"Behemoth loves to disguise himself as a 'legal' or justifiable answer to human problems. He often uses programs within the government such as disability and free health care to usher in the Spirit of Laziness and Entitlement. The victim becomes reliant on others or the system to care for them. This robs them of the desire to see the value in work of any kind, even spiritual work.
"Prescription medication is another of his 'legal' lures, and as people fall prey to this tactic, the Spirit of Addiction attaches to them. They loose their 'sober' mind and the ability to be watchful and alert.
"He uses cultural justification as his defense of what God calls sin to entice people into believing that because every body else is doing it, that it's ok for them as well.
"And within the religious community, he uses things such as false grace or 'free salvation' as fire insurance and the license to sin. On the other extreme, he uses legalism, rule following and the love of doctrine to replace true relationship with God and others.
"The consumer becomes the consumed as this new god of his belly replaces his relationship with God and others. Behemoth moves in behind the victim and overshadows them, while Gluttony or unrestrained, excessive passion for his dependency overcomes his desire for anything else.
"And bingo! Behemoth has accomplished his goal of keeping this person from relationship with Jesus and in servitude to him. They may recognize their bondage and want to be free, but it all seems like something far off in the distance that they can't quite reach. They see the work and time it would take to attain these things, but they want a quick, easy magic pill, or someone else to do it for them."
"IS and his hit men. Sounds right on to me!" Casie laughed.
Nicole pondered, "I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I see around us. IS so strongly appeals to fleshly desires, unfulfilled needs or points of pain while he offers counterfeit answers, false comfort and instant gratification. He functions in deception and must be recognized as the destroyer. Actually, he might well be one of the main principalities over our nation!"
Casie said, "I think that some of those destroyers are the constrictor spirits such as Python and Anaconda. They squeeze the life out of people, and I mean literally sometimes."
"Well," Nicole said, "That even fits with what I believe to be the real form of IS. He is a serpent and I know that he is often responsible for choking, physically as well as spiritually."
"Where are God's people?" Casie cried out. "I'm afraid that many of them have become desensitized and have fallen under the spell of IS's deception that is flowing so freely through the culture and media. They don't see how they are not only opening themselves up to this spirit, but their children as well. I know that Satan is after our kids and because parents are the spiritual covering for children, when they abandon their post for even just a second, IS is right there ready to jump in and grab the kids; and the younger they are the better. It all goes back to the power of the occult that is targeting our children's minds as well as our own. I can't stand to think of all the vulnerable little girls and boys who are being overtaken by evil! Where is the hope?"
"Lord Jesus," Nicole prayed. "You are the God of hope and You always give us keys to overcoming."
In her spirit, she began to see the opposite of everything they had been talking about. "We take up the key of loosing and loose the heavenly angels and Your Spirit of repentance, humility, relationship with God, surrender and submission to God and authority, resisting the evil one, forgiveness, truth, healing of wounded places in our souls, intercessory prayer, unity with other believers, the fruit of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control …"
Casie picked up a few more…."thankfulness, rejoicing, praise, compassion and empathy for others, honesty, a servant heart…."
"You know, Case," Nicole said, "I think that Romans 16:19-20 gives us another key. After describing what sounds like Behemoth and Jezebel, it says "For your obedience has become known to all….but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.'"
Casie was smiling now. "Oh I love to see Satan crushed! Ok then. Obedience, dying to self, focusing on God's goodness and plans, and staying away from evil…HERE WE COME!"
"Amen!" Nicole shouted. She jumped up and raised her hands toward the sky. "Here's to overcoming by becoming Christ-like!"
Casie clapped and Nicole sat back down.
"The key to my being freed from what I now know to have been Jezebel," Nicole reminisced, "was my submission to Jake and allowing him to be the head of our home. That didn't mean that I was just a doormat. Jake is very good at allowing me to share my thoughts with him. He values my opinion and takes it into account, but we have both agreed that he will make the final decisions. It's really funny, but since I surrendered my right to rule our marriage, I have the peace that I was always really searching for!"
Casie said, "Submission to authority is obedience to Christ, so when you chose that path, you did trample on the enemy. You know, that's what Jehu did to Queen Jezebel. In 2 Kings 9, Jehu killed King Ahab and took over his throne and the king's rightful authority and control. Jezebel and two servants were standing in her home looking down from her high window at Jehu. Jehu told the servants to throw her out of the window, and when they did, his horse trampled and killed her."
"Of course you aren't suggesting that we go around killing people who are in bondage to the Jezebel spirit," Nicole clarified. "You know me. I'm very visual."
Casie laughed. "Of course not. But we need to eliminate and destroy the spirit of Jezebel from our lives, our churches and community. I'm not sure what that looks like exactly, but I know that Jesus is going to show us because that is His desire."
They were both quiet as they thought about this, then Casie said, "As far as IS and his hit men go, it makes sense. I'd like to just bind them and kick them out, but like you said, it's a process. I think we need to ask God for His strategy."
"Good idea," Nicole said. "One thing is clear though. We need to be walking in relationship with Jesus, in repentance, humility, surrender and obedience to the Holy Spirit and His Word if we are going to overcome."
Then she prayed, "Well Lord, please begin revealing the things that have been hidden in the darkness so that people will hear and hopefully repent before it's too late. And please show us what part we can have in this," Nicole prayed.
Casie said, "Hey girl, I'm telling you that we need an army of God's people to rise up take their places. And we need a safe place that can minister to the all these needs."
CHAPTER 5
BLAZE
The next morning, Nicole woke up knowing what she needed to do about the IS painting. She got dressed and went to Sierra Crest. Linda, the manager greeted her and asked what she could do for her.
Nicole introduced herself and then said, "I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to get right to the point. There is a large demon painted on the wall of the old garage at the top of this property, and I would like your permission to paint over it." There. She had said it.
Linda's eyes got big. "What? I don't want any demons here! Show me right now!"
As they walked up the hill together, Nicole discovered that Linda was a Christian but had felt very overwhelmed and alone in her job.
They got to the garage, and Nicole briefly explained that this was a depiction of an evil spirit that she believed was a strongman over Sierra Crest and Samaria. Then she asked if she could pray against it.
Linda grabbed her hands and said, "Please!"
So Nicole prayed. She realized that this building was the highest public building in Samaria. A high place from which to rule. It was with great pleasure that she took spiritual authority over this garage, this stronghold, and asked the Holy Spirit to cleanse it from defilement; to move in Himself and anoint it with the blood of Jesus and His presence; to remove IS's rights to be there.
After some moments, she realized that IS may have been dethroned and displaced from that garage, but she knew that there were too many rights that he could hang onto and that he was still very much in control at Sierra Crest and in the community.
But it was a beginning, a small victory that would lead to many greater victories. One day, this destroyer would be completely eradicated from Samaria, and Jesus would rule and reign in this town.
When she was finished praying, Linda hugged her for a long moment, and then said, "I didn't know that there was anybody else who believed like I did. I've felt so alone here!"
Nicole took hold of Linda's hands again and said, "Well you aren't alone anymore! What can we do to help? What do you need?"
"Bible studies!" Linda didn't even hesitate as she said this.
"Done!" Nicole exclaimed.
And just like that, God used a demonic principality to open the door to ministry at Sierra Crest. She knew that Satan hated that! She was so excited that she could barely contain herself!
Linda had the maintenance men paint over the depiction of IS that very afternoon, and within a week, there was a women's Bible study, men's Bible study and a children's Bible club in place.
The New Year was just around the corner, and one morning as Nicole was driving through Samaria on her way to Sierra Crest, she was pulled over by Gary's patrol car.
As he approached her car she said, "Good morning officer. Did I do something wrong?"
He smiled, "No, nothing like that. I just had to run something by you that I want you to pray about."
Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, good! Then I'm glad to see you." Gary laughed, and she asked, "What's on your mind?"
"I think we are supposed to move BLAZE over to Sierra Crest. What do you think?"
Her heart jumped and skipped a beat. "Wow! The only thought that comes to my mind is, yes! Jesus told me that He was giving us swords to go out outside the walls of the churches. There are people at Sierra Crest that will never set foot inside a church, but they just might come to a service on their own turf."
"I'm afraid we might loose some of our regular people if we move there," Gary said. "Sierra Crest doesn't exactly have a good reputation at the moment, and some won't understand why we would move there."
"That's true," she replied. "But then Jesus didn't always associate with people that the religious community thought He should either. I'll definitely pray about it!"
By the end of January, BLAZE was meeting at Sierra Crest every Tuesday night to worship and pray. True to form, some people quit, but many others came. It wasn't long before the large room was packed to standing room only and lives were changed as God's love penetrated hearts.
Gary's heart for worship and intercession along with his messages of turning from sin and following Jesus with abandonment of self didn't drive them away. Instead, the truth of hope, forgiveness, healing and freedom was like water to their dry souls.
Nicole saw this as the beginning of the prophecy that Jesus was coming, and indeed was here. And it was becoming evident that the vision of a discipleship center was going to be a very real need in the near future.
CHAPTER 6
VICTORY
A few nights later, Nicole had gone to bed before Jake. She had not fallen asleep yet when she heard a voice as clear as day. She hadn't thought of Uncle Marcus in years! Why was she hearing his voice now? And why did it seem as if he were right next to her in her bedroom?
And then she knew. It was as if a door of her memory had just been opened and she remembered the things that had taken place at his house all those years ago. She suddenly knew that he was at the ritual. She knew that his were the hands over hers, controlling her as she stabbed the baby in the heart. She saw it all so clearly now.
As the memory unfolded, Nicole was no longer an adult, but the little girl stuck under the demon at the ritual, and not just the demon, but Uncle Marcus. It felt so real that she could even smell him, and in that moment, Nicole knew that this was the invisible man that she had smelled over the course of the years. Body memories. Her body had been trying to help her remember.
She didn't want to remember! The pain was agonizing and incredibly real, and it felt as if she couldn't bear it.
In that moment, Nicole realized that IS still had rights to her body because in her mind, there was still a part of her, the little girl that carried the trauma of this incident, who was still stuck in bondage to that principality.
Even though she had recalled the incident and had renounced IS, she hadn't known that Uncle Marcus was involved. The soul ties with him were an open door for IS that allowed him access to her body and soul.
It was like a light bulb had just been turned on as understanding dawned. The memories of Uncle Marcus had been buried so deeply and IS had been blinding her to them so that he could continue to hide.
Inside her mind, Nicole was seeing herself as the little girl at the ritual, and Nicole the adult, knew that the pain she was feeling belonged to that part of herself that she had separated off to protect her from this very thing.
"Jesus, help me!" she called out.
Suddenly, He was there and He came down into the room of Nicole's memory and stood at her head as she was lying on the floor in the circle with IS on top of her. IS became very afraid, and Jesus just put out his hand and the spirit reluctantly got off of her and unwillingly released her. Then Jesus reached down and picked her up off that floor and held her tightly in His arms like the Good Shepherd would hold His little lamb, and He took her up with Him, out of that place. They went up through the roof and it felt like they were flying.
She heard the demon roar.... "NOOOOOO!"
As they left the place of the ritual forever, Nicole asked Jesus where He was going to take her. Instead of answering her, He smiled and then set her down inside her own living room next to Jake. Then Jesus answered and said, "She doesn't belong with the demon anymore, she belongs to Jake and to Me."
And then Jesus was gone, and Nicole knew in that instant that she was free from the control of IS! The terror and pain were gone, and in their place was relief and peace.
And yet there was still something she felt was left undone, a doorway that she needed to close. Even though in her mind's eye she could see the little girl part of her in the living room standing near Jake's chair, she was still in bed.
She got up, went into the living room and sat down on the couch. The happy little girl walked over to her and climbed up onto her lap; and then she climbed further still, until she was completely inside of Nicole. Right where she belonged. There was a feeling of wholeness that had not been there a moment before, and yet she was still troubled.
Jake looked over at his wife. "What's wrong sweetheart?" he asked.
She explained what was happening, and in the process she realized that she needed to renounce and break all soul ties with Uncle Marcus even though he had died years ago.
Jake went over and sat next to his wife on the sofa.
As Nicole asked Jesus to break all those ungodly soul ties, she was suddenly aware that there was a very large spirit in the living room with them. Whether it was a human spirit, a demonic spirit, or both Nicole didn't know, but in that instant, words began rising from some place deep within her and came out of her mouth with such passion, force and authority that Nicole could not have contained them if she had tried. She did not know the language that she spoke, but she knew that the spirit's rights to her were being annulled. After several minutes, it turned and walked out the back of the house.
She suddenly felt exhausted and fell back against Jake's chest. But she was released and free from a lifelong bondage! Nicole looked up at Jake, wondering what he was thinking.
He just wrapped his arms around her, smiled and said, "Well hon. I'd say that you just did a good job of speaking in tongues."
They laughed together at that thought. They both believed in the gift of tongues, but try as she might, pray as she might, Nicole had never been gi
ven that gift. The revelation that it was possible to be filled with the Holy Spirit without that gift was a shocker to some.
"And another strike against Satan!" Nicole said. "He had taken me captive but God set me free at exactly the right time for me to recognize and know how to deal with the same strongman in our community! Once again, God is using Satan's schemes against him and for His own glory!"
"Amen," Jake said as he stood and pulled Nicole to her feet. "And Lord Jesus, I pray that you will seal Nicole's body, soul and spirit with the blood of the Lamb of God."
"Yes Jesus!" she agreed. She knew that Satan never gave up easily and that even though this spirit had been displaced from her, there would be others that would pick up its function and try to get her to open the door to them. She must be on guard.
The other thought that ran through Nicole's mind as she crawled back into bed, was that not only was this a deeper healing, but that scars were being removed. And she believed that intimacy with her husband would begin to look different.
IS had not considered total defeat in Nicole's life as an option, but that possibility was beginning to dawn upon him as he realized that the last thread that bound her to him was all but broken. He slinked away to lick his wounds in private.
The more he thought about it, the more he blamed that imbecile of a man who had taken over Marcus' watch of Nicole. Daemon's power over her was undetected at this point. He might be able to use that soul tie in the future…. And there were still the hidden failsafes…He wasn't sure if reactivation had worked or not. Time would tell.
He consoled himself with another thought as well. So he had lost one. He still had Samaria and would stand his ground, for he had enough sense to know that Nicole and those wearisome intercessors were on the warpath and were too close for comfort!
He would bring in more demonic resources. Hmmm. He needed to have a talk with Anak, the resident giant at the Samaritan Inn who was his cohort in protecting his throne and stronghold over the community.
The Soul Redeemer: From Victim to Victory Page 7