Soul-Ties
It is believed by those within the deliverance movement that it is possible for a person's soul to be spiritually knitted/bonded/glued/tied to another person’s soul such that one takes on the personality traits of the one they are apparently soul-tied to. It is believed that there are godly soul ties that are from God and ungodly soul-soul ties that are demonic.
One of the main areas of focus, when it comes to the teaching of soul ties, is ungodly soul ties formed through immoral sexual relationships. Like two sheets of card being glued together such that when they are separated, bits of the card being separated remains bonded to the other piece; in the same way, it is believed that when two souls come together in the act of fornication, a part of that person’s soul remains bonded to yours and yours to theirs. One can only imagine the effects of this being multiplied ten times over. Thus the aim of deliverance becomes about breaking ungodly soul-ties and restoring one’s fragmented soul back into one piece so as to allow for the worship of God with all one’s heart and soul. The teaching of soul ties is very dangerous and I would go as far as to call it heretical. In this eleventh and final teaching part, we look at this teaching and examine it critically from the Word of God.
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1 Thessalonians 4:1-7
If I was to ask the vast majority of professing believers, what it was that Jesus accomplished upon the cross. Without hesitation, the overwhelming response would be, “He died that sins might be forgiven”, to that I say amen!! But if I was to probe a little further by asking the second time, “what was it that Jesus accomplished upon the cross”, for the most part, I would be greeted by blank faces. The Church in our hour regrettably, has chosen to focus only on that one aspect of the cross — sins forgiven — and the conclusion that it has drawn from this, though it would never say it is this: “The only difference between the world and the Christian is this; the Christian has been forgiven of their sins whereas the world has not?” In other words, when it boils down to Christian living, there isn’t really any radical difference between the child of God and the child of wrath. But friends, the Bible that I hold in my hand rejects this darkened reasoning. What saith the Apostle? “...Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom. 6:1-2). Not only did Jesus die to save us from the penalty of sin, but He also died to save us from the power of sin.
In this sermon, we move from the category of sins general, to focus on sin specific, namely the sin of sexual immorality. Let us heed the warnings given to us in God’s Word.
Blessings and Curses Pt. 3
The generation that welcomed Derek Prince with open arms, sucking up his new-fangled teachings regarding blessings and curses, failed to hold him to account to the standard of the Bible. God’s people were only too happy to sit at the feet of the guru and to be spoon-fed! Where were the Pastors warning their flocks? Where were the watchmen lifting up their voices?
We see a huge resurgence in our day of the toxic teachings of Derek Prince as it relates to blessings and curses, fuelled to a large degree by his online presence on social media platforms like YouTube. The only way in which this generation shall escape the error of the last is if they stop blindly following “Men of God” and instead begin following the “Word of God”. In this tenth teaching part, we conclude our studies of what Derek Prince taught concerning blessings and curses. We take another look at the wide spectrum of curses that a Christian can apparently be under and examine Biblically, the supposed steps needed to be taken in order to pass from curse to blessing and to then remain in blessing. What is the proper understanding of Christ’s finished work on the cross versus that of what deliverance ministers teach? How does one claim the blessing of Abraham? What is meant by the verse in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us”? Stay tuned to find out.
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2 Peter 1:1-12
Doctrine matters! Foundations matter! Everyone wants to build but if there are no foundations upon which to build, the building’s not going to stand. We must begin with foundational matters/those great positional truths of Scripture - they are anchors to our soul. But we must never allow ourselves to settle there. We must be poured out into the vessel of experience. Too many Christians have remained for too long settled on their lees, living in the realm of the positional and never coming down to the land of the experiential.
In this sermon, we look at the glorious truths that Peter furnishes for us and the exhortation which follows to live in the reality of this.
Blessings and Curses Pt. 2
The Bible is full of commandments from God with attached blessings to them. Conversely, there are other verses in the Old Testament with attached curses. With that in mind, it might well be said, “What’s the need for this teaching? Blessings and curses are Biblical.” However, as one compares what Derek Prince teaches, to that which Holy Scripture teaches, there are fundamental and major differences. As one looks in the Old Testament at the theme of blessings and curses one will find that it exists in the framework of covenant relationship. In Deuteronomy 28 (and the parallel passage in Leviticus 26), God lays before His covenant people Israel, a number of blessings and many more curses, conditional upon their obedience or disobedience respectively. What would you think, if one was to take the covenantal blessings and curses given to Israel and use them as a universal framework for all mankind today? That’s precisely what Derek Prince does.
In this ninth teaching part, we look at a list of blessings and curses drawn up by the late Derek Prince and ask the crucial question, “Can a Christian be cursed?” Are generational curses operative in the life of the blood-bought children of God? What about the common saying, “No curse without a cause?” We provide Biblical answers to each of these questions in this ninth teaching part.
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Matthew 24:1-5
As nears our Lord’s return, the Word of God tells us that widespread deception will mark the generation that shall witness the Second Coming of Christ. When the disciples asked our Lord saying, “...Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Mt. 24:3). The first words out of Jesus’ mouth were, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (vs. 4). Of all the many things He could have said, and of all the many things He went ¬on to say; first thing’s first, He warns the disciples against deception; “Take heed that no man deceive you”.
As a Pastor/shepherd, I see so many of God’s people in this late hour, wandering hither and thither, “...scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd”. Brothers and Sisters, I want to be straight with you, this is no hour for wandering about, there are prowling wolves out there waiting for their dinner, and guess what’s on the menu? You got it...SHEEP!! If there’s one thing I’ve learned not to do as a Christian, that is to ignore the warnings given to me in the Word of God. When God warns us, He warns us for a reason and He says, "TAKE HEED" because there are genuine consequences for not doing so! Part of our being ready for when Christ comes is being found in truth. Not only must we be found abiding in holiness when He comes; but we must also be found abiding in the truth!
Blessings and Curses Pt. 1
In the introduction to a book written by Derek Prince, titled, “Blessing or Curse”, one is met by the following words. “In the 1970s Derek Prince began to unfold for believers an astonishing, life-changing teaching from the Bible that few people had ever heard. It was a thoroughly scriptural and God-blessed message about blessings and curses. This startling revelation—which he would continue to develop and gain spiritual insight about over the next three decades—has profoundly influenced several generations of theologians and preachers. More importantly, it has provided a simple key to a better life for hundreds of thousands of Christians all over the world”.
Just as in the 1960s, when Dr. Prince began unfolding for believers a message about deliverance that few people had ever heard, so in 70’s he began doing the same again but this time from the standpoint of blessings and curses. In this teaching, we begin to examine this strange and peculiar teaching through the lens of Holy Scripture. Far from it being rooted in the word of God, we shall discover that what Derek Prince taught concerning the laws that govern blessings and curses and the vehicle through which they come, namely words, is not only unbiblical but has its origins firmly rooted in the world of the Occult!
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Psalm 61:1-4
As one walks through this fallen world, it seems that pain and sorrows are the appointed lot of man. Sinners and Saint alike taste of these bitter waters, but the added comfort for the child of God is the knowledge, that whatever trials are traced upon his dial, they are done so by the Son of love. Be this as it may, God’s people do not always recognise it as so. In times of great calamity, rather than looking to the Lord, they can draw away from Him
This sermon is an encouragement to those enduring hardship to look to the Lord! “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Ps. 61:1-2).
Self-Deliverance
As one examines the various techniques employed within the deliverance ministry, it becomes quickly obvious that they are greatly wanting in terms of Biblical support. Where in the Bible do we see Jesus leading the demonised in a prayer for deliverance at the end of which they begin expelling demons themselves? Where do we see Jesus conducting mass deliverance services? Not only are these practices non-existent, the Word of God contradicts them! Jesus cast out demons in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the Word of His authority. The Gospels inform us that He ministered to individuals, one by one, though they thronged him in great numbers.
According to leading proponents within the deliverance movement, believers have been given authority by Jesus Christ to cast demons out of themselves. Where in the Bible do we see the demon-possessed delivering themselves? In this seventh teaching part, we shall continue to peel back the layers of this harmful movement and bring its teachings to the judgment bar of God’s Word.
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2 Kings 5:1
There’s nothing like sitting before an open Bible, with an open heart, asking that the Lord might breathe upon the text and illuminate one’s understanding. Ah, to have those rhema moments where the text of Scripture seems to leap from the page, where the Word of God is comprehended from His Spirit to our spirit, there’s nothing that compares like unto it.
Fasten your seatbelt, as we go for a ride through chapter 5 of the Book of Second Kings to learn lessons from the life of Naaman the Syrian.