A section from the e-book Face The Devil:
Number One: No Godly Fruit
ALWAYS the most noticeable in a worship service---dancing, shouting, wailing, falling slain in the spirit, doing the “holy dance”--- yet there is known, repetitive sin in their lives. In truth, their Christian walk does not manifest the 9 fruits of the Spirit. Jesus said “you shall know them by their fruit.” Although they may be intelligent and successful, the fruits of holiness: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, faith, self control, and meekness are not apparent. It has been my experience that those who have an addiction history are also susceptible to the religious demon. For example, I have known several recovering addicts to be an active, public voice in expressing their belief in Christ, yet their repetitive relapses into drug abuse spawns barefaced and degrading sins. The demon then uses their ineffectual religiosity among onlookers in the church and in the world to publicly shame Jesus Christ and deny Him as the only eternal power of God by whom the world can be saved.
Number Two: Hypocritical Judgment
Some professing Christians can be extremely Narrow MINDED, CRITICAL, JUDGMENTAL, AND LEGALISTIC. They are skillful at keeping in bondage those “less spiritual” than themselves. These kinds of people can be found in any church, but they tend to infiltrate Pentecostal settings, particularly because of their “waiting meetings.” (War on the Saints, pg. 63)
Number Three: Church Over People
They love worship and church more than they are concerned about people. This demon will persistently divert attention away from the Great Commission with “too much church!” Then there are those who are so overwhelmed with thoughts of revival and the needs of others, that they are blind to their own condition.
Number Four: Fear of Satan
Some do not want to hear about Satan, demons, or deliverance. Their actions are often based upon a great fear of this subject. If demons are “in” them, the demons will fear that someone with faith may cast them out and so the captive will be negatively affected by the demon's fear of being unseated.
Number Five: Too Much Pride
The most outstanding character trait in a person who may have a religious demon is PRIDE. These are often people who cannot take correction or ever admit to being wrong.
Number Six: Popularity over the Welfare of a Few
They are more concerned about growth in numbers than about the spiritual growth in Christ of each babe in Christ.
Number Seven: The Prosperity Gospel
They are preaching a prosperity gospel. It should also be noted that even people who are good tithers may have a religious demon, particularly with the advent of the devilish doctrine of prosperity and materialism. I am referring to the “plant a seed and reap a hundredfold harvest” believers. In short, the best religious demon is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Sheep praise the Lord, they tithe, they support the pastor, they pray for the sick and shut ins. To recognize a wolf, one needs the Lord to reveal him or her to you, as well as bless you with the wisdom to know how to handle the situation, once the wolf has been identified. How does a religious demon manifest itself? Well, if my words have penetrated your mind by now, you will not be surprised to realize that the answer to this question is that its manifestations are limitless.
Number Eight: Saved Since Childhood
I have come upon a new breed---those who have grown up in word of faith churches or who may even be the offspring of preachers who claim to have gotten saved when they were toddlers or prior to the age of 12. When they reach adulthood, they are practiced in religiosity and Christian platitudes but will have no real fruit of salvation. They are like word of faith robots, yet there comes a point in time when they realize that what they thought was faith was really habituated learning, akin to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or singing the Star Spangled Banner. They memorized and recited words without real intellectual or affective understanding of the scripture's significance. At some point in their adulthood, these “church trained” young people realize that “something is missing.” Some will continue with the religiosity because their pride keeps them from embracing the truth, others will rebel and seek worldly pleasures, while others will be convicted and seek to know what is blocking them from true salvation. I am amazed at how many of those of this persuasion are being tormented by demons in this hour.
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