Chapter Eighty:
God is warning His Church that it’s time to put away ALL practices that He finds detestable and return to their first love, Jesus Christ. He’s calling His Church to cleanse itself, not only to restore itself, but also to break any bonds that the enemy has achieved by trapping His people as Satan delights to ensnare us by having us combine unbiblical and paganistic-type practices with our Christianity.
In the previous chapter, we looked at how different types of Paganism (ie., witchcraft, yoga, occult practices, New Age), have infiltrated the Christian Church. This can be confirmed by simply looking at the many books that are written with the intent of helping a person mix their Christian beliefs, with other beliefs, such as witchcraft. A book that comes to mind is called “The Christian Witch” and it gives details on how to go about becoming one, with directions on how to set up your new altar. These types of books are promoted as being harmless, and are marketed in such a way that is appealing and stirs up one’s curiosity. This should alarm all of us given that Paganism is reportedly the fastest growing “religion” in the United States. If there are books written, and we know it’s being heavily promoted by social media influencers, then we can be assured Paganism has gotten into the Church.
Since there can be some confusion about just what types of activities/practices can be at odds with Biblical Christianity, lets first look at some ways a person can become unknowingly involved in pagan practices. One of the practices that can have serious ramifications is seeking guidance from those who call themselves spirit guides, with alluring promises of receiving wisdom, knowledge or some type of power. These spirits are not from God, they are demonic, and any interaction with them can quickly lead one down the wrong path. The Bible clearly indicates that we are to seek guidance from the Lord alone (James 1:5), as He speaks to us through prayer and reading the Scriptures. First John 4:1-3 warns against engaging with spirits other than the Holy Spirit, as they are always deceiving, demonic spirits. There's always some truth in what Satan uses, that's what allows us to be seductively influenced solely for the purposes of being manipulated.
Some people are enamored with the topic of angels, as they are seeking new teachings or insights from them. Beware such encounters, Scripture tells us that they are specifically sent to minister to those of us who are saved, born again. (Hebrews 1:14). Most importantly, they never give new information that’s beyond what is written in the Bible...they are only "repeaters"...they only repeat what they have been told to say, by God. They come with a very specific message, they don't stop to talk, or teach, they deliver God's specific message, and leave. If you look at cults or false religions (i.e. Mormonism), they are based on someone getting a new insight/direction from a false angel, which leads to false teaching.
Look throughout your house to make sure you don’t have any relics or other items you may have picked up while on a sacred pilgrimage. People often believe that physical objects or going to a certain place can convey spiritual power. If there is any power attached to it, it’s demonic in nature and needs to be removed immediately. Sometimes a new believer can continue to keep something, not realizing that it needs to be thrown away. If you’ve spent time in your room/home doing rituals/seances, it would be a good idea to go around your house and pray, asking the Lord to remove anything that is not of Him, in order to cleanse your living space.
If you’re trying to achieve power through dabbling with altered states of consciousness (also known by some as astral projection), while you may believe this is simply separating your spirit from your physical body, this is rooted in the occult and New Age. Wanting to explore spiritual realms or get information by this method is anti-Biblical. In the account in the Bible of God “translating” a person (Second Kings 2:11,12), God removed Elijah, his whole body, from the earth up into Heaven. It was a divine act that God caused. Astral projection is used for personal gain or seeking enlightenment, which are selfish purposes.
Tarot card reading has become very popular, with people charging money to those seeking information. This is a form of divination that uses a deck of cards to attempt to gain insight or guidance. Those who practice tarot card interpretation tell the participant that they can tap into unseen forces or energies to receive guidance. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 God specifically warns against engaging in divination, fortune telling or seeking information from occult practices, and goes so far as to call them detestable. It’s the Holy Spirit that we must look to when we are seeking guidance, not spiritual forces that are outside of God’s will.
These different practices rely heavily on pulling you in to them by your emotions, and offer you the ability to change or control your circumstances. Rather than trusting God for your life, and meeting your needs, the seduction is that you get to make things happen, you get to attain what is beyond your reach and it all comes, at a seemingly harmless cost. This is usually what is behind what’s called the “Power of Attraction”. This invites individuals to participate in believing that they can attract, or create, their desired outcomes through focusing their thoughts and feelings on what they want. This is oftentimes connected to people’s desire for wealth or a love interest, but it is also used for those who want to learn how to better manipulate others
The practice of yoga is a very touchy subject within Christian circles. While it’s often portrayed as simply stretching and exercise, we need to be aware it does have its roots in Hinduism. I read some time ago that yoga was never intended to be an exercise regimen, the postures/positions one takes when sitting are meant to resemble one of the Hindu gods, and yoga positions are used in order to invoke the god to possess the body of the practitioner. Hinduism believes that there is one reality, that there are many gods, with reincarnation being the goal for how a person lives. Reincarnation is anti-Biblical as Scripture (Second Corinthians 5:8) directly links physical death with immediate presence with Christ. And for those who gaze at the stars looking for direction and knowledge, they are placing their trust in creation rather than in our Creator, God. As believers, our lives are to be directed by God’s will.
And if you’re interested in the topic of UFO/UAPs, remember these beings are demonic, inter-dimensional beings, not benevolent beings as portrayed by movies, etc. If you want to get a Biblical view on this topic, I suggest you look into true Christians who have expertise on this subject. Many voices are saying that humanity began as a result of alien beings seeding our planet and are waiting for humanity to mature before they will return, this is an outright demonic lie. Our beginning started as it says in the Book of Genesis, Chapter one...God created everything and it’s He who holds it all together!
We must remember that any insight and power must come through Christ, through our relationship with Him, not on anything else. A true Christian is to look to God for everything, in His time and in His way. We should not give credit for any positive supernatural energy coming from anyone/anything apart from God. No ritual, however well intended, should be performed.
As a Christian, we are to seek God through Christ, and only rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. God is the only one that we are to worship! God’s word is all sufficient to meet our needs, and the Holy Spirit is to be our teacher. If we dabble in other things outside of this, we open ourselves up to be taken away from the path of true life and total reliance on God alone. Our power, our hope and strength are to come from Christ living within us, not from ritualistic actions or special mystical knowledge.
First Peter 5:8 reads, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” There is a reason we are told to be sober minded. We are warned not to be under the influence of anything that can be mind altering, whether its drugs/alcohol or practices that God is adamantly against. I believe God is giving His Church this sobering warning in order to shake us awake, to alert us to the dangers involved.
We need to not only be cautious about what we allow into our minds, but also the surroundings in which we place ourselves. We need to come out from under the influence of anything anti-biblical. We need to be purged, cleansed and set free from those things we have allowed to entangle us as a result of straying from God. If we don’t, we become easy prey for the enemy as he looks for spiritually compromised or spiritually weak believers. Be responsive to the warnings God sends you, and remember that bad company corrupts good character (First Corinthians 15:33), so be careful who you associate with as they can have a negative influence on your walk with God.
As soon as you realize that you’ve been involved in any of these pagan practices, stop and pray. You need to repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness, and determine that going forward you’ll get your direction from prayer and reading the Bible. Ask God to help you break any links you’ve created, and ask Him for His strength to overcome, as the enemy won't easily give up on the snare he has been weaving around you. God loves His children, but He will not put up with our serving two masters.
We need to pursue God with all our heart and look to Him alone for counsel and guidance. Don’t adopt the attitude that someday you'll repent of it, at some point you'll change, because the longer you linger and expose yourself to demonic influences, the weaker you become, spiritually. Make up your mind that you won't compromise, that you'll be careful of what you allow to influence you. Determine to not even entertain thoughts of returning to your old ways and practices
James 4:7: tells us “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Submit to God, and walk away from your desire to be in control and manipulate. It’s only by submission to God that we can have the ability to resist the devil, and the lures he uses to entice us away from God's protection. The word "resist" literally means “to strive against, to oppose, to withstand”. When you're submitted to God, you’re under His protective covering and whatever hold the enemy has had over you becomes totally ineffective. But you must mean it, you can't half-heartedly follow God while wanting to hang on to being in control of your life.
Remember, First John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that we need to be satisfied with God and trust Him to give us everything we need for life. You'll find satisfaction and hope in the presence of God, and the things this world has to offer will be less enticing. Satan's goal is to get you and keep you distracted and dissatisfied with your life, so he offers up multiple enticements to cause you to drift away from God. God is to be our sole source of true spiritual power, power that is to be used for His purposes, not our own gain. God wants us to walk soberly, in truth, not intoxicated by lies that have us live in a false reality of our own making.
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