In his book “Powerof the Blood”, the late deliverance minister H.A. Maxwell Whyte shares this
amazing story of a church leader who unwittingly opened his life to the spirit
of homosexuality, and even went so far as to leave his beautiful wife and
family to live with a man. However, something amazing happened, as we read
below:
IS THERE HOPE FOR
ME? Perhaps the best Scripture on this subject details the story of the man
whose house was garnished, swept, and cleansed after the evil spirit had gone
out. This demon was not so easily defeated. He wandered around, waiting for a
convenient moment to return. Finally, the man backslid, and the demon did
return and brought with him seven other spirits worse than himself. (See Matthew
12:43-45.)
To say that this
man was not saved is to misuse the plain meaning of words. Obviously, he was
saved, delivered, and cleansed in the blood; but he chose to backslide and
consequently returned to his previous habit, and seven other demons came to
plague him. The frightful possibility of such a relapse was made very real to
me a number of years ago.
The telephone rang.
“Is that you, Pastor Whyte?” The same man who had been delivered
from twenty demons
in our church kitchen seven years before was on the line.
“Yes,” I replied. “What
can I do for you?”
“Are you in the
same place?”
“Yes.”
“Do you still have
the same ministry?”
“Yes.”
He sighed with
relief, saying that God had directed him to call me. He was trapped in the pit of
sin again. “Do you think there's any hope for me?” he sighed. “I'm in a
terrible mess.”
I assured him that
there was indeed hope, for the mercies of God are new every morning. So he came
to my office.
His story was very
sordid but a warning to us all. After his spectacular deliverance, he had moved
out of the area and into the suburbs. The new church he attended did not
believe the full gospel and did not teach or practice healing or deliverance.
One rainy day, as
he drove downtown to his business in Toronto, he noticed a man at a bus stop.
With compassion, he invited the man to get into his car. This worldly man
offered our friend a cigarette. His offer opened a wonderful opportunity for
our friend to witness about the salvation and deliverance available in Christ.
But no. Instead, he took the cigarette, which proved to be his first step to
hell on earth.
Each day he picked
up this man, and each day they smoked. Soon they talked about drinking together.
Their sin escalated from the tavern to the racetrack where they bet on the
horses. Finally, the newfound friend said to our brother, "I love
you."
As I listened to
this man's story, I could hardly believe it. He had a beautiful wife, four
wonderful children, and a good home. I had often visited them. What power drove
a good Christian man to become a homosexual, leave his wife and family, and
live in one room with another man? Psychology cannot explain this. It was the
devil working through indwelling demons.
WORSE OFF THAN
BEFORE. Theology explains that no
Christian can have a demon. But I remembered how God had delivered this dear
brother from a demon of suicide
seven years before.
How could this Spirit-filled man have gotten a suicide demon in the first place?
And what about the demons that were in him now?
I knew there was
only one answer. He had arrived at this miserable state by disobeying
the words of
Scripture: "Neither give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4:27). He had
allowed the devil to occupy territory that had previously been occupied by the
Holy Spirit.
The broken man
slumped into a chair after his agonizing confession. He had scraped the
bottom of the
barrel of sin but was ready to be rescued again.
Without further
delay, we gave the command. "Come out, in the name of Jesus!" The man
was ready. The filthy demons began to pour out of him with almost continual
coughing and choking. Without any asking on my part, they willingly named
themselves as they came out. Lust, filth, uncleanness, perversion, cursing,
etc. In twenty minutes he was completely free again.
When it was all
over, I realized that I had seen a fulfillment of Jesus' words:
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. (Matthew 12:43-45)
This explained what
had happened to the man. After his first deliverance, his "house" had
been cleansed, swept, and put in order, but he had not kept it filled with the new
Visitor, the Holy Spirit. His house had been left empty, so the suicide spirit came
back. However, that spirit also beckoned to seven of his filthy friends, and
they came in also. What a mess a Christian can get himself into by backsliding!
But thank God, deliverance is available to all who will bend the knee to Jesus
and ask Him to forgive their sins and enter into their lives.
FULLY RESTORED. Seven years later, I met this same brother again
in a certain church. Immediately I asked how he was doing. He joyfully told me
that after his second deliverance, he returned home and made a full confession
to his wife and family. They forgave him and took him back. God then began to
prosper his business, and he bought a better home. He was keeping his house
clean with the blood of Jesus, and the demons had permanently left.
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