Bethesda Shalom

1 John 2:15-17 They tell us, "...nothing's built to last".   It's not always that I agree with what "they" like to tell us, but in this instance, they're spot on!! I like walking, and at odd times my path leads me into farming land.   I love standing by the gate and looking out at the wheat fields, the ripened heads swaying in the wind.   Upon my journey, I sometimes see an old clapped-out tractor...

Hebrews 11:1-3 If there were just two words that I would have you take away with you so as to keep in memory, it would be these two words, "BY FAITH".   No less than 16 times within the 40 verses that span the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews; the words, "By faith" appear. Beginning with Abel, the son of Adam, the names of men and women are chronicled and the mighty victories that they wrou...

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 o...

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...

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...

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 Chris...

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 fun...

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...

 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—w...

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...

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...

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...

Expelling the Demons We have spent considerable time exploring the realm of deliverance ministry – a movement impacting the lives of millions of Christians worldwide.  In the last teaching part, we examined the teaching of Dr. Derek Prince and Frank Hammond as it relates to how demons "supposedly" enter a person.  In this sixth teaching part, we want to look at how they "supposedly" leave. We shal...

Revelation 22:7-15 Many have endeavoured through the ages to predict the date of Christ's Second Coming.  In the 1830s, a Baptist minister from New York by the name of William Miller began publicly sharing his newfound belief, that Jesus Christ was going to return around the year 1843.  This belief began to gain momentum across denominations, and by 1840 it had become a nationwide campaign with be...

How Demons Enter As we have begun peeling back the veil of deliverance to see the teachings that lie beneath, there's one thing that has been striking to discover, and that is the all-consuming nature of the movement.  According to the deliverance practitioners, there is no Christian outside the scope of needing deliverance.  Having looked at the list of the identifying characteristic hallmarks of...

1 Timothy 2:1-6 A presentation of the Gospel! "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come...

Identifying the Demons If you were tasked with answering the question, "…how do I know if I have a demon"?  How would you respond?  In the case of the Gadarene Demoniac, you wouldn't even need to be a Christian to spot something was seriously wrong with the man.  "Normal" people don't live naked among the tombs, screaming and cutting themselves with stones.  "Normal" people don't speak in the seco...

2 Samuel 11:1 There's something inherent within the heart of man; an instinct that he carries with him from birth.  If tasked with the mission of travelling from A to B to C, if there's a route that will take him straight from A to C, he's sure to find it out!  It's the lazy postman syndrome, rather than go up the path and down the next, he cuts straight across the lawn, much to the annoyance of t...

Breaking Down the Walls We have spent the last two teachings introducing the topic of deliverance ministry and the key architects who helped shape and fashion it in its formative years in the early 1960s and 70s.  Due to the anecdotal nature of the movement, it is impossible to speak with one united voice for all the leading figures within it.  However, what we are able to do is examine the teachi...

1 Samuel 16:6-7 Imagine for a moment, if upon awaking out of sleep, you were caught up to the third heaven beholding things indescribable, and hearing words unspeakable, "...which it is not lawful for a man to utter". Suddenly, you find yourself before a throne and glancing upward, you see one seated upon the throne, high and lifted up.  "...he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine...

Derek Prince Derek was born into a military family in Bangalore, India in 1915.  At the age of 13, Derek won a scholarship to the prestigious Eton College, England where he studied Greek and Latin.  From Eton, he progressed to Cambridge University where he furthered his understanding of languages, graduating with first-class honours in Classical Tripos (a course studying Greek and Latin languages,...

James 4:14 James, writing under the inspiration of God, asks his audience a question —and by extension, to us also, "For what is your life?"  Everyman thinketh in his heart, though he may not say it, LONG…PLENTEOUS...OF GREAT LENGTH!!!!  But what saith James?  "It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away".  Selah!!  Job puts it this way, "Man that is born of a wo...

An Introduction to Deliverance Ministry There exists today a growing movement that is making vast inroads into the lives of many who profess faith in Jesus. This movement goes by the name of "Deliverance Ministry" and is prevalent most, within Pentecostal and Charismatic circles. Proponents of this movement take for their modus operandi, isolated incidents recorded in the Gospels – like the woman...

Proverbs 12:15 You've all heard the saying, "Feelings come, and feelings go" — how true this maxim is!!  I thank God for the gift of feeling, our emotions are given to us by our Creator.  It was never God's design to make robots.  I don't know if you ever noticed, but robots don't have feelings — they do what they're programmed to do. You can drive a robot off a cliff and you're never going here i...

Genesis 1:1-3 It is upon my heart to speak to you about the spiritual stirrings of God amidst unfavourable times of spiritual depression!!  Is this not an apt topic for the crisis hour in which we find ourselves?  As I look around, after the natural eye, I don't find much encouragement outwardly to commend much hope to my soul. As a nation, spiritually, we're not in a good place — darkness covers...