Oct 21, 2004
From Kim aka Nava
Very good!
I'm going to show this to Ian so that we can share it with our fellowship this
Sabbath.
Thanks, Sis!
Shalom v'ahav (peace and
love)
Kim
It seems there is
much ignorance about an age old problem. Whether this is true or not makes
little difference to revealing the problem. Whenever a man steps into the
position of God the Holy Spirit, and justifies what they are doing with
idealistic words in an attempt to accomplish a spiritual thing, they use fleshly
means usurping the will of God and His power, this is in fact what charismatic
witchcraft IS! In reading from the net, I came across some very interesting
information written by Dr. Finley. What he said was profound and very
Scriptural. He gave four areas of human resources that were to supposedly
produce a spiritual result: domination, intimidation, manipulation, and
emotional blackmail. I do not by any means exempt myself from this article, as I
have seen in the past where I have been involved in charismatic witchcraft and I
have repented of my actions and wrong motives, and I have also been on the other
side, the one at the brunt of such a thing. Charismatic manipulation is of the
devil, and still a three letter word, sin. It also needs to be said that these
details have within themselves a great deal that is common and overlap many
times. You'll find that emotional blackmail is a manipulative ploy just as much
as it is used to intimidate the ignorant and defenseless.
Let's look
at examples in Scripture of charismatic witchcraft, and cite some examples from
today. If we recognize it and call it what it is, we can then come against it in
the spirit realm and loose the Lord's power and His angels to fight against the
principality that is controling that specific geographical region. Despite the
ignorance, we do wage war in the heavenlies for possession of the physical
realm. For some insight on the spiritual realm and battles that are waging that
we can not see click here! The spiritual war manifests into the physical and
many times some well meaning people are seduced belieivng what they are doing is
of God. Here is another article that details how unsuspecting people fall prey
to the enemy, and please read this one which gives much more detail to how the
spirit realm works!! We are indeed in a war for the very souls of men and women
including our own. Yet the unbelieving and ignorant are the ones who are the
ones who fall to the power of the enemy in most cases. The next prime target are
those Pentecostals who like Balaam use ways other than God's ways, and they are
indeed most guilty of charismatic witchcraft as they play their innocent ploys
one after another to manipulate and divide the body of Christ in churches and
even on forums and messages boards. The devil wrecks havoc for the sole purpose
that he is good at his job, and he will use anyone, even those who think they
are doing the Lord's work.
I Domination
Pharisees are an easy example to use as those who desired to
build their little kingdoms rather than the kingdom of God and they did indeed
use domination of the people. Rather than approaching the Lord from a pure
heart, some people don't have a concern for what the Lord wants, but are far
more interested in what they want. The self-centered attitude has destroyed many
churches, and taken down many men of God. People will use charismatic witchcraft
to get their way in the local body, many of them are troublemakers who travel
from one church to another if they can't get what they want, and they leave in
their wake a large number of innocent victims who are confused and hurting. In
the area that I formerly lived, there were some 10 very good churches that did
preach the uncompromised truth, that is until one walked into their church and
began to use charismatic witchcraft to dominate the church. This one "witch" who
spoke words that sounded fine and were indeed from the Scriptures, yet had
behind them the venom of the devil, this one person closed two of those
churches, caused at least 4 pastors to resign in the span of a few years. Sadly
t00 many pastors take the wrong position of so called Christian love and allow
these witches to destroy the flock.
Balaam is also an example of one
who used charismatic witchcraft. Balak's desire is to curse Israel, so he called
Balaam to do so, yet Balaam is unable to do so because the Lord turned his
desire into a blessing, yet the laity of Israel needed to be conquered. Balaam
indeed was at the heart of the issue giving advice on how to conquer the laity.
Revelation 2:13-14 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's
seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in
those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you,
where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast
there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a
stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto
idols, and to commit fornication. It was Balaam's doctrine that was used to
conquer the laity (Numbers 25), Balaam's advice to Balak that caused many to
fall that day. As it is true that only those who wanted to believe a lie were
the ones who participated, and as it is true that the Lord used this to reveal
these people as sinners, it was indeed a fact that Balak used the counsel of
Balaam to conquer and have domination over Israel. Balaam would be rewarded
handsomely by Balak when he cursed Israel and Balak had the domination over his
sworn enemies. Balaam was also killed as a soothsayer, and assured his stay in
eternal damnation.
We do not know much concerning the Nicolaitans
other than the little that is said of them in Scripture. The Lord hated their
ways which we know from the Greek name they have is one of domination and
control of the laity, a conquering of the people as their name literally means.
The church was to be theocratic and not autocratic nor democratic which totally
upsets the devil, so he sends those spirits of control on people who will fall
prey to their seduction. We know the Lord hated their ways and He exhorted those
who also hated their ways. Far too many people want to control people, to
dominate them. This characteristic and the others are all part of the tricks
that the cults use to get and to keep their members. Let me be fair and state
that the Lord will raise up leaders from all walks of life and some will have
strong personalities. We must be careful not to mistake a strong personality for
charismatic witchcraft which we will know by their fruit. The fruit is not what
you interpret from your own prejudice and misunderstandings, but it is the
spiritual evidence from those who know you and have ministered with you. The
fruit are all the changed lives for the positive.
II
Intimidation
Intimidation comes in so many shapes and
colors that it is often overlooked or missed as such. It is the usage of a
position whether secular or Christian in a way other than what the confines of
Scripture dictate to cause the one being intimidated to feel small or
insignificant, and to cause those onlookers to feel they must join in or else
they are ignorant and somehow siding with the other side, the one that is the
brunt of the intimidation. Given this, it becomes apparent that we should
attempt to draw a distinction between using the Scriptures in a passionate and
persuasive manner, and intimidation. Paul was persuasive with his diligence and
usage of Scripture, yet he didn't intimidate the unbelieving. The unbelieving
were offended based upon the truth of the Scriptures, and not because Paul
intimidated them. Paul laid out the truth, and he would discuss the truth, he
would even debate the truth, but Paul knew that he wasn't the Holy Spirit and
only the Holy Spirit guides people into all truth. The Holy Spirit reveals truth
to people and when we usurp His authority, we step into charismatic witchcraft
and will use intimidation. People get into witch hunts in an attempt to
intimidate their prey replacing God with themselves in the guise of defending
the truth through this intimidation.
We know the common passage in
Matthew 4 where the devil challenges the authority of our Lord using the "IF" to
intimidate Him into doing something against the Father's Word. The Pharisees
also use intimidation to overthrow the respect that people have for Jesus, to
direct Him into compromise of truth. Here is one such recording of Pharisaic
intimidation. Matthew 21:23-27 And when he was come into the temple, the chief
priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said,
By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And
Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye
tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The
baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did
ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for
all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell.
And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
In an attempt to use their positions of authority and power, the
Pharisees challenged the authority of Jesus in an attempt to rid their lives of
a Man who they deemed "ungodly"! Intimidation comes from a position of authority
and the usage of that authority to accept what is said or done or condone what
is said or done. The Pharisees try to show up the Lord by using their authority
as if their authority was "better" than the authority that Jesus walked in. The
Pharisees wanted the people to accept their authority and teachings rather than
listening to the Lord's teaching since His teaching contradicted their own. This
contradiction produced followers or disciples of Jesus which were formerly
disciples of the Pharisees. As is true through out the Scriptures, our Lord
correctly used the Word and didn't submit to the intimidation of the Pharisees.
Cults use intimidation to keep their members in line and obedient.
III Manipulation
Another method in
charismatic witchcraft is that of manipulation, the use of a position or a power
to dictate how the outcome will end removing the Holy Spirit from being the
convictor and Judge, and manipulating to build one's own fame or kingdom.
Obviously a great example would be that of the Pharisees! John 9:16-23 Therefore
said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the
Sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And
there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest
thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the
Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his
sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And
they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then
doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our
son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or
who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for
himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the
Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he
should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age;
ask him. The Pharisees couldn't be wrong about THIS Man of God, so if someone
said He was The Anointed One, Messiah, they would be excommunicated, no jobs in
the country, no life any more, they would be cut off from countrymen and family
forever! This same example could easily be called intimidation because their
manipulation certainly intimidates the parents.
In this example of
the Pharisees, lies the biggest problem that so many have, and yet because of
their pride and arrogance they are unable to see. The witch hunts that I
mentioned previously are the result many times of the Pharisaic problem here.
The Pharisees use their interpretation of the Sabbath from the Talmud to
determine that Jesus is not who the people say He is. The Sabbath is defined by
Scripture in the Mosaic Writings, and the Pharisees used the Talmud which was
man's interpretation of the Scriptures to determine the validity of Jesus. The
Talmud described what was appropriate and what was not concerning the Sabbath,
and it is from here that the Pharisees use their Sabbath definiton to judge
Jesus. John 9:16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God,
because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. More witch hunts come from someone's
interpretation rather than the whole context of Scripture, and when pride and
the human factor is added, there is certainly much manipulation used, yet it is
done with the smile on one's face as they misquote Scripture and misuse
Scripture to justify their hunt. Of late I have seen far too many people exegete
the Scriptures correctly and then turn around and misapply them, the results are
still the same, and the witch hunts continue.
IV Emotional
Blackmail
Man is created as an emotional being and as
such man reacts more often than he responds to circumstances. Therefore the
devil knowing uses the fourth area of charismatic witchcraft, emotional
blackmail. There are just some things that can't be answered because all answers
appeal to an emotion and the responses are always viewed with an evil thought in
mind. A good example of a question in this category would be this. A man is
asked, "Do you still beat your wife?" Any answer given without a context or a
genuine knowledge of the person will APPEAR to be evasive or allow unjust
conclusions which all are meant to be based upon an appeal to one's emotions.
Recently I went through such an accusation that a person used with the intent to
emotionally blackmail readers. Following such things there is always a witch
hunt that follows, and indeed in my case this was certainly true.
Emotional blackmail always has an appeal to the emotion with the
implied intent that the one using the emotion is "right" simply because they
make the accusation, after all who could possibly doubt their integrity. We find
such a ploy as emotional blackmail in the Scriptures. John 12:1-6 Then Jesus six
days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead,
whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served:
but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a
pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and
wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the
ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which
should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and
given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he
was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Judas
Iscariot wanted to have some extra money in his pocket, and to be able to
justify himself and his desires he appealed to emotions in order to hopefully
accomplish his desire. Therefore Judas appeals to emotions with a seemingly
idealistic and correct approach to the poor. Judas implies wrong doing for what
Mary has done for Jesus in hopes that he may get the money into the treasury bag
which he controlled so that he could rob it. Judas is just one example of using
the emotion to manipulate and intimidate and dominate to get one's desire.
Recently people have claimed to be hurt by others and their language
is sad and their writing styles evoke much emotion for the reader, the poor
unsuspecting reader. The appeals are to the heart to feel sorry for that poor
hurt person. Howbeit those very same people who desire you to feel their pain
are also the very same ones who were using charismatic witchcraft to intimidate
and to dominate, and they are now using it in the form of emotional blackmail.
These same people claim to be born again some 25-30 years, and in the next
breath claim they are "weaker" brothers and sisters in the Lord and offended at
another's godly actions and expressions straight from the Scriptures. This is
what Judas tried and what has torn apart many churches.
The church
is filled with unregenerated people. After you add the Jezebels and the Balaams
and the antichrists, and those led by the Babylonian whore, it should not be
hard to see that one must question their own motives on everything they say and
do. Far too many of us participate in tearing the body of Christ apart using
Charismatic Witchcraft. Granted some do so for the right reasons in their minds,
but truly sin is sin and if the Lord isn't behind it, then it is sin. Let's stop
destroying good men and women of God simply because we want to MAKE them accept
our interpretation or position. Let's eliminate the witchcraft and resulting
witch hunts. Let's realize that if we don't do things God's way, then we are in
sin and in need of repentance. There's no room for intimidation in the church!
There's no room for domination in the church! There's no room for emotional
blackmail in the church! There's no room for manipulation in the church! The
devil does these things! The seducing spirits influence people to do these
things. The cults do these things! This is not so for the body of Christ, the
bride that is pure and spotless! The bride is above these things!
