Sweatlodges, Labyrinths, Meditation, Yoga OH the list goes on....

Sorry, But I can't help myself....

Been asked this by a few people and I am amazed at the mixing of religious beliefs....What do you think about Yoga, Christian Yoga, Martial Arts, Meditation, Labyrinths, even Sweat Lodges? - I feel the same way about them as I do, Tarot cards, horoscopes, ouija board, seances and levitations! They are NOT authorized by God, INFACT they are part of religious practices that God specifically rebukes and commands HIS PEOPLE to repent of, turn from and refuse to participate in.

I feel the same way about Movies that highlight and give praise to Vampires, witchcraft and demons.

I am amazed at how many Christians that want to do or claim to do spiritual warfare, claim victory in Christ and tearing down of strongholds actually entertain, and 'dine with demons'.
Having had several people over the years ask me why they can't seem to get victory in certain areas, I have to ask why are they still participating, setting the table for and inviting in on many different levels, trying to enjoy the pleasures of the enemy and yet don't want that same enemy to exert power over them...HELLO....An enemy is always and enemy - spiritually speaking - regardless of how often he may show himself as an angel of light!

It reminds me of a very simple, practical application I learned in High School....Garbage In, Garbage Out!

Some people have asked, "well the meditation (shutting off or down the mind to supposedly hear from God), labyrinths and other forms of monastic prayer should be fine, after all they came from the catholic priests of the 1400's"....Well if you look at that history during that time alone, you'll find hugely bizzare practices and corruptions, but go back to where those priests got those practices....they brought them back from the budhists and hindus of India and China....and just tacked on Jesus or Mary or Saint so in so....

Sorry! I just can't justify the mixing.

I have always been an advocate for keeping Christianity pure...When I read God's word I do not find God tolerant, or wishy washy on certain matters (even though I might like Him to be). So many times we as christians seek out the worldly ways or pagan ways of doing things rather than seeking the Word's ways....we do this even with prayer...as if the world or those that dont know Christ, have something better than Christs' own recommendations on how, when, and why...to pray...Gosh - does it have to be so formulated? All of the Psalms are prayer, praise and worship. There is so much prayer in the scriptures that it presents us with 'how to' pray...yet people look for the mystical, ethereal, goosebumps rather than the truth and power of the Holy Spirit.

Deut 12:30-32 specifically states....Be careful not to be ensnared by the nations(which the Lord destroys because of their wickedness and pagan practices) and their ways...Do not inquire about their gods, asking, "How did these nations worship their gods? I'll also will do the same.' You must not do the same to the Lord Your God, because they practice for their gods every detestable thing the Lord hates.

Christians give excuse after excuse, justification after justification for their own want and lust of these mystical practices...whether actively involved or passively, ie., 'I would never go to a palm reader but guess what movie I'm seeing tonight.' They lust for the supposed 'power' it seems to give them...just like Simeon of Acts that Peter rebuked....

But if these practices, this thirst for a mystical experience is not of God, What right do we have to rebuke the devil when we participate in them? What possible expectancy of victory can one truly have when he/she is dabbling in a religiously justified, light form of witchcraft. Let's not forget the devil will try to deceive Christians with doctrines of demons and 'angels of light' which are often nothing more than mystical experiences...that are not able to stand up to scriptural scrutiny.

Before I accepted Christ, I did Ouija boards, seances and levitations....and I realized how they were unacceptable in Christ...Yet years after I became a Christian, while working a boring job, I was reading a Christian book of a person set free and delivered from witchcraft. After reading it and excited at the thought of God's power I read another Christian author similar in nature, but my attitude was changing. I was now intrigued by the scenarios that were mentioned in the book...after that book and reading in yet another Christian authored book along the same vain, I was violently rebuked by the Holy Spirit. It shot like an arrow in my heart and mind
- I WAS DABBLING IN WITCHCRAFT!!!

Yes that's right, it didn't matter that I was reading a Christian author who spoke of Christ's victory over these things...My heart was intrigued by the witchcraft itself...I could have justified it and made excuses, and NO ONE would have been the wiser for it...

But the Holy Spirit was sharp! That two edged sword came out and separated soul and spirit. It cut and rebuked and corrected me...

That's what I'm talking about....are we doing these things and looking to justify them? Do we participate in something in what I call 'embraced ignorance' - where we know deep down that something is wrong, but heck, it's ok - God don't mind right?

WRONG! that little tug, is the Holy Spirit clueing you in to something...Pay attention...

I dare you to read ALL of 2 Peter Chapter 2....

"Now the Spirit explicity says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared." 1 Tim 4:1,2

What the pagan religions do and participate in, they offer as 'sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons! You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord's table and the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?" 1 Cor 10 20-22


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