As spiritual warfare reaches a fever pitch in every aspect of American culture, Christians must arm themselves with wisdom and discernment or else the enemy will succeed in his attempts at deceiving them.

Satan’s tactics of deception have disarmed many Christians over the course of centuries, and it is imperative to be equipped with the full armor of God to combat these attempts at destroying human life.

If successful, Christians will witness events such as the tragedy that struck the Vallow family.

As Charisma News reported, Lori Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, were accused of murdering their two children, 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, along with Chad’s ex-wife, 49-year-old Tammy Daybell, and also charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception.

Now, Vallow’s courtroom journey is at an end as she was convicted of murdering her two children and of conspiracy to murder her husband’s first wife almost four years ago.

Yet this tale of woe reveals America’s refusal to see the spiritual influence and control demons have in society today.

While the prosecution believed that the causation for this story lay in the physical temptations that led Daybell and Vallow to commit atrocious acts, they fail to recognize that the root origin of these sins lays in the spiritual realm.

“We told you this was about money, power and sex. We talked about religion, but this was not about religion. This was about money, power and sex,” prosecutor Rob Wood said Thursday in his closing statements.

All of these reasons Wood lists stem from spiritual forces influencing Daybell, who had already opened himself up to demonic influence with his doomsday, anti-biblical writings, and Vallow, who was seduced by Daybell’s books about end times.

As reported by Fox News, “They referred to each other as biblical figures named James and Elena and discussed their beliefs that people can have light or dark spirits—some so dark that they could be considered zombies.

“Lori wants to tell you how much she loves Jesus. … But is she a leader or follower? She’s not leading anyone. She’s a follower of Chad,” defense attorney Jim Archibald said Thursday in closing statements. “She thinks Chad is a follower of Jesus. But he’s not. He’s a follower of the storm.”

These are not the beliefs, strategies or plans of someone merely looking for fulfillments of the flesh. These are the statements of people who are under severe demonic oppression and torture. It led them to make the decision to commit multiple murders and continue living their lives as though nothing happened, the same form of demonic oppression and deliverance presented in the recent movie, Come Out In Jesus Name.

Yes, Vallow is ultimately responsible for her actions, as every human being is, but Christians are not called to ignore demonic influence and control in society, they are to cast it out and set those in bondage free in the name of Jesus.

The oppression Vallow was under was stifling, an oppression that she opened herself up to, revealing the power that the spiritual realm holds over the physical.

This case leaves only death and the destruction of several families in its wake. That was Satan’s goal, and sadly, he accomplished it.

God can take what Satan meant for evil and turn it for good. This story can serve as a lesson for Christians to become aware of how entrenched the world is in spiritual warfare.

Healing can come to the families affected by this senseless tragedy. If the chains of bondage were to be broken, Chad Daybell and Lord Vallow could thwart the enemy’s plans by repenting for the heinous crimes and truly enter a relationship with Jesus Christ, not the false iteration they were deceived into following.

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Drinking alcohol has been a topic of heated-discussion amongst the church for quite a long time.

The Bible references wine on numerous occasions, while Peter admonishes believers to be “sober-minded” throughout the book of 1 Peter.

Author and senior pastor at Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Robby Gallaty addressed the question, “Is it wise for a Christian to drink alcohol” in a recent sermon.

“Alcohol is a pretty hot topic…in pastors I talk to, with Christians I meet with, everybody wants to know about drinking,” says Gallaty.

It is naturally a place of confusion and interest for American Christians who want to do the right thing according to the Bible, but are beset on multiple sides about what the Bible interprets as appropriate when it comes to drinking.

“The way you look at drinking kind of…divides you on one of two sides: on one side you may use drinking as a litmus test to determine someone’s spirituality. You may judge someone and say ‘oh look there, they drink,’ and so they live this way,” Gallaty discusses with his congregation.

“On the other hand, you look at someone who doesn’t drink or abstains from drinking as being ‘old-fashioned’ or maybe legalistic in their faith, and so it’s important for us to figure out what the Bible actually says about drinking,” he adds.

Gallaty has been open throughout his ministry regarding past struggles with alcoholism and drug use in his earlier years. After thousands of dollars and two rehab stints, Gallaty made the decision to give up drinking alcohol for good.

“By God’s grace, last Monday, May 1, I haven’t drank alcohol in 20 years,” he shares.

Taking the approach of not whether the Bible says to or not, Gallaty asks the congregation, “Is it wise to drink alcohol?” putting the decision of imbibing squarely in the laps of the individual and their personal convictions.

“I want you to go figure it out for yourself,” Gallaty explains.

Addressing what the Bible says about alcohol, Gallaty shares several points in helping a Christian come to the decision themselves about whether to drink or not.

• Drinking is not a sin (John 2:1-11).
• Drunkenness is a sin (Gal. 5:19-21).
• Wine was safer than water [to drink] in the first century.
• Drinking alcohol can lead to reckless living (Eph. 5:15-18).
• Drinking alcohol can cause others to stumble (Rom. 14:15).
• Drinking alcohol masks a deeper problem (Prov. 31:6-7).

Going through Scripture and addressing what the apostle Paul says about drinking, wisdom and sober-mindedness, Gallaty comes to a definitive answer for his question: Is it wise for Christians to drink alcohol?

One particular area that Gallaty researched was the texts of Charles Quarles, a research professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, who wrote in depth about the dilution process of wine in the biblical age.

“A careful study of the Mishnah and Talmuds [Jewish texts] shows that the normal dilution rate among the Jews was three parts water to one part wine,” Quarles wrote. “[T]his was very likely the commonly accepted dilution rate among Jews of the [New Testament] era as well. This dilution rate reduces the alcohol content of New Testament wine to 2.75 to 3.0 percent.”

Pastor Gallaty then took the numbers Quarles researched and compared them to the alcohol content of multiple spirits imbibed in today’s culture.

“The answer is, according to Paul, in many situations and circumstances at different stages of life, it’s not,” wise for Christians to drink alcohol, Gallaty says.

The best thing a Spirit-filled Christian can do in times of questioning and uncertainty, when they’ve heard the different lessons preached by biblical authorities but still have questions, is to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do about this situation?”

Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide one’s path is not always easy, but it is the best decision a Christian can make.

To watch Pastor Gallaty’s full message on Christians and alcohol click here.

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

In a refreshingly open and honest interview with Fox News, megastar Mark Wahlberg opened up about his growing faith and changes that he has made in life recently.

The movie star shared that his life has been blessed since making God and his faith a top priority for him and his family.

“I attribute everything good and everything positive in life to my faith. … As soon as I started putting my faith and focus on God, good things started happening for me,” says Wahlberg.

“And even when they didn’t, it gives you the coping skills to deal with things that are inevitable, like loss and failure and those things. But, you know, again, my faith and my family, those are the most important aspects of my life,” he adds.

Wahlberg addresses a key point in the Christian faith many struggle with today. That even when things do not go the way we may expect, and embarking on a faith-walk in life will often see God do things we do not understand or want to do, God is still there giving His children the strength and determination to persevere and endure under strenuous situations.

The actor is no stranger to promoting godly values to the public, as his Instagram post on the National Day of Prayer garnered nearly 750,000 likes.

 

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A post shared by Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg)

This new outlook the actor has adopted also led him and his wife, Rhea Durham, who have been married since 2009 and have four children together, to leave the perceived glitz and glam of Hollywood for a more family-friendly environment in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“My kids are doing fantastic,” he revealed. “You know, I wish I would’ve made the move sooner. … I spent lots of time in LA pursuing my own professional aspirations. And, so, to be able to now put them in a position to where they can pursue theirs, their interests, it’s definitely the right thing to do, and it’s long overdue.”

Wahlberg’s devout Catholic faith led him to pursuing the role of Father Stuart Long in the 2022 film “Father Stu.” The film is based on the real-life story of Long, who was a boxer before becoming a Catholic priest.

Wahlberg revealed when discussing the film, it was “his calling” and “mission” to see Long’s story come to life on the big-screen.

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Less than six months into 2023, news and media companies are withering at an incredible rate.

The internet boom brought with it many new third-party news outlets that began reaching viewers in new ways that legacy media had never dreamed of prior to their existence.

Now, many of these outlets are suffering a tremendous shaking in the industry, which has been prophesied by multiple faith leaders prior to the collapse.

Here is a short list of the layoffs compiled by Emily Washburn of Forbes:

• Jan. 4 – Gannett fires 50 employees in Indiana while closing a printing press in Greece, New York affecting 108 workers.
• Jan. 12 – NBC News and MSNBC lay off 75 employees.
• Jan. 13 – Mail-Tribune out of Medford, Oregon, shuts down affecting an unknown number of workers whose severance packages are tied into signing a non-disclosure agreement, per the Oregonian.
• Jan. 19 – Fandom lays off an unspecified number of people at the outlets of GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Metacritic and TV Guide four months after acquiring the properties.
• Jan. 21 – Vox Media fires 7% of its staff, resulting 133 people losing their jobs.
• Jan. 23 – AdWeek lets go of 10% of their staff, resulting in 14 layoffs.
• Jan. 24 – The Washington Post shuts down the video game and kid sections leading to 20 people being laid off.
• Feb. 9 – News Corp, owners of the Wall Street Journal and HarperCollins, announces 1,250 firings by the end of 2023, according to Chief Executive Robert Thomson.
• Feb. 17 – The Takeaway is cancelled on New York public radio station WNYC after 15 years on air. Twelve people involved in the production lose their jobs.
• Feb. 26 – The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and the Press-Register, three print newspaper in Alabama, fire 100 staff due to a decline in print circulation.
• March 19 – Sea Coast Media and Gannett close another printing press, this time in Portsmouth, New Hampshire resulting in 34 people laid off.
• March 21 – New England Public Media, an NPR affiliate, fires 20% of its staff. This resulted in 17 employees laid off.
• March 23 – NPR cancels four podcast series, resulting in 100 employees losing their jobs to reduce their $30 million budget deficit.
• March 29 – Salem Media Group announced they would be firing 3% of their 1,436 employees.
• April 20 – Insider Inc., formerly known as Business Insider, announced a reduction of staff by 10% according to Forbes.
• April 20 – It is announced that Buzzfeed News will be shut down by Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti.
• April 27 – Vice Media is expected to lay off approximately 100 employees and shut down Vice World News.
• May 9 – Paramount Media Networks announces a cut to 25% of its workforce, including shutting down MTV News.

These massive and unprecedented cuts to media organizations does not even include the biggest shakers in the industry when it comes to layoffs in 2023:

• 7,000 layoffs from Disney
• 21,000 layoffs from Meta (since Nov. 2022)
• 12,000 layoffs from Google
• 18,000 layoffs from Amazon (since Nov. 2022)
• 10,000 layoffs from Microsoft

And there are many, many more.

The New Year brought with it prophecies from many Christian leaders, including Christian apologist Dr. Michael Brown, who believes that God is going to shake the institutions of America to its core:

“Just as the nation is massively divided politically now. And just as the ideological divide between left and right is growing deeper, and the divide between the believer and the world growing deeper, I believe God is going to continue to shake the things that we’re putting our trust in,” Dr. Brown says.

Millions of Americans put their hope in the media establishment, and they are currently witnessing the demise of traditional media as the world knows it. In its place, citizen journalism is flaring up to discuss topics and expose corruption that the legacy media simply will not tolerate.

Apostle Alexander Pagani declared that “digital Jehu’s” would arise and reform world systems.

This is exactly what is happening with Tucker Carlson following his historic split from Fox News.

Recently Carlson announced he would have a new show that is going to be broadcast on Twitter, now considered the last true public square of free speech.

“I believe the Holy Spirit has impressed upon my heart…the rise of the Jehu’s,” says Pagani.

“It will be a time and the rise of the Jehu’s, the ‘Wild Ones,’ who will be sanctioned by God [and] be able to confront systems that has been oppressing God’s people, and they’re not going to have that religious, piety and policy mindset,” Pagani adds.

The tearing down of certain structures while others rise in their place, and the speed at which this is occurring, are indicative of the word given by Pastor Greg Locke.

“I’ve really been seeking into the Lord about the word ‘acceleration’,” Locke says.

Locke believes that the Lord is using “suddenly moments” to spur the church to action and no longer be silent against the assault of the enemy, but to declare the truth of the Lord, in the physical and digital world.

There are few systems as oppressive and restrictive when it comes to addressing matters of good and evil, spirituality and salvation in Jesus Christ as the modern-day media and social media. Now, the shakings are just beginning.

God has much more planned and Christians are called to take part in the plan, to be proactive and stand for the name of Jesus.

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Singer, songwriter, actress and social icon Dolly Parton has not been shy about discussing her faith as of late, and gives all the credit to God for the blessings in her life.

Parton, 77, has also written several children’s books and has her own wildly successful charity to help engage children in reading called the Imagination Library.

“When we started that 26 years or so ago with my dad, you know, where we give books to children from the time they’re born, they get a book once a month until they start school, and they get the book with their little name on it. So, it’s going to encourage them to read or encourage somebody to read it for them. And so, I think that’s their most impressionable years,” Parton tells Fox News Digital.

“And I’m just proud of that. And to date, we’ve given over 200 million books, and that’s a lot of books, that’s worldwide. So, that’s a lot of kids and that’s a lot of books. And it’s a great program that I’m very, very proud of, but I’m proud of everything good that happens,” she adds.

Education has been a passion of Parton’s for decades now, and the Lord has used her to help inspire millions of children in the pursuit of knowledge through the works of The Dollywood Foundation.

According to the Dollywood Foundation’s website, their main purpose is “to inspire the children in her home county to achieve educational success.”

As reported by Fox News, “Now, she [Parton] gives out $15,000 scholarships every year to five students graduating from Sevier County who communicate a dream they wish to pursue. This is on top of other scholarships she gives out on a case-by-case basis.”

The source of all this charity and drive to help others, Parton says, comes from her relationship with God.

“My faith impacts everything that I do because I do believe that, through God, all things are possible,” Parton says. “And so, I always ask God to bless everything that I do and the people that I work with and to bring all the right things and right people into my life and to take the wrong ones out.

“So, I try to just live through love as much as I can. And so, I just think that my spirituality has been a guiding light in my life and my strength, really, in my creative energy. And my spiritual energy has really been a great force to keep me going all these years and still being productive.”

This reliance on God and trust in Him has led to a business empire that includes best-selling books, iconic songs, a theme park and much more.

According to Matthew 7:16: “You will know them by their fruit. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?” and the fruit that Dolly Parton is producing as a result of her faith has helped change the lives of millions, for the better.

All while giving God the glory.

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Romans chapter 13 brings up a difficult topic for today’s America. A topic many would like to ignore.

The first verse of the chapter says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are appointed by God.”

Nothing happens without God knowing about it. Everything that took place before, during and after the 2020 election, and every election there ever will be, is known by God.

There has been much talk since the 2020 election on what role President Biden’s son, Hunter’s, laptop played, or did not play. And God knows exactly what went down behind closed doors that the public is still not aware of.

When the New York Post first broke the story about the laptop, its contents and possible corruption within the Biden family, it was dismissed by all major media and social media outlets as misinformation. While many across the country decried a rigged election, America just moved forward while many forgot or simply did not care to revisit the election and whether laws had been broken.

God never forgets.

Now, in 2023, the story of Hunter Biden’s mysterious laptop has been verified as legitimate while Republicans control the House Judiciary Committee. This is a story that may have influenced the tide of the election.

Remember, outlets such as NPR refused to report on it because, according to their own words: “We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.”

Yet here we are, almost three years later, and it turns out Hunter introduced his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, to a top executive at the Ukrainian energy company, Burisma. A company for which Hunter sat on the board of directors, pulling in a whopping $50,000 a month salary.

Aside from contradicting Joe Biden’s statement claiming he had “never spoken to me about his overseas business dealings,” it shined a light on the deception, censorship and corruption at the very top of the American government.

None of this was hidden from God’s vision. He allows people to live out their free will. If they choose to commit sin against His will, which Joe Biden claims to know about as a self-proclaimed devout Catholic, then His hand of protection and blessing is removed from their lives.

While prophecy does not carry the weight it once did in the eyes of society, as many believe it is a gift that is no longer available for Christians or is simply a trick used by charlatans to gain clout and monetary compensation, it is a gift from the Lord that is as alive today as it was in ancient times.

When Israel had kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord, He would send prophets to warn the king and the nation to repent with a humble heart before the Lord. This path of disobedience and rebellion against the Lord led to the eventual destruction of Israel and her people being scattered.

Why would things be any different for America?

Prophets such as Albert Milton have recently proclaimed that on April 20, 2023, Jim Jordan was going to be involved in what God is doing next:

“God told me that He is going to use a lot of the people in the House of Representatives; that He would raise them up in this time and season,” Milton says. “God has spoken to me about many of those in Congress, like Sen. Josh Hawley, Rep. Jim Jordan and Marjorie Taylor Greene and others. God specifically told me to pray for them and pray for their protection, to pray that they have wisdom and knowledge and that they lead from God so that they can do exactly what God wants them to do.

“On that, it’s all about truth. It’s all about bringing the reality as it is and then that is the justice and vindication. That is what God is going to do through the House of Representatives and especially through Jim Jordan in this case. So, I strongly believe that on the 20th, something is going to happen spiritually and also physically.”

And what happened with Milton’s prophecy, that Charisma News recorded on Wednesday, April 19th?

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg had a change of heart of Thursday, April 20. Now, the deposition of Mark Pomerantz will move forward. Pomerantz will testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee in regards to the historic arraignment of a former-U.S. president.

It is still early in the proceedings for former President Donald Trump’s legal battles, but with Republican control of the House Judiciary Committee, crucial information will not be so callously swept under the rug as it has been in past years.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Christian attention and support are beginning to increase as the time draws near on the prophetic red heifers second birthday.

Recently, The Voice of Healing Church in Houston, Texas, joined with Boneh, Israel, and The Israel Guys, a Christian non-profit based in Israel, and broadcast their unified support of reinstating the biblical commandment of the red heifer sacrifice.

The event was led by VOH’s Pastor Michael Petro and Boneh Israel was represented by Rabbi Itzchak (Tzachi) Mamo, Mo Bareli and Byron Stinson.

Byron Stinson is the Texas businessman responsible for getting the red heifers to Israel, as well as purchasing land on the Mount of Olives for the sacrifice.

“The one thing we kept hearing, over and over, was that everyone felt so much love at the event,” Pastor Petro told Israel365 News. “Christians and Jews, we were all working towards the same vision with the same hopes which is remarkable since this event could never have taken place ten years ago. The Lord is pulling us together for a common purpose.”

Petro shared that he has been fascinated with the sacrifices that took place in the Bible, and the relevance they hold for Christians as well as Jews.

“Paul connects the red heifer to the Messiah,” Pastor Petro said. “He describes Jesus as going outside of the camp and this is a reference to the red heifer which was sacrificed outside of the camp. God kept his promise and brought the Jews back to Israel so now, whether you are on the Jewish side or the Christian side, we are clearly in a period of getting ready. The heifers are an essential part of that. The coming together of Jews and Christians is part of that as well.”

The red heifers that have drawn the attention of the world, landed at Ben-Gurion airport on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

As Charisma News reported, “For the Orthodox Jewish community, this is viewed as one step closer to practicing the Mosaic law as dictated in Numbers 19:2, ‘This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: “Tell the children of Israel that they will bring you a healthy red heifer, which has no blemish, and on which a yoke has never gone.”‘”

The ashes of a red heifer are needed in order to purify the priests who would serve in the temple, according to Numbers 19. Because the entire animal is burned and the ashes stored and used sparingly—sprinkled into water from the Gihon spring—only nine such sacrifices had been performed throughout history.

These heifers meet the criteria, as the American ranchers who sent them to Israel from Texas did not even tag the ears of the cattle. This ensured their pristine condition was maintained for rabbinical inspection.

“The theme of the event was redemption and how the red heifers play a major role in that,” Mo told Israel365 News. “It amazed me that when it came to redemption and the Third Temple, we all had so much in common. The people we met were connected to Torah and felt strongly that they wanted to be a part of the prophetic things happening in Israel right now. Of course, Christians and Jews have significant differences but it was very easy to focus on the important things we have in common.

“The heifers will, God willing, be ready by Pesach next year,” Mo continues. “All of the elements necessary, the land and the kohanim, are being made ready in the meantime.”

While there are still many hurdles yet to overcome, even as Israel deals with unprecedented civil unrest and persecution from the international community, for Jews and Christians, the question is not if these things will come to pass, but when will they come to pass. God has ordained these events to occur, now the faithful must continue in prayer and supplication that the will of God be done. {eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

As the United States continues to reel from the recent school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, the question remains whether there was a catalyst that helped put these nefarious plans of a mentally ill young woman into action?

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn shares the reasons he believes are causing not only the Covenant School shooting, but increased persecution of Christians around the world.

As the mainstream American media appeared to blame Christians—the victims—for this heinous act of terrorism, without even mentioning that the shooter was transgender, Cahn reveals the subtle ways that the transgender movement has been radicalized to not only hate Christians, but commit acts of violence against them.

“Months before this [shooting] happened, a video game came out that was created by a transgender video game developer encouraging virtual violence and killing against those who were not in favor of surgical altering,” says Cahn.

The creator of the video game, Terfenstein 3D, Sandra Moen, claimed that creating the game where you violently shoot critics of transgenderism, anti-trans feminists and Catholic priests helped to heal the trauma of being a trans person.

To recap: the killing of those who disagree with Moen supposedly led to healing.

That is the influence of a demonic spirit that spreads destruction in its wake.

Cahn has sounded the trumpet on the evil spirits that are at work in societies across the world in his newest New York Times best-seller “The Return of the Gods.”

People are finally starting to wake up and take notice of the unnatural events taking place in culture today.

“When they [evil spirits] possess a person, they seek to remove the individual from his or her nature and purpose. Whether that means their humanity, their gender, their sexuality, their personhood, that’s how they begin destroying him or her,” warns Cahn.

“The possessed person becomes a danger to others and to himself or herself, harming others [and] harming themselves,” he adds.

For a person, culture or country to be delivered and free from this demonic spiritual oppression, it first must cast out the spirits possessing it and bring God into their midst. America did this upon its founding. The Judeo-Christian principles that helped birth a nation that would fight to right its wrongs, glorify God in its existence and spread the gospel far and wide has since turned its back on God in favor of the pagan entities of old.

“America has cast out God. Now we are witnessing the taking over of our culture by these spirits. That’s why what we’re watching is so irrational. That’s why it’s so demonic,” says Cahn.

No politician, world leader, billionaire or celebrity is going to be able to pull society out of this trajectory.

Cahn shares a warning to all believers about the necessity of being spiritually grounded in the Word of God, because persecution against Christians is going to get worse due to the growing influence of Satan and his minions in society.

“The changes that are taking place in our nation and Western Civilization and the world are not natural, they’re not rational. They’re part of a mystery in the realm of the spirit and they’re not just possessing troubled individuals, they’re possessing celebrities, pop stars, organizations, institutions, media, school systems, government leaders, cultures, our culture, and for you who are a follower of God, you who are a Christian, a true believer, be warned they are after you,” implores Cahn.

“There’s only one power and force that’s able to overcome these things: it’s the power of God, the presence of Yeshua, Jesus, the Redeemer. That’s why you need Him in your life. We war not against flesh and blood it [the Bible] says, but against power, principalities, rulers, spiritual forces in high places. God is greater, make sure you’re right with Him. Make sure He’s in your life. Make sure you received Him for real. Make sure you’re born again, you’re saved.”

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

As the late broadcaster Paul Harvey once said, “If I were the prince of darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness.”

This exact plan by the devil has been in motion since the Garden of Eden, and he has an entire army of demons at his command to accomplish this goal.

These torturous spirits have free rein in the lives of those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior, the One who claimed victory over sin and death.

For many Christians, the question of “Can I become possessed as a follower of Jesus?” fills their mind with fear and uncertainty.

One of the leading voices in deliverance ministry, Apostle Alexander Pagani, sat down with Charisma News to discuss the topic of deliverance from demonic spirits.

“We know that the devil’s number one form of deception is to make the world believe that he doesn’t exist,” explained Pagani. And when it comes to minimizing who and what the devil is in American culture, he is doing a great job of it.

The caricature of who the devil really is in society, and the line of thought that he is just some red, little man in hell, has opened the floodgates for demonic possession, oppression and influence in people’s lives.

Deflecting away from the tormenter that he really is, Pagani helps shed light on a trick the devil is playing over members of the Christian church to this day.

“The devil’s number two form of deception is to make the church believe that we blame the devil too much. So, we never blame him. And I believe that’s what’s happening. This false narrative of over-blaming the devil, I have yet to see someone over-blaming the devil,” says Pagani.

Pagani is referencing the old trope that previous generations of Pentecostals and charismatics over-spiritualized life and accused any bad thing in life to a demonic attack.

Believing that Christians became hyper-spiritualized, many simply abandoned the spiritual warfare that had offered protection against assault from the devil for generations.

If people want evidence to the effect this has had on America, simply look at society today.

Golden pagan statues are being erected in American cities, television is filled with satanic programming and the biblical order that God created is being dismantled in every facet of society.

With the unsaved offering countless examples of what demonic possession looks like in culture today, Pagani has a passion to educate Christians on the protection that being filled with the Holy Spirit offers them in the spiritual battles taking place today.

“A Christian is not possessed, as in owned by, a demon. No, number one, we are bought with a price. Number two, we have the precious Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest expectation of our blessed hope living on the inside. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, it is impossible for [a] Christian to be owned by the devil,” says Pagani.

“But can a Christian possess a devil, not demon possession…as in having a demon? Obviously, yes. Paul said, ‘Neither give place to the devil.’ …When the work of the flesh is not contained and crucified through the work of the Holy Spirit within us, then a stronghold becomes a strong man,” he added.

Coming off the smashing success of the deliverance movie, “Come Out in Jesus Name,” people are witnessing just how powerful and necessary deliverance ministry is. It removes the demonic influence, oppression or possession in their lives that they were not even aware of.

That is how powerful the deception is that Satan has instituted in the world.

Learn more about the power of deliverance ministry in Alexander Pagani’s book “The Secrets to Deliverance: Defeat the Toughest Cases of Demonic Bondage.”

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

People around the world commit to lifestyles that they hope will extend their lives here on Earth.

While lifting weights, aerobic exercise, eating healthily and avoiding detrimental habits all have beneficial effects on one’s life, they cannot grant anyone protection from death.

“As Christians we have what the world wants,” says Evangelist Ray Comfort.

“That is what Jesus said to the woman [at the well]. He gives you living water”

This gift that Jesus gave all of humanity when He rose from the grave and overcame sin and death, needs believers to share it with those who have not yet accepted the gift of living water. This way they will only ever experience temporal death, and not eternal, spiritual death.

It takes courage, love and faith in action to go out into the world this Resurrection Day, but as the apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things because of Christ who strengthens me.”

“We’ve got to be bold and say, ‘We’ve got what this world wants and we’re going to take the gospel to them.'” And Easter is a perfect opportunity.

With Easter being one of the two times per year when more people attend church than any other time—the other being Christmas—people are more receptive to receiving an invitation to a Resurrection Day service where they will hear the truth about Easter, and not the social celebrations that have taken Jesus’ place as the reason for the holiday.

“Now they’re talking about eggs and bunnies, but what an opportunity to say, ‘Do you realize what Easter is about?’ and this is what I do. And it is so effective,” Comfort adds.

By taking a step of faith and simply broaching the subject of the true meaning of Easter, many who have no clue about its true purpose are naturally curious to hear more.

“I say, ‘Would you like to hear the gospel? That means the Good News that God destroyed death.’ And they say, ‘Yeah, sure. I’ve never heard it.’ That gives me an opening. And we can do this, this Easter,” shares Comfort.

“Bring up the subject, be bold, share the gospel and the Resurrection that Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” says Comfort.

Answering the call of the Great Commission that Jesus imparted upon His followers is a show of obedience and submission to the King who overcame death. This is how you store up treasures in heaven.

It also provides people a living example of the radical life-changing experience that comes with accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

“When you’re born again, when you come to Christ, God takes His law and writes it upon your heart, [He] opens the eyes of your understanding and makes you a brand-new creature in Christ,” says Comfort.

So, take a leap of faith this Resurrection Day, you may be the person the Lord wants to use to bring others into relationship with Him.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.