Archive for August, 2009
Posted by owner on
August 31, 2009
I mentioned the role of “deep healing” in my review of Charles Kraft’s Defeating Dark Angels. In that book Kraft argued that many in deliverance ministry make a mistake by confronting demons too quickly. Kraft believes that while demons may be successfully cast out of a person by such a power confrontation, the individual may still be left with deep-seated psychological or spiritual problems. Kraft argues that if these problems are left unresolved, the individual will not be truly free even though the demons have left. And, he contends, the inner “garbage” [Kraft's term] may lead to re-infestation by the demons who left or by other demons.
Psychological and spiritual problems
It’s important here to see the significance of our deep seated psychological and spiritual problems. [Examples of such problems are self-hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc.] Such problems serve as entry points for demons, giving access to the human personality. They also serve as what I call “standpoints,” and others call “grounds” or “rights.” Whichever term one uses, these problems serve as a “base of operations” for demons, giving them a place to stand or a “legal right” to be present in a demonized person.
Kraft points out that even if a demon of unforgiveness [whose function it is to further harden the individual's heart and increase the hostility felt by the unforgiving individual] is driven out, the individual still will be unforgiving. The basic problem, that served as the point at which the demon first entered and gave him ground to stand on within the individual, hasn’t been resolved. Just because the demon has gone does not mean that the person has forgiven the person(s) he refused to forgive before!
The solution, Kraft suggests, is to start with the basic problem or problems. Deal first with the unforgiveness, or the self-hatred, or the temper, which served as the demon’s entry point and the ground on which he continues to inhabit the individual. In Kraft’s experience if we are successful in bringing healing to the individual, we weaken the demon(s) hold on the individual by cutting out from under the demon the grounds he had for being in the individual in the first place.
Given this perspective, it’s not at all surprising that Kraft wrote the book I’m reviewing here now. It’s titled, Deep Wounds,Deep Healing. And it’s subtitle is, “Discovering the vital link between Spiritual Warfare and Inner Healing.”
Deep Wounds
In Kraft’s experience the kind of wounds that are most intimately linked to demonization are wounds that area administered early in life. A young girl is ignored by her parents, who can’t be bothered to take time aware from their pursuits to pay attention to their toddler. Or a son’s spirit is crushed by the critical parent who is always saying demeaning things to and about him, Or a young child who is sexually abused by an older brother or an uncle. When such things happen during a person’s earliest years, deep wounds are administered that continue to haunt the person into adulthood. These deep kinds of wounds, Kraft points out, call for “deep healing.”
Kraft in speaking of “deep healing” is not inventing a new ministry. Others have pioneered ministry to the deeply wounded. You may be somewhat familiar with this ministry under such names as “prayer counseling” or “inner healing.” Earlier books that deal with this issue include David A. Seamands Healing for Damaged Emotions, John and Paula Sandford’s The Transformation of the Inner Man, etc.
While Kraft is not unique in his emphasis on this sort of healing, his book is, as usual, lucid, helpful, and filled with stories drawn from his personal experience. It is also helpful because of Kraft’s emphasis on the interrelationships between inner healing and demonization. Once again I’m forced to say, as I said of Defeating Dark Angles, if you could only have a few books on deliverance ministry, Deep Wounds,Deep Healing would simply have to be one of them.
Deep Healing
Kraft does an excellent job of showing us what Deep Healing involves. There’s no way in a post as brief as this one that I can sum up all the insights he shares with us. I can, however, note that at its core deep healing involves guiding an individual back to those terrifying experiences that first caused the wounds, and inviting him to see Jesus present during those experiences, letting the love of Christ bring healing as the Holy Spirit ministers in those awful experiences.
We’ll never understand why God permita such experiences in the first place. But as Kraft points out to those who ask “Why?”
Satan wanted to destroy you.
You weren’t destroyed.
Someone more powerful than Satan was there, protecting you.
In the end, person after person has found freedom from those deep woulds. The scars remain. But healing is possible. And for many, healing has come. And the demons who worked to keep those wounds open and bleeding have be driven out.
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August 31, 2009
news showing the growth of neopagan faiths
A bargain at 25 Pounds!
Pagans gathered to burn the Wicker Man at Dolmen Grove in Dorset, England, the weekend of the 22nd. The 28-30th The Tribal Dreams Gathering was scheduled for the fields the Great Dorset Maize Maize. The hundreds of people attending these “spiritual gatherings” listened to the medieval rock band The Dolmen Saturday night after a busy day attending workships. Or perhaps eating the “best vegetarian chocolate cake ever” at The Dreamcatcher Chat Cafe, where healers, therapists, pychics and tarot readers were on site. Included in the price of the 25 Pounds Sterling tickets was also the Lammas Games [named for the pagan festival], with contests and games including the skull shie, wooky hole, and the more familiar relay and tug-o-war. Oh yes, there was also a “Christian speaker” included aming the druids and Buddhists.
Texas Isn’t England . . . Yet
A few weeks ago I reported on the rights granted pagans and pagans by the British Prison System. It seems that Texas is a little slower to respond to prisoners’ requests. Charles Roberts of Brownsville. Texas. is suing the Texas prison system, claiming discrimination. It seems he’s asked several times for Wiccan books, pentagrams and a person to lead Wiccan Services at the Texas system’s Lopez Center, but the prison’s chaplain hasn’t responded. Roberts wants a federal court to give him $600,000 and force the Texas Department of Justice to grant his religious requests. [NOTE. The Texas system's rules require at least 3 practitioners of a religion and a person not in prison to lead worship.] But Roberts claims when he was imprisoned in 2004 the prison entered his religion as “non-denominational” although he told them he was Wiccan.
Pagan Festival Great Success
It seems that the Delmarva Pagan Pride Festival held near Dover, Delaware, was a great success. Full color photos in the Dover News Journal highlighted the various forms of entertained enjoyed by the hundreds who attended. Not everyone who came was a pagan. “It was an opportunity for people of many beliefs to be together and to learn something new,” one organizer said.
Divination Dinner Raises Funds
A dinner to raise funds for the Mid-Missouri Pagan Pride Day scheduled for September 27 was held July 31 in Columbia, Mo. The organizer explained that “the purpose of Pagan Pride Day is to promote education and religious tolerance. There will be jewelry makers, pottery booths, belly dancing and other vendors and non-profit organizations. Workshops are also a part of the festivities; chanting workshops, spiritual work and community building are expected to play a part in this year’s Pagan Pride day.” The dinner tickets ($18 for a single, $30 for a couple) included a meal and the buyers choice of three “divinations.” The divination choices included tarot cards, tea leaves, runes, astrology, charting and clairvoyants.
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August 31, 2009
The story of the Blind Prophet makes for fascinating discussion in Sunday School Classes and small groups. Zaki’s struggle with bitterness over his tragedy, and insight God provided, as well as his role in the cosmic struggle between angels and demons, raise issues that touch the lives of believers today. Why not consider reading and discussing The Blind Prophet with your class or with a group of friends. The book is available NOW on Amazon . . . .
Discussion Guide for
The Blind Prophet
Intended for a four-week class or group study.
First week: Book 11
Are the reactions of Zaki and others who’ve
experienced injustice understandable? To
what extent are they valid?
Second week: Book 12
What about Zaki’s observation of Zimri-lim
and of Job helped him to heal?
Third week: Book 13
What is involved in using today the resources
God revealed to Zaki given to protect a
people against Satan?
Fourth week: Book 14
How many themes can you find that are
developed in this book? What is the most
important idea underlying each theme?
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August 26, 2009
I’ve just returned from the beautiful city of Seattle. Wife Sue was in a “story workshop” at Mars Hill Graduate School there. I did two Occult Invasion workshops. As in any city I visit to conduct a Occult Invasion workshop, I looked up “above ground” occult activity there. In addition to many shops offering psychic services, I found 53 different neopagan groups meeting within 25 miles of south-side Burian. The “Greater Seattle Witches” group has 520 members. “Seattle Pagans” boasts 321 members. And EFT claims 336 “evolving spiritual beings.’ While MeetUp.com lists 4 witches group with about 1,000 members, the Website Witch’s Voice adds 23 Covens, none of which are listed on MeetUp. Of course, there’s a lot more going on “underground” and not published for the general public. There truly is an explosion of occult religions.
Two contributing factors
In the workshops I stress two cultural factors that create the climate for the explosive growth in neopagan religions and occult spirituality. The first is our culture’s view of truth as relative. Rather than truth being absolute, and anchored in the structure of the created universe, most in our society view truth as personal and subjective. Thus a thing can be true for you, and not true for another person. Combine this with the value now placed in our society on tolerance, and the stage is set for the proliferation of neopagan and other religions. The goddess you believe in may not be the abstract deity your neighbor believes in, but each is “true” in the sense of being valid for the one who believes it. It would definitely be intolerant for either you or your neighbor to challenge the validity of the other’s beliefs.
In this context anything goes . . . and testing out others religious ideas and notions of spirituality seems to many the thing to do. After all, how else can I discover a faith that’s “true for me”?
Two views of the spiritual universe
It’s important to contrast the views of the spiritual universe that are made explicit in biblically based religions and are implicit in the many varieties of neopagan faith, ranging from Wicca to Shamanism to closely linked eastern religions such as Buddhism.
The Bible reveals a spiritual universe populated by God, angels, and demons, and pictures demons as one-time angels who rebelled against God and turned to evil. Demons’ hatred of God and their hostility toward human beings is fixed and unchanging. The Bible takes a stand against all occult activities, as these activities bring people into contact with demons.
Neopagan religions envision a spiritual universe without a Sovereign Creator, but populated by many beings. These beings range from “the god” and “the goddess” [the male and female aspects of deity] to the pagan deities of Celtic and Scandinavian myth. In addition the spiritual universe is seen as populated by the spirits of people who have died, of animals, of angels, of ghosts, of beings waiting to be embodied, and of demons. The most significant thing about these spirits in the view of neopagans is that they are benevolent, eager to help those who live on this earthly plane. Thus all neopagan faiths encourage contact with spirit beings. Once contacted, a spirit being or beings will function as guides to help the person who’se contacted them make good decisions in life. Thus most neopagan religions encourage adherents . . . and others . . . to be open to contact with spirits and to actively invite “spirit guides” into their lives.
Given these contrasting views its easy to understand why those who believe the Bible find neopagan faiths dangerous. Neopagan religions not only compete with the God of Scripture for humankind’s allegiance. Neopagan religions promote contact with demons who, despite the “help” they may offer, are ultimately intent on causing their hosts suffering and eternal loss.
Our attitude toward neo-pagans
Neopagans, and especially Wiccans, are likely to point out that historically Christians have persecuted witches and those who engage in occult practices. Unfortunately, this is true. And while there are those who are committed to Satanism and ritual abuse, most modern neopagans are normal individuals, good neighbors, and “nice” people. In a pluralistic society such as ours, where people are free to practice their religion of choice, there’s no place for persecution of any kind. In fact, neopagans are to be treated with love and with respect.
But this does not mean that Christians shouldn’t lovingly share their faith with a neopagan neighbor, or shouldn’t respectfully challenge neopagan beliefs with thoughtfully presented biblical truths. And the better we understand neo-pagan faiths and the better we know our Bibles the more equipped we’ll be to share.
It also doesn’t mean that we are to fear neo-pagans we may know because of their possible association with demons. Those who have given demons access to their lives are in most cases victims, not victimizers. And, as we stress on demondope, the Christian has authority over demons, an authority granted by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We’re not to dabble with demons. But we’re not to be terrified by them either. As Scripture says, “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Summing up
Neopagan faiths are flourishing in our culture’s climate of relativism and “tolerance.” Their view of the spiritual universe directly conflicts with the reality revealed in Scripture. Unfortunately, the neopagan view of the spiritual universe makes them vulnerable to demons masquerading as other kinds of spirits. As Christians we’re to love our neopagan and Wiccan neighbors. While respecting their right to their beliefs, we can also lovingly challenge those beliefs by sharing what the Bible teaches and praying for their conversion.
Posted by owner on
August 26, 2009
Voodoo in Houston cemetery
When Pilar Martinez visited his father’s new grave in an East Houston
cemetery on August 21st he was shocked to find signs of a voodoo ceremony.
Hidden under the new sod were 21 jars. Some contained dolls with pins
stuck in them. Others had animal parts. Others had pictures of unidentified
women. “This isn’t unusual in our community,“ a local store owner commented.
Gang Investigators Alerted to Vampire Crime
On August 17th the Oklahoma Gang Investigators Association meeting
in Lawton, Oklahoma featured a three-hour seminar on occult crimes
committed by individuals and groups acting as vampires. The seminar
leader, a thirty-year law enforcement officer from Virginia, focused
on information as to how to combat occult crime. Oklahoma sheriff Ken
Stradley said some of the information was nothing new. “We’ve had
some of these incidents throughout the county where we knew Satanism
was involved,” Stradley stated. Lawton police gang investigator
Tiff Poff stated that “street gang and that kind of violence doesn’t
hold anything to what we’re learning how big these topics are becoming.”
Witching Ways?
The Central Illinois Herald and Review.com of August 21 reported on
the discovery by skeptic Tracy Logsdon that he has a “gift” for dowsing,
also called witching, divining, and rhabdomancy. [The practice usually
involves holding a forked stick or rod, which is supposed to react when
what is being sought is located.] After observing two friends attempt
to locate underground water by dowse Logsdon was urged to try. At first
he refused, but finally took the dowsing rods in his hands. He reports
feeling something like an “electric shock.” When they dug where he indicated,
they found water. These days Logsdon uses his “gift” to help people locate
lost graves.
Pagans in Delaware
Hundreds traveled to Dover Delaware the weekend of August 20th to participate
in the Delmarva Pagan Pride Festival. Organizer Ivo Dominguiz Jr calls it
an “open air spiritual festival” when “people of all magickal and spiritual backgrounds get together.” Ivo stated there’ll be music, vendors, and lots of activities for kids. When questioned about the level of interest in the
festival Dominguiz,who operates a shop for pagans called The Bell, Book and
Candle, pointed out that his store that offers spells, books on magick
and candles, could hardly survive if there wasn’t a significant population
of pagans “right here on Delmarva” to support it.
ACLU Joins Fight Against Fortunetelling Ban
According to a Washington Post article of August 17th the ACLU has
joined Gypsy Nick Nefredo in his fight against a Montgomery County,
Maryland, law making it illegal to make money from forecasting the
future. Although Nefredo lost a similar suit in 2008, he’s likely to
win this one. Similar bans in Louisiana and Nevada have been overturned
in state courts. In Livingston Parrish, Louisiana, such a law was
overturned when a Wiccan minister claimed that his passing along
messages from the other side was the same as a Christian minister
preaching a sermon from the Bible.
Husband Accused of Child Abuse, Witchcraft
In Williamston, SC, Christine Starnes accused her husband Scott
of being “deeply involved in witchcraft” and of “using her and their
children without their knowledge.” She provided police with a video
taken by Scott of their 4-year-old son. While the tape was not deemed
evidence of child abuse it did provide a basis or a search warrant.
Police found evidence on a computer of child-pornography, and that
the husband is enrolled in an Internet witchcraft school and seeking
information on how to “banish troublesome persons.”-
Posted by owner on
August 11, 2009
News from around the world that reflects the growing acceptance of neo-pagan beliefs
Northern Michigan hosts thousands of neo-pagans
Early in August thousands of Wiccans and Pagans gathered in Traverse City, Michigan to celebrate Lughnassadh. One of eight pagan holy days. This festival, also known as Lammas. celebrates the first harvest. As an article in The Traverse city Record-Eagle on August 7th reported, this is a time that pagans “thank the Divine Spirit and the Earth Mother” for “bringing forth life.” The August 1st celebration featured a outdoor worship service led by a Wiccan priest and priestess. The paper’s report of the gathering was provided by the Rev. Harry C. Dorman, an ordained Wiccan priest associated with the Circle Sanctuary of Barneveld, Wis.
Christians fear popular Potter films promote witchcraft
The St. Petersburg times reports that since its July 15 release the latest Harry Potter film has grossed more the $260 million in the U.S., and $753 million worldwide. Like the other Harry Potter films Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince portray some witches and wizards as good guys, and features children practicing magic arts. While fantasy helps to develop children’s imaginations, and most children distinguish between fantasy and reality, many Christians are rightly concerned that the films foster attitudes toward occult practices that conflict with reality. As Deuteronomy 18 emphasizes, occult practices are “detestable” and strictly forbidden to believers.
Pentacle Wearing witch in South Africa Parliament
On August 8th the South Africa Times featured an article Adrian Williams, “the only pentacle wearing witch in parliament.” Williams, who attended Christian schools as a child, practices magick but doesn’t refer to himself as a witch. “I believe in the God and the Goddess and the elements:the air,the fire, the earth, the water and the spirit,” William says.
* NOTE: “The God” and “the Goddess” are terms pagans used to refer to nature deities.
Utah Pagan Pride celebration honors Ra
Pagan groups in Utah are planning a Pagan Pride Day event for August 15 in Ogden. Non-pagans are invited to attend. “We want to let people understand us and know us and be our friend,” the coordinator of the event explained. “We want people to know we’re normal, ordinary people.” The event will begin with a rather less than ordinary ritual at 11 AM that “will be a tribute to the Ra, an Egyptian god.”
K-State student studies Pagan communities
Kansas State University senior Jessica Ice is spending the summer attending pagan community events and doing in-depth interviews with members of the pagan community. An anthropology student, Ice is doing her research on a grant from the K-State McNair Scholars Program, and hopes to do a documentary and post video clips on UTube. She spends some four days a week attending covens. Ice says pagans are misunderstood, and calls the pagan culture “accepting, loving and open-minded.”
Great Britain to “regulate” herbalists
In Great Britain health minister Ann Keen announced that herbal medicine faces new government controls. However, according to an August 6 article in The Sun, “unlike doctors, herbalists and acupuncturists won’t have to provide proof their treatments work.” Critics claim the government action will increase the credibility and influence of herbalists, many of whom are associated with New Age religions. Britain’s leading expert in alternative medicine pointed out, “If you regulate nonsense, its still nonsense.” Professor Michael Baum of University College, London, says “This is like licensing a witches’ brew as a medicine so long as the bat wings are sterile.”
British writer explains neo=pagan beliefs
On August 4 the UK paper, The Guardian, printed the following defense of neo-paganism written by Dianne Syhan, who has been a neopagan since she was 16. She explains her faith as follows: “The most common denomination of Neo-Pagnism is Wicca, a religion born in Britain that hit the ground running in America and has attracted initiates of all ages by the thousands. Central to Wiccan belief is the idea of God as both feminine and masculine, but if you ask any six Wiccans what that means to them, you’ll get at lease seven answers. For some it means polytheism; every god and goddess from every religion past and present is a discrete entity with his or her own personality and attributes. For others, it means a form of dualism whereon all goddesses are aspects of the great goddess and all gods aspects of the great god. Still others believe that those two deities are in turn aspects of the one; a similar belief to the concept Brahman in Hinduism.” Syhan expresses a common theme when she writes, “To me, it does not matter what name or face you put on the divine, or how many gods you worship. What matters is that your religion, whatever its name or trappings, makes you a better person and helps you to leave the world better than you found it.”
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August 11, 2009
When Paul entered the city he had an overpowering sense of resident evil. It wasn’t the teaming crowds or the merchants hawking their wares from the shops that lined the streets. The crowd seemed excited, caught up in the sights and sounds of this First City of Asia. It was nothing tangible, nothing visible. It was simply a feeling; an awareness that dark forces ruled here, that a heavy weight was crushing down on the crowds that seemed completely unaware.
The city was Ephesus, the site of the Temple of the goddess Diana, or Artimis as she was known in Asia minor. Ephesus was the center of her cult, the proud possessor of a magnificent temple that not only drew pilgrims from the entire Mediterranean world but that also served as a bank, providing massive loans to governments as well as individuals. Paul would live in this city for two years, during which he would do battle with the demons masked by cities deities, and the myriad of demons that worked in the hearts of individuals through the sorceries and occult practices much of the population engaged in.
Acts 17 tells us much about the spiritual conditions in Ephesus when Paul arrived . . . and the transformation of the city as Paul’s gospel penetrated the hearts of more and more of the population. Paul conducted a spiritual warfare against Satan that led to the burning of books on magic and sorcery worth the equivalent of millions of dollars, cast demons from individual, and turned so many away from the worship of Diana that the economy of the city–based on the sale of medalions and other religious souvenirs–was almost destroyed.
After two years or so in Ephesus Paul continued on his missionary journey. But later Paul wrote a letter to the Ephesians which we have preserved for us in the New Testament. As might be expected, the struggle against the dark forces that had dominated Ephesus continued. In Paul’s letter he undoubtedly reviewed truths he had taught when he was with the young congregation. And we shouldn’t be surprised if those truths focused on what seems to have been the major challenge to the Christian community’s continuing spiritual health and well-being. Aside from two brief references to the principalities and powers in heavenly places that Christ enabled the apostle to defeat, the major clue to the significance of Ephesians is found in the Apostle’s concluding challenge. The Christians in Ephesus are to “put on the full armor of God” so that they can “stand against the schemes of the Devil.”
The church at Ephesus must continue the spiritual war against the Devil that Paul conducted so successfully when he was present.
Not surprisingly, in view of the satanic stronghold that Ephesus was in the first century, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians served that young church as a handbook for spiritual warfare against Satan and his demons. Each piece of armor that Paul mentions represents a theme that is developed in the book itself, although the topics represented by the pieces of armor are taken up in reverse order in the body of the book. As a handbook for spiritual warfare with the Devil, the book of Ephesians is especially relevant for us today.
It was only some 50 years ago, in the 1960’s and 70’s, that a group in Great Britain turned back to ancient days to reconstruct the religion then practiced by pagans. Drawing on Celtic and Scandinavian myths and practices, a new paganism emerged. Today neopagan faiths are growing exponentially in Great Britain and the United States, incorporating New Age ideas and magical rites. These faiths, while there are some 150 different “paths” represented, are perhaps best represented by Wicca. In today’s climate of a relativistic view of truth and a social emphasis on “tolerance,” neopagan beliefs and an occult spirituality are growing exponentially. Witchcraft and magick, the invitation of spirits into one’s life to serve as spirit guides, and the worship of demons masquerading as gods and goddesses, is becoming more and more common in our culture.
The result here, as it was in first century Ephesus, is a growing plague of demonization, as demons gain a foothold in the lives of unbelievers and Christians alike. As the plague moves toward epidemic proportions, Christians need to recognize the challenge. And we need to turn to Scripture for guidance as how we’re to respond.
The book of Ephesians is especially valuable for this purpose. By donning the “full armor of God” we can protect ourselves from Satan’s schemes, and be ready to take our stand against him.
That’s why in past posts I’ve taken a look at each piece of the armor God provides. And that’s why I’m looking forward to teaching the Book of Ephesians in the church we attend, and in other churches as well.
I encourage you to look back on this blog and check out the posts on the armor of God in Ephesians. And I invite you to come to one of the the Ephesians studies I’ll be doing in the Raleigh area, or, to see if your church would like to sponsor a Friday/Saturday intensive study of Ephesians where you live.
I’ll post the dates and times for these Ephesians studies when they have been arranged.
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August 5, 2009
We’re finally at the last piece of the Armor of God believers are to “put on” to be able to take a stand against the strategies of the devil. Actually, as far as the Chapter 6 listing of the “armor” is concerned, it’s the first piece to be arranged by the Roman soldier as he donned his defensive gear. But, as I’ve noted in the earlier studies, the structure of Ephesians treats the spiritual reality each piece of armor symbolizes in reverse order. Thus the first to be “put on,” which is “the belt of truth,” is treated last in Ephesians, in chapter 5:8 through 6:9. That’s the passage we must focus on if we are to understand the role of “truth” in protecting us from Satan’s strategies.
The “belt”
The “belt” worn by the Roman legionnaire wasn’t that thin strap of leather moderns wear to hold up a man’s trousers or shape a woman’s waist. And it wasn’t a tool belt, designed to store a foot solders weapons or hold his canteen. The military belt was more like a thick leather apron. It hung down to the knees, providing some protection for the thighs. But more importantly, it was strapped tightly around the abdomen and the muscle of the lower back, much like a belt worn by weight lifters or construction workers who must lift heavy objects. It was designed to strengthen the soldier core, greatly increasing the the ability of the legionnaire to remain steady as the enemy pressed against him. The first item of armor to be put on as a Roman soldier prepared for battle, it was vital to his ability to “stand” under enemy attacks.
“Truth”
Paul’s titling of each piece of armor defines what it symbolizes. Ephesians 6:14 tells us that the belt represents “truth.” This leaves us with another question. What does the Apostle mean by “truth?”
The first paragraph in this section, Ephesians 5:8-14, makes Paul’s thought very clear. That paragraph links “truth” and “light.” This linkage is not unique with Paul. It’s found also in the writings of the Apostle john (See 1 John 1:5-7 especially), and in Jesus’ own teaching, which frequently contrasts light with darkness.
One of the roots of the Greek word for “truth” is “in harmony with reality.” A thing is true not simply because God says it, but because what God says is in complete harmony with reality as God knows and shaped reality to be. The Bible portrays lost humanity as wandering blindly in a moral world of illusion, never able to see reality because of the darkness that is in them. only the touch of the Holy Spirit illuminating the Word can enable a human being not only to see reality but to live in harmony with it, and thus to “know the truth” in the sense of experiencing it.
In Stevenson’s book Kidnapped the young hero comes to his uncles dark castle after his father dies. The uncle, fearful the young man is there to claim a share of the estate, offers him a room at the top of a flight of stone stairs. Refusing to give our hero a candle, the uncle tells him to guide himself by placing a hand against the wall till he comes to the doorway of his room. The lad stumbles up the stairs in total darkness, feeling his way. Then, suddenly, after he’s climbed up many steps, a flash of lightening suddenly illumines the scene. And the boy sees to his horror that the steps simply end in space, and down below are jagged rocks on which the uncle intended the boy to fall to his death. Only the flash of light revealed the reality. The darkness obscured it, and promoted the illusion of safety at the top of the stairs.
in a sense each of us is born into a dark world, and we stumble up hidden steps seeking safety. But with reality hidden from us we are destined to fall. But then comes the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit shines God’s light on our life. We see life as it really is. And seeing the truth, we have the opportunity to choose a path that is in harmony with reality; a path that is safe, though at times challenging; a path that as Jesus announced, can set us free (John 8:32).
Truth applied
Many commentators on Ephesians tend to treat Eph.5:8-13 with what comes before it rather than what follows. It’s easy to see the reason for this. Righteousness, the theme of Eph.4:13-5:7, is intimately related to both truth and light. However I see this paragraph as the introduction to Paul’s discussion of truth as a soldier’s belt which supports the core of the individual, providing the strength and stability required for standing firm under Satan’s attack.
If I’m correct, this paragraph provides Paul’s definition of truth and enables him to go on to focus our attention on the contexts in which living the truth strengthens our core. We are not to be foolish, Paul says. We’re to understand what the will of the Lord is, and rather than getting our thrills from alcohol we’re to get a true “high” by being filled with the Spirit, and helping each other be filled by providing spiritual support (5:17-20). Then we’re to live out the truth in every relationship we have.
Husbands are to live the truth with wives, wives with husbands. Parents are to live the truth with children, children with parents. Even in the relationship a master has with a slave and a slave with a master there is truth to be lived. And as our daily lives and most intimate relationships are shaped by God’s truth, our core is strengthened. And we are better prepared to stand against Satan’s attacks.
Much more
There is much more to be said about each paragraph in this section. But here our goal isn’t to provide a thorough exposition of each paragraph. Here our goal is simple to gain insight into the armor God provides us as believers. And this “first on” piece of armor is vital.
God has revealed the truth to us in his word. He has shown us how to live our lives with others in view of moral and interpersonal realities. As we belt this truth on tightly we are strengthened in our very core, our “inner man,” and thus prepare ourselves to stand against all that Satan and his demons can throw at us.
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August 4, 2009
Hippocrates, writing in Epidemics, penned words that have wrongly been attributed to the Hippocratic Oath. He penned, The physician “must have two special objects in mind, namely, to do good or to do no harm.” Each prescription belongs on the priority list of anyone who would consider any deliverance ministry.
This topic was suggested by one of our demondope readers, who wrote, “one of these days you should do an article on why ambushing and kidnapping people with the intent to force ‘deliverance’ on them is not only against the law but makes for a Very Bad Idea.” I had to agree with the reader, and so I responded that I would do just that. My reader wrote back to share a personal experience, which I’ll share with you in a moment. But first, a few thoughts on attempting to force or coerce deliverance.
The arguments
1. Its all too easy to misdiagnose demonization and/or demonic oppression. What we assume to be symptoms of demonic activity may instead be symptoms of an organic or mental illness, or symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Pushing ahead with an attempt to exorcise in such cases can be harmful to the person, especially if a coercive approach like “deprogramming” is involved.
2. In any deliverance ministry the cooperation and agreement of the person is essential. Not only is the agreement and active participation important for the initial expulsion of any demons. Without continued active resistance to demons who may try to return, any initial success is likely to lead to re-infestation. By its character, “deprogramming” is an attempt to coerce cooperation, and is unlikely to gain true cooperation.
3. of even greater concern, such an action is a violation of the person’s integrity, and is demeaning. God created humans in his image and likeness, a gift which includes the right to make choices and be responsible for their consequences. While some might argue that a person who has been “programed” by a cult or by demons has lost his free will, this argument in specious. Only by showing respect for another person can we truly help him or her make responsible choices. When Scripture says to pray for a person that he might be recovered from the devil’s snare, its abundantly clear that coercion is ruled out, And that prayer is far move effective than programing, or de-programming.
4. Of still greater consequence is God’s own example. His love for human beings is far beyond our capacity to grasp. Yet when Adam sinned God refused to coerce him. He made a way for Adam’s sons and Eve’s daughters to return to him. But that was a choice they were left to make for themselves. If God woos rather than subdues us, who are we to compel? The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual. We are to rely on the word of God, the love of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit to gently persuade others to those choices which are in their own best interests. In this both an awed respect for God and respect for the persons he has created convince us to reject any strategy that may harm even when we wish most desperately to help.
The impact
As I noted, the friend who raised the subject wrote again and shared a personal experience. I was given permission to share it with you. You may not be convinced by the arguments above. And, admittedly, what’s below is on the extreme. But it is nonetheless revealing of what happens inside anyone when we offer less than love and respect in any attempt to help.
“So first and foremost, a human lure upon false pretenses, and abduction of this nature by itself injures with a severe blow to trust and the trust capacity, and renders the situation not unlike rendering oneself unto the care of an assailant for brain surgery, or unto a violent rapist for a wedding night consummation, or unto terrorists and hostile cults for the programming.
”Worst still to have your worst fears and the most grotesque humiliation surface behind those closed doors, after being caused to fear for your very life by reason of the restraint itself. Make no mistake, no physical violence need even be on the offer; to be forcibly detained, bodily so, against one’s wishes, knowing full well — but alas too late! — everything planned and about to unfold, in an atmosphere where trust cannot be repaired except by release and distance, in order to cause one to fear for one’s very life itself. And it does not help to be told such things as, “you’d better cooperate with us or you will end up a suicide” and “if you don’t do as we say you will leave here and your [friend] in NYC will make you into a blood sacrifice.” But make no mistake … more than any of this, which all might have been forgivable had any competence attended their ham-handed bungling, the real humiliation resides in glancing around you in the room and seeing book titles and accouterments which announce in no uncertain terms that you have just crossed over into the lair of the American churchianity, equivalent of a cargo cult. You won’t be getting out of there until you … perform.
“Humor the suckers, ‘dance” for them … amuse them, but most of all, please them by doing so ‘”convincingly’ — at least insofar as their minds would measure such things — or you can kiss the open road goodbye. And quite possibly, still, your life; it has not been made clear yet whether that threat would be real or not. You have no objectivity with which to assess it. Seventeen splintered shards all under the age of 12 have begun wailing and running about in your head all at once while the denizens of the Abyss climb — pour — out of the portal … Only opportunistically of course; nothing here actually impresses Them. Their interest would be the same as it ever hath been: turning an advantage for the Master, gaining inroads, working ruin. They don’t show any interest or inclination toward hostage-flashing for a change. For now, bemused and silent spectators, instead, as if bored with the Q continuum so to speak.”
I thank you for sharing.
And may you be blessed with that inner peace that our God can provide.
Posted by owner on
August 4, 2009
Don’t read this one! [The book, not the post]
In July the Cambridge University Press published a modern translation of The Hammer of Witches. First published in 1486, just 35 years after the invention of movable type, the book, written by Dominican Henricius Innstitorcis, warned of a massive conspiracy by witches who were recruited by Satan. Henricius purported to list evidence by which witches could be recognized. The rapid dissemination of The Hammer of Witches provided the foundation for the flurry of witchcraft trials and inquisitions which marked the late 1400s to about 1520, during which many innocent country women were tortured and killed. The historical significance of the book led Christopher Mackay, a professor of history and classics at the University of Alberta, to provide the modern translation.
Of course, the popularity of Harry Potter and the growing interest in neopaganism may also have been a motivation. When first published, the Hammer [titled in Latin, Malleus Maleficarum), stimulated fear of witches throughout Europe. While today we're seeing a revival of interest in witchcraft and occult spirituality, Christians need to respond with compassion rather than hostility. Witchcraft is a far great danger to its practitioners than to others, as the occult is a primary avenue through which Satan's demons gain access to individuals. The antidote to witchcraft isn't hostility, hatred, and persecuiion,9on but love, caring, and a respectful sharing of the Gospel.
Court OK's goat sacrifice
On July 31 the US Central Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that Jose Merced, a Santeria priest, could sacrifice goats at his home in Euless, Texas. Papers filed with the court described Santeria as "an Afro-Cuban religion with a complex ritual for ordaining priests, including the sacrifice of up to nine four-legged animals, such as lambs or goats, up to 20 chickens or other foul, and a turtle. " The city argued that he violated a city ordinance and was unable to handle so many animals on his property in a sanitary way. The constitutions "Freedom of religion" trumped the city council's sanitary concerns.
Pagans have Privileges
The British Prison Service recognized paganism as a official religion some eight years ago, and published rules specifying pagans' rights. Pagan prisoners in Great Britain are allowed a headless robe [to be worn only on official pagan holidays], a flexible twig wand, incense, and a piece of jewelery. They are also allowed tarot cards, but only for personal use and meditation. Pagans are allowed to select any two of the eight pagan festivals when they will be exempt from work. However, skyclad [naked] worship is not permitted.
Wookey Hole hires Witch
The Wookey Hole tourist site in Somerset, England, has hired Carole Bohanan for the 50,000 pound position. Requirement of the job? Teach magic and witchcraft in one of the site’s caves, and be able to cackle. Oh yes. Can’r be allergic to cats. She claims her former position as a realtor ["estate agent," in British English] qualified her for the job. “”You have to be able to perform a little magic to sell houses in the current market.”