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There’s a war going on in our cities, in our churches and in our homes. Drs. Greg Patten and Ken Copley have joined forces – for a one-day seminar on Feb. 22 – to help others be victorious in that ongoing battle.

“Many people in our current culture live as if nothing exists beyond the physical world,” says Copley, a Christian counselor and pastor from the Midwest. “Ignorance of the spiritual realm abounds. The Bible tells us that an intense spiritual battle rages around us.”

Copley and Patten’s experiences with demon possession have evolved into a ministry of its own and now, a daylong “helping others” instructional event, “Defying the Demonic: Your Path to Spiritual Freedom,” led by the duo.

A demonic attack decades ago on Patten, a Fort Wayne, Ind., pastor and syndicated radio host, started this chain of events. “It all began on a Saturday,” Patten recalls, when a pastor friend called, asking Patten to talk with a woman who seemed to have a demonic spirit there with her. Patten was convinced to talk with her – until a “dark, creepy voice” started cussing and demanding he hang up. “This (evil) spirit would later tell me his name was Abaddon.”

Patten shares another instance when “my wife, Sharon, and I were helping a lady a few hundred miles away via the phone, and an evil spirit took control of this woman and said he was coming for me. ‘Really?’ I asked. ‘How soon?’ Big mistake. In a vile, strong voice, it said, ‘How about I send Moloch to you?’

“We didn’t even have time to get scared… It was not long before our farmhouse shook like an earthquake hit… I remember my wife screaming, ‘What is happening?’

“Little did I know that our normal would never be normal again.”

This conference will cover the reality of spiritual warfare, the devil’s strategies and how to obtain victory over demonic bondage.

The one-day event, presented by Southwest Radio Ministries, will be held at the First Free Will Baptist Church, 701 1st St., Elizabethton. Session topics will include Sins and Strongholds, the Devil and Demonic Forces, Current Spiritual Warfare Issues, Arming for the Invisible War and Guiding Others to Liberation. A Q&A session at 3:15 p.m. with the speakers will close the day.

For most of its 91 years on the airwaves, Southwest Radio Ministries of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Northeast Tennessee has sponsored conference events featuring the country’s best-known speakers on Bible prophecy, evangelism and end-times insights. Recently, Southwest Radio Ministries added a branch called “Fortified,” to arm believers with the Bible-based arsenal they need for such a time as this, and Defying the Demonic is a facet of the Fortified portion of the 91-year-old media- and mission-based ministry.

Drs. Patten and Copley have ministered for over 80 combined years in the realm of spiritual warfare and want to share their insights, experiences and solutions in a biblical context. “Our desire is for others to find Bible truth, practical answers and hope in the current heated battle with the enemy,” they say. “Every Christian needs to understand the fundamentals of spiritual warfare.”
Admission for the daylong event is $25. A workbook is included with the registration fee.

Doors at First Free Will Baptist Church, Elizabethton, will open Saturday, Feb. 22, at 8 a.m. with opening remarks by Southwest Radio Ministries CEO Matthew Hill at 8:45 a.m. and sessions starting at 9 a.m. For a detailed conference schedule or to register, visit swrc.com/events or call 800-652-1144.