I remember when I was in the Word of Faith (health, wealth and prosperity cult), I was always questioning things and being reprimanded for it. Due to always doubting my God-given intuition that something was terribly wrong, I would feel crazy most of the time and try to convince myself that it was just me or my overactive imagination. Besides, I always have the tendency to give others the benefit of the doubt, even when they don’t deserve it.
In the beginning I was encouraged by two different WoF “preachers” from two different churches to let go of all I learned in college because my intellect was supposedly getting in the way of what “God” wanted to do in my life. I realize now that they were trying to get me to suspend my reasoning abilities so that their god (Satan) could deceive me. I was even told by them that the “Holy Spirit” had supposedly showed them that I had a “reasoning addiction.”
When I really became concerned about being deceived, they’d tell me I needed to trust in God’s ability to keep me, more than Satans ability to deceive. In fact, they made it sound as though a “mature” Christian could no longer be deceived and that correct doctrine was overated (big red flags). They say to follow “fathers” rather than doctrine.
At the time, it seemed biblical because they would twist Bible verses out of context. I was on a regular diet of false doctrine, not to mention the all famous “Daniels 21 day diet” that Rick Warren is so blasphemously into. I would have severe heart palpitations while on that fast. One day, I counted up to 8 palpitations per hr. I know it’s a miracle of God that I lived through all of the garbage they would feed me while I was starving to death for the truth.
I thank God for sparing me through that rebellion. I even thank Him for giving me that horrible sense that something wasn’t right, for it never completely leaving me….. for now I know it was the Holy Spirit of truth and that they were of the spirit of error.
They felt so threatened by my questions (and by the Holy Spirit who was obviously with me)that they resorted to one of the worst forms of spiritual abuse—-demonizing my discernment. “Seers” began seeing demons in me, religious demons, demons of fear, demons of reasoning, demons of perversion, witchcraft (ironic I know) and every other atrocity imaginable. And usually it was proclaimed before the entire congregation, along w/ the “excorcism.” I became their regular freak show to entertain and to be the guinea pig so they could exhibit their “spiritually elite power.”
This form of abuse resulted in me being ostracized to the point of feeling like a complete failure because the “exorcisms” never worked (of course). But who got the blame—-you guessed it—me, my lack of faith, my involvement w/ “hidden sin,” my lack of everything that they supposedly had, but I didn’t. When I’d say I didn’t know of any hidden sin in my life, I was accused of having a split personality for not remembering!! I thought I was going insane!
This was the main way that those leaders kept anyone else in those congregations from listening to me and my concerns—–they made a fool out of me, so the congregation began to shun me, pity me, not include me in outings, etc. The leaders completely discredited me to all who were in those churches. My children and me would walk in through the church doors and they’d immediately begin whispering, staring, laughing under their breath, etc. I regret I ever put my children through that. I even brought a friend with me one night, and she said—–“Lee Anne, the preacher just made fun of you in front of the whole church!” I remember being in denial. For one, I still thought I was the problem and that they could teach me something. So I actually gave into their tactics. Oh, they taught me a lot alright!!!
To make a long story shorter, one night I went up to the altar and collapsed in a literal puddle of tears, screaming out to God to help me. After breaking me down, they then began “building me up” in the Word of Faith indoctrination by telling me to constantly speak “positive confessions” and to constantly rebuke the devil, bind demons, sprinkle prayed over salt, holy water, and anointing oil, to vocally declare into the heavenlies that I had been imparted with the “breaker anointing.” I was to constantly claim my family for the kingdom of God, to name and claim everything imaginable. I had to renounce masonic rituals 3 times (even though I’ve never been a mason!), break every kind of “generational curse” imaginable, etc. etc. etc. I’m exhausted just writing about some of the legalistic bondage I fell into. wheeeeew!!!
I finally had a complete nervous breakdown, sinking into severe clinical depression, kundalini symptoms, the whole works. I had to drop out of the prayer group where I was finally told that I wasn’t spiritually strong enough to perform spiritual warfare, etc. I took a long break, didn’t even go up for prayer or let anyone lay hands on me for months. I finally got some relief…… God was bringing me out.
However, I began working at the local Pregnancy Center a few months later, where the director was in to all this. I was slowly being reeled back in. They would lay hands on me and pray, etc. and like clock work, all the sypmtoms rushed back in with a vengeance. I began to seriously look into all of it, I began to regain my reasoning “addiction,” left the Word of Faith church I was in, started throwing away Word of Faith books, burning most of them and gaining strength to stand against it at the Pregnancy Center. Of course, the director then began all the same tactics of ostasizing me and discrediting me to the staff, but I was finally wise enough by the grace of God to know what was going on and to shake the dust from my feet. It’s been a long, hard road, but God has graciously delivered me and I realize it’s so I can warn others and encourage people to reason, question, study Gods word in context, etc.
Now I’ve often wondered—-since these “preachers” are not of God, how could they get away with trying to cast out demons in Jesus’ name, without being attacked like the sons of Sceva were in the New Testament??———I believe God has given me the answer——those spirits they are led by, really want to target those who truly are born again Christians because Christians cannot really be inhabited by demons, since they are inhabited by the Holy Spirit———-therefore, these false prophets are not in danger of any demons leaping upon them and attacking them!!! Makes complete sense huh?
But the sad thing is—–Christians are still capable of being deceived AND hypnotized!!
I will be posting soon on all the spiritual abuse I experienced at the Pregnancy Center and how clients are at severe risk in any Pregnancy Center in Amercia, due to the fact that most are ecumenical organizations that have made way for this type of spiritual abuse, where the most vulnerable families in society are being targeted.
“as we have received mercy……..
Christ Rescued Me! 