FLEE DARKNESS
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The occult has a real power to bring bondage and suffering into ones life, but it is advertised as being so harmless and innocent.
1. Hidden or Secret Knowledge: In this sense, occult knowledge pertains to hidden or esoteric teachings, often related to spiritual or mystical subjects. It may involve practices, beliefs, or rituals that are not openly known or understood by the general public.
2. Sciences: Some people use the term "occult" to describe specific areas of study, such as astrology, alchemy, divination, and various forms of mysticism, which are believed to deal with hidden or mysterious forces and energies.
3. Supernatural or Paranormal Phenomena: The term "occult" is sometimes associated with paranormal or supernatural occurrences, such as ghosts, spirits, psychic abilities, and magic.
The first declaration of hidden knowledge:
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
God’s word is very clear that God forbids contact with spirits and those that would practice occult activities:
31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.
The apostle Paul lists witchcraft as one of the works of the flesh:
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Misconceptions:
The extent to which these practices can affect a believer
The extent to which these practices harm young people
Music, games, fantasy stories
THE ALLURE OF THE OCCULT
The lie is that occultic practice is harmless; and at the onset it may even seem so.
No one begins thinking they will have horrible, debilitating nightmares. No one imagines they will have thoughts of suicide that infiltrate their mind throughout the day.
Let’s watch this horror movie.
Let’s play with the ouija board.
Let’s play this game.
THE ILLUSION OF THE POWER TO CONTROL
People want power over their lives and the lives of others. The new age movement promises control and secret knowledge and it captivates young minds.
2. THE ILLUSION OF THE POWER OF GUIDANCE
Deuteronomy 18:9–14 (KJV 1900)
9 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.
14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
useth divination, kosaim, kesamim, seems a general term for the various species after specified;
observer of times, meonain, one who pretends to foretell by the clouds, planets, etc.; enchanter menachesh,
a diviner, either by means of serpents, or by inspecting the entrails of beasts, the flight of birds, etc.;
a witch, mecashsheph, one who used magical fumigations, etc.;
a charmer, chover chaver, one who uses spells, or a peculiar conjunction of words, or tying knots, etc.;
a consulter with familiar spirits, shoel ov, a pythoness;
a wizard, yidoni, a cunning man;
necromancer, doresh el hammaithim one who seeks enquiries of the dead.
No one consults these with the thought that it will lead to depression or thoughts of suicide.
Theses paths must be confessed as sin and the ground that was yielded to satan must be reclaimed by the authority of Christ.
Horoscopes are used by people to give guidances
I was working with someone who used a fortune teller to instruct her in how to deal with a romantic interest she had
3. THE ILLUSION OF THE POWER OF HEALING
In my teens during a time I was interested in martial arts I read a book about an eastern healing practice, that looking back as I was preparing for this Bible study, came to my mind as a means of seeking physical help through occult practices.
In this book, the stories of people going to a mountain to seek the help of a healer that could look at someone and accurately tell what was ailing that person was thorough out.
This was not scientific - there was no explanation except for that it was a hidden knowledge
Healing crystals
As christians, we should renounce these practices
4. THE ILLUSION OF THE POWER OF PROTECTION
Many occult practices believe in spirits that protect them.
In the native American Apache culture, medicine men, also known as shamans or healers, held significant roles in the community. They were responsible for conducting various rituals, providing healing services, and communicating with the spirit world to seek guidance and protection for the tribe. Medicine men played crucial roles in Apache religious practices and were highly respected within their communities.
We are to be “perfect with the Lord”-i.e., we are not knowingly to permit things that hurt or grieve His Holy Spirit. If the question should arise, how we are to know God’s way, we must take our question to the true Prophet.
He can answer our hard question; but we are strictly forbidden to go to crystal-gazers, palmists, fortune-tellers, and those who profess to read the future. How serious is their fault who refuse Him!
The Danger of Occult practices.
There is no denying that Satan has power. We can thank God that the enemy's power is limited and that God is firmly in control.
The Prophet
Now I know of at least one secular psychiatrist who believes in the reality and power of the spirit world. Actually, many professionals in the field of psychology and psychiatry are convinced there's something out there in "another dimension," Many believe there are beings called spirits, even though these men and women are usually not Christians.
But we must recognize the danger in any ongoing encounter with the occult that spirits can gain access to us.
The ground Satan gains in a person's life is not always taken back without a fight. The problem with occult activity is that you can’t just put these things out of your mind once you’ve been involved. This is why many believers who were heavily into the occult before they became Christians still struggle, even years after conversion, with the memories and associations of their former life.
The ground Satan gains in a person's life is not always taken back without a fight. The problem with occult activity is that you can’t just put these things out of your mind once you’ve been involved. This is why many believers who were heavily into the occult before they became.
Even years after conversion, Christians still struggle with the memories and associations of their former life.
The Danger of Wrong Music
Satanist, a worshiper of Satan, for most of his early years.
different covens, attending worship services where they used music to call evil spirits to manifest themselves and empower the worshipers to commit unspeakable evil. Later, he left his coven and began worshiping Satan on his own.
This young man got saved and dedicated his life to the Lord. But certain music still triggers horrible memories and feelings for him.
will ever come to a complete agreement on what's proper or acceptable in music. My purpose is not to write a treatise on music. Music is a powerful weapon of choice that the enemy uses to control and deceive people.
When this young man gave his music to God in prayer and told
God would destroy it as God and his parents led him, he was set free.
We know that spirits respond to music. David drove the evil spirit from Saul by playing for him
23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Over the years I've seen the unbelievable power music has to influence people's lives. And it's not just in this country or the Western world. The use of music in occult spit it worship is worldwide, and the music used is all very similar in its beat.
There's a lot more I could say, but it's safe to draw this conclusion: Music is one of the tools the enemy uses to entice people into the occult, and the effects often stay with these people long after their conversion to Christ.
The Danger of Curiosity
In this case, curiosity almost killed the missionary, let alone the cat. We are not to be curious about the things of evil. King David said he would not even take the names of false gods on his lips
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, Nor take up their names into my lips.
God told Israel to burn the images of false gods and not take any. of the things from pagan lands into their houses, lest they become a curse
25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.
26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
It's a perilous thing to be an observer of occult things or participate in any way in occult practices.
But if you go as a rescuer, like missionary Amy Carmichael who went into pagan temples in India to rescue young girls from temple prostitution, you'll have God's protection.
That's why I always strongly warn Christians to be careful of what they do and where they go, and what they bring into their homes. I got a call from a Christian family whose teenage son was a big fan of Stephen King, the number one writer of horror books today. Stephen King novel or movie!
Renouncing the Hidden Things of Darkness
It should be obvious by now that anyone who enters the world of the occult is on Satan's territory, his ground. If we give ground to Satan when we sin, imagine the hold he has on those who give themselves to occult practices at whatever level.
1. Renounce Satan's Hold
A good man’s intercession will still obtain spiritual vision for those who are spiritually blind. For many whom we love we may breathe Elisha’s prayer,
The steps to freedom for people trapped in the occult are similar to those we use to help those with other problems. When people involved in the occult to whatever degree come to me for help, the first thing I have them do is renounce Satan's hold on their lives. It has to start here if they want to be free.
I point them to that beautiful passage in Revelation 12, where the people of God overcame Satan by "the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they did not love their lives to the death" (v. 11). What a marvelous picture. These people testified that they would rather die than compromise with the forces of evil.
2. Declare Your Intent
The person must renounce the enemy's work in his or her life.
Otherwise, how can we help someone who isn't sure he wants to take back the ground he has given to Satan? If you are involved in activities with objects or people that are demonic, you need to declare aloud to Satan your intent to serve Jesus. I ask my counselees to make this declaration of intent: "Satan, I don't want anything more to do with your ways or works in my life. I want to be committed to the Lord Jesus Christ."
For many people with occult problems, this may be the first time they have ever stood against evil. My experience is that a person can come under tremendous attack when he does this. It's as if Satan says.
"So you want to fight, eh?» When people sincerely repent and renounce the work of Satan in their lives, they initially feel better, but many areas may still need to be dealt with.
By the way, people trapped in occultism aren't the only ones who need to renounce Satan's influence. All of us as believers, are called to say no to Satan each day and be obedient to Christ. I'm not talking about anything extreme, just a daily commitment not to yield to the enemy's ways or works but to be faithful to the Lord.
Three Important Reminders
Let me make three observations in closing this chapter, First, when a person makes a clean break with the occult, he or she usually has some occult paraphernalia that should be removed. If you have such items, destroy these occult materials yourself. I never do it for anyone, My philosophy is, "You bought it, you burn it."
Second, remember that God never tells us to put away something and then just leave ourselves empty (Matthew 12:43-45). Whenever we remove something, we are to replace it with something. People trapped in the occult need that evil influence replaced by the truth of God's Word.
Third, anyone with deep occult involvement will tell you that getting into the occult is relatively easy. Getting out, in contrast, is very traumatic. But it is essential for spiritual health. The result will be freedom and wholeness. None of God's people has any business dabbling in this dangerous world. Instead, we can renounce it and find inner peace due to obedience to God's Word.
Breaking Occult Bondage
The following steps can remove occult involvement from your life and return you to higher ground in your relationship with God. Even if you believe you have not surrendered ground to Satan through occult involvement, practice steps one and periodically read the remaining steps to confirm your abstinence from the occult.
1. Commit to God that you will stand against Satan's ways and works in your life, and that you want to be committed to the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Ask God to reveal any and all occult activity that has taken place in your life:
a. Renounce the seeking of power as a sin and commit yourself to the empowering of God's Holy Spirit.
b. Renounce seeking guidance from evil spirits and commit yourself to guidance from the Scriptures.
c. Renounce all occult healing involvement and commit yourself to the God who heals (Jehovah Rapha) and God-honoring healing.
d. Renounce using all mantras, charms, medals, or any other object you have trusted in for protection and commit yourself to God's protection (Psalm 91:1-2
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God; in him will I trust.
3. Remove all occult material from your home. Burn what can be burned and break and bury what cannot be burned
19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
4. Ask God to take back all ground given to Satan through your involvement in darkness and wrong music.
5. Commit yourself to listen only to music that is strong in melody and edifies the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Remove and destroy all music that does not glorify God (If you are a young person, enlist the guidance of your parents.)