BOOK REVIEW - SETTING YOURSELF FREE, DELIVERANCE FROM DARKNESS

BOOK REVIEW

Title: Setting Yourself Free, Deliverance From Darkness

Co-Authors: Jesus Christ and Judith Farris-Smith

Publisher: Ingram Book Company

ISBN: 978-1-4276-3506

ISBN 13: n/a

Digital ISBN: n/a

ASIN: n/a

Library of Congress no.: n/a

Physical Attributes: 

Price: $15.95 USD

Reading Time: 10-11 hrs

Construction: paperback

No. of Pages: 150

Dimensions: TBD ¾” thick

Weight: TBD oz.

Cover Design: unattributed

Illustrations: 18 line drawings, several charts and some symbol illustrations in Table of Contents: yes

Glossary: yes

Maps/Inserts: none

Appendices:

     Index: none

     Bibliography: 3 pages

     Biography: no

     Glossary: Occult/New Age Terms (7 pgs)

     Other:        Appendix 1: Who You Are In Christ

                        Appendix 2: Signs Associated With Occult/New Age Involvement

                        Appendix 3: Occult Signs And Symbols

                        Appendix 4: With occult Signs And Symbols

                        Appendix 5: Hand Signs Associated With the Occult

                        Appendix 6: Recommended Healing and Deliverance Resources

Other books by author: Targeted Prayers, Set Yourself Free Little Children and Come to Me, Truth vs. Lies, Information for Teenagers, CÓMO LIBERARSE DE LA OSCURIDAD, Spanish Version of Setting Yourself Free, Deliverance From Darkness, and Little Bit, The Miracle Kid.  Web site:  littlesparrowministries.com

Rating 4/5

Abstract: This is a self-help manual for Christians for deliverance from demonic influences.  It is a practical, step by step process that starts with the identification of the fundamental source of the problem in personal and inherited sin and curses.  Beginning with selected scriptural sources, the author explains the cause and effect; and also the cure for demonization in plain easy to read language.  Following the explanations are short prayers to be read that facilitate the expulsion of demons from a person or material thing. The book concludes with some concise introductory material on how to maintain deliverance and identify various sources which can contribute to relapses and or additional demonization.

Review:  The subject tackled by this book is a very important one that affects people everywhere.  It is written from the presumption that the reader is a Christian, that they are familiar with the Bible; and they desire to address the subject of demonization.  The book also presumes a basic understanding of spiritual authority, the existence of demons and how they interact with Christians.  The author refers the reader to Kenneth Hagan’s book, “The Believer’s Authority,” and other titles for additional material.

                                                                                     

For the reader’s sake, I will interject here that demons are real, sentient beings that are primarily spiritual in substance but may take on a tangible visible and physical form.  They exist in an infinite variety of forms and functions, but are by nature universally hostile and predatory towards humans.  They derive their sustenance and pleasure from human emotional states, primarily negative ones.  Their effects on people can be generally classed into two levels: demonization and demon possession. Demonization occurs when humans and demons interact but the human remains in conscious control of themselves, may not even be aware of the interaction and are capable of resisting the demonic activity.  Demon possession occurs when the demon becomes deeply integrated into a person or the person becomes greatly weakened, exposed to demonic influences and the demon assumes partial or full control of the person’s conscious activities.

The main premise of the book is that people are naturally resistant to the influences of demons, but that trauma, sin, and curses create opportunities for demons to influence, exploit and even harm humans.   Sin may be generally described as disobedience to God’s commandments which may be succinctly defined as rejection of God’s authority and selfish behavior towards others.  The effects of demonization can be manifested as illness, mental instability, failure in relationships, “bad luck” and a host of other things.   Once sin has had its effect, only the Grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ can restore a person to freedom from demonization and a right relationship with God.

Therefore, the book begins with a prayer for salvation that acknowledges a person’s need for salvation from the effects of sin and that Jesus Christ is the only source of that salvation.

There is a brief introduction titled “Setting Yourself Free – Deliverance From Darkness.”  This sets the tone and pace for the rest of the book by explaining the spiritual nature of our struggle with the demonic and the need for spiritual tools, weapons and defenses.  This introduction also explains the need for a progressive approach to deliverance from the demonic.

The book is primarily divided into six parts:

I – Doctrinal Affirmation and a prayer for discernment between truth and deception. Establishing a relationship with God and receiving power and discernment from the Holy Spirit is critically essential to the deliverance process.

II – An explanation of inherited sin and curses, the necessity of forgiveness, humility and the need to put away bitterness and pride.  It then introduces soul- ties and explains how these affect a person.  This second section concludes with the effects of negative speech and sexual sins. Each topic includes a formal prayer that is intended to address the issues discussed.  Something not commonly understood because of its peripheral treatment in scripture is the subject of soul-ties.  That is addressed in more detail later in the book.

III – The third part addresses occult practices.  This is a far ranging subject that is touched only topically in the book.  Some familiar practices such as witchcraft and divination are addressed here.  Other topics included with the occult are abortion, homosexuality and substance abuse.  This section also deals explicitly with Freemasonry and Roman Catholicism.  These delicate subjects are addressed in a practical and straightforward manner that acknowledges both the sincere Christian beliefs and motives of the latter practitioners and the institutional errors that compromise their faith and expose them to demonization.  It includes prayers intended to address these problems and release the individual from the consequences of the above mentioned compromises.

IV – The fourth part is the heart of the book.  At this point, it may be presumed the reader has understood and dealt with all issues detailed in the book.  They have been taken from generational curses through forgiveness, pride and other issues. The process of deliverance is a step-by-step process of cleansing which culminates in Part IV of deliverance. In this section, the reader is lead through a sixteen part series of explanations and prayers that are intended to address inherited and acquired sins and curses.   According to the author, the consequences of sins may be passed down through multiple generations leaving even young minor children vulnerable to demonization.  Besides inherited or acquired sins, they may be affected by curses laid on them or their ancestors which abet demonization. Curses are causal actions either made by others or self-inflicted which enhance a demon’s ability to affect a person. 

The approach to deliverance here is to first renounce personal and especially ancestral, racial or institutional sins and curses. The next step is to use authority given to Christians by God to bind each of sixteen “strongmen” (particularly powerful demons of a type related to broad categories of sins) and their subordinate demons.  Then the person orders the demon to leave them and cease to interact with them.  The third and most critical step is to invite the Holy Spirit to enter the formerly demonized person and occupy the capacity vacated by the demon to preclude its return. Only briefly mentioned in the book but often essential to the process is intercessory prayer by others for the demonized person.

V – It is a given that demons are reluctant to leave and eager to return. This section deals with how to prevent them from reestablishing themselves in a formerly demonized person.  This is important because if they are allowed to reestablish themselves, it is very likely they will do so much more thoroughly than before and it may be more difficult if not impossible to remove them afterwards. This fifth section also includes some advice on how to remove and exclude demons from residential and other property.

VI – The last section is a catch-all for whatever hadn’t been addressed previously.  It quite simply explains the general structure and relationships among the principle spiritual realms and entities.  Subjects such as demonic hierarchies, the difference between water and Holy Spirit baptism, power in the spoken word, the necessity of forgiveness, additional prayers for protection from the occult, and an explanation of our necessary relationship with God.  Here are also found the glossary and appendixes mentioned above.

Overall the book is a compilation of experience from some two decades of ministry work in deliverance and this is demonstrated in its compact, progressive and practical approach to the subject.  Ms. Smith doesn’t delve deeply into the nature or behavior of demons, nor does the book attempt to explain much about the specifics of what sin is, the mechanics of demonization or how deliverance works.  It is tightly focused on getting rid of them, establishing a right relationship between a person and God and keeping things that way. 

Although the book is clearly deigned as a self-guided approach to deliverance, my observations of her work indicate that the book is not a sufficient resource to achieve deliverance by the reader alone.  Ms. Smith states that many people are delivered by just going through the book.  Some people call or email the ministry for additional help and advice.  I observed several deliverance sessions where Ms. Smith went straight to the business of talking her client through the process after they had worked through the prayers in the book.  There was no need for theatrics, high emotion or elaborate rituals.  Once the prerequisites had been met, demons began leaving the subject at a rapid pace.

There was nothing to see or hear that a camera could catch, but all those in the room could feel various sensations as the demons came out of the subject and were dispatched.  The sensation was something like being charged up on a Van de Graaff generator while dry sand or rice was being poured over one’s head and shoulders or an electrostaticaly charged bed sheet was being pulled off of one’s upper body. The room became crowded with them and in close proximity to them one could feel the hair rising on the back of the neck, a tightening of the throat muscles or a sensation that something was gripping firmly about the lower legs.  Similar sensations accompanied the invocation for Jesus to cast out the demons or for the Holy Spirit to come down and fill the person with His presence.  It was an awesome experience to know that one was in the very presence of God.

Apparently the deliverance process is greatly enhanced by having others present to pray for, encourage and guide the person being delivered.  I noticed too that some symbolic gestures and movements were required at several points to achieve the deliverance.  In particular, taking a physical step to symbolically “step out of” ancestral lineages was essential to realizing that part of the process before the demons would depart.  Occasionally, the laying on of hands and some repetitious rebuking of particularly stubborn demons were required.

The short of it was that this is a real problem and this approach is effective.

I can’t say how thorough or complete an individual deliverance is using this method, but the changes observed for those ministered to was immediate and profound.   Ms. Smith cites a variety of manifestations that accompanies deliverance such as physical healing, a return of mental and emotional stability, freedom from depression and addiction, restored relationships and much more. She describes the process as a tearing down walls in an individual that have prevented an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior.  The person is no longer a “victim’ but a “victor.”

The book does not specifically address in detail involvement “Christian” cults such as Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses or false religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Ms. Smith frankly admits it is of little effect for someone deeply involved in the occult. It is also not clear how this might be of help to an atheist or agnostic either.  (The companion book “Set Yourself Free Little Children and Come to Me” is the version appropriately designed for children.) There was also a lack of distinction made between cult ritual oaths and oaths taken for non-religious purposes such as testimony in court, government or military service.  The reader could get the impression that oaths and rituals of any kinds are demonic, which is not the case.  The distinction between the use of ritual objects and gestures for occult purposes and deliverance ministry is also not well addressed.

The book is directed at a fairly literate, doctrinally mature Christian adult.  So, the focus and audience is fairly narrow.  I found the concise and practical approach to be quite appropriate since it is about deliverance for Christians and makes no attempt to explain more than is necessary to achieve the goal. This appears to be intentional for it avoids emphasizing the demonic at the expense of the real goal which is a right relationship with God and freedom from demonic influences.

One serious shortcoming of the book is that while it is very effective in forcing the demons to leave a person, it does not appear to prepare the person being delivered from their return.  Once out, the prescribed prayers direct the demons to go to "...the arid places."  And though it warns them not to return, prescribes no penalty for returning.  This may explain why I have observed them returning quite persistently.  A variation on the address to the demon "May God do to you as He did to the serpent of Eden." appears to address this subject quite effectively. (Unlike people, demons are not protected by grace.  Therefore, when they sin by tempting a person or invading their body, God's judgement upon them is swift and thorough, but it appears it must be invoked.)  Another point not well emphasized enough is that the person delivered should forgive those who harmed them, repent for what they have done and seek reconciliation wherever possible to prevent future demonization.

Due to some technical shortcomings and a clear need for some additional material in the book I deduct a point from the possible score of five.  In the future it will be great to see this book and its companion books republished with the additions and corrections that will make them even more powerful and effective tool for individuals and deliverance ministers alike.