EARLINE'S TESTIMONY ABOUT MAINTAINING DELIVERANCE

PURPOSE OF DELIVERANCE
The purpose of salvation and deliverance is to bring honor to God among the heathen. In the Old Testament, God became very upset about the shame Israel brought upon His name through their disobedience and sins.

For Israel's uncleanness, shedding innocent blood and worshipping idols, God scattered them among the heathen and dispersed them into many nations. For they had profaned His holy name (Ezk. 36:17-21). When we do these things, we also profane His name. See also Rom. 1:16-24.

As Christians, we must be very careful not to profane God's name. For profaning His name, we will be punished. Demons have a right to enter you if you persist in disobedience.

Our desire and duty is to honor God's name. Read I Tim. 6 and Titus 2 for directions on how to honor God.

Maintaining your deliverance is important to other Christians. It brings honor to God and encouragement to others. We overcome Satan first by God's provision, the Blood of the Lamb; secondly by our testimony, not just our words but our lives; and thirdly by not loving our lives to the death (Rev. 12:11).

This is why it is so important for you and me to keep getting and maintaining our deliverance until it is complete, and we are established and settled.

BACKGROUND
I have an Indian-English-German-French background. There are curses on each of these people. Indians worshipped devils. Some English and Europeans were Druids who worshipped Satan.

In innocence, my father participated in some occult practices - wart removal and water witching. From my father came curses of Masons and Indians.

Physical problems came as a result of curses on Indian worship: inactive thyroid, female disorders and heart disease.

My mother was a paranoid schizophrenic with an Indian-English background. Her emotional illness caused me to need a lot of deliverance from emotional problems.

The following testimony will help you understand how the soul (mind, will and emotions) works. It will also show you how Satan attacks the physical body with demons through curses.

MAIN TESTIMONY ABOUT DELIVERANCE
In July of 1975 I came into deliverance. Do you know it is truly possible to have peace in your mind? For most of my life, I was your average daughter, wife, mother and woman. In my mind there was never any real peace, only a sort of make-believe peace. I was not particularly moody, not often angry and not often depressed.

Life for me after I married was a continual move - new places - new people - new houses, all of which I enjoyed. Our homes were among the best and most beautiful around. Decorating them was a lot of joy for me. Taking my children to new places and introducing them to new experiences was exciting. We toured all of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The greatest fun was watching the children enjoy all the new and unusual things we came across. Life was very exciting.

On May 22, 1973 we were devastated. Our son died from an accident at play.

Now all of these lovely homes, beautiful furniture, exciting places, fun people and fun times seemed like trash. At this time we came to know the love of Jesus and the power of God. Never would we be the same again.

After five months passed, we returned south from Minneapolis. In Baton Rouge at the Full Gospel Business Men meetings, we heard about divine healing and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit; I needed both. In time I was healed of my allergies, bad back, etc. and got the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Gene and I went to meetings, testified and prayed for people, and saw miracles of healing and Baptisms. For about six months things went fine but as time passed, some attitudes and hurts began to show up and I was very unhappy, moody, and depressed.

I spent hours telling Gene how badly he had treated me. I came to believe he had done things that he had not. If you look at my previous statement, you'll see I enjoyed moving. One time when I was ill, I didn't want to move. The rest of the time I enjoyed it. So, I let myself come to believe that he moved just to hurt me and to make life bad for me. I accused him of shutting Marie and me out of his life since Byron died. Gene never knew what to expect when he got home -- maybe a frying pan on the noodle. No amount of Bible reading, prayer or fasting helped for more than a week or two at the most.

I was trying to help Marie who was going through all kinds of adjustments to her brother's death but only made matters worse. She also became full of resentment and hurt, and was bitter and angry.

Gene, Marie and I fasted, prayed and talked. I was fasting and praying that God would fix Gene up. I was so blind I was sure that I was perfect - well almost.

After a year or so, I was sitting reading Psalm 91. I had always loved it but suddenly like a bucket of ice water it hit me. The Psalm was not true for me. I had no peace, and was always angry and moody. I (when you are persuaded by the Devil to look on others as the problem) was even beginning to wonder if God was just being bad to me.

I sat on the couch and began to pray: "God if you don't help me tonight I am going out of church, and into the world for good". I told God that Gene is worse off than me; he's all of my problems. God just stopped talking so I started praying again the same prayer. God said again, "Get Gene to pray deliverance for you". I asked about having our pastors do my deliverance. God didn't answer; it was like he pulled down a shade or veil. Being one of determination I started out again "God I must have help tonight; if I don't get it, I flat quit. He said, "Get Gene to pray deliverance for you". God was not harsh, neither was he condemning. He seemed to be pleased that I had finally asked for help and really meant it.

I called Gene; he didn't seem particularly impressed. He also suggested the same people and the same excuses. But the best one was "I don't know what deliverance is; I don't know how to do that".

After some discussion, we decided to go to the bedroom and get in the middle of the bed. We were sitting facing each other, Gene starts praying, and my mind starts wandering. He prayed a while in tongues and started saying strange things such as, "You come out of my wife in the name of Jesus". One thing I remember well was that at the beginning when each demon was named, I had a thought, "I don't have that".

As he called out Rejection, its hurts and kindred spirits, I was being shown by the Holy Spirit how these spirits had gained entrance into me, and how they had checked and bound me in all attempts to be myself. Rejection kept me just short of my goals in life. Mostly it kept me from doing what God said to do due to a fear that the other person would disagree or reject me and my idea. I always worked better and succeeded best in those things that I did alone.

Next came Bitterness; I never even considered myself bitter. But as he called out demons under this ruler, I saw hate, violence and anger. I had much trouble with temper. Not that I was always violent, on the contrary I was seldom angry to the observer. When I did get angry or lose my temper, my husband and children usually found some other more suitable place to be.

At the naming of Rebellion, I thought I surely don't have this spirit. As he called it out again, I balled up my fist, drew back to back-hand him, and was consumed with a fit of coughing and mucus.

As this was going on, I was shown how there is only one real rebellion, and it is pointed toward God. Even if we say, "My husband just does not accept God's way so I am going to---". In the end when it's traced back, it is rebellion to God for God gave directions about how to live with an unsaved mate. If it is against circumstances, God says, "This is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. In whatever circumstances, I am therewith to be content".

One of my rebellions was against circumstances. I had always had such lovely homes with rooms to spare, so that Gene always had an office, and I always had a sewing and craft room. When we came here, Gene bought a three bedroom house with only two baths. His reason was that I couldn't set up Byron's bedroom; I became bitter. I said, "Yes, but you still have your office; I don't have a room. You always get what you want." And I became more rebellious.

When I first moved here I didn't hate this house but little by little it crept up on me. At first it was just the things packed together. Then it grew until I hated the house twenty-four hours a day. Then my ingratitude reached other branches of my life. My wheels were the wheels of a camper truck. I didn't like the truck anymore. Next came Gene, and then living in this bug-infested hot climate with people who can't speak good English. Next the ungrateful

person begins to blame others even if he sees it's as much his fault as the other persons. He lies to himself until in his eyes, at least, the other person is entirely at fault.

God showed me my attitude in light of His attitude letting me know that He could take even this house away; that He had provided it and I was ungrateful for His provision. Oh my, this really was sobering me up. After these three main ruler demons were cast out, I gave up if he called a demon out. I just agreed and became free of it.

I had a habit of getting my work done as fast as I could because I didn't like being in the house alone. So, I roved all over this town looking for plants and cloth to work on the house, but I never worked on it. I did a lot of visiting with other Christian women which is not necessary. Since neither Gene nor I knew anything about this turn of events, I asked God to teach me so I wouldn't go backwards. I rather liked the changes in my mind and attitude.

I found Romans 12 contained my answer. In verse 2, I am told to renew my mind and attitudes with God's instructions. By doing this, I would prove for myself what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. In response to your obedience and surrender, God will help you change bad attitudes and habits.

Attitudes submitted to God's word will follow with actions of obedience.

In studying Eph. 5:25-32, I saw how my home was meant to show Christ's relationship with the Church. To my dismay, I saw it reflected my relationship with Christ. It was not a relationship to bring others to Christ.

I also saw how the Church is rebelling against Christ just as in our family members were in rebellion.

The morning after this experience I came down the hall to the kitchen and was greeted pleasantly by my daughter. Now, this was a surprise because she was not so pleasant at that time either. I noticed that she began to change. I asked God about this often and learned that my condition had put such a strain on her that she was being broken under it. I didn't tell her about my deliverance; I didn't know I should. She became a very obedient and joyful person. I began to enjoy Marie and not worry about her so much.

TESTIMONY ABOUT OVEREATING
The morning after the first deliverance took place I prepared a nice breakfast for us. Sitting down to read the Bible, I thought about getting something to eat. In fact I said "I think I'll get me something". This thought alarmed because I was now approaching 180 pounds. I prayed asking God to show me what this is. To my amazement something inside me said "I said get me something to eat." I asked who are you? It said "My name is I like to eat." I said that often. After casting out the demon, "I Like To Eat", I told God how I had tried dieting and I knew that was hopeless. I was told obedience is better than sacrifice, and I knew how to eat but was not doing it. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, not much meat and very little sweets is the basis of a proper diet.

Asked if I'd do what I was told, I assured God that I would. He said that food can be divided into two groups: God's and Devil's. Devil's food includes sweets to excess, junk food, and liquids which are mostly empty calories.

It's not bad manners not to eat sweets or any other food when you know your body has not used up the last meal. I was intelligent enough to know if I truly needed food. Here are God's suggestions in summary:

1. Eat fruit and vegetables; include leafy greens.

2. Do not each much meat - three or four servings weekly.

3. Don't eat unless you truly need to.

4. Don't let others stuff you.

5. Seldom eat sweets.

6. Almost never eat junk food.

7. Remember those whose God is their belly.

8. Cook all foods simply.

9. Use little fat and cut fat from meat.

TESTIMONY ABOUT DELIVERANCE FROM INDIAN CURSES
I had a heart condition which was unusual. It never occurred with regularity nor under any specific condition.

While taking a tread mill test, I experienced tremendous pain in the chest, arms and neck. Having been examined by a heart specialist, he told me that my heart was good but he had written "death by heart attack" on many people's certificates like myself. These were people who didn't really have anything wrong with their hearts.

A year or so after my dad's death I found my heart acting up again. Sometimes one to five years would elapse between seizures. I began to ask God to show me why my brothers, dad, dad's brothers and his dad, all had heart problems. He showed me Exodus 20 and Ezekiel 18. He told me to repent for my ancestors and myself for the sin of idol worship in Lev. 26:40-41. The curse of idol worship follows the blood line. I did these things and have been free for over thirteen years. I was only the second generation from this Indian worship and also had curses from previous generations.

TESTIMONY ABOUT SCHIZOPHRENIA
Schizophrenia means split mind (schizein = to split and phren = mind). I had a lifetime of mental and emotional tension. I was unable to decide what to do and see it through. I had many fears that something bad was going to happen.

All of my life I had great fears of bad things happening: fears of failing and fears of people. I was often tense for weeks and I did not know why.

This is the earliest memory I have of going to school. I was so afraid of all the people I could not go into the school but hid behind the well house until my brother came and took me into the first grade. I was disoriented that day; strange feelings and fears tormented me.

I have very few memories from childhood below the age of nine or ten years. Generally speaking I lived in two worlds: home and away from home. I became very good at forgetting everything bad (parents' fights and my own troubles) that happened at home the minute I walked out the door. I felt more freedom and ease away from home. At high school and college I had trouble with certain subjects like algebra and chemistry. They had things too similar for me to distinguish between them. Both of these subjects ended in frustration and low grades for me.

In my marriage I had some problems accepting my husband as one who would provide for me, take care of me, and continue to love me. I was always expecting the marriage to end badly.

After six years of marriage, we had a delightful son and two years later we had a beautiful daughter.

Double-mindedness wears the person out, and frustrates and confuses him. Deciding, then undeciding stagnates a person. For example, my mom was here for a while; she couldn't be content for desiring to go home. When at home, she was pressed to stay somewhere else besides her home. When away from home, great fears filled her about the house. She was miserable and made those around her miserable (James 1:5-8).

TESTIMONY ABOUT MAINTAINING DELIVERANCE
The scriptural basis for giving a testimony is found in Rev. 12:11 where we overcome Satan by three things: the blood of Jesus, our testimony, and not loving our lives to the death. God told me that if I was unwilling to tell about my deliverance, I would lose it. And furthermore, if I was ashamed of Him and His provisions, He would be ashamed of me in Heaven.

In James 4:7 we are told how to make the Devil flee. We often quote part of the verse "resist the devil and he will flee from you". This gives us a false sense of security. The truth is you must first submit yourself to God. This is not a careless submission but true submission to God which requires us to read, study and obey the Bible. As we submit this way to God and then resist the Devil, he will indeed flee from us. God does not require us to know all the Biblical requirements before He will help us but we must be making every effort to obey all that we have learned, and be diligent about learning and applying more.

After all deliverance's, some decisions must be made and never changed no matter how much pressure is applied to you from whatever source to change or go back to old sins. Here are some decisions which must be made: 1. Study God's Word and accept His principles as your own. 2. Discipline your life and accept responsibility for your actions and thoughts in the areas where you have been delivered. 3. Enter His presence with thanksgiving for all with which He has blessed you. 4. Joyfully obey God's direction even if you have to force yourself in the beginning.

The day after I received my main deliverance, I had an empty feeling and did not know what to do. My reaction was to ask God continually for direction. We cannot do what God directs if we never apply His Word to our life. If we do not apply His Word to our thoughts and actions we are not truly subject to God.

Therefore the Devil will not flee from us and we are only fooling ourselves if we think the demons will leave us alone. While we kid ourselves, the Devil and his demons eat our dinner and by the time we face the truth dinner is nearly over.

I learned that I didn't really know God's Word. I didn't know how to use God's Word or how to use my mind. I asked God to take my thoughts. He told me that He wouldn't touch my thoughts with a ten foot pole; that His thoughts were higher than mine and that I must control my thoughts bring them into submission to Jesus Christ (II Cor. 10:5).

I started marking everything that God said in the Bible in red. I found there is much said about the mind in Deuteronomy and throughout the Bible. Next I was impressed to underline every verse in the New Testament that told me something that I should do.

I soon realized that I really didn't know what I should think with my mind. It occurred to me that my mind is to be an instrument for my spirit's use and not the other way around. The hands, feet, eyes, ears and body obey, so why not make the mind obey? To make the mind obey, I needed to know what to make it do.

I had to learn how to tell the difference between God's and the Devil's thoughts. The battleground for the Christian is primarily for his soul, not body or spirit. The demons want to re-enter through your mind. See Romans 6;16-18. Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to any one to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether it be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness - right doing and right standing with God. But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed. And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness - of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose and action.

How do we yield ourselves to anyone (God or Devil)? Is it not in the mind? A human always plays with sinful thoughts, then he acts it out. It is not by accident we sin. A lot of people do not want to accept the responsibility for their sinfulness and want to blame it on someone else. The only trouble with this idea is that God will not be fooled by it neither will your enemy, the Devil.

Temptation - 1 Cor. 10:13 For no temptation - no trial regarded as enticing to sin (no matter how it comes or where it leads) - has overtaken you and lied hold on you that is not common to man - that is no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear. But God is faithful to His Word and to His compassionate nature and He (can be trusted)

not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will (always) provide a way out - the means to escape to a landing plane - that you may be capable and strong and powerful patiently to bear up under it.

This tells me temptation in common to mankind, therefore it is common for the Devil and the demons to use it. If they tempt us, we have not sinned. We have sinned when we enjoy and continue to invite the temptation, then yield and obey. the temptation. It also shows we weren't watchful for the escape route and we did not take it.

Situations around you will not necessarily change immediately now that you have changed. Just as you practiced obedience to the demons' words, now practice obedience to God's Word.

This is my first encounter with the Devil after I was delivered. Before I was delivered, I would get very angry and depressed when I cleaned house. At that time, we had wall-to-wall furniture. The living room was really badly cluttered. Each piece of furniture had to be moved to vacuum around it. I was happy and didn't hate this house anymore.

As I was vacuuming the living room, I dropped a table on my toe and was having trouble getting the vacuum nozzle under the sofa. I raised up and let out a loud "I hate this---". God quickly warned me that "life and death is in the tongue, and they that love it will eat the fruit thereof" (Prov. 18:21). God also told me at this time that He had given it to my family. If I didn't have an attitude of gratitude about the house and furniture, He could easily remove them from me. I knew that I must not complete the sentence or I would be back where I started from. I repented and repeated until I believed it, "I love this house and I thank God for it".

Another of Satan's tactics is to use gradualism on us. He will give us a sin to look at and consider. He will cover it over with pretty lies (pretty young people smoking, never an old person dying of lung cancer). He will use rejection to trap you; he will never tell the true ending (where does illegal sex lead?). He knows that the more we see it, hear it and consider it, the more likely we are to give in to it. A good example of the use of gradualism is Humanism. Forty years ago it was very mildly given to people mainly by pastors and teachers. People considered it and accepted it because it was given by people they trusted. Not considering what was the basic theory behind it (worship of self - therefore idolatry), people allowed this theory to so invade them that now we cannot recognize it for what it is. Many of us say we are against it but we live by it instead of the Bible.

We do not recognize God's provisions for us. We think our life should have no problems or privations. We are not grateful to God for all. Deut. 28:47-48, Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of heart and mind in gratitude for the abundance of all with which He had blessed you, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord shall send against you, in hunger and thrust, in nakedness, and in want of all things; and He will put a yoke of iron upon you neck, until He hath destroyed you.

This verse presents some interesting ideas 1. Are you having problems because you are ungrateful to God? 2. Do you know which problems are from God to help you learn to endure to the end or which ones are brought on because of being ungrateful? 3. Which ones have you invited by yielding to temptations of the enemy? If you will know the answer to these questions, you will have to seek God. He has promised to give wisdom to all who ask for it not wavering (James 1:4-8). If you ask God for wisdom and He gives you wisdom, you must not waver following His wisdom. For example: if you have been one to look at dirty magazines, God's wisdom tells you this will lead you to want to do what you see; then you must stop it. You may need deliverance for the demons you have let in plus you must change your habits. No one can change your thought life by casting out your demons. Casting out your demons is one of God's escape routes.

To deliverance must be added by the deliveree, discipline of mind and action.

The best attack against habit, and the attempts of demons to trick you and get back in that I found was 1. to tell them to leave in Jesus' name once and 2. immediately take control of your mind. I would do it this way: I would tell them Jesus has given me authority over you (Luke 10:19, Matt. 28:18-20), therefore I command you to leave me now. If I did not sense they were gone, I would say, "Since you are still here, I would like to read to you about what Jesus Christ has done for me." I would open the Bible to Matt. 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24 and John 17-21 and read it aloud to them. Of course they did not want to hear of God's love and provision for me. The pressure they had placed on me and their thoughts were long gone but I would read on and bless myself in God's Word. Some times the pressure from the demons trying to get back in was strong enough that I would have to walk and read very loudly to them. I will still do this if I come under attack; it always works. After a time, you will be able to tell them the facts without reading it to them.

My next attack was sent through people. When asked why I looked so much better and was losing weight, I would answer truthfully and say "I was delivered of demons and no, I was not dieting". If three people were present, you would get three distinct reactions. One would leave pronto, one would regard you as if you were radioactive, and one would grab your arm and want to know more.

Then you'd hear whispers - she had demons! They only talk about demons; do they worship them? They are fanatical; they believe there is a demon under every bush!

Next I was tempted to go back to some of my old habits of retaliation, etc. I must crucify the flesh - God said that vengeance belongs to Him (Rom. 12:19). I must not habitually sin or else I become the demon's house in that area again (I John 3:8-9).

Mental suggestions by the Devil must be put down. He will suggest a what if, could be or maybe. If this happens, what will you do (fear and more fear)?

Unless you have facts to base your knowledge on, don't let the Devil play you along.

One of his tactics was to attack me about Marie: what if Marie can't adjust to her brother's death? Before deliverance, I would cringe in fear and worry.

After deliverance, I learned to tell Satan that Marie can do all things through Christ who strengthens her; I can too!

You don't have to be perfect to give a word of encouragement, share an experience, help someone or even cast out a demon. If God demanded perfection, nothing would ever get done. I'm over fifty years old and I have yet to meet a perfect person.

You must have a total commitment to Jesus Christ. Rely totally on Him and His Word. Do these things and you will continue to get free and stay free. Don't be double minded: deciding and undeciding.

I found a verse to put my temptations in prospective (Heb. 12:4). Begin reading at verse one which contains instruction on keeping pure. It suggests we strip off and throw aside every encumbrance and sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race set before us.

Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the source of our faith (giving the first incentive for our belief) and is also its Finisher, (bringing it to maturity and perfection). He, for the joy (of obtaining the prize) that was set before Him endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame,and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Just think of Him who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against - reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials - so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. You have not yet struggled and fought agonizing against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your (own) blood.

If we are able with every temptation to resist to the shedding of our blood maybe, then we might have an acceptable excuse for failing to resist the Devil and him having to flee.

God will not make you over; He will work with you and help you. See Mark 16:20. A miracle is taking place as you go obeying The Word in the areas you have received instruction and deliverance.

A study of Matt. Chapter 5 will help anyone see just where they are missing it with their attitudes. It will inspire you to clear your mind of a lot of incorrect ideas and to broaden your understanding of the truth.