What About Haunted Houses ?
Matthew 12:43
After reading part of the article I’m using this morning I began to pray, and felt the Lord say “They (my people, specifically Here) don’t believe in the reality of evil, even with all the Bible’s warnings. I felt that since Halloween had just occured this was the time to address the topic of haunted houses. Your first question to me will be, “Do you really believe in that stuff?”, and the answer is a resounding yes. If you don’t you don’t believe the Bible, you believe your scientific worldview. The Bible tells us about a cosmic war between God and a fallen angel named Lucifer for the souls of mankind. It tells of demons, evil spirits, and a very real spirit world that interacts and affects our physical world. Now, don’t misunderstand me, while I believe something supernatural is going on in those houses, I don’t interpret it the way non christians do. Lets look at the topic.
43 "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ’I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."
Here Jesus uses the illustration of deliverance of a person from an evil spirit and his subsequent worse demonization to show a warning to them. They were trying to get rid of evil without replacing it with God’s Holy presence. (Matthew 12:43)
I want you to see an underlying truth that evil spirits want something to inhabit. When Jesus cast them out of a man they went into the pigs, and when they drown they went somewhere else. There are many things the Bible does not directly address, but it gives us principles to help us understand. Jesus said I have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. But when the Holy Spirit comes he will guide you into all truth. He is still guiding in full agreement with the Word, because it is his word. The Holy Spirit and experience has shown us that spirits can and do occupy inanimate objects, if they can affect the physical world and mens souls.
The Johnsons got a great deal on their home. They some found out why: “It was what some call “a haunted house”- that is a place where there was an uncomfortable and negative presence.
Some people are attracted to haunted houses because they are different and exciting. Some have told in this congregation that they went and stayed in one for the thrill. You can’t guess who so don’t try.
For this reason some hotels advertise, “Stay in our hotel. It has a real ghost!”
A supernatural presence may seem fun to visitors, but it is rarely fun to the homeowners.
Now I am not talking about fake, made up, mechanical haunted houses set up for halloween and you pay money to go through. Or Scooby Doo kind that always have a human cause. I am only talking about the ones for which there is no human cause for the activity.
In my ministry people will say you are going to think I’m crazy, but strange things are happening in our house. This is not a new experience “A 16th century prayer went like this, “From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!” The real question should not be are the experiences real or not, but what is the cause.
I Demonic Disturbance
A. Symptoms of Demonic Disturbance
Demons or evil spirits can at time throw things at people, move furniture, or make various noises. At other times they create extreme temperatures -generally cold- or nauseating odors, or they may impede ones’s ability to pray. Satan can attack us physically, emotionally, or spiritually. (Charisma p45)
Symptoms p 48 Spiritual Housecleaning
B. Sin opens the door for Occupation (Not every house is haunted )
a. When Adam sinned Satan gained his rule over the earth
b. The Bible says if we allow anger to remain in us we allow Satan a place in our life.
Eph 4:26
c. Sin -Rebellion and disobedience to God is not some small thing.
1. We can also invite them in through occultic practices
Hotel Voodoo conference p35 Spiritual housecleaning
(Ouija board, Seances, tarot cards, games like Dungeons and Dragons, Masters of the Universe, Pokemon, Pornography, etc)
-the person who owned the home before you may have done it.
House that wouldn’t sell p56 Spiritual Housecleaning
Alice Smith tells a house that wouldn’t sell even though people really liked it. It had been six monthes. They decided to pray over it. Her son said God showed him that there were satanic symbols on the garage walls and the ceiling. When she asked the owner about it, they were shocked and said the renters had a pentegram on the garage wall they had painted over. And when they went into the attic they found one spray painted on the roof. They confessed the sins of the renters as Nehemiah did his forefathers, and painted over it. In 12 hours the house sold for full price.
2. We can bring them in through objects dedicated to Satan.
Eddie Smith tells of new coverts telling how their preschool children were seeing ghosts in their home. As they prayed through the house they saw a Southwestern picture of a dead Indian being burned and his spirit going to the sky on his horse. On the back of the picture it said it was painted by a shaman who puts a spirit on each picture he paints. They got rid of the picture, and didn’t tell the kids, but they hever saw another ghost in the house. Picture painted by Shaman p62 Spiritual housecleaning
3. Or Books on magic, incantations, horror etc.
Steven King p63 Spiritual housecleaning
4. A Curse placed on it p46 Charisma
5. Hideous crime occurred in the house. Murder, rape, sexual orgies.
-evil may linger
C. Cleansing the House of Demons
1. Get right with God and others completely.
-before you talk to Satan confess your sins so he can’t accuse you.
2. Put on your armor (Eph. 6:11-18)
-not enough for soldier to have bullet proof vest he must wear it.
3. Take up the Sword -
Confessing the word -
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:19
4. Pray for the Holy Spirits Filling
5. Take authority in Jesus name and command the demons to leave
6. Anoint the building with oil dedicating it to Jesus.
7. Sing praises, serve communion, Pled the Blood
8. Destroy anything that gives demons a right to return
18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing magic brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect. (Acts 19)
Glory on Your House -Jack Hayford p 81 Churches that Pray -C. Peter Wagner
II A Masquerading Spirit
A. A demon may masquerade as a deceased person
1. Because a person refuses to let them go.
Deacon Dick Lamb p46
2. God has ruled out any attempt to contact them. Duet 18:9-12,
And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, 11 or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the LORD. It is because the other nations have done these things that the LORD your God will drive them out ahead of you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 The people you are about to displace consult with sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the LORD your God forbids you to do such things.
-Those who do will not inherit the kingdom Gal 5:20-21, Rev. 22:15
(Witchcraft, Practice Magic arts)
B. The Experience may be real, but it is not their loved one
-they will know private information about you.
-Some say God may allow loved ones to appear once, just after death to assure survivors they are whole and with God. (NOT to be SOUGHT)
C. Unwelcome Apparitions. (Appearances of unknown people in ghost form)
friend in Kentucky-A pastor friend asked me to go with him to cleanse a house for a church member that keep having apparations in his house. They lived alone but people kept seeing people in his house when no one was there. We prayed through the house annoiting it with oil and dedicating it to Jesus, and commanded the spirits to leave. We even walked the perimeter of the yard praying. This ended all the appearances.
Conclusion: You have to understand I was the biggest chicken ever. I had to leave the room as a kid because the wizard of OZ was too scary. But after I learned what the Word of God said I have been involved in over ten cleansing of homes infested by demons. I’m not great, but my God is. He has given me -super chicken -authority to cast them out of people and homes. Here is the proof.
Whether the demon is masquerading as a loved one or someone else, we do not have to suffer this experience. We take authority in Jesus’ name and command the spirit to leave.
One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases. (Luke 9:1)
These signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, Mark 16:7
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:8
Sources:
The Truth about Haunted Houses p45-47, 128 Charisma Magazine Oct. 2007
Spiritual House Cleaning , Eddie and Alice Smith, Regal 2003
Churches that Pray- C. Peter Wagner
