When Two Kingdoms Clash in the Soul

Having said that much, I'm going to the scripture and I'm going to give you a brief picture of witchcraft in the scriptures. We'll begin in the New Testament, Acts chapter 8, beginning at verse 5 and reading through verse 11.

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.”

I mean to speak about that tomorrow morning.

“Verse 8, There was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called Simon, who beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one.”

There's one sure mark of a servant of Satan. He'll take the glory for himself. He'll claim to be himself a great person of power. But he had bewitched the whole city. He had the whole city under his control. One man by the power of witchcraft. He was what we would call in Africa, a witch doctor. And they were all under bondage until Philip came, preached Christ, and liberated the people with the ministry of deliverance.

And do you know why there was such a tremendous manifestation of evil spirits in Samaria? Because of the power of witchcraft that dominated the city. And anywhere witchcraft is in power, when deliverance comes, there will be a tremendous manifest conflict. Because it's the two kingdoms brought into the open: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.

And let me say again, and I'll probably say it several times, I've travelled widely. I've lived eight years in Africa, I was born in India, I was brought up in Europe. I've travelled in New Zealand and Australia and many other countries. But I do not know of any country today in the world where there is more witchcraft and deliberate cultivation of satanic power than the United States. There's far less of it in Africa today than there is in America.

That's why the deliverance ministry is so greatly needed. And that's why there is such a conflict when the deliverance ministry is brought into play. It's exactly as it was in Samaria. Now, you'll notice about Simon that when he saw the superior power of God demonstrated by Philip, he said, “This is the right thing, I'll follow this.” And he believed and got baptized.

Then Peter and John came down, the rest of the chapter records, and prayed for those believers, they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands these believers received the Holy Spirit, he offered the apostles money and said, “I'll give you money if you'll give me this power.”

Now, I have to observe that if Simon had been in some modern churches, he wouldn't have offered them 10 cents for what he saw. But there was something there that was worth money, he thought. Of course, he was wrong. It could not be purchased for money. And notice what Peter says to him.

“Verse 20. Peter said unto him, ‘Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.’”

Even though he had believed and been baptized, his heart was not right in the sight of God.

“Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”

Very strong language. Now, the next thing is typical.

“Then answered Simon, and said, ‘Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.’”

To me, that's typical of the person deeply involved in the occult, especially ministering in it. It is very, very hard for them ever to make a real, total break. They still want to go the old, crooked way. And they do not understand the true meaning of repentance.

So instead of Simon repenting, he said, “You pray for me.” And I can't tell you how many times people have come to me and said, “Brother Prince, pray for me that I may be delivered.” My answer is, “You repent.”

Now, I don't mean that people that have been practitioners of the occult cannot be delivered. They can, and I know many who have. But I mean, you've got to make a 100% total renunciation of everything that was involved.

We go on to Acts 13. Acts 13, verses 6 through 11. I must read quickly. This is Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey.

“And when they had gone through the isle, that's of Cyprus, unto Paphos, they found there a certain sorcerer,” it's the same word that's used of Simon in Acts chapter 8, “a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus: Which was with the deputy, or proconsul of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man.”

And that's another thing about the practices of the occult. They like to get close to political power and authority and exercise influence through that.

Now, Sergius Paulus, the proconsul, the second half of verse seven, “called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas,” that's his other name, “the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.”

Notice, the occult will always seek to hinder and prevent the preaching of the truth and will always seek to keep those who are under its control from hearing the truth. This is a universal fact.

Many people come to me and they say, “Brother Prince, I find I can't read my Bible. I try to, but every time I sit down, something seems to come, and though I may actually read the words, there's no understanding.” Almost invariably, the background of that is involvement in the occult.

Don Basham has in his book, Deliver Us from Evil, a story of a friend of ours, the wife of a physician, who's known to both of us. Both of us have ministered deliverance to her at one time or another. She received progressive deliverance. But though she was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, her own acknowledgement was that she could not read the Bible and enjoy it for years and years and years.

And one day, Don Basham was preaching in a service in a hotel, and in the middle of the service, something like a neon light went on in this woman's mind, flashing, and all it said was, “Ouija board, Ouija board, Ouija board, Ouija board.” And she could not contain it. She got up, rushed out of the service, went to the ladies’ restroom, and brought up something that almost choked her. Was delivered from this involvement with the Ouija board, which she had been introduced to by her father when a little girl.

And her testimony is in his book. From then on, she could love her husband, love her children, and rejoice in the knowledge of the reality of salvation, and loved reading the Bible. The barrier had been removed. The occult will always be a barrier to enjoying the things of God.