Wise as Serpents - Harmless as Doves

Be Wise as Serpents – Harmless as Doves

ne of the first rules of true spiritual warfare is to know where you can tread in this life and where you cannot. God, in His Word, very clearly and very plainly sets out the boundary lines of where we can go in this life and where we cannot go.

Since we have opened up this website, we have received many interesting emails from people all around the world. One of the things that has really come to our attention is the hunger that many people are having for knowledge in the area of spiritual warfare. We have received quite a few emails from people who have unknowingly treaded into very dangerous territory – and this was all because they had never been taught that some of these areas were enemy territory by some of the churches they were raised up in.

One of the main areas where many people have got themselves in trouble is in some of the areas having to do with the occult and New Age Movement. Many of the verses having to do with the occult are back in the Old Testament. If you have not read much of the Bible, you will have very little knowledge on this subject unless the church you belong to is specifically teaching you about some of these things.

Some of the people we have heard from have been caught up in such things as getting involved with mediums, fortunetellers, psychics, hypnotism, cults, and other false religious beliefs. Many of them found the truth later on, but for some of them, there were some serious consequences that occurred as a result of falling into some of these dangerous dark side waters.

One girl wrote in saying that if she had only known that what she was treading into was forbidden territory by God from His Word, that she would have never crossed over into this area to begin with.

Many of the churches are afraid to talk about some of these topics for fear of giving the devil his due. They are afraid if they start talking and teaching about some of these things, that too much attention will be given to the devil and people will then start to get out of balance with all of it. As a result, they have taken one end of an extreme position on all of this, and have decided to talk very rarely, if at all, on these kinds of topics. As a result, some of their flock have fallen into some very dangerous dark side waters and have been severely hurt or wounded as a result.

Some pastors have also taken too much for granted. They think their flock should already know that some of these areas are dangerous to begin with. As a result, they very seldom ever teach on any of these topics – not realizing there are many out there who do not have the basic knowledge on these topics, or a full understanding of why these areas are so dangerous to begin with.

The Bible says that God’s people will perish and go into captivity for having lack of knowledge – and not teaching the flock the basics of true spiritual warfare, and the different areas they should not be going into is a perfect example of all of this.

In this article, I will give you several basic key verses pointing out some of the areas that God does not want any of us treading into. As you will see in the very first Scripture verse I will list below, the Bible is telling us that we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

To be wise as a serpent means to have a good, basic, fundamental knowledge of what areas you can go into and what areas you cannot go into – and to always be on your guard against the snares, traps, and deceptions that the dark side will try and throw at you in order to try and knock you off course, or try to enslave you into a dark area, or into a dark side group of people.

Believe it or not, there are some Christians who have fallen into some very dangerous cults who are experts in the area of brainwashing and mind control. Others have fallen into areas of the occult such as witchcraft and consulting mediums for séances trying to contact their dear departed loved ones. Witchcraft is still continuing to grow in popularity, especially among our young teenage girls.

Some of these sheep are being led right into a slaughter – all because their parents and their churches did not give them the basic fundamental knowledge from God’s Word on some of these issues as they were growing up. As a result, a very weak spiritual foundation was laid in them causing many of them to become very easy targets and prey for the dark side.

To try and ignore Satan and the areas in which he likes to operate in this life is spiritual suicide. People need to be taught the basics on spiritual warfare so they can at least have a full and complete understanding of all of it and exactly why these areas are so dangerous to begin with.

Then if they do decide to cross over and experiment with some of these dark side areas – they will not be able to plead ignorance as an excuse on their day of judgment with the Lord. At least they will have been fully warned by the Lord Himself as to what His opinion really is on some of these areas, and exactly why He does not want them crossing over into some of these areas to begin with.

These verses are all major, basic, foundational verses that should be taught to each and every Christian as they are being brought up in the ways and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not to teach some of these basic principles is withholding very valuable and needed knowledge from the flock – especially in the day and age in which we now live in with the dark side growing stronger and an antichrist spirit starting to envelop the entire world.

1. Be Wise as Serpents – Harmless as Doves

These first three verses will perfectly set the stage in this area of spiritual warfare. The first two verses are from Jesus Himself. He says that we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves because He is sending us out as sheeps and lambs in the midst of wolves.

The third verse comes from 1 Peter where it says that we are to be sober and vigilant because our adversary, the devil, walks about this earth seeking who he is going to try and devour next.

Put all three of these verses together and God is telling all of us loud and clear, that we have to be wise, smart, sober, vigilant and always on guard against Satan, his horde of demonic spirits, and all of the bad and evil people who are out there living this life on the dark side.

As I have said numerous times in my other articles, whether we like it or not, we have all been born into a cursed and fallen world as a result of what happened in the story of Adam and Eve. And we are all stuck with having to deal with the reality of a dark side by way of demonic spirits, and other people who are living this life out of the dark desires of their flesh.

Burn these first three verses into your memory banks and do not ever forget the solemn warning that our Lord is giving to us about the dark side of this life.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)

“Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.” (Luke 10:3)

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Now the rest of the verses I will give you in this article, along with some of the commentary off these verses, will give you some of the specific areas that you will need to avoid in this life.

2. Beware of Dogs and Evil Workers

These next four verses are really driving home the point that we are to avoid and stay way from people who are considered to be dogs, evil workers, and unbelievers. When the Bible uses the words “dogs” and “evil workers,” you know it is referring to the people who are living this life on the dark side.

These types of people are the ones who are selling drugs to your children in school, forming and running out the different types of hate groups, trying to work themselves into your families so they can gain your trust to either fleece you out of all your hard earned money, or to try and set things up where they can molest your kids.

Many of the pedophiles are masters at manipulation and deception and gaining the trust of you and your child so they can set things up to do their thing. If more parents would have been more alert, vigilant, and sensitive to the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit – many of these pedophiles could have been stopped dead in their tracks before they could have even got to your child.

The words “evil workers” are referring to those who are working evil – to those who are doing bad and evil things to whoever they can get away in doing it with. These people are your rapists, scammers, criminals, pedophiles, along with your verbal and physical abusers. Many of these types of people are apples that have gone seriously bad, and they have embarked on a path of violence, corruption, and total self-destruction with the kinds of evil acts they are committing.

As bad as these people obviously are, it is quite amazing how many good people, including some Christians, will get sucked into them and their evil ways of living in this life. The verbal and/or physical abusers are also masters at luring women into their web – and then once they have them caught in their webs, they will then start all of their verbal and/or physical abuse on them.

The same goes for all of the criminal scammers and swindlers. Everyday someone is getting cheated or fleeced right out of a lot of their hard earned money because people are not using good common sense to check out who they are dealing with.

The Bible is giving all of us fair warning in the way these verses are worded in that these types of people will always be with us in this life until Jesus comes back to set up His Millennium Kingdom. Until Jesus comes back, and all of these types of bad people are thrown into hell for the length of the Millennium Kingdom – we are all going to have to keep our radars up and watch out for these types of people – not only for ourselves, but also for all of our friends and family members.

These next 4 verses should also be burned into your memory banks – and always be sensitive to any leadings, promptings, or warnings that the Holy Spirit may want to give you with the different people that will come into your life.

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” (Philippians 3:2)

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light … And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.” (Ephesians 5:8)

“The righteous should chose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26)

All four of these verses from the Lord are telling everyone to draw their battle lines in the sand – and to have nothing to do with the bad apples and unbelievers of this world.

The last verse sums everything up very nicely when it says that we should choose our friends very carefully in this life – and that if we do not, we can then get hooked up with the wrong type of people. And from there, these wicked people can then lead us astray from our God, from our family, and from our real friends in this life.

Our world is littered with the casualties of people who have got caught up with the dogs and evil workers of this life. And sadly, many of these people who have been hurt or killed by these types of people have also been Christians. This is why the very first verse is starting out with the word “beware.”

The word “beware” is a very intense word being used by the Lord. He is telling all of us, loud and clear, that we are to be sober and vigilant – and that we should always be on our guard and lookout for these types of evil people who will try and work and seduce themselves into our lives. Many Christians are getting severely torpedoed in this life as a result of not following the basics of what these four verses are telling us to do.

3. Do Not Get Carried Away With Strange Doctrines

The very first verse I will list as the first of seven verses in this section is another major, powerful, foundational verse to burn into your memory banks. This first verse will tell us not to be carried about with various and strange doctrines.

When the Bible uses the words “various and strange doctrines,” I believe this is an all inclusive type word – and that it will cover everything from false religions, cults, the occult, to all of the other various and weird, man-made doctrines that are out there.

As I said at the top of this article, many Christians have fallen prey to the false doctrines of many of the other false religions of this world such as Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism. Others have fallen victim to many of the different occult arts such as witchcraft, satanism, mediums, fortunetellers and psychics.

Then you have others who have fallen into some of the weird cults who will brainwash them and seek total control of them and everything in their lives like with what you have with the Moonies and Hare Krishnas. Then others have fallen into some of the newer Hollywood crazes such as Scientology and the Kabbalah.

Bottom line – Jesus says that He, and He alone, is the way and the truth in this life. Any doctrine that does not preach His truth and His way of living in this life cannot be accepted and followed by Christians.

Many of these other false doctrines will try and trick you into thinking and believing that you are a god yourself, and that you have the power and the ability to attain this state of godness in this lifetime. However, our Bible tells us that we are all sinners and that every single one of us has fallen way short of the glory of our God. This means that no one will ever become the fourth person of the Holy Trinity – either in this life or the next life to come.

However, some of these other false doctrines, especially those of the New Age Movement, will try and tell you otherwise. They will try and tell you that you are not a sinner and that you do not need a Savior because you have the ability and potential within your own being to become a god yourself.

Bottom line – each Christian needs to know his Bible and the basics of who they really are in Christ. If each Christian had a firm and solid grasp of the Bible and who they really are in Christ – then more Christians would not be so easily led right out of their faith and right off the end of some of these cliffs into some of these other false belief systems.

This is why the first verse I will list below uses the words that we are not to be carried away with other strange doctrines. Many Christians are following right long with whatever false doctrine that may blow their way – without stopping to examine and analyze exactly what they are walking into.

You have the knowledge from the Word, and the help from the Holy Spirit on the inside of you to help you sort through all of this – and to make sure you do not chase after other false doctrines that the Lord would not want you to follow in this life.

Here are 7 very good verses warning all of us not to be duped into following some of these other false belief systems.

“Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.” (Hebrews 13:9)

“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” (2 John 1:10)

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1)

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15)

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.” (Ephesians 5:6)

Again, notice some of the intense wording God is using in some of these verses when He is telling us not to be partakers with these kinds of people, and that we are not to even let them step foot into our houses. Once again, the Lord is asking all of us to draw a major battle line in the sand. He is telling all of us to stay on our side of the fence and that we are not to fellowship or hang out with these kinds of people, groups, or beliefs.

This is not to say that we cannot witness to them to try and get them saved as the Holy Spirit will lead – but we still have to stay on our side of the fence until we can get them saved and delivered from the bondage they have been in all of this time. You can witness to someone who may be living in a false cult, but that does not mean you have to be going to their meetings, to their churches, or to the actual organizations they may belong to.

Notice in the verse from 1 Timothy 4:1, that it says that the Holy Spirit is giving us fair warning that in the latter days there will be some Christians who will be falling into some of these false doctrines, and as a result, they will literally be falling away from their faith in the Lord Himself.

The verse from Matthew 24:24 says that the signs and wonders coming in from some of these false prophets and false christs will be so good, that even some of the elect are going to be fooled and duped.

All of this is enemy territory – and any believer who starts to follow after any of these other false doctrines and belief systems will not only be opening up the door for demonic activity to start coming into their lives – but they will also incur the wrath of God Almighty Himself on them and their lives. The very last verse specifically says that the “sons of disobedience” will have the wrath of God come upon them if they ever start to partake in any of these kinds of evil activities.

Once again, God the Father could not make things any more clear with the way that He has worded all of the above Scripture verses.

4. Specific False Religions and Cults to Avoid

Here is a basic list of some of the false religions and cults that all Christians have to stay completely away from. Down the road, I will be doing specific articles on many of these false religions and cults. I will give you some basic information as to when and how they all started, along with the main differences between their beliefs and our beliefs.

Every single of one of these false religions and cults do not have the basic tenets of true Christianity in them. As a result, they can never be accepted as being a pure true branch of Christianity.

Islam

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Mormonism

Hinduism

Buddhism

Confucianism

Shintoism

Sikhism

Jainism

Zoroastrianism

Spiritualism

Christian Science

Hare Krishna

Scientology

Kabbalah

Unification Church

Freemasonry

The Children of God

EST

Eckanar

The Forum

The Way International

Theosophy

Rosicrucianism

The Worldwide Church of God

There are many others, but the ones listed above are some of the major ones that are still in operation in this world today. Again, every single one of these false belief systems are extremely dangerous grounds for any Christian to be attempting to cross over into – which also includes experimenting or dabbling with in any way, shape, or form.

All of these false religions and cults are major, enemy-demonic territory – and you will risk incurring the wrath of God Almighty Himself on you and your life if you decide that you are going to change camps on your one and only Savior Jesus Christ.

5. Specific Occult Activities to Avoid

In the Spiritual Warfare section of our site, we have an article titled, “Dangers of the Occult.” In this article, I give you the main verses from Scripture that deal with the areas of the occult that we are to avoid like the plague. I then list in this article some of the specific occult activities that you are to stay away from.

For the sake of this article, and so that you can have all of this information right at your fingertips as you are reading this article, I will go ahead and once more list all of the areas of the occult that we are to stay completely away from and avoid like the plague.

Again, as with all of the false religions and cults mentioned above, every single one of these areas of the occult are extremely dangerous grounds for any Christian to be treading into. Many of these areas are major demonic strongholds, and you will literally be crossing over into enemy-demonic territory if you start to seek into any of these specific areas.

Fortunetelling of any kind

Tarot Cards

Ouija Boards and Automatic Writing

Seances and any involvement with mediums and spiritists

Astrology and any form of horoscopes

I Ching

Hypnotism

Transcendental Meditation or any type of Far Eastern Meditation

Crystals

Wicca and Witchcraft

Satanism

Voodoo

Channeling

Reincarnation

Astral Projection

ESP

Dungeons and Dragons – role playing games

New Age Movement and Techniques

Silva mind control

Necromancy

For those of you who have not read our article titled, “Dangers of the Occult,” I would highly recommend that you read the specific verses from Scripture that I have listed in this article. Once again, God the Father is using some very intense language in the way that He has worded some of these verses.

Many Christians are not fully aware of the dangers of the occult since many of these verses are back in the Old Testament. This is why every single Christian Church has to preach and teach on some of these basic areas – especially with us now possibly living in the latter days where the Bible is specifically telling us that some of the believers themselves are going to be falling into some of these other false belief systems.

As I have stated at the top of this article, we have run into quite a few well-meaning Christians who simply did not have the basic 101 knowledge on this subject and as a result, they fell into some very heavy and dangerous dark side demonic waters. Several of them are still dealing with the consequences of getting splashed and contaminated with the demonic forces that were operating through some of these occult areas and false religious systems.

Conclusion

To any of you who may know someone who is starting to fall or who may have already fallen into one of the above cults or false religions – go to God the Father in prayer, and ask Him to start to move in on that person to help show them the errors of their thinking and the demonic deception that has already set in on them.

Ask God to break down the deceptive walls of the enemy so that the light of His truth can start to bolt in to set them free. Ask God the Father, and be led by the Holy Spirit, as to how much of a part you should be playing in witnessing and counseling with this person – depending on how close you are to this person and their current situation.

The Holy Spirit will really start to move, wrestle, and strive after any Christian who has started to fall into any of the above cults and false belief systems. Be led by the Holy Spirit as to how much of a part you should be playing in the wrestling match that will start to occur between this person and the Lord.

God will either choose you or others who may be close to this person to start talking and wrestling through in order to try and reach this person before they possibly reach some kind of point of no return. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will not strive with a man forever. There is a limit to God’s patience, mercy, and grace.

Many of these areas, as a result of the heavy demonic forces that are operating through them, will eventually try and get that Christian to renounce all of his basic beliefs in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

They will try and tell you that Jesus is not the only way to God and heaven, that He was just a man and a good prophet, and that either you or the god they are worshiping can give you the actual spiritual enlightenment that you will need to reach their idea of what heaven may be like. They will try and tell you that you can reach this state of heaven or this state of eternal bliss all by your own good works, or by your own effort to sanctify and purify yourself.

This is why Jesus has told all of us loud and clear in His Word that He, and only He, is the way, the truth and the life that will lead to eternal salvation with His Father. There is no other way and no other truth that can lead any man or any woman into true eternal salvation with the one and only true God of this universe – God the Father.

Every single one of these false religions and cults have one goal and one thing in common – to lead every nonbeliever away from the real truth that can only be found in Jesus Christ – and to lead every single Christian they can sink their claws into away from the saving grace they were already walking in before they started to stray.

This is why the first Scripture verse I listed in this article and the actual title of this article itself – that we are to be wise as serpents – is so important in the day and age in which we are now all living in. Satan, his horde of demonic spirits, false prophets, false teachers, evil workers, and rabid dogs are all prowling this earth seeking who they are going to try and devour next.

This is why each and every Christian, and each and every Christian church, should be fully armed to the teeth with the knowledge of our enemies and how they operate, and how they will try to ensnare their victims into their webs of deceits and lies.

The very first rule of any type of warfare – whether it be natural or spiritual type of warfare – is to know your enemy. And these two verses from Scripture – in that we are to be wise as serpents – and that we are to be sober, vigilant, and constantly on guard against the wiles and schemes of our enemies – is telling us to do exactly that!

As we head further into these end time waters, things are really going to start to heat up. The Bible has already told us that in the latter days men well become lovers of self, brutal, and without self-control. This may help explain some of the more random and senseless types of killings we are now seeing more of on a regular basis.

Pedophiles and rapists are no longer just molesting, raping and assaulting their victims – they are now killing and murdering their victims in cold blood. We are now starting to see pure evil released upon this earth in a way and with an intensity that we have never seen before.

Twenty-thirty years ago people use to be able to leave their front doors unlocked. We used to be able to let our children play out in the neighborhoods without having to worry who may be lurking around that next corner. We now have brazen and out-of-control criminals who are literally breaking into people’s homes right in the middle of broad daylight to abduct or kill those people they had earlier targeted. We now have an antichrist spirit that has now infiltrated and seeped into every part of our society – from our schools, courts, and now into every part of our media.

The battle lines are now being drawn. The dark side is getting stronger with what they are able to get away with – with all of it eventually leading up to a real live Antichrist who will literally be ruling this entire world. Now, more than ever, God is looking to raise up spiritual warriors who will not be afraid to stand up and fight against some of our enemies.

God is looking to counterbalance some of the increase in evil that we have seen in the last 10 years or so. And one of the ways that He is going to counterbalance some of this evil activity is to anoint some of His soldiers to engage and fight with the enemy when it will be needed.

The choice is yours. You can either choose to remain passive, sit on the sidelines, and watch some of your close friends and loved ones, and possibly even yourself, get hammered and beaten up by some of these attacks from the dark side – or you can choose to rise up, learn how to walk with the anointing and power that God can flow through you, and take your enemies head on like David did with Goliath.

As I have stated in many of my other articles, our God is a mighty Man of War, and He will go into battle to protect both you and your loved ones if you will learn how to draw close to Him in your own personal relationship with Him – and then start to seek after His knowledge in the ways that He will operate. And one of the areas that He will definitely help you with is in the area of spiritual warfare.

-Mike

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Comments

7 Responses to “Wise As Serpents”

perfectstorm says:

October 26, 2011 at 1:48 pm

Incredible information…incredible site! All inclusive on the subject of deliverance…all the pages are. Thank you to whoever took all the time required to put this together. You are fulfilling a ministry most definitely. I just became more dangerous to the adversary!
aurora says:

December 22, 2011 at 3:14 am

great job…God bless and To God be the glory…
kwaku says:

January 22, 2012 at 6:47 am

Please I want to know the justifification for branding the listed organisations as evil.Thanks
Izzi says:

April 11, 2012 at 6:19 pm

‘Oh Lord…Please direct many Pastors of the world, to this website…so they may read and increase in knowledge, sparing many of your flock, in Jesus Name Amen’.
Sydney Australia
Thank you for this website.
It is so very much needed here in Australia.
Sister V. says:

April 18, 2012 at 9:41 am

Since there are several different topics addressed in this article, I separated my comments about them.

The pastors who do not teach their congregations what things are occult and why dangerous, claiming people will give too much attention to the devil and `get out of balance’…I suspect that these pastors are speaking forth a deception put into their minds by the evil spirits inside of them. And it has gotten into the “collective consciousness” of Christian pastors. We are a defiled (“fallen”) race ~ NO exceptions, not even pastors! A pre-requisite for becoming a pastor is NOT full deliverance from ALL deceiving spirits & demons inside one.
~~~Satan’s workers, evil spirits, do NOT want people to get educated on the dangers of dabbling in the occult because (here’s the TRUTH!) ~ it would effectively keep more people away from occult activities, which facilitate the TRANSFER of evil spirits INTO people. ( An example of this occurring is in this website’s Spiritual Warfare category, an article called “Dangers of the Occult ~ the COMMENT # 10 by Jeffrey, who experienced a transfer of a demon. Read it…and weep). And these same pastors who DEFAULT in this area…ALSO teach the LIE that “Christians can NOT have bad spirits (devils) INSIDE of them.”
~~~ By that kind of logic…”Don’t teach people defensive driving skills because they’ll be thinking about their safety…and have more accidents.” How much sense does THAT make?

~~~ The Holy Spirit is the Guide of a “Saved” person (whom It is inside of). But the majority of regular church-goers are NOT “Saved.” In the ’80s, George Barna (famous religious/spiritual pollster & author) found that 75% of self-proclaimed Christians who believed they were going to Heaven when they died…and gave their reasons why…were WRONG…and not “Saved.” 30 years have passed and that % is probably higher. Most church-goers DON’T have the Holy Spirit IN their spirit to GUIDE them! Joyce Meyer’s book, How To Hear From God, is good instruction for the “Saved” person who DOES have the Holy Spirit in their spirit ~ how to “tune in” to Its Guidance!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In PART 1 – My comment on the `Be sober…’ verse is this ~ TAKE IT LITERALLY ! In my Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for `sober’ means `abstain from wine’ (wine being the only alcoholic beverage available those days, but it means ANY kind). Way back then (2,000 years ago!!!), the disciples KNEW that abusing alcohol OPENED YOU UP to roaming invisible devils, looking for someone to enter and swallow up (progressively TAKE OVER). And here’s some bad news ~ Stopping drinking completely does NOT get rid of them once they are IN a person! If you won’t drink, they’ll just give you some other bad habit and try to turn it into a “problem” or an addiction (like pornography). A bondage is a bondage. They just want to put you into captivity. They don’t care HOW!

About PART 2 -”Beware of Dogs & Evil Workers” ~ BELIEVE the author’s warning about PEDOPHILES !!! We left the BIG CITY, Miami, Florida with 2 preschoolers in ’72 when it had the nation’s second highest crime rate!…to go live in the safe rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. Back in the ’70s when my kids were young, I had never heard of sexual abuse of children. (I submitted a Comment – # 11 – to the article “Comments on the Joe Paterno Case” in the Current Issues section of this website…which tells of my witnessing a 3 year old girl being molested in public…and my subsequent realization of the sexual abuse of my 11 year old son, which happened over 30 years ago. I conclude that Comment with a list of excellent website and book RESOURCES to EDUCATE readers about the PREVENTION of sexual abuse of children).
Educate yourself NOW, so YOU can teach your child about “good touch/bad touch” and how to protect themselves and not to keep secrets. Don’t let sexual abuse happen to your precious, innocent child…rite under your nose…and not recognize it! More importantly, YOU are in the BEST position to TEACH YOUR CHILD, as a young toddler, SELF-DEFENSE SKILLS, like when to holler “NO! STOP IT!” or “LET GO OF ME!”…and to run away! Teach your children to FIND their voice and to USE IT to protect themselves!
~~~And if you don’t have kids, educate yourself anyway. Kids are EVERYWHERE! Learn to recognize the signs of a sexually abused child…the signs of a pedophile “grooming” a parent for future access to and abuse of their child. Then, you can WARN others! Statistics show that 1 in 10 boys and 1 in 5 girls have been sexually abused before age 13. And most abuses are NOT reported, so the numbers are even HIGHER!
~~~In retrospect, after doing my research on this subject…I realized that my brothers and I were 3 of those children. The “something bad in the bathroom by an older boy” that had happened to my brother when he was 9, causing my dad to pull him out of that private school for boys…was “sexual abuse.” And that what that brother, 12, tried to do to me once when I was 8…was “sexual abuse.” And that what the middle-aged man did, who had my younger 8 year old brother overnite at his place (after my parents’ divorce), returning him to us with a new, expensive jacket…was “sexual abuse.”
Sister V. says:

April 18, 2012 at 10:41 am

In response to PART 3 – “Do NOt Get Carried Away With Strange Doctrines” – You don’t have to go looking for false teachers. TV is a “channel” for them.
Here’s a video that exposes a famous TV talk show host as a “false teacher.”
It will help you recognize false teachers. Enter into the Google search engine – A New Earth: The New Age Church of Oprah that Denies Jesus
A pastor’s response is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seAPQ9WihN0
And a Christ-loving teenage boy’s message to that TV person is at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvsKAT8EQo0 (Have Kleenex nearby).

In response to PART 4 – Specific False Religions and Cults To Avoid -
My mother grew up with Jewish parents. My parents were non-religious. After their divorce and my marriage, she took lessons with Eckancar. My dad, much later, married a Christian, then died a year later. (Hope he got “Saved”!) My husband, as a child, was taken to the Christian Science Church. He was married 15 years to a Christian, then got divorced. Married me, an un-churched believer, who read to (then with) my children The Children’s Illustrated Bible for 9 years. 8 years into our marriage (as soon as we moved from Florida to Oregon), he developed an interest in eastern Indian gurus, studying Hindu books and Theosophy. I had a photo of Jesus’ face from the Shroud of Turin (see it at http://www.shroudstore.com) on the room divider and sang spiritual and Christian songs I wrote on local public radio….yet he persisted on trying to get me to read his books. Some I did (just to appease him). Our marriage was over in the 28th
year…my relationship with Christ Jesus and my Indwelling Holy Spirit deeper & stronger than ever! 3 years later, he (68) married a New Age minister (who helped him find his guru, whom, I’m sure, wheezled him out of a lot of money by convincing him that his “karma” was so good now, that he would get a “better reincarnation” next time on the “wheel of life.” He spent his last ? years of that 10 year long marriage in a wheelchair (coincidentally, just like her previous husband) , due to poor circulation, his feet turning black and doctors threatening amputation.
Fed up with his non-fatal condition (“infirmity”), he “checked out” at 80 ~ peacefully and at home with his “supportive” 3rd wife.
~~~ My point in telling this ? ALL of this article’s listed religions and spiritual paths LACK the teaching about the reality of the HOLY SPIRIT ~ a “Supernatural Healer”….that will put “Itself” INSIDE of your spirit ONLY if you change your view of yourself into “Repentance” (ugh)…and take hold of that “Supernatural Being of the Highest Kind of Love” ~
the very-much-ALIVE-in-spirit ~ Christ Jesus !
~~~ In my opinion, my former husband suffered those health problems in his senior years….because of his conscious rejection of Christ Jesus, who could have been his Savior !
Do NOT be DECEIVED ! Do NOT be STUPID ! Do NOT let this happen to YOU !
It’s not about religious or spiritual paths. It’s about “SALVATION”, which is a SPIRITUAL phenomena/condition, NOT a “mere” religious belief. And Christian EVANGELISM is the only thing that teaches about “Salvation” and how to GET IT !
~~~ Learn what “True Repentance” is, let go of your pride & self-esteem…and flush your ego down the toilet (with all the other _____). If you don’t enter “Repentance” (and STAY there!)…yet still claim Jesus is your “Lord”….Jesus will “slip thru your hands like a greased pig” (Appalachian-lingo)…..just like He said in Matthew 7:22-23 and Luke 13 :3 & :27 ~ `If you don’t repent, you will perish.’ `Many will say to me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not done many good works in thy name?” And I will profess to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity!” ‘
~~~~Inotherwords ~ You WON’T be “Saved”….you WON’T go to Heaven…..and your butt will BURN FOREVER in HELL….after your body croaks !
(Just how hard is THAT to understand?)
Sister V. says:

April 18, 2012 at 12:00 pm

In response to PART 5 – Occults To Avoid –
I wonder what it is that church-going, Bible-studying believers are NOT getting from these 2 primary activities of Christianity….that CAUSES them to drop out of church, set their bibles down and turn their “spiritual seeking” in another direction. Are they lacking : participation in the service?…healing (emotional & physical)?…relief from mental stress?…an awareness of the Presence of God?…the Joy of the Holy Spirit?…a sense of growing, maturing, “evolving”?…..WHAT ?
~~~The Christian religion has been accused of being “the form without the essence.” This dis-satisfaction with what mainstream churches offer has burgeoned into the “house church movement,” cranked up by Frank Viola’s book PAGAN CHRISTIANITY? and RE-IMAGINING CHURCH. You can learn about “house church movement” by entering it in the Google search engine.
~~~ I’m reminded (thanks, Holy Spirit) of what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 ~ `Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.’ The Greek word for `prove’ means `test, examine, try.’ Check it out, test it; keep (and use) what’s helpful…forget the rest. This takes “discernment”, which requires the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, which speaks in a `still, small Voice;’ It doesn’t scream “NO!” in your ear…(well, not usually).

I was an obedient dauter, an obedient student and an obedient wife (until the Holy Spirit awakened me to husband’s lies and manipulations)….then I became an obedient child of God and student of my Indwelling Holy Spirit ~ obedient to Its leadings, Its warnings, Its teachings (which came to me in song form, in spite of that displeasing my un-believing, un-Saved husband). When I made Jesus the “Lord” of my life, I WANTED to be obedient to the leadings of the Holy Spirit in me (and you will, too…if you’re Repentant and fully “Saved”).
~~~I got a “yellow lite” (proceed with caution) to:
play with Tarot cards just once at my husband’s insistence (mostly to shut him up) and read a book about an Indian guru (to appease my husband).
I tried to read a Theosophy book at his insistence, but it was discouragingly THICK & I had too many chores (thank GOD!) Plus, I got a “red lite from my Holy Spirit.”
I studied astrology to see if there was anything to it because my older son was studying it.
I read a book about Eckancar because I wanted to find out what my mother was into.
I read a book on channeling to see what it was (basically, a useless phenomena, full of hogwash, but a good example of the human mind “in captivity.”
I read a Vedantic philosophy book too see if there was anything there for me to learn ~ yup ~ It was in the Vedantic Society Bookstore Catalog that I first learned about the Shroud of Turin and bought me the photo of Jesus’ face that He Supernaturally left on His burial cloth….back in the ’70s, before computers and the Internet.
~~Your Holy Spirit will let you know; most books will have some truths and some useless material. This is how you develope “attunement” to your Holy Spirit…and your resultant discernment. If you get a “red lite” from your Holy Spirit, OBEY IT….or you will get hurt!
~~During those years (in my 30s), I owned an adult bible….but every time I put it on my lap and opened it, my mind shut down and I could not concentrate on it. Recently, in studying the history of the bibleS, I discovered that that bible I had was a “corrupt” one, based on corrupted Greek manuscripts created in the 1800s by men into witchcraft and the occult ! (Thank You, my Holy Spirit…for protecting me from reading a corrupted bible that mite have confused me mightily!) I was able to learn from my Holy Spirit during my reading of all books and from my life experiences. (The Holy Spirit’s capacity to Teach is UN-limited. It’s not limited to teaching only thru the Biblle). The most important thing I’ve learned is that my personal relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit (communion with, dependency on, love for) is MORE IMPORTANT than anything I read in any book, including the Bible.
~~As a result of my brief involvement with the aforementioned, I did not allow Tarot cards, any Indian gurus, astrology, Eckancar, channeling or Vedantic philosophies to become my “Lord” or substitute for or “assistant”
to my Christ and my Holy Spirit. To me, doing so would have felt like “adultery.”
~~~2 of the best books I ever read back then were THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING by a 14th century Christian mystic…probably a monk…about contemplation
and CHRIST, the AVATAR OF SACRIFICIAL LOVE.

*** Most of the things in this article’s list of occult activities are either done TO you by another person…something you engage in to gain power over another person…or tempts you to “trust” objects or a belief system concerning your destiny.
There’s 2 meanings for the words “trust” and “believe.” If you believe in the reality of gravity (for example), you believe that anything that you throw up will then fall down. But that does NOT mean that you put your TRUST in or have FAITH in gravity to solve all your problems. I believe in the law of gravity…..period. Does that make me “evil” or “deceived”? I never trusted that law to fix my relationship problems, to help me mature, to help me heal. It’s just a “natural law” that applies to things that drop (here on Earth).
~~~It’s what you DO with your experience that is significant, I believe. Some folks make their experience their “god” (instead of the One True God that made the universe and Incarnated as Jesus, requiring Repentance and offering Salvation). In pursuing more of their experiences, folks are “worshipping” them. It’s easy to understand how greed for money and material things is a sin (substitute for God)….but greed for experiences (even spiritual or psychic) is a sin, too…and it can get a person in a whole lotta trouble! (I always let God be in charge of my experiences. They come to me without me trying….and then I let them go. I never pursued more of them).

~~~ So, I was surprized to see astral projection and ESP on this list of occult activities. I agree with the author that it’s dangerous to `seek’ into these. In my opinion, that `seeking’ would be succumbing to the temptation for powers. And the 2 realms/dimensions that these 2 activities involve one in are :
#1 – the astral realms (which are LOADED with evil spirits & demons wearing all kinds of disguises, even as a “Jesus” ~ a realm where you can be deceived and have spirits follow you back to your home & your body from there)
#2 – the mental realm/dimension (where all the thought-forms and images of the collective consciousness are, a realm that Satan has full access to and that his workers, evil spirits, are constantly flooding with negative, deceptive thought and foul images). If a person developes clairaudience (hearing beyond the normal), it could tune one into the low demonic frequency and one could end up “hearing voices” (skitzofrenia), which always tells you things that are bad for you. Now there are clairvoyants (seeing beyond the normal) who work for police departments, helping locate missing persons (alive or dead); they perform a valuable service with love. They’re not using their psychic ability selfishly to “spy” on others or probe their mind and find out their secrets.
But trying to gain power thru ESP is a sure way to end up “demon-afflicted”….because the battlefield is in the mind !

~~~ Because of my own ocasional, involuntary out-of-body- experiences (astral projection) as a young child and ocasional ESPs, I believe these are part of the natural developement of human consciousness and not evil. The pursuit of mastery of these 2 abilities (becoming an “adept”) is NOT “Salvation”….and deceives one into feeling “god-like.” We must stay humble and Repentant….and let go of our controls….and TRUST the Holy Spirit to “evolve” us.

~~~ Whatever “transpersonal” experience you have in these 2 areas ~ consider it a gift from God….and DON’T get greedy for more.

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Michael Bradley
Bible Teaching and Bible Commentary,
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Scripture taken from New King James Version.
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