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It’s nothing new. Confusion’s been around forever, but it has intensified because we live in a time of increased, fast-paced communications, issued by many voices, some good, some bad. As Daniel predicted, knowledge will increase, and people run to and fro in the earth (Daniel 12:4)
It’s exacerbated by the fact that superstition has become more sophisticated, and many prophets of doom claim to have the backing of scientific evidence, having redefined the original concept of scientific enquiry and discovery.
The Cambridge Dictionary describes science as, ‘(knowledge from) the careful study of the structure and behaviour of the physical world, especially by watching, measuring, and doing experiments, and the development of theories to describe the results of these activities.’
When the media or commentators say that ‘the science is in,’ as if the evidence is conclusive, and the verdict is irreversible, remember that the nature of science is that it’s always subject to reevaluation and correction unless it becomes at least a provable, demonstrable theory or universally accepted as a natural law. Even then it should be challengeable, so it’s never really ‘in.’
Much of what we hear is based on semantics in the form of clever wordplay with shades of meaning, and even revision of language and history. What we are seeing, linguistically, is a novel kind of sorcery that uses semi-facts to promote its agenda.
Actually, there are occasions when no identifiable facts are involved, only fear-mongering, like the ancient legend of the ominous black cat, which has long been associated with superstition or hyper-religious doomsaying–the promotion of luck, good or bad, as an actual possibility. I’ll call it witchcraft lite, a filtered form of the real dark stuff that is, non-the-less, just as problematic.
I’ll add that this isn’t intended as a conspiracy piece. It’s a conversation with a warning to the faithful that we need to be on our guard when it comes to what we see, hear and accept. If you’re going to watch, be watchful with the Holy Spirit (Luke 21:36). We are in the last days. Above all, be certain to guard your heart, for out of it spring the issues life (Proverbs 4:23)
Many people align witchcraft and sorcery with “Hubble bubble toil and trouble” Shakespearean spell casting, or Harry Potter magic wands, Mary Poppins broomsticks and finger snapping vanishing tricks, manipulating the physical world with a wave of the hand like some fictional superhero in a cape, but the reality is far more complex to readily identify and more prevalent than at first supposed.
People in pointy hats and black capes it isn’t. Evil isn’t a fashion statement. It’s a doorway to corruption. Witchcraft is defined as a ‘bewitching or fascinating attraction or charm (Oxford Dictionary of English).’ Looks good, sounds good, but underneath there’s something that binds a soul to wickedness. We do not want to be joined to this kind of paganism (1 Cor.6:12).
Let’s define witchcraft lite for this post as ‘the ability to persuade a person or community into thought patterns and subsequent actions through innuendo, half-truths, suggestion, group-think and deception.’
We could add to this, but the reality of witchcraft lite is a form of sleight of hand, causing some kind of distraction with one hand that takes the mind’s focus off what is happening with the other. Or what is called bait and switch, drawing people into a seemingly harmless, beneficial venture, then, once they’re in the room, flipping over to the real agenda. Lure and hook.
It could also be to falsify evidence through half-truths, with a view to pressuring, or even intimidating, a person, against their own considered perception, into another way of thinking, often until it drives them to submission. What do you think, for instance of what is being called ‘cancel culture?’ Is that acceptable, mature behaviour? The reduction of perceived enemies by parading a potentially flawed view as truth.
It’s all about mind control. It’s a magic trick. Think of the way George Orwell, in 1984, identified the ways in which evil was presented as good, and up as down, in the ‘new-speak’ of the control freaks. The Prophet Isaiah said it well in his prophecy that spans ages.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Isaiah 50:20-21
A prediction of the days in which we live. As it is said, there’s nothing new, nothing under sun (Ecclesiastes.1:9). Deception has been with us as long as Lucifer decided to ascend above the throne of God and take his adherents with him into utter failure despite their inability to grasp his conjuring of their minds with magic (Isaiah 14:12-15).
But magic isn’t as real as it looks, folks. It’s a deception. It fools the perception and understanding of the unwary into a warped view of reality.
It can be exciting to watch professional conjurers in action on the stage, and their act is designed to keep us guessing, but we often forget that life and the world around is a stage, where more ominous performers devise trickery to sway us into their realm of influence.
I grew up on an island where superstition was rife. I didn’t know it until I left and arrived in places where the same level of taboo was void, or where there were different kinds of what has been called ‘old wives tales’ prevailed. Not just ‘old wives’ by the way, but the entire community under its sway. When you’re in the bubble you can only see what is in the bubble.
Someone created rules for living that were based on fear and blinded the minds of the people into submission. It’s a strange phenomenon, and still prevalent in many societies.
If you don’t do one thing another bad thing will happen, summed up perfectly by the annual ‘trick or treat’ religion, largely imported from the US, that is increasingly instilled into western children, where children dress up as ghouls, witches and monsters to entice neighbours into giving them sweets or else something bad might happen? Does anyone think this is actually normal behaviour? Driving cult-think into the minds of the innocent?
What about calling weather patterns ‘little girl’ or ‘little boy’ in Spanish, rather than their meteorological terms? Are we so dumbed down that we can’t remember a scientific word after a few mentions? What’s at the back of this philosophy? It’s superstition introduced to press an agenda.
Indeed, we now have a media category called ‘influencers’ who, in many cases are bona fide and free of controversy, but in other cases are used to push and pull us in a certain direction to suit their will and devices. A new form of commerce, even.
We’re surrounded by influence. Some of it is manipulative on a large scale. And it’s often deeply spiritual in nature and origin, even though it operates mostly in the psychological, soulish, fleshly realm.
There are other, more sinister versions of sorcery that involve entering deep darkness and alignment with demonic forces, through blood-rites, sacrifice, and oaths, but most of what we face in life and reason involves the bending of logic through wordplays, suggestion and manipulation; a form of mass or individual hypnosis, especially in regard to swaying public opinion one way or the other.
Truth has become difficult to assess and confirm for many. It’s a warfare, by the way.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
You see that the world is full of arguments against spiritual truth and faith-based logic. Every thought is at stake. It is a spiritual battle in a mental minefield, and if we do not know where we are stepping we could be obliterated by folly and worldly reason.
The unsaved world is largely carnal, or impressed by the dark spiritual realm infested by demonic activity, with a veil over their faces of their own shame, blinded by the god of this age, the adversary of God, that obscures any vision of the truth. Though the gospel is shining before them, the veil dims the view.
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
2 Corinthians 4:2-3
If we live only in our minds or psyche we will come adrift because the forces are intense and direct. People are paid to persuade. If we are solely influenced by the media and the crowd we will fall foul of their prejudices and pre-determination. We need to remain firm in our convictions and strong in faith, and not led away by the works and thoughts of the world (Hebrews 10:32-39).
There are two worlds that surround us, the natural and the spiritual. Sandwiched in between is the psychological, emotional dimension, where trickery potentially exists. Cue scripture, which tells us exactly what we are dealing with.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:10-13
OK, so resistance is a God thing. We stand and keep on standing against the wiles of the devil. What the world fails to understand is that our enemy is spiritual. We live and act in the natural realm, but behind it is the spiritual dimension. Unless we are filled with the Spirit of God and live by faith through the Word of God we will struggle to overcome the wiles of the evil one.
Here his minions are listed under different categories and ranks. This tells us that they are organised. We need to be at least as disciplined as those who would come against us so that we know how to stand in the evil day.
We need to utilise and use the weapons of our warfare long before we face tough times. They are not carnal, not material. They are spiritual. We need to be ready and steady in the supernaturally powerful armour of God. Every day is training day.
We need to know who God is and who we are in His hands. He has offered His very armour, which is absolutely spiritual, but has the power to overcome the natural as well as the spiritual, and help us overcome the psychological challenges we may face. It completes us in truth.
So to the good news, for those who are saved at least, and for those who will be saved by coming to Him in faith. We have Him on our side. We have His armour. We have His Spirit with us, in us and upon us. We are led by the Spirit of Christ. We have His Word. We have His promises. We have His strength even in our weaknesses. We are alive in Him. We are alive to Him. We are alive through Him. We cannot fail.
As believers, then, we can see that, predominantly, our struggle is in the spiritual realm, rather than the natural, although we certainly do face challenges in this area. The problem we face is that the natural is influenced by the spiritual so we often face the shell of the challenge rather than the substance behind it.
What we see isn’t what we get. It’s often a surface tension we view with the natural eyes that is buttressed by the power beneath. We have to learn to see through the surface tension. Those waves of pressure indicate a swell. There is an upheaval taking place, and we have to locate its epicentre.
The tsunami is the evidence of a volcanic eruption or a shifting tectonic plate. It is the effect, not the cause. If we want to prevent the effect we need to go to the source.
Remember, we wrestle against spiritual principalities and powers, which are behind the scenes of many an upheaval. We have adequate defences, via the armour of God, that can withstand the spiritual attacks of the evil one, but we also have offensive armoury; the Word and the Spirit, prayer and intercession; the weapons of our warfare: Righteousness, truth, salvation, the gospel, faith and prayer (Ephesians 6:14-18). These will defend us against deception, temptation, superstition and false religion.
Notice that Paul calls the acts of subterfuge ‘the wiles of the devil.’ The devil has been around for ages and eons, knows every trick in the book, and invented most of them. Jesus calls him the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning, the deceiver, the accuser, the adversary. He has minions serving him, which operate through those who are yielded to his wiles.
Remember that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces behind those who are blinded to the gospel and do his bidding.
If we want to know the truth we will have to see past the inventions of darkness. We need to see into the light of reality. Paul addresses this again in his letter to the Ephesians.
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
Ephesians 1:15-21
One long sentence with so much we could unpack, but the main truth we are looking at here is his prayer that ‘the eyes of our understanding are enlightened.’
We can only know the truth through the leading of the Holy Spirit. If we are to see beyond the surface of the suggestions that bombard the world, including those around us, we need to be constantly attuned to the Spirit and the Word.
Also, remember the ending. We win. Because He wins.
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
Unless a person is born again and filled with the Spirit it will be very difficult to determine the truth, let alone survive the darkness that is coming upon the earth. We all need to be in the light (Isaiah 60:1-2).
The unsaved person is at a distinct disadvantage, in an almost impossible situation. How do you discern things spiritually if your spirit is dead to God? Well, you can’t. The only way through is by receiving and believing the gospel. You must be initiated into the Body of Christ through faith in Jesus.
The deceptions of the world can affect us all, though. The unsaved are obviously uninitiated, but there are also people who have received Christ some time in their lives, but left it at that, or only had a fleeting association with a local church, ministry or pastor. There are also thse who started well, but have fallen away and not kept up their faith.
These are all at risk of being deceived. They are birthed into the family, but have neglected the initiation into discipleship, which is almost always, unless there are exceptional circumstances, confirmed through water baptism. It’s well past the day to come back home, where you will be welcomed with open arms. The door is open, and you don’t have to knock. Come in.
The full-on Christian has the advantage of the Word of God that inspires and the Holy Spirit who guides, but the emphasis is on being full-on; that is, a Word-believing, Spirit-filled disciple of Christ. No other version of Christian, including nominal, will be able to get through these deceptive times, which are set to get darker for the world, lighter for the believer.
There are darker forms of witchcraft that we may cover in other posts, which is why I called this version witchcraft lite. For now we are examining the persuasion of the world that entices people into clanism and cultism.
The adversary is able to appear as an angel of light (2 Cor.11:14), so his messaging can seem acceptable to those who are not filled with the Spirit.
You know we have times when we hear, see or read something that just doesn’t seem right, yet has the appearance of light, but we can’t quite put our finger on why we are doubtful inwardly about that option, opportunity or suggestion. There’s something about it that we intuitively reject on the inside.
Perhaps, and hopefully, this is the leading of the Spirit and we can exercise wisdom to put that aside until we have confirmation one way or another. There is more than one kind of wisdom. There is the wisdom of the world, of the devil and the wisdom of God. We can ask for the latter and He will give it to us if we ask in faith, without doubting (James 3:13-18).
Be led by the Spirit. Don’t accept all things that are said in the world around us. Exercise discernment. Check everything against the Word of God. Know the Word of God. Get your head into it, and let it fill your heart. Be filled with the Spirit, constantly praying in the Spirit. Stay in the Presence of God. He said He’d never leave you nor forsake you.
So what happens when bad stuff happens anyway? There is no guarantee that evil won’t cross our door. We need that shield of faith to withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one. Again, that shield needs to be up constantly.
Joseph went through some really bad times, but he managed to stay focused on God. He was the subject of rejection, false accusations, misrepresentation, and manipulation of facts, to the point of being thrown into slavery, and into prison, even though he was innocent.
Ultimately he came out of it because he remained in God’s plans and purposes. Going through rough times isn’t a sign of our rejection by God, but of God positioning us for the main tasks He has in front of us. Eventualy Joseph came to rule the most powerful nation on earth, so that all nations came and bowed down before him, as he had seen in a visions a youth.
That vision sustained him, but it wasn’t aways easy, and he learned a huge lesson which he revealed to his family when they came before him in Egypt. Remember, it was his brothers who at first sought to kill him, then relented and sold him into slavery, claiming before their father that he had been killed by wild animals.
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Genesis 50:20
That’s not to say that we have to be ignorant of witchcraft and sorcery. We should be aware that they go on, not giving them our time, rather being focused on the word of God that gives us the truth of every situation and how to seee through the wiles of demonic forces operating through hapless devotees.
We will be saved much anguish and trouble if we follow the Word far more than the world. Be aware, be warned and be wise, not in our own eyes, but in the wisdom of God.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9
Amen!
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