Friday, September 28, 2007

Wide is the path that leads to destruction

Here's a very compelling video message from Paul Washer, it's addressed to a teenagers / youth group meeting, but it's not the usual 'ear tickling' message. Wow, it's good. It's 59 minutes (1 hour).


Monday, September 24, 2007

A short attempt to debunk EFT and SW

I'm pretty sure this article on the 'Let Us Reason' website is in reference to EFT and similar modalities in general, and in particular as a tool for Christians. Why I say that, is because a few months back I sent an email to Mike (the admin / owner of the LUR website) telling him that I liked his website and invited him to read my e-booklet and welcomed any feedback he may have. I then advised that our correspondence may or may not end up on my blog, and asked that if he specifically did NOT want it posted here for him to please let me know. I believe in fair warning, fair play and that sort of thing.

His only response was a couple of weeks later, warning me against things not invented by Christians, as well as warning me against the Elijah List, since I have an article or 2 on here from that website. Since I check in at the 'what's new' link on the LUR website on a regular basis, particularly looking for the article(s) about The Healing Rooms. That's a topic for another blog message, perhaps. Among the 'new' articles is the one linked above, and it's so short I'm going to cut & paste it and then address it. The one thing that really bothers me most though, is that I specifically emailed and requested feedback. But I received not even so much as a courtesy message that he was posting his response to his website. But, as my pastor said once during a service, shortly after becoming head pastor of a church he discovered that 'sheep bite'. Plus, I have EFT to help soothe my feelers over the whole issue. Here's the article:
When does alternative medicine cross over the line where we need to be concerned?
The sicknesses that we often treat are in the body, it is physical. Regular medicine uses a physical means to treat the physical body (other means are employed when it is emotional/psychosomatic). The majority of New age medicine has the premise that whatever is happening to the body first begins in the spirit. they believe in treating the spirit to fix the body. By manipulating energy centers or meridians that supposedly run through the body, they can align our spirit into health, which will then affect the body.

When we use a spiritual means to treat the physical body, that is when has crossed the line to be something else other than medicine. It is not longer medicine but in the category of the metaphysical or the Occult. We are no longer using a physical cure for a physical ailment.

We find many of these techniques are connected with other religions and spiritual systems. The belief that sickness is in the spirit first and manifests in the body (like Mind sciences teaches).

These kind of methods used from other religions the Bible tells us not to use.

Where does the Bible tell us not to use them? We're told in the Bible not to engage in sorcery or divination and not to consult those with familiar spirits (i.e. 'channelers' ), and told not to worship strange gods. EFT does none of those things, though some EFT practitioners may do some of those things. The part where it mentions meridians is really what tipped me off that it might be discussing EFT type modalities. Plus my e-booklet puts forth my contention that emotion and spirit are linked. Thus if you're using EFT for emotional issues it would also tie into spiritual issues, and I cite many passages of scripture to back up my contention. My response is going to be somewhat short, since this is one of the few articles on this website with absolutely NOT ONE scripture to back up his contention. The article says it has crossed the line when we use a spiritual means to treat the physical body and that puts it in the realm of the occult? First of all, how many scientific studies have shown links between stress and disease, just one of several 'emotional states'. I just did a search on the dogpile search engine, using the terms 'stress AND disease' and it came up with 95 results. (Granted, some of them aren't more than links to shopping sites, but many contain useful information.) I then did the same with 'sadness AND disease' and that came back with 100 results. Plus, EFT is primarily about emotions and not necessarily the physical body.

Not to mention, how many passages of scripture say that Jesus cast out devils and they were healed? Would that not be a 'spiritual means to treat the physical body' ? Using eSword, I did a search of the KJVA New Testament using the words 'devil heal' and include a partial match, it came up with 11 results. Here are a few of them:

Mat 4:24 KJVA
(24) And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

Mat 12:22 KJVA
(22) Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

Luk 8:2 KJVA
(2) And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

Luk 9:42 KJVA
(42) And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

Act 10:38 KJVA (38) How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

In some cases it appears that 'casting out of devils' and 'healing' are not one in the same thing, in some cases one thing was done and then in others people were healed. Though in some passages it appears the two are in fact linked. And there are many, many mentions of various and different emotions in the Bible -- several of them in my e-booklet or and/or the appendix.

Of course, there's always the possibility that the article had very little to do with EFT, either in conjunction with using it as a tool in spiritual warfare, or not. But I doubt it. I'll close this response with the following verses from the book of Romans:

Rom 14:13-14 WEB (13) Therefore lets not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brothers way, or an occasion for falling. (14) I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

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Friday, September 21, 2007

EFT - Not just for emotional issues

I just read an article / testimony from the EFT Insights newsletter that is amazing, so I thought I'd share part of it here and suggest you take a look at it too.

It's by a 73 year old man who'd been in a car accident and had some injuries to his leg that were bleeding quite a bit. He first used EFT to address his anger about the accident and then addressed the pain and bleeding of his injuries -- and in the process saved himself a trip to the hospital! Proving that EFT is not just for emotional issues. I'll share the last couple of paragraphs of the article below.

By this time I was feeling remarkably better ,started laughing and used the thymus thump to gain more energy, because I was feeling rather tired. People thought I was nuts but I just did not care. I was so happy that all had gone so fantastically after the initial disaster.

Without EFT I would have had to go to the hospital. After 3 weeks I am still 100% OK and there is no pain, I can walk perfectly, the scabs have gone and the scars are almost invisible. All the affirmations have been fulfilled.

You can read the whole article here.

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Saturday, September 15, 2007

Wisdom and the Proverbs, part III

Below is a link to an excellent blog post which discusses emotions as mentioned primarily in Proverbs,

Wisdom and the Proverbs, part III

Chad (the writer of the blog piece) makes a good point about our emotions, in that some that we may call 'negative' are not always unwanted, such as fear when confronted by some danger.

However, if you're still anxious or fearful long after the danger has passed, it would be a good time to use EFT. So take a look, it's a good message.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Acupuncture and Christianity

I'm making some small updates to my booklet on EFT and Spiritual Warfare, and wanted to include some information I found in Larson's book of SW about acupuncture. (And I'm going to remove the 'free ebooklet' for a short while, since EBay has no listing fees until the end of Sept., I'm going to list it there and see if there's any buyers.)

In that vein, I decided to do an internet search on acupuncture history, none of which really contradicted the info. in Larson's book; and then I did a search on acupuncture AND christian, and found a link to this website article, which I wanted to share here. There are links to a few articles with some of the science that's been done on the topic. (Since EFT is somewhat based on principles of acupuncture, it's basically related to EFT, also.) The writer of the article, linked above, is a Christian acupuncturist. A couple of things he writes sum up my feelings on the topic, too.

He writes:
  1. God and Christian faith come first in importance and priority. Healing and medicine come after that.
And then goes on to make some other important points, and adds this to which I completely agree:
Science: I have reviewed a number of scientific studies on acupuncture on PulseMed.org. I am a Christian and an acupuncturist, I believe that acupuncture is inherently medical and non-religious. I have made every effort to remain objective in my Christian review of Chinese Medicine. I would like to find out it is compatible with Christianity, but I also am willing to move on if that turned out to be incorrect.
Of course, I'd substitute EFT, and since it deals more with emotional issues, the medical studies may or may not apply. But I see it as something where I am also willing to move on if it turns out I'm incorrect. The Holy Spirit led me away from other 'new age' beliefs and gave me a love for God's Word (i.e. the Bible); and I even believe that using EFT to clear away some negative emotional 'baggage' enhances my walk, and my faith and discernment. In addition, here is another good article that addresses the topic.

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Saturday, September 1, 2007

Hidden things of darkness

Here's a good article in Spirit Daily, about some of the 'hidden things' of the powers of darkness. It's mostly anecdotes of various people who have sensed different spiritual forces.

One note, it is written from a Catholic perspective and I'm Protestant -- so I don't go in for praying to patron saints and/or to Mary, mother of Jesus. I do as Jesus told us, which is to pray to 'our Father, who art in heaven...' And sometimes I pray directly to Jesus, since He said that 'if you've seen me, you've seen the father' and He said that he makes intercession for us.

And to tie this in with EFT, and my premise about the spiritual and emotional being linked, here's a couple of quotes from the article:
"Jealousy is a big curse and is not to easy to remove. But like you said, 'love' breaks the curse and it does work."
"But this is even more strange: I am living with my agnostic sister for a while, making it very uncomfortable for me, as she is nice and generous, however very negative. I have never felt a spirit here, but I do feel depressed at times and for no apparent reason. My grandchild came to visit this summer and she felt a spirit in my sister’s bedroom, and saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye, without knowing anything about my sisters lack of faith! Simultaneously my sister’s daughter felt a spirit too, also not knowing that my grandchild felt it (nor does she take note of her mother’s lack of faith). My granddaughter does not feel this spirit anywhere else. So I have been blessing the house with Holy Salt and Lourdes water, especially on Sunday, and praying for my sister. A few nights ago, my sister went on vacation and I tried to sleep in her bedroom because it is more comfortable than on my tiny futon. I could not sleep! I felt fear in her bedroom and had to go sleep elsewhere. My granddaughter went to Disney World and said she felt the presence of a spirit there too. I truly believe that children can sense those spiritual things that are not sitting well in an environment, and like magnets, pick up on them."
Some good food for thought.

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