22And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. (Mark 3:22-27) [Emphasis added]
Historical Data
On October 20, 1994, the government of Kenya launched a Commission of Inquest to look into claims of Devil Worship in schools. Towards the end of 1995, the commission completed its work. Verdict? Satanism was rampant in the country! The government withheld the report from the public due to its sensitivity at the time. Only later in 1999 did the Minister of Internal Security, Julius Sunkuli, table it in parliament. It’s finding? Significant numbers of Kenyans were seeking dark powers of the occult. The process involved ritual murders, sex orgies, satanic oaths, cannibalism, and a host of other creepy practices.
Prior to the inquest, fear had gripped the country. News media reported sporadic killings and harvesting of human body parts for demonic rituals. I remember it as clearly. On our way from church at Nairobi’s Umoja estate one Sunday afternoon, a few of us trekked through the vast open savannah towards Koma Rock. We stumbled upon the corpse of a young man thrust to the side of a grassy footpath. Around the same time, a beloved member of our home fellowship disappeared as he rode his bicycle to work at KCC off Kangundo road. Weeks later, his body was found dumped into the marshy death fields.
Books on Demonology
Back then, a plethora of publications detailing demonic activities captured the market. Authors claiming to have escaped Satanism became the readership of choice among Christians—Emmanuel Enni, Mukendi wa Mukendi, Rebecca Brown and others. Before long, some church leaders felt that unhealthy fascination for the netherworld was driving appetite for that genre of literature. They discouraged it, and eventually, the tides died down.
Tethering believers within safety confines was paramount. But something vital was lost in the process—an opportunity to address people’s roused curiosity for the unseen realm of spirits. Absence of information is a seedbed for speculation and distortion. Suddenly, church folks started attributing miracles, divine healing, speaking in tongues, and other Holy Spirit’s gifts to demons. Wealthy people, even Christians, were suspected of being devil worshippers. It was a replay of the pharisaical attitudes. Unfortunately, this tendency persists. But we needn’t be ignorant of the spiritual realms. As Christians, we are spiritual people who wage war in the spiritual realms, and receive help and support from spiritual angelic beings.
Gospel Ministry
Casting out demons was one of Jesus’ most prominent demonstrations of God’s Kingdom. Scripture states “…the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Works of the devil were exemplified in oppression, debilitating sicknesses, insanity, and outright demonic control. From the onset of Jesus’ public ministry, “…they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.” Casting out demons is also listed among tasks of the Great Commission. It’s as important as preaching the gospel or baptizing new believers!
Renowned evangelists like T. L. Osborne, Oral Roberts, Reinhard Bonnke, etc used open air crusades as a main feature of their gospel outreaches in Kenya and elsewhere. As preaching was going on at the main platform, deliverance from demonic spirits was going on inside special tents erected for that purpose. I should know; trust me. Demons almost always manifest in environments heavily charged with Holy Spirit anointing. I’ve seen this countless times. It’s especially scary to anyone who’s not properly trained to handle the situation. Casting out demons is an integral part of gospel ministry!
Demons are not a new phenomenon, nor are they a preserve of any geographical location, historic period or people group. Both the Old and New Testaments have many examples of demonic activity involving sorcery, witchcraft and other forms of paranormal expressions. It is naïve for Christians to dismiss demonic warfare as irrelevant to our modern day.
Sources of Trouble
If you’ve done gospel ministry for any length of time, you’ve encountered odd and unexplainable problems. Here’s an example. In his book, ‘The Year of the Lord’s Favor’, Darren Hibbs tells how, on a mission to Guatemala, he and friends were attacked by biting gnats. (FYI, gnats are not classified as biting insects!) Back home in Texas later, a certain sister Loretta told his family over dinner, “I had a dream one night where you were being attacked by thousands of little demons and you were sweating profusely! The demons looked like little bugs. Your mother told me it was cold in the mountains where you were going, but I saw you sweating. I heard you pray and ask for help.” [Hibbs, Darren. The Year Of The Lord’s Favor: A Prophetic Message to America (p. 4).] (Author has a free kindle edition offer during 9/11 memorial week 2018 at amazon.com)
Having encountered many such things in my own ministry, I’d say having genuine praying friends is an invaluable asset. I’ve been alerted to satanic schemes against friends, and though I didn’t tell them at the time, I committed to provide prayer covering for their protection. God will not place that kind of burden on you if you don’t have selfless love for other people.
Another example I’d like to cite is in Paul H. Boge’s book ‘Father to the Fatherless: The Charles Mulli Story’. This fascinating biography of a Kenyan businessman, who sold his entire fortune running in the millions to rescue street boys, is a must read! In it is the story of a boy Mr Mulli had picked up. The son of a prostitute who’d come from a different country and a certain religious background, had acquired a demon and killed another street child at the age of two! One day at one of Mulli’s Family Homes at Yatta, the boy unleashed violence, superhuman strength and murderous determination to defile and kill one of the girls in the home. Fighting for that boy’s deliverance was a herculean task. [I highly recommend this book; it’s the most beautiful demonstration of Christian faith by any African I have ever read—and proceeds from the sale go directly to help rescue street children in Kenyan cities]
Demons look for avenues they can use to enter into people. They find access via magic arts, murder, alcohol and drug abuse, and via direct recruitment into Satanism. Some recruitment methods seem very innocent, especially for children and youth, but they grip tighter and tighter until it’s almost impossible to go free. Entry points include sexual encounters, Ouija boards, oaths, certain video games, horoscopes, etc. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It’s a modest alert to warn you to watch out for satan’s snares! Stay away from trouble!
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. (Eccl 8:10)