Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Dark Spirituality
My grandmother's recent passing has brought about encounters with what I would term dark spiritual forces.You may find it difficult to believe this, but my family has been experiencing weird happenings. I also had not given it much thought myself until recent incidents made me reflect more closely on what the Word of God has to say on the matter.
The devil and his associates often adopt a silent, offensive posture that does not necessarily announce itself eventhough its presence is operating. Let me explain these specific happenings.
- Divination giving birth to temptation
My uncle, who flew in from another state because of my gran's situation, keeps "receiving random inspiration" for numbers to feed into lottery draws and he has won at least three times for amounts around USD4000 over the past 3 months leading to my gran's passing. Pure chance, or is there more at play here? My sense is the latter. Even during my gran's funeral, he was still looking out or talking about receiving winning numbers. The lack of respect aside, I believe there is a spiritual bondage that is propagated through these chance incidents.
- Manifestations of the spirit of the departed
The culture of my ancestors believe that the "spirits of the departed" return home after a week. And sure enough, this Monday past, one week since my gran passed away, my uncle and the maid both reported incidences which they claim as gran returning to give her "last rites". In one instance, my uncle reported hearing a clock feebly ringing. After investigation, he found that it originated from a disused woundup clock eventhough it was not wound up. In another, the maid reported that her blanket had been pulled away from her and the presence of a cold entity in the room.
- Fearful dreams
In the words of my brother regarding a recurring dream two days in a row a week after: "Gran was laying in an open casket.... then she actually woke up and started to walk, calling out to me. I felt fear... didn't dare to get close... then she stood up and started walking away... while calling me... then she fell and hurt her head (i.e. a cut on her right head). I then rushed over, and that's when i woke up."
All these incidents sound convincing and I do not doubt that the incidents happened. The question for me is what is the source of the phenomena?
We often think that reality is shaped by what our mind internally sees from external stimuli and internal subjective perception. But in the book "The Twilight Labyrinth" by George Otis Jr., he describes our human vulnerabilities and need "to compensate for the psychological uncertainty of modern life by creating entirely new structures of reality." He further describes "felicitious demons who appeal to the empty, fearful and fallen sons and daughters of Adam" (Chap 6 - "Enhancing the Lie", pg 151):
- "These posturing spirits are highly skilled at exploiting our vulnerabilities while concealing their own identities and intentions. If we do not believe in the reality as defined by the one true God, these dark spiritual forces will work as "manufacturers and entrepreneurs of reality" to craft an acceptible but erroneous version of the world that deviates from the truth of God. After all, 'What is daintier food to the spirit of evil, than turning men's minds away from the true God by the illusions of a false divination?'"
The dynamics of deception are described in the book as follows (p.g. 168):
- "The enemy knows that subjective illusions, if they are to remain effective, must be set up or given credibility by objective realities. Spirits (or ancestors) must occasionally be observable; idols must hear and deliver; astrological predictions must sometimes come to pass. To help him meet these objective expectations, he relies on a vast army of demonic agents capable of oscillating between spiritual and material dimensions."
God's Word reminds us:
- “…be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith…” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
- “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Eph 6: 10-13).
For me, the conclusion is clear. Fight as the Lord calls me to fight. Never forget I am still on enemy territory and be prepared for God's eventual call for me to take up arms to go into battle when the time comes. Make sure I do not disqualify yourself by giving way to compromising footholds. It's a sombre thought and a reminder for me to batten down the hatches - I hope you do too.
Labels: Evil, Supernatural
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Now that our eyes are open, we can see it clearly. Pray for your relatives that one day they may also see. May God have mercy on us all.
Day by day, I realise how much we'll be just like them if His grace didn't come among us. Bless Him.
Day by day, I realise how much we'll be just like them if His grace didn't come among us. Bless Him.
# posted by 
: June 20, 2006 10:09 a.m.
: June 20, 2006 10:09 a.m.
Something to add since I first wrote this.
I was sharing these incidents with a friend and he gave another interesting perspective.
He said that because my grandmother was strong in the Lord, the enemy would also seek to discredit the testimony of her life through these manifestations.
Reminded me of this verse:
"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:7-11)
That was one angle that I did not see.
I was sharing these incidents with a friend and he gave another interesting perspective.
He said that because my grandmother was strong in the Lord, the enemy would also seek to discredit the testimony of her life through these manifestations.
Reminded me of this verse:
"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:7-11)
That was one angle that I did not see.
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