Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986 Page 40
5) Praise Him now in faith for the remarkable prayer experiences you are going to have.
He is a remarkable God and he will do something consistent with His character.
6) Deal aggressively with the enemy. Come against him in the all-powerful Name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and with the ―Sword of the Spirit‖ -the Word of God. ―Submit
yourselves therefore to the Lord resist the devil and he will flee from you‖ (James
4:7).
7) Wait in silent expectancy. Then, in obedience and faith, utter what God brings to
your mind, believing, ―My sheep hear my voice ...and they follow Me‖ (John 10:27).
Be sure not to move on to the next subject until you have given God sufficient time
to discharge all He wants to say to you regarding this particular burden, especially
when praying in a group.
8) Always have your Bible with you should God want to give you direction or
confirmation from it. ―Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path‖
(Psalms 119:105).
9) When God ceases to bring things to your mind for prayer, finish by praising and
thanking Him for what He has done. Remind yourself that, ―From Him, and to Him,
and through Him are all things. To Him be glory forever‖ (Romans 11:36).
Approached in the right manner, perhaps these nine steps would have been good guides.
How they led to different aspects of cultic control is probably not immediately obvious, but
they did.
Confession
Robert Lifton noted in his classic treatment of the subject that Chinese brainwashing
consisted in part of a demand for purity that leads to obsessive personal confession and
exposure.7 I will show how Intercession led to emotional sessions of self-analysis and
exposure in YWAM.
After the lecture delineating the steps of Intercession, and a five-minute break, we
regrouped in the Lecture Room for our first try at it. Exactly what occurred is still hazy in
my mind, but I will try to explain it as best I can. I found a seat near the front and sat
clutching the blue card they had handed out that listed the magic formula for unlocking the
secrets of God. I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and amidst the chorus of ―Yes Lord‘s‖
and ―Thank You Jesus‘s,‖ I heard Jack, our director begin to pray. After a few moments, he
prayed, ―And Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit would reveal any unconfessed sin …‖ He
continued in a soft voice, and I believe that he mentioned various sins, but I can‘t recall
exactly what he said. I had focused my thoughts on God, but in the background I heard
Jack encouraging, ―Speak it out, speak it out.‖ The next thing I knew, someone was sobbing
loudly, ―Oh Lord, please forgive me!‖ Again Jack instructed, ―Speak it out.‖ Eventually the
sobbing girl confessed that she had been sleeping with her boyfriend before she left for
Hawaii. She prayed for a few minutes and then several others offered prayer on her behalf.
Her confession was soon followed by those of others who felt convicted about sins
committed prior to their arrival at DTS. This went on for several hours --people crying out
and pleading for forgiveness, and Jack advising them to ―Speak it out.‖ We finally broke for
lunch at one o‘clock.
The following two mornings were also filled with hours of crying and confessing and I was
emotionally drained we all commented that we felt as if we had spent the morning engaged
in grueling physical exercise. I remember feeling confused and frightened during these
sessions, and guilty for not confessing everything. I shared my feelings with one of the staff
members and was advised to confess my fear as sin. I did.
A friend recalled to me the following episode that occurred during one of these sessions:
5) Praise Him now in faith for the remarkable prayer experiences you are going to have.
He is a remarkable God and he will do something consistent with His character.
6) Deal aggressively with the enemy. Come against him in the all-powerful Name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and with the ―Sword of the Spirit‖ -the Word of God. ―Submit
yourselves therefore to the Lord resist the devil and he will flee from you‖ (James
4:7).
7) Wait in silent expectancy. Then, in obedience and faith, utter what God brings to
your mind, believing, ―My sheep hear my voice ...and they follow Me‖ (John 10:27).
Be sure not to move on to the next subject until you have given God sufficient time
to discharge all He wants to say to you regarding this particular burden, especially
when praying in a group.
8) Always have your Bible with you should God want to give you direction or
confirmation from it. ―Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path‖
(Psalms 119:105).
9) When God ceases to bring things to your mind for prayer, finish by praising and
thanking Him for what He has done. Remind yourself that, ―From Him, and to Him,
and through Him are all things. To Him be glory forever‖ (Romans 11:36).
Approached in the right manner, perhaps these nine steps would have been good guides.
How they led to different aspects of cultic control is probably not immediately obvious, but
they did.
Confession
Robert Lifton noted in his classic treatment of the subject that Chinese brainwashing
consisted in part of a demand for purity that leads to obsessive personal confession and
exposure.7 I will show how Intercession led to emotional sessions of self-analysis and
exposure in YWAM.
After the lecture delineating the steps of Intercession, and a five-minute break, we
regrouped in the Lecture Room for our first try at it. Exactly what occurred is still hazy in
my mind, but I will try to explain it as best I can. I found a seat near the front and sat
clutching the blue card they had handed out that listed the magic formula for unlocking the
secrets of God. I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and amidst the chorus of ―Yes Lord‘s‖
and ―Thank You Jesus‘s,‖ I heard Jack, our director begin to pray. After a few moments, he
prayed, ―And Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit would reveal any unconfessed sin …‖ He
continued in a soft voice, and I believe that he mentioned various sins, but I can‘t recall
exactly what he said. I had focused my thoughts on God, but in the background I heard
Jack encouraging, ―Speak it out, speak it out.‖ The next thing I knew, someone was sobbing
loudly, ―Oh Lord, please forgive me!‖ Again Jack instructed, ―Speak it out.‖ Eventually the
sobbing girl confessed that she had been sleeping with her boyfriend before she left for
Hawaii. She prayed for a few minutes and then several others offered prayer on her behalf.
Her confession was soon followed by those of others who felt convicted about sins
committed prior to their arrival at DTS. This went on for several hours --people crying out
and pleading for forgiveness, and Jack advising them to ―Speak it out.‖ We finally broke for
lunch at one o‘clock.
The following two mornings were also filled with hours of crying and confessing and I was
emotionally drained we all commented that we felt as if we had spent the morning engaged
in grueling physical exercise. I remember feeling confused and frightened during these
sessions, and guilty for not confessing everything. I shared my feelings with one of the staff
members and was advised to confess my fear as sin. I did.
A friend recalled to me the following episode that occurred during one of these sessions:
