“Talk to Me” – A Regression into the Dark Side -
Self-Deception Series 27 – Purity 1116
Purity 1116 08/09/2023 Purity 116 Podcast
Purity 1116 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of grey and green coastal shoreline
and blue-green waters of the Atlantic Ocean, underneath a pleasant cloud-filled
blue sky comes to us from Pastor Andy Elmes as he shared this scene on social
media, from somewhere along the Cornwall coast in the United Kingdom while
traveling with his family, yesterday. With
a view like this, you can understand why Andy reported he was “Loving Cornwall”
and his “Time to just Breathe In.”
Well, It’s Wednesday and I figured Andy’s Cornwall
Coastal Cliffs were enough of a hump to visually represent our arrival at the
midpoint of my last full week of vacation.
As I consider that it’s “It’s all downhill” from here as I begin the slow
descent toward work next week, I am going to do my best to slow things down and
just breathe in the peace that this break from work has given me.
The last couple of days of this vacation were actually
spent doing a fair amount of work as I finally put pen to paper to chronicle my
“client experience” that is required for Deeper Walk International’s School of
Prayer Ministry. A few months ago I went through 6 sessions of prayer ministry
with Christy Edge in which we invited the Lord into my past to provide His
truth and healing to some memories and misconceptions from my childhood. I
spent the last two days writing a report about how the Lord cleaned out my closet
with His light of truth and love. Even
though the outcomes were exceedingly positive, recalling and writing about how
I processed and resolved some painful experiences I had suffered through and
lies I had believed because of them in my childhood was emotionally draining
and after I was done I was looking for a way to decompress and have some fun.
So after dinner last night, I decided to go to “regress”
a little by going back to the movies to see “Talk to Me”, an Australian horror
film about some teenage kids making a “Tik Tok challenge” out of demonic possession!
It turned out to be absolutely terrifying, a little disturbing, and one of the
best horror films I have seen in quite some time because it accurately portrayed
the dangers of meddling with the occult and how “the spirits of the dead” are
actually malevolent demonic entities, although you would have to have a spiritual
warfare world view to discern that. Part
of the story documents how one of the characters is deceived into believing
that a spirit they contact is their departed loved one, only to discover too
late that it’s a lie and that the “spirit” they thought was there to provide
comfort and guidance was actually plotting for their destruction.
“Talk to Me” was well done but didn’t end well as it
didn’t have a happy ending. It disturbed me quite frankly because while it was a
macabre fantasy film, the spiritual realities that it inadvertently revealed are
more truth than fiction. I would recommend it as a cautionary tale and object lesson
of why you don’t dabble with the occult and you don’t attempt to talk to the
dead because there are no such things as “friendly ghosts”, as every reported
paranormal experience, if examined closely, would reveal a demonic agenda to
deceive, kill, steal, or destroy. Unfortunately,
the bad ending of “Talk to Me” is all too real as people are being deceived by
the world, the flesh, and the devil and trust in themselves or the things of
this world instead of finding safety in God’s kingdom by putting their faith in
Jesus Christ.
Part of my enjoyment of the horror genre for me lies
not in my decision to take them seriously. Unlike others who relieve themselves
of the tension created by these depictions of evil by joking or reminding
themselves “these things aren’t real”, I choose to not only “suspend my disbelief”
but fully enter into the experience by reminding myself that, even though the
stories on the screen may have bad effects, gaps in logic or consistency, or deviate from the truth of the spiritual
forces of darkness, there is evil in the world and not all of it lies in the
hearts of men and the only thing I comfort myself with is the knowledge that I
know the Lord and have His protection as my heavenly Father.
So, Lord, forgive me for my walk on the dark side
last night. Although I consider these jaunts into the secular world of entertainment
to be “research” in some regards, I know that “regressing” to enjoy the things
that entertained me as a child or before I came to Christ, is not good because,
as Christians, we are directed to not look back, to move forward, and to put
away childish things.
And that brings us to our current series on Self-Deception,
where we have decided to investigate some of the ways we deceive ourselves by
walking through Step 2, Deception Vs. Truth, of the Steps to Freedom in Christ
to see what ways we may have been deceived by “the world” and ourselves and in
what ways we have wrongly defended ourselves.
So we present the fourth of the “Ways to Wrongly Defend Yourself”:
4. Regression
The Steps to Freedom in Christ describes regression
as “reverting back to less threatening times.”
As I stated above, as Christians we are to pursue
spiritual maturity by putting away childish things. While we should have “childlike
faith”, we aren’t commended for being “babes in Christ” and are encouraged to
grow in maturity progressively from “sons” to “fathers”, and to “elders”. This is the appropriate direction for our
life journey after all and is made clear to us when we encounter someone “not
acting their age”.
While I understand that we have liberty and that in
some ways there is no harm in enjoying the things we did as children, like
coloring, collecting comic books, or playing with toys, the extreme cases of “regression”
show us that this isn’t right. The further you go into “childish things”, the
more it is clear that this behavior isn’t necessarily where we should be going.
In our warped society today, there are grown men that
enjoy dressing up as babies. These deluded individuals have found comfort in
abandoning their adulthood and unfortunately, there are others that encourage
their regression.
I know that’s an extreme example but it’s out there
and it highlights that although we can enjoy our freedom to fondly reminiscence
about our childhoods and even perhaps indulge in the things we like to do as
kids, we should realize that there is possible danger there.
When we pursue childish delights we run the risk of being
an escapist by denying reality or by simply choosing to stop growing in the wisdom
or into the purpose that God has for us.
If you honestly believe the “all I really need to
know I learned in kindergarten”, you have been deceived. God doesn’t call us to
go back to innocent childish times and neither does He call us to “lay down and
die”. He has welcomed us into His eternal kingdom, and we are to grow into the
fullness of Christ. Our responsibility is to be built up and become equipped to
do God’s work and build up His church.
Ephesians 4:13 (NLT2) tells us
13 This will continue until
we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will
be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of
Christ.
So while we all may need to take a break
and blow off some steam with a little play from time to time, we should watch ourselves
to make sure we are progressing, and not regressing, when it comes to our overall
purpose in God’s kingdom and becoming “mature in the Lord”.
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For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Affliction, Discipline,
Chastisement, & Trials.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)
13 No temptation has
overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will
provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Today’s
verse fall under the thirteenth point of our counseling reference guide
resource’s section on Affliction, Discipline, Chastisement, & Trials
13. “God will never give you more than you
can bear.”
Today’s verse encourages us that when we are relying on the Lord, His help will allow us to endure temptation.
Okay, I’m about to throw a flag and penalize the late John G. Kruis, for being offsides here….
Today’s verse is encouraging. It does tell us we can endure. And while I could extrapolate an explanation on how “giving into despair” could be “giving into the temptation” of not trusting the Lord, I have a little bit of a problem with this verse being used to support the true principle that “God will never give you more than you can bear” because frankly even upholding that conclusion demands some extrapolating to make us see its truth.
I guess the idea that “God will never give you never give you more than you can bear” is true in an ultimate sense because we are always secure in His love and the ultimate protection of His eternal kingdom. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, thank God, because there can and will be situations in life that our bodies, our hearts, or our minds won’t be able to bear. I would say that if we examine some of the excruciating things Christians have suffered throughout history we might be a little more comfortable by changing that sentiment to : “God will never give you more than you can bear in your spirit.” because quite frankly there is documented evidence of “broken hearts, minds, and bodies” that would challenge whether or not God gave us some things we could “bear”.
Granted, the sufferings we survive can be seen as things we were able to bear. Obviously, we survived! We bore them! Even if we are minus some body parts or some mental, emotional, or physical capabilities afterward– we bore them, praise God!
But some people don’t survive, their bodies couldn’t bear what they went through, and some suffer violence and perish. Thus we look to heaven to see that all though we die, we live because of Christ.
So yes in these instances – we bear it – we live and bear it, or we die and bear it.
But one of the things that we may have trouble bearing is the loss of loved ones, and their absence from our lives is rather unbearable. In our grief, it sure doesn’t feel like we can bear it. In our physical or mental suffering, it sure doesn’t feel like we didn’t get a raw deal from God. It sure doesn’t feel like our pain is something we can bear.
However, that principle – that God will never give you more than you can bear” is true all the same.
Although those words could
be cold comfort to someone who is suffering if they test them by drawing close
to the Lord, they will discover that “His grace is sufficient, and when we are
weak, He is strong” and that He will comfort and empower us with His presence and
His strength and that if we ask for His help we will receive it.
When you have faith and call on God to help you, He will be faithful, although I can’t tell you exactly how in every situation. Some are healed, some live with suffering, some are restored, and some remain broken. Some are given more time and life here on earth, Others are called into eternity – suddenly or slowly. But because of Jesus, we know that God is for us and will never leave us or forsake us. And even though we may suffer greatly, when we seek His help and presence in our lives, we can even take a Bible verse out of its proper context and use its underlying truth to help us to endure and one day proclaim with confidence that God will never give you more than you can bear.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3)
A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit
18 - The Spirit Indwelling
The
Evidences of the Spirit’s Indwelling
What are the evidences and fruits of the
Spirit’s inhabitation? First,
wherever the Spirit dwells, He does in some degree mortify and subdue the evils
of the soul in which He resides. “The Spirit (lusts) against the flesh” (Gal.
5:17), and believers “through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body”
(Rom. 8:13). This is one special part of His sanctifying work. Though He kills
not sin in believers, He subdues it—though He does not subdue the flesh as that
it never troubles or defiles them any more, its dominion is taken away. Perfect
freedom from its very presence awaits them in Heaven; but even now, animated by
their holy Indweller, Christians deny themselves and use the means of grace
which God has appointed for deliverance from the reigning power of sin.
Second, wherever the Spirit dwells, He produces a
spirit of prayer and supplication. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered” (Rom. 8:26). The two things are inseparable: wherever He is poured out
as the Spirit of grace, He is also
poured out as the Spirit of supplication
(Zech. 12:10). He helps Christians before
they pray by stirring up their spiritual affections and stimulating holy
desires. He helps them in prayer by
teaching them to ask for those things which are according to God’s will. He it
is who humbles the pride of their hearts, moves their sluggish wills, and out
of weakness makes them strong. He helps them after prayer by quickening hope and patience to wait for God’s
answers.
Third, wherever the Spirit dwells He works a heavenly and
spiritual frame of mind. “They that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to
be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”
(Rom. 8:5–6). The workings of every creature follow the being and bent of its
nature. If God, Christ, Heaven, engage the thoughts and affections of the soul,
the Spirit of God is there. There are times in each Christian’s life when he
exclaims, “How precious also are Thy
thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them,
they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee” (Ps.
139:17, 18)—such holy contemplation is the very life of the regenerate.
But, says the sincere
Christian, If the Spirit of God dwelt in me, could my heart be so listless and
averse to spiritual duties? Answer, The very fact that you are exercised and
burdened over this sad state evidences the presence of spiritual life in your
soul. Let it be borne in mind that there is a vast difference between spiritual
death and spiritual deadness: the former is the condition of the unregenerate,
the latter is the disease and complaint of thousands of the regenerate. Note it
well that nine times over, David, in a single Psalm, prayed, “Quicken me!”
(119). Though it be so often, it is
not so always with you: there are
seasons when the Lord breaks in upon your heart, enlarges you affections, and
sets your soul at liberty—clear proof you are not deserted by the Comforter![1]
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tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247
podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
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These teachings are also available on the
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Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
For those who require the assistance of a Deeper
Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in
Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer
Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).
