Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool when it comes to behavioral change. And that includes how you think and act toward someone.
So, each time you put your trust in someone, reward yourself in some way.
That could simply involve a congratulatory, though imaginary, pat on the back for showing the courage to trust someone.
Or it could involve a tub of your favorite ice cream or tickets to a concert.
The more you do this, the greater the positive association you will form around trusting other people.
9. Recognize When You Are Self-Sabotaging
Remember those self-fulfilling prophecies we spoke about earlier? Well, it’s vitally important that you recognize when they are happening.
It’s important because if you can break the cycle and change the patterns of behavior that lead to self-sabotage, you prevent the hurt that comes with it.
And when that hurt is partly made up of broken trust, you avoid reinforcing the trust issues you already have.
You can make your relationships healthier and allow the good things to be reinforced instead of the bad.
Cunningly disguised 666 symbols can be found in all sorts of places today, such as the Walt Disney, Coca-Cola and Olympics logos, and many more, including the Google logo itself. More examples can easily be found online by searching for ‘hidden 666’.
Today there are Christian churches where Satan is worshipped in secret, often at night and/or in the crypt. This is not new as it also happened in Old Testament times:
“He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.”
Occult and cursed objects and symbols are often found in Christian churches
It is not unusual to find occult, which includes freemasonry (which is witchcraft) symbolism in Christian churches, in fact it is quite common. There is more about this below in the section about occult symbols.
Christian literature and even a Bible that contains false doctrine or occult symbols can be cursed to some degree depending on what it is. It is a matter of degree as to the purpose to which the literature is put and the extent to which it is an object of idolatry.
To some degree, even ‘New Age’ Bible versions can constitute cursed objects, depending on the accuracy of the translation. [There is a great deal more information available about this version of the Bible and others available on this site and elsewhere, including in the form of memes.]
For example, the “New King James” Bible is not a new version of the “King James Bible”, or anything like it. At the front of most but not all NKJV bibles there is something called a triquetra which is considered to be one of the the oldest Celtic symbols. It is supposed to be a trinity symbol or symbol of the Godhead but it is, in fact, a hidden ‘666’ one of the most powerful satanic symbols.
The ‘triquetra’ (Latin meaning ‘three-cornered’) is a Celtic trefoil knot similar to the ‘valknot’ or ‘valknut’ or ‘knot of the slain’ which is an old Norse (Viking) symbol of Odin. Odin has been said to be Satan himself and there is an ‘unholy trinity’ of Odin the father, Thor the son and the spirit of power, Tyr.
A trinity of gods also occurs in many other religions such as Hinduism with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Or the Babylonian/Egyptian trinity of Nimrod/Osiris, and Semiramis/Ishtar/Astarte/Ashtaroth/Isis in different cultures and languages and mentioned in the Bible as “the queen of heaven”, with Tammuz who is also mentioned in the Bible:
“Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.” (Ezekiel 8:14-17)
Even crosses and crucifixes, other than a very simple and plain cross in the standard form, in particular those with a figure on them, can be cursed. This may seem surprising but crucifixes with various embellishments are used in freemasonry and most occult religions, as well as Catholicism. Upside-down or broken or bent crosses (such as is used as a crook by the Pope) are used in black magic and satanism and would be blasphemous and therefore very much cursed.
The peace symbol is not only an image of a broken cross but is, in fact, the “cross of Nero” (see 4. above) and represents a man being crucified upside-down. More information can be found about this with a Google search. This ties in with what the Bible says: “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” (Jer 6:14)
Even pictures of Jesus can be cursed in part because the Bible does not provide a description of what he looked like which it would have done if we were supposed to make images of Him. To what extent anything like that would be cursed would be according to the nature of the pictures, etc. For example, a Roman Catholic ‘open heart’ picture would be likely to be a great deal more cursed than, say, one of the Margaret Tarrant pictures of Jesus.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil.” (Proverbs 8:13)
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)
“I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)*
*[See the end of this article for “What is a graven image?”]
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”(Deuteronomy 30:19)
The blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
“Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
“The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
“And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
“The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”
The curses of disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-28)
“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
“Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
“The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
“The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
“The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
“The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.”
One might ask: “How can things that God created be cursed when the Bible says after God created the world and everything in it, He said it was good?
That is true, but it was before man brought sin into the world and God cursed the earth:
“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)
Renunciation prayers are addressed to God and always said in the name of Jesus. They can be said for specific things such as prior involvement with the occult or witchcraft, in all its various forms such as New Age or freemasonry. A Google search will bring up some prayers and there are some on this site and Kanaan Ministries also have several good prayers.
Renunciation prayers can be particularly helpful for a new believer experiencing problems and in need of deliverance and not sure of so many things and not used to praying to God. Renunciation prayers only need to be read aloud once. (Although if necessary due to backsliding, etc. on occasion they can be repeated.)
There is no harm in saying a renunciation prayer if it doesn’t apply, so even if doubt we can feel confident to go ahead. Most would benefit from saying this prayer:
Renunciation prayers are addressed to God and always said in the name of Jesus. They can be said for specific things such as prior involvement with the occult or witchcraft, in all its various forms such as New Age or freemasonry. A Google search will bring up some prayers and there are some on this site and Kanaan Ministries also have several good prayers.
Renunciation prayers can be particularly helpful for a new believer experiencing problems and in need of deliverance and not sure of so many things and not used to praying to God. Renunciation prayers only need to be read aloud once. (Although if necessary due to backsliding, etc. on occasion they can be repeated.)
There is no harm in saying a renunciation prayer if it doesn’t apply, so even if doubt we can feel confident to go ahead. Most would benefit from saying this prayer:
There are good and bad deliverance ministers in the same way there are good and bad teachers of any type. Test the spirits to see if they are of God because if it is not the Holy Spirit, then it is likely to be demons. If demons use scripture to deceive people then they can also use the deliverance ministry to deceive people and we need to continue to check everything against scripture.
Christian ministries should keep the Gospel central to their ministry and not be centred on deliverance and the supernatural. Deliverance ministries and ministers should adhere to what the Bible says the same as any other. All are equal in Christ and different rules do not apply. A church or a minister should focus their and our attention on the Gospel, on God and on Jesus Christ and the true Holy Spirit (who will always glorify and point to Jesus) according to scripture without false teaching, not on deliverance. When the abilities or specialness or personality of a certain minister is emphasised and deliverance is turned into some type of show, or spectacle, so it’s about them and the empire they have built, rather than about God and His word.
When we learn about deliverance aka spiritual warfare we learn how to use scripture to defend ourselves against the attacks of the Enemy, whether direct or – as often happens – through other people. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us and protect us and God has promised that as long as we walk in obedience to His word – which he has elevated above his holy name – He will take care of us. Even though we may suffer or walk through the valley of death, God has promised us He will be with us, He will comfort us, and we will come to no lasting eternal harm.
Sadly, some Christians today teach that the Bible not only says a Christian cannot have a demon but that it is wrong for believers to practice deliverance. Yet the Bible contains dozens of scriptures about deliverance, throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and deliverance made up one-third of Jesus’s ministry. Jesus even cast out demons for two days before the day he was crucified.
“And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” (Luke 13:32)
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20)
With that one proviso of being careful who one listens to, Christians can easily and safely learn about spiritual warfare from the Bible and from sound teachers on Youtube or elsewhere on the internet. We can learn self-deliverance which can be the most effective of all as Jesus gave us power over all the Enemy and we just need to learn how which is not difficult.
“And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. and they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.” (Luke 9:40-43)
“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
Today, there are Christian churches, and pastors teachers on the internet, on social media and elsewhere who teach that deliverance is not biblical. Sometimes they use the NAR as an example and some even call Derek Prince a heretic. Some say deliverance is dangerous. It is God who delivers through His Holy Spirit, and therefore deliverance is only dangerous if it is not carried out according to biblical principles. With that one proviso, deliverance is dangerous only to demons.
Christians are deceived into believing deliverance is not biblical wresting certain scriptures out of context while ignoring the many scriptures that refer to deliverance. There are cessationists who teach that all miracles have ceased, along with any miraculous gifts. such as prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues ceased with the apostles. Some include deliverance with that even though it is not mentioned – which surely it would have been. Why should deliverance cease when demons did not cease to exist and they are still very much present and active – and will be increasingly so as we go further into the Last Days.
Some claim that Christians do not need deliverance and it is not meant for them. But we know from scripture where, for example, Jesus twice called deliverance ‘the children’s bread’. (Matt. 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30) that deliverance is indeed meant for Christians.
There are many other scriptures which make it clear that a Christian can have a demon and many of them are Jesus speaking to believers:
This is confirmed by the parable of the man who swept his house clean. One demon was swept out and seven more came in, which tells us that deliverance can make a situation worse for non-believers and perhaps for some believers under certain conditions. Also after he had healed someone, Jesus said this which can be applied:
“Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (John 5:14)
So then that means according to the theory of Christians who believe deliverance is not scriptural, no one should have deliverance, which of course is exactly the situation the Enemy wants as they are so desperate not to be cast out.
Paul spoke of being harassed and tormented by a demon:
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan [i.e. demon] to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
Some believers might prefer, at least at first, to go to a church, preferably one that practices deliverance or at least deliverance prayer and healing. Though today, sadly, many would have to travel some distance to find a church that is teaching sound doctrine. So many churches today have partially merged with the Catholic church, by various ways and means such as the Alpha Course.
Many churches have allowed the toxic influence of the likes of the NAR and Bill Johnson. Or Rick Warren through his series of books “The Purpose Built Life”. It is probably better not to go to a church than to go to a church like that. Listening to false teachers some of whom are blasphemous, can result in demonic oppression, harassment, torment, and even demonization.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)
The word in the Bible translated to ‘church’ is ‘ekklesia’ which means “those who are the called-out ones”. It means those who are called by God to be a follower of Jesus, and that should take precedence over church attendance. Scripture tells us that in the Last Days many will fall away. Many these days attend home churches.
If we do not know of a good church not too far away, we could make enquiries from other Christians, say in a Christian bookshop and we can pray and ask God to guide us to one.
We should at least try but if it is not possible to attend church for one reason or another, we should not worry, as it is by no means necessary to attend church to be a Christian, especially these days.
We have the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us and there are many church services, and audio or video deliverances available online which work perfectly with that one proviso about being very careful when choosing who to listen to, whether on the internet or not.
Persecution Live 