DELIVERANCE FROM THE DELIVERANCE FROM THE PHARISEE ...

01 PHARISEE SPIRIT IDENTIFICATION BRIAN RENSFORD

PAGE 1 HOLROYD NEW LIFE CHURCH RESOURCE

DELIVERANCE FROM THE PHARISEE SPIRIT FOREWORD The content of this study was originally collated in late 1992. It came with more pain and turmoil than any other single area of study I have ever undertaken in 45 years up to this time of update (2012). In retrospect, I had little idea of the power (and powers) involved in this dimension. I believe now that it is the spiritual power that stands behind that great enemy of the gospel - true legalism. No wonder the Pharisee spirit hounded Paul all his ministry life, in both the seen and unseen realms. This material is in parts highly subjective. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Another set of notes, tracking my personal experience in this area (including deliverance) may be helpful alongside this study. There’s so much we don’t grasp clearly yet.

THE POWER OF GOD’S WORD WORD TO CHANGE US When God reveals truth - in an area of applicable, behaviour-affecting truth - we are confronted with our responsibility to make a choice concerning our response; Truth responded to leads to release (from whatever untruth one has been subject to, and bound by previously). Change results. Truth rejected (consciously, or ignored, or procrastinated on) leads just as surely to captivity, and an accelerated decline in the area of behaviour addressed. Isaiah 28:11-3 is a vivid example of this principle. Once God speaks, things can never stay the same afterwards! (Refer to the Appendix for further amplification of this principle). In John 8:30-2 Jesus responds to the Jews "who put their faith in Him. If you hold to my teaching, then you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free". The implication that they were still not free greatly upset many of them [8:33]. Because they "had no room for my word" [8:37]. .1 This made them prepared to kill Him! Why did Jesus' statement evoke such a powerful reaction? Because they considered themselves to be already disciplined, 'free from bondage' ones... He touched a strong sense of religiosity in them. Their initial response to Jesus soon turned to hatred, as His word exposed their deep need for inner change. The kind of self-deliverance Jesus spoke of is only possible after understanding comes. God's word illuminates our sin / inadequacy / need. Then we have to choose. If we bow to the truth of what God has identified, the word then empowers us to, 1] force demonic powers to retire from influencing us - deliverance; 2] be changed in our habits - discipling. The problem was that the very people Jesus was addressing, and exposing their need, considered themselves to already be "discipled ones"! They were already people of discipled, religious habits. At this point it isn't hard to see the connection with religious spirits, which thrive on hard work, and strong self-discipline...

THE HEART OF LEGALISM LEGALISM Is seen in Luke 7 -- "When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our 1

"No Room" - root word = chasma, a vacancy >>> empty expanse >>>a space / territory (often including its inhabitants) >>> choreo, to be in / hold / enter space, room.



nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

The Gentile Roman understood his inherent unworthiness to receive any benefit of Jesus' ministry, despite his obvious good standing with the religious community, and his place of importance in the Roman Army. He understood that any healing that occurred was the result of GRACE ONLY, and his believing this was called FAITH! In fact, it astonished Jesus. On the other hand, the Jewish elders approached Jesus on the basis of the man deserving this blessing of healing, through his giving (to their church building program) and noble godly character. There is nothing "evil" here, but it is the heart of legalism - approaching God on the basis of deservedness. Paul later stated that it was on these grounds that God rejected Israel, and opened the door of faith to the Gentiles - Rom 9:30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 10:3-4 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 10:20-1 And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people." Unless this underlying attitude of deservedness is crucified, any benefit that comes through the grace of God, will be subtly turned to become an "earned" benefit. This is the heart of Pharisaism, and kills off the manifestation of the supernatural. Genuine revival is always by grace! -- whether it's renewal / revival of an individual, or revival on a corporate scale.

THE 'PHARISEE' SPIRIT SPIRIT : A DEFINITION These comments are by deductive observation only. Several, but not all, of the following characteristics may exist where a Pharisee spirit is active, but note that just because one or two elements listed are present does NOT mean the person (or group) is troubled by a Pharisee spirit. After all, we all have our fallen flesh nature to contend with continually! 1) An excessive attention to detail. 2) Strong self-discipline. In church life, this translates to committed attendance and giving ("All these you should have done, but you have neglected the more important matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness!" [Mat 23:23]). 3) An inability to 'switch off' after working off a fair amount of time and energy. 4) An inability to enjoy the fruits of partially completed tasks / activities - because there is always "much more to be done".... 5) A trend to perfectionism - including high demands on others to measure up to one’s own standards. This shows in a lower tolerance threshold on the mistakes and lower standards others exhibit (i.e. in areas God is not fussed about!). An inflexible attitude on relatively minor issues often accompanies this. 6) Placing of excessive demands on others. Things are rarely done well enough. This translates, in a marriage and family life, to pickiness, 'looking continually over the shoulder' mentality, inability to let go of minor issues, and inability to compliment others for things already done well enough. 7) Motivation of others by guilt trips! Driving, rather than leading those following (be they family, workers, or church people). 8) Being excessively hard on self, as well as others. This is the spirit of legalism, and will block the flow of grace about the person. It is one of the major negative powers of a Pharisee religious spirit. 9) Regular bouts of depression - because of the high standards demanded on self (as well as others), which are unattainable in the long run.



10)

A compulsion to judge almost everyone and everything around them, and an inability to reign this in. At home, this leads to continual tension, and nervous behaviour in other family members. And will encourage the children to critically judge others from an early age. 11) Excessive criticism of others - especially contemporaries. This will be cloaked under the guise of 'discernment' - a compulsion to analyse others for spiritual maturity from a position of 'higher criticism'. This is nothing less than the most deadly of sins - religious pride! The true spirit of the Pharisee centres on this. 12) Difficulty in praising others; unable to "lavish" love on others (unlike Father God Eph 1:7-8 1 John 3:1!). 13) Being prepared to help others in their need, but unable to ask for, or receive help from others, when in need themself. Strong independence shows here. To accept help is to admit one has a problem or is inadequate (the 12 steps of AA begin with a confession of personal weakness and need). 14) Where children are involved, they may rebel in later teenage years, and go to the other extreme of undiscipline. 15) Cessation of spiritual creativity in those within the sphere of influence of the person. Legalism kills the creative spirit, including the exercise of the charismata. 16) Absence of joy, and difficulty in participating in good clean fun! Unlike other areas of spirit activity, such as occult, drugs, unlawful sexual behaviour, etc, a Pharisee spirit translates very, very easily into church life! It can make excellent church workers, leaders, teachers, and bible scholars! They can look down their noses at others more blatantly sinning more than they are. But they will not produce life or joy.... This was the case in Jesus' time. The Pharisees looked on those "outside the gates" with disdain, not realising that they were in grave danger themselves. In fact, it was Jesus' contrasting of their great need for God's grace with the more obvious need of the 'down and outs' that enraged them - to the point where they engineered His death.

THE POWER OF THE PHARISEE PHARISEE SPIRIT When Satan was stirred to marshal his most powerful forces against the coming Messiah, he enlisted the aid of the religious leaders. It’s significant that he sent not one magician, witch-doctor, wizard, occultic high priest, etc, after Jesus. Rather, he relied on his really “big guns” - those under the control of the (demonic prince) power of legalism - the Pharisees and other religious leaders. This should tell us something - don’t underestimate what we are dealing with in this area. It is far more dangerous to the health of Christ's Church than all the New Age, Occult, Satan worshiping movements put together.

SOME BACKGROUND INFLUENCES INFLUENCES Many people afflicted this way appear to have similar backgrounds - especially in the area of stern fatherhood. The upbringing may have had a strong work ethic, religious legalism, continual carping of others by the father over minor matters. Acceptance by recognition of effort, rather than family love, deepens the potential for later bondage. Freemasonry in the family appears to be another common background factor. A false religion based, among other things, on a work ethic is a cruel enslaver to joyless, but faithful religion!

STEPS TO DELIVERANCE Help the person to….. 1. Acknowledge the truth about the condition (in a 12-Steps manner). "I am ....., and I need help. I am unable to modify this part of my character on my own". 2. Confess their critical spirit and effect upon others, especially loved ones. 3. Recognise the influence of any aberrant teaching influence, whether from an individual or involvement in a cultish religious group. Where elements of excessive control have been present, especially in the



area of decision-making / will power being handed over to the group's leaders, identify and renounce the excessive influence, and reclaim their responsibility to be accountable for their own decisions. Be careful not to blame the teacher / group for whatever has gone wrong in their life. Get them to take responsibility for themself! This is application of the powerful self-deliverance of John 8:32 (note the context there of Pharisee opposition - "sons of the devil") and 2 Tim 2:25-26. 4. Acknowledge this is not just a personality problem, but has spiritual underpinnings. 5. Renounce attitude of independence, and profess their need of interdependence. Jacob's encounter with God resulted in him limping the rest of his life, leaning on a staff. Peter was told (after being reinstated from his self-reliant, human-strength, "though all these others forsake you, I won't" independent stance) that he would have others lead him about in old age [John 21:18]. This is hard for someone under a Pharisee spirit.2 6. Renounce demonic involvement. Name the area(s) of influence (e.g. criticism, self reliance / independence / stubbornness (refer to 1 Sam 15:23 for the link between stubbornness / arrogance and the demonic; idolatry is a major point of access for demons). In the name of Jesus, reclaim the mind from their influence, and command them to retire from the person. 3 7. The person must be encouraged to mutually dependent relationships, where they can both give and receive. For ongoing freedom from the old legalism influence, toleration of others (and their behaviour) in non-essentials must be stressed.

FRUITS OF RELEASE Some of the expected results include; •

A fresh appreciation of the GRACE OF GOD.

•

An improvement in male - female relationships, including an ability to truly see the other sex as equal in value (even though still different). 4

•

Less demanding requirements on others relationally, and work-wise (although this should not turn the person into a pushover).

•

An ability to 'finish the work and turn off' c/f. the workaholic drive. Recreation becomes possible, without guilt! Maintaining a “sabbath rest” regularly becomes easier to attain.

•

Realisation THAT THE WORK, THE KINGDOM, AND THE PURPOSES OF GOD ARE NOT DEPENDENT ON OUR PERSONAL INPUT! WE DO NOT HAVE THE PIVOTAL RÔLE IN THE OUTWORKING OF GOD'S MARVELLOUS REDEMPTIVE WORK! NOR DOES OUR GROUP! JESUS DOES!!

2

It seems God will usually involve others in the release process - perhaps to ensure the spirit of independence is really faced. 3

Personal experience indicates that, unlike unclean, occultic, infirm spirits, etc, demons of legalism, Pharisaism, criticism, etc, don't physically indwell the person, but rather overpower people through the mind. Hence, physical manifestations are rare in deliverance. But changes in thinking patterns can be quite dramatic. 4

Jesus' gracious attitude towards women contrasted starkly with the prevailing mentality of Judea's religious leaders. The rabbis, etc, saw women as distinctly second class citizens.



APPENDIX TO NOTES ON THE PHARISEE SPIRIT IT PAYS TO LISTEN CAREFULLY!

There is a kairos time for a nation/ people/ group/ individual when it comes to release. Jesus told Jerusalem it was their time of visitation [Mat 23:37-8], but they refused to allow Him His kingly right. Therefore, the consequence was not to stay the same, but to be left with a desolate house! God's word, when delivered, in proper time, NEVER leaves the recipient(s) the same afterwards. They either go on, and are released by it, blessed, uplifted, changed - or they fall backwards into captivity. eg. Isaiah 28:1-8 "woe to the pride filled people!". Their mocking response is seen in 28:9-10. Note how they attack the messenger to deflect the pressure of the message. But God's response is that the very word that would have liberated them will now send them into captivity [28:11-3]. So a kairos time of witness (to the saved and the unsaved) often leads to conflict and upheaval. It's important then how we hear words of direction from other ministries, especially from 'outside' our circle of relationships. Every messenger is flawed, but their word to an individual, or group, may still be the word of the Lord! We need to weigh it, as rejection (even by choosing to ignore it) can have disastrous consequences! Some people will not want to hear a word of potential release. They may then find excuse enough to reject the message by finding fault with the messenger. They will magnify their flaws. 'Shooting the messenger' is still common today! Leaders must be prepared to be rejected because of the word they bear, e.g. Gal 4:16 "Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" All God's people must count the cost of their witness [refer to John 17:14 Mat 10:14, 21-2 1 Tim 3:15 Mat 24:9]. Many heard Jesus as a condemner, not wanting to accept His message [John 3:16-21]. He was killed because of His words. But true (agape) love addresses the root issues, to set people free permanently. It's imperative, therefore, not to reject God's word when the Holy Spirit is speaking about key areas - whether He's speaking directly, or through a messenger. The consequences of acceptance through obedience, and rejection, are set out in Heb 3:7-15. A kairos word has power to deliver, and to send to captivity. Captivity was the end curse for disobeying God’s word under the Mosaic Covenant [see Deut 28]. It is the result of enslavement by demonic forces. They work under the authority of God too. They are His ministers as well [Heb 2:14]! A place 'desolate' of God's presence will experience an inrush of 'other' (demonic) presences .5 They are God's 'reminders' that we have rebelled in an area of deliberate choice. The pain of such suffering is intended to bring God’s people to their senses, where they will repent, hear and do what God has said, and return back under covenant blessing! The refinement of such a study series as this is never completed. As mentioned in the preamble, feel free to communicate any observations, testimonies, constructive criticisms of this material. Further material is accessible on the RESOURCES section under the MINISTRY AND RESOURCES side of our website Brian Rensford - [email protected]

5

For further explanation, refer to John Dawson's comments in '28 Taking Our Cities For God' notes.