exWitch Australia - From Pagan High-Priest to Faith in Christ

An example of the 'Bloodless Coup' series of booklets my wife and I produced and published in the mid-late 1980's

Some years ago, I published a small booklet, the fourth in a series that dealt with flase doctrine within the Church. On the cover was a picture of Don Quixote as he prepared to attack the windmills.

We laugh at Don Quixote's magnificent, divine quest (at least in his own mind) as he tilts at the windmills believing them to be giants and monsters, but sadly, it is no laughling matter for Don Quixote, as he ends up badly injured by his encounter with the windmills. And not just injured, but he attacks a group of monks believing them to be demons. And so a man filled with the desire to please God, and to "fight the good fight", but he's actually jousting with chimeras, imaginary beasts that do not exist. And consequently, nothing of value is achieved for all his time and effort - in fact it ends up being counter-productive.

I am greatly concerned that a similar situation exists amongst many Christians today. Spiritual Warfare exists in the unseen, supernatural dimension, where God is all-powerful and Satan is in revolt. As any Christian soon discovers, although Spiritual Warfare is unseen, it's absolutely real. It saddens me greatly to see so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ charging off after windmills, as it were, fighting battles where there is no battle - or worse - ignoring the real battle and beating at the wind.

Coming from Neo-Paganism, especially having been the High Priest of a Coven, before coming to Christ, a great many people 'expect' that if they have any sort of 'weird' experience or demonic attack to have 'all the answers'. However, the fact of the matter is that the Occult is a very broad and varied tapestry, and one that often has regional and cultural differences even within the same 'branch' eg the term 'Traditional Witch' has a completely different meaning to a UK Wiccan than to a US Wiccan. As such while I am able to advise on matters that I am familiar with I am often unable to personally help when it comes to other subjects or issues outside my experience. That said, I can often refer people to other ministries that may be able to assist them with their queries.

That is hardly a problem, but what I do find troubling is the number of Christians - even amongst those who have themselves come out of the Occult - have a rather skewed view of and/or little knowledge concerning the subject of Spiritual Warfare.

Spiritual Warfare...

The question is not whether Spiritual Warfare exists, clearly it does. The Bible refers to Spiritual Warfare in a number of places. Clearly there are demons and demon possessed people - though there is much confusing and unBiblical teaching about both. There is a battle going on in the heavenlies in which we take part when we enter into Christ's service.

Why then, do I, as an ex-Witch, end up recieving so many queries about the subject of Spiritual Warfare? Possibly because so many so-called Spiritual Warfare techniques, practices and methodologies have more in common with Occult practice and theory than they do with Scripture - and unless one has seen these practices from the other side of the fence, they often go unrecognized as such.

One common practice in Wicca and Neo-Pagan Witchcraft is called a 'House Cleansing', sometimes simply refered to as a 'Cleansing'. Although there are many 'variations on a theme' so to speak, a typical example involves walking around the boundary of a property, ritually cleansing the area with either incense smoke or blessed oil or water, and likewise moving through each room of a house, while invoking either specific deities or just 'positive energies' to be present and commanding 'negative energies' to banished.

Such rituals are opracticed by many Wiccans and Neo-Pagans whenever they move into a new house or if they believe that a 'negative' or even malignant energy or thought-form has become 'attached' to the property somehow.

Rebecca Brown and others...

Sadly, many Christians - even those who have come out of the occult themselves - do almost exactly the same thing, without realizing that they are going against the Word of God.

For example, in the current edition of her book, 'He Came to Set the Captives Free', self-professed expert on the Occult and Spiritual Warfare, Rebecca Brown goes so far as to say that her teaching was given to her "by direct guidance from the Holy Spirit".¹ She is, therefore, claiming her books are the result of the same Divine inspiration as the Bible - and that is blasphemy!

Brown goes so far as to say that God can not protect the believer unless this 'cleansing' has taken place.² She is therefore claiming that God is not Sovereign and All Powerful and in fact that mere mortals have the power to circumvent His will!

True, there are a number of references in Scripture concerning the anointing of people and occasionally objects for special service to God. However, these instances are vastly different from the alleged battles fought against disembodied Witches (despite the fact that Scripture clearly teaches that "the body without the spirit is dead." - James 2:26) and demonic spirits high over the city streets, or in the spirit realm, described in Brown's books (for more information on ASTRAL TRAVEL see the GLOSSARY Section Listing).

In her description of her initial 'revelations', reputedly directly from Jesus himself, on the use of anointing oil, Brown writes:

"So I took the oil on hand (cooking oil) and placed some on the doorposts and lintels of all the doors, the doors themselves, and on each of the windows. Then leaving the doors open I went back into the house and stood in the middle of it and asked the Lord to cleanse it and drive out all of the evil spirits currently in the house. ³ The change was immediate and dramatic. MY HOUSE WAS SEALED AND NO DEMONS OR HUMAN SPIRITS COULD GET IN FROM THAT POINT ON!"⁴

Yet in her third book, 'Becoming a Vessel of Honor in the Master's Service', allegedly disembodied Witches and demons are repeatedly able to "break the seal" and enter Brown's home to wreak havoc at will (for a more in-depth look at Brown's teaching see "WHAT'S WRONG WITH REBECCA BROWN?" in the ARTICLES Section of this Site).

Such teaching is clearly not of God. A 'softer' and less bizarre - and therefore more deceptive - version of this 'House Cleansing' ritual is still practiced by many Christians today. But when all is said and done, it is still the same proceedure and practice as that described above practiced within the Wiccan and Neo-Pagan communities - the only real difference being that instead of invoking 'positive energies' and 'negative energies', the name of Jesus is invoked and demonic spirits allegedly cast out.

Unlike Brown, who relies on her alleged "by direct guidance from the Holy Spirit" proponents of this form of the ritual do occassionally claim a Scriptural basis for the practice. For example:

"Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee." - Genesis 13:17

Bible believing Christians of all denominations agree that one must first find the meaning of a passage before applying it, not start with your conclusion and then find a 'proof text' to support it...

When read in context, the above verse is referring to the land that God promised to Abram and his descendents - Israel - and has nothing at all to do with 'House Cleansing'! To claim otherwise betrays either a sad lack of knowledge of Scripture or else a conscious effort to decieve!

For the Christian, the single most important principle in determining the truth of any doctrine or alleged 'New Revelation' is that one must start with the clear statements in Scripture that apply to it then use those to interpret the parables, allegories and more obscure verses. In this way Scripture is used to interpret Scripture. Many quite strange beliefs have been bullt upon the exact opposite! By this we mean that, obscure verses, parables and allegories are used to reinterpret what would otherwise be clearly understood passages.

Another verse sometimes used as a 'proof text' to justify this practice is:

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:19-21

Once again, this is Scripture taken out of context... These verses are part of a larger passage that properly begins with verse 15, and deals with correcting a fellow believer - something that those who use these verses to justify 'House Cleansing' don't generally take kindly to.

Another portion of Matthew that gets bent out of shape by proponents of so-called Christian 'House Cleansing' is as follows:

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." - Matthew 17:20-21

As hard as I try, I can find no reference here in these verses, nor in those around it that give it context, of how this applies to a 'House Cleansing'. This passage concerns the casting out of a demon from a young boy, not from a building. In fact NOWHERE in Scripture is there ANY record of demons being cast out of a building, or from a property!

Sadly, there are those who apparently acknowledge that there is no Scriptural basis but for whatever reason are unwilling to say so in as many words, that STILL try to justify the practice with the following passage of Scripture:

"In fact, though by now you should be teachers, you still need someone to teach you the basic truths of God's word. You have become people who need milk instead of solid food. For everyone who lives on milk is still a baby and is inexperienced in the message of righteousness. But solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to distinguish good from evil." - Hebrews 5:12-17

They claim that those who are weak in faith somehow need this sort of teaching as a 'stepping stone' before than can handle the 'meat' of teaching about Spiritual Warfare! False teaching about Spiritual Warfare is most definitely NOT 'Spiritual Milk' - it is POISON! Rather than increasing one's faith in the Living God it serves to diminish it and replace it with faith in the ritual, in the practice and not in the One true and Living God!

But it Works...

"But it works..." some may claim "...so it must be of God..." I can assure you that Magick works too, but the use of Magick is clearly against Scriptural teaching - and so is the practice of 'House Cleansing' as described above!

Spiritual Warfare is not an 'option'... It is not something that only 'mature' Christians take part in... it is a part of EVERY Christians life from Day One!

To pretend otherwise is foolishness in the extreme!

The Armour of God...

Spiritual Warfare is an image that many of us would rather reject. However, since the Bible uses terms of warfare, it's best that we accept God's imagery, so that we're properly prepared for real battle. As Christians, we're going through more than a mere "struggle" on earth – and its seems that war imagery captures this reality better than anything else. Since it's warfare, God instructs Christians to use a very specific set of armour and weapons in Ephesians 6:14-18:

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit..."

The first element of our Armour is truth verse 14. This is easy to understand, since Satan is said to be the "father of lies." In speaking to His enemies, Jesus said, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" - John 8:44 (NIV).

Deception is high on the list of abominations with God. He clearly states that no liar will be admitted in heaven. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying" - Revelation 22:14-15 (NASB). We are therefore exhorted to put on truth for our own sanctification and deliverance, and for the benefit of those to whom we are a witness. "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" - I Timothy 4:16 (KJV).

Also in verse 14 we are told to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate would shield a soldier from a fatal blow to the heart and other life and death critical organs. We see that God's help is just a prayer away for the righteous, "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry" - Psalms 34:15 (KJV). "The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles" - Psalms 34:17 (KJV). "For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield" - Psalms 5:12 (NIV).

Verse 15 speaks of the preparation of the feet for spiritual conflict. The modern soldier needs to pay particular attention to his feet as well as did the ancient soldier. Sometimes the ancient enemy would place dangerous obstacles in the path of advancing soldiers. This is much like the land mines of today. Also disease can damage the feet of a soldier without proper footwear. The idea of the preparation of the gospel of peace as footwear suggests what we need to advance into Satan's territory with regard to the preparedness of having a message of grace so essential in winning souls to Christ. Satan has many obstacles placed in the path to halt the propagation of the gospel.

The shield of faith spoken of in verse 16 is to make ineffective Satan's assault of sowing doubts in regard to the faithfulness of God and His Word. The helmet of verse 17 protecting the head is, again, to keep viable a most critical part of the body. We could say that our way of thinking needs preservation. The posture of our mind is crucial in making correct moral and spiritual choices.

Verse 17 interprets itself in regard to what is meant by the sword of the Spirit. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. A greater spiritual weapon is not conceivable. In Jesus' temptations in the desert the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan. What a blessing, the same Word is available to us.

Praying in the Spirit (that is, with the mind of Christ, with His heart and His priorities) as in verse 18 is the culmination of what is involved in arraying ourselves and in utilizing all the aforementioned Armour of God. It is significant that this passage of scripture is so true to form with the priorities of ministry highlighted throughout the apostle Paul's epistles in holding prayer as most essential to spiritual victory and maturity. And notice, by the way, how he sincerely requests it for himself as well (verse 19-20).

Fight the Good Fight...

Remember that we are not fighting people. Also remember that Satan attacks us through people.

"A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms." - Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT).

So as you deal with demonic influences remember it is the demon behind the person. The sad thing is many times those people will be believers who Satan has used in some way to disrupt our lives. Read what happened to Jesus.

"But Peter took Him aside and corrected Him. 'Heaven forbid, Lord,' he said. 'This will never happen to you!' Jesus turned to Peter and said, 'Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God's'" - Matthew 16:22-23 (NLT)

Here Peter simply was making a statement that interfered with Jesus program and when Jesus rebuked Peter He stated "Get away from me, Satan" Jesus was talking to PETER, but Satan was the driving influence.

Look at how Jesus handled direct attacks from Satan:

"Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. Then the Devil came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.' But Jesus told him, 'No! The Scriptures say, 'People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God. Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.' Jesus responded, 'The Scriptures also say, 'Do not test the Lord your God. Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. 'I will give it all to you,' he said, 'if you will only kneel down and worship me.' 'Get out of here, Satan,' Jesus told him. 'For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.'' Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus" - Matthew 4;1-11 (NLT)

The best way to combat Satan is the way Jesus showed us and that was to quote Scripture because Satan can not handle the Word of the Living God.

How did Jesus handle the demon possessed?

"When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the land of the Gadarenes two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so dangerous that no one could go through that area. They began screaming at him, "Why are you bothering us, Son of God? You have no right to torture us before God's appointed time!" A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance, so the demons begged, "If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs." "All right, go!" Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby city, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. The entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone." - Matthew 8:28-34 (NLT).

What was the difference? They knew Jesus and were afraid of Him. If you get into a spiritual fight the best weapon you have is the Word of God because they can not answer it.

You also need a godly life. Do you remember the seven sons of Sceva?

"A team of Jews who were traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus. The incantation they used was this: "I command you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!" Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But when they tried it on a man possessed by an evil spirit, the spirit replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul. But who are you?" And he leaped on them and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and badly injured." - Acts 19:13-16 (NLT)

The difference was that the demons knew Jesus and Paul but did not know these people. It seemed like their process worked sometimes but on this particular demon it did not work. As we know there are different levels of demons as their are of angels. The important thing is to know Christ and do what He commands us. In this day and age the demonic forces are still at work but their best efforts are being put into making people not believe more than possessing people.

The important lessons learned from the verses above are:

Know Jesus as your Saviour and God.
Remember who you are fighting. Not the people but the demonic influence.
Remember to be prepared and to put on the whole Armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Your biggest fight will not be against demons but those people influenced by the demons and many they are believers.
Know that there are NO 'formulas' or 'techniques' (such as 'House Cleansing', 'Pleading the Blood of Jesus', etc) found in Scripture save those outlined here.
It is not something to be taken lightly or to go looking for. It can backfire on you. Remember the seven sons of Sceva!

Footnotes...

1 Rebecca Brown MD, 'He Came To Set The Captives Free', [Whitaker House, 1992], pg. 288
2 Rebecca Brown MD, 'He Came To Set The Captives Free', [Chick Publications, 1986], pg. 222.
3 Apparently, Brown believes demonic and disembodied human spirits can not travel through walls. If this is the case, why bother using the oil in the first place? Why not just keep the front door shut? - Ed.
4 'Captives', pg. 222-223

RELATED ARTICLES AT THIS SITE:
TERRITORIAL DEMONS AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE: A Biblical Perspective...
Eric Villanueva (Christian Research Journal)
SPIRITUAL WARFARE...
Jewel van der Merwe

RELATED ARTICLES FROM OTHER CHRISTIAN SITES:
(Opens in New Window)
DEMONS, DEMONS, WHERE ARE THE DEMONS?...
G. Richard Fisher (Personal Freedom Outreach)

A God-honouring, Biblically-based, and theologically-sound Christian Search Engine - Results in a highly accurate and well-organized format.

OUR FRIENDS...