But, beloved readers, you know what our Lord taught me 10 years ago that I’ve n-e-v-e-r forgotten?

Don't ever put anyone's word, advice, counsel, approval, consent, guidance or direction above what I say, says the Lord.

This was a very hard lesson for me to learn and live by.

Why?

Because some of those Christians who loved me, then, and still love me, now, gave me advice, counsel, guidance – that didn’t line up with the Word of God.

Did they love the Lord and do they love the Lord? Yes, these Christians did and do love the Lord.

Did I own a Bible? Yes, I did own a Bible, then, and; yes, I do own several Bibles now.

Did I know the Word? Yes, I knew the Word and; yes, I know even more Word now.

Did a little flicker go off inside of me when these loving Christians told me what I wanted to hear? Yes, the Holy Spirit pushed that flicker button inside of me. But, I knew what some of the loving Christians said to me over the years did not line up with the Word. [I'm not being sarcastic when I use the words loving Christians; I'm sincere.]

They padded their advice, lined their counsel and justified it with scripture – I think the Bible calls this itching ears, on my part. And let's mention this, there are a lot of Christians, even Christians in leadership positions, who are so wounded they believe life's experiences more than they believe the Word of God. And accordingly, they give advice, counsel, approval, direction based on experience. It's your responsibility to know the Word for your life. It's your responsibility to know when scriptures are being misaligned.

Now, what each of us reading this article knows, is that we tell people, even Christians exactly what we want them to know. An ole' pastor once told me, it’s just human nature to do this – tell folk o-n-l-y what you want them to know.

Beloved reader, do you disclose every single, slither of information to the people you’re seeking input from? I’ll leave that for you to answer.

I always flinch, in particular, when Christians say, “Follow your heart.”

Excuse me, beloved readers, I am not trying to be disrespectful, but that statement above is just plain dumb.

“Follow your heart.”

Do you know when I graduated from undergrad, I did a Bible study for two years just dealing with the different conditions of the human Christian heart.

You know what’s an even better question, beloved reader, Do you know what’s in your heart?

If so, how do you know what's in your heart? What have you done about the contents of your heart?

How often do you inspect your heart?

How often do you present your heart to the Holy Spirit?

Do you know what to do once the Holy Spirit has revealed the contents of your heart?

Well – I offer several versions of the scripture below.

Jeremiah 17:9 [NIV]
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9 [NASB]
The heart is more deceitful than all else, And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9 [KJB]
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9 [AKJV]
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9 [ASV]
The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9 [Bible in Basic English]
The heart is a twisted thing, not to be searched out by man: who is able to have knowledge of it?

So, beloved reader, help me understand again why so many people, especially Christians, throw out the statement so casually, “Follow your heart,” or “I just follow my heart.”

I’m choosing to believe based on the Word of God and based on my experience in integrated healing and deliverance and based on the experience of veterans in the ministry of integrated healing and deliverance – that people, Christians, are simply making this statement, “follow your heart,” out of ignorance.

I used to wrestle with the following questions when I really respected and esteemed some Christians who gave me counsel. Now keep in mind these were internal thoughts I had in my mind about these Christians. I am still in relationship with the majority of these Christians.

Thoughts I had after receiving advice, counsel, direction from some respected Christians

- but, look at their position in the community, they are so visible
- but, look at how much they study the Word of God
- but, look at their leadership position in the church
- but, look at how much influence they have
- wow, I really need to stay in their good graces, they can help me
- but, they seem to be pretty close to the Lord, do what they say
- I know they wouldn’t tell me wrong, I’ll do what they say
- but, look at their walk with the Lord [what’s visible to me]

Beloved reader, what I have painfully learned from our Lord is this scripture, It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8

Why do I use the phrase painfully learned? Because I had to go around the darn mountain over and over – I sound like the Israelites, right? The first time I realized the advice from the respected, respective Christians landed me in hot water, why didn’t I confess to the Holy Spirit, “I’m sorry for not listening to Your whisper in my ear.”

Each time, beloved reader, I remember the Holy Spirit placing that little flicker inside of me saying, ”That’s not the way to go;” “Don’t ignore Me.” But I yielded again and again, beloved reader, because I respected Christian people more than I esteemed the Word of God. These respective, respected Christians said what I wanted to hear and what they said aligned with my desires, my will -- a recipe for impending disaster.

Now, in Psalm 118:8 the end of the scripture says, … than to put confidence in man.

Well, who is man?
Man is any human being breathing who is in your life, male or female.
Man is any human being, Christian or non-Christian.
Man is any human being in any income level.
Man is any human being on any status level.
Man is any human being in every rank of the Christian church.
Man is any human being in your family.
Man is any human being who is your friend.

The beginning of Psalm 118:8 says It is better to trust in the Lord …

Yall, I’m literally b-e-g-g-i-n-g you, trust the Lord.
If you don’t know how to trust Him, just tell Him, He already knows.
If you’re scared to trust Him in an area of your life, just tell Him, He already knows.
Wherever you’re deficient in trust, ask Him to build that in you for you since you’re not able to do so.
If you’ve not dealt with the issues preventing you from trusting the Lord, would you consider asking the Holy Spirit to reveal these things to you.
Would you consider receiving ministry for integrated approach to healing and deliverance for these issues?
Why?
So, you can experience freedom in this or these areas of your life.

Don’t have itching ears like I did; ask the Holy Spirit to remove your itching ears.
The Holy Spirit knows that we all have desires and dreams and wills.
He truly has better plans for us than we’re able to muster up for ourselves.
His plans for you don’t even involve manipulation and maneuvering and dodging.

Yall, I guess by now, you know I’m a born and breed [USA] southerner – that’s fine.
Let's ask the Holy Spirit to reveal our spiritual blind spots.
Let's ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the areas of our lives we’re in denial about.
Let's ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in our lives where there may be self hatred.
Then when He reveals, please, please, take action to do something about it.
If you don’t know what to do, I’m willing to find a resource to help you, if I can’t.

Yall, I understand that you may not disclose everything to people, but please, don’t lie to yourself. You desire the abundant life the Lord speaks of so often in scripture, right? Well, the abundant life is short circuited when we choose to do the following things:

- pretend you don’t know the Holy Spirit is nudging you
- cut corners to try to get what you want
- only disclose so much information and purposely conceal other pertinent information to those you seek counsel from
- you choose to turn a deaf ear to the Holy Spirit
- you choose to forget that some blessings and some promises of the Lord are conditional; Have you met the
condition(s) without compromising?
- wrongly use scripture, people, situations, [conditional] prophecy to justify something you want
Please remember that satan and his demons have strategy too for your life.
And his strategy is presented very nicely, not in a questionable fashion.

Whatever word, advice, counsel, approval, consent, guidance or direction you receive, even from Christians, put it before the Lord, please, before moving forward. And wait for His confirmation or His denial and His instructions.

Now, let me share this with you. I know the respective Christians throughout the years didn’t provide advice to hurt me on purpose. Although we’re Christians, we are humans. We have good days. We have days when we’re not as sharp, when we’re not on point. Well-meaning, God-loving Christians have been and can be used strategically by demonic in your life -- even without them knowing it and you knowing it.

We all recall when Jesus spoke to Peter in Matthew 16:23. Jesus was very aware that the demonic was working through Peter. Yes Peter, a man who literally was chosen and walked with Jesus. I'll keep this brief by simply asking these questions. Are your spiritual tools keen enough to discern when God-fearing Christians are off kilter who give you advice?

Do you even know what your spiritual tools are? What do you do to improve your spiritual tools? How often do you use your spiritual tools? Spiritual tools are similar to the physical muscles in your body. They becomes stronger the more you exercise them and use them on a regular basis. Spiritual tools become stronger they more they are stretched out of their comfort zone.

People ask me and you for advice in areas that we may be weak in. When you realize that a person is asking you for advice in an area you're weak in, do you disclose that this is one of your weak areas, up front? Do you or have you chosen to do what's in the best interest of the person by stopping the conversation and sharing in integrity that this isn't an area you're strong enough and disciplined enough to provide counsel, advice, consent, approval, direction or guidance.

You and I ask people for advice in areas that they are weak in, but we don’t know that because they don’t disclose it [the majority of the time]. And even when we see -- through people’s repeated actions that they’re weak in certain areas, we sometimes still choose to seek their advice, their counsel.

This is not wise, beloved reader. So this begs the question, why do we ask them? Because they’ll tell us what we want to hear. This is a clear sign of spiritual immaturity and/or lack of exercising godly wisdom in this particular area of your life.

Psalm 118:8 reads, It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. Please do not esteem man, woman or Christians words higher than the Word of God for your life, please.

Thank you for taking your time to read this article, beloved reader.

If you’re not a member of this Healed People, Heal People, community we invite you to join for free here. You'll receive regular updates of encouragement wrapped in biblical truths. If there are others who’d benefit from this article, please send them the link to this article.

By Dr. David Kyle Foster

1. Masturbation can be the vehicle whereby the inhibited person maintains their propensity to remain self-contained and in need of no one. It deepens the trenches of loneliness, self-pity and self-centeredness.

2. Masturbation is a turning in on one's self -- a narcissistic neurosis that feeds introspection and other dysfunctional directions. This kind of inwardly focused life robs people of the fullness of life that Christ came to give.

3. Masturbation can become a gateway for demonic strongholds to develop. This becomes more and more likely as one delves deeper and deeper into pornography and perverse sexual fantasies.

4. This behavior serves to program the mind to focus on fantasy as the source of pleasure rather than the biblical model of union with one's spouse. People come to be seen as objects rather than real people. It is an elaborate scheme of the enemy [satan and his demons] to keep us from learning how to be intimate with our spouse and our God.

5. When someone takes up the practice of masturbation, they are programming themselves to turn to solutions that block or hide problems rather than solve them. This immature life-pattern for problem-solving is highly dysfunctional and is the foundation upon which is laid a lifetime of addictive behavior.

6. Masturbation has a physically addictive side to it that serves to block pain. The chemicals that are released into the brain serve to medicate pain much like any addictive drug. God wants us to bring our pain to Him. He wants us to grow through it and receive the blessing of sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

7. Masturbation is a task master that demands the continual plumbing of new and more perverse depths of lust. On that treadmill, the mind is programmed to more and more highly delineated sexual fantasies, which the marriage bed can never match. Normal marital relations become a disappointment and the design for sex thwarted. The body also becomes programmed to achieve release quickly, which serves to frustrate the patterns of healthy sexual intercourse between spouses.

8. A clutching at the genitals by infants is often a manifestation of separation anxiety, but that same behavior in childhood is often a sign of sexual abuse or some other cause for significant internal anxiety in the child. If the child uses a mirror during the act, that is a scenario that can result in homosexual confusion, as the child programs their mind to associate sexual pleasure with the sight of their own body. [In such cases, other factors that lead to homosexual neurosis are probably also present, such as molestation or failure to bond on an emotional level with the same-sex parent]. Adolescent experimentation at puberty is normal and not a cause for alarm unless it becomes habitual.

What does the Bible Say?

One of the most prevalent rationalizations that people use is that the Bible never mentions masturbation and that it must therefore be alright. Is that logical? Is child molestation alright then? It's not specifically forbidden in the Bible. How about shooting heroin? Or how about torturing someone? Not mentioned! You see how illogical the argument quickly becomes.

How do we know that smoking dope is against the will of God, for example? We discover the answer by uncovering the principles found in scripture - most specifically those concerning the body being the temple of the Holy Spirit and those commanding us to obey governmental authority. We also know sin by the witness of the Holy Spirit within, provided we haven't quenched that witness through ongoing rebellion.

The most obvious biblical principle that is applicable to masturbation is found in Matthew 5:28 where Jesus indicates that lusting after someone in the heart is the same as actually doing it. I am violating whomever I am picturing in my mind during the act of masturbation. It really doesn't matter whether it is a picture from a magazine, [Those are real people!], or someone I've met or a memory of some act committed in the past.

And if I can discipline my mind to think of no one, what of that?

Attainment of such focus only serves to make obvious the desperation and obsession that drives us to such lengths. The principles found in I Corinthians 6:12; II Peter 2:19; and Romans 6:14 clearly emerge as foundational to our plight -- that we are slaves to whatever masters us. When we get truly honest about the habit of masturbation, it is clear that it is a behavior that controls us -- one that we use to medicate pain, to alleviate stress or to forget rejection. In that way, it is similar to a drug habit -- just one more vehicle to avoid turning to God.

Why won't we turn to God? We may be ashamed. We may believe that He's going to judge and punish us. We may not trust Him. Or, it simply may never occur to us. We don't normally see God as being involved in the fulfillment of our sexual lives. He's a Spirit after all and we are physical creatures. And yet, He is in fact the answer to every problem. He can quench our unholy desire and He can teach us to respond to problems by working through them rather than from running from them.

Confessing the Right Things

It is important that I discover the root sin issues so that I can repent of them. If I am unaware of one or more of these strongholds, I will inevitably remain bound because my unrepented sin will continue to give Satan ground to hold me in bondage. Much of the transformation process involves discovering where Satan's ground is and removing it with the tools that God has provided. What then are some of the root sin issues that need to be confessed?

1. Unbelief

Unbelief Is the doubt that God is really good. When I sin any sin, I am in that moment doubting that God is really there for me, that He cares, and therefore, that He is good. I am re-enacting the first sin committed in the Garden of Eden, when Eve became convinced that God was keeping from her something that was good.

The truth is, God has something better than the coping mechanism of masturbation -- even for the single person. He has something higher, something that will bring completion and satisfaction to one's sexual self. It is this truth that is most effective in being persuaded to forsake the sin.

2. Idolatry

Ephesians 5:3-5 clearly teaches that sexual immorality is a form of idolatry. Often masturbation becomes a source of life and peace, especially for those who have lived through great pain. It becomes a substitute god. Should the Spirit come to offer freedom, many will recoil in terror at the realization that they are being asked to live without something that has been a primary source of peace in their lives - something that has kept them from falling apart. The behavior becomes so entrenched in their sense of being that life without it becomes unimaginable.

Like the worship of any god, masturbation has its own fetish objects and rituals -- times, places, triggers, ritual objects, and ritual patterns that draw the person into an almost trance-like progression toward the peak experience and denouement. Confessing the ritual worship and removing or renouncing its various components is key to seeing its power broken.

3. Rebellion

Sometimes we simply refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit or pretend not to hear Him. The self-care of masturbation often cloaks anger and distrust of God, who never seemed to be there when we needed Him. Often in childhood, when God doesn't rescue us or change us upon demand, we judge Him in our hearts and develop a root of anger that must be removed through confession and repentance. That means we acknowledge our rebellion and make concerted choices to love Him and to believe that given the context of human free will, God operates with complete integrity and love.

4. Love of Sin

This one is often buried under mounds of rationalizations. We pretend that we need to practice the sin, we deserve to practice it, it's the least God can do to allow it considering what we've gone through, etc. But the truth is, we love it more than we love God. In order to change this, we need to discover how to love God more. Greater love for God comes as a fruit of taking the time to know Him intimately. A lifestyle of worship is important. The demonic realm cannot stand that. Meditating on the Cross is also a major key. As we gain a deeper appreciation for our Lord's suffering, we become more willing to jettison the things that have charmed us most [as the old hymn says]. When tempted, we only need ask ourselves, Who do I love right now - the sin that is tempting me, or the One who loves me so deeply that He died on the Cross for me? Put that way, the choice becomes far easier to make.

5. Self-deception

It is a humbling thing to realize that over the years we become masters at deceiving ourselves into believing we want freedom from something that we will not give up. Like an onion, we lay down layer upon layer of self-deception, saying the right religious words and thinking the right religious thoughts, while still refusing to forsake the desire for the sin that lingers in our hearts. We need to acknowledge before God the ongoing impurity in our motivation, the depravity in our heart, and our need for Him to give us the true heartfelt desire to be holy and pure.

6. Performance-righteousness

Most of us, even those who know better, continually fall into this trap. Though we talk of grace alone and being able to do nothing without Christ, our fallen nature continuously seduces our minds into believing that we must earn God's love and acceptance and that we must develop our own righteousness. Over and over again we try to make ourselves holy and pure rather than suffer the humiliation of the flesh and truly become dependent on God for the power to live the kingdom life that He won for us on the Cross.

The Long and Winding Road to Freedom

It would be nice if God would just zap us and make us permanently free from sin and bondage. But the process of sanctification is often arduous. Through it we learn to value the end result, depend on Him, love Him, trust Him, hate evil and give all glory, praise and honor to God and God alone.

The foundational principles by which our Lord sets us free from masturbation are no different than those for any other sin and bondage. Simply put, set your focus on Him [rather than your problem] and let His Spirit guide you the rest of the way. In moments of intimacy with Him, God will lead you through a complete shift in your priorities. He will transform your affections and belief systems. He will deepen your desire and determination to be liberated. He will expose and heal the hidden emotional and sin problems that have fed your bondage. And He will strengthen your willingness to believe and to act on His promises.

1. Learn to give yourself grace. It took you a long time to develop the problem, so in moments of failure, turn and receive the love and grace of God. He is pleased with you because of Christ's sacrifice on your behalf and because deep in your heart, you loved Him enough to commit your life to His Son. God has grace to spare. In fact, it is His grace in the midst of our failure that ultimately yields the fruit of obedience [Titus 2:11-14].

2. Permanently set your heart and mind to turn to God at the first moment of temptation and with acknowledged weakness and dependency, cry out to Him for His power to quench the fiery darts of the enemy. Commit to being ruthless with temptation -- giving it no place. Let Christ answer the door when it comes knocking!

3. Remove every influence that leads you into desiring and repeating the behavior. Ask God to show you what these are. Break the ritual patterns and remove the ritual objects as God reveals them to you.

4. Practice believing that God has something better -- that He can indeed fulfill the needs that are temporarily being met through the illegitimate means of masturbation.

5. Spend significant, quality time with God in praise, worship, prayer and scripture reading. Pour out your heart to Him. Develop the same intimate relational knowing of God that you would with a spouse. Ask Him to implant within your mind a healthy view of sex and the sexuality of others. Ask Him to give you a love of purity, seeking Him passionately in the beauty of His holiness [Psalm 96:9]. Listen to Him as He unlocks for you the unique keys to your transformation. Listen with a heart set on obeying His direction no matter what He may suggest.

6. Refuse to submit to Satan's barrage of self-condemning thoughts when you fall. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1]. Call any thought or feeling to the contrary the lie that it is and reject it. Repent and then run back into your Daddy's arms.

7. Learn what God really thinks of you by meditating on the Cross. Reject the lies of self-hatred, loathing and shame that are in actuality, elaborate challenges to the Cross of Christ and the promises of God.

Know that God has the will and the power to set anyone free from anything. Go for the free indeed promise. Seek not the maintenance program of the world, but the transformation program of the kingdom of God!

Thank you for taking your time to read this article on Healed People, Heal People. If you're not a member of this online community, we invite you to join for free here. There are regular updates of the encouragement wrapped in biblical truths.

I decided to post this blog below because my life and my family's life has been adversely, negatively affected by being a part of the Masonic and Eastern Stars. Yes, I know the organizations are presented as community organizations, especially to Christians.

My life has done a 180 degree turn since I made the decision to renounce my family's historical and generational involvement in these organizations that are part of the occult. I made the decision to break the biblical, generational curses that are automatically active in your life once you join these organizations. Those in my family who have chosen not to do so still suffer to this very day.

They shrug their repeated life mishappenings as a bad day, bad luck, or whatever they choose to pawn it off on. The Holy Spirit can speak to you better than any person. I challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about your involvement or your family's involvements in any society or organization that has initiations or secrets. My dearly beloved believers in the body of Christ, the Bible is very clear about this subject.

While pastoring a church in Arkansas, I was asked to take a church that was on a spiritual and numeric decline.

I accepted the call, and in November 1990, 1 became pastor of the First Baptist Church of Columbia, Louisiana.

For the first few months, the chairman of the Pulpit Committee regularly visited my office telling me what I could or could not do.

He was especially opposed to door-to-door evangelism.

Soon I learned that a group of other men shared his views.

They criticized most of the former pastors and even explained in detail how they had "railroaded" a full-time youth pastor out of the church.

His removal was so slick, they said, that no one in the congregation knew what was happening.

Their message was clear, "Do what we want, or we will do the same to you."

They kept me so busy carrying out their plans, projects, and agendas that I had little time to
listen to God.

When I would move in the direction I felt God wanted, one of them would show up with all kinds of plans and projects. I was continually derailed from God's leading.

There was small numeric growth with these activities, but the church was spiritually dead.

Worship was oppressive, as if a dark cloud hovered over the services.

Throughout this time the chairman of the Pulpit Committee repeatedly gave me a funny handshake. I had no clue
what he was doing.

Finally, God began to speak to me that I needed to listen to His direction, not the direction of these men.

His Words were so clear, "Concentrate on worship, revival, evangelism, and making disciples."

When I first began to emphasize worship, I sensed resistance from the Minister of Music, who proudly wore his Masonic ring and tie tack.

Several months later, however, he went through a spiritual crisis and prayed to receive Christ.

Two weeks later he gave his testimony in church.

After his testimony, I stood to invite others to come forward and receive Christ.

I was shocked at what I saw.

Although there was rejoicing on a few faces, most were hostile - so hostile that it sent chills up and down my spine.

As I looked at their faces, I identified them as Masons and their Eastern Star wives.

"This is demonic," I thought. When I started two discipleship groups, there was tremendous resistance within the deacon body.

One deacon, who was also a Mason, tried to wreck every session.

When I emphasized a personal relationship with Jesus, he became combative and hostile.

He argued so much during Wednesday night Bible study that I had to switch to straight preaching.

Hungry for fellowship, I had been praying for months for a soul-winning partner.

God answered that prayer when the Music Minister expressed a desire to go out witnessing.

We went from house to house sharing Jesus, and quietly, without fanfare, his Masonic ring and
tie tack disappeared.

He told me that God had convicted him about being a Mason, and that he had formally renounced Freemasonry through a letter of resignation sent to the lodge.

Gradually, a group in the church began to catch a vision for having a personal walk with Jesus, learning discipleship, and evangelism.

The church services began to change.

I could feel God's presence in every service.

The Masons, however, were not rejoicing.

The one who had so frequently given me the Masonic handshake, called my home and threatened me that
if I didn't get the Minister of Music "calmed down," the deacons would "take care of him."

As one group in the church grew closer to Jesus, another group became increasingly resistant
toward what God was doing, and hostile toward me as pastor.

Seven couples began forming a wall of resistance.

Of the seven couples, two individuals were not Masons, nor members of the Eastern Star. One was a Seventh Day Adventist, and the other's father was a 32nd Degree Mason.

During this same period, a sister church was experiencing a touch of God, with the same resistance from Masons.

Not willing to participate in the battle, several couples left that church and came to ours.

They openly acknowledged that they had been upset because the Masons had squelched the moving of God in that church.

The Masonic group in our church immediately began a verbal attack against the newcomers.

One Mason summoned me to his house and warned me that the newcomers could cause trouble in our church because of their attacks on Masonry.

He revealed that he was a Mason and that there was not going to be a discussion of Freemasonry at First Baptist.

He warned that a previous pastor had tried to deal with the Masonic issue in the church and had created
problems as a result.

I located the former pastor and learned that he had maintained a bookstore which contained several books exposing Freemasonry.

One night someone broke into the store and stole all the books on Masonry.

"If Freemasonry is just a harmless men's fraternity, why get upset about a few books?

Why all the scrambling to hide books and refuse to even discuss Masonry?

If Masonry is of God, let's bring everything out in the open and see what wonderful things God has done in Masonry.

But if it is not of God, then there are many reasons to operate in darkness and secrecy."

These were my thoughts.

It was at this time we began experiencing demonic manifestations during the services.

Usually the demons would surface when I preached on our victory over Satan through the blood of Christ.

Any aspect of victory in the Christian life or salvation messages would stir up the demons.

During a series of messages on revival, and the filling of the Holy Spirit, there was considerable agitation.

All of those with demonic manifestations were either Masons or Eastern Star wives.

Hostility toward me began to increase, all directed by the Masons.

Deacons' meetings became nothing more than open season on the pastor.

Again, led by the Masons.

Finally, the man who had given me numerous Masonic handshakes came to my office, tearing into me about the spiritual atmosphere that was developing within the church.

As he was verbally attacking me, suddenly a force, as it were, came out from him and hit me.

Evil surrounded me. I sensed oppression.

Within two days the oppression became deep depression.

All that week I read books on spiritual warfare to educate myself on what was happening.

By Sunday a black cloud of spiritual oppression had settled over the entire church.

I told no one of my encounter with the Mason, yet several people verbally expressed that things were different in the church.

This oppression continued for eight months, while life for me and my family was a living hell.

It was as though sharks could smell blood and were coming in for the kill.

Vicious attacks by the Masons were leveled against me and my family, and against all who
supported me.

I became so physically ill that I had to enter the hospital for two weeks.

The church decided to give me a three-month sabbatical, which at first seemed compassionate.

It soon was evident that this generous action was a disguise to buy time, so that the Masons could remove me from the church.

When I returned from my sabbatical, the deacons informed me that I was no longer pastor - that the church would have to vote me back in.

This was one of those instances in which a few deacons decided their own agenda privately.

No one else knew what was going on.

This is the way satan works - always in the dark, in secret, behind closed doors.

satan lost temporarily.

The vote was never taken and I was permitted to resume preaching.

Two months later, at a monthly business meeting, the Masonic group succeeded in voting me out.

The members voting against me included many who had rarely come to church, and some I had never seen before! I was not permitted to speak, and the meeting was so hostile that I thought I was going to be mobbed.

Those who were yelling, screaming, and jumping out of their seats were one and all Masons and their Eastern Star wives.

Shortly after leaving First Baptist I had a counseling session with Dr. Mark Bubek, who is well known both nationally and internationally for his experience in spiritual warfare.

After hearing about the man who regularly harassed me in my office, his first question was, "Is he a Mason?"

He confirmed that I had been under heavy demonic attack.

I never preached against Masonry, so the attack was not a counterattack.

It was simply that the spirit behind Freemasonry opposes anything God-sent, Christ-exalted, Spirit empowered
that brings revival to the church.

Yes, the Masons reacted negatively to my messages on grace.

They were infuriated when I suggested man could not earn his way to heaven.

They were not opposed to inviting people to church.

They were opposed to the evangelism that was taking place in church, once the visitors arrived.

And they were greatly offended by the fact that people in the church were going door-to-door in the community, asking people if they knew that they had eternal life.

The Masonic message is one that abhors a Christian life that has Jesus Christ at the center.

The Masons in Columbia regard First Baptist as an extension of their lodge.

Well, they have preserved that extension, for today First Baptist has disintegrated into a handful of men and
women, primarily the Masonic and Eastern Star group.

The price of their success was the destruction of a house of God, and the persecution of its pastor and many God-fearing people.

Such is the spirit and purpose of Freemasonry.

What are pastors to do? First, take a stand on Freemasonry. Second, write your position in a letter and mail it to your
national headquarters.

By Stuart Bedillion

Stewart Bedillion
Ephesians 5:11, Inc., Box 291, Fishers, IN 46038
Email | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Order video | http://www.ephesians5-11.org/videotape.htm

Copyright 1997. This testimony is used with permission. It is from the 1998 reprint of The Character, Claims and Practical Workings of Freemasonry, by Charles G. Finney. It was originally published in 1869. The book is available from JKI Publishing at (800) 333-5344.

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Audio Teaching | Why We Fight With Those We Love

You're all too familiar with how we can sometimes be kinder to people we don't know -- at work, at church and in the community -- than we sometimes are to our own family, children, siblings and spouse.

Why? Because they know more about us than anyone. And, yeah, sometimes they tend to not forget even when we've confessed and the Lord has forgiven us. The consequence -- quarrels and fights that others are usually exposed to. Darn.

Please click the audio file above [where the blue text is] and download this pdf, Why Do We Fight With Those We Love, that includes study notes with scriptures to accompany the audio.

Thank you for taking your time to listen to this audio and work through the study notes. If you're not a member of Healed People, Heal People, we invite you to join for free here. You'll receive regular updates of encouragement wrapped in biblical truths.

Do you take prescription meds?
Does someone you love take prescription meds?
Did you know that properly prescribed meds is the number three cause of death in America?

NATURAL HERBS TO DISSOLVE TUMORS

My people perish for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6

For all of you who desire answers to physical problems and desire to build better health naturally here is some information on the historical use of herbs.

The natural Pure Herbs information shared below about dissolving tumors is an excerpt from the book Herbal Extracts: Build A Better Health With Liquid Herbs. This information is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice by licensed physicians. A reader should consult a physician regularly in all matters relating to medical problems, especially in matters of diagnosing, treating or curing diseases or other physical or mental conditions.

Herbs are plant food substances. This is not a scientific definition, it is a practitioners definition. It is used by the people who make recommendations about how to build better health naturally. Herbs have been used since people began eating. They are not new and they were used long before there were people who called themselves doctors or scientists and they worked and they still do.

There is a solution to every physical problem. It was meant to be that way. It is not experimental. Since there are so many physical differences between us, it stands to reason one herb may do more for a certain person than another but do not despair. There is an herb for you too. Often there are many herbs that are especially helpful for you, just waiting, to be discovered.

Luckily when eating an herb if the wrong one is taken, nothing much happens and if you do eat too much of it, body mechanisms usually reject it and you leave it alone.Part of the fun is discovering your herb or herbs and in the process an acquaintance with herbs that help other people is gained.

One of the ways to tell what an herb will do is to taste a little of it. This is much easier to do with a liquid herb than a tablet or a capsule but in any case it should be done before you ask anyone else to try an herb so it will at least be known if what the label says is in the bottle, is in the bottle.

Please accept this offer to build better health naturally. The information was written because you are respected and appreciated, and loved. Someone does care about you and would like to see you well. Herbs are your birthright. Discover yours.

- Dr. A.B. Howard

Sanicle | 1st Pure Herb for Dissolving Tumors

This is a herb that leadership at Healed People, Heal People has personally taken. As well, I know others who have taken this herb specifically to dissolve or shrink fibroid tumors with great success. It is imperative that a person changes their quality and types of food eaten. There are many regular foods that contribute to the growth and increased size of fibroid tumors and cysts in people. So, what am I saying here? Please, please, let’s deal with the root of the problem, your quality and type of food intake, in addition to this herb.

The American herbal practitioner, Jethro Kloss, in his monumental work, Back To Eden, aptly describes Sanicle in this manner: This is one of the herbs that could be called a cure-all because it possesses powerful cleansing and healing virtues both internally and externally.

Sanicle’s great strength includes its uncanny ability to seek out and find anything, which needs correcting and works on that area first that needs it most. It also deserves distinction as a thinking herb. In other words, if you’ve got it, Sanicle will find it and fix it, whether the tumor is in the reproductive organs, brain, nervous system, lungs, throat, urinary system or elsewhere.

Sanicle is a bulldozer and builder. There may be temporary discomfort when Sanicle contacts an unwanted obstruction, but it is your reassurance that Sanicle has scored a direct hit. Skin disorders, tumors [also brain tumors], and all manner of morbid material are resolved by Sanicle.

Prolapsis of the uterus [fallen uterus], melancholy [due to toxins], thin mother’s milk, morning sickness, diabetes, bee stings, and intermittent fever indicate general categories of its ubiquitous [seemingly everywhere] application.

Dosage | 40 drops two to three times per day. If a brain tumor, also apply to entire scalp, back to neck and temples. Rub one tablespoon into the scalp at night and wear a shower cap. Wash the area in the morning. During day rub Herbal Adjustment [another natural herb that can be ordered] into scalp 3 times per day.

To order Sanicle, click here.

Chuchuhuasi | 2nd Pure Herb for Dissolving Tumors

... Rather than just working on the relief of symptoms, Chuchuhuasi apparently works on the actual cause of anti-tumor properties.

This is the South American Indian name for the rain forest tree known botanically as Maytenus macrocarpa. Its home is the steamy jungles of Peru, where it is well known and used by the people, especially in and around Iquitos, Peru on the Amazon river.

Because of the remoteness of this area, its use was unknown to the rest of the world until recent times. Yet, it is now, perhaps, the most popularly used rain forest herb in Peru. Life in a jungle environment means dealing with infections, bites and diseases of many kinds.

Remedies must be found and used. Chuchuhuasi serves this multi-purpose function, and it is commonly taken in the liquid extract form. Among Chuchuhuasi's strongest properties is the building of immunity and, at the same time, enhancing sexual activity and function. The ability of Chuchuhuasi to do this has attracted strong scientific interest.

This is accomplished by using the root bark as a liquid and taking orally three times per day. Rather than just working on the relief of symptoms, Chuchuhuasi apparently works on the actual cause of arthritis and, in this manner, restores joints to working order. This, of course, has aroused considerable excitement in the scientific community.

The same can be said regarding Chuchuhuasi's anti-tumor properties. The United States Department of Agriculture has isolated the alkaloid [active bitter compound] maytansine as being most prominent in the compounds believed to be active in the shrinkage of tumors.

As if all this would not be enough to recommend the daily use of Chuchuhuasi, it is also applied to the skin to repel jungle mosquitos. Now, the mosquitos of the Peruvian jungle are rumored, by the local inhabitants, for the benefit of tourists, to be, So large you can hear them when they walk, and Senior, they may even possess backbones! At any rate, accounts of their ferocity are legendary and Chuchuhuasi undoubtedly a welcome remedy.

Dose | 40 to 80 drops 3 times per day as maintenance. 1 tsp. 3 times per day for more serious cases. Externally as given above.

To order this Pure Herb Chuchuhuasi click here.

Greasewood | 3rd Pure Herb for Dissolving Tumors

This remedy comes from the American Indian Pharmacopoeia [listing of official Indian medicines]. Greasewood bush has dark, sticky, resinous-filled leaves and stems. It has the distinct taste of telephone poles or creosote, hence its common name Greasewood Bush.

It performs a very valuable service as a douche for the female system [20 drops of extract to a cup of water]. Greasewood is mot valuable due to the rising fungi [funguses], in the body.

Jason’s Winter Red Clover tea blend employs Greasewood as an agent to dissolve tumors and cancers on the advice of the American Indian. Indeed, of the Indian nations, the Eapoch, Pimas, and Maricopias of the desert southwest have long employed Greasewood to be effective in the following conditions: weight reducing, prostate trouble, skin and stomach cancer, leukemia, cancer, arthritis, warts, chronic backache, bronchitis troubles and to stimulate normal hair growth.

Dosage | 10 to 40 drops 1 to 3 times per day depending on severity of condition. 2 to 3 bowel movements per day are recommended, when using Greasewood [also known as chaparral] to complete the cleaning process.

To order this Pure Herb Greasewood click here.

Lapacho | 4th Pure Herb for Dissolving Tumors

Properties and uses | cancer and cancer preventative

Experienced herbalists consider that both the tabebuia altissima [purple flowered] and tabebuia avellanedae [red flowered] varieties should be mixed together for the best possible effects.

South American medical doctors proclaim nothing short of miracles for quick relief of pain for cancers of all types, as well as, their cure within one month in many cases. Once again, South American Indians made known a tree that they have used for thousands of years to cure their people.

The first was the Cinchona tree bark that yields quinine and cures malaria. Lapacho taken as a boiled tea 3 times per day [one heaping teaspoonful of the bark to make one cup of the tea] is reported to be their method. The extract is possibly many times stronger if made properly. The chemistry of Lapacho is quite well known to the scientific world.

Dr. Frederick Koch, M.D., used substances from the tree bark called quinones during the 1930s in Detroit, MI, with astonishing results to cure even advanced cancer cases before going to South America in order to continue his practice. He especially used a single quinine that he described as oxidizing or burning up the encapsulated pockets of stagnant cancer-causing points. He reports in this way he was able to provide oxygen for the breadth of life to continue for the patient.

Lapacho actually has 16 quinones never before discovered together in nature. The jungle Lapacho tree is completely immune to fungus infections unlike other trees. It should not be thought that the limit Lapacho’s abilities are confined to cancer, according to Alec de Montmorency, expert on exotic folk remedies. He has collected medical information during the last 20 years on the use of Lapacho in various South American countries.

He reports the following list of problems that medical doctors using Lapacho have solved: anemia, leukemia, cancer of all types, lupus, inflammation of the reproductive organs, Hodgkin’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, colitis, arteriosclerosis, gastric problems, leucorrhoea, cystitis, hemorrhages, prostate inflammation, polyps, psoriasis and eczema.

Dosage | South American information indicates 40 to 80 drops of the extract in a cup of water 3 to 4 times per day. 20 drops per day as a preventative.

To order this Pure Herb, Lapacho click here.

Una de Gato | 5th Pure Herb for Dissolving Tumors

Una de Gato is a Spanish named herb pronounced that means claw-of-cat or, as we would say in English, cat's claw. In the remote area of Iquitos, Peru, where Una de Gato is at home, it is very widely used and depended upon to handle a wide variety of problems, including those of a serious nature. Here is what is listed in Peru as the traditional and accepted South American Native Folk Medicinal uses of Una de Gato.

Una De Gato can be taken to correct arthritis, rheumatism, cancer, gastritis, irregularities of the female cycle.

From all reports, this is one of the South American Indians' very best arthritis remedies. Although it is not scientifically accepted, people there use it and get rid of their arthritis, including the type we call rheumatoid arthritis, where the body is actually fighting itself.

Una de Gato is also, especially, noted for its anti-viral properties, tumor dissolving properties, its effects on cellular regeneration and cardiovascular repair. As in all jungle areas, one of the things which must be guarded against is infections.

Una de Gato is a potent immune system builder. This is especially important in conditions described as rheumatoid arthritis and or osteoarthritis, where the body is attacking itself, commonly called auto-immune reactions. Una de Gato reestablishes the proper immune system orientation for cells that are true friends and those that are the actual foes.

A strong immune system is essential to reversing the effects, and prevention, of any kind of disease. Hence, a wide range of disorders are reported to be corrected by the use of Una de Gato in Peru and Europe.

Very well documented South American medical information shows Una de Gato to be nearly miraculous in combating cancer, even in advanced stages, where as much as 10% of body cells are in a state of metastasis. Because of the shared reputation Una de Gato has earned for itself, no immune problem or cancer is regarded, in Peru, as incurable.

Dose| 40 drops, 3 times per day to maintain immunity. For disease conditions listed above, 1 tsp. to 1 tbl. 3 times per day.

With the use of Una de Gato, as with any herb that destroys bad cells [cancer], do use a good bowel management program which produces two, and preferably three, easy and complete bowel movements per day. In this manner, the wastes and poisons the body is getting rid of, can be eliminated from the body and nausea is prevented. This allows the body to clean itself up and to get well.

Common sense and good sense, both, demand that you eliminate anything from the diet and the environment which is a poison. A good place to start, regarding what you eat, is any food with any kind of chemical additives such as: chemical dyes, preservatives, flavor magnifiers, stabilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and the like. Eliminate junk foods - and you do know what those are.

To order this Pure Herb, Una de Gato click here.

Whole Apricot | 6th Pure Herb for Dissolving Tumors

Dr. Ernest J. Krebs, a noted authority on cancer, has often stated that if a person eats 6-12 apricots kernels per day, they will never have to worry about cancer. He recommends peach or cherry kernels, as well. Contained within these kernels is a very small amount of a substance called nitriloside amygdalin [laetrile, vitamin B-17]. It goes directly to a cancer cell, stings it, and kills it.

This is especially true of glandular cancers, such as the prostate and other glands. The same is true for moles on the skin and internal tumors. For moles, take Whole Apricot internally and also apply Whole Apricot and Oil of Cajeput, 3 times per day, to the area until corrected. There is no fear necessary for this extremely small amount of cyanide; remember Vitamin B-12 is also a cyanide compound and is absolutely essential to life or a person develops a deadly disease known as pernicious anemia.

Head lettuce, as a further example, contains a very small amount of opium. Although it is not recommended, head lettuce does not cause a person to go unconscious or stupefied, and head lettuce is still eaten. Once you taste apricot kernels, you can recognize an accentuated almond taste. That is the part that kills the cancer cells. It is also present in almonds, but to a much lesser extent. You may find your body is hungry for this taste and the truly wonderful effect it has. The safe rule is not to eat any more apricot kernels than you would of the apricot fruit during a day.

Dose |10-20 drops per day, as a daily maintenance. 40 drops to 1 tbl. 3 times per day, if cancer in the body. Keep the bowels open to expel the dead, nauseating cells and poisons with a good bowel program which produces 2, and preferably 3, bowel movements per day.

If necessary to quickly relieve the nausea of this regimen, take, as needed, 10 to 40 drops of a poison antidote such as black cohosh or virginia snake root. Additionally, an enema can be taken. Usually, within 10 minutes of taking the enema you will feel better. If necessary, repeat the enema.

To order this Pure Herb, Whole Apricot click here.

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Apostle Of Hate — Minister Of Healing By Melanie Hemry

Eagle Mountain International Church, Incorporated, aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries

"Is this Johnny Lee Clary?" A voice asked on the other end of the phone.

"Yes ..."

"The Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan for Oklahoma?"

"That's right."

"Mr. Clary, I'm calling on behalf of a local radio station. We would like to invite you here to the station next Sunday evening for an interview. The program will be live. During that time, we would allow you to read your literature and share your views openly."

Share my views on the radio? There's no telling how many new kids I can recruit! Johnny leaned back in his chair and propped up his feet.

"I'd be most honored to be your guest," he answered, a slow smile spreading across his face. Unlike most Klan members, Johnny Lee didn't shun publicity. He hadn't even minded when television cameras followed him around to schools in the Oklahoma City area, where he recruited kids. The way he looked at it, a man ought to stand up for the truth. And one thing Johnny Lee Clary knew for certain - the Ku Klux Klan stood for the truth.

Seeds of Hatred

His own education in that "truth" began early. He'd been only 5 when he looked out the car window in amazement. "Look, Daddy!" he'd said. "There's a chocolate-covered man!"

His daddy blew cigar smoke out the window in disgust. "That's not a chocolate-covered man," he said. "That's a n-----. Can you say, 'n-----'?"

Johnny Lee had leaned out the window and shouted, "N-----!" His daddy laughed and patted him on the back.

Johnny Lee's training continued when his Uncle Harold would visit from Georgia and tell his stories about the KKK. "I shot a black man for crossing my property," he once bragged to Johnny Lee's father. "The police didn't care that I shot him. But they did fine me for firing a gun in the city limits!" The two men laughed until their faces were red.

Johnny Lee's dad wasn't a member of the Klan. He couldn't be. He was Catholic. One group the Klan hated almost as much as blacks and Jews was Catholics. Johnny's daddy never attended Mass, but he made sure that Johnny Lee was on the Sunday school bus every week to the First Baptist Church.

That is, until the day Johnny Lee leaned out the bus window and screamed, "N-----!" to a black child on the street. That day, Johnny Lee's Sunday school teacher pulled him aside and taught him a song. At home, he proudly sang it for his father.

"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white ..."

Johnny Lee's daddy never let him go back to that church. He found one closer to home -- an all-white church.

Everyone in their neighborhood hated Johnny Lee's family. The neighbors considered them white trash. Of course, nobody dared call them that. They were afraid to.

The Clary family's popularity took a sudden turn, however, when a black family bought a house in the neighborhood. The whole neighborhood came to Johnny Lee's daddy and asked him to help them get rid of the family. They were willing to buy them out, if they'd leave.

Unfortunately, the neighbors' sudden acceptance of the Clarys didn't make Johnny Lee's family any happier. His parents fought constantly. Their marriage ended tragically when, one night, 11-year-old Johnny Lee walked into a room to see his daddy holding a gun to his head. "Daddy, don't!" he screamed, then watched as his daddy shot himself to death.

After the funeral, Johnny Lee went to live with his older sister in California. But he wasn't happy there. As the months passed, Johnny Lee became more and more lonely. That's when he saw a talk show host interviewing David Duke, the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Remembering his Uncle Harold, Johnny Lee decided to contact the Klan. Within a few weeks, a man knocked at his door.

"I'm a friend of David Duke," he said. The man sat down and talked to Johnny Lee. "What do you like? Tell me about your life."

Johnny Lee was in awe. Someone wants to hear what I have to say!

"Son, you've had a hard, horrible life," the man said. "What you need is a family. A real family. That's what the Ku Klux Klan is -- a fraternal order. That means family."

Week after week, the man took Johnny Lee to his house for meetings. It was almost as if he had a father again. Between meetings, Johnny studied about the Klan. He was amazed to learn what prominent people were former Klansmen, including at least three U.S. presidents.

Johnny Lee trembled with excitement the day he joined the KKK. He was 14 years old. By age 20, Johnny Lee had worked his way up in the organization, first serving as Duke's bodyguard and later, becoming the Grand Dragon of Oklahoma.

"It was 1979 when I was invited to do the radio interview," Johnny Lee recalls. "I was so excited, I told everyone to tune in. Then, a few days before the interview, I was listening to the radio when they announced the upcoming debate between myself and the state president of the NAACP, the Rev. Wade Watts!

"I'd never actually met a black man. But I knew what to expect: A man in African robes sporting a huge Afro, a button that said, 'I hate white people,' and a sign, 'Black is beautiful.'

"I wasn't prepared for a nicely dressed, older black man carrying a worn Bible."

On the day of the debate, Rev. Watts walked up to Johnny Lee -- his hand outstretched. "Hello, Mr. Clary. I just want to tell you I love you, and Jesus loves you."

Stunned, Johnny Lee shook the man's hand without thinking. The physical touch of a Negro is pollution, he thought.

"Don't worry, son," Rev. Watts said with a grin. "It doesn't rub off."

He has a sense of humor ...?

"Why do you feel the two races shouldn't mingle?" the interviewer asked Johnny Lee as the debate began. "Because Christ ordered it," he explained.

"Son," Rev. Watts interrupted, "where did you get that idea?"

The only Bible verses Johnny Lee knew were the ones outlined in the KKK literature. Speaking slowly, Johnny Lee quoted, "What fellowship hath light with darkness...."

Rev. Watts explained that the scripture was referring to the believer and the nonbeliever, and to sin and righteousness. Then he asked Johnny Lee, "What color skin do you think an Ethiopian has?"

"Black as the ace of spades," Johnny responded.

"I'm glad you said that," Rev. Watts answered. "If you'll look in Numbers 12, you'll see that Moses married an Ethiopian woman. His sister, Miriam, didn't like it either. She talked against Moses and was struck with a horrible disease." He paused for a moment. "You can imagine what is going to happen to you."

Johnny Lee shifted uncomfortably in his chair. This wasn't turning out the way he expected. "Look here," he said, "white people are smarter than black people."

"How do you figure that?" Rev. Watts asked. Johnny Lee told him about an intelligence test that proved white children were smarter than black children.

"What color were the men who came up with that test?" Rev. Watts asked.

"It doesn't matter what color they were!" Johnny declared.

"Well, then," said Rev. Watts, "if it doesn't matter, I'll give you a test right now, and we'll see if you can pass it."

"If you think you're so smart, go ahead."

"How long is the average cockroach?" Rev. Watts asked Johnny Lee. "Do roaches walk, or do they fly? How long does it take a mess of chitlins to cook? What are chitlins?"

"Rev. Watts, you rigged that test," Johnny Lee fumed. "White folks aren't supposed to know that stuff."

"Mr. Clary, now you're getting my point."

Johnny Lee had to do something to get control of the interview. "Look," he said, trying to stay calm, "Thomas Jefferson helped pen our Constitution, and he said emphatically that the two races should never mix."

"I'm impressed that you know so much about our forefathers, Mr. Clary. Does the name Sally Hemmings mean anything to you?"

"No."

"She was Thomas Jefferson's mistress," Rev. Watts said. "They had seven children. She was his personal property. His slave. She was as black as the ace of spades."

"I'm not going to stay here and listen to any more of this!" Johnny fumed, storming out of the room.

Johnny Lee was surprised later when he saw Rev. Watts holding a baby girl. Lifting up the child, Rev. Watts said to Johnny Lee, "This baby's parents were teenagers. Her mother was white and her daddy was black. The boy's family said they wouldn't have a white child in their home, and the girl's family said they wouldn't have a black child in their home. So I adopted her. Tia is my baby now. Mr. Clary, how can you hate this baby?"

Johnny Lee turned to leave.

"You can't do enough to make me hate you," Rev. Watts said to Johnny Lee. "I'm going to love you and pray for you, whether you like it or not."

A short time later, Rev. Watts' church was burned. His family was plagued with vicious, hate-filled phone calls, and often found notes ..."KKK is watching you."

"During the next 10 years, I gained more and more power in the Klan," Johnny Lee remembers. "Yet during those years, we never stopped persecuting Rev. Watts. The only thing that bothered me was a recurring dream I had of that baby girl. She was beautiful. And she was the only seed of doubt in my life. Somehow, it didn't seem right to hate her. It didn't seem right for her to die. But I knew the Klan's final solution included extermination of the race -- including babies.

"I didn't let that seed of doubt hinder my work, though. When Rev. Watts joined ranks with an Oklahoma senator to make the Klan's racist hot lines illegal, my blood was boiling."

Johnny Lee called Rev. Watts. "I know you're behind this," he said. "We're coming to get you, and we're going to beat you ..."

"Hello, Johnny Lee! How's the family?"

"I said we're coming for you!"

"You don't have to come for me, I'll meet you. How about Pete's Place out on Highway 270?"

"Uh ..."

"Johnny Lee, they have the best home cooking you ever tasted. And apple pie that'll make you cry for more. Iced tea in those Mason jars. I can taste it now."

"Did you hear what I said?" Johnny Lee demanded. "We're going to beat you!"

"You be sure and bring all the boys..."

"I said we're going to beat you!"

"I heard you, and that's just fine. But first, I want to buy you boys dinner. Did I tell you about their potatoes?"

Johnny Lee hung up. "What did he say?" the Klan members asked.

"He talked about home cooking, apple pie and iced tea. Said he wanted to buy our dinner."

"That old man's gone pure crazy," someone said. "Let's leave him alone."

And they did.

"During the months that followed, a girl I had dated challenged me to go to church," Johnny Lee recalls. "I decided to take her up on it, so I called an elder at Crossroads Cathedral in Oklahoma City. He met with me, and led me to the Lord. I asked Jesus into my life and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. A month later, someone asked me to speak at a Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship. I hadn't even broken ties with the Klan.

"Soon, word of my salvation reached the media, and a local newspaper asked for an interview. I gave it, and the next thing I knew I got a phone call from the Klan. I broke into a cold sweat when they said they were coming after me. I was scared."

"What are you doing, Clary?" they asked when they arrived.

Frightened for his life, Johnny Lee turned his back on God and the Church, and begged forgiveness from the Klan. He was given a second chance.

In 1989, Johnny Lee was appointed Imperial Wizard of the KKK.

"I wanted to unify all the hate groups - the different factions of the Klan, the Skinheads, the Patriots, the Neo-Nazis, the Militias, the Populists and the Aryan Nations - under one common organization," Johnny Lee recalled.

He spent months arranging a national meeting of all the white supremacist groups. Finally, all the players were in place.

What Johnny Lee didn't know, however, was that the FBI had tapped his phone and knew his plan. They arrested him on his way to the meeting.

Without his presence, the meeting fell apart. By the time Johnny Lee was released and arrived at the rally site, the different factions were fighting among themselves.

Johnny Lee surveyed the scene in disgust. I gave up my wife and child for these people. I gave up my life for this organization, and all they want to do is kill one another.

On his return home, Johnny Lee faced staggering legal battles and attorney fees. He was also disillusioned.

Where was the loyalty? he wondered. What happened to brotherhood? Wasn't the Klan supposed to be family?

Soon afterward, Johnny Lee resigned as Imperial Wizard, and walked away from the Klan. He took a good look at himself, and didn't like what he saw.

"I'd hit an all-time low in my life," Johnny Lee recalled. "Whenever I applied for a job, people just laughed."

As the months passed, Johnny Lee became more and more despondent.

Then he had a thought: Daddy escaped it all. I could go be with my dad, then I wouldn't have to worry about some Klansman putting a bullet in me.

Johnny Lee loaded his gun and put the barrel to his head.

The afternoon sun filtered through the closed blinds, casting tiny lines of light onto a Bible that lay gathering dust.

The only happiness, the only peace in my life, were those few months at Crossroads Cathedral, Johnny Lee thought. But now, it's too late for me ... The dusty Bible caught Johnny Lee's eye. He put down the gun, and picked up the Bible. It fell open to Luke 15 -- the story of the prodigal son.

Johnny Lee read the story once, then again, then a third time.

"I know what You're trying to tell me, God," he said, weeping. "That younger son turned his back on his father and wasted his life. But when he came home, the father welcomed him. You're telling me I can come home.

"God, I have no one else to turn to except You. I ask You to forgive me for the way I lived ... for all the hatred. Please, come into my heart, Jesus, and change me."

In the space of a heartbeat, the weight of years of hatred melted off Johnny Lee Clary. Weeping openly, he raised his hands and worshiped God. Then he picked up the Bible and read for hours.

"I was living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, too far to drive to Crossroads Cathedral," Johnny Lee recalls. "I visited a few churches, and although I enjoyed them very much, I knew none of them was where I was supposed to be. Each one had an all-white congregation. I knew God would never allow me to join an all-white church.

"That week, I saw an ad in the newspaper, 'Victory Christian Center - A Church For All Races.' The next Sunday, I walked into that church and knew it was right. There were blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Filipinos, every race seemed to be represented."

Johnny Lee joined the church.

"This time, I didn't tell anyone who I was. Eventually, someone recognized me, and I wrote a letter to the pastor, Billy Joe Daugherty, explaining that I'd been the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. He wrote back, encouraging me to spend time getting grounded in God's Word.

"God helped me get a job and, for the first time since 1982, I was happy. In addition to listening to the Word at church, I was introduced to the teaching of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. I tuned in to their Believer's Voice of Victory program, bought their tapes and learned about faith.

"In 1991, during one of Pastor Billy Joe's sermons, the Lord called me to preach. Billy Joe's wife, Sharon, walked over to me and announced, 'God didn't save you for you to sit in Tulsa. He's commanded you to go into the world and get people saved.' "A few weeks later, Johnny Lee heard the Lord again. Call Rev. Watts.

He did.

"Hello, Johnny Lee," Rev. Watts said warmly.

"Rev. Watts, I wanted you to know that I resigned from the KKK in 1989. I gave my heart to Jesus, and I'm a member of Victory Christian Center, an interracial church. My mind is being renewed, and God has called me to preach."

"Well, praise the Lord, son!" Rev. Watts said. "Would you do me the honor of speaking at my all-black church?"

Johnny Lee choked back the tears. "I'd love to."

When Johnny Lee arrived to speak at Rev. Watts' church, there were cameras and news reporters everywhere. Once inside, Johnny Lee Clary stepped up to the podium and looked out over the sea of black faces. He saw people made in the image of God, souls that Jesus had died to save. The contempt he once felt had been replaced with a love so great, so powerful, that his knees felt weak.

This, he realized, is what real unity is all about. It was not what he had tried to do through the KKK. Real unity is only possible through love.

Johnny Lee told his story, and what Jesus had done for him. Afterward, a teenage girl ran down the aisle. "I want to know the same Jesus you know," she said.

As the altar filled with people wanting to know Johnny Lee's Jesus, he heard Rev. Watts weeping.

"Do you know who that is?" Watts asked, pointing at the young girl Johnny Lee had just led to the Lord.

"No," Johnny Lee answered.

"That's Tia," Rev. Watts said. "She's the baby I shoved in your face that day at the radio station!"

Johnny Lee turned to look at the beautiful face beaming at him. She was the baby he couldn't hate.

Rev. Watts and his wife had 13 children. Nine of them had given their lives to Jesus. In the throng of people who crowded the altar that night, Johnny Lee was privileged to introduce the other four to the Lord Jesus.

After the service, Rev. Watts and Johnny Lee embraced. An elderly black pastor wrapped his arms around a young, white, former Klansman. They both wept.

"All those years I prayed for you!" Watts said. "I never dreamed that God would use you to bring my own children into the kingdom!"

It's been more than six years now since Johnny Lee preached at Rev. Watts' church, and many things have changed. But both men still work untiringly - to spread the gospel and promote racial reconciliation.

Today, Johnny Lee Clary's greatest thrill in ministry occurs when he ministers alongside Rev. Wade Watts. His second greatest thrill is being a godfather to young Tia Watts.

Johnny Lee Clary stands amazed that one man - the man he persecuted - prayed him out of hell on earth and into heaven for eternity. Before, that kind of love was unfathomable to Johnny Lee. Now, it is a way of life.

Copyright © 1997-2004

Pastor Johnny Lee Clary's Testimony

Johnny Lee Clary learned to hate at a very young age. He was raised in a family filled with racism, anger, and bigotry. As a young teenager, after his father committed suicide and his mother abandoned him, Johnny found himself alone and looking for someplace to belong. At 14, he was seduced by the teachings of the notorious David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan, and he joined the organization.

As an impressionable young man, Johnny became so enthralled with the sense of belonging and a need for “family” that he participated in KKK events as a security enforcer. His exuberance and dedication led to him being appointed as David Duke’s personal bodyguard.

Johnny continued to advance in the organization, reveling in the feeling of finally fitting in. He went on to spend nearly 17 years in the Klan, as State Organizer and Public Relations spokesman for Imperial Wizard Bill Wilkinson of the Invisible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; then becoming Grand Dragon of the National Knights of the KKK; then Heartland Director and right-hand man to White Aryan Resistance leader Tom Metzger (by all accounts, one of the most violent men ever to preach hatred); and finally, to becoming one of the most nefarious national Klan leaders in America after being elected to the very top: Imperial Wizard (national head) of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a branch that originated in Mississippi and was considered to be the most dreaded Klan faction in history (and widely acknowledged by law enforcement as the most violent and militant of all the Klan), taking responsibility for bombings, murders, and countless other crimes—all in the name of hatred and racism. To this day, the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan are considered the real Ku Klux Klan.

As the Klan’s national leader, during many appearances on such television programs as The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Morton Downey, Jr. Show, and many others, Johnny advocated, supported, and defended racism and violence.

But then, the destructive mindset and lifestyle he had lived for so many years began to take its toll. Riddled with torment, angered over a false arrest in Tennessee on a weapons charge, disgusted with internal bickering between the various white supremacist organizations, and the discovery that his girlfriend was an informant for the FBI, Johnny Lee left the Klan.

But life does not always repair so easily. Over the next few years he found himself derailed by issues related to his alledged daughter, two divorces, losing all of his friends, the FBI doubting his exit from the Klan, and struggling just to make an honest living. These challenges, combined with his feelings of guilt over the life of violence, prejudice, and hatred he had lived for so long, led Johnny to alcohol.

On the verge of committing suicide one night, he cried out to God to deliver him from his nightmarish existence. And God answered. From that point on, Johnny Lee used his life, his experiences, and his near destruction to help others leave the same evil path that he had walked for so long.

In 1995 Johnny was appointed by Roy Ennis to serve as West Coast Director National Director for the Congress Of Racial Equality. Since then, he has spoken at innumerable Universities, High Schools and churches, and has been a featured speaker for Youth Alive and Teen Challenge. He lectures for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, educating officers on the mindset of white supremacists and how to best fight against domestic terrorism.

As a renowned international speaker, he has set records for the largest crowds of any motivational lecturer in Australia other than Billy Graham, with literally thousands receiving his message of hope, healing and forgiveness for racism, low self-esteem, suicidal tendencies, and substance abuse.

Johnny Lee Clary resides with his wife Melissa in Miami, Oklahoma. He has appeared on the Billy Graham Radio Show, on the television programs including:

Geraldo Rivera
Fox News
Alan Colmes
Sally Jesse Raphael
Jerry Springer
Rikki Lake
Queen Latifah
Montel Williams
Phil Donahue
A&E Investigative Reports
ABC World News Tonight
Bertrice Berry
The Today Show
A Current Affair
The 700 Club
CNBC The Big Idea w/ Donny Deutsch

He has also been a regular guest on TBN’s Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America’s top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in April 1999, Moody Magazine, GuidePost Magazine [September 1998], Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales.

Johnny’s book, Johnny Angel: My Life and Death at the Top of the KKK … a true story is available on his Web site.

Contact

By phone: Australian mobile 041 121 3232 - United States 918 919-0105
Postal address: PO Box 972 Miami, Oklahoma 74355-0972
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Copyright © 2007 - 2009 Johnny Lee Clary
Site Design: Visreal Productions +617 4661 5222

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I walked another three miles this evening with my cross training instructor after class. One thing I shared with him is that if a person is breathing, they have some issues to be dealt with, especially if they've never had any healing and deliverance. Earlier today I was asked to explain what the integrated approach to biblical healing and deliverance is.

Let me see if I can explain it in simple terms. A lot of times, we deal with our symptoms and not the root of the issues on our lives. Most people's entire thinking process, including society, is geared toward symptoms.

For example, if a person has a gall bladder problem, doctors take out the gall bladder. Well the root of most gall or kidney problems originate in the liver, but doctors don't address it in most cases. Now, I am not a physician and know that, so I know MDs know that. Or the better question is, why don't they go to the root of the issue?

Now, allow me to shift to a common family dynamic. Many of us have one person, if not several people, in our families who are addicted to drugs. Normally, our family members’ make comments like, he/she ought to know better; I don't know why he/she won't fulfill his /her responsibilities.

My dear, beloved people of God, those are all symptoms. I remain quiet when I hear comments like these because my interest is in only dealing with eradicating, putting an axe spiritually to the root of the issue. That way, the symptoms are forced to die.

In simple terms, that's what integrated, biblical healing and deliverance looks like. We deal with the root(s) of an issue on all levels -- historically, cognitively, legally, emotionally and spiritually -- and it must die.

I'll tell you this, this has changed my life. The Lord has allowed me some great opportunities in my life. But as the scriptures say clearly, only what we do for Christ will last.

I've seen the Holy Spirit heal and deliver people before my eyes and He's used me as a tool. The school I was trained at was an international training center that specializes in the integrated approach to healing and deliverance. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. The qualified teams in the Healing House Network have provided ministry to people, churches and businesses all over the world.

You name a profession, and we've had someone come.
You name a level of society, and they've come.
You name a status level, and they've come.
You name a denomination, and they've come.
You name any problem or issue, and many have come.
You name any case of hopelessness, and many have come.
You name any stronghold or addiction that's gripped a person's life, and the people have come.
You name a secret that people have lived with for decades, and those people have come.

I will never look at any human being the same.

Another beauty about the integrated approach to biblical healing and deliverance is that the green light comes on for people. Now what do I mean by that? You know how we all have wondered things about ourselves, our own families and about other people. You know that why, those searching questions that just never seem to get answered.

In the ministry room, the Holy Spirit shows us and we show the person coming for ministry the strategy satan [really the demons dispatched and assigned to the person's life] has used to steal, kill and destroy them in their life. There's nothing like when we see that the green light comes on for a person.

So, what does this mean? It means satan's strategy is exposed, and the freeing process begins. Now, how satan trips people up, many times for decades, is he [really the demonic assigned to the person's life] makes the person think: a) something is really wrong with me; or, b) I'm so ashamed I can't let anybody know; or, c) I have to keep this hidden; or d) I'm the only one, I am flawed in this area.

They are all lies, my dear beloved people of God.
And you know who the father of lies is, yes satan.
I tell you, I tell people satan seriously has a low intelligence quota.
It's sad and even simple, but it's true.

Remember I started this blog off by sharing I walked another three miles with my cross training instructor after class. Well, he asked the ultimate question. "So yall just do the inner healing stuff right?" I looked at him out of the corner of my right eye as sweat is drenching down my face and already-soaked t-shirt, and I answered, we do "healing."

Let's think about it people. What did Jesus do the majority of the time here on earth, heal. Does the Bible not clearly say that we, His dearly beloved, will do even greater things than Him. So yes, absolutely, we've seen the Holy Spirit heal people of many physical issues/illnesses/pains when they came for integrated, biblical healing and deliverance ministry. You can imagine the look my instructor gave me. His eyes said it all as he towered above me in height.

Now, my two degrees are in business and my career has been spent in the business arena both nationally and internationally. The Holy Spirit simply amazes me every week. Do you know these same revelatory biblical principles that integrated healing and deliverance teams apply to people are also applied to businesses?

It’s very simple and makes sense. Businesses are made up of people, right. People bring there personal, life issues to work and companies have to deal with them. They prohibit productivity. How do they affect work?

Well, we know about employee theft, we know about office affairs, we know about manipulation, we know about lying, we know about greed, we know about injustice, we know about sexism, we know about racism, we know about the glass ceiling, we know about substance abuse, we know about overweight people, we know about employees who just aren’t motivated, we know about people going through divorces at work, we know about unethical people, we know about favoritism, we all know about the inevitable bosom buddy called stress.

Well, Beloved reader, every single thing listed above, plus many other things I didn’t name all have spiritual roots. It will not take long to show this to you. So, can you connect the dots to see how having a person or people within companies go through healing and deliverance can significantly impact the workplace. And this is not a temporary fix either.

We have case studies [we call them testimonies in the body of Christ] of believers who have applied this to their businesses and companies, and the Holy Spirit has turned departments, business units and companies around. I’m not pulling your leg here.

As in the business world, these same biblical principles are applied to help businesses and organizations Transform Their Business.

Thank you for taking your time to read this blog. If you have any questions, please just post them here. The team at Healed People, Heal People is pleased to answer them. If you're not a member of this online community, we invite you to join for free here. You'll receive regular updates of encouragement.

We thank God for Dr. W who saved our friend from dialysis. With the diagnosis of a shrinking kidney and possible dialysis, Dr. W advised us to rub the Pure Herb Arnica on the skin over the kidney area on the lower back for any nerve damage, the Pure Herb Herbal Adjustment for circulation, the Pure Herb Vitamin E with Selenium for oxygenation and the Pure Herb Black Cohosh to remove any poison.

Also, so soak absorbent gauze or cheese cloth with the Pure Herb Ol' Number 11 to lay on the area and cover it with plastic wrap and repeat for a day time application.

Within a week, there was noticeable improvement. Within two weeks voiding began with copious amounts. Her remardk was, "I'm going like a race horse."

Within three weeks the pain was gone. By the way, this lady is in her 90s and never expected a recovery like this! She is rejoicing in the new found health.

Thank you Dr. W. May God bless you!

-- Judy, West Frankfort, IL