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Somewhere in every one of us is a deep longing to make contact with the unknown, with some “higher power”—something greater or wiser or more powerful than ourselves. This is true at all levels, from the teenage girl reading her horoscope, to the witch doctor in some remote tribe who has never seen a white man, to the scientist probing outer space and seeking to discover the secrets of the universe.
*Derek Prince. "Understanding Your Enemy." The Teaching Legacy of Derick Prince. Vol. 14, Issue 2.
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Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
*Psalm 119.105 (NRSV)
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The Psalmist rejoiced in the sacred Teachings of his tradition, called the Torah. He describes Torah as "the joy of my heart" (Ps 119.112, NRSV).
Scripture and other sacred teaching serves like creeds, church covenants, and confessions of faith. Sacred teaching is meant not to be something that binds us, but frees us.
When we see sacred teaching as giving guidance, inspiration, and nurture, we can look forward to engaging it, imbibing of it and memorizing it with joy.
What is the most important book in your household? Scriture needs to be the most loved book in the home of any Christian. Regardless of our differences of interpretation of content and such matters as theories of divine inspiration, the Holy Bible is the sourcebook for Christian devotion and living.
However, we can expand sacred teaching to include other means to spiritual guidance. And this is where we need to be careful.
The occult is very popular in our society. A recent visit to a major book dealer amazed me with the variety of spiritualistic offerings flooding the selves: palm reading, astral travel, past life regression, reading your horiscope, ... Amazing, how many in our society will reject grand teachings of the Christian faith, claiming the Church has deceived millions, and those same persons will run to find out how to do astral travel. We have come a long way from the levitations of holy saints to the frequent flyer miles of anyone who can master a techique at being an airial flotation device.
We turn aside a steak and gobble down wormwood. This points to the profoundly "spiritually" confused state our society is in: yes, we are really spiritual - spiritually befuddled, addicted to our own esoteric blabberism.
Let us take one example: divination. I will refer to Derick Prince's words, followed by the Scripture he refers to:
A clear example is offered by the slave girl in Acts 16:16–22, who was said to be “possessed with a spirit of divination.” Interestingly, the Greek merely says “she had a python spirit.” In classical Greek culture the python was often associated with the practice of divination or fortunetelling. The modern term for such a person is psychic.
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” 18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. 19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” 22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.
*Acts 16.16-22 (NLT)
Scripture offers us a clear message on how to walk - by faith - and to be cautious against anyone who claims to be a "medium" of secret or privileged knowledge.
Yes, some persons are given spiritual insights other persons do not receive directly. Persons have legitimate premonitions. This cannot be denied. And some persons have a "psychic" gift, in the sense of inclination to intuiting. Yet, it is one thing to be gifted with such, another to seek such and open oneself to the "other side" without being God-gifted spiritually to do so. A person can get an intuitive insight, even the Holy Spirit can so guide, but that is not the same as making a practice out of sorcery or divination.
Toying with the occult contradicts Christian faith, the Christian way, and offers a potential opening to dark influence from the "other side." The very inquisitiveness that can help us, can lead us to seek to ascertain what we are not meant to know.
And notice that what the medium said about Paul and Silas was accurate. The same thing happened in Jesus' ministry. But accurate does not mean right, and getting accurate occultic insight can lure you deeper into the murky waters of the dark side.
Scripture offers us a healthy and safe alternative. If we follow this, we will be okay and honored for it, even though it might be harder at times than getting "inside information":
6So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
*I Cor 5.6-8 (ESV), emphasis mine
Returning to our Psalm passage - we are to delight in Sacred Teachings. They inform us as a light, while we walk this earthy trek. We can expand such light to all spiritual instruction, yet, we are to avoid the occult in all forms - including, by the way, the very popular daily horoscope. Trust your day to God, and walk by faith, not the predictions of the stars.
Last, a word of wisdom. Recall, occultic information can be accurate. Yet, the dark side works just that way. Remember, the dark side is a liar, and the means is to appear as one of the Light. So, I leave you with two Scriptures:
13 Such men are not true apostles but are workers who lie. They change themselves to look like apostles of Christ.14 This does not surprise us. Even Satan changes himself to look like an angel of light.15 So it does not surprise us if Satan's servants also make themselves look like servants who work for what is right. But in the end they will be punished for what they do.
*2 Cor 11.13-15 (NCV)
43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!
*John 8.43-45 (NLT)
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*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in continuing his ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of spiritual love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers or the Cokesbury on-line store, cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist Pastor, lives in Southwest Florida. He is a vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and seeks to inspire others to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the Church through addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
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