I was raised by my father & grandmother, & when I was a kid she would drag me to church. When I became a teenager I quit going. For the next 30 or so years, I would occasionally get a wild hair & go to church. But for the most part, I felt church was unnecessary. After all, I was basically a good person. I tried to never lie or cheat & I had never killed anyone. So my kids never had the role model of church being important or the base of everything. For the most part they are great kids. We live in a rural area where its small communities 20 miles apart until you get to town. In a weird teist, both my kids married people from the same Baptist church 40 miles or so away. My daughter-in-law no longer goes to church but my son-in-law does. My son does not go to church but I am trying to talk them into visiting churches & see one they like. My SIL or his mother will take my granddaughter. My daughter has always been a free spirit (& weird. & hardheaded). She use to go because she liked the preacher but he wasesed for being too vocal about some issues within the church or some reason. So she used that as a reason to not go. Now she says its because she works most Sundays but tries to go when she can. They do alot of hunting & fishing & that led her to taxidermy. She's always been crafty & imaginative so it wasn't long before she started making jewelry & other objects from animal bones & feathers, etc. She started hanging out with women who identify as witches, & even have meetings in the woods where they have bonfires & dance & I don't know what all. Then she started making jewelry & other occult themed objects.
Not giving my kids the strong foundation in faith to fight the evil of this world is 100% my fault. There isn't anything anyone can say. They will each have to wrestle with the good & the bad spirits to get on whatever path they travel. I pray daily for them.
My daughter has a Facebook page called The Strange Exchange & she also sells on etsy. In case you are interested, here's the link. http://TheStrangeExchangeCo.et...
***The bracelet at the end is one of her pieces that I thought was pretty.
I had been sharing some of her items but the occult stuff, I just couldn't. And so I made a post telling her that I loved her & would like to promote her business but couldn't promote something I felt was wicked & allowed demons into my home. Several of her friends posted nasty things about me, my religion, etc. I immediately started praying for my daughter & her family & her friends. I also looked in my study Bible & online for information on witchcraft, demons, & the occult. In a twist, I had this on my mind & then the preacher's sermon tied in with all this. But it also made me see how I was being a hyprocrite & how I was influencing the people in my circle.
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Brother Rodney mentioned compromise in his sermon Sunday. His example was when you are putting together something new, like a swing or bicycle or whatever. If you don't first read the instructions you end up doing it wrong or having missing pieces. So you go back & read the instructions, & do it right - like you should have done the first time - but lesson learned. This led him to talk about compromise. One of his examples was when we as Christians say we don't like alcohol, we don't drink, & we don't want to be around it. But then a friend or family member shows up at our house with a beer in their hand, & we say "come on in". We just compromised. It's little, seemingly harmless things that will add up. Brother Rodney said we will keep compromising so much that we will eventually compromise ourselves right out of a life of Christ, a life filled with Christ, & compromise ourselves right out of Heaven. God WILL NOT & CAN NOT allow ANY sin into Heaven. If it says it's a sin in the Bible, it's a sin. If it says don't do it, than don't compromise or figure out a way to do it where you feel its ok.
Here is my admission. I have watched 7 seasons of Game of Thrones & looked forward to each new season to come out. I would try to fast forward through the violence & sexual content (MY COMPROMISE). When I first started watching it, it never occurred to me that I was inviting the devil into my house or into my heart/soul/thoughts, or even into my marriage. Kenny didn't like it so I called myself COMPROMISING with him. I pushed my chair up close to the tv so his view was blocked & turned the sound down, or I would binge watch while he was sleeping (these were DVDs). I wasn't hurting anyone by watching. A year or so ago I started noticing that people in the Christian community were mentioning Game of Thrones & not in a good way. Uh oh. So watching it became something I didn't mention. I still read my Bible. It didn't change me that I could see. But I was COMPROMISING myself, my testimony, my Christ-filled & Christ-led life, & my one way ticket to Heaven. I have been almost on pins & needles waiting on the next season to come out on DVD, but now that it's hit me in the face about COMPROMISING, I'll be praying for self-control when I'm picking out DVDs at the library. I mean, it's not the same as being beheaded or flayed or stoned or nailed to a cross. Surely I can choose to not do something that will COMPROMISE my faith & my testimony.
This brings me to the subject of witchcraft, wiccan, & all things pagan. I admit, I do not know a whole lot on this subject. I remember reading books when I was a pre-teen & teenager. Those people seemed like good people, strong women, loved all things nature. I thought how cool it would be to get a ouigi(probably misspelled) board & talk to famous dead people. During this time I was also reading alot about Greek & Egyptian gods/goddesses & unicorns. They all blended together & seemed exciting & wonderful. Eventually, that phase or whatever passed & I went on to other things. But I think alot of people, especially young, unhappy or impressionable girls, don't move past the romanticism of paganism & witchcraft.
You can not serve two gods. And the God in Heaven is very clear on witchcraft & paganism. If you are into witchcraft or anything pagan, you are not a Christian. You may get mad at me for saying these things but I don't care. You better STOP COMPROMISING YOUR SOUL.
Deuteronomy 18:9-13
(9) When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. (10) Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, (11) or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. (12) Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. (13) You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
πexplanation from the Jeremiah Study Bible:
The Canaanites - heavily involved in the occult - practiced witchcraft, interpreted omens, consulted the dead, & practiced divination & sorcery, in addition to child sacrifice. The Israelites were moving into a dark land & needed to be careful to destroy the people & so avoid their wickedness.
From this article in Christian Research Journal & here (www.equip.org/article/modern-witchcraft/):
"First, I want to emphasize that one must be careful that various subtle aspects of the practice of witchcraft do not influence one's own Christian view of the world in a way that is incompatible with the Christian faith. What I have in mind here is how easy it can be for Christians to assume that certain practices that characterize the occult in general or witchcraft in particular are sufficiently neutral that one may safely dabble in their use. Some Christians see no problem with experimenting with seances or tarot cards, not realizing that they could be eroding their own view of the nature of reality, not to mention the danger of encountering demonic activity. Even if these practices "worked", pragmatism is not a criterion for truth (Jeremiah 44:17-18).
Jeremiah 44:17-18
(17) We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven & will pour out drink offerings to her just as we & our ancestors, our kings & our officials did in the towns of Judah & in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food & were well off & suffered no harm. (18) But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven & pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing & have been perishing by sword & famine."
πThe people's view of reality was $o twisted that they believed Josiah's reforms that had put an end to pagan practices were the cause of the calamity that had befallen them. They were disloyal to the Lord because they were convinced that the pagan gods could protect them in a way that He could not.
πThe Queen of Heaven refers to a fertility goddess, either the Babylonian Ishtar or the Canaaite Asherah. Worshipers offered cakes in her image to gain her favor & blessing. Women believed these female deities would bless them with the ability to bear children.
The belief systems of Christianity & witchcraft are mutually exclusive, but Christians are called to love all human beings & consider as their true enemy the evil spiritual force that lies behind the world's anti-Christian belief systems (Eph.6:12, Matt.5:43-47).
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world & against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
πChristians live in a spiritual war zone where the enemy - Satan - uses many tactics in his attempts to defeat them. Those tactics are evidenced by some of the descriptions of Satan in Scripture: he leads the world "astray" (Rev.12:9); he is a "liar" & a "murderer" (John 8:44), the "tempter" (Matt. 4:3), the "accuser of our brothers & sisters" (Rev. 12:10), & the "evil one" (1 John 5:19).
πSatan's war against God's people follows an organized strategy. 'Rulers' refers to Satan's head officers; 'schemes' refers to clever plans, crafty deceptions, & cunning methods. Like a military general, Satan plans his attacks & directs his demonic forces (2 Cor.2:11).
Here are a couple more links:
http://www.focusonthefamily.co...
http://www.ministrymatters.com...
Matthew 12:43-45
(43) "When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest & does not find it. (44) Then it says, "I will return to the house I left! When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean & put in order. (45) Then it goes & takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, & they go in & live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."
πThese are words spoken by Jesus Christ. If people clean up their lives & do not fill them with God, they are left vulnerable to even greater evil than what they were originally exposed to. True change replaces evil habits with good ones & unrighteousness with righteousness.
Galations 5:19-21
(19) The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immortality, impurity & debauchery; (20) idolatry & witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions (21) & envy; drunkenness, orgies, & the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
2 Chronicles 33:7
This is referencing Manasseh, King of Judah, who did all sorts of wicked things.
(6) He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination & witchcraft, sought omens, & consulted mediums & spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.
Later........
(12) In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God & humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. (13) And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty & listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem & to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
Leviticus 20:6
I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums & spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, & I will cut them off from their people.
Leviticus 20:27
A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.
***I m not advocating to kill anyone but I wanted to show people who have bothered to read this just how serious & how strongly God feels about witchcraft & paganism. However, He will forgive each of us IF we ask him to & IF we are truly repentant. Repentant means you change your behavior; you don't keep doing it. God forgave the man who sacrificed his own children & did other horrible things. If we ask for forgiveness, he will grant it.
Isaiah 8:19-22
(19) When someone tells you to consult mediums & spiritists, who whisper & mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? (20) Consult God's instruction & the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (21) Distressed & hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged &, looking upward, will curse their king & their God. (22) Then they will look toward the earth & see only distress & darkness & fearful gloom, & they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters & all liars - they will be consigned to the fiery lake of butning sulfur. This is the second death.
πHere is a stark contrast between those who will be cast into the lake of fire & those who have tasted the water of life (Rev. 21:6; 22:17; John 4:10). Although several types of sins are listed, those who commit them are lumped into 1 group by the single word "the". Their inheritance is the second death. Rev. 20:14 explained - Once death (the state of death) & Hades (the place of death) - these twins from sin's curse - are cast into the lake of fire, there will be no more death. THE SECOND DEATH IS ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD. The contrast in outcomes for both groups is laid out in no uncertain terms: failure to respond leads to an unthinkable eternity.
This is a 52 minute long YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
******If you've bothered to read to the end, most of this is from The Jeremiah Study Bible.
EDITED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
From this really long - but really interesting article at www.jubilee-centre-org/covert-world-of-witchcraft-by-jonathan-burnside/
"The contrast between the biblical worldview & the world of witchcraft is well expressed in Psalm 91, which can be read as a celebration of the protective power of God over against demonic threats."
And further down........
"Witchcraft, then, is a relational issue. It expresses our failure to enter into a relationship with God, to make discoveries about the spiritual & the material worlds in partnership with him, & to fully trust him with our lives & futures. Witchcraft robs us of spiritual reality. With a crooked finger it points away from the speaking God who wants to be known, who always does everything that is necessary for us to enjoy a relationship with him - & who is not far from each one of us."
From https://Jenniferleclaire.org?s...
This lady had a couple comments that just caught me (for lack of a better word):
"Fear opens the door" - to doubt, to uncertainty, etc.
"The Lord always exposes"
Jennifer LeClaire also mentions reading about Jezebel & witchcraft in 2 Kings 9.
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