Wednesday, February 8, 2017

The First Lie and the New Age Counterfeit


The first lie Satan told to a human was, of course, to Eve, about why God wanted her and Adam to avoid the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan knew the real reason, and it’s why he did what he did. God told them if they so much as touched that tree, much less ate the fruit of it, they’d die. They didn’t die a physical death for a very long time after disobeying God, but they died a different kind of death.

According to the Bible, sin equals death, and in 1 John, misery is a form of death. God knew that if Adam and Eve touched or ate from the tree, they would know sin and the misery that comes from it. Every time they sinned, they’d experience a form of death, because sin would move them further from feeling and experiencing their true connection with God, their Father. They’d feel shame. How do we feel when we sin? Exactly. How do we feel when we hurt someone who loves us and whom we love? Exactly.

The sin happened before the first bite, when Eve then Adam chose to go against God and what he wanted for them. God gave them everything but the knowledge and experience of sin (choosing and doing evil). He also gave them free will. Free will plus a crafty lie by the father of lies led them to choose the idea of (imagined) individuated power over the power of God operating for them as His gift and through His grace. That choice stained us all—it entered our (mankind’s) psyche. Their love and reverence for God, who created them and cared for them, wasn’t pure enough to get them to make the right choice. God gave them everything they could ever need or want, and still they wanted more. Satan saw this, and he’s been using it against us ever since.

Fast forward to the latter decades of the last century. Satan wanted an an effective way of pulling a similar deception, but with as many people as possible. The New Age Deception, with its counterfeits, was one way to accomplish this. Satan knows human nature well.

What qualifies me to comment about this deception? A lifetime of being a participant in and advocate for the New Age and its various modalities. And not only did I practice this, I preached it to others through articles and so forth. My motivation was not to deceive anyone, but to inspire people to expand their spirituality and inner peace, which is no excuse. Like so many, I fell for the deception. I believed in and practiced the counterfeits. Until God woke me.

What are some of the counterfeits I refer to? Some, if not all listed below, will be familiar to you. Some of what I list may either have you nodding your head in recognition and understanding or may not sit well with you, especially if you, as I did, have considered one or more of these an innocuous practice. I was guilty of practicing everything listed below, and more. The thing to keep in mind about the New Age deception is that it convinces people the power is within them, and not from God. The recognition and glory is given to the individual, not to God. Practitioners of New Age modalities are doing Adam and Eve all over again. Let’s look at some of them.

The I Am deception: I Am is what God called himself when asked. The counterfeit is the New Age method of using “I am” at the start of affirmations as a way to “confirm” that the power is within us, not within God. Satan wants people to believe their word is law over God’s Word.

Contemplation vs. Meditation: We are to study and contemplate The Word of God. The New Age counterfeit is meditation that doesn’t necessarily align us with God, and often is more about our straining to make sure we get what we want in our lives, often material or monetary, without it being a gift or reward from God for our faithfulness, or even in our best interest. Affirmations = I am the power. The Word = God’s truth and promises, which He always fulfills. This ties in with the New Age practice of “Name it and claim it,” rather than seeking the Kingdom of God that is within us. Again, we are meant to believe we are the power in our lives, not God.

Blessings from God vs. Magical Manifestation: To feel blessed means we know where our good comes from; we know that God’s hand is in and on our lives at all times. Magical manifestation diminishes and or removes God’s presence from the good things or miracles that happen in our lives, and gives us what we want (sometimes) by virtue of a, so-said, non-discerning law of attraction. The counterfeit to receiving God’s goodness and blessings is believing you manifest whatever it is you receive. That you manifest or create what you receive, rather than receive what you have from God, who knows what you need—and what you don’t. (Just so you’re clear: Everything good comes from God; everything bad comes from Satan. But God converts everything bad to good. We just need to learn how to discern and receive this.)

Aligning our words with The Word vs saying whatever we want to: New Age says there is no ultimate spiritual judgment for what we do wrong; that, yes, we are to strive to be better people, but there’s no actual judgment if we mess up, other than what we self-inflict or allow others to inflict on us. This includes what we say. The Bible says our words matter. That we are to avoid gossip, criticism, judgment, condemnation, and more. An interesting example of this kind of deception is a meme on a social site that claims if you frequently litter your language with obscenities, it’s a sure sign or proof that you have a high level of intelligence or genius. What a “great” way to encourage offensiveness that is far removed from the Word. This “no judgment” philosophy also leads people to live according to the desires of the flesh rather than of the Spirit, which includes seeking the approval of others over desiring to please and honor God.

Gematria vs. Numerology: God used/uses gematria or numbers for His own purposes, to reveal information to those with a mind to see. But it isn’t so that we define and limit ourselves by the meanings assigned to numbers by humans regarding who we are and what we’re capable of (With God, all things are possible). A good example of how God used gematria is found in David Flynn’s book, Temple at the Center of Time. If you align with numbers, as though they possess power separate from or above God’s, it isn’t God you’re aligning with.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost vs. Universe, Source, etc. Yes, God is the Source of all creation. But when we use that word to mean an ambiguous energy source, we’ve removed God from where He belongs—within us. This use of New Age names makes sure you don’t have an intimate relationship with the Holy Trinity, as well as encourages you to deny God the Father altogether.

Eternal Life in Heaven vs. Reincarnation: At no time did God or Jesus ever say reincarnation is a fact. And it wasn’t left out of the Bible so that we’d behave in the lifetime we’re aware of. But what a powerful deception and counterfeit reincarnation is.

There are other deceptive counterfeits you may be aware of or want to know about. These include any forms of divination (cards, psychics, runes, astrology, channeled entities, etc.) vs. receiving divine messages or inspiration through the Holy Spirit. You will learn a great deal if you listen to the YouTube video, “Lucifer and the Illuminati Plan Exposed” with Carolyn Hamlett and Laura Maxwell. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF048ONiYRE. It’s highly informative.

Ask God for a discerning heart so that you are not deceived. May God cover you with the blessings of His love, wisdom, grace, mercy, care, comfort, guidance, and patience. May you demonstrate and share these blessings with others. May the sacred blood of Jesus Christ cover you with His protection, and cleanse, restore, renew, and strengthen you.





Saturday, February 4, 2017

Trusting God


It does take courage. But through experience, we learn that we have greater inner peace, deeper insights, and joy (and or understanding) when we do. I've experienced this so many times that I eventually learned to trust God, and to see and trust the brilliance in His solutions or resolutions (I may still experience a level of fear, but I trust Him to have His hand in and on my life). I've also learned that when I can settle into that trust, I let go of most or all of my stress. One night, while speaking with God, I expressed my admiration and appreciation for His wisdom. He then asked me a question that sent me onto the path I needed to travel. The question: "Do you trust my love as much as you trust my wisdom?" Like many, my experience had been that love was conditional. I realized I didn't trust God's love for me. After all, how could he love me with all my imperfections? If your life lesson has been one that says you will be worthy of love once you're perfect (or worthy of someone's approval), it's time to realize that, yes, that may be the way with some people in your life, but not with God. You are loved beyond measure. He knows your heart.