EXPOSED TO DEMONS. My field of study at Cambridge was Greek philosophy, and particularly the philosophy of Plato. My two heroes at this time were Socrates and Plato. Then in World War III had a supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ (as I mentioned in chapter 4), and this completely changed the course of my life. From then on I became an ardent student of the Bible. But much of my thinking was still influenced by Plato, and I kept some of his writings as works of reference. As I gained further insight into the way people become exposed to demons, I saw that my admiration for Socrates and Plato kept open a door in my personality that made me vulnerable to demonic influence. Socrates himself acknowledged the influence of a demon in his life. As he was dying of the hemlock that he had been sentenced to drink, his last words to one of his associates were, "We owe a cock to Aesculapius." He was ordering that a cock be sacrificed on his behalf to Aesculapius, the heathen god of healing. Even though Socrates enjoys great prestige in the intellectual world, his behavior fell into the same category as that of a man sacrificing a cock in a voodoo ceremony. Idolatry is still idolatry, even when described in elegant, classical Greek. I realized, too, that a similar occult influence pervaded the writings of Plato, my other hero. In his last major dialogue, the Timaeus, he actually acknowledged, "We have no word from God." So he turned to the occult literature of Egypt for revelation concerning the mysteries of the universe. Again and again, as I sought to help those needing deliverance, I observed the close association between occult involvement and serious problems of depression. It became clear to me that this had probably contributed to my own struggles against depression when I was a young pastor. One day in 1970 I was meditating on Deuteronomy 7:26: "Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it; but you shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing." I walked around my home and realized I had a number of "abominations." So I made a decision that I believe had an important bearing on the future course of my life and ministry: I determined not to keep in my possession anything that in any way dishonored Jesus Christ or that opened the door to demonic influence. I rid myself of a succession of items I had inherited from my family: four antique, beautifully embroidered Chinese imperial dragons and a whole assortment of Chinese antiques, all carrying the emblem of the dragon. I also disposed of items containing elegant Arabic calligraphy, some of which undoubtedly gave glory to Mohammed and the Muslim god, Allah. I also cleared out my library, especially Plato's books, and everything that in any way glorified the occult. Then I threw away a series of poems I had written in the days when I was still enamored of India. This dramatically changed the spiritual atmosphere around me. It was like passing out of twilight into the clear light of day. I have real concern for the many Christians slow,to recognize God's intense hatred of every form of the occult: Tolerating any kind of continuing occult influence in our lives exposes us to forces that threaten our own spiritual well-being. I remember when the TV series Bewitched brought the occult into our homes in a way that seemed amusing and harmless. Recognizing its seductiveness, I warned other Christians of the danger of permitting such influences to enter their minds and spirits. Thirty years later occult programs are proliferating on the TV screen and, in many cases, having a subtle, destructive effect on families. This is no less true of the Internet and, on a much wider scale, of movies, videos, toys and other forms of entertainment for children. - Derek Prince ( 📕They shall expel demons) - Spiritual Notes #deliverance #deliveranceministry