Showing posts with label channeling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label channeling. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Dabbling With the Dark Side? The Bible Clearly Condemns Halloween - BEN GODWIN CHARISMA NEWS

While I personally don't celebrate Halloween, I'm not a killjoy on a mission to rob people of fun.
While I personally don't celebrate Halloween, I'm not a killjoy on a mission to rob people of fun. (neepster/Flickr/CC)

Dabbling With the Dark Side? The Bible Clearly Condemns Halloween

BEN GODWIN  CHARISMA NEWS
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Darkness is used in Scripture as a metaphor for evil to represent all that is sinful and satanic.
In contrast, light is a biblical metaphor for good to represent truth and all that is of God.
The apostle Paul instructed, "Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth ... And do not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; instead, expose them" (Eph. 5:7-9, 11).
It's a tricky balance for Christians to be in the world without conforming to it.
Jesus prayed, "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).
If we imitate the world, we lose our distinction; if we isolate from the world, we lose our influence. Christians need to engage the culture if we expect to make an impact.
It's perfectly fine for a boat to be in the water, but if too much water gets in the boat, now that's a problem. This brings up the question, "How should Christians treat Halloween?"
The origin of Halloween incorporated a mixture of Christian and pagan practices.
According to World Book Encyclopedia, "Halloween developed from an ancient pagan festival celebrated by Celtic people over 2,000 years ago in the area that is now the U.K., Ireland, and Northern France. The festival was called 'Samhain' (pronounced SOW ehn), which means 'summer's end' and it marked the beginning of the dark winter season and was celebrated around Nov. 1. In the ninth century, the Catholic Church established a new holiday—All Saint's Day, also called All Hallows. 'Hallow' means 'saint' or 'one who is holy.' The evening before All Hallows was known as All Hallow's Eve, eventually shortened to Halloween.
"About 200 years later, the church added All Soul's Day on Nov. 2, a day set aside to pray for friends and family who died. People made many of the old pagan customs part of this Christian holy day. Some put out food for their deceased ancestors, or left lanterns burning in the windows so that ghosts could find their way home for the night. In England, people went house to house 'souling,' asking for small breads called soul cakes in exchange for prayers or songs (thus the origin of trick or treating)."
While I personally don't celebrate Halloween, I'm not a killjoy on a mission to rob people of fun. I do not equate dressing up in a cartoon or superhero costume and collecting candy with devil worship.
Many believers boycott Halloween because of its dark elements. The downside is Christian kids feel like they are missing out. Thankfully, many churches offer alternatives such as trunk-or-treat or fall festivals that provide wholesome fun and safe candy zones to keep kids off the streets.
Some of what happens on Halloween is harmless fun, but anyone with any spiritual discernment cannot deny that there is a sinister side.
"Abstain from all appearances of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22). Sin, like art, starts by drawing a line somewhere! It's an odd contradiction for Christians to dress their kids up as creepy characters they try to teach them not emulate.
At this time of year there is a tsunami of horror movies flooding the airwaves featuring vampires, witches, zombies, monsters, cannibals and savage serial killers. Hollywood and viewers, it seems, have an obscene obsession with and an insatiable appetite for gory violence.
You can't avoid being bombarded by the commercials even if you just watch news or sports. These shows glamorize evil and open the door to demonic influences. Some say it's all just fantasy or harmless entertainment, but, if what people watch doesn't affect behavior, then why do companies spend billions of dollars to advertise to them? 
In Greek Mythology, Zeus gave Pandora a box and a key as a wedding gift with a note "Do Not Open." Curiosity overcame her and she lifted the lid releasing all the forces of evil into the world.
The point is there are some doors you really don't want to open.
"Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]" (Eph. 4:27, AMP).
Don't open the door to sin's destructive influence. Slam the door shut in Satan's face!
Halloween is a showcase for witchcraft which the Bible clearly condemns (Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:31, 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10-14; Gal. 5:19-21), calling it an "abomination"—morally disgusting, detestable, despicable and abhorrent.
Contrary to popular belief, books and movies, there is no such thing as a "good witch." That is an oxymoron. How can someone controlled by evil forces be good?
Paul asked the Corinthians, "For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14, MEV).
Christians have no business dabbling in any form of witchcraft: horoscopes, crystal balls, séances, Ouija boards, Dungeons & Dragons, pentagrams, tarot cards, palm reading, spells, fortune telling, mediums, channeling, divination, sorcery, black magic and so forth.
There are only two sources of supernatural power—God and Satan. If something is not of God, where does it originate?
If you are involved in any of these practices, I urge you to repent of it, renounce it and ask God to remove it from your life. Don't gamble with your soul. Satan uses these and other ploys to deceive the masses.
What we need to know about our future is either found in Scripture or can be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).
Like bugs drawn to a light to their own demise, man has an inexplicable, magnetic attraction toward evil.
Robert Rudolph said it well: "Open minds like open windows need screens to keep the bugs out."
The air may seem clean in a house, but the air filter catches many unseen pollutants. There are many false beliefs and deceptions floating around, but the Bible is our filter. Its radiant light helps us discern and dispel the darkness.
"God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Friends, it's not worth the eternal risk of dabbling with the dark side. 
Ben Godwin is the author of four books and he pastors the Goodsprings Full Gospel Church. His weekly telecast, The Word Workshop, airs on TV-16 and Charter Cable No. 10 on Mondays at 9 p.m. and Tuesdays at noon and live streams on TV16HD.com. His website is bengodwin.org.
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Monday, December 2, 2013

Jezebel, Occultism and the End-Time War on the Saints - Jennifer LeClaire


The Plumb Line, by Jennifer LeClaire

Jezebel
(© Kenhurst | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images))
At first, I thought it was New Age culture. But I was wrong. It was occultism.
As I strolled through the streets of Key West on a 24-hour getaway with my daughter, I noticed something that I had never witnessed in Key West before: Occultism seems fully woven through the culture.
I’ve been going to Key West for more than 20 years and have spent weeks at a time on the tropical island. But something disturbing had happened in the 10 years since I last visited—and it’s merely a microcosm of what’s happening in the world today.
You can no longer walk down Duval Street—the famous drag of shops and restaurants—without running into the likes of Mahadeo Jerrybandhan, a renowned “peerless palmist” from Trinidad with a long white beard and an even longer white robe. But Jerrybandhan is not alone. He has plenty of peers in Key West, from psychics to mediums to channels to healers to tarot card readers to astrologers. The only group I didn’t find down there were the crystal readers.
Then there’s “Robert the Doll.” Key West profiteers have designed so-called ghost tours that explore the haunted history of Key West, including old wooden houses where spirits purportedly walk. Tour guides will tell you that Key West is one of the most haunted cities in the world with elevated paranormal activity. A local voodooistic icon, Robert the Doll will supposedly curse you if you take his picture without permission or forget to thank him for the privilege.
The Abomination of Occultism
As you can imagine, seeing all this grieved my spirit. But I should not have been so surprised. Occultism has been slowly creeping into American culture for decades as movie makers exalt witchcraft and vampires while the music industry pumps occult rock. Beloved, we are in the midst of a great spiritual crisis even now. Our literature, music, video games, comics, films and television shows are full of mysticism and the occult. Some of it is subtle. Some of it is blatant. All of it is wicked.
Again, this is nothing new. Occultism—which broadly includes magic, séances, channeling, hypnosis, necromancy, astrology, extra-sensory perception, alchemy, spiritualism and divination—is strongly condemned in the Bible.
“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire [which is an ancient occult practice], or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord” (Deut. 18:10-12).
The Lord rebuked Israel for practicing astrology (Is. 47:10-14). Jezebel practiced witchcraft (2 Kings 9:22) and we know how that ended. Ephesus was known for a population that practiced magic arts (Acts 19:19). And the book of Revelation makes it clear that “the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).
Kabbalah, Kundalini and Jezebel
And yet we see occult practices, like Kabbalah, gaining momentum in the church. We see "prophetic words" delivered in what appears to be Kundalini fashion, with violent shaking and demonic tongues against a backdrop of tribal bongos that set the congregation into hysteria. We see a Jezebel spirit working to seduce saints into idolatry and sexual immorality—and oftentimes succeeding. We see all sorts of strong delusion and strange fire with occultic ties in the modern church.
But we should not be surprised. The rise of occultism is a sign of the end times. Satan’s plan is to fascinate our hearts with occult power and deceive us. The Holy Spirit, meanwhile, wants to fascinate our spirits with a revelation of the Son of God. I believe God’s people are enticed by occultism when they begin seeking spiritual experiences above seeking God. It’s a subtle—and dangerous—shift. Many Christians are on fire for God, but that fire can suddenly turn strange if we are not rooted in the Word. If we seek supernatural experiences, we will find them—but they don’t always come from Jesus.
Beloved, we must not play with strange fire. Ultimately, the occult leads to murder and mayhem—immorality of all kinds. It’s not likely that you would ever willfully visit the likes of Mahadeo Jerrybandhan, the peerless palmist—or any of his peers. But could you ignorantly be engaged with occultic practices that are opening the door to deceptive dangers? Could it be coming from what appears to be godly influences—even within church culture?
Discernment or Deception?
Don’t brush the question off before praying about it. If you want the truth, the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you into all truth. Please hear me! Even a little occult is a deadly poison—a little leaven leavens the whole lump. The Bible warns about deceptive teachers, false apostles and deceitful workers. The Bible warns about self-deception. And it’s your responsibility to keep your heart pure. If you've stepped into this demonic ditch, repent now and warn others.
Friends, we’re in an end-times war with eternal consequences. Satan is using the occult to seduce people away from the kingdom of God to dance in the kingdom of darkness. I pray that the Lord gives you discernment and awakens your spirit, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming (Matt. 24:42).
Let me leave you with a warning from the apostle Paul: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). Amen.
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.