The Paranormal

An interesting name for a journal entry, eh?  I venture here to offer some thoughts on the world's, and the church's, fascination with ghosts, demons, UFOs and other paranormal activity.

When one browses through the TV schedule you will find shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, MonsterQuest, Destination Truth, Haunted History, and even one marketed to kids called The Othersiders.  This is only a thumbnail of the dozens of shows covering the paranormal.

These shows seek to find evidence of paranormal activity using personal experiences and electronic/video equipment to capture activity and either confirm or debunk through evidence.  They have caught some legitimate experiences and very compelling video and audio.

Many of us have had paranormal experiences that we can't explain.  Children are especially susceptible and frequently report things to their parents only to be dismissed with "Oh, you are just imagining things."  I am grateful that my parents, as informed Christians, didn't do this to me growing up.  Because of their understanding, I grew up with an ability to discern, process, and deal with these experiences.

In pastoral ministry, I have often been called to people's homes to pray and "clean out" demonic entities.  Through these dealings, the Scriptures, personal experiences, my parent's teaching, and deliverances of individuals, I have learned much and been blessed to share with others.

I want to state a few beliefs, based on my understanding at this point, that can serve to open up dialogue:

1.  There are no such things as ghosts or aliens.  When someone sees or experiences legitimate entities there are only a few possibilities.  There are 4 types of spirits: human, demonic, angelic, and the Holy Spirit.  Human spirits, when disembodied, do not remain "with us."  Sorry Ghost Whisperer fans...you've been duped. Demonic spirits often parade as humans who are deceased.  This is called a familiar spirit.  It is only mimicking the one that has passed on. 

2.  What some have seen as "alien abductions" are actually demonic, supernatural experiences often under the oversight of Satanists and witches.  These visitations open people up to all kinds of misconceptions about the supernatural and are partially meant to keep them in fear and away from the truth of Christ.

3.  There is only one answer to demonic activity: Jesus Christ.  No amount of "other help" like psychics, mediums, or paranormal investigators will deal with the problems. The believer in Jesus has authority to deal in the spiritual realm with demonic spirits.  As we grow in our understanding of Satan's schemes, our effectiveness in using our authority in Christ increases.

Give me some feedback on this one.  I want to get other's perspectives.

A Love Test

Recently, I have relearned another test of love in the Body of Christ.  It is the test of holding to truth when ones you love are erring. 

Love that waters down the truth as found in the Scriptures isn't love...it is compromise.  Many believers compromise truth under the guise of loving their brother or sister.  However, love holds fast to that which is true and becomes a bulwark to draw the erring brother or sister back to the right way of living, thinking, or walking.

It is hard to stand firm on the word of God.  Yet, the Father has called us to this very thing.  Compromise leads to subversion and erosion of our faith in Christ.  My heart aches as I hold the line.  His strength will sustain me and those standing with me. 

The Church In North America

It is a time of awakening for the Church in North America.  Great hope floods my soul as I see Her rise up and challenge the corruption and sinfulness in our culture, in our government.  For years we have prayed for the Church to rise up, be awakened, and take Her place in our land.  The outcome of those prayers are coming to fruition.

Dear friends, the time is now to join the Father in the move He has initiated in our land.  Pray like you've never prayed before.  Let's quit our petty complaining and rise up in Spirit-directed action.  The Lord is directing His people.  His hand is moving mightily and we have the privilege of joining Him in this awakening time. 

Writing Updates and Prayer

Dear Friends of Awakening,

This entry is a call to prayer.  Many of you know that I have been writing a book on kingdom simplicity.  It is progressing along slowly, but steadily.  The Lord has moved another book up to the forefront that I am writing simultaneously.  It is called Freedom Train:  Essays for Men on Christian Sexuality. 

A number of things have added up to moving this one forward:

1.  So many men are coming to me for help on issues related to their sexuality.  They desire freedom and are seeking help. Pornography, masturbation and homosexuailty are the 3 main issues.

2.  The warfare to preserve my own sexual purity has been intense.  I know it is because of the battle I am engaged in for the purity and freedom of other men.

3.  The Spirit keeps prompting me to learn more from the Scriptures in this area and has been building my faith for the battles. In the process, He has been drilling down on my own purity to purge me of all hints of sexual immorality.

There are other things as well but these reasons will suffice.  Please pray for these three things:

-Finances and time to write. 

-Freedom for the men I am helping in their journey.

-Preservation of my own purity in the midst of great tempation and warfare.

Thank you for each prayer breathed up to the Father on my behalf.  You are part of helping set men free to have pure lives.

Whatever Happened to Commitment?

I ask this question with the full realization that life is busy for people.  Jobs, children, church activities, and other things crowd out people's time and resources.  What I have discovered is that people do the things that are important to them.  The things that are important often outweigh the time that God has given every person each day.

Now, can we speak frankly? We all do things that are important to us that aren't necessarily important to God.  We willfully choose to do things without submitting them first to the scrutiny of the will of God.  Because of this our commitments often go unmet because life is just "too busy".

Much of this can be dealt with by living a life of kingdom simplicity.  The first pillar of kingdom simplicity is listening to and obeying God.  The Lord never leads us to do more than our time allows.  His leading is always in order and doesn't cause greater stress than we can bear.

Let us submit each moment and action to the will of God.  Listen to him, really listen and seek to obey what He has said.  We can find great freedom and ability to accomplish what is needed because it is within the boundaries that He has set out for our lives, namely, His perfect will.