I started to be aware of all the occult practices infiltrating my community recently (A Little Magic? -Part 1). Is a village apothecary merely dispensing healthy tinctures and remedies? Is a simple cultural field trip a portal to evil?* These are just some of the questions that I began to ask myself this week.
Am I being melodramatic or does the Word of God support such conjecture? Let's explore that. When an old business leaves town and a new one takes its' place in a small subarban community there is more than a little excitement. In fact, it is the talk of the town and everyone can't wait to take a look inside. Initial reports around town, were that a good renovation had been done giving a much needed facelift to a rundown storefront.
Many thought an holistic alternative medicine business would be a welcomed addition to the downtown area. Perhaps, I could get an all natural bug repellent or a real herbal shampoo. Seeking healthier products rather than the chemical alternatives is a good idea. Looking at the business website did indeed reinforce the well-made and healthy nature of their product line. But, it also uncovered some surprising spiritual underpinnings. Oh no, here we go again!
It is like some spiritual gauntlet has been thrown down here in Westchester County, New York! The Bible talks about spiritual battles and makes it clear that we have to choose what side of the war zone that we are on. One of the themes in the Holy Scriptures that recurs regards witchcraft, demons and evil. It tells us to watch out for that stuff and stay completely away.
It started in the Garden of Eden. It was not that long after the creation of mankind that we encounter the first story of the devil and his evil tricks. After Adam and Eve were created, God instructed them in how to stay close to Him and avoid evil. They were instructed to not eat the fruit of a certain tree. Doesn't it always come down to not partaking of something? We can't do everything that we want.
Yet, that is one of the things Satan continually puts in our head. Why not? Why not eat the fruit? Why not overcharge that customer, they'll never miss that money? The ends justify the means. Yet, looking at the Bible we see story after story of people doing just what God tells them not to do and it never brings them the happiness they are looking for and it always brings unforeseen consequences.
These unforeseen consequences will arise when you go for that medicinal Reiki treatment or when you seek to ease your mind over a troubled marriage through a tarot card reading. I say consequences which is in the plural because there are many things which get set in motion after a little dabbling in the occult. The first thing could be the loss of money to a charlatan. Some people who pull out cards or say that healing energy will stream through their hands and flow through you are outright liars. Some of them have chosen to make their living by fleecing others of their hard-earned money. They might be good at reading people's subtle voice or body language signals. This might enable them to sense what people are thinking or what they want to hear.
As bad as this it, it does not equal the possibility that you have unwittingly been doing business with the evil one and his minions. Oh yes my friends, the occult is real. In Deuteronomy 18:9-11 God explains that before they are to enter the Promised Land they should be aware of certain temptations. God never wants us to be ignorant. So, just like He told Adam and Eve not to eat certain fruit, He instructs His chosen people thusly: when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, 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. God would never warn us not to do something if it was not real! I learned this lesson the hard way and I am not going to make the same mistake again.
In the past, I was curious about tarot cards and psychics. I wanted to have certainty about the future. I wanted help to make diffucult decisions. I already knew about God and yet chose to do exactly what I knew I shouldn't. Sometimes, we feel scared and alone even though he promised never to leave us or forsake us. Other times we are impatient even though we are told to add virtue to our faith and patience is indeed a virtue. Or sometimes, we treat God as if He is some earthly doctor and we just want a second opinion.
My first occult experience occurred when I was in high school. I had already been primed to look to the occult for guidance in my family setting. By the time I attended high school, my parents were divorced and my mother and sister had both looked to horoscopes, voodoo and the Quiji board for wisdom á la Garden of Eden.
After my dad left, my mother's more lenient approaches prevailed and there was chaos in my house. The Bible says that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and I believe that principle lay at the core of my families' dilemma at that point. So, when a trusted friend Mary asked me to do the Quiji board with her one day after school, I knew I shouldn't but I said yes anyway.
Mary was one of the smartest girls that I knew in high school. She was not drinking or doing drugs and we were both trying to work through our divorced kid issues. One day after school Mary said she had a secret about the real reason that she and her mother had left Columbia and came to the United States. She told me there was questions that she had concerning what had happened. She could not go to her mother so she wanted to go to the Quiji board instead. She begged me to help her find some answers and after arguing a little, I acquiesced.
Although I never knew what her family secret was, apparently the demons behind the Quiji board did and pretty quickly Mary was frightened and crying. This shocked me since Mary was the sensible type. We both barely sleep that night and in the morning I arranged a meeting with a Spanish Priest that I knew. Mary told the priest how she had tested the Quiji board by first asking a question that regarded her deep family secret that she already knew the answer to. She swore that she had not pushed the wooden pointer in any way. I proclaimed the same and also had the distinct impression that Mary barely was touching it before it moved in a powerful swoop. I knew what happened that day was real and there have been other instances where I can also affirm that the devil is behind these practices.
The Bible affirms this yet again in Acts 16:16-18. Here we can read the story of a fortune-teller who is not just a charlatan but is possessed by evil spirits. Paul the Apostle has the gift to be able to see what is of God and what is of the devil. In every body of Christ there are those who through the Holy Spirit have this deeper understanding. He sees the signs of demon possession on her and performs an exorcism in Jesus' name whereby she now becomes a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
So, why are so many occult practices becoming mainstream today? The answer is because the belief in Jesus is waning. This happened in the time of Noah, and during the reigns of the Kings of Israel. These monarchs either fought the occult or practiced it themselves. Jesus spent significant time relieving people of the burdens of possession that have plagued mankind since time immemorial. When ever people don't have God to look to as their guiding principle they look to other means to get through and find meaning to life. Finally, King Solomon put it succinctly when he said : in the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider:surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find nothing that will come after him.-Ecclesiastes 7:14.
* While viisiting the "Cloisters Museum and Gardens" a well- known tourist destination in the Bronx, New York my husband saw a sign in the herbal garden which stated, " Plants used in Medieval Magic and Ceremony."
Friday, June 28, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
A Little Magic? (Part 1)
Suddenly, magic is all around me here in Westchester County, New York. The rainy spring weather brought more than the usual amount of weeds to my garden this year. Is there some spiritual rain that could account for the bumper crop of businesses that seemed to have sprung up having to do with the practice of magic? I think so.
I was searching for a parking space before my gym workout last week. I had to park further away from the location than usual. I parked right in front of a spiritual wellness center. In its' big picture window it advertised itself to be a spiritual counseling service, which included tarot card readings. It was also a full supplier of magical botanical products. When I mentioned this store to my trainer, he was only vaguely aware of its' existence. But, he did notice a large and rather gaudy purple awning in another section of town. It too did tarot card readings, in addition to spirit circles and energy adjustments.
Hey, what gives? Two new pagan beachheads just sprung up in a town not far from my own. I did not see that coming. In the war between good and evil we tend to think that the pagan practices of the past as outlined in the Bible are dead and gone. We don't expect to see the divination spoken of in Leviticus 19:31 which states: Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them : I am the Lord your God.
We might even have failed to take it seriously when we read passages such as 1 Samuel 28 which tells us that King Saul sought advice for his future by counsulting a witch. It may seem remote from our life as a believer so we fail to see its' relevance in today's world.
Why are some people looking to the stars or to spirit guides to find answers? In the mission territory that is Westchester County, New York, atheists tell me they believe that science has or will have all the answers. Why then are these ancient pagan practices sprouting up in this rationalist enclave? Wouldn't the microscope, a D.N.A. test or a brain image be more helpful? Hasn't our world found salvation with its powerful, life-altering pharmaceuticals instead?
All of these thoughts went quickly through my mind as I waited in front of the store with a purple awning for that long red light to change to green. I had a busy day that afternoon but I could not seem to get those stores out of my mind. What did it portent for my community, and for people's souls? It was not good, I knew that.
Flashing back to my own childhood I recall people in my family turning to these practices during times of trouble. My earliest recollection of such things, began as a usual visit with my grandmother, holding her hand as we did her weekly errands on the vibrant streets of the lower East side of Manhattan. Haggling amid the stalls of the old markets and buying live poultry under the Williamsburg bridge was fun. One day that fun turned to dread when we walked into one of the many storefronts dedicated to the practice of Santería.
Even as a young child, I knew what this was. My childlike understanding was simple but, I knew that Santería was the commingling of Christian beliefs and the Yoruban polytheistic belief system. I also firmly understood that this was an abomination to the God of the Holy Bible. I had been taught that at a Christian school that gave me some basics of the faith. My father also made no secret that he was none to pleased with his mother's dabbling in Santería. Whereas, I was concerned with her spiritual well-being, my father was more concerned with it being injurious to her wallet.
My own mother who seemed to laugh at various occult practices throughout the years found herself vulnerable when she and my dad went through a divorce. My mother was the classic example of a person who did not realize the power of the occult and so failed to be able to effectively mount a defense when she fell into temptation. I do not want to make the same mistake.
As I contemplate what the aforementioned businesses could mean for my life, I again think of the story of King Saul. He was facing an invasion by the well-trained and well-equipped soldiers of the Philistine army. The prophet Samuel had died and even though he had thrown the mediums out of Israel in the past, his present circumstances led to his backslide and the temptation of seeking their advice now. He wanted to speak to Samuel just one more time. Contacting a dearly departed loved one is the number one reason that people fall into occult practices.
The same thing happened to my mother and grandmother. We must be aware that during challenging times we might encounter spiritual warfare. We could then be tempted to seek answers and solutions that come from forces other than God. Sometimes we are impatient to receive an answer from God or we can't accept a loved one is gone. However, when we choose to contact a dead person, look at our horoscope, get a tarot card reading or look to crystals for healing, we are denying the power of God Almighty. We are following other gods. We are now in violation of one of the all-important ten commandants.
Choose to follow Jesus and Him alone. Resolve to resist the temptation of seeking fast answers. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones- Proverbs 3:6-8
NEXT WEEK- A Little Magic? (Part 2): More occult encounters in Westchester. Do occult practices really work?
I was searching for a parking space before my gym workout last week. I had to park further away from the location than usual. I parked right in front of a spiritual wellness center. In its' big picture window it advertised itself to be a spiritual counseling service, which included tarot card readings. It was also a full supplier of magical botanical products. When I mentioned this store to my trainer, he was only vaguely aware of its' existence. But, he did notice a large and rather gaudy purple awning in another section of town. It too did tarot card readings, in addition to spirit circles and energy adjustments.
Hey, what gives? Two new pagan beachheads just sprung up in a town not far from my own. I did not see that coming. In the war between good and evil we tend to think that the pagan practices of the past as outlined in the Bible are dead and gone. We don't expect to see the divination spoken of in Leviticus 19:31 which states: Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them : I am the Lord your God.
We might even have failed to take it seriously when we read passages such as 1 Samuel 28 which tells us that King Saul sought advice for his future by counsulting a witch. It may seem remote from our life as a believer so we fail to see its' relevance in today's world.
Why are some people looking to the stars or to spirit guides to find answers? In the mission territory that is Westchester County, New York, atheists tell me they believe that science has or will have all the answers. Why then are these ancient pagan practices sprouting up in this rationalist enclave? Wouldn't the microscope, a D.N.A. test or a brain image be more helpful? Hasn't our world found salvation with its powerful, life-altering pharmaceuticals instead?
All of these thoughts went quickly through my mind as I waited in front of the store with a purple awning for that long red light to change to green. I had a busy day that afternoon but I could not seem to get those stores out of my mind. What did it portent for my community, and for people's souls? It was not good, I knew that.
Flashing back to my own childhood I recall people in my family turning to these practices during times of trouble. My earliest recollection of such things, began as a usual visit with my grandmother, holding her hand as we did her weekly errands on the vibrant streets of the lower East side of Manhattan. Haggling amid the stalls of the old markets and buying live poultry under the Williamsburg bridge was fun. One day that fun turned to dread when we walked into one of the many storefronts dedicated to the practice of Santería.
Even as a young child, I knew what this was. My childlike understanding was simple but, I knew that Santería was the commingling of Christian beliefs and the Yoruban polytheistic belief system. I also firmly understood that this was an abomination to the God of the Holy Bible. I had been taught that at a Christian school that gave me some basics of the faith. My father also made no secret that he was none to pleased with his mother's dabbling in Santería. Whereas, I was concerned with her spiritual well-being, my father was more concerned with it being injurious to her wallet.
My own mother who seemed to laugh at various occult practices throughout the years found herself vulnerable when she and my dad went through a divorce. My mother was the classic example of a person who did not realize the power of the occult and so failed to be able to effectively mount a defense when she fell into temptation. I do not want to make the same mistake.
As I contemplate what the aforementioned businesses could mean for my life, I again think of the story of King Saul. He was facing an invasion by the well-trained and well-equipped soldiers of the Philistine army. The prophet Samuel had died and even though he had thrown the mediums out of Israel in the past, his present circumstances led to his backslide and the temptation of seeking their advice now. He wanted to speak to Samuel just one more time. Contacting a dearly departed loved one is the number one reason that people fall into occult practices.
The same thing happened to my mother and grandmother. We must be aware that during challenging times we might encounter spiritual warfare. We could then be tempted to seek answers and solutions that come from forces other than God. Sometimes we are impatient to receive an answer from God or we can't accept a loved one is gone. However, when we choose to contact a dead person, look at our horoscope, get a tarot card reading or look to crystals for healing, we are denying the power of God Almighty. We are following other gods. We are now in violation of one of the all-important ten commandants.
Choose to follow Jesus and Him alone. Resolve to resist the temptation of seeking fast answers. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones- Proverbs 3:6-8
NEXT WEEK- A Little Magic? (Part 2): More occult encounters in Westchester. Do occult practices really work?
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Spiritual Warfare
My Pastor has been preaching a three-part sermon series about spiritual warfare. I believe he was inspired in this. Our Church has been engaged in a variety of godly endeavors to much success. As my previous posts detail, I have been on my first Mission Trip. Ever since that trip, I have been engaged in various support functions fueling the needs of that Ministry. Missions trips just don't happen, there are details which must be attended to in order for the good work of helping those in need to continue.
It begins with prayer. As I get closer to hard deadlines and pressures have mounted to successfully complete the goals set forth, I have found it necessary to pray in a new way. Just as I did when contemplating my Mission Trip last October, I realized how much I need God to be my focal point. Apart from Him, I can do nothing. I beseech God in every aspect of this work.
As I have been praying, the burdens of leadership have fallen upon me. I understand now why churches always pray for each Ministry. It is because responsibility entails stress, hard decisions and even temptations. Staying true to God entails spiritual maturity and discernment, especially against the plots of Satan.
There are many with spiritual discernment at my church. There were a number of women who have come to me privately to warn me to be aware of the spiritual warfare to come. The Bible affirms another realm besides that which we can sense through our five senses. If we could see our own spiritual realm more clearly, we would see some of the underlying issues blocking our progress in certain situations.
Through prayer and an understanding of the heavenly realm, we can get through some of the stressful things in our life. Studying the Bible is key to getting the full picture of what spiritual warfare is and what it is not. The British scholar, author and lay theologian C.S. Lewis said that believers usually fall into one of two camps when dealing with the demonic. We either deny its' existence or we get fascinated with it.
He had a point! Today many people, including some Christians do not believe that angels or demons are real. On the other hand, there are those who can not get their fill of films depicting the devil, demons, and the battle between good and evil. Our list of obsessive fascination with the satanic sphere would not be complete without mentioning wizards,vampires, ghosts and paranormal activity. Many successful films and film franchises on the above topics have made a lot of money and furthered Satan's inroads into our lives.
It took me a long time to finally get these teachings right. I had to sort through what the popular culture, and my family had impressed upon me and take time to study the Bible. What I found was that the Bible was the only thing that made sense. The Bible perfectly explains all the things I have seen in a lifetime and consistently helped me understand and cope with my life. My relationship with God has always improved my life but I had to give up some of my bad habits first.
I have been coping with a sick husband, friendship shake-ups, and the details entailed in getting 150 handmade scarves to children living abroad in three group homes. Maybe you have been coping with some things too? When an animal is weak or imfirmed it can be preyed upon by some enemy lying in wait. The devil also lies in wait for times of weakness in our life. He strategically attacks us when he wants to take us out of the game because we are so effective for the Lord. What a chess player he is!
The Bible tells us trials will beset us but to cheer up because Jesus has overcome the world. We have to keep that in mind. The devil is subordinate to the Lord so don't fear Him! However, he can play some nasty tricks but, only if we allow him to. The Bible tells us to resist the devil and he will flee. In order to resist him we must know how he operates. He knows the whole truth about us and he will use that to tempt us to sin and stop following God.
It is sometimes difficult to determine how much of our travails are the devil, just life and how much is us giving into sin. This is spiritual warfare. God is faithful to us if we turn to Him during times of trouble. Have I and my church encountered spiritual warfare? Yes, but the good news is that Satan is attacking us because we are doing a lot of things right. A friend of mine who does not believe in the devil asked me if the devil is real why hasn't she ever encountered him? I told her that it was because he is pleased with the way she is running her life. What a wake-up call for my friend and what a wake-up call for us. Let's make every day count for the Lord, and let's ask Him to strengthen us to be our very best! The devil is real but he is a defeated foe. Let us rejoice because of the victory we have over him because of Jesus! Thank you Lord.
It begins with prayer. As I get closer to hard deadlines and pressures have mounted to successfully complete the goals set forth, I have found it necessary to pray in a new way. Just as I did when contemplating my Mission Trip last October, I realized how much I need God to be my focal point. Apart from Him, I can do nothing. I beseech God in every aspect of this work.
As I have been praying, the burdens of leadership have fallen upon me. I understand now why churches always pray for each Ministry. It is because responsibility entails stress, hard decisions and even temptations. Staying true to God entails spiritual maturity and discernment, especially against the plots of Satan.
There are many with spiritual discernment at my church. There were a number of women who have come to me privately to warn me to be aware of the spiritual warfare to come. The Bible affirms another realm besides that which we can sense through our five senses. If we could see our own spiritual realm more clearly, we would see some of the underlying issues blocking our progress in certain situations.
Through prayer and an understanding of the heavenly realm, we can get through some of the stressful things in our life. Studying the Bible is key to getting the full picture of what spiritual warfare is and what it is not. The British scholar, author and lay theologian C.S. Lewis said that believers usually fall into one of two camps when dealing with the demonic. We either deny its' existence or we get fascinated with it.
He had a point! Today many people, including some Christians do not believe that angels or demons are real. On the other hand, there are those who can not get their fill of films depicting the devil, demons, and the battle between good and evil. Our list of obsessive fascination with the satanic sphere would not be complete without mentioning wizards,vampires, ghosts and paranormal activity. Many successful films and film franchises on the above topics have made a lot of money and furthered Satan's inroads into our lives.
It took me a long time to finally get these teachings right. I had to sort through what the popular culture, and my family had impressed upon me and take time to study the Bible. What I found was that the Bible was the only thing that made sense. The Bible perfectly explains all the things I have seen in a lifetime and consistently helped me understand and cope with my life. My relationship with God has always improved my life but I had to give up some of my bad habits first.
I have been coping with a sick husband, friendship shake-ups, and the details entailed in getting 150 handmade scarves to children living abroad in three group homes. Maybe you have been coping with some things too? When an animal is weak or imfirmed it can be preyed upon by some enemy lying in wait. The devil also lies in wait for times of weakness in our life. He strategically attacks us when he wants to take us out of the game because we are so effective for the Lord. What a chess player he is!
The Bible tells us trials will beset us but to cheer up because Jesus has overcome the world. We have to keep that in mind. The devil is subordinate to the Lord so don't fear Him! However, he can play some nasty tricks but, only if we allow him to. The Bible tells us to resist the devil and he will flee. In order to resist him we must know how he operates. He knows the whole truth about us and he will use that to tempt us to sin and stop following God.
It is sometimes difficult to determine how much of our travails are the devil, just life and how much is us giving into sin. This is spiritual warfare. God is faithful to us if we turn to Him during times of trouble. Have I and my church encountered spiritual warfare? Yes, but the good news is that Satan is attacking us because we are doing a lot of things right. A friend of mine who does not believe in the devil asked me if the devil is real why hasn't she ever encountered him? I told her that it was because he is pleased with the way she is running her life. What a wake-up call for my friend and what a wake-up call for us. Let's make every day count for the Lord, and let's ask Him to strengthen us to be our very best! The devil is real but he is a defeated foe. Let us rejoice because of the victory we have over him because of Jesus! Thank you Lord.
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