1. RECOGNIZE THAT YOU NEED HELP!

Recognize that you cannot proceed on your own strength but you can do all things in Christ's strength. Philippians 4:13 says,

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (NAS).

You must be "born again" to proceed. Take your Bible and read John, chapter three, verses one through seven. Verse seven reads,

"Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again." (John 3:7 NAS).

If this was a requirement for the righteous, religious, Nicodemus, who was a community leader, it is a requirement for all who need help in spiritual matters.

If you are not sure you have had this experience of being "born again" or "saved", avail yourself of this free gift from God. Ephesians 2:8,9, says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (NAS).

(a) Repent or turn around. Acts 3:19,20 says,

"Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you." (NAS).

(b) Confess Christ and believe. Romans 10:9,10 says,that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved, for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (NAS).

(c) Receive Christ by praying and asking Him to come into your life as your Savior and Lord.

John 1:12,13 makes this promise,

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (NAS).

You must have the help of the Holy Spirit in your Christian walk as well. This is also a free gift, and you should ask God to give you the Holy Spirit to help you.

Luke 11:13 says,

"....how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him".

Without the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we would be operating without power. We would be trying to fight spiritual battles with fleshly weapons. Make no mistake, you will need God's power in your life to set the cultist free.

2. BE PREPARED FOR BATTLE

All the parts of step one are necessary, because you will l find yourself in a spiritual battle for the cultist's soul. You must fight spiritually. Take your Bible and read Ephesians, chapter six, verses 10 through 18, which will show you how to put on the "full armor of God", so you will be ready for this battle. Verse 10 begins by saying,

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might".

Learn to use the Lord's strength, and not your own. Deal with any fear you may feel. Fear comes from two sources, our own flesh, and the enemy, Satan. Remember, that any fear you feel does not come from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says,"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (AV).

Recognize that Satan has no power over one who is washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:8 says,

"The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (NAS).

1 John 4:4 tells us,

"You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (NAS).

1 John 5:18 further tells us that "...the evil one does not touch him." (NAS). This is speaking of the person "born of God". I am always amazed to meet Christians who are in fear of Satan, believing that he can even "read their minds", or " put thoughts in their heads". What nonsense! God alone knows our minds and hearts, according to scripture. The only power Satan can have over us is what we give him by our mental assent, even as Eve did. We are sanctified spirit, soul, and body, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, which reads,

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (NAS).

Christians are "overcomers in Christ", and as such should not fear the Devil, or any man.

3. LEARN THE POWER OF PRAYER

The longer we are involved in helping people come out of the cults, the more we have learned to rely on the Holy Spirit to convict them and set them free. Intercessory prayer not only sets the captives free, but strengthens your own Christian convictions. Avail yourself of the power that is given to the believer, as he earnestly prays.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7 NAS).

4. DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN THE WORD OF GOD

Begin locating and reading suitable scriptures which will strengthen your faith. I believe in following the example of Jesus Christ, who quoted scriptures out loud in Satan's hearing. (see Matthew 4: 1-11). There are many faith-filled scriptures that will strengthen you such as Acts 16:31,

"...Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." (NAS).

1 John 5:14,15 says,

"And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we have the requests which we have asked from Him." (NAS).

5. PREPARE TO SET MATTERS STRAIGHT WITH THE WORD OF GOD

Realize that the Bible is not just words on paper, but is alive and powerful.

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

(Hebrews 4:12 NAS).

Learn scriptures that prove the error of the particular cult, and be prepared to share these with the cultists from your Bible.

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16,17 NAS).

6. POWER-FILLED PRAYING

Before entering into any discussions with a cultist, or sharing scripture with them, you need to pray with authority. It is sometimes good to have another strong believer with you and pray in agreement as Matthew 18:19, 20 says,

"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst." (NAS).

It is good to name the person you are praying for and ask the Lord to convict them of their error. Ask for the anointing of the Holy Spirit for the encounter, and be assured that Christ is in your midst as promised. People in cults are spiritually deceived, and your words will not penetrate without this Divine help, no matter how well prepared you are.

Don't despair if results don't appear immediately. God's word cannot go out and return without producing results. Isaiah 55:11 says,

"So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." (NAS).

Be assured that the word of God will begin working in the cultist, convicting him of his error, even if it doesn't look like it on the surface. Don't try and do the work of the Holy Spirit. It is your job to witness for Christ, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict people. This takes time. God's timing is not your timing.

7. THE WAITING GAME-- EXERCISE TIME FOR YOUR FAITH

While waiting for the promised results, your faith must go into action. You must learn to walk by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says,

"for we walk by faith, not by sight--". (NAS).

Never be discouraged by the circumstances, or let your emotions rule you. Faithfully continue in intercessory prayer, bible reading and continue to learn the scriptures. Believe that God will reward you for your faith in Him.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:1,6 NAS).