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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Spiritual Warfare
The last two weeks at our Wednesday night Axis meetings we have discussed some issues regarding Satan, demons, and the spiritual realm. We didn't have enough time to cover everything I would have liked, so I promised to post a blog so that we can have more discussion and comments if you would like to know more. Please post a comment if you have any questions about the spiritual, demonic, or other issues regarding spiritual warfare, and I will do my very best to give you as much info as possible. Also, spread the word about this blog page, because it's got the youth calendar at the bottom, recent update stuff with the texting on the side bar, etc. Thanks, and remember to pray today: "God, give me your eyes."
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2 comments:
What's your take on ghosts/spirits? Over the course of this month some friends and I have been ghost hunting for the school's newspaper, but haven't come up with anything except vibes and some orbs in a few pictures.
Anyway, we went to the Prosperity Bed and Breakfast and the owners let us listen to a recording of two ghosts talking back and forth and showed us an image and a couple videos of ghosts. Is it all a hoax or what? and what do you think of ghosts and left behind energy? Energy can't be created or destroyed right?
I figured this has to do with spirits and demons.
Great questions! First thing--be careful, man. "Ghost hunting" is basically looking for anomalies in the physical, tangible world--hoping to find what may be physical proof of a spiritual world (i.e. images in pictures/videos, "white noise", abnormal energy levels, possession of people by spirits/dead people, personal encounters/experiences in some cases, etc.).
I'll tell you right off the bat--there is a spiritual world, and it is very, very real...in fact, maybe more real than the physical world (think a little bit like the Matrix). We see in Scripture that the spiritual world (the angelic and demonic) has the power to affect our thoughts, actions, health, as well as many things in our natural world (weather, etc.). In the case of Job, Satan was allowed to use violent storms, disease, and other natural causes to affect Job and his family (just one case of the demonic messing with the tangible world).
Because of this power, and the fact that humans are often gullible and ignorant to spiritual warfare, simple things like making images appear in a picture or changing someone's voice, or affecting energy that seemingly was left behind or maybe even created...(which yes, supposedly is impossible) - are ways that demons can distract us and entice us away from seeing the amazing things that God is doing.
I like to think about it as fingerprints. Can we see God? No. But we can see his fingerprints and affects EVERYWHERE! You've heard the illustration about how you can't see wind, but you can see its affects. The fact is, Satan and the demonic realm can also leave fingerprints...some more subtle and other more obvious.
I don't believe that a person's spirit hangs around on the earth after his or her death. Nothing in Scripture indicates that, and by believing that a place or building is "haunted" is a great door to open for demons to play with our minds and even scare us when, in Christ, there is nothing to fear. We can get so caught up in looking for the demonic and trying to understand what they can and can't do that we lose sight of why we are here - to worship and glorify God!!
I'm not telling you to quit your ghost hunting for the school paper, but I will caution you and encourage you not to pursue this very deeply. We open doors and give footholds to Satan when we take our eyes off of Jesus. I don't mean to keep rambling, but I will finish with this illustration:
Jesus is light. People that are obsessed with casting out demons and looking for the demonic are intentionally looking for darkness. When you are carrying a light with you, it is difficult to really look into and see the darkness...it requires you to set down the light and walk away from it...and that truth alone is enough for me to decide not to pursue ghost hunting, spells, demonic activity, etc too intently. I hope this helps - let me know what you think about this!
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