A Book Review of Protecting Your Home From Spiritual Darkness by Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema

I am a strong proponent of protecting the family both physically and spiritually. As a husband, father, and man, I consider defending my family to be one of my most important duties. Because of this, when I first found Protecting Your Home From Spiritual Darkness by Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema, I was immediately interested in its subject matter. At only 112 pages in length, it is a rather accessable book and is made up of eight chapters and two detailed appendices.

Its subtitle reads, “10 Steps to Help You Clean House, Place Jesus in Authority and Make Your Home a Safe Place.” This is a very good description for what the book contains. As it opens, the authors immediately mention removing things from homes. In the text’s first account we read of Cathy who suffered from depression constantly (pg. 9). On the next page it reads, “…I knew that something in her house was not right. I knew that some thing was connected to the dark shadow that hung over her emotions. I began walking through the house praying, ‘Lord, show me anything in this home that is representing Cathy’s depression’ ” (pg. 10). They later find a copy of the handbook for thirty-second degree Masons. At the instruction of one of the authors, a fire is built and the book is burned. Doing so broke a Masonic curse in her bloodline and freed her of crushing depression that was the result of the demonic forces attached to the book (pg. 10).

This turn of events was exciting to read, and illustrative of what the book contains. It is filled with people who endure suffering, and the objects or events that are connected to their predicaments. Some of these accounts are related to the authors themselves, while others are not. For example, at the beginning of chapter 3, one of the authors confesses to previously having a covetous, greedy spirit. This was in relation to demonic forces inhabiting a jewelry box (pg. 25). In another instance, some friends ask for prayer concerning a building that was plagued by continual problems. After many months they found a cement gargoyle in the corner of the attic. It was subsequently destroyed (pg. 45). Although I am sharing two examples here, many more could be provided. It’s fitting that the book’s cover mentions cleaning house. The authors encourage it often. So much so that it sometimes feels like it is the work’s main focus.

While they didn’t convince me that spirits inhabit objects, I do appreciate being mindful of the types of items that I have around me. The authors do an impressive job of highlighting the influences of objects in the home and elsewhere. In chapter 3 they write about problems with objects, and warn against a wide assortment of them. Some of these include buddhas, instruction books on Yoga, lucky charms, secret society objects and more. The book’s list for such things is quite extensive. It makes up about 3 pages of the text (pgs. 33-35). The book features a number of such lists. As one goes through the book, Mr. Pierce and Ms. Sytsema explore multiple subjects, such as cooperating with the Holy Spirit, symptoms of a spiritually polluted atmosphere, and how to review a child’s boundaries (pgs. 15-17, 23-24, 77). All of these are presented in some sort of list format.

Through it all, I found the text flowing very well and easy to follow. It is possible to take such attributes for granted, but I really think that these are two of the book’s strongest qualities. Most chapters, sections, and lists contained helpful information. Many of the things taught can be acted upon even if one does not agree with every point made by the authors. The book’s whole design contributes to repeated reading. It can be readily used as a resource with ease which is appreciated.

Even though I have a lot of good things to say about Protecting Your Home From Spiritual Darkness, I was regularly disappointed by its inclusion of many unscriptural terms. These hinder me from recommending the book more highly. Early in the book the authors convey their desire that we live in freedom and liberty as Christians (pg. 13). This is good, but they also speak of legal rights over places and applying the blood of Christ in various situations (pgs. 22, 55). The sheer amount of times these latter ideas were brought up was distracting to me. To my knowledge, the apostles did not speak of legal rights over places very much. Nor am I aware of any scripture that actually teach Christians to plead the blood of Christ over a place or thing.

Near the end of the book they also encourage readers to secure their relationship to God by “accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior” (pg. 85). Like some of the book’s other phrases, this isn’t found in the Bible either. Because of these things, I cannot fully recommend this work. Like I have conveyed earlier, it does make some good points and contains helpful advice. It is clear that Chuck Pierce and Rebecca Sytsema put a lot of work into Protecting Your Home From Spiritual Darkness. However, its overuse of terms and strategies that are foreign to the Bible force me to give it only a cautious recommendation.

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars