Penciled Prayers: A Prayer for Ellen and Bethel Redding

"The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!'And he said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'"

(Luke 10:17-20)

Father in heaven, as I talked to Ellen (the lady in the picture, on the right), today, my heart was grieved for her, and for the thousands and thousands of people like her who seek to have control over spirits, angels, and even the Holy Spirit. She is one among a growing number of deceived people around the world who seek to have You, the Holy Spirit, subject to her. This became painfully obvious when she literally refused, during an evangelistic role-play, to share the gospel with me and call me to repentance and faith in You, Lord Jesus. Knowing as we role-played that I had but weeks to live, she could offer me no hope. She offered me nothing more than to join her "community" of people who would pray for my physical healing. She offered me a chance to have my temporal body repaired, but no hope of counsel as to how I could be reconciled to You, for all eternity. She saw a physical gift of healing as better than the spiritual gift of salvation.

Ellen sees the presentation of Your gospel as a "sales pitch." She sees the feelings and comfort of the unsaved as sacrosanct, as inviolable, as sovereign. She sees the straight-forward proclamation of the gospel as somehow a violation of the rights of the unbeliever--an intrusion of the unbeliever's will and the inner-sanctum of a heart that is at enmity with You.

Ellen, dear Father, is a member and by-product of an anti-Christ cult known as Bethel Redding.

Lord God, Your angels rejoice over one sinner who repents. Members of Bethel Redding rejoice over one body that is healed--or should I say they claim has been healed. Bethelites rejoice about what they believe are manifestations of Your Spirit, which are not. They rejoice not that their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Sadly, Lord, I fear most who call Bethel Redding home, will find their names written in "the books" on the Day of Judgment, but not the Book of Life.

Lord, You know my heart. I do not want anyone at Bethel Redding to perish in their sins--including the Johnson and Vollatton clans of false teachers, including the false worship band known as "Jesus Culture." I pray they all come to repentance and faith in You, Lord Jesus. I pray they will repent and long to be in heaven with You. I pray they will stop lying about bringing heaven to earth. I pray they stop misrepresenting heaven as a place no better than Romper Room, Disneyland, or a Carnival Cruise.

Father, I want NO harm to come to the leaders or members of Bethel Redding. Again, my prayer is that You bless them with repentance and faith in Your Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--You, Jesus, and not the misrepresentation of You taught by Bill Johnson and Kris Vollatton. But Father, I pray you stop them. Please stop them from further corrupting already corrupted, unregenerate hearts and minds. Please stop them from deceiving those counted among Your elect. Father, prevent them from preaching, teaching, writing, broadcasting, proselytizing, influencing, and profiting in any way about and/or off of their false and blasphemous beliefs. Please close the doors of Bethel Redding. Shut off the electricity, disrupt the flow of water into and out of the building. Let sink holes form in the parking lots in such a way that no one is harmed.

Lord, I ask that the light of the Holy Spirit, the real Spirit of God, would expose what is done in secret at Bethel Redding, as well as what is done in secret in the lives of the Johnsons, the Vollattons, and everyone else considered a "leader" at Bethel Redding. Expose them in such a way as to break their pride, their haughty and deceptive spirits. Cause them to confess to how, for years, they have manipulated and deceived people. And then, Father, cause them to be born-again. Take their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh. May their repentance include the recantation of every lie they have ever told about You, Jesus, and about the Father and the Holy Spirit, about angels, and healings, glory clouds, fire tunnels, and every other demonic manifestation that is attributed to You. Please save them, and then use them to utterly destroy the New Apostolic Reformation, the Word of Faith movement, and the Prosperity movement.

Lord, bring about revival by closing the doors of every false church created by these false "signs and wonders" movements. Gather Your elect from these churches and place them under the loving care of true shepherds. Bring salvation to the lost and spiritual discipline, clarity of mind, and maturity to Your elect who found themselves enamored with the false promises of false gifts, miracles, and treasures.

As I pray, Father, I understand it is possible that Bethel Redding and cults like it might be forms of judgment upon those whose hearts you will allow to remain hard--those to whom You will not extend mercy or compassion. While sad for them, if this is the case, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You are good no matter what You do.

Father, it is 1:30 AM as I write this prayer. Lord, if she is not already awake, please wake Ellen. Compel her to go to her knees with a heart filled with repentance. A broken heart, O God, You will not despise.

In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.