vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Many churches are under attack from the enemy, with counterfeit revivals, demonic manifestations, occult practices, Mysticism, New Age ... How could so many church leaders be easily misled, and continue to add to the deception, leading many people, even Christians into the world of Mysticism .... Has anyone had experience with Mysticism? What exactly is wrong with Mysticism? It cannot be tested by Scripture..... and God expects us to test all things by Scripture..... so then it is not of God.... Love Steven That is what I've been trying to share with others, but it seems that people who support Mysticism have a low regard or even disregard for the Word of God (the Bible), which makes it quite difficult to reason with them .... The scriptures have the answer: Proverbs 1:7 (King James Version) 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 If you are grounded solidly in scripture, do research on Christian Mysticism. You will be surprised on how long it has been around, who followed it and what it is about. Some teachings sound really good, but if you dog deeper in scripture, it is a lie. Others "fill in the gap" where scripture is silent. Everything is spiritual and not much left out, including stuff like lucid dreaming. Lucid dreamimg is simply knowing that you're dreaming. Is that bad? Man, lucid dreams rarely happen to individual people on any kind of a regular basis. However there are people who can and do teach one how to have lucid dreams as a tool to interface with the spiritual realm, and none of them I've been exposed to are interfacing with the Holy Spirit. So, yeah lucid dreams are not in themselves a bad thing. Actually they can help people overcome sub concious fears...... but they can also introduce one to some really dark things if that's what you wander into. And that's an entirely different subject. Lucid dreams by themselves, are harmless. So are guns, but around here we don't let just anyone carry them around with them all the time. Same with Lucid Dreams; not just anyone should play around with them. BTDT. Not everyone who experiences lucid dreams is susceptible to straying. but you don't know who's reading these threads and when you make light of it you have no idea who you might inadvertently put in jeopardy by reading your post. I agree ... There are many people who are lurking .... Example: I was spending a lot of time on Facebook, discussing all sorts of issues with many people, like the problems with Mysticism, how important the Bible is, and more ... Last Sunday when I was at church, one of the young men, I think he is around the age of 17 (still in high school). He has been a wanderer, in and out of church. He struggles with various issues, and at times has been quite disruptive in church, acting funny, loud, disrespectful .... I have really been praying for this young man, and please somebody add him to your prayer list. His name is Kevin .... His family life is a total mess .... I really feel sorry for him. I come from a broken home, divorce, drugs, alcohol, abuse, mental problems, suicidal relatives, my own family destroyed, my boys suffer from terrible abuse from their mother ..... Well, good news ... !!! This young man just told me last Sunday that he has been following me on Facebook and reading many of the discussions on my Facebook pages! He has never responded at all, not even one time! I had no idea that he was reading my Facebook. He told me that he has been learning a lot from reading the discussions that I'm involved with .... I praise God for the work that He is doing, and pray that the Lord will continue to use me and others to be a witness of the true light, that is Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. You never know who is reading what you post, and how you could be influencing them, either for good or for worse .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 If you are grounded solidly in scripture, do research on Christian Mysticism. You will be surprised on how long it has been around, who followed it and what it is about. Some teachings sound really good, but if you dog deeper in scripture, it is a lie. Others "fill in the gap" where scripture is silent. Everything is spiritual and not much left out, including stuff like lucid dreaming. Lucid dreamimg is simply knowing that you're dreaming. Is that bad? Man, lucid dreams rarely happen to individual people on any kind of a regular basis. However there are people who can and do teach one how to have lucid dreams as a tool to interface with the spiritual realm, and none of them I've been exposed to are interfacing with the Holy Spirit. So, yeah lucid dreams are not in themselves a bad thing. Actually they can help people overcome sub concious fears...... but they can also introduce one to some really dark things if that's what you wander into. And that's an entirely different subject. Lucid dreams by themselves, are harmless. So are guns, but around here we don't let just anyone carry them around with them all the time. Same with Lucid Dreams; not just anyone should play around with them. BTDT. Not everyone who experiences lucid dreams is susceptible to straying. but you don't know who's reading these threads and when you make light of it you have no idea who you might inadvertently put in jeopardy by reading your post. I agree ... There are many people who are lurking .... Example: I was spending a lot of time on Facebook, discussing all sorts of issues with many people, like the problems with Mysticism, how important the Bible is, and more ... Last Sunday when I was at church, one of the young men, I think he is around the age of 17 (still in high school). He has been a wanderer, in and out of church. He struggles with various issues, and at times has been quite disruptive in church, acting funny, loud, disrespectful .... I have really been praying for this young man, and please somebody add him to your prayer list. His name is Kevin .... His family life is a total mess .... I really feel sorry for him. I come from a broken home, divorce, drugs, alcohol, abuse, mental problems, suicidal relatives, my own family destroyed, my boys suffer from terrible abuse from their mother ..... Well, good news ... !!! This young man just told me last Sunday that he has been following me on Facebook and reading many of the discussions on my Facebook pages! He has never responded at all, not even one time! I had no idea that he was reading my Facebook. He told me that he has been learning a lot from reading the discussions that I'm involved with .... I praise God for the work that He is doing, and pray that the Lord will continue to use me and others to be a witness of the true light, that is Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. You never know who is reading what you post, and how you could be influencing them, either for good or for worse .... Forgot to mention that this young man told us that God is drawing him back to church, and he wants to make our church his home church! His family is split up, and just left our church, and this is a really difficult time for this young man. He has stopped acting rude in church, and and even joined our adult Bible study last Sunday with my youngest son, who also wants to join the adult Bible study now (they want to learn the deeper things of the Bible). Praise the Lord .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 And Man, part of my duties in the Kingdom is to help those who have inadvertently stumbled into these dark areas and are having trouble breaking away from it, so I'm a little sensitive to things of this nature. I can relate .... I've seen the dark world of the occult, and have seen demons! They are NOT something that should be toyed with ..... Some people are not as lucky as I was .... Even though I was not saved, God still had His hand on my life, and delivered me from the darkness of the pits of hell .... Thank you Jesus ... !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit of God living in our hearts as a guide and comforter. We should already know that we serve a jealous God who does not wish to be supplemented or replaced by any other god or spirit. A host of things these days violate the wishes and will of God, and we would know about such things if we prayed more and submitted ourselves more to the perfect Will of God. Some things to avoid are more subtle, and others are outrageous. The examples would be numerous: astrology, palm reading, new age garbage of many types, the occult in many forms, magic in many forms, witchcraft in many forms, and generally the consulting or consorting with familiar spirits that are not God. One should easily be able to think of many things that God would not approve of, and I think that's the main purpose for this thread. Some things might seem more innocent, but they aren't if God doesn't approve of it. Shouldn't one of our primary goals in life be to Worship only God in Spirit and in Truth and pleasing Him? Some have a hard time connecting some of the new age stuff with evil, but the evil is there nonetheless if we think about it. I've heard all kinds of buzz-words over the years that are related to new age stuff that can be easily connected to Eastern religions and the occult, so there's nothing innocent about them (i.e. self-actualization, transcendental meditation, out of body experiences, etc.). You can probably find numerous books in the self-improvement area of your local book store that relate to new age garbage. Make things simple and ask yourself: is this God-centered, self-centered, or other-centered? If it isn't God-centered, you should probably say no and leave it alone. At least think about it and pray about it before involving yourself into something questionable that God might not approve of. As Christians, we have better things to do in this short life than to dabble or immerse ourselves into things that are not pleasing to God. We should also be concerned with our living testimony before our families and others. Just two cents worth. Good words of advice! I've started a document on my own, listing various terms and phrases that are used within Mysticism, New Age, and related practices. While reviewing these terms, I can see clearly the deception that the enemy is using .... Just a few terms I have listed so far include: -- center down, emergent church, centering, contemplative prayer, soaking -- grounding, divine center, quietism, meditation -- Christ in you (used by Mystics and the cults!), communion with the Divine, Master -- chanting, visions, dreams, revelation, meditation spiritual exercises -- contemplation, inner search, unity -- ancient wisdom, hidden mysteries, secret knowledge -- breakthrough, deep, presence of God, positive thinking -- energy, Christ-consciousness, healing, crystals, pyramids -- guided imagery, holistic, unity, transformation -- awakening, networking, rebirthing, yoga, trance -- channeling, therapeutic touch, relaxation, visualization -- bliss, harmony, God-consciousness, universal love -- self-realization, the I AM, higher self -- cosmic Christ, fall of man (not a Christian/Biblical definition) -- God (unbiblical definition), Jesus (not the Jesus of the Bible) -- avatar, Kabala, karma, Kundalini (very dangerous!!!) -- covenant, breath prayers, signs and wonders, contact with ascended masters -- soul travel, near death experiences, spirit guides -- positive thinking, possibility thinking, words have power -- speaking things into existence -- imaging, visions from Mary, apparitions related to Mary -- crying statues, slaying in the spirit -- laughing, strange sounds (related to Kundalini) With a little discernment, it's easy to see how the enemy can take what seems to be harmless, and fool people into following after doctrines of demons, and suck people right into the trap .... As is common with the cults, some terms are familiar with Christians, and seem to be ok, sound good, are enticing, attractive, seem harmless, but remember that these terms can be very deceiving, and lead you into something that is not as it seems .... The enemy comes as an angel of light, deceiving many .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 That is what I've been trying to share with others, but it seems that people who support Mysticism have a low regard or even disregard for the Word of God (the Bible), which makes it quite difficult to reason with them .... I don't believe there's anyone in this thread who supports mysticism or has a low or complete disregard for the Word of God. If you want to discuss mysticism in the church than do that, but leave your judgments at the door. I wasn't referring to anyone in this thread .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) That is what I've been trying to share with others, but it seems that people who support Mysticism have a low regard or even disregard for the Word of God (the Bible), which makes it quite difficult to reason with them .... I don't believe there's anyone in this thread who supports mysticism or has a low or complete disregard for the Word of God. If you want to discuss mysticism in the church than do that, but leave your judgments at the door. You would be surprised at just how many people on Christian forums actually do have a low regard for the Bible! Again, I wasn't referring to anyone on this thread, but rather other forums I've encountered ... Edited March 5, 2011 by vja4Him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest man Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 That is what I've been trying to share with others, but it seems that people who support Mysticism have a low regard or even disregard for the Word of God (the Bible), which makes it quite difficult to reason with them .... I don't believe there's anyone in this thread who supports mysticism or has a low or complete disregard for the Word of God. If you want to discuss mysticism in the church than do that, but leave your judgments at the door. I wasn't referring to anyone in this thread .... Just checking, My apologies. Post deleted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 I understood that the dream was initiated while awake,to control the theme, and then you entered dream(unconscious state) to play.This means you decide what you want to dream about basically and can wander in it as your fantasies allow.The dream is initiated while awake but then sleep is entered? You're awake the whole time. wow, you can actually do that!? Sounds amazing and since it's a dream it doesn't matter! It actually does matter because you're the one in control. Unlike a regular dream, Wake Initiated Lucid Dreams are experienced in a state of total consciousness. You know what's happening and have the ability to stop it at anytime. This is something new to me .... I've never experienced this ... I'm wondering if this experience with lucid dreaming could open up the doors to evil spirits .... ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vja4Him Posted March 5, 2011 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 23 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 85 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/04/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/18/1957 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 That's because you don't see the danger of playing with Lucid Dreams. If anyone "plays" with lucid dreams and ends up on the wrong side of the fence, it's only because they are the ones who wanted to go there. There's danger in playing on the internet. In less than 30 seconds I can be visiting any number of unsavory sites. What makes these 2 things comparable is they can both be controlled. What makes these things distintive from one another is that while they can both be controlled, one can be shut off, the other one can't. We have the free will to pick and choose what we want in this world. The devil cannot force us to play his game. Those who fall prey to Satan, do so out of willfulness or ignorance of the Word. The Lucid Dream has no power of it's own. It's boundaries are defined by where we are willing to take it. Sin begins and ends in the heart of the believer. John 10 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts