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Showing posts with label Witchcraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Witchcraft. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

The Witch and the King - Purity 860


 

 The Witch and the King - Purity 860

Purity 860 10/12/2022 Purity 860 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the greener than green grass on the hillside below Edinburgh Castle in the United Kingdom comes to us from a friend who decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean for a vacation with a friend and shared this photo on social media yesterday.

Although the skies over said castle seem foreboding, and this scene is “hilly” rather than mountainous, I was drawn in by that vibrant green grass and decided that this “hump” of rock built into a fortress had enough novelty and beauty to adequately visually represent our arrival to the summit of another work week.  So happy Hump Day or “Latha Crom” in Scottish Gaelic.  Now don’t be saying that to any Scots today to seem cool because even though I said it, it may not translate well – as Google Translate interpretted that phrase as “Lean Day” when I ask for the English translation. So much for the accuracy of Google Translate, so be warned.  

This photo and the fact that we are in the “spooky” month of October had me thinking of Hamlet seeing the ghost of his father and had me misremember my knowledge of Shakespeare and led to me doing a failed search for a line in Shakespeare’s work that included the word “Edinburgh” as in ‘get thee to Edinburgh” or something like that but according to my search of the Complete Works of Shakespeare on my kindle app, Edinburgh appears 0 times in all his works.

Anyway I also thought of Macbeth and Shakespeare’s use of witches to offer their prophecies of doom.  And yeah, even though that play takes place in Scotland, all of the action takes place north of Edinburgh.   Not that any of this matters, Edinburgh wasn’t on  on my thoughts this morning until I saw my friends photo, but I was thinking about ghosts and witches.

As the Lord direct our steps, I just happen to be studying 1 Samuel 28 this morning which tells the story of Saul, the doomed king of Israel, in his desperation going against the word of God and seeking out the help of a witch to contact the departed spirit of Samuel for a “word from the Lord.”  

John MacArthur’s commentary on the text pulls no punches and says that even though the Christian understanding of “ghosts” and the contacting of the dead by spiritist is best understood as deceiving spirits that are in league with Satan, Macarthur stands on the word of God as true and states that Saul’s encounter with Samuel was a special miracle allowed by the Lord in this one instance.  For the Lord’s purposes, Samuel’s spirit was brought forth to speak to Saul.   

1 Samuel 28:12 (NKJV) tells us
12  When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!"

The witch of Endor’s reaction reveals that this “conjuring” was not like her usual brand of magic. But beyond this surprise, Samuel’s words reveal that, unlike other supposed spirits brought forth by mediums and spiritists that speak of a happy place where faith in Christ isn’t required,  He was indeed sent for the One True Holy and Righteous God.  

1 Samuel 28:16-19 (NKJV)
16  Then Samuel said: "Why then do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? 17  And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.
18  Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.
19  Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."

Saul had disobeyed the Lord and lost the kingdom and when he decided to use a witch to get a “word from God”, He got more than he bargained for. He got the hard truth that he already knew and he got a prophecy of doom that came to pass.  

Saul’s story reiterates the truth of the word of God spoken in:

Leviticus 19:31 (NKJV)
31  'Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6 (NKJV)
6  'And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.

Saul disobeyed God repeatedly and through this dabbling in occult practices, he was learned that his days were numbered.    

So as we go further into the month of October, I would just like to point out that there is no “good magic” or “good witches”. The practices of mediums, spiritists, and witches are denounced by the word of God and Christians should warn their friends and family to have nothing to do with any occult practices that promise knowledge of the future, a word from departed loved ones, or the casting of spells for good or ill.  Those who practiced such things are deceived or have actually made a covenant with Satan and are thus separated from God.  

And as much as we may be entertained by films like Hocus Pocus 2 or Hereditary and view such things as harmless fiction, we have to realize that God didn’t consider them to be harmless and commands his people to shun such practices.    

So as a person how loved a good scare, and still do, I would just say that to ask for the Lord’s guidance in the things that you expose yourself to and to seek to apply His word to your life to be wise.  

What I used to watch for entertainment, I now watch with a critical eye to see how the enemy operates and the reveal lies that our society is believing.  

The scariest things that I have seen lately is not the movies that depict the spiritual forces of darkness but the reaction of our youth who disbelieve the existence of God and who seem unable to discern good from evil and have sympathy for the devil.  

So keep walking and talking to God and encourage others to know the truth of God’s word and what it says about witchcraft and to avoid it as it defiles all that it touches.

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

2 Timothy 2:21 (NLT2)
21  If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

Today’s Bible verse speaks of the importance of purity in the walk of a Christian and how remaining pure prepares you to be used for the Lord’s good work.  

So yes, we should remain undefiled avoiding witchcraft as stated above, but this encouragement from the Apostle Paul directs all of us to be pure for the use of our Lord.  

So we are to avoid sin, particularly sexual sin.  Any sexual activity outside of the interactions between a man and a woman untied in marriage is sin.  Our sins make us impure. They defile us. 

But the good news is that Christians have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus. So all the sins we commit are covered by our covenant relationship with God through faith in Christ.   And if we sin, anew, we simply have to go to the Lord and confess it to reestablish our harmony with Him.  

But we shouldn’t take our forgiveness and use that as a license to sin. Instead we should listen to the abundance of scripture that directs to repent of our sins and to live a life that is good, clean, and holy.  

We benefit so much from living a godly life. Abstaining from sin keeps us free from guilt and shame and give us peace and joy in their place. 

But the best benefit to a pure life is that the Lord will invite you to work for Him and guide you into good works to further your relationship with Him and His will on the earth. 

So repent of your known sins, avoid defiling passions and things of the occult, and live pure life through God and for God,  

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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 Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Discipleship”, also known as “The Cost of Discipleship”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

Chapter Six

The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5

On theExtraordinaryof Christian Life

The Beatitudes – Continues

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Disciples live with not only renouncing their own rights, but even renouncing their own righteousness. They get no credit themselves for what they do and sacrifice. The only righteousness they can have is in hungering and thirsting for it. They will have neither their own righteousness nor God’s righteousness on earth. At all times they look forward to God’s future righteousness, but they cannot bring it about by themselves. Those who follow Jesus will be hungry and thirsty along the way. They are filled with longing for forgiveness of all sins and for complete renewal; they long for the renewal of the earth and for God’s perfect justice. But the curse upon the world still conceals God’s justice, the sin of the world still falls on it. The one they are following must die accursed on the cross. His last cry is his desperate longing for justice; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But a disciple is not above the master.[27] They follow him. They are blessed in doing so, for they have been promised that they will be filled. They shall receive righteousness, not only by hearing, but righteousness will physically feed their bodies’ hunger. They will eat the bread of true life at the future heavenly Supper with their Lord.[29] They are blessed because of this future bread, since they already have it in the present. He who is the bread of life is among them even in all their hunger. This is the blessedness of sinners.[1]

---------------------------more 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

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

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 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)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, ed. Martin Kuske et al., trans. Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 106.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

For Unto You a Child is Born – The Boy Who Lived - Purity 607


For Unto You a Child is Born – The Boy Who Lived - Purity 607

Purity 607 12/21/2021  Purity 607 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a quaint New England lighthouse on the shores of Cape Cod comes to us from yours truly and the distant past as I captured this scene while on a whale watch cruise during a family vacation in the Summer of ’09, maybe or sometime in the 2000’s. I wasn’t the most diligent in labeling my photos in years past and the technology I used didn’t timestamp it, but I do believe this comes from a trip that was B.C. before Christ.      

Speaking of another B.C., if you happen to see my son today, Brennan Clark, be sure to wish him a happy birthday as he began his epic journey of life in this world 20 years ago today. Brennan’s coming was dramatic and his life has been filled with drama in various ways ever since. 











Brennan is a twin and my eldest born son as he and his brother, Holden, were born two months premature with Brennan being the first baby born and the only son I held on the day of his birth as the team of doctor’s and nurses whisked both babies away from us after Holden was delivered, something I interpret as somewhat prophetic in the wake of Holden’s death to pneumonia in March of 2022.  

We didn’t know Holden’s days were numbered at the time and by all appearances he was the healthier of the two twins, weighing about 8 pounds to Brennan’s 5.  Holden was allowed to come with us shortly after his birth, but Brennan had to stay in Albany Med’s NICU for a time before it was deemed safe for him to come home.

When Brennan was allowed to come home, he came home with a heart monitor which would beep loudly whenever Brennan’s little heart would skip a beat, causing his parents to run in a panic to his crib. We nicknamed Brennan “beeper” because of it but we had the utmost confidence that he would live.  

We had confidence both of our boys would live and when they both had colds in March 2022, we rushed them to the doctor on a Saturday to get them checked out.  The doctor assured us that the boys were over their colds and that they would be fine.  Two days later I received the traumatic shock of my life as I woke up with Holden dead in my arms as I had fallen asleep with him in the recliner in our living room.  



I thought I had inadvertently killed Holden in his sleep somehow, but the coroner’s report explained that Holden’s cold had turned into pneumonia and that was the cause of death.  Although I have the utmost assurance that Holden is alive in heaven with God, he is my son who died.

But Brennan, the smaller of the two twins, who was delayed in coming home with great concern and a heart monitor, got over his cold and lived. 

And boy has he lived. A few days ago I wrote about something being the gift that keeps on giving and that is how I feel about my son, Brennan, sometimes.



Both my son, Brennan, and daughter, Haley, are artists. Haley draws, paints, and writes stories and actually was the first of my children to bravely enter into the performing arts but Brennan followed in her footsteps and wasn’t content to stay in her or in anyone else’s shadow.  

Brennan was always an intelligent boy and excelled academically from the start but his penchant for questioning tradition, the status quo, and authority that he may have inherited from his father would also cause him to get in trouble as his passion would occasionally cause him to rebel or lash out in unpredictable ways or cause him to literally escape the school grounds.      



Thankfully, his passions eventually found a more acceptable way of expression in the performing arts as he became a soloist in the school choirs and one of the lead performers in the school dramatic performances. 

I took great pride in Brennan’s musical and dramatic performances and because I knew what a gift from God that he was, this was the boy that lived after all, I would go to all of his performances. But unlike some parents that aren’t shy to point out their relationship to their child star, I was content to stand in the shadows and not take any of his glory for myself.  I figured that Brennan is a gift from God that was not just for me but for everyone that his life will touch. 

That once small life that the experts doubted was meant to survive and to thrive. My son, the boy who lived, was meant to survive because of God’s sovereign will and the joy that he brings to people who see him perform and who befriend him. The talents that God gave Brennan point to the joy of living and the God who gave him life even if he isn’t always confident in his direction or sure of his course.



Brennan was slated to be the lead for his school’s spring musical in 2020, Little Shop of Horrors, before Covid-19 and horror of forced lockdowns cancelled his performance and his senior year in effect.   

Brennan stagnated in the wake of Covid-19, graduated in summer school, and spent a “gap year” in my home neither working nor going to school.   In that gap year, I gave many a pep talk and words of encouragement which seemed to fall on deaf ears as Brennan continued to stay home.   In that gap year, many people gave lots of advice on what I should do to straighten Brennan out, but I remained patient and encouraging, hoping that he would once again enter into the world to share his talents and himself with those who could use him.

He was my son and unlike like his father he wasn’t involved in alcohol or drugs and as far as I was concerned he could take his time in finding his way, although I admittedly was tested in my patience.   

Thankfully, the boy who lived decided to live again and this past fall he became a full time student at Hudson Valley Community College and recently had the male lead in the college’s production of Little Women, playing a character who didn’t ascribe to the status quo and was willing to think outside of the box, and to use his talents and resources for others, and to do anything for love.  

Not surprisingly, Brennan has new friends and a new attitude.  He is not sitting around the house anymore and although He may not be sure of his ultimate purpose he is giving himself to the world again.  

So today he will be going to Koto for his traditional hibachi birthday dinner but because of the difficulties in the post-divorce landscapes of our lives I won’t be in attendance. Brennan will be enjoying his 20th birthday dinner without either of his parents.   

Last night he said he knew I would understand why and said that “I didn’t care”.  I assured him that it was fine and that it was only natural for a man in his 20’s to gravitate towards his friends and wish to avoid any familial drama. 

I’m a grown up and don’t need to go to the birthday party but my absence shouldn’t be seen as a lack of care.  

While I don’t need to be at the party, my son, and daughter, should know that I love them dearly and only wish the best for them. I have tried to raise my children to be independent and I want them to find their way in the world.  Their lives are their own and I am immensely proud of each of them.  I understand that my children are a gift from God that I am to steward and then release into the world for His purposes and for His glory.  So I am content to stand in the shadows and love them from a distance, to be proud of them, and to take no portion of their praise or glory.

I can only hope that they know that as much as I love them, their heavenly Father, God, loves them too.  God loves them much more than me and He sent His Son to earth to prove it.

Father God stands in the shadows of our lives. He provides for us and pours the talents and abilities we have into us.  No matter what mistakes we make or how we perform He loves us.  And when we listen to His advice, follow Christ’s example, and walk into the good works that God has prepared for us, He is immensely proud of our accomplishments and basks in the glory of what we do that reflect His likeness.   

As I am reminded of and celebrate my son’s birth today, I would encourage everyone to get to know that Son who was born in Bethlehem whose purpose was to reflect His Father’s image and to use His talents and love to bring us to Him.   

The Father stands in the shadows loving you and He sent His son to give Him glory and to bring you home.  So go home for Christmas. Take the Son’s hand by making Him your Lord and Savior and take the eternal life and peace with God that comes from accepting His love.


Today’s Bible verse is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verses are:

Proverbs 2:10-11 (NLT2)
10  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11  Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

Today’s verses conclude our short walk into Proverbs 2 and speaks of the experiential aspect of wisdom and the protection that comes through living it out. 

Today’s verses speak of an emotional aspect of wisdom. It’s not just good thoughts that enter our brains when we interact with God’s wisdom.  The term wisdom means applied knowledge.  It is one thing to know facts, it is another to use those facts in how you live your life.  

While we can’t assume that any knowledge is universal, most of us would admit that somethings, like smoking or eating non-nutritious foods, are unhealthy or not good for us.   While it is great to know that these habits can cause us to suffer, the knowledge doesn’t help us unless we apply it to our lives and decide to abstain from them.  

Spiritually, we can also “know” certain things but unless we apply our spiritual knowledge we could be led astray. When we let others make choices for us, we have to be careful and are responsible for the consequences of those decisions.  

Recently, that boy who lived, my son, Brennan went shopping with his girlfriend to purchase Christmas gifts for their small group of friends. Brennan took a back seat and relied on his girlfriend’s suggestions for their various friends’ gifts.  

 

One in their circle of friends apparently has macabre tastes and an interest in the occult. So Brennan’s girlfriend decided that their friend might enjoy a small giftset on witchcraft.  The box advertised that it contained a guide to magic, spells, and potions and promised that its spells would help to “de-stress”, to make your wishes to come true, and to give you a new adventure for your life.   

 

Brennan doesn’t believe in witchcraft and didn’t think much of it. So when I came home this weekend I found this witchcraft gift set sitting on my kitchen table!

 

I teach spiritual warfare. I know that witchcraft is prohibited in the Bible and is essentially the worship of demons and has great potential for harm.  So filled with righteous indignation and a desire to cleanse my house of this demonic gift, I took it and immediately constructed a bonfire to destroy it.  While I was at it, I also threw in a few books I had purchased that highlighted aberrant religious practices that I had re-purchased under the guise of research but when the spirit to cleanse house came they simply had to go to. 

 

So the house is spiritually cleansed for Christmas, Brennan has professed his non-involvement with the occult and fully understands that my home is a Christian home and hopefully will understand that the occult is not to be trifled with.  

 

So sometimes you have to apply your knowledge, in dramatic experiential ways.  I knew witchcraft was no good and followed the Bible’s teachings on what to do with occult books: we are to burn them.  

 

Knowing that material is out of my house, has been destroyed, and can’t harm anyone else fills my heart with joy. 

 

As today’s verses testifies:  Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.”  So know the word of God, stand on what it says, reap the joy of understanding it, and enjoy the safety that your wise choices that are based on the word of God brings.  

 

 

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 A.W. Tozer’s Advent Devotional – From Heaven,  for Day 25 as this current resource series will lead us to Christmas Eve.

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Tozer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.

DAY 25

THE WONDERS OF GOD DECLARED

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

JOHN 1:18

Now the mystery of atonement had to be performed. Why in the Old Testament did the priest go behind the veil to perform the ritual of atonement and then come out from behind the veil? It was God saying, in beautiful symbolism, that there would be a day when another priest, with other blood, should enter into a realm where the mind of man could never penetrate, and there in a mystery too deep and dark and wonderful for man to understand, all alone with none to help him. Not David, not Abraham, not Paul—no one. Alone in the silence and the darkness he should make atonement for sin.

And that is what happened. God stepped back and allowed Him to die. But briefly and quickly, His heart was joined again to the love of God, for three days later He was raised from the dead and later ascended to the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And one day He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

Now consider the closing line: “has made him known.” What has Jesus declared about God? There are profundities that He could never declare, there are depths that He could never declare. But there are some things He could declare and did and does. He could declare God’s holy being and, above all, for us poor sinners, He declared God’s love and mercy. So He has set Him forth, and Jesus Christ tells us in His tender, human being, that God has a care for us.

I remember hearing years ago of four or five sons who had been reared in a home, and the old folks were wordless. They did not say much; they did not show much affection. Nobody did. And the boys didn’t. After they were babies, they quit kissing their parents and quit using words of affection and grew to be strong men, and married and separated and got away. They seldom came home and seldom wrote. And when Mother’s time had about come, they sent for the boys. They said if they wanted to see her, come. They came, all of them—big, fine fellows now, each with his own home and his own business and job. As they stood around her bed, one of them said, “Mother, we want you to know that you’ve meant a lot to us boys. We haven’t been unappreciative. We’ve loved you, and we thank you.”

And then they separated and when they were gone from her, she turned and said to someone by her side, “Oh, if they had only told me before. These years I’ve wondered if I had meant anything to them. These years I thought I had failed them. Now they tell me, ‘We’re so thankful.’ If they had only told me earlier.”

You know it is possible to feel a lot that you don’t tell. It is possible to have fine intentions that you never make known. And how easy it might have been for God to have loved us and never told us, to have been merciful toward us and never revealed it. But the Scripture says that nobody ever saw God but the only begotten Son. Some translations say, “the only begotten God,” who is “in the bosom of the Father.” He has told us. He came to tell us what the silence never told us. He came to tell us what Moses could not even tell us. He came to tell us that God cares and God loves and God has a plan and God’s carrying out that plan. And before it all is finished there will be a multitude—redeemed, out of every tongue and tribe and nation—that no man can number. That’s what He told us.

He revealed God’s being, love, grace, mercy, good intention, redemptive intention, saving intention. He gave it to us. Here it is. It is ours! Now we have only to turn and believe and accept and take and follow, and it all is ours.

Tozer, A. W. (2016). From heaven: a 28-day advent devotional. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship