Jesus and the Occult

Satan uses all kinds of abuse to render Christians ineffective. One is direct-right out of his hand: occult involvement. Daisy grew up in a family that was heavily involved in the occult. She told me, "All throughout my childhood I was deathly afraid of my mom. she was an angry, cold, distant person who constantly (physically) abused me. It was as if she took all her rage on me. My father was the only doctor in our small town and was never home." What was most horrifying about her case was that, as a child, at times she could actually see a demonic presence. "As a toddler I distinctly remember evil beings coming through the window to harasses me. These beings would hover near my crib until I lost consciousness due to fear. Amazingly enough, God entered this arena unbidden. "Around that same time, God, in His great love, brought a godly Christian family into our neighborhood. Through their grandmother I first heard about the Lord Jesus Christ. I was too young to understand the depth of Christ's message, but I fully understood that there was Someone who loved me unconditionally." Daisy listened to these folks and found in them a source of comfort and hope. However, her situation at home did not change. "The conditions of my family and childhood worsened as I grew older. I became suicidal in my adolescence, and my mother threaded to commit me to a mental hospital. I got the message loud and clear that I was crazy. Seeking help, I began attending a nearby church. However, this church did not preach the Gospel, and it's social message did not soothe my conscience nor bring peace to my fearful heart. "Finding no hope in hollow 'religion,' I turned to drinking and sex." Daisy said, She found that the only love she knew was abuse, so when she met a charming but abusive young man (named John) she thought she was in love. In 1970, the year she turned twenty-one, she accepted John's offer of marriage. But she was not happy. "It was not long before my marriage fell apart, with my husband threatening to kill me," Daisy said. "He showed up at the hospital one day where I was being treated (for wounds he had inflicted on me) and threatened to kill my doctor. Almost immediately I filed for divorce." The strange thing in the midst of this was the constant call of God on her heart. In the midst of her horrid situation God spoke, and she says, "I was filled with a burning desire for God. I set out on as mission to seek the Jesus Christ I had heard about when I was a young child." After her release from the hospital and subsequent divorce, Daisy returned to wondering about what God would do with her. He answered swiftly: "A few months later my baby-sitter introduced me to a pastor's daughter who was holding Bible studies in her home. There I came to a fuller understanding of the work of Christ on the cross to free me from my sins and bondage to the evil one. There were many nights when I would stay up reading the gospel of John with my light on because of my terror of demonic spirits." During that time, she prayed one night for Christ to come into her life, not sure He really would. Instantly, she said, "A great peace came to my heart." Though this was a new beginning for Daisy, her journey was not at an end. She told me, "In 1986 I met a very nice man in the church I was attending. After a year and four months of dating we married. Almost immediately we had problems. We were triggering each other's woundedness. There was something that hindered our intimacy. After a very traumatic childhood and a turbulent adulthood, I had hoped that this marriage would bring the peace and joy of intimacy. However, there were things that the Lord wanted to change in me." After her second marriage dissolved she came for counseling and there God showed her the lies of Satan that she was still believing. As these truths registered in her spirit, God gave her the power to renounce those lies and believe His truth. We continued to work together, and she recently said, "I am now finding in Christ what I was looking for in marriage. Through the blood of Christ and the truth of Scripture I am being healed. The Lord has been faithful to keep His Word, 'You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities' (Psalm 31:7). He is my Yeshua, the Holy One of Israel, the Lamb of God." Daisy's case illustrates it's not a matter of drugs or human wisdom or even great compassion and love from a decent friend; no, it's the purpose and person of Christ who vanquishes the lies of the devil and takes back the ground the enemy has claimed. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Jesus Heals Wounds from Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse will create deep wounds that will require healing. As a child, Janet had been sexually molested. She spent much time as a child with her unmarried uncle who treated her "special," which was his euphemism for abuse. The painful memories of that molestation were burned into her heart. Now married for more than a dozen years, Janet found it difficult to have sexual intimacy with her husband. When she would attempt to have a physical relationship with Bob, the memories would surface and she would react. Bob interpreted those reactions as rejection. This set the stage for much pain and frustration in their marriage. Recently Bob confessed to having an affair, and Janet went into a deep depression. Bob sought counseling first, and he took responsibility for his adultery. He knew he had triggered Janet's depression, and he sought to win his wife's trust and rebuild a loving relationship with his children. During our counseling session, Bob broke and wept over the awfulness of his sin against God and Janet. Satan filled him with fear that she'd never forgive him, that he'd never find "true satisfaction sexually" from his wife, and that he would face even deeper emptiness for the rest of his life because God was against him. Bob, though, confessed these lies and as he faced them, he realized they were deceptions designed to keep him from real healing. In a sudden turn around, he shook his head and asked his wife to forgive him. He asked God to do radical amputation and cut the idols out of his heart. He prayed, "Father, I repent of the sin of adultery with (he named the woman). Please separate my body, soul, and spirit from the body, soul, and spirit of (he named the woman)." Later, as I talked with Janet, she realized that she had to forgive her uncle and release him to the Lord. His actions had made her feel dirty, trapped, and helpless; those actions also had made her uncomfortable about having sexual relations with her husband. Bob's confession and repentance had helped, but now Janet needed to forgive her uncle and purge those lies. Eventually she prayed, forgiving her uncle. Then the Lord spoke to her heart and erased the lies that had been planted there many years before. Gone were the feelings and beliefs of being dirty, guilty, worthless, and undesirable. As she submitted to God, love, joy, and peace took the place of those former feelings and beliefs. Now Janet was able to also forgive Bob from her heart for his adultery and released him to the Lord. I watched with joy as the Lord tore down the walls of bitterness that stood between them. Their hearts connected for the first time in their married lives. Bob reports today that their intimate physical relationship reflects what God intended all along and that they are learning that they can "trust in the Lord, and do good...Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:3-4). Almost daily in my counseling I hear the question asked, "Why did God let it happen?" Janet asked the Lord this question, and He gave her the answer that "I used it to bring you to Me." She told me, "It was during that awful time when I cried out to God that He saved me." God doesn't always give an answer like that, but He did give us Romans 8:28-29-the promise that He works all things for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. God the Father did not stop the crucifixion, but He gave us Easter. He is always able to bring good out of bad, if we'll only turn to Him in faith and trust Him to do it. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Help and Healing from the Great Physician

Healing from abuse requires forgiveness. Granting forgiveness is often not easy to do; it seems doubly difficult in the case of abuse. There has been an injustice; the perpetrator has inflicted hurt, even pain; and the consequences typically are long lasting. How can someone forgive? the answer: only by the supernatural grace of God. Indeed, He forgave so that we might be able to forgive as well (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus understood that the very people who crucified Him were not understanding criminals, but ignorant savages. Had they really understood whom the were nailing to the cross and seen the true motives of the leaders of the Jews, their guilt would have multiplied. But their ignorance and their own victimization at the hands of others makes their actions less malevolent. We will not always understand the reason for abuse. At times, the person's actions may have been selfish, an overuse of power at one's disposal. At other times, there may have been mitigating factors, but we must still love. And there are times when the specific reason will never be known, or the abuser was confused as to why he or she acted so wrongly. It matters little; one does not need to know the perpetrator's motive in order to forgive. Through His grace and forgiveness the Lord enables us to forgive, even as He commands us (Ephesians 4:32). When authorities-those who are in charge and whom we often respect-abuse us as children, that abuse can make us think strange things. We may think we indirectly caused the abuse-our stupidity, our disobedience, our failure made the person attack us. Satan lies to abuse victims; he tells them those very things that keep them mired in confusion and fear. It is up to counselors and those in the church to reveal the truth. As always, truth and love together can bring healing. I saw this in Harley when he visited my office. It was difficult for him to speak because he kept sobbing almost out of control. He unfolded his story one layer at a time as he told about growing up in an abusive home. It was a familiar scene: His father was an alcoholic-an abuse victim himself. Usually he would spank Harley, but at other times he would get in his face and scream. Typically he would yell cruel, cutting things: "You are a piece of garbage; you are utterly stupid." Harley said, "It was not the spankings that wounded me. It was the screaming that wounded my soul. The yelling and what he yelled were what lodged so deeply in my being." As we prayed,the Holy Spirit brought the lies to the surface, which we were able to dispel with God's truth. Step by step, Harley came to the freedom that is only found in Jesus Christ. The beautiful thing in it all was that God took Harley and put him into a loving local assembly of men who were willing to listen to him, encourage him, and help him mature in Christ. As God brought the truth about being made in God's image and being a child of God into Harley's life, he found true healing. Harley says, "I am not the same person I was a year ago. I know who I am in Jesus Christ. I am very glad to be alive and to know I have a place assigned by God in His kingdom." I have never in all my counseling years encountered a man or woman who was bitter and wounded because of biblical discipline, which includes spanking. However, I have come across many who have been wounded deeply because they were yelled at and called names; that is not discipline at all. It is verbal abuse that attacks the child's very identity. As parents we have a responsibility to treat children as they were created, "fearfully {that is respectfully} and wonderfully made" by the Creator. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Hearing God Speak Through Scriptures and the Holy Spirit

There are many afflictions, but the primary ones are from the inner brokenness, wounds, and crushed spirit that have been inflicted on many in our world. Wounds may come from childhood abuse. They often result from our own sinful acts. Wounds may also be caused by authorities overstepping boundaries. Often they are the results of us believing lies that have been placed in our hearts by the world, the flesh, or the devil. Many of my clients become upset when they realize that the enemy has attacked them. But the thing we need to remember is that the devil never kicks a dead horse. If you're feeling the kicks, you're still alive, and you can still experience healing and hope in Christ. That is the promise I always make to my clients. "If you honestly seek Christ in the midst of your terrible situation, you will be surprised at the amazing things He will do to help!" How exactly does Jesus help us and move us toward genuine healing? I believe genuine healing comes largely through Jesus communicating with us personally to reveal the truth in our hearts and expose the lies we've let control our lives. In the book Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby wrote, "If I do not know when God is speaking, I am in trouble at the heart of my Christian life." Being able to "hear God" is the primary point at which Satan attacks. He wants to dull our "faith sense" that enables us to hear God's voice and learn the truth we need to apply in any given situation. Blackaby goes on to say, "God never will lead you in opposition to His written Word." Occasionally, people come to me who believe God wants them to do things contrary to Scripture. They are supposed to unload their anger on their family as a means of "venting." Or they believe they should hurt someone physically who has hurt them. But my counsel is always "What does God's Word say?" If something we "hear" in our hearts is contrary to that, then we can be sure that is not the voice of God. As Blackaby noted, "What God speaks to me, revealing what He is about to do, that revelation is my invitation to adjust my life to God. Adjustments prepare me for obedience. I cannot stay where I am and go with God. God's greatest single task is to get His people adjusted to Himself." At that point, he made an insightful warfare statement: "The only way Satan can affect God's work through me is when I believe Satan and disbelieve God." I believe the Lord Jesus Christ speaks by the Holy Spirit using the Word, and that by the prompting of the Spirit He gives mental pictures both through the Word and by His "still small voice" that every child of God can hear within his heart if he chooses. In all such communication, God never adds to His Word, nor does He ever contradict it. This means by which He heals and opens a heart to the truth. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Importance of Inner Healing

In my counseling ministry I seek to help clients enter into the healing process and to give the Holy Spirit room to work in the lives that have been badly battered. Emotional, mental, and spiritual healing are in many ways far more significant than physical healing. Most people, when taken ill even with as terminal disease, can work through it with joy in their hearts and an expectation of seeing Jesus. But depressed, broken, beaten, and battered souls have no peace, hope, joy, or even love. They are the walking dead. Through the Spirit it is my task to try to illuminate the path to healing through Christ. Marla walked that path after her pastor sent her to me because of clinical-level depression. "I have been depressed for forty years," she told me up front. She had come because she was told to. Early on in our counseling, she said, "I don't want to be here. I wouldn't be here if my pastor did not demand I come and see you." As we began to visit, I learned that she grew up in an abusive home where she was neglected, and she had never bonded with her father or mother. She was the child they called "the mistake." After the first three-hour session in which I laid out for her the reality of spiritual warfare, though, she jarred me when she said, "I think you are quite stupid. As a matter of fact, the idea that the enemy can oppress someone who is a Christian is ridiculous. When God saved me, He put a shield around me that is impenetrable to anyone except the Holy Spirit. My depression is simply biochemical; there is no spiritual element involved here. So when you tell me I need to look at my life and my attitude, I honestly think it's ridiculous. You are one of the most stupid people I have ever met." As she left, I asked the Lord for unique grace to make it through the next two days; Marla had come to our offices from out of town for three daily sessions, each three hours in duration. "Lord," I prayed, "if it would please You, would You please cause the enemy to overstep his boundaries in Marla's life in a non harmful way." (Sometimes even we "compassionate" counselors pray prayers like that!) That evening she walked into her hotel room, and after she had settled down for the evening she heard a voice say, "You are right; Ken Copley is truly a charlatan. He is one of the most stupid people I have ever met, to say nothing of you. So you see, Marla, there is no hope for you; you might as well take your life." She had never heard a voice before, and now she remembered my words that her battle was merely spiritual. I think this might be the enemy Ken Copley is talking about, she told herself. The next day she came back with a whole new attitude. For the first time she was willing to pray, cry out to God, and ask the Spirit to show her areas in her life where she was believing lies. The Spirit of God dealt first with the issue of whether she was a mistake on the part of her parents in conceiving her. I showed her she was fearfully and wonderfully made; she was not the child of the worthless, but a child of the living God. The Holy Spirit and the Scriptures began to assure her heart that God had a plan for her. She confessed sins that dealt with her attitude, her rebellion, and her critical spirit. Truly repentant, she asked God to take back ground she had given to Satan concerning all these things. Wonderfully, her depression lifted. She decided I wasn't so stupid after all, and three years later she wrote me: "I have never again entered that deep black hole of depression. I know God loves me, I know He is with me, I know He has ordered the vents of my life and is sovereignty in control. I trust implicitly in Him." Today Marla is actively serving the Lord. But it came at a price; she had to humble herself, cry out to Him, and receive God's deliverance. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Wounds of Abuse

Child abuse has been found to be a more common occurrence than once thought. And it takes place in more forms than once thought. Beyond physical and sexual abuse, we now know verbal abuse can be just as damaging Daryl suffered from verbal and physical abuse more than fifty years ago, and the effect remind us of the long-term consequences. His eventual triumph over those consequences also reminds us of the spiritual victory that can result. When Daryl's older brother was sent to school, Daryl's mother sent him along, thinking he was smart and could carry on with the others in the first-grade class, even though he was only four. Anna Smithfield (not her real name) was just out of high school when she became Daryl's teacher. A two-month summer teaching course was all the formal teacher's training she had. In addition, the new teacher brought with her a childhood in an abusive home. Of course, more than fifty hears ago abusive experiences or tendencies were never mentioned or even considered in the hiring and employing of teachers or anyone else. Daryl at age four was not mentally or emotionally ready for the demands of school, even though he was exuberant and bright. It was soon obvious he could not perform as well as other first graders, but Miss Smithfield was determined to make a special case out of him. Instead of asking his parents to wait until he was older before they put him in school, she had him stay in class, determined to teach him if it was "the last thing I ever do." The challenge of teaching a four-year-old in the first grade would be tough enough for any seasoned teacher. But in Miss Smithfield's case, with abuse as her only disciplinary tool to compel children to obey, she began levying terrible consequences on Daryl when he failed to give the answers she wanted. Those consequences included lots of verbal abuse. She frequently put a dunce cap on his head and mocked him by parading him in front of the other students and calling him "stupid," "idiot," and other things. When even this didn't bring him into line, harsh spankings and other physical consequences followed. This went on for the first six years of Daryl's education in the one-room school of olden days. How did Daryl respond to this treatment? Like most children in such a situation, he did not turn his anger toward his teacher, Instead, he turned it toward himself, believing he was born stupid, would never amount to anything, and was the "worst case ever" of "intellectual inability." Fortunately, Daryl escaped that teacher a few years later when she left teaching to get married. He excelled in school from that point on, earning several degrees, including a PH.D. To his amazement, he possessed an acute business sense that made him very successful financially. He married a wonderful woman and raised happy, disciplined children who also grew into achieving adults. But successful as he was, Daryl fought an internal battle with anger that often threatened to rise to the surface of violent, curse-spewing outbursts. Purely out of self-discipline and raw determination, he never let the internal battle show outwardly except in private moments when on one was watching. Even then, his anger remained subdued and controlled, though he seethed with rage inside. This anger, though, manifested itself in another way: He developed a deeply critical spirit toward people in positions of authority. The government, teachers, policemen, and others became the objects of well-shaped barbs of hatred and revulsion. Daryl had nothing good to say about anyone who held such a position. As we worked through this history in my office and then prayed together, the Lord spoke to Daryl's heart in a way I've often seen but which always stuns me at the speed with which it can happen. God revealed to Daryl that he had walled off this tremendous anger toward his grade-school teacher, pretending that feeling never really developed, but manifesting the feeling in this solidly critical spirit. Through the years, the enemy told him, "You are angry at yourself (which he was) and at God who created you stupid, but not at your teacher." Daryl remembered Miss Smithfield, herself quite deceptive and evasive, had a pet phrase she used before she physically or mentally abused Daryl. She'd gravely say, "Daryl, this is for your own good. I am only doing this for you because I care about you. I really believe this will help you do better. This, in some ways, made her a saint in Daryl's mind. He believed that teacher so completely that the idea he was stupid, worthless, and useless stayed with him long into a successful adulthood. During our session, the Lord suddenly revealed the true source and effect of his anger. Sitting there, Daryl said, "You mean I'm not stupid? My teacher was wrong?" It was so obvious to me and everyone else that it was almost funny to see this successful, disciplined, and intelligent man saying such a thing But that is the power of Satan's lies. They imbue themselves into our mental machinery against all evidence to the contrary. I told Daryl that his belief resulted from his teacher's abuse, not because it was real or true. Satan had used the teacher to convince Daryl he was stupid; Satan had convinced Daryl that God had created him that way. For several minutes he sat there confused and amazed as he mulled over this monumental fact. In the end, though, he saw it was true. "I am not stupid. God has given me abilities. "Instantly, the confusion disappeared. All the anguish and bitterness were released in a quiet prayer of confession as he sought God and thanked Him for opening his eyes to the truth. After this confession, he immediately asked the Lord to forgive him for all the criticism he'd levied against others and for his bitterness. At that point, it was as if a dam broke in his soul. The simple prayer resulted in peace and joy flooding his heart, so that a new tenderness toward others gripped him. In only weeks, everyone in his family wondered what had happened. Gentle, kind words fell from his lips and the critical spirit disappeared. What had happened? The lie-formed through the verbal and physical punishment by a teacher-was exposed and he was free. He felt release from fifty years of bondage, not because of me as his counselor, but because God had brought light and life to him in a way he'd never experienced before. Daryl often used the word "healed" in explaining to others what had happened to him: "I've been healed. Today Daryl enjoys a deeper walk with the Lord and has a more effective ministry to the body of Christ than ever before. Real healing came into Daryl's life as the Lord revealed what was hidden; namely, a deep-rooted hostility and anger toward a teacher who abused him almost daily. Rarely does a small child ask, "What is wrong with the person in charge?" Instead, the child asks, "What is wrong with me?" Such abuse is all too common in our lie-bombarded world. A huge part of spiritual warfare is not knocking back the bastions of Satan, but helping his victims see the deceptions of the Evil One and directing them to true healing and hope in Christ. Healing is the best word for describing what happens to patients who have been lied to by the enemy. They were "sick" in the sense that they believed the lies that let them color everything they did and believed. Their conduct and behavior were "tainted" by the disease that the lies spread in their lives. For many of us, healing is the answer. What happens when you're healed from a sickness? When germs invade your body, they weaken it and then take over. If they're given freedom to proliferate, they can render a patient bedridden and eventually destroy his very life. Similarly, when lies attack our minds and we accept them, we can become dysfunctional and sinful, and eventually those lies can destroy relationships at home and work. Healing happens when an antibiotic or drugs in this case, truth-is put into the body (mind and heart), kills the germs (lies), and allows the body to heal (grow spiritually and emotionally). That's the essence of spiritual warfare. Germs have invaded our bodies, bent on killing us. But God gives us His powerful antibiotic-truth-and the lies are destroyed. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Power of Compassion

In all churches, the people and the pastor not only need ministering to in order to prepare them for spiritual battle, but a church also must minister to broken people. This is the strategy of compassion, and it too repels Satan's influence. Sadly, many of our clients report to us, "Our local church doesn't care about us. The pews of our church are filled with hurting people and the leadership doesn't care about their healing." They will go on to explain that in their church, numbers is the name of the game. The wounded learn quickly that if they don't fit into the flow of church life, they can go elsewhere to worship. This is a tactic of Satan, I believe, to destroy the real ministry of the church. When a church takes warfare seriously and works to meet real needs, spiritual healing results. Ultimately, the question for all of us in the church is: Are we allowing the world in any way to compete with our love for Christ? This is precisely what the enemy wants to accomplish: get us in the church to put or eyes on the things of the world rather than the things of Christ. When he accomplishes that, a church is dead; it is through with ministry. Only by raising up a contingent of spiritual warriors is there ever any hope of turning back the power of the enemy. But when God does that, His victory is assured. I know Baptist church in Minnesota that stood. It stood against evil in the community. It stood against the vile acts of men-the homosexual community. But this church stood with compassion and love-and prayer. Such responses made the surrounding community take note. The pastor had spoken publicly against a "gay rights ordinance," which was actually a special rights measure appearing on the city ballot. The church took as its mandate the Scripture "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of these things which are done by them in secret" (Ephesians 5:11-12). When the community voted down the ordinance, the persecution began. The church was pelted with stones, the windows were broken, the church was vandalized and twice set on fire. Then the attacks became personal. Hate mail was sent to the church. The pastor's car was destroyed by people beating it with chains. People broke into the pastor's house, killed his dog, cut it to pieces, put parts of the dog upon the children's beds, and left notes that vowed that this would happen to the children if the pastor did not change his stand against evil in the community. Someone shot at the pastor's wife a "high-powered pistol," according to police who later recovered spent bullets. Meanwhile, church attenders returned to the church parking lot to find their tires had been slashed during services. Throughout this time, the pastor and family always responded in love. No one could spot bitterness in anyone in the family. At the same time, the large church, with almost two thousand members, actively reached out to the homosexual community with the love of Christ. How could the pastor, his family, and church members show such love? Being human, they did feel fear and anxiety, the pastor later acknowledged. It wold have been easier to quit. But they stood because of the power of God. The church leaders and pastor determined to pray more. They especially prayed for those who would "revile and persecute {them}, and say all kinds of evil against {them} falsely for {Christ's} sake" (Matthew 5:110. At times they would have all-night prayer meetings with believers coming to pray for an hour or several hours. Some prayed all night. (Ironically, the greatest pain came not from the homosexual community, but from evangelicals who condemned the church as being unloving. Those critical Christians forgot that exposing sin in the power of the Holy Spirit is actually an act of love.) Watching the church's loving response, some of those caught in the homosexual lifestyle were being set free; they found Christ as their Savior. Today that church continues to grow. Homosexuals are still repenting and becoming believers in Christ. Many have seen the power of God and want to experience it themselves. Several of the former homosexuals who received the Lord testified that what brought them to Christ was the loving responses by those in the church. They went on to say they were never publicly disdained or called names, but rather treated as people who in spite of their sin are precious to the Lord. I believe our world is looking for Christians who will stand strongly for Him-but always with love and compassion. modelling the same love Jesus has demonstrated for them. That is how we repel Satan's influence and attract others to the kingdom. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Restoring a Love for Jesus

Beyond prayer is another strategy crucial to a church's success in battling the enemy: love for Christ. "I have this against you," Jesus told the Ephesian church, "that you have left your first love" (Revelation 2:4). Many believers wear their faith like a second layer of skin covering a rebellious or apathetic heart. They excuse their apathy in the name of the Spirit of God, saying, "Look what the Spirit's doing! How can we be anything but in the center of God's will?" Others excuse themselves by saying they present the Scriptures to others, so how can they be out of the will of God? Certainly committed believers who love the Lord Jesus reside in both groups. But we must examine our own hearts and make sure the Lord Jesus remains our first love. The church of Ephesus had forsaken her first love. God called her to "remember" and "repent" or the results could be fatal. Churches disband every week, many dying out because they left their first love; they forgot to love Jesus. When such a love is lacking, church leaders, especially pastors, can be used by God to restore this "first love." Reed Thompson (not his real name) was enthusiastic when a church that he was very fond of-one he had attended as a youth-issued him a call to come as senior pastor after he had completed seminary. Saved at a young age and having grown up in an evangelist's home, Reed had a zeal for preaching God's good news. He graduated from seminary and could not wait to get there. After the excitement of having a new pastor wore off he began to sense a severe coldness in that church. It was a deadness toward the Lord and spiritual things. The attendance had not shrunk notably, but the spiritual life of the church had declined sharply. It had been quite a few years since he had been there as a young man, and he was shocked by this change. He began reading up on what had taken place in the church since he had attended. He learned that the Church's two previous pastors had been dismissed by the congregation. As he looked at the allegations, he could not find any substance to the charges. Calling the two former pastors, Reed talked with them and found that they had been hurt severely by the church. Slowly and carefully he brought this to the attention of several elders, saying perhaps these men had been unjustly dismissed. The board decided to call a full meeting of the elders. Significantly, the church leaders agreed and admitted their error: They had dismissed these two men without cause. After a time of prayer, Pastor Thompson and the congregation asked each of the former pastor to come back for an important visit. The pastors were asked to preach in the Sunday service. After the service, before the whole church, the chairman of the elders asked both former pastor's forgiveness for the unjust dismissals and then they gave each one a year's salary. That act showed their love of Christ for the two Christian brothers, and it caused Christ's love to come afresh upon the church. Pastor Thompson told me, "Ken, you would not believe what has happened in our church. The blessing of God has come upon our people. The bitterness and the spiritual coldness that was once in their hearts is gone. We have a people who are in love with Jesus Christ. It's like the church at Ephesus in the book of Revelation that needed to repent of leaving its first love. We did that, and we as a people are different. It has only been by the grace of God. I am thrilled to be the shepherd of this, God's flock." There are many reasons one can fall out of love with their "first love." This is only one: failing to honor a church's leader or reacting unfairly, without love or mercy. But it's a serious one. Sometimes whole churches need to repent of past mistakes and make restitution in order to show their real love for Jesus. I remember Pastor Garth, who after reading several books and spending some time with me in my office, recognized that his own church and family were confronting spiritual warfare issues. He decided he would take a stand against the real enemy. He began taking warfare seriously and dealing with problems in his church from that perspective. Sometime later, he told me, "Since that time with you I have not had a week go by that someone has not come to freedom in Jesus Christ. The vast difference it has made is the quality of the love people have for Jesus Christ. Where there were resentments and grudges, there is now repentance and love. It is worth the price to stand with Jesus against the enemy in truth." To that I can only say a very hearty "Amen." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Is it Spiritual Warfare or Discipline

A non-praying church never knows what God is doing in their midst. The Lord could be sending chastisement or judgment and the members, due to a lack of intimacy through lack of prayer, may not respond in repentance. Some churches react wrongly to circumstances, thinking the enemy is attacking, when in reality he has already sidelined the church's ministry through the people's lack of prayer. A common error is to label as "spiritual warfare" everything bad that happens to a church. Spiritual warfare does occur in many cases, but so does God's discipline. If we mistake discipline for Satan's attack, God will not be able to get our attention and call us to repent. In this context, I think of Pastor Marshall. He went the normal college and seminary route. He came to his first church with a master of divinity degree in his pocket but little experience. He could not easily recognize the church's spiritual condition. He soon learned that this one-time large church had shrunk to a small one; that though live (barely), it needed a resurrection if it wanted to accomplish anything in the name of Jesus Christ. Pastor Marshall learned the greatest problem was the community's opinion of the church. It was bad, and no one was about to become a part of it. He also realized a tremendous amount of discouragement had infected the body itself. Seeking God and reading the Scriptures for answers, Pastor Marshall came to an understanding of James's text, "You do not have because you do not ask." He also discovered God had something in store for this church if its members would pray. He and his wife were convinced God wanted them there, so they both began to pray, crying out to God. Pastor Marshall poured out the needs of the people before the throne of grace. As time went on, members began to notice something different about him and to catch the vision for prayer. They began opening the doors of the church at 5:30 in the morning for prayer. And the members came! Five mornings a week people came to the altar throughout the morning to pray. Through prayer, they recognized their cold hearts and God's readiness to embrace those who returned to Him. Another discovery followed: The members found if they prayed for an hour before a church business meeting the meeting would last five or ten minutes! Now that's the kind of answer I can relish! At the same time, prayer grew in their worship on Sunday mornings. Visitors sensed a unique spirit of God in that place. The church began to grow and the prayers continued. The church bounded from a mere fifty people to two hundred in the first year. Now, ten years later, the church averages more than sixteen hundred simply through God's leadership in prayer. When I asked for the meaning he saw behind it, Pastor Marshall told me, "Prayer is the lubricant that lubricates the machinery of the church. Not praying is like not breathing. Christians die! but when God builds into the hearts of our people a passion for prayer, we live." I can't emphasize it enough. If you have problems or your church has problems, pray. God will answer, and you will live again--joyously and fully! Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Praying Because We Love Him

Whatever the reasons for lack of prayer, the truth is prayerlessness is symbolic of a heart shift away from God. Our Lord Jesus Christ knows that a change of affection is really a transfer of affection from God to self or someone else. Before the resurrected Jesus reappeared to His disciples at the Sea of Galilee, Peter decided to fish there. He told six other followers of Jesus, "I am going fishing." Peter was saying, "I've got to do something; nothing else is happening. Let's go fishing! Maybe permanently!" Following his lead, the other disciples said, "We are going with you also" (John 21:3). In effect, that day Jesus lost over half of his disciples to the fishing industry! The next morning, after breakfast with Jesus, the Master asked Peter the question that would force him to examine his heart: "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" Answer: More than these fish. One might think Jesus meant the other disciples, but from the context it was fish and fishing! Jesus was asking Peter which he preferred, Jesus or fish! When we stay connected with Christ through prayer and His Word, it's then we become a praying church. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7). The greater God and His love become in our hearts, the better we will be able to gain His perspective on our situations and problems that we face. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Why We Don't Pray

The theme of prayer runs through the Bible like a silver cord. Despite that truth, saints in the church do not pray today as they ought. There are many reasons, but the main reason is the simplest: Believers are too lazy to take time to pray. It takes energy and discipline to pray; but to not pray, and not regularly, runs against the command to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Sometimes believers don't pray for the needs of their church because they are afraid to pray. We come boldly (not fearfully) to the throne of grace, according to Hebrews 4:16, but at times I find Christians who fail to pray because they're afraid God might start to work in their church and they might have to do something! Again, such fear traces back to laziness. Then there are those believers who do not believe prayer will have an impact. "How can my prayers make any difference?" they ask. They are examples of James's statement, "You do not have because yo do not ask" (James 4:2). These are in some ways the worst sort of members, as deep down they my not know God. Or they my doubt that God would be concerned about their little church-or even their big church that seems to be doing just fine with all its programs. Such church members forget that their church, like them, is not dealing with a schedule or an agenda of activities, but with a spiritual journey that Satan wants to detour. At other times I've seen pastors who do not encourage their people to pray. Maybe they have a belief problem themselves, or they have prayed in the past and saw no change occur. They've given up. Part of equipping the flock, though, is teaching the people how to pray. Another common reason is that some believers do not know how to pray. Even Jesus' disciples didn't, so it's nothing to invoke shame. However, people who aren't sure what they can pray about or what methods to use should just say one thing: "Please teach me!" Then there are those whom Satan has hindered in their prayer lives. When we commit sin, or treat our family or spouse wrong, our prayers will be hindered, according to 1 Peter 3:7. To remove that barrier, clearly sins must be confessed and forsaken. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Power of Prayer, Love, and Compassion

If the church is a major spiritual battleground, subject to attack by Satan and his supporters-and it is, God's people need to be ready for conflict. Whether the battle occurs over false doctrine, factions, immoral behavior, or some other issue, church members need to be ready. How can you as a church member or leader repel Satan's influence? Here are three strategies for winning the spiritual battles in our churches. As we consider each, let's remember that Satan, the great deceiver, who masquerades even as an angel of light, will offer attractive situations for churches and their leaders. We must be wise to repel his efforts. The first strategy is to pray for your church. Prayer is a powerful weapon, and the saints-all born-again believers-are urged to pray always for all things, even when fully clothed with the armor of God. (see Paul's injunctions n Ephesians 5:13, 18 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17.) When men and women of God unite within the church to pray, prayer makes a difference in their lives and in the world. The power of such prayer struck home to me in this rather common situation: a normal prayer meeting in a little church. One night as the pastor received prayer requests, Darlene raised her hand. "Our daughter Fay is living in immorality with a man she is not married to," she said. "She's a carnal Christian and has become bitter and rebellious and has shown this through her immorality. We are not in a position to touch her life because my husband and I cannot allow her to live in our home if she wants to live like this. We are in agreement to ask this body to pray for her, though, and I plead with you to do this." Darlene added that Fay had come to church since childhood and, in Darlene's words, "Fay knows better than how she is living." The pastor, a godly man, responded: "In the Bible there are examples of God putting a hedge around someone. God placed a hedge around Job's children, and Gomer, Hosea's wife. Tonight let's pray and see if God may be pleased to put a hedge around this young woman named Fay." The little congregation slipped to their knees and stepped into the throne room of God. God soon answered and put a hedge around this young woman's life. Three weeks later her father received a call. Fay said, "Dad, I don't know what is happening, but for the past three weeks it seems like there is a wall around me. I can't touch anyone. No one can reach through the wall to touch me. Dad, I want to come home. Would you let me?" Fay made the trip, and the next Sunday she gave that testimony to the whole church. Now, several years later, Fay is married to an outstanding young man, is the mother of several young children, walks in fellowship with the Lord, and serves faithfully through her local church. I have to ask: What if that church had not prayed? What if those at the meeting had prayed, but God had not answered because of other sin in the body? The truth is they did pray and God heard. He answered with the kind of power it takes to stop the enemy. That's the kind of prayer I myself pray to see in our churches today. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.