As is my calling, this is written for the church and those who claim to be Christians. Those who do not believe in Christ will find all of this to be foolishness. (1 Cor. 1:18) Those who are being saved (preserved) will see wisdom and understanding in teachings that bring, and conform to, the Word of God.

I believe we live in the end times; we are told "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev. 3:22) This can be read as "Those who can listen, listen and respond to what the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, says to the assemblies." (Using Mounce Intelinear, Apostolic Polyglot, and NIV Hebrew/Greek) But, in these days, many do not hear, and then turn to those who speak false teachings. These false teachers are typically one of two types: those who speak what they cannot know, such as when our Lord will return (Matthew 24:36), and those who add to or detract from the Biblical Prophecies (Rev. 22:18-19). Whether the Congregant or the Teacher, if not hearing the words of the Holy Spirit, the most likely cause is sin, as sin is an affront to God and His Holiness. The Holy Spirit desires a sanctified temple, one in which we have done all in our power to repress the yearnings of the flesh. (Romans 8:13)

There are many evils plaguing the Church in this day; sins such as the occult, sexual sins, greed, sensualism, hedonism, non-scriptural teachings, entertainment, and others are raining havoc on the churches that do not conform to the basic and word for word teachings of Christ and the Apostles.

Before we move on, let's clarify a much maligned scripture that is used to justify false beliefs and teachings: 2 Peter 1:20-21. People love to quote verse 20 saying that the prophecies (spoken words about God and/or future events) is not for private interpretation, and one opinion of the scripture is just as good as another. Wrong! If you hover over the link to this verse, you can read it from the English Standard Version, which is clearer in its intent. The KJV is NOT incorrect, but the older English leaves some room for misinterpretation by those looking to decieve the Church. This verse states that the Old Testament prophecies, fortelling of Christ, were not from a human's interpretation of events, but are direct information from God the Father, through the Holy Spirit.

Note: The Epistles were letters sent to Churches and had not yet been collected into a book. "Scripture" refers to the Old Testament writings.  The first Bible was put together in 144 AD.

All people truly hearing from God will interpret the scriptures the same way as God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. They say what they say, but understanding what they say will require study, not just reading your favorite version, but study of the Greek, study of the Old Testament compared to the New Testament, study of the writings of Godly men. With that in mind, let us move on to looking at how the Occult is affecting the Church. It is the Pastor's and the Teacher's responsibility to study and understand the text before expounding on it.

Down deep in the heart of every person is the desire for something more than this life; a higher purpose, a higher being, something. The Christian has found this through a personal relationship with God the Father, by Jesus Christ, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Those without this relationship, regardless of their time spent in church or among believers, will profess Christianity, while still seeking "experiences". Satan is ready and willing to provide them with such! Whether it be church "entertainment" or false teachings, these are ripe for evil, appearing as light (2 Corinthians 11:14-15), to lead them astray.

While we no longer live under the Law, but under Grace, it is by study of the Scriptures that we know the nature of God, and through that knowledge we understand what God loves and hates. With Salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit, God has written His laws on our hearts; we are no longer the condemned sinner that we were. As Paul stated to Timothy, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."  (2 Timothy 3:16-17) With that in mind, we will study, in future writings, what God despises and how Satan is using the occult to trap people and ruin churches.  Many of these traps are what I call "soft traps"; a soft trap is one where you don't feel trapped.  Some sins that Christians get into are harsh, in that they feel guilty, but don't know how to get out, or are afraid of the pain of getting out.  Other traps are softer, where the person thinks thy are doing well but are not.

Here are a some of the issues that we will be dealing with in future writings:

Witchcraft and Sorcery
Amulets
Crystals
Spells
Celtic and Viking Mythology
Pagan Rituals
Pagan Groups
Yoga
New Age: Christ Consciensness
New Age: Being Your Own Messiah
And Others

We look forward to you reading these and moving closer to Jesus Christ in your reationship with Him.