Spiritual Pyromaniacs

I'd mentioned in an earlier post that I had been watching the 'Let Us Reason' website for updates on the Healing Rooms, here in Spokane, Washington (and elsewhere). I then said that'd wait for another blog posting, and here it is. Part of the reason I was looking for those updates was because I had found the Healing Rooms website, and saw that they had Sat. evening 'services' for their ACTS ministries.

I attended a couple of those services, and had the opportunity to say hello to Michelle, Cal Pierce's wife, before one of those services. The service isn't exactly like a traditional church service, they were more of an update on the travels of Cal and crew, or their plans for the ACTS ministry. There's some live music before the service, and some of that music left me a little uneasy. It was the unscriptural lyrics to at least 1 song that convinced me that ministry wasn't the place for me, so I haven't been back there since a few months ago. And the long, drawn-out songs during 'worship' reminded me of a live Grateful Dead concert I listened to on the radio back in the late 1970's or early 1980's. Repeating the same notes or words over and over for several minutes. Not my 'bag', as they used to say.

However, I'm now reading an article by Jackie Alnor, titled the same as this blog posting. In the article she writes about something called 'fire tunnels' as below:

And now in Toronto John Arnott’s young people are involved in some of the scariest spreading of this fire onto other young folks who come looking for a spiritual jolt. They call this ceremony "fire tunnels" in which two rows of young people line up while a group of blessing-seekers go single file down the middle. As they proceed into the tunnel, shouts of "Fire" and "Fire on you" come out of the mouths of the imparters as they touch the seekers’ heads and foreheads in order to spread the fire. As they do, the recipients of these fire spirits jolt and jump around with some pretty scary looks on their faces. (To see this in action – go to these links at TACF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-4pyiYAlzg
; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ErxBdAm8M )

When I was at the first of the 3 meetings I attended at ACTS ministries, rather than doing their usual (?) prayer for people at the end of the service, they did one of these same 'fire tunnels' !! I had no idea what they were, but given that I'd been researching this spiritual warfare issue for a while AND remembering the following passage of scripture --
(1Ti 5:22 KJVA) Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

I said a silent prayer before I went through this line, since I'd never done this before and didn't know any of those people. I prayed asking God to keep me safe from any unclean spirit that those touching me may attempt to send my way, asking for this protection in Jesus name. So as I went through this line most people used the word 'blessing' when touching my forehead or shoulder, and one woman said something and then while she was touching me she started shaking uncontrollably. Her teeth were chattering, she was shaking so hard, she had to let go of me to make it stop. There were people laid out on the floor at the end of the line, another first for me. I was fine, I walked over to the chair where I'd left my Bible, picked it up and went home.

So while I do believe in the 'gifts of the spirit' and attend a local Calvary Chapel church, I also know that it is written that one of the 'fruits of the spirit' is self-control. Uncontrollable shaking and/or being laid out on the floor, and similar things are not of God's Spirit.

The reason I went there in the first place was primarily as a possible avenue for networking for EFT. The article by Jackie is additional confirmation for me that I made the right decision in steering clear of that ministry. Discernment is so important, since there are places where they can use some of the right words and it sounds like it's all full of the 'light of truth' when it's really just the opposite.

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Gods and Monsters article

This is a very interesting article titled: Gods and Monsters. It's from the National Catholic Register, and again I'm Protestant. However, it appears likely that those of the Catholic faith are more likely to believe in things spiritual.

Here are a few sentences that resonated the most with me:

Uncritical acceptance of spiritual forces can have disastrous consequences.

[I have noticed that in some circles, there's a general belief that if it's from the 'world of spirit' it's more likely to be accepted without question as from a 'more enlightened' source.]

In my own case, the spirit that I was in contact with consistently tried to make the ordinary world seem dismal and meaningless and to present an image of death as a beautiful awakening of the fettered soul. I nearly committed suicide for its sake. I was going to do so, and sincerely believe that I would have if my guardian angel had not intervened.

An education in anti-supernaturalism leaves one easy prey for evil spirits.

Undefended by the armor of God, unwarned against the existence of demonic intelligences, and starving for the wondrous and spiritual, modern man is about as well defended as a pack of shepherdless sheep in a wolf’s den.

Someone captivated by the possibility of occult magic will not find his way back into the fold if all he finds there is worldly wisdom and prosaic ritual. He must find, in the teachings and liturgy of the Church, a vision of the spiritual world that puts all others to shame.

Such a vision already exists. It exists in the works of the theologians, where all the complexities of the angelic orders are laid out. It exists in the Scriptures, where the hosts of heaven descend in power to scatter the proud in their conceits.

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We've been neo-conned

I just watched this video and it's an eye-opener. I didn't quite understand the term 'neo-con' until I watched it. I found the video while reading an excellent article about Dr. Ron Paul, found here.

It's also kind of scary, so EFT as well as prayer, comes in handy! Part of it also reminded me of something I read in M. Scott Peck's book 'Glimpses of the Devil', which is something said by one of the demons during an exorcism Dr. Peck writes about. From page 178:

"I demanded to know of Satan why it hated Beccah so. Initially the answer was vague, suggesting that it just hated people in general. But with my prodding it warmed up to the subject, saying, "I am against people loving one another. They need to work." I demanded to know why. "They need to work," it replied, "so there will be war and prosperity instead of love and all that crap."

I'm also adding a couple verses of scripture that came to mind while watching it.

(Isa 5:20 KJVA) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

(Act 20:29 KJVA) For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

(2Jn 1:7 KJVA) For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The video is 51 minutes, well worth the time to watch it.



There is also a text version of the speech titled "We've Been Neo-Conned" found here.

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A demon caught on film?

Check out this article -- in it there's an image that's easy to miss (on a computer screen, at least!) until you see the close up image. It appears to be a dog -- without ears? -- looking over the man's shoulder. The man believes it's a demon, and it looks fiendish enough that maybe it is an image of just that. Since I, and others do believe they exist but can't generally see them, I thought it was worth sharing. Here's the image:

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The Truth behind 'The Secret'

I just finished reading The Truth Behind The Secret, 'The Secret' being the book and DVD by that title about the (so-called) 'law of attraction'. Since I had a small rant in my booklet about the (so-called) 'law of attraction' I thought I'd post a bit of a follow-up here.

The book confirmed that the 'secret' book is based on some of the teachings of Abraham, a group of 'entities' (i.e. demonic spirits) channeled by Esther Hicks. I used to subscribe to their tape series and had several of their books, before I came to Christianity and repented and have thrown out all of the books. I may still have a few of the tapes, in a box somewhere. There's also some influence of the Religious- Mind Science / Unity teachings. Since the authors are much more knowledgeable in these areas, I was glad to see it also agreed with the conclusion in my booklet that they basically preach pantheism. (God is in all things, and/or is a 'universal energy' but isn't a personal God that can save you from their demonic deception.)

The biggest thing I've gotten out of it, now that I've been out of it for a few years and studied the Bible, is that their focus is on 'the deception of riches' -- which is essentially believing the devil's lie that riches are going to bring you happiness and security. I'll certainly admit that struggling financially isn't a lot of fun, but as Jesus said: 'For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' (Mar 8:36 KJVA) and see also Matthew 16:26.

I wanted to share a couple of paragraphs from pages 44 and 45 of the book, it's discussing channeling in general.

THE DANGERS OF CHANNELING

Most interesting is Klimo's warning about evil spirits in connection with channeling. As a proponent and practitioner of channeling, Klimo is familiar with the traditional Christian perspective that fallen angels (demons) may be involved. Although Klimo does not completely agree with this perspective, he readily acknowledges that some channeling does involve evil beings bent on deception.

In his interview, he explained, "not every ancient spirit is wise or benevolent" -- some belong to "the dark brotherhood." Klimo repeatedly referred to these dark beings as spirits who are involved in some kind of invisible warfare against all that is good. While he believes these evil spirits are in the minority, he recognizes a significant potential danger when it comes to channeling, noting" [There are] even more dangerous sources ... nonhuman demons, evil spirits, forces of Satan or Lucifer and the 'Dark Brotherhood'. These entities await every opportunity to tempt and control human spirits. Historically, the negative presence of lower astral human spirits has been attributed to these demonic entities."

If we accept Klimo's explanation of channeling, then we have to acknowledge that deception is possible. There is a possibility of fraud and fakery, self-deception on the part of the channeler, a mental illness or psychological phenomenon, or even an evil, demonic spirit pretending to be a wise helper.

The book is certainly worth a look, it covers a good deal in 149 pages (before the end-notes). I read a copy from my local library, and it's also available here, or here.

Apparently there is also going to be a DVD documentary, there's a link on their website to view a preview clip.

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What is God's will vs Christian Liberty ?

I wanted to share a very good article that I found on Brian Flynn's website (author of a book I recently finished titled: Running Against the Wind. It's very good and I plan to post something from it a bit later.)

However this article is about Christian Liberty -- as in what are we at liberty to choose in certain areas if it's not specifically mentioned in scripture; since scripture is His revealed will? This article is written by Bob Dewaay.

Here are a couple of paragraphs from the article, and it's helped clear up some of my thinking on the topic.

How do we find out God’s will in matters of Christian liberty? By making an informed choice and living out all the ramifications of that choice to God’s glory by His grace. God’s providential will is known after we make the choice ─ it is whatever we chose. If that choice does not transgress anything revealed in Scripture, then it cannot be a sinful choice unless we make it with evil motives. Examples of choices that the New Testament expressly says are within the realm of Christian liberty are things like marriage, food, circumcision, and holy days to be observed. Some choose a more rigorous and restricted approach to life (see Romans 14), and others less restrictive. What we are not free to do is judge others on matters that rightfully fall into the category of liberty. These are matters God has not dictated in Scripture.

and a few paragraphs later he adds this --

Paul was in prison when he wrote to the Philippians: “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). Paul was in prison because civil authorities put him there. Thus God’s providential will was revealed. There is no assurance that by learning to follow some secret “inner voice of God” we will be more pleasing to God and be more “in the center of His will.” This idea hinders true Christian liberty and leads to many sorrows.

Many think that God will feed them information about all their decisions and give them the “Midas touch.” This concept is false. God does not tell us which stocks are going up, which car will never break down, which house will go up in value, and other turn by turn directions that will lead us to bliss and success in this life. In God’s wisdom He has granted us freedom to make these decisions freely, and without recrimination for the results. It is not a sin to make decisions within the realm of Christian liberty that we regret later. As earthly parents, we will judiciously allow our children to do the same. It is a central part of our human freedom and dignity to make decisions and watch the consequences play out in life. It sounds good to have the “Midas touch” but if it existed it would be ruinous as it was in the fable.

I think that the idea of making the 'right decision' to be sure what we're doing is in God's will comes from the evil one. I've certainly tied myself into mental & emotional knots over it, and I think it's part of what sends people to psychics and the like. However, I do think that praying over a decision before you make it can probably keep you out of harm's way in some cases. The Holy Spirit does indeed communicate with us, but that doesn't mean He needs to put his 'stamp of approval' on every matter before you can do something. My current thinking, after reading this excellent article -- would be that praying over things / decisions is a good idea. Particularly if it's a big decision, like who to marry or where to live or go to church, and the like. If the Holy Spirit gives you guidance or words of knowledge (which don't always come immediately!), then go with that. Otherwise, make your best decision and move forward. For a really good book about the Holy Spirit, I like Chuck Smith's book 'Living Water'.

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).

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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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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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.