Faith, Wishcraft and Figures of Speech

Part 3 of "Keys to Developing a Hearing Ear"

Since this is the third in the series on the keys to developing a hearing ear, I'm writing now for those who are already well established in the lessons of the first two. As I update this legacy study in October of 2020, I'm aware of the timeliness of this particular work.

We must be mature in our thinking, and in this season of the age it is all the more necessary. If you take a few moments to read the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians, which I recommend doing now, reflect on how the signs of the nearness of the revealing of the lawless one are on the rise. Note the attention given in that chapter to deception (v3 and 10) and delusion (v11). I am compelled to make a couple of points about how the counter to that deception and delusion is addressed.

The way this is typically read is with a presumption that, "hey, we're saved and we have the truth, love it and believe it, and of course we have the teachings that were passed on to us by Paul and the apostles. But do we? Let's challenge that, because we're not going to be bluffing our way through to victory in the Lord. What we're dealing with here is a matter of degrees. How much of the apostle's teaching do we really have? How much truth to we really have, believe, and love?

Discernment is undervalued among the saints because we think we already have it in adequate measure. If ever I could bust out the spiritual "smelling salts," now would be the time! You, yourself, may have a high degree of confidence in your ability to discern the truth, but let me refresh your memory on this critical matter. Those who are gaining a hearing ear and those who are losing it both think they have it.

So, how much of the teaching of the apostles do we have, how much truth, and how much do we really believe and do we really love it? Put those questions to the Lord. Seriously. This is not something you want to be surprised about. I'm doing what I can to help you gain the ability to discern the truth but really, it's up to you. You've got to really want it. And, honestly, this is where failure happens.

Here's some clues that should throw up a red flag for many who only think they have it. If you have some lingering sense of loyalty when it comes to some brand name religious institution or para-church organization - you absolutely do have conflicts of interest that are blinding you. Your discernment is utterly compromised. If you are comfortable celebrating alongside others who are very tolerant of a wide range of popular beliefs, there's another clue that you are compromised in your discernment. If being compromised is acceptable to you, you're probably wasting your time here.

I am compelled to make one other point about 2 Thessalonians 2 and the counter to deception and delusion. It has to do with the hearing ear and the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. It has to do with the most valuable secrets as the signs of the near approach of the lawless one's revealing abound. I'm going to repeat something most of you have heard before, but I'm telling you now that you need to hear it for real. Really hear it! What will keep you and I from being deceived is one thing. Are you ready? I don't want you to miss this, because it's very easily missed. Knowing the time. There it is.

We've given attention to the account in Luke 17 and the linking of the apparently unrelated narratives in the sequence. If you read from where we left off you'll discover that the next in sequence involves a discourse about the end times that compares to the 24th chapter of Matthew. It's initiated by a question the Pharisees asked that seems to be dodged, like how the request made earlier by the disciples seemed to be dodged. Their question was, WHEN!

See my point? So, knowing the time - that's the thing. It's not for the "Pharisees." Yeah, yeah, I've been harping on this for years. You can rightly accuse me of not knowing the time. However, I will argue that what I have learned has been enough. All has not yet been revealed. Who would insist that the early apostles wrote what they did knowing fully how and when everything would unfold? They clearly didn't, but they wrote as the Lord gave it to them, and it was enough. Enough for them, then, and for us, now. We are well assured that some people will "know the time," as it has been revealed from that holy word, and with the Lord's help I will know it and so will you. This revelation will be critical knowledge in the time of the lawless one's revealing, and our ability to hear with a hearing ear every detail necessary in preparation for that is keyed to the unfolding revelation of the time of the unfolding events.

I believe the reason I'm refreshing this work on Faith, Wishcraft and Figures of Speech now is toward the refining of the Lord's people in this season of a fiery furnace.

Faith and the Ear that Hears

Reflect upon the following scriptures and the value of having faith.

From Luke 8's parable of the seed and the soils we learned about the hearing ear, and from Luke 17's classroom and field demonstration, about the matter of the increasing of faith. They are very closely related. As we'll soon see, there are many scriptures where faith is identified with what's called the heart. The heart is what the seed was scattered into by the farmer.

The level of truth where the seed-word of God is esoteric is what we're after here, which is where the good soil with ears that hear produces the most valuable crop - to The Farmer's glory!

Faith seems like such a simple thing, and it is - but yet it isn't. That's why the disciples were corrected when they asked the Lord to increase their faith. Since faith is foundational and everything is built on that foundation it deserves a rigorous study with an awareness that what is most valuable is the most deeply hidden.

We will be giving our attention to the nature of faith and its subtleties and how we might know what to believe without being deceived. There are some apparent contradictions that must be resolved, and rightly! We're going to consider what faith is and what it's not. From the title of this study you can tell that something I call, wishcraft, is going to be addressed, which is very widely practiced in the world and in the church. That's something to be avoided! Figures of speech are addressed because, like parables, these appear in the Bible for the concealing and revealing of valuable truths. I'm also going to share about how I came to learn these things to give this work some important context.

My Story and HIStory

Many years ago, circa 1989-90, the Lord began to deal with me with regard to certain errors in doctrine and practice that I had learned and taught to others in the early season of my "Christian life." I was being brought to the end of institutional affiliations and dependent relationships with the organized church. The Lord had led me to become associated with an institution by means of a number of notable miracles, and just as obviously as He led me in He brought me out. Being distanced from the community of saints was lonely for the lack of the kind of fellowship I cherished but the isolation and insulation was necessary for my development. I was being weaned, in a sense, as my dependence was less on what others said and did and more and more on what my Lord said and did. (See Part 1: The Hidden Treasure of Luke 8 - "Full Circle")

I suffered a severe health crisis in 1988 that forced me to question what I had been taught about faith and God's will. Like my peers, I was very presumptuous about my ability to discern God's will in certain matters. I had been struggling with confusion about the matter of faith because I never really seemed to able to discern it to a point of being satisfied, yet I stubbornly maintained that God simply wanted me to be healthy. I believed that my poor health was somehow a reflection of my faith. If I only had faith I would surely be healed, I thought. I must admit that I should have known better. (Something very serious had happened circa 1986 that I have to see as a sign and a clue. I'll tell you that heartrending story a little later in this study.) There was a lot of mental gymnastics to life in those days, being that condemning myself and others was discouraged.

What was I to do? I prayed for my healing. Others prayed for my healing. On and on it went as my condition got worse and worse. I could profess and confess that I was healed but I came to a place where I tired of the routine. My strategy resembled "Fake it till you make it" and I just wasn't "making it." "Make-believe" was no substitute for whatever it was I lacked. I reached a point where, despite my best efforts, I was pretty much disabled, physically unable to continue working my trade in building construction and utterly exhausted, mentally and emotionally. I no longer had the energy or focus to read and study the Bible, and that was what my life revolved around. I was done. I was apparently stricken with what began to be called chronic fatigue syndrome. There were other factors involved, but what become apparent was that the doctors had no answers except wrong ones, and ditto that for my church family. I found myself in a place not very different from where I was nearly nine years earlier when the Lord drew me to Himself for salvation. I was brought very low. Humbled.

One day, I had a moment of clarity. Well, at least relative to the state I was in. Here's what I remember thinking about the options I had as I struggled to make sense of my dilemma. Either I actually had no faith to be healed and I was deceived about my having faith, and it was my fault. Or, God was somehow at fault for not holding up His end of the deal. Or, I had been lied to, misled by those I had trusted to instruct me rightly about faith and healing and God's will, and underlying that, despite my best efforts, I was unable to discern the truth. Three options. So, was it my faith? Did I fail to believe that God could and would heal me? No, and I knew it. And I knew that I knew it. I could check that off the list. Progress. Next item. Was God to blame, failing to remain faithful to His word? I knew that was not the problem. God was absolutely not to blame. With only one option left, I had to accept it. I actually was deceived, misled, and it was my fault. And that really humbled me. With my honest best effort I had been deceived and I was forced to admit to myself and confess to my Lord that I could only ever be deceived, without more help from Him. My only hope was not in my ability but His. (Do I need to repeat that, or did you make sufficient note of it?) I fiercely did not want to be deceived. I asked for His forgiveness for my foolish arrogance. I asked for His help, and I had a sense of, well, the obvious, that He had been waiting for me to come to this place of humility.

The Lord helped! As I followed His leading I began to see things with fresh eyes. I began to understand about faith and the hearing ear. While no one else seemed to have any interest in what I was learning, I was very personally aware of a dramatic increase of insight. It wasn't very long before the Lord led me into a remarkable series of discoveries about the chronology of the end times. Many other treasures of insight were opened to me through that work. Those results can and should be seen as a validation of what I had learned about faith and the hearing ear. It was only after many years had passed that I came to learn more about that transitional season. In 1988, there had been a release of apostolic anointing - and this explained a lot. (Listen to Henry's testimony here: Henry Gruver - translated to Rome in 1988).

While there's more of my story to follow, there's some perspective and context that may help you relate to where I'm coming from.

Understanding Figures of Speech

If I showed you a photograph and said, "This is my mother," would you wonder how that picture brought me into this world? Probably not. You'd immediately grasp that it was merely a representation of my mother. I used a figure of speech and you would easily understand it, communicating effectively without even giving it a second thought. Even children become experts with figurative language but yet not even the most expert among us can compare with God and how He communicates in His word. He uses figures with exactness and specific intent. God is the Creator who "invented" communication and language. He has the full mastery of it including the category of figures of speech. His ways are higher than our ways.

If we're going to get to the place where we really understand what He means, even when figures of speech are employed, we're going to need to apply ourselves and seek it from the Master!

The Bible involves idioms and metaphors and many other kinds of very nuanced figures of speech. The late Dr. E. W. Bullinger is considered by many to be an authority on the subject of figures of speech. He cataloged them in a scholarly volume titled, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. From page 15, I quote: "Whenever and wherever it is possible, the words of scripture are to be understood literally, but when a statement appears to be contrary to our experience, or to known fact, or revealed truth; or seems to be at variance with the general teaching of the scriptures, then we may reasonably expect that some figure is employed. And as it is employed only to call our attention to some specially designed emphasis, we are at once bound to diligently examine the figure for the purpose of discovering and learning the truth that is thus emphasized."

I'd like to expand upon something Bullinger wrote. Figures are employed to draw our attention to some specially designed emphasis, but more than that, they serve as a means of concealing the truth from some while revealing it to others.

While Bullinger's work may be used as I had already been using it, as a reference book, the Lord had me read it all the way through from cover to cover. As I did so, what the holy spirit was impressing upon me was the manner in which He communicates. This was about the varieties of linguistic mechanisms as a starting point but my experience went another level beyond that. I don't how to describe it better than to simply tell you that, as I was drawn very near to the Author, He was teaching me how He communicates in His Word.

So, then. Figures of speech. Where do we start but at the beginning? In order to recognize departures from some standard we must first learn how to recognize that standard, the most straightforward and literal expression of language. We must learn to identify the essential forms and components that establish our standard of reference. Departures from that constitute figures of speech.

Faith - The Standard of Reference, Forms and Components

With a focus on the latter part of the verse, what we might call the objects of faith are provided in the explicit identification of what it is that must be believed; "that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Here's another plain declaration of what it is that must be believed.

Here, the object of faith is very plainly stated. What is to be believed is that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead.

Here's another example.

What were they to believe? That Jesus was able to do "this", which is what they had just asked of Him, to have mercy on them. Note that we can infer that the condition of their blindness was implicit as well as the Lord's having authority over all factors that governed their condition.

Another example is found in Acts, where we find a slight departure from the basic standard of literal declaration.

What did Paul have faith in? That it would happen just as the angel had told him. Are you catching on to the trending theme, the necessity for some clear object of faith? Yet there's more to this that needs to be explored. The expression reads, "for I have faith in God - that it will happen just as he told me." Other Bible versions render it, "for I believe God that it will ..." or "I trust God that it will..." If you meditate upon this it may occur to you that it wasn't the word of the angel that Paul's faith was in, but rather the God to whom he belonged and whom he served, Who had sent His sure word by way of the angel. There is a subtle use of figurative language because what is literally meant is somewhat condensed in this expression. This construction serves to draw and direct our attention to what's being emphasized! Very simply, Paul discerned and trusted the word of the Lord, sent through His angel.

Here's an instance where we have to do a little searching to find the object of faith.

To "believe in him" is to believe in what has such a broad range of attributes that the expression fails to adequately identify a suitable object. What was it about him, exactly? What did the Samaritans believe in particular? Could it have been that He existed and therefore wasn't merely the subject of a rumor? Or, could it have been that He was an oracle? If we search the context so that we're "fishing in the right pond" we discover what faith may be placed in. A few verses later, in verse 42:

When the Samaritans from that town "believed in him," what they believed was that this man really was the Savior of the world. How did I reach that conclusion? Because I'm aware that faith is not undefined, nebulous, or indistinct, it was apparent to me that figurative language was being employed. I then searched the context for clues to what the object of faith might be, because that's a necessary part of the equation, if you will. I was very attentive to "fish in the right pond." It was pretty obvious when I found what I was looking for! Now, consider what the Author accomplished by employing this figurative language. He drew our attention and directed it to bring our attention to what was of such value that it was assigned a degree of emphasis. Jesus IS the Savior of the world!

Our observation of the distinctions between the literal and figurative usage of language in the Bible is essential to our understanding and discernment. I'm going to be offering a broad selection of examples from the scriptures to put the figurative language that is expressive of the matters of faith on exhibit - but not just yet. Before I do that there are some more observations to be made that you should find very useful.

Useful Observations on Faith

At this point, I'd like to offer the following descriptions. Faith is an attitude of trust that arises in an appropriate responding to truth. Faith is a demonstrable trusting in the verity of a promise and the faithfulness of the Promiser.

With regard to faith, there are two distinct and essential components involved. There is first what may be called faith's object. This comes from God by His Sovereign grace as a prerequisite. Upon receipt of that essential component we can subsequently respond to it. We can ignore or dismiss or reject it, or we may accept it, trusting in it and its Source. There is first His word or promise and then, upon receiving it there is our response. These are the simple components of faith. There is a relationship! It's teamwork! We are partners! We Hear what He gives us by grace and we Do it, and "it" is not nebulous.

In the matter of faith, there is a perspective where the word or promise of God can be said to set a condition or criterion, based upon which our response might meet that condition.

Faith lies in the realm of our expectations of what God can and will do and in our actual meeting of His expectations.

How often have we heard the simplistic questions posed, "Do you believe?" or, "Do you have faith, brother?" Hey - everybody believes something, right? The thing is, what do you believe?

There is an expression about taking a leap of faith, which involves taking a great risk in boldly stepping out toward some nearly unreachable goal. If I could take a real leap of faith it could not be inspired by something that's only imagined. If it's a matter of faith, there has to be something real that could be trusted in. Like, for example, the Lord's actual invitation to take "the leap."

There's another expression called, blind faith. This has been defined as "belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination." You should realize that there is no real faith in what is not real. That's just delusion. True faith is not blind but rather sees what is unseen.

The Binary Nature of Faith - and Pregnancy?

Some figures of speech involving the subject of faith might be more easily understood by comparing faith to a pregnancy. Neither of these is an entity or a thing. They're conditions that each bears some appropriate kind of fruit. A woman is either pregnant or she isn't because there's no in-between state. In the same way, you either believe or you don't believe. Remember, we're interested in the biblical standard and learning the truth so we can walk in its light, so let's refresh our memories.

So, you either believe or you don't, like how a woman is either pregnant or not. It's a binary thing. On or off. She can never literally be a little pregnant. However, we might speak of a woman in that way early in the pregnancy when her condition isn't very evident. We might also speak of a woman who's near the end of her term as being very pregnant because the condition is very evident. We talk about faith that way yet it should be recognized as being figurative because, in the literal sense, faith is binary in nature just like a pregnancy.

Expanding further on this comparison, a pregnancy doesn't grow in the most literal sense, but certain characteristics relative to a pregnancy do. For example, the length of the term increases moment by moment until the baby is born. The baby and the mother grow in size and in special ways of their development, physically and otherwise. Certain characteristics relative to faith can also grow in similar ways, and the Bible is filled with examples utilizing a wide variety of figures of speech to emphasize certain features. And by means of such language the Lord conceals from some and reveals to those who have a hearing ear that which is valued more highly!

So, faith can't literally grow, but figuratively speaking, faith can grow and increase and become stronger. Here's how, with a right thinking about the distinctions. The amount of truth that you believe can increase because the more you hear the more you can believe. Your readiness to believe God's word when you hear it and your ability to respond appropriately can increase as you mature and consistently practice obedience with a going beyond duty and perseverance. If what you want is a hearing ear that is increasingly better at hearing, I have a tip for you. Apply yourself to learning how to recognize figures of speech and interpret them properly!

The Process or Mechanism of Faith

The matter of how one has faith, believes, or trusts may be considered as a process or a kind of mechanism. Consider Romans 10.

This is a beautifully simple path or progression. If we search the context for the content of that message we find that it had just been expressed in verse 9: "believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead." As noted earlier, this use of the word "believe" is very literal because a plain statement is made about what exactly it is that must be believed.

The passage informs us about something called the heart which is very central to this process that is a foundation of our salvation.

The Word in the Heart

Recall the parable of the sower and how the seed was scattered on ground that was explained as the word of God that was sown into the hearts.

When the word that is the seed remains to the extent that a plant begins to grow, there is salvation. There is that which has to do with the spirit and there is also that which has to do with the soul.

We find more insight about this matter of the word in the heart in the book of Psalms.

What is this heart? Biologically speaking, the heart is a physical organ that pumps blood through our bodies. Obviously, there is some kind of figure involved.

Mark 11:23: "...and does not doubt in his heart"
Luke 2:51: "But his mother treasured all these things in her heart."
Luke 2:19: "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart"
Proverbs 3:5: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"
Luke 24:25: "how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken"
Luke 2:35: "so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed."
Hebrews 4:12: "the word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart"

The heart is an inner, deeper and very significant part of man.

Consider what Mark chapter 7 has to tell us about the heart and the critical need for a hearing ear.

The heart is featured in this lesson about what defiles people and what evils come out from inside. A message is cloaked in a parable, which is an allegorical illustration and a kind of figure of speech. Jesus prefaced this with something not very unlike His calls for, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this," He said, but everyone didn't understand - not even his disciples! Later, when they asked him about the parable in a more private setting, the Lord responded with a question, saying, "Are you so dull?" Dull - of hearing, plainly! It was a rhetorical question. Their ears were those that heard not. The lesson is about what goes into the heart and comes out of the heart - and what is in the heart. A point was made using a familiar process as an example for the sake of comparison, the natural process of how food is ingested, digested, assimilated and eliminated.

There was a corollary lesson in the parable that was significant while yet being the more superficial. If you take the meaning where the Lord's declaration was about eating food, anyone whose diet was intentionally restricted by whether or not the food was kosher had to see that as a radical and even shocking departure from the requirement imposed as a law under Moses. But this parable was about a higher law and a more valuable truth that required a hearing ear.

If, as the Lord taught, "nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them," we who have ears to hear can shift our attention from the side where it doesn't matter to the side where it does. What's IN the heart is revealed by what comes out of the heart, not what goes into it. We must look past the input to the output for a faithful witness. This insight helps us judge rightly when it comes to ourselves and others. This is a matter for the hearing ear, remember, for context. It's not for those who are dull of hearing but for those who can hear and understand as the Lord intimately reveals His precious secrets.

Why is it that the word, heart, is used figuratively, which names the physical organ that pumps blood through our bodies? The life of the flesh is in the blood, as it is written in Leviticus 17:11. Without the heart pumping this blood there is no life in the body. Think about what this suggests about our spiritual life. Verse 23, again: "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."

The Dangers of Having Ears that HEAR NOT

Back around 1988-90, as I already mentioned, the Lord rigorously addressed certain of my doctrinal and practical errors. My dullness of the hearing ear hindered me from learning what I needed to know and thus from doing what I needed to do. It took me a while to catch on, a long while, and the Lord has been extremely patient with me.

There are dangers involved with a lack of discernment in matters of faith that are potentially fatal. Some actually have died as a direct result of those kinds of errors in doctrine - which are lies, to be forthright, like my friend Suzy. More about that, soon.

There is a way of thinking that's widespread in the church and also outside it. I'm referring to positive confession and the power of positive thinking, new age thinking on the lines of mysticism, eastern religion and philosophy, the magical thinking of Pagan and Satanic traditions of witchcraft and mind control programming techniques. When it comes to the church, there's a kind of theology that you may have heard called, "name it and claim it" or "blab it and grab it," or the "health and wealth" or prosperity gospel. A faith-as-force way of thinking has been associated with a Word of Faith movement, which arose from the New Thought movement. The version I had personally been influenced by came through the founder of The Way, International, V.P. Wierwille, who was influenced by E.W. Kenyon. Kenyon also influenced Kenneth Hagin. Men like Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Robert Tilton, Earl Paulk, Charles Capps, and Fred Price are apparently among the influential men in the crowd. Robert Schuller (Crystal Cathedral) advanced a "theology of self-esteem" and a belief in the power of "possibility thinking." His "Hour of Power" TV show that began in 1970 became the most-watched weekly religious program in America during the decade of the 80s - and that constitutes a lot of influence.

You too may have been influenced by that errant theology, or you may perhaps find yourself wondering how a saint who studies the Bible could possibly find the "word of faith" kind of magical thinking compelling in any way. Consider the following passage from the gospel of Mark.

If we accept Jesus' message as written with naivete, there it is. What can we learn from this? That the Lord just likes to imagine commanding things like mulberry trees and mountains to go jump in the lake? But, seriously, this seems to be telling us that if we aren't seeing mountains move at our command we just need more faith.

Many similar passages of scripture will be addressed in the next installment because there is value in the examination of these in the brighter light with an eye that sees!

My teachers used pithy statements like, "Believing Equals Receiving." Catchy, right? Another saying was that we had to get our needs and our wants parallel. A synchronized confession. One of the scriptures that was used to indoctrinate me involved a statement made by Job.

That's the NIV version, and at the time when I was being plied with this doctrine we were all about the KJV. (Yes, I was a Bible version snob.) It's the same meaning, though. So, the teaching was that Job brought it on himself with his "negative believing." However, the disasters that befell Job ACTUALLY came about just as it was laid out for us in the first two chapters of the book, contradicting the "negative believing" spin!

After many years of struggling with the theory, the Lord eventually intervened and rescued me, as you know. Like many occasions since I can reflect on that season and say: "That was awesome! Let's never do that again!" But, hey, whatever it takes to get me where He wants me to be is going to be worth it. His mercy astounds me! His abundant grace and boundless love do not cease to touch me very deeply, and I am never the same for it!

Let me illustrate one of the dangers in failing to have a hearing ear on the subject of faith with some very personal history. Suzy and Dan were "members" of my home church congregation. Suzy had epilepsy and was on medication to help her manage the seizures. She and Dan were about to be married, and she apparently felt very strongly about being delivered from epilepsy before she married. She came to me for counseling, as her pastor. She was determined to demonstrate her belief that God would heal her. The proof of her faith would be that she would stop taking her epilepsy meds. Her thinking, naturally, was that God would see this noble "leap of faith" and respond by healing her. I definitely received a check in the spirit so I told her not to stop taking her meds. I found out later that she also counseled with Dave, my own pastor in the ministry's hierarchy. He told her the same thing. But she apparently had her mind made up about what she had to do. She and Dan had rented an apartment near the air base where Dan was stationed and Suzy was busying herself with getting it ready. One day while Dan was away and she was alone in their new apartment, she took a bath. She had a Grand Mal seizure and drowned in the tub. That was a tragedy! As her pastor, I must take no small amount of responsibility for that. Even though I had given her good counsel that she chose to reject, I had been teaching the kinds of lies that lead to that kind of thinking, and that kind of result. I was deceived, yes, but I can blame no one but myself for that. I sought the Lord's forgiveness and I know He forgave me. Yet, I was still a long way off from really understanding my failure. I so desperately needed a hearing ear!

There are many dangers involved with believing that which is not actually true, about faith and every other subject, but perhaps faith in particular. Cutting this physical life short is one, but our spiritual lives are also cut short or substantially diminished by the compromise of our faith. False faith, false hope and false love go hand in hand. Being compromised, we are robbed of all the benefit. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord are also robbed of the benefit of our service - and so is our Lord! As soldiers we are MIA! And, when we look at the bigger picture the deceived forfeit reward which might otherwise have been multiplied in ages to come. This is all very sobering! I have to say that the threat of being deceived and taking the mark of the beast is real. And, yes, for Christians, too.

New Age - New Thought - Luciferianism - Satanism

"The New Thought movement, which originated in the late 19th and early 20th century, has at its core a belief that a higher power pervades all existence, and that individuals can create their own reality via affirmations, meditation and prayer. Early New Thought groups emerged from a Christian Science background, and many New Thought writers refer back to the Bible as their foundation text." (source) Note the "Christian" and Bible as foundational text bit. The basic premise of the fraud is that you can get whatever you want by practicing holding an image in your mind of exactly what you want and then work it out in your life. Motivational self-help and self-improvement authors and speakers make lots of money coaching what they call visualization techniques. This kind of exercise is similar to but not exactly the same as the kind of mental rehearsal someone might do who is about to do a high dive or to perform a gymnastic routine.

The influential Napoleon Hill penned his best seller "Think And Grow Rich" in 1937, which has been claimed to have sold 20 million copies. If you read that you will discover that he was a spiritualist and Occultist. As it is written in 1 Timothy 6:10, "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Here's some quotes from his book, "Think And Grow Rich."

• Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.
• The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.
• You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.

Anthony Robbins, a man that Bill Clinton had on speed dial, claims that, "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." He also says, "We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish." Early in his career he partnered with John Grinder, who had co-founded, Neurolinguistic Programming. Tony Robbins subsequently taught NLP and Ericksonian Hypnosis. That's the practice of mind control techniques! He also learned how to firewalk in 1983 and incorporated that too into his seminars. What kind of power is manifested in that kind of activity? In a word, demonic.

On the subject of NLP, Satanist Kaiden Fox wrote a book called, "The Satanic Warlock, NLP and the Science of Seduction." On the cover he offers this definition of, language. "The music with which we charm the serpents guarding another's treasure." NLP is used by thieves who are after your treasure and mine in the service of the father of lies. That's what Tony Robbins is really about, and those who are selling you the same brand of deadly lies.

If you are robbed of your faith you have no shield to take up.

So, let's do a quick reality check. How does all that "self-help" work out for people in reality? Here's a couple of examples we can consider to see whether the intensity of desire and the strength of will and focus of intent and agreement on the objective commands authority in the spiritual realm. How did it work out for the army of the Pharaoh when they so passionately pursued the children of Israel as they passed through the sea in their exodus from Egypt? The waters were parted - until they weren't. All Israel arrived safely on the other side while the entire army of Egypt, which had demonstrated such a courage of their conviction, was destroyed. Likewise, how did it work out for the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah in the contest on Mount Carmel? The crowd of prophets was focused and they were all in agreement and fully committed to achieve their goal. But Elijah and his helpers won the contest with a decisive victory. All 850 prophets of the false gods perished, and you really can't suggest that the convictions of the multitude of Israelites might have swayed the result. The losers didn't lose because they lacked what the motivational speakers would say they lacked. There is an authority in the spiritual realm, and it's not the father of lies and those whom he deceives. You are NOT the master of your destiny!

"In his declining years, Hill openly described visits from spirits in Chapter 12 of his book, Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind (1967). He described them as unseen friends, unseen watchers, strange beings, and the Great School of Masters that had been watching over him, and who maintain a "school of wisdom". Hill states that the "Master" spoke to him audibly, revealing secret knowledge. Hill further insists that the Masters "can disembody themselves and travel instantly to any place they choose in order to acquire essential knowledge, or to give knowledge directly, by voice, to anyone else." Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind was heavily influenced by Hill's spirit voices; Hill cites the 'Master', saying, 'Much of what he said already has been presented to you in the chapters of this book or will follow in other chapters..'

Hill's spiritualism was influenced by his negative experience of organized religion as a child. Until very late in life, Hill affected a nonsectarian Judeo-Christian perspective." (source)

Napoleon Hill was informed by the class of familiar spirits, deceiving spirits, devil or demonic spirits and fallen angels! His affectation of a nonsectarian Judeo-Christian perspective aided him in defrauding those vulnerable saints who lacked a hearing ear of their precious faith.

You can find a prime example of new age thought in TRIANGLES - A Planetary Network of Light and Goodwill, a collection of pages on the website of the Lucis Trust, the appendant body to the U.N. The United Nations is a religious organization, a distinctly Luciferian one! Lucis Trust had been formerly known as "Lucifer Trust" when it was founded by Alice Baily. She's the acclaimed author who described the majority of her work as having been telepathically dictated to her by a Master of Wisdom. You should know that that was the very same way Aleister Crowley had received the "Book of the Law," and other similar works.

I would be remiss if I didn't identify Star Wars as a vehicle for promoting similar kinds of lies. The Jedi Masters and their Jedi Mind tricks, levitation, telekinesis, communication with the dead, etc. It was religious programming, and very influential. Obi Wan Kenobi reached out telepathically to Luke Skywalker, saying, "Use the Force, Luke." He used the Jedi Mind Trick on some Imperial guards to get past their checkpoint. "These are not the droids you're looking for," he said. And the guard repeated it to the other guard showing us an example of hypnotism that had the influence of NLP and enchantment. Yoda was the master who trained the initiate Luke Skywalker to learn about the mystical force that has a "dark side." Quoting Darth Vader, "I find your lack of faith disturbing." Without a hearing ear to discern the truth from the lies, parents offered the Luciferian training program to generations of children who were so influenced by the films in that franchise that they can still quote nearly every line. Alongside Star Wars many, many other popular works could be named, including anything ever made by Disney.

Wishcraft

When the Lord dealt with me in my foolishness and dullness of hearing on the matter of faith it might well be said that the bright light came to shine upon my dabbling in wishcraft. I know, that's not actually a word, but what I came to learn over the years about the practice of witchcraft makes it a fitting descriptive. If what I wrote in the previous section is fresh in mind you should easily make the connection.

Wishcraft is magical thinking. When a witch casts a spell, the intention that was determined beforehand is held in the mind. Words are typically spoken as they express their intent with confidence. Often, a magic circle is cast for this purpose, within which energy is raised by various means. At the appointed time, the energy raised is released out into the universe with a command. All the while, the witch or the high priest or priestess (and the coven that gathered for this purpose in agreement and for support) maintains a focus of attention on the intention. There are other forms of spell work and practices of magic, and they are all done with some objective in mind, with focused intention. When people tell you that they want to send you good thoughts, you don't really want anything like that to happen.

When the masters of mind control ply their trade they leverage and exploit others in this matter of a counterfeit faith. When programmed multiples like Chosen Ones are groomed for their psi powers, they are trained in how to operate most effectively. What's called Theta programming involves what some consider to be psychic powers. This is quite real, I can assure you, as one who was targeted and victimized by this activity for many years. The mind and its focused intention is the control mechanism for the operation of those "abilities." But we should understand that the control being wielded is demonic. The power is demonic and the mechanism of control is demonic.

Without the ability to discern truth, the dull of hearing are easy prey for those who promote magical thinking. "If you have faith you can have whatever you want," health, wealth, power, the love and respect of others, anything your whimsical, lusty and greedy little heart desires. Those who are somewhat tempered in their ambition will set more modest seeming goals that will typically seem like they are altruistic - for the good of king and kingdom. But the Lord knows what's in the heart.

In Conclusion of This Third Installment

When we learn to think like mature saints, the keys to developing a hearing ear are learned and practiced and a strong defense is raised against the lies of the enemy. The soil into which the seed-word-of-God that is sown is well prepared such that a crop will be produced - to the glory of God!

The fine line that often exists between the truth and a counterfeit can be likened to the edge of a cliff. There's very little difference between the sides from one perspective, but from another there's a vast difference!

If ever there was a time when the highest level of discernment is called for, it is when the lawless one is about to be revealed. Look around. See what you're looking at. While the full revealing is going to be aborted in this round, due to the resetting back of time, the need for discernment in this season is still absolutely critical. You have learned that whether we have a hearing ear or not, we will think we do. Don't be deceived. Hear the word and DO IT! And, go beyond duty to receive whatever bonus the Lord is pleased to grant!

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