Before the pandemic, our prayer group and the moms-in-prayer group met in person. Our group consolidated and pivoted to teleconference upon the lockdown. Now I feel strongly that we need to get back to praying in-person as much as possible. My goal is to pray at my church every Wednesdays. Besides the prayer and intercession work, there is great conversation that happens afterwards. We share our stories and also personal needs for prayer and intercession. In a big church like mine, there are also many stories of victories. Therefore it’s a great place for networking for God’s people to hear these stories and for newer believers to learn how to overcome their own struggles in life and relationships. You will not get these stories and shortcuts by attending only church services on Sundays. A pastor or guest speaker will teach biblical concepts and Bible characters; but when you are going through your spiritual warfare or a great life challenge, you will need testimonies and prayers from those nearby you to win. 

Please listen to this message from Pastor Gary Hamrick about spiritual warfare. He teaches from the Bible on how we can win. He also warns us on what things to stay away from to not open demonic portals. I agree with him 100%! Please listen to his warnings and warn your children and grandchildren about these things, the same way we warn our children about drugs, drunk driving, relationship violence, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. 

https://cornerstonechapel.net/teaching/20240902/

Around the second year of me and my sister attending our church youth group; a brother and sister came into our youth group. It was clear that they were forced to come by their parents, while we went to the youth group on Fridays and Sundays by our own choice. I loved my youth group. It was fun and social. 

I became friends with the brother and sister who joined our youth group. One Sunday, the sister secretly passed me an Ouija board and told me to try it. This was in the late 1980s. Very few people knew about Ouija boards. My sister and I played it couple of times that week and asked stupid questions about boys and our future. 

Long story short, I started to receive very strong thoughts that I was a great burden to my church because my parents didn’t attend church and give tithes. These thoughts would not leave me alone. I became very embarrassed by how little money I gave on Sundays and eventually stopped attending for this main reason. Since our youth pastor or leaders didn’t reach out to us; it only confirmed that we were a burden and unimportant to the church since we didn’t give money. Soon after, I started to receive very strong thoughts about killing myself too. It was awful. 

Psychologists would say that I had suicide ideations. Pentecostal believers would say that I opened up a demonic portal into my life by playing the Ouija board game. Knowing what I know now about what God says about these things in the Bible; I agree with my Pentecostal friends. My good Pentecostal friend often says “the devil never misses church.” I agree with her. 

There is no need for you or anyone to dabble with these kinds of activities for entertainment. With Halloween around the corner, please be aware of these activities. If you are at a party that has these activities, please leave for your safety and security…lest you leave the party with an extra demon! Please warn your children and grandchildren too. Even if they don’t believe you, at least they have been warned. I wished someone warned me. Being a person who is very mindful of safety and security, I would have listened and stayed far away. If anyone here works with the youth in your church; please warn them about activities that open up demonic portals. I really suffered a lot from these demonic voices in my head that sounded like my voice. The voices stopped once I turned to academia and science, and lived life like an atheist. 

As I see the many young people being tormented by suicidal ideation and violent tendencies; I wonder if they accidentally opened up a demonic portal like I did as a teenager. Medication and therapy are not really going to work well since what they are facing is demonic and spiritual.

What can you do as a parent or grandparent? Do what the Syrophoenician woman in the Bible did, and go to Jesus Christ for your child’s deliverance. If you are not sure how to locate Jesus Christ, he is in our midst (church services and small groups). Get connected and stay connected until there’s spiritual victory in your children and grandchildren. Demons will steal, kill and destroy those who are Lone Ranger Christians and their children since they are super, easy targets. 

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. 

– Mark 7:24-30 (NIV)

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There are many messages and articles about the faith of this Syrophoenician or Cannite woman. Here is a short article about her faith and how she received her child’s deliverance from a tormenting demon. One more thing, when you read her story it sounds like deliverance can happen in an instant. And it can happen that way…in revival times. But we are not in revival times at least not in our area. Therefore it will take some time. Main thing is that you never, ever give up in your prayers for your children and grandchildren. Also please be encouraged that our prayer group has been praying for a revival since 2016. During the pandemic lockdown, we used to pray 3-5 times a week by teleconference! I’d imagine all those prayers for a revival being a constant “to-do” for God. I have to think that it bugs Him as much as my undone “to-do” lists bug me. God is a good Father and He is also very faithful. Let us keep praying for a revival and even prepare ourselves and our churches for hosting revival. Revival also brings many newborn believers and prodigals home – both groups will need lots of love, support, and discipleship from the church. Lately I’m being led to pray for the churches to get ready.

https://www.gotquestions.org/even-the-dogs-eat-the-crumbs.html

FYI – I subscribe to Got Questions’ weekly question of the week. This week’s question is “What does the Bible say about suicide?” 

https://www.gotquestions.org/QOTW.htm

I thought the article was very good if you want to read it. 

Summary of prayers for IU if you want to use this for your children’s college:

We had a wonderful prayer meeting on 9/6. In addition to praying for our own children, here are some bigger prayer points that came up during our intercession if you can pray for these on your own. Thank you!

• IU Athletes – we prayed for them and that they will know Jesus Christ; and use their influence and platform to bring IU students to turn to Jesus Christ as well. 

• Support from IU administrators and athletic coaches on Christian athletes to show their faith in and off their sport fields (e.g. prayers, Bible study, public declarations of their faith, etc.)

• Offered prayers for the Ohio State football team members and students who recently became born-again and baptized. We prayed that they would be rooted into good local churches and ministries for discipleship and accountability. We prayed for their sexual purity and asked the Holy Spirit to deliver them from sexual temptations. 

• We prayed about the high school gun violence in Georgia. We prayed for the youth in America and for our repentance as the church body. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us and help us. 💔🙏💔

• We prayed for revival in our country. May revival come soon to IU. 

• Blessings, favors and power upon us as praying parents and grandparents – may our supernatural abundance, prosperity and peace provide those around us with blessings and freedom so that they will acknowledge and turn to Jesus Christ. (Our faith and religion has to look and be different than other religions.)