Is Your Child Haunted By an Imaginary Friend?

If your child complains of being “disturbed” by imaginary friends or playmates, do not automatically dismiss what he/she is saying, but investigate further, as it could be a sign of a demonic attack. In his book “Confronting Familiar Spirits”, the late Frank Hammond, author of numerous books on deliverance, shares two cases:

It is not unusual to find a child who has an imaginary playmate. The invisible companion is very real to the child. In fact, the playmate may be invisible to others but appear visibly to the child. The imaginary playmate becomes a companion and a teacher of the child.

What begins, in the child's imagination, as a technique to offset loneliness, evolves into a relationship with a familiar spirit. A four-year old boy, to whom we ministered, had an imaginary playmate whom he called Charcoal. We asked why he called his playmate "Charcoal”, and he insisted that the playmate told him that his name was Charcoal. In order to be set free, the boy first had to fall out of agreement with the familiar spirit and command him to go. Although he was normally an obedient child, he was so threatened by the prospect of losing his companion that he stubbornly resisted his father's coercion to renounce the demonic presence. After a successful deliverance, there was a marked improvement in the child's personality and behavior.

In another case, my wife and I ministered to a young woman who was plagued by extreme supernatural phenomena. Poltergeists manifested themselves in her house; she experienced unsought astral travel, and possessed undesired psychic insights. The root cause for all the supernatural phenomena was, in her particular case, an early childhood relationship with an imaginary playmate. Her parents had divorced when she was four years old. Rejection and insecurity resulted because she was passed around to different family members who raised her. She began to play with an imaginary friend, a familiar spirit, named "Genie." Interestingly, Genie (a derivation of jinn) is one of a class of spirits that assumes various forms, exercises supernatural power and serves his summoner. The familiar spirit, Genie, was responsible for the occult phenomena.

Church Leader Becomes a Homosexual and Leaves His Wife and Family to Live With A Man. Then Something Amazing Happens…

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.

Are You Battling a Strong Urge to Commit Suicide? Read This

Are you battling a strong urge to commit suicide? If so, perhaps you could be tormented by demons of suicide, and the good news is that you can be set free by the Blood of Jesus! In his book “Power of the Blood”, the late deliverance minister H.A. Maxwell Whyte shares his experience of helping a church deacon to be set free from suicide demons.

Around that time, a Christian brother, who had been a deacon in a full gospel church, was battling a strong urge to commit suicide. Could it be that a Holy Spirit-baptized man – a deacon in a full gospel assembly – could be demon possessed?

What would our Bible schools say? What would the pastor of his church say? What would anyone say? Who cares what they say! I quickly told the afflicted man that demons were probably the source of his torment. Being desperate, he asked what he could do. Remembering a recent deliverance session where an asthmatic was gloriously set free, I felt I was ready for anything.

“There is one thing we can do,” I said. “We can cast out these suicide demons.”

“When?” he asked.

“Tonight,” I replied, full of faith and the joy of the Lord! I was learning that I was seated in heavenly places in Christ and had been given authority over demonic forces.

My wife came down into the basement kitchen with us. We sat on one side of the room, and this despondent man sat on the other side with his wife. The kitchen became an arena of spiritual battle.

We began by singing choruses about the blood of Jesus because we didn't want these

demons to attack us. There is nothing like a fresh reminder of the power of Jesus' blood.

The demons knew they had no power over us. Then we gave the command.

To my astonishment, this man shot into the air about one foot off his chair. He landed with a thud, and his head shook to and fro like a toy in a dog's mouth.

We doubled our forceful commands in the name of Jesus and ordered every foul suicide demon to come out. After one hour, many unclean spirits had come out moaning, coughing, vomiting, and writhing. Then they started to speak. We had read about demons who spoke to Jesus, but we didn't know anyone who heard demons speak today. We know differently now.

We asked the spirits how many more remained in our brother, and they replied, “Twenty.” We counted them as they came out, paused at each fifth one, and asked again. Amazingly, they told the truth, although they argued and sometimes refused to answer. But our pressing commands in Jesus' name caused them to tell the truth.

“Fifteen.” “Ten.” “Five.” The last demon put up a twenty-minute fight, but the name of Jesus, His precious blood, and an authoritative command expelled him. Finally set free from demonic bondage, this brother threw his head back and spoke in tongues, magnifying God.

He then made a pact with God; he said that if he was truly delivered, he would like God to give him the gift of prophecy. The next Sunday around the communion table, this cleansed vessel brought forth a beautiful prophetic word that edified the entire church.

To Be Set Free from Demons, You First Need to Forsake Your Sins and Determine to Serve God

Many victims of demonic attacks wish to be set free from these attacks.

However, as long as they have no intention of renouncing their sins, freedom remains an elusive hope, according to the late deliverance minister H.A. Maxwell Whyte, who wrote the following piece of advice in his book “Demons & Deliverance” to counsellors of victims.

Before beginning the prayer of deliverance, find out whether the one who is bound really wants to serve the Lord. Discover if any known sins are unconfessed. The sufferer should seek forgiveness for the sin or weakness that allowed the spirit to enter in the first place.

In one case, a woman informed my wife and me that she was a lesbian. We implored her to seek the Lord's forgiveness and forsake this sin, which is so highly condemned in Scripture. To our astonishment, she admitted that she wasn't sure she could do it since she felt the experience was rather beautiful. This woman wanted to be set free from the stigma of her sin, but she didn't want to forsake it. No amount of prayer would have budged this unclean spirit. The demon had a right to stay there and manifest its unclean nature.

Why Does God Allow Financial Difficulties in Christians (Watchman Nee)

God promises to take care of our needs, yet why does He allow believers to experience financial loss or difficulties? Watchman Nee, the late Chinese church leader and Christian leader, addressed this question in his book, “God’s Plan and the Overcomers”.

This is due either to their inability to continue on with whatever improper occupations they had engaged in before or to some spiritual reasons for which God is dealing with them specifically. God sometimes takes our wealth away so as to induce us to seek after Christ that He might have the pre-eminence in all things. It is not impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, it is just difficult for them to do so. Not that they cannot serve the Lord, only that they find it difficult to serve the Lord. “Lay though thy treasure in the dust… and the Almighty will be thy treasure” (Job 22:24,25). God dealt with the children of Israel in the wilderness by depriving them of earthly supplies of food and clothing so that they might recognise the abundance of God. As the supplies on earth ceased, the supplies from heave came. Material difficulties drive us to seek after the Lord, to learn the lesson of faith, and to know Christ as the first in all things. Whenever difficulty arrives let us believe that it comes from God, and rejoice. Yet never expect difficulty, because Satan is well able to add such to us.

How to Have Your Prayers Answered (Watchman Nee)

Many Christians feel that their prayers are being ignored by God. Watchman Nee, the late Chinese church leader and Christian leader, addressed this question of how one can have one’s prayers answered in his book, “God’s Plan and the Overcomers”.

Prayers will be answered if it aims at letting Christ have the first place in all things. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God will add to us all our needs (Adding is not giving. The first means adding to what is already there; the second means giving what is not there.) Asking in the name of the Lord is asking the Father for the Lord so that the Lord himself might receive it. According to the principle they who mind the flesh will have nothing for which to pray. How we need to let the cross cut off our flesh that we might be the Lord’s intercessors praying out the Lord’s will. We should not pray for our selfish purposes. Only those who permit Christ to have the pre-eminence in all things can enter the Holiest of all. May we transform the time of praying for our needs into a time of praying for God’s affairs. God will then hear the prayer we have uttered – that is, prayer for the things of God; but He will also here the prayer we have not uttered – that is, prayer for our own affairs. If we should ask first that the Lord might receive His, He would cause us to receive ours too. One of the sweet experiences in the life of a Christian is to have prayer continually answered. Remember, though, that the reason for God answering our prayer is to allow Christ to occupy first place in all things.

How to Have a Victorious Christian Life (Watchman Nee)

How can Christians live a victorious life? Watchman Nee, the late Chinese church leader and Christian leader, addressed this question in his book, “God’s Plan and the Overcomers”.

Our victory is based on letting Christ have the pre-eminence in all things – in allowing Him to be the Lord of all to our lives. The Old Testament tells us how the chosen people of God lived on earth. At first the tabernacles served as the centre of the twelve tribes; later it was the temple which became their center. The center of the temple was the ark. The tabernacles, the temple and the ark are all types of Christ. As long as the children of Israel maintained their proper relationship with the tabernacles or the temple they were victorious, and no nation could overcome then. Even though their enemies learned how to fight while they themselves were not familiar with fighting, the children of Israel overcame all their enemies nonetheless. But the moment they had problems with the tabernacles or the temple, they were taken into captivity. Nothing else – whether they had powerful kings or great wisdom in themselves – mattered at all; the only concern which mattered was whether or not they had offended the ark of the tabernacle or temple. If the Lord had the pre-eminence, then theirs was the victory of Christ, we also have the victory. But whenever the hair of separation is shorn, the victory is gone (cf. Judges 6:17). Except we give Christ the highest place we are not able to overcome. Unless Christ has pre-eminence in our heart we cannot overcome.