There are many who practice a professing Christian religion who live under a curse because they have either added to or taken away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have found from our own experience that demons are having a field day with professing Catholics, Mormons,(Latter Day Saints) Jehovah Witnesses, Coptics, Christian Scientists and others. When you profess to be a Christian yet Jesus is not Lord and the Holy Spirit is not God in your so called Christian faith, demons will use this fact against you as an occasion to rule in your life. The demons will be successful because you are practicing a religion that has “added to the gospel.” Others who claim to believe in Jesus Christ associate themselves with cultish groups such as freemasonry or participate in occult practices that are directly or even indirectly linked to the religious rights of non-Christian religions, ie. yoga, transcendental meditation, chanting, reincarnation and the like. In fact, some mainline denominational churches are rapidly embracing what is now called “Christian Yoga.”

To the Galatians, Paul declared it this way, “if any man preach any other gospel, other than what I have preached, let him be cursed.” (Galatians Ch.1:9) Two thousand years have passed since Paul’s rather serious proclamation. I am not an historian, but I would imagine that any religion professing to be Christian that either subtracts or adds to the gospel of Jesus Christ has reaped the fruit of this curse, from one generation to another. Today, there are countless people who are being oppressed and tormented by demons because they are preaching “another gospel.” In counseling, we will lead you to repentance once you have been enlightened. Demons will bow at the name of Jesus Christ of Nazereth even among the heathen,–those who have never believed on Him.

Why? Because David declared it this way in Psalm 2. When Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, the Father turned to Him and said “Ask of me anything. and I will give to You, My Son, the heathen for your inheritance.” I believe that Jesus asked the Father to give Him the heathen. So if you are lost and do not have the Lord in your life, Jesus Christ is still your God, whether you believe in Him or not. The problem for you, though, is that even though He has you, you cannot receive Him until the Holy Ghost draws you to the cross and you repent as an unclean sinner. And since “you do not have Jesus”, demons will wipe up the dirty streets of the world with you and those assigned to you will destroy you, despite of the fact that Jesus owns you.

Since Jesus is the one with the keys to hell and death, He will be the one who will incarcerate you in hell for eternity in spite of the fact that He died for you. In fact, I can cast demons from you today and they WILL come out in fear of His name. Even so, Jesus said that they will come back with a fury seven fold stronger than your original state if you do not receive Him as your Lord. (Matthew 12:45) The good news of the gospel is that we can set you free in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth also. In fact, it is easier to set the heathen free from a non-religious demon than those who are worshipping a false “so called Christian” god. Those who have experienced His power in setting them free will most often bow to His Lordship and become truly saved.

A word of warning. Just because you have not yet felt the ramifications of the curse, does NOT mean that you have escaped it. It may manifest at the end of your life or even in the lives of your children and grandchildren. For example, freemasonry in the church is a major example of how the Fake Jesus has established a seat in countless organized churches. In fact, many of mainline denominations were even founded by practicing freemasons, with freemasons in the pulpits yet today. I suggest that you read a rather understandable and concise teaching from an internet article found at www.saintsalive.com/freemasonry/fmwitchcraft.htm Here is an excerpt.

“The Masonic temple is a temple of witchcraft! There is no doubt about that. Veiled within its symbols are the deities and even the working tools of witchcraft! The blazing star at the center of the lodge is the witch’s pentagram, symbol of the god of Satanism, Set. The letter “G” stands for genrerativity, sexual potency.” Religious and witchcraft demons are almost impossible to cast out because they require the captive to disavow the actions of not only their church families but also their own personal family. Most captives refuse to do so and as a consequence, they shall remain bound. Even so, what is impossible with man is possible with God. What you need to know is that God will give you grace, but as James points out, God resists the proud.

As you draw near to God through the humility of repentance, you can cleanse your own hands if you will disavow both your Christian church and those family members who have transgressed through the practice of freemasonry and other forms of witchcraft that have either added to or taken away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Such an admonition is made to those who enter every church who has added to or taken away from the gospel. For example, those in the word of faith movement have been adding to and taking away from the gospel for the last 3 decades with the prosperity gospel, name it and claim it, and countless other doctrines and teachings. Denominational churches are known for accepting freemasonry, yoga, and forms of worship that counterfeit the Holy Ghost. If you have “been there and done that,” I warn you that the curse is near you. So draw near to God by humbling yourself and admitting your error, and God will give you grace and lift you up out of your bondage. ( James Chapter 4)

I plead the words of the Lord in Rev. Ch 18:4: “Come out of HerMy People, lest you be partakers of her sins and receive of Her plagues. What if Jesus is referring to the organized church? Sheppard’s Counseling Center will provide you with an online minister to mentor you in the comfort of your home. Visit me at www.pamsheppard.com/online_ministers_available for more information.

If you have a call on your life and you have no church affilliations, then the SEW Deliverance Counseling Training Program may be for you. To learn more, visit www.pamsheppard.com/sign_up_now

I am here to blow the trumpet in Zion. To sound an alarm that only the elect shall here and heed. The Lord sounds the alarm in the endtimes saying, “Come out of her (Mystery Babylon) my people, lest ye receive of her plagues.” To some, Mystery Babylon is a nation. This is partially true, yet I believe that Mystery Babylon consists not only of a nation but also of the organized church in its apostate, blasphemous condition. I also suspect that there are only two ways “to come out of her.” To be PUT OUT or to be called out by God. In my case, both options applied. Jesus Himself forwarned the elect of God that they would be “put out of their synagogues.” (John 16:2) Most assuredly Jesus prepared His disciples to endure persecution while they established His church after His Ascencion. History confirms the fulfillment of the Lord’s prediction, for free thinkers have been “put out of the church” in every century.

However, could the Lord’s words be a prophetic sign, not only to the beginning of the church age but also at the end of it?If the church age is about to ebb, could it also be that dedicated churchgoers of our time will also be called out and perhaps even “put out” of their local assemblies and denominations? In pursuit of a reflexion upon endtime signs, the purpose of this article is twofold: first-to prepare and to calm the hearts of those who may be driven out oftheir local churches and assemblies and second–to begin to explore the Lord’s “the new thing” which I believe the bible refers to as “the latter rain.”

It is my contention that the latter rain is a final outpouring of the Holy Ghost on all flesh, a move of God that I suspect will occur,for the most part, outside of the organized church as we know it today, using as its foundation those who have been “put out” of our present day “synagogue”, the organized church. IN the mid 80’s , I was watching television and I saw a news clip of a huge line that stretched around the corner from a NYC theater where Madonna was appearing. I paid particular attention to this news flash, primarily because people had brought folding cots to sleep on for days, so that they could be first in line. I remember thinking, “they should be lining up like that for Jesus Christ.” That same night, I dreamed about a similar line. The line began at a theatre in my own community, stretched down the highway to the NYS Thruway to the Selkirk exit which is a 12 mile long line.

Flying over the line and looking down at it, the Holy Ghost and I had the following conversation. He said “Pam,do you see that line down below? You are going to minister to every person you see standing on that line.” In my mind, this was inconceivable. I asked Him “where and how.” Then He flew me in an eastward direction, pointing down to a little complex, declaring “from there.” I asked, “how am I going to fit all of those people in that little house?” He didn’t answer and I woke up. Several years later,I was sitting at my computer, and the Holy Ghost reminded me of that dream. I was stunned. He interpreted the dream Himself.

“Remember that line of 12 miles in length? Remember you asked me how you were going to fit all of those people in your house? Remember that when you dreamed this, you were living west of the highway and not east of it? Well Pam, today you are living east of the highway, and today you are ministering to hundreds each day from your website while you”chat” and send emails from your computer, eat your dinner and even while you are sleeping in your bed. As in that dream, those you minister to 24 and 7 are ‘on line.'”

Even though computers had been around for years, I was unaware of them when I had that dream in the 80’s. They were not even using computers at my secular job in those days. Even after I had my own personal PC both at work and at home, it took a minute for me to get into the computer lingo,ie. “going on line”, “download” or “surfing the world wide web.” So as I sat at my computer screen about 5 years ago, the Holy Ghost interpreted my dream for me, letting me know that with a computer, (with 12 being the number of fulfillment and completion), a 12 mile long highway of people is a drop in the bucket when you are tallking about “the world!!!”. So when I was confidentially apprised that the reginal director was planning to come against my website , I knew that the time had come for my departure. In short, the religious demon used the first woman ever to gain power within the denomination in our region in 150 years to sabotage my website. Rose( not her real name) covertly warned the Bishop, suggesting that my website should be investigated.

Due to the dream of the 12 mile line and the very recent interpretation of it, I realized just how crucial the website was to my ministry, a thing not to be tampered with by anyone. Wow!. It was really time to go.Once a close friend, prayer partner and confidante, Rose instigated this “move to put me out of the synagogue”, assuming that she could hide her involvement under anonymity, ie. that some unknown person on the world wide web had complained to the Bishop. As such, Rose continued to grin in my face, pretending that she had nothing at all to do with actually initiating the investigation herself.

As is the case with women new to organized church politics, another woman minister that Rose confided in did not keep her secret. The second woman revealed the secret plans to a male minister who behaved “like a friend to me”. The long and the short of it is that “I found out.” Consequently, one whole year before I left the church, I knew well in advance most of the details concerning the denomination’s “so called” investigation. So about a month after a colleague “pulled my coat” to what was about to transpire, the Bishop formed an investigative committee and conveniently appointed Rose as the chairperson. A few secret meetings were held where Rose handed the committee her investigation report a year later. Those on the committee were also supposed to be “my friendly associates.”

However, they passively accepted Rose’s report and kept her secret. Committee members did not really understand what was going on and they also did not care. Even though they did not relish being a part of a secret plan to destroy another colleague’s ministry, “they went along with it all” to protect themselves. Religious politics can be as cut-throat as its secular counterpart. The “investigation” did not target deliverance counseling, the prayer line or other links. The denomination’s major anxiety was my role as a watchman on the web. The leadership knew that they could not handle yet another lawsuit.

What if one of the “mega preachers” took the denomination to court over something I might published about him or her on the website? The “megas” have loads of dollars to employ teams of lawyers for years on end. As is often the case in religious proceedings, the committee did not do its homework. Due to the fame and fortune of public figures, tv evangelists are legally subject to public scrutiny, with practically no holes barred on the internet. In fact, people without integrity are making some of the most foul, outrageous, slanderous comments about mega preachers on the web, with absolutely no fear of legal reprisals. In truth, the website investigation was merely a smokescreen for the Bishop to finally “PUT OUT” a minister that he considered to be one of the denomination’s bad pennies. Outside of the bishop,everyone else involved had their own motives that evolved around fear, envy, competitiveness and ambition.

In spite of evil motives of the flesh, this entire fiasco was a good experience for my own spiritual development. It was an experience that the Lord used to refine me within the fire. So if you are either “put out” or “driven out,” just know that the Lord will not leave you or forsake you. In fact, He is really behind the whole thing, as He warns in Rev. Ch: 18, “Come out of her, My people.” I don’t usually share about this incident because it provides ammunition for detractors. Those who seek to “skirt the truth” through excuses and denial, invariably accuse me of being “bitter” and vindictive. Professing Christians who refuse to even consider a view that may challenge their own, are always looking for any rationalization that can assist them to remain blind.

Even so, I share this testimony today because I believe that it will help those of you who will eventually be “put out of your church.” When you are, my hope is that when you are accused, you will not feel abused and react emotionally. Simply “watch, wait and pray.” Wait I say on the Lord, and He will direct your path.” Controversial, public ministry has its challenges. I have simply come to terms with the inevitablity that people are going to believe what they choose to believe as they minimize the truth and desensitized themselves to “what’s goin on”.

Just know this. My entire ministerial life, I was only a member and a minister in one denomination. I have no need to reveal it because “who they are” is not important. Only a microcosm, they remain bit players in the unfolding drama of the entire organized church. Forgiveness was not difficult for me in this instance and without any effort I was able to sincerely declare,”Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Forgiveness also necessitates that we “own up” and take responsibility for our own mistakes. In my particular case, I understand why the Bishop desired for a long time to “put me out of the synagogue!”

In his mind, I was bringing charismatic practices into the denomination that he loves—- whose traditions he is dedicated to protect. Yet, he neither protested nor did he take a stand when his own wife began to recommend a book to the entire denomination,— a book authored by a well known charismatic whose character has recently been publicly exposed. Email commentaries that I receive from you the reader frequently mention “my transparency.”

Here’s the deal. I can share as I do primarily because I have no one to fear except God Himself. In other words, no one can hurt me by my self disclosure. I will never run for political office. I seek nothing from you. I do not seek your tithes and offerings. Nor am I seeking a following to join me in ministry. If you buy a book that sells for $25, the ministry gains $2. With little to gain and nothing to lose, I can be an open book without the anticipation of reprisals from anyone. Therefore, I lose no sleep over being “transparent.” My primary goal is that each reader gleans and benefits from the rough road that I have travelled as a born again believer in Christ Jesus for 31 years.

Hopefully, my self disclosure will alert you to avoid some of the pitfalls. I consider my job to be easy primarily because I don’t take more upon myself then I am called to do. In fact, I sleep 10 hours a day. All that is required of me is to remain on the web and the Holy Ghost does the rest.The Lord’s yoke is truly easy and His burden is certainly light in my life today. I don’t even have to wrestle with demons face to face, as people are being delivered over the telephone, all around the world. day and night. In truth, the Holy Ghost is my only covering. I don’t have to worry about regional directors, bishops, or secular bosses and administrators or a husband to stand in my way. Not that I am against marriage. I simply no longer have the commodity of time to learn the ways of yet another man so as to be his helper.

Even though I am transparent, I make it a practice NOT to share the experiences of family, the local sheepfold and other personal associates without their permission. If I share my professional experiences with a client in counseling, the background of the client is camouflaged with no identifying information disclosed. Most important, no human being controls my income or my livelihood. Therefore, I am free to be an open book. It took years to get here and I relished it. As a state government worker, I once had to be closed and cautious but those days are over. The way I determine “what to share” is by the perceived needs of you, the reader. If I believe that exposing myself could possibly help you, then I share. If I don’t, then I keep my sins and my personal business between me and God. Only with Him am I completely transparent. Another reason why no person can pull my strings, is that I have never been “fearful.”

A fighter by nature, the overcoming of hostile emotions is truly a major part of my victory for believe me, I have never been a victim, not even as an African American. In all of my years, no white person has ever called me the “N” word. Of course, racism has been a part of every black person’s life and none of us can say that we have never been exposed to it or affected by it but Jesus Christ healed me long ago of all hatred, vengence and reverse racism. In fact, I do not know people after the flesh but after the spirit. So clearly and in all good conscience, by “putting me out,” no one in the denomination had the power to cause me to feel victimized or even mildly resentful. For 25 years, church leaders were basically pleasant, as they tried to mask their feigned acceptance and politely hidden distaste for me behind hypocritical pleasantries that were not difficult for me to discern.

Because I preached against a tolerance of sin, I certainly did not expect to be “enthusiastically embraced,” for the word of God prepared me to expect persecution for standing for righteousness. Even so, if I did not allow it, no one would have been able to “put me out”of the denomination if I chose to stay,not even the bishop himself. They all knew this about me so everything was implemented under a veil of secrecy through channels of “proper protocol”. Those involved were completely unaware that I too was secretly watching them as I “peaked through their veil of lies and cover-ups.”This is quite an accomplishment for a person like me.

By nature, I am a bold, fearless confronter. In fact, I had a knick name among my secular peers who were all male but one. Spoken with affection and respect, the men I worked with for 17 years referred to me as “the woman with gonads.” Consequently, it is truly not in the nature of my flesh to just sit back and watch weak,tongue in cheek, half steppin so called ministers and church leaders “schemin” behind my back without my own initiation of a vociferous counterattack. In my flesh, I am the kind of person who actually loves a verbal fight and it is built into my personality to confront people face to face. The pride nature of my flesh is relentless upon a perceived enemy. In fact, my father used to say, “Pam, you should have been a lawyer.” I disagree.

Unlike a lawyer, I only contend with what I perceive to be “the truth.” Yet as I quietly observed the mendacity of “church folk” , I learned how to be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove. My ability to trust God literally soared. He opened my spiritual eyes to every scheme that the enemy was planning against me and I simply “stood still”, pretended I was blind, as I quietly watched, waited and prayed. Successful at leaning on Him completely, I learned how to “give up a fight” as well as how to put a battle into His Hands. Over the years, I have observed that the enemy usually defeats me by drawing me into meaningless, unwinnable batles. He will use this tactic with assertive people, so “BEWARE!” His strategy is to pick a fight with the strong, —–a fight that he knows is not worth the victory or for circumstances hidden from you, you have no means of winning. Then when he challenges you, he knows your style.

The usual pattern of the strong is “not to back down.” His tactic is to attack intensely and repeatedly, in order to fool you into thinking, “wow, the devil is fighting me so hard on this matter, this battle must be real important to the Lord, so I won’t let up either.” This is what he wants you to think so that you will hold on to what is actually of no value and waste time and energy that could have been reserved for the real battles. I learned the intricacies of this particular “wile of the devil” because this strategy has been used against me numerous times. In my case, demons bank on the fact that I do not naturally throw in the towel. Well, this time, they out foxed themselves. I didn’t have to throw in the towel because I simply “refused to fight” in the first place. As a result, I was flooded with the peace of God throughout the entire year my website was “secretly under investigation.”

I agree with Paul. When I restrained my own human might, then the Lord stepped in with His. How was I able to restrain myself? Simple. It was the signs THAT I DID NOT SEEK, YET THE LORD SENT THEM. Besides the sign of the “12 mile line,” I had so many signs over the years that as soon as my so-called friend set the plan in motion, I immediately understood that the time had come for me to leave. “I HAD to go.” Actually, a week before these events transpired, I had a dream where I was informed that if I did not come out, the Lord would not be able to use me—I would be like a candlestick hidden under a mattress. This is what I discerned in the spirit— I saw a snuffed out light. The snuffed out light was ME if I put up a fight to stay. I also understood that the Lord did not want me to leave by a personal resignation.

As a fulfillment of prophecy, the Holy Ghost desired that the denomination ” PUT ME OUT.” In the final dream on these matters, I was compared to John the Baptist—shown how Rose had become “a head hunter.” With fifteen years seniority in ministry over Rose, I myself played a significant role in both befriending and supporting Rose in her new and unprecedented appointment to church leadership, never expecting that she would be the person who would eventually be the one who would drive me out of the denomination. As I watched Rose in the spirit, she metaphorically put my ministerial head on the chopping block.

With signs like these, I said to myself, “Pam, you are about to get your head chopped off with “a Judas kiss”. Just sit back and watch what the Lord does.” I didn’t have long to wait. The very next day,I got the phone call. On June 17,2004, the Bishop led the assembled church body of about 150 of my ministerial peers to unanimously vote to remove me from the denomination’s rolls. Surely, I always had a choice. I could have prevented being “put out” by simply showing up to the required meeting. None of them would have had the guts to put me out face to face.

In addition, I could have obeyed them and simply deleted the watchman pages of “TV Trouble” and “Beware Christian” from my website. As much as some people wanted me “gone,” no one could have legally put me out with cause if “I myself didn’t provide the cause.” Actually, I was not removed from the rolls because of the website. I was officially “put out” because I did not send in my annual dues of $660, nor did I attend a required annual meeting. I had spoken to the Bishop and asked to be excused, but when he arrived at the floor of the gathering, he “implied” that “I did not contact him and therefore he had not excused me from the meeting,” when “he did.” Without anything in writing, it was his word against mine.

I could have brought him up on charges as well, but such an action would have hindered the Lord’s plan for my departure. Other than for the website incident, I was not bothered by anyone in the denomination. As such, I was relatively free to function in my ministry with minimal hindrances for several years. Without a doubt, I truly loved the denominational flock and I still do. The problem was that I had received too many signs over two decades of time. It is my heart’s desire to be obedient to God and to man, if and only if man’s way is not in rebellion to God’s will . My decision to allow the denomination to “put me out” was based upon one question that I had to ask myself.”Pam, do you want to be a part of the latter rain or do you want to remain in a dry, barren place?” I chose the rain.

” Many readers and visitors to  pamsheppard.com will be shocked to hear a minister of 30 years write that for most of you, it is best that you not attend church in your local community. I served as a pastor for about 15 of the 27 years both denominational and nondenominational service. Today, I personally believe that a person can grow spiritually without regularly attending an organized church. Most definitely, you should assemble with the saints, but the word of God does not lay out a detailed order of service, nor does it suggest the day you should assemble, the time or even the nature of the place or building where gathering together should take place. We live in a computerized world, where we can “assemble” 24 and 7.

Simply put, I truly believe that the organized church as it now stands will be completely revamped by the Lord. Why? Because quite frankly, the traditional structures are not working. I myself have no replacements to offer, as my ministry is in the process of being completely revamped and reformed. When I wrote 3 of my 6 books, I was hopeful that repentance would bring about reformation and renewal to the organized church. However, the love of money, which is the root of ALL evil, has permeated most of the church and I seriously doubt if the Lord is going to allow it to continue to exist in its present state. Judgement is swiftly coming and I shunder at what is going to happen to church and to churchgoers. In the meantime, for those of you who feel that you need to assemble in an organized church, the following comments are provided for you to assist you in your pursuit to find a church.

The following excerpt is taken from one of the chapters in “Faces of the Religious Demon.” If after you read this you would like to obtain either the ebook or the softcover, click here. In truth, I do not believe that Jesus intended for any one who follows Him to lower their spiritual guard by relying on others to watch on his behalf. Just as we don’t need a weather man to tell us that spring is coming, we also don’t need people to complicate the obvious. Case in point. If the Anti-Christ is actually a human being, then it is clear to me that he shall come forth out of Christianity for a very simple reason. Satan has had a seat in the organized church for centuries. There is no better place for the devil to conceal, prepare and empower his son of evil and destruction than within a worldly Christian system.

The word of God clearly testifies not only to the fact that demons were operating during the Lord’s earthly ministry, but that renewed demonic activity will manifest in the latter days. (I Timothy Ch:4:1-4) Paul’s warning to Timothy does not merely relate to new manifestations of evil in the world but to an ever increasing apostasy in the professing church, a cult promoted by seducing spirits of a highly sensitive spirituality. In spite of this infiltration by demons into the organized church, it is not my personal intent to disparage the local church or to suggest that all local churches need to be closed down. I myself pastor a local assembly as well as an international Internet body of believers. However, the organized church is an institution created by man, not even described or promoted by the Word of God:

“There is nothing inherently wrong with being involved in a local church. But realize that being part of a group that calls itself a “church” does not make you saved, holy, righteous, or godly any more than being in Yankee Stadium makes you a professional baseball player. Participating in church-based activities does not necessarily draw you closer to God or prepare you for a life that satisfies Him or enhances your existence….Sadly, many people will label this view ‘blasphemy.’. However, you should realize that the Bible neither describes nor promotes the local church as we know it today. Many centuries ago religious leaders created the prevalent form of ‘church’ that is so widespread in our society to help people be better followers of Christ. But the local church many have come to cherish—the services, offices, programs, buildings, ceremonies—is neither biblical nor unbiblical. It is a-biblical— that is, such an organization is not addressed in the Bible.” (Revolution, pg. 37) 5

Therefore, since the church model of modern times is neither promoted nor discredited in the Word of God, I believe that it’s viability should be determined by some very wise and practical applications:

1. In terms of its structure, is it an episcopal denomination or an independent body? Quite frankly, if it is a connected church, then even though it may be uncorrupted at the local level, linked to an ungodly authority or “Mother Church”will eventually spoil or damage the spiritual fruits throughout the entire system. By nature of its organization, a religious demon will have a seat in high places. The complicated, political form of an episcopal church with a connected governing body should be avoided primarily due to its structure. Consequently, its bishops and leaders will be prone to cover-ups, particularly where improprieties and outright sin may be involved among its various charges. In my second book, I describe this dilemma:

“A Bishop’s power lies in his ability to appoint a pastor and fill a pulpit. Since pastors in full time ministry are totally dependent each year upon whether or not the Bishop chooses to favor them with an appointment to a church that will be lucrative enough to continue to provide for themselves and their families, a conflict of interest automatically inherent within the Episcopal form of church government will ultimately manifest.” (The Making of A Prophet, pg. 84) 6 Dealing with sin in such a structure is like trying to eliminate roaches from a city block where all of the buildings are erected side by side and are therefore “connected”. If you bomb one apartment with a pesticide, or even exterminate an entire building, the roaches will simply run upstairs, downstairs or to the building next door. Regardless of how clean you keep your apartment, you will not be able to contain the roaches, especially after dark. Just go in the kitchen and turn on your lights and hundreds of them will be flying around as if they had wings!!! Every connected building has to be bombed from one corner to the other on the entire street, or the roaches will soon return. So is the fate of the connected churches. The leaven of the Pharisees is impossible to contain without a complete annihilation.

2.Where an independent church is concerned, the issue is not so much its structure but whether or not it has a system in place to avoid spiritual neglect or abuse. Within a small assembly or a mega church, every sheep in that church should have someone who personally knows him and who ministers to his personal needs. If members are compelled to go outside of their local church to receive competent counseling, deliverance, healing and recovery, then I suspect that the primary benefit experienced in church is merely a soothing of their flesh as as a byproduct of the worship experience of song and praise. Moreover, congregations of this kind provide a social environment for family members. In my opinion, social contacts with Christians can be obtained at a Christian concert and family activities are available at the local YMCA. If your spiritual needs are not being met at your local church, then you are just involved in a social club and your local church has no real spiritual value. Recently I learned that state of the art children’s ministry programs can become traps due to the fact that the parents won’t leave a church even when they realize that the basic core of the church is corrupt. The pressures for disatisfied parents to remain are exerted by the social and entertainment needs of their children.

3.The independent churches that can be very dangerous include those that call themselves “deliverance churches.” In some of these assemblies, the religious demon and the witchcraft spirit are running rampant with counterfeits in worship, doctrine, prayer and other strange practices including a heavy emphasis on being slain in the spirit.

“A demonstration of real power is not falling slain. We see a lot of this phenomena in the ministries of TV evangelists, particularly in the Pentecostal and non-denominational churches. Demonstration of God’s power would be after you have fallen out in the spirit, what condition were you in when you got to your feet?!!! Where you healed? Were you delivered? Did God speak to you a word in due season concerning a special problem you have been challenged with? Or did you just pass out because everybody else was passing out!? ( The Making of a Prophet, pg. 199) 7

4. I agree with Dr. Rebecca Brown’s warning concerning various counterfeits manifested through the speaking in other tongues, primarily among word of faith, pentecostal and Charismatic Catholic churches:

“Christians have made the terrible mistake of assuming that ALL tongues are from God. How wrong they are!…It is well known that many occultic rituals are done in tongues….The fact that Catholics speak in tongues is not proof that they are filled with the Holy Spirit. Too many of these precious Catholic souls assume that because they are speaking in tongues, they are saved. How can the Holy Spirit be operative and manifesting in a system of idolatry? Those involved in the Catholic Charismatic movement who really start reading and studying the Bible soon realize they must separate themselves from the idolatrous Roman Catholic Church if they are going to serve the true Jesus of the Bible.” (Prepare for War, pgs. 182,183) 8

5.However, the crucial factors of your assessment of a local church actually relate to the security of your eternal life,which is truly where the rubber meets the road. Why go to church if, in the final analysis, you do not escape damnation by traveling the narrow way to eternal life? Assuredly, you should examine how and with what regularity the doctrines of repentance, resurrection and rebirth are being preached and taught? A church with a Jezebel influence will minimize or overlook the importance of these “3 R’s” through excessive tradition, polity and other less important priorities of doctrine.

6.If a local church minimizes the need to learn the devices of the devil or does not even recognize the existence and the workings of demonic forces in these times, then it is in a low condition of spiritual life and power. I believe that such a church should be avoided like the plague. In fact, such ignorance on the part of a congregation’s leadership is an indication to demons of the leaders’ accommodation to them through fear, an open door to demonic influence. According to Jessie Penn-Lewis:

“A perspective view of the ages covered by the history in Bible records, shows that the rise and fall in spiritual power of the people of God, was marked by the recognition of the existence of the demoniacal host of evil. When the Church of God in the old and new dispensations was at the highest point of spiritual power, the leaders recognized, and drastically dealt with, the invisible forces of Satan and when at the lowest, they were ignored, or allowed to have free course, among the people.” (War on the Saints, 9th edition, pg.27)

Consequently, if there is no emphasis in the local church on spiritual warfare and deliverance, that church is without spiritual power.

7.The emphasis upon the Word of God in a church should and could be a good sign; Nevertheless, it is misleading and immaterial to base your assessment of a church solely upon evidence that all its members carry bibles, yellow markers and recite scriptures. For when leadership doe not rightly divide the word, then heresies posing as revelation truths give place to the doctrines of devils that Paul warned Timothy about (I Timothy 4:1): the prosperity gospel, dominion teaching, “name it and claim it”, pre-tribulation rapture, submission to authority, eternal security, no ordination for women, and other doctrines too numerous to mention even in one book.

False doctrines of this kind are skillfully birthed by teaching demons to deceive and exploit the people. If the devil had nerve enough to get “religious” by reciting scripture out of its context to tempt the Lord Jesus Himself, then he has trained his demonic army to do likewise to us. (Matthew 4:1-11) “Out of context” preaching tends to draw those who have not truly repented nor been converted, but who are enticed to come to church by the excitement that scriptural hype can produce. Such preaching and teaching draws people, places and things to the building.—those who seek blessings to get their needs met or to fulfill their dreams—but they have not really been drawn to Christ.

8.A church after the Lord’s heart is the church of Philadelphia: those who do not deny His name and who have kept His word.(Revelation 3:7-13) This is a church that will not compromise the truth, either for the favor of the world or for unity with other churches. Since we all see through a glass darkly, a good pastor is one who continually examines if he is rightly dividing the word. When errors and contradictions are uncovered, then a good pastor openly and publicly admits to his or her mistakes, correcting any inaccurate teachings without hesitation. The Lord declared that the church of Philadelphia was of little strength, so it is clear that His assessment was not based upon numbers of members, wealth or resources. I believe that a major part of keeping His word is to go forth and cast out demons. A good church is about building people so that they can confront the demonic influences to expel the darkness in their own environment, equipping the sheep to be living stones, holy vessels for the Spirit of the Lord to dwell in.

9/22/11 I’ve come a long way since I wrote this artcle. In this hour, I believe that all churches have become dwelling places of demons for one primary reason. They all teach that man chooses God by a decision of his or her own free will, by saying :I accept Jesus” and by asking Him to “come into my heart.” Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. The Holy Ghost comes into the human spirit and not the heart. The heart is a function of the fallen soul of man and it is desperately wicken, and as such, has no capability of choosing God without the ministry of thr Holy Ghost.

CHURCH IS NOT WORKING!

Christian television would work if it repeated the same message of salvation over and over again. People would be able to be saved in their living room. Then if they went to church, at least their salvation would be assured, in spite of any error they might be taught. However, preaching a salvation message every day would not work “in the world’s system of media communciation” because ratings are based upon diversity. This is why the mega TV preachers are prone to add to or take away from the pure and simple gospel. Jesus crucified, buried and raised doesn’t play well for either television or radio. All babes in Christ need someone to feed them the word of God. They need to be able to ask personalized questions and receive answers relevant and specific to their needs.

Even a Christian talk show can be deceiving because people who are untrained and unskilled in the word of God will take the advice they hear sent to a particular caller, and improperly apply it to their own particular situation. After I was saved and still a babe in Christ, I fed myself off of the tapes of Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Fred Price and several others. I pumped one tape after another into my head. I misapplied the scriptures on faith to some real life situations where if I had had a personal teacher, I could have learned a lot quicker and avoided the pitfalls. Instead, I took what these preachers taught out of context, and wrongfully applied their teaching to my own life.

Every one needs an elder who can answer questions. As clear as I myself try to make things when I bring forth the word, invariably, someone misreads or misinterprets my teachings, even now. To counteract this problem, anyone who wants to contact me by email or by phone to ask me a question about something that I taught can do so. I answer each and every question. Christian churches of today would work if they took the advice that Jesus gave to the 7 churches of 2000 years ago. It was one word. REPENT!!!! The problem is that they won’t. Sardis didn’t heed the warning. Nor Ephesus or any of the rest of them.

And guess what!? Those original churches no longer exist. I would have to search out what happened to the church that the Lord commended called Philadelphia. But all of the rest of those churches are nothing but rubble and broken peices of stone, toppled by earthquakes. NO MORE “CHUCH AS USUAL AT OUR LOCAL ASSEMBLY I pastored 2 AME Zion Churches, one in Norwich New York and the other in Saratoga New York. I also served for several years as an associate minister in my home church in Albany New York. From my 25 years of ministry within a denomination, I must attest to the fact that the damage had been done many years by generations before my time.

Therefore, sin is now so intrinsic that it is almost impossible for denominational churches to repent. I may not have had the kind of revelation that I have now, but for the most part, I did not preach error and I was walking in the righteousness that I knew at the time. Overall, I preached a message of repentance and power. It didn’t matter. The people, both minister and laity refused to hear. So I started Healing Waters in 1996 while still in the denomination.. A year and a half ago, I realized that the “church” model was not working at Healing Waters either. So I revamped it.. For example, no more do I do a passive bible study where I do all the work and lecturing and the people just sit there in front of me.

I used to do four bible studies a week, two in the morning and two at night. No more. Everyone who wants bible study must do an independent study based upon the message that they heard on Sunday. They prepare what they have learned for me, either in writing or by telephone, rather than the other way around. They also prepare questions based upon what they did not understand in the teaching. I hold these bible studies in conference calls over the telephone. Individual counseling sessions are available for all those who need it. The service itself is also “different.” It is more like an AA meeting than a traditional church worship service. However, the emphasis is the word—at least an hour. After the word is a question and answer period, a time of testimony and prayer. I rarely do public deliverances but if the spirit leads, demons could get cast out after the children have left the service. We don’t over emphasize singing anymore. We may or may not sing a song or two. We leave it up to people to listen to worship music in their private devotions. Little emphasis on the offering. We leave it up to the member to send their offering over the web. No one leaves our gathering or “meeting” with their problem unless they want to.

Sometimes after the word has gone forth, all of our attention will go toward getting one person delivered in a particular area. We do not insist that people come to our gathering every time the doors are open. We direct them to the website. If the unsaved come in looking for truth, they leave “saved.”No more “dress up” for Sunday. I wear jogging suits, fashionable of course, lol. No more churchy clothes unless a person wants to. Everyone is “comfortable” in whatever they want to wear. I will not tolerate people coming to church out of form and fashion. I asked one young man who has been coming to church because of his girlfriend, “why are you here.” He said “I don’t know.” I said “well, til you know, don’t come back.” One of my other regular visitors thought “Oh, that is awful. How can a pastor tell someone NOT to come to church” She herself has not been back since I said that. My motive was this. If visitors do not know that those who come to church are searching for Jesus, then they will just sit in my congregation , and become more and more confused.

Visitors who do not understand who Jesus is will be in even a worst state than they were in BEFORE they came to church. They may even pick up a religious demon due to becoming habituated to church attendance, a form of godliness that denies the power thereof. As I write this, it is January 1, 2007. These changes in the way we assemble at Healing Waters were made on Sept 11, 2005. The Lord revealed in 2006—- just a few months ago in fact— that Healing Waters was not really built upon a clean foundation in 1996 because I was with a secret sin at the time, with the man who became my 3rd husband shortly after Healing Waters was founded. Even though I got married, the ministry was still “unclean.”

In fact, the Lord revealed that Richard was sent by the devil to infiltrate my ministry from the ground up. It was Satan’s intention to spoil Healing Waters before it even got started. It almost worked because I was deceived into believing that the Lord was in this. He wasn’t. Cool. No problem. Better to know now than never. Don’t get me wrong. God was in control and knew that I needed to ” go through” -so that I could help others similarily deceived. The goal was to know the truth. Now that I know the truth, I thank God everyday for not allowing me to become a successful pastor of a large church or a mega preacher. I thank the Lord that He would not grow my ministry Himself while I was unclean and He would not allow the devil to grow it either. Now that the devil is out of my local assembly, I will see where the Lord takes me and my ministry in 2007. July 8, 2007 I was shown that those who assemble with us have been living two lives: a Christian face before me when we assemble and a worldly face at home, on the job and in the local community. I have shut it down as of July 8th. TODAY!

9/22/2011:

I did the right thing by closing down my church in 2007.

All churches have become a dwelling place of demons.

God has already judged Her.

THE MINISTRY OF THE CHRISTIAN AUTHOR: What It Ought To Be! By Pam Sheppard, author of “The Fake Jesus: Fallen Angels Among Us, Faces of the Religious Demon, Come Out of Her, God’s People,” “The New Idolaty” “Recovery in Christ, and To Curse the Root”

One reason why many professing Christians may not be able to survive endtime persecution in this country is a lack of understanding of and a lack of faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Yet, there is another reason that is outlined within the Lord’s warning to the Laodiceans. In my own vernacular, many professing Christians of today are puffed up and self seeking,—blind in their quest for self glorification and an ambitious desire for personal fame and fortune.

Let’s face it. They capitolize off of the name and the work of the Lord in order to “have a ministry of their own”. The point is well made by using the music industry as an example. Consider those who first attempted to “make it big” as a secular singer or rapper and failed, who then became famous by “switching over” to the Christian music industry. In order to clarify this point with another illustration, take a look at the subject matter of an “up and coming” conference: 501C3 application preparation, how to set up your ministry or non-profit organization–Getting your ministry license, Enrolling in Seminary School–Everything you need to know on how to publish your book—Records and gospel Entertainment—How to Handle God’s Money with Care, Making It in the Gospel Music Industry—Ministry FundrasingTips and Ideas For Promoting Your Ministry events—-How to Start a Radio Ministry—Howto Start a TV Ministry–Planning Your First Conference—Managing and applying for grants—How to Work in Full Time Ministry—How to Network Effectively—The Teenager in Ministry—The Men in Ministry AND MORE

I receive several marketing email ads of this kind on a daily basis. I chose this particular ad as an example because I have had personal contact by email and by telephone with the woman who is the founder of the organization that is promoting this conference. About 5 years ago,I promoted women in ministryon a website. This particular woman was just starting out in full time ministry,so she placed an AD that consisted of a photograph and her bio was included on a “women in ministry” page. I stopped offering this service completely about 3 years ago. I reference it now because I know for a fact that this particular woman’s own non-profit organization was established less than 5 years ago.–perhaps more like 3 years.

Even though she is a mega wannabee, my comments are not about her personally but about the subject matter of her conference and why I believe that those who are seeking this sort of ministerial “empowerment” are headed straight for disaster. To be quite honest with you, five years ago, I would have probably both promoted and even attended this conference. Even last year, realizing the dangers of a TV ministry, I was about to start a radio ministry . A date for the first show was set and radio time was about to be purchased when I sensed in my spirit that “it was not in the Lord’s timing and plan for me” so I cancelled it.

Where my 6 books are concerned, with each new revelation that I receive, I review the books that I have published. I actually set aside a portion of each day and I sit down and read each book, page by page, to make sure that they contain no blatant errors. My third book, “Faces of the Religious Demon,” is a good, solid book. Even though there is much that I know now that I didn’t know in 2006,I have found no damaging errors or blatant mistakes. Even so, I have just completed an edit of “Faces” a few weeks agol. Actually, “Faces” served as a prelude to or a springboard for what I have learned in the last year: namely, “THAT THERE IS A FAKE JESUS!”

Once I startedwriting newsletters that required some study, the names of several “religious demons” and there “faces” or “profiles” have now been uncovered—Maitreya, Sananda, Mother Mary, Germaine, Ashtar, and a host of others that I have not yet written about. In fact, Benjamin Creme, Maitreya’s human disciple, has indicated on his website that 14 ascended masters beside Maitreya are now manifesting on earth. So I have written about 5 of them, yet 10 more remain “noteworthy.” I am reviewing my first two books because I realize today that I had not yet been delivered from charismatic influences when I wrote them.

Nevertheless, as I continue the review process, I am surprised to find that in spite of my mixed doctrine, I didn’t really write about those particular subject areas and therefore I am not finding any outstanding errors. For example, when I wrote the first book “To Curse the Root,”in 1995, I certainly believed in a pre-tribulation rapture, tongues as a prayer language, obtaining salvation through the “I make a decision for Christ” method, the prayer of agreement, even falling slain in the spirit. I suspect that the Holy Ghost was guiding my author’s hand because I simply did not address these subjects in the first book.

As to the second book, it is autobiographical and “I told no lies.” I address this point in this particular article primarily because I noted the importance placed upon authorship in the conference ad copied above in red. It seems today that those who seek “a ministry” as a point of contact for personal success are assuming that one MUST be a published author. In truth, most of the errors that I myself picked up came from audio tapes and books published by various Christian authors.

The list is endless. As I burned occult books in 1981, I realize now that I also need to begin burning from my collection of so called Christian books written by several charismatic, pentecostal and word of faith authors. The flames will rise high once I start the fire! On April 24th and 25th, I watched Judge Lynn Toler of Divorce Court interview well known Christian author Juanita Bynum who no longer uses the title “Prophetess” but who now uses the title of “Dr.” Here is a word for word excerpt of the interview: Judge Lynn: Dr. Bynum, there are those who say that as a person in the ministry, as a person of God, to have the personal wealth that you have obtained is not consistent with your walk with God and your service to the people.

Dr. Bynum: What the people don’t know is that one of my biggest problems is that I give too much. I am in the predicament that I am in now for that reason. I gave too much. (What a contradictory statement!!! As one of the most well-known, prolific preachers of the prosperity gospel, Bynum has consistently preached that NO ONE CAN GIVE TOO MUCH!) Judge Lynn: Do you see how people look at the wealth that you have, what you drive, the house that you live in and that you are accepting tithes and offerings from people who may be making $20,000, $30,000 a year and how they find that troubling, as quite frankly, I do?”

Dr. Bynum: What I have accumulated I didn’t accumulate through tithes and offerings. My books have sold very well. I never wanted to live off of the people in the church. I wanted to OWN MY OWN! (This is probably a true statement, considering the huge royalties that Bynum has received from her best selling Christian books. However,the point here is that if it were not for the tithes and offerings that she DID “live on” over the years, she would not have been in a position to be a best selling author of Christian books, or to even be invited to DIVORCE COURT to function in the capacity of a professional counselor without having been trained in any counseling profession.)

Out of the abundance of the heart, Jesus declared “the mouth speaks.” Bynum never said more truer words. SHE WANTED TO OWN HER OWN. This is the case of all mega wannabees, both famous and unknown. They perceive “ministry” as a career steppingstone and not as a calling. I don’t know about Dr. Bynum’s books , but most high profile ministers are too busy travelling to write books and so they are staffed with ghost writers who are the actual, “behind the scene” authors of their bestsellers.

Since I am an author of 6 books, before I receive accusatory commentaries, let me share a few personal facts. I have had a professional secular career all of my adult life which began BEFORE I entered ministry. All publication fees for my books are paid for by funds accumulated and derived from my secular career. Since I do NOT pursue tithes and offerings, any royalties that I receive from Christian books are applied to ministerial costs and rarely for my own personal needs. Since I have not applied for tax exempt status, I pay taxes on all income derived from royalties. In truth, the reason why I am able to function and survive in full time ministry is due to long years of secular employment. I am “beholden” to NO ONE!

Consequently , a conference with subject matter such as “everything you need to know on how to publish your book”, literally turns my stomach. I kid you not. I could actually VOMIT! Perhaps it is the Lord’s distaste that I feel when He insulted the lukewarm Laodiceans with, “I could spit you out of my mouth.” With their eyes and hearts filled with ambition for personal success, countless mega wannabees are writing books, going on radio and TV and promoting themselves in sickening marketing ads that are “full of self.” Most of these people are simply too ill informed, yet they are misrepresenting themselves with unearned academic credentials and most importantly, they have not been seasoned Christians for any length of time.

Therefore, they do not read the signs of the times and they have no discernment. They don’t perceive that the Christian church in this country may be headed for persecution. They are making of themselves “sitting ducks.” Actually, the wise approach in times of peace is to limit self promotion and attention seeking. For a day may be coming when we may ALL have to assemble in secret. As for me–while I have the opportunity, I am preparing myself for widescale persecution of Christians in my lifetime. Taking every conceivable precaution, my local assembly has changed our ministerial name primarily because “Healing Waters” is associated with the ascended master known as Maitreya.

Consequently, as I continue in ministry until my own “end,” unless the Lord chooses to bring me into a public arena, I myself plan to maintain “a very low profile.” Believe me. I have no fear of dying for what I believe. However, I do not plan to be foolish and be the primary provider of specific information about myself to potential enemies. I believe that to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, it is best not to place too much personal information into the hands of enemies who will strategize and use it as weapons to plot, pursue and persecute you. Almost equally as important, I perceive the major problem in the Christian world today is an exagerated emphasis on self promotion to Christian celebrity status. There are just too many Jesus Christ Superstars whom the enemy has successfully used to defile the work of Jesus Christ. So our assembly operates very much like AA, with an emphasis on “the anonymous.”

In a nutshell, a Christian author has an apostolic and a prophetic calling to send forth nuggets of truth that provide connection and correlation to the world of God. For example, the world of God tells us to “try the spirits” but it does not lay out the process line by line or step by step. Jessie Penn Lewis’s book “War on the Saints,” written more than a century ago, was used by God to teach me how to try the spirits. Her authorship has inspired my own, pariticularly my third book “Faces of the Religious Demon.” So a Christian author is not just an apostle and a prophet, but also a teacher and a counselor.

To address this question, I MUST consider the times and the season. Actually, I suspect that we are in the last season of God’s timetable before the Lord’s soon return to take up dominion and rule down here. From this perspective, I believe that the preaching of the gospel has already been done. Today I received a phone call from a man living on the west coast who was calling about his 93 year old Catholic mother, a recent stroke victim hospitalized on the east coast. The son requested if someone from my church would make a hospital visit, in order to “lead her to salvation.” The son proudly let me know that he is a pentecostal and that he doesn’t believe that his Catholic mother is saved.

As I listened, questions came into my mind regarding his own salvation. The mother has not lost her mental faculties, but the stroke has left her without speech. I said to the son, “I don’t lead anybody into salvation for I don’t have the power to save anyone, and salvation is according to election by the sovereign will of God. If your mother is called to salvation, then the Lord will find a way to save her. My concern is that your mother has heard and believes on “another gospel.” The son was so churched, that it never crossed his mind that I myself was willing to visit his mother. Yet I just felt unsure as to how to proceed. Going to her hospital bed and informing this aged Catholic that she has been worshipping the fake Jesus and a demon called Mother Mary might actually send her over the edge.

Without the wisdom to proceed, I rested assured that if this mother is one of God’s elect, He will certainly save her. I have learned that one of the primary principles of ministry today is to be aware of your own limitations and not “rush in” on false faith. For two millennium, the word of God has been preached from one end of the world to the other since the Day of Pentecost. The gospel is a very simple message: Jesus coming out of heaven to earth, born of a virgin, crucified for our sins, died and was raised from the dead, was seen of many, ascended and, praise God, He is coming back. Therefore, part one of the Great Commission is practically accomplished. This is the gospel in a nutshell, a word that is published every Christmas and every Easter, in spite of Santa Claus and the Bunny.

I am a clear example of an atheist who had never heard the word preached from a pulpit or from a TV evangelist, never even handed a tract nor had I ever opened a bible. If an atheist could be drawn to Jesus just based upon the word that was preached through the holidays of Christmas and Easter, ANYONE CAN BE!!! This is the reason why the enemy is taking a strong stand against keeping Jesus as the reason for both seasons. Unfortunately, it is not surprising that the church is in the pitiful condition that it is in today because of a gross neglect of part two of the Great Commission which is “go forth and cast out demons!” Therefore, I write to the faithful of the church at Philadelphia, and exhort you to remember the words of Paul to Timothy: “In the last days, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.” (I Timothy 4:1)

As the word of God has foreshadowed in various scriptures, seducing spirits are thriving in the organizational church today in the form of the religious demon. So beware, oh, precious ones! Beware of demons that will come in your midst and try to hide in your sheepfolds, whose mission is to bring down the true Body of Christ. To be successful, Satan must be very deceptive. In one of His parables, the Lord announced that in the midst of His planting wheat in His field, an enemy came along and planted imitation wheat called “tares” or weeds.

Consequently, the Lord declared that toward the end of the age, there would come a point in time when the imitation wheat and the true wheat would look identical. (Matthew 13:37-43) I believe that the objective of ministry during endtimes is connected to the Lord’s coming again. As John the Baptist preached repentance and “prepare ye the way of the Lord” to unveil His first coming, I believe that ministry in the endtimes is about preparing the people for the Lord’s second coming. So, how do we do that? I don’t think I can state any better what I have already written in “The Making of a Prophet.” I have found that the demonstration of power begins at the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ is the place where we must submit our human nature. Not just the bad but the good also.

The ones who demonstrate the most power are the ones who have suffered the most—the ones who have sinned the most—the ones who have been forgiven of the most. They tend to be most humble. However, people who have always had it good, been the most acceptable to the world, people pleasers who have adapted to a success model based upon the world’s standards—these are the people who are the most difficult to demonstrate God’s power. They are too filled up with their own power. Their own thoughts. Their own ways. Their own abilities. What I hope my testimony speaks to is that it is not just the bad things that must go to the cross. It is also the things that are considered good about ourselves that are the most dangerous. Like Paul, we’ve got to cry out, “I don’t get mixed up in nothin except Jesus Christ and Him crucified!” (pg 202) Once a Christian has been dealt with—broken by God at the cross—and has emerged a servant, then he or she is ready to participate in ministry.

I believe that in this hour, the primary work of service is to undeceive those who believe that “they already know.” Once those who have been deluded and confused have been enlightened by truth, a deliverance may still be necessary and so the casting out of demons is a very important ministry in these times. Actually, I perceive ministry today as giving out nuggets of truth. Sometimes the scope of what can be confronted with captives to deception is very limited. In my deliverance counseling practice as outlined in my third book, “Faces of the Religious Demon,” I have found that the Lord is allowing some of His people to be tormented so that they can be shaken from the deep spiritual sleep in which they so proudly and boastfully rest. Unfortunately, the spiritual arrogance and pride of those who are seeking prominence and a name for themselves in Christiandom are in serious trouble because their spiritual arrogance and pride has become deeply entrenched in their hearts and minds.

Therefore, I am prepared that scores of people shall refuse to hear God’s warnings coming from an author whom they may consider “a nobody.” Armed with this knowledge, I am no longer distressed or stressed when I am rejected by them. I realize that namedroppers and wannabees have to be broken because in their proud state, many are unable to humble themselves enough to even discern the signs of the times, as they think that they are going to build a personal Christian kingdom that they can pass on to their children and grandchildren as many notable mega preachers have already done. So other than for those who enter into counseling or mentoring with me, my approach to ministry as an author is to focus on at least one nugget of truth, either by telephone or by email and then “move on” and let the Holy Ghost lead that person into the essentials of a deeper truth. For various reasons, I have found that the resistance to the truth by various captives is the result of their religious development overtime. Like a spider forms a web, religious demons on assignment have weaved an intricate, subliminal spiritual web—a longstanding strategy that has progressively hindered a captive’s ability to face this or her own Laodicean blindness “head on.”

So for me, ministry is to drop a nugget of truth, or “plant a truth seed” and then leave the plowing, the weeding, the watering and even the harvesting up to God, and I keep on steppin. Sometimes you will find that the captive does not like the style or manner of the messenger even more than the content of the message. In such cases, when I find people who will not acknowledge my words because they do not like either my style or my tone, I strategically plan my exit. As they stubbornly cling to their own ideas of how they believe that God should teach them through the organized church where they have been a member of longstanding, I “cut to the chase.” I have learned to focus my energy and go right to the heart of the matter. I will certainly avoid throwing scripture back and forth as in a contest, but I will pointedly ask a few salient questions like, “If you are really saved, then why is the devil having his way with you? Why don’t you have any joy or peace in the Holy Ghost? Why are you not assured of your salvation? Why so much condemnation, shame and guilt” Are you confused? Is confusion of God or is it of the devil? Then I sit back, wait on a response, and refuse to take either a defensive or an offensive position. In other words, I present a nugget of truth, and I don’t stick around to see whether or not that nugget was received. I just “keep it movin.” Sometimes the Lord will let me know that “the seed got planted in good ground.” Sometimes, He does not. This is the key. Ministry is the Lord’s thing. Some plant, some water, but it is the Holy Ghost Who gives the increase. www.pamsheppard.com