For many Christians, spiritual warfare—or the fight between God and his forces of good against Satan and his dark minions—is not a Miltonian fairy tale but a powerful reality that affects people’s health, sanity, families, and even work. But is the devil real? And can evil spirits truly affect the lives of people today? For author Patricia L. Loranger, the answer is a resounding and urgent yes.
In a book that mixes personal narrative, theological insight, and advice, the author explores the intricacies of deliverance—or the ministry of casting out dark spirits—while recording a series of alleged, brutal demonic attacks she has endured, including physical and sexual assault by dark entities. Having suffered through this crucible, Loranger aims to offer readers ways to prevent and handle spiritual attacks in their own lives through the use of prayer, blessings, and the breaking of what she calls “soul ties.”
Divided into two parts, “Preparation for Deliverance” and “Receiving Freedom” (by committing to God and his Holy Spirit), Loranger covers a bevy of Stephen-King-like topics, such as haunted houses, witchcraft, astral projection and sex, the spiritual dangers of getting tattooed, and the casting of spells. Some of the most interesting material deals with curses, which, Loranger contends, can be passed from generation to generation.
Although there’s a smattering of awkward sentences and minor grammatical mistakes throughout, Loranger presents her material methodically, and her conversational style of writing makes for overall easy reading. Readers should be warned that there are many instances of rape detailed, and the author’s conservative views on sex, sexuality, and gender will offend most progressive readers. While the book often reads like a horror novel, it seems Loranger’s primary goal isn’t to scare readers as much as to help them avoid temptation and reevaluate their understanding of reality.
Skeptics will likely think Loranger’s book is a work of fiction, but believers in the supernatural will find much to ponder here.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
