Witchcraft

2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, "The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

Here are some videos on the topic of possible witchcraft in the charismatic movements and churches.....

They say that what witchcraft is really when someone is trying to control someone else. If you think of it that way, a lot of things fall into that category. "Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom." Yes? Not control.

Jimmy Swaggart preaching on the topic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b7x8k6A4N8

This lady is amazing! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU72HQkhm18

Talk radio on the topic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYQwHszx-AY


Check this out in Gal. 3 "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? ² This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?"

What is it to be bewitched?  One definition that a man on this broadcast shares is, "To charm, to fascinate, to please to such a degree as to take away the power of resistance and to enchant."

Do we see this going on today in the charismatic movement?  Yes.  How?  The experience of being slain in the Spirit is taking away one's power of resistance.  The displaying of false miracles is being used to charm and fascinate people.  What if the people that they say are healed were never sick to begin with?  What if they were just doing this to control the audience and get their money?  Con artists have existed since the beginning of time.  Why wouldn't there be con artists in the church also?  There always have been.  Read some books by Mark Twain and you will see it. 

The reason Paul was mad at the Galatians was because they were starting to believe that more needed to be added to their salvation besides just faith.  But we are saved by faith alone are we not?  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves, so that no one may boast."  And now in the charismatic movement people want to add tongues; that people need to speak in tongues.  This is the same thing the false prophets were trying to do to the Galatians.  Tongues is being used in charismatic churches to manipulate and control people.  Cults want control over their people. 

Most people think of witchcraft as just voodoo and Ouija boards etc but it is also just manipulation and control.  If anyone sins he is a slave to sin right?  Satan is about making people slaves.  But God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit set us free.  

Witchcraft, at its root, is about making someone do what you want them to do.  It is about controlling someone.  It is having some kind of influence over them.     

It is not just casting spells, black kettles etc.  "Satan masquerades as an angel of light."  This means that He can make himself look good and look normal.  He can even look like a Christian or a pastor/leader in a church.  He is a wolf in sheep skin.

We don't need to add anything else to our faith.  Through witchcraft in the church people have been adding to faith in Jesus.  People have been saying we need something else, such as Pentecostals saying people need to pray in tongues to be saved.  This is a lie from Satan, who is the father of lies.

The Greek work for witchcraft is pharmacia, which is where we get out word pharmacy from.  Medicine can heal but it also causes side effects which causes your body to do things that it normally would not do, meaning you are under its influence.  That is why drugs are drugs.  Prescription drugs are no more ok than street drugs.  I wrote another blog on this topic 6 months ago. 

In Galatians 3 Paul notes that others were trying to control the Galatians and say that they needed to be circumcised in addition to having faith in Jesus, which was false.  He says that someone "bewitched" them.  They, some of the Jews, wanted the Galatians to do what they wanted them to do.  They were trying to manipulate them and control them. 

"People perish for lack of knowledge."  aka. we need to know our Bibles so we are not deceived.

There are people in the church who will say the right things and do the right things until you step out of line or start questioning things.  Then this leader may move from bewitching you with things that look good to forcing people to do something or using guilt to manipulate people.  This is how cults begin.  Often times they use fear to control people.  Hence, if you don't pray/speak in tongues you may not be saved or you may not have the Holy Spirit.  That is a lie.  It is not the truth. 

Often times these pastors are very charming.  Think of the word charming lol to charm.  Some things that some pastors  or speakers may use are manipulation, domination, intimidation and control.  Be wary of any leader using any of these methods.  Tithing is one way where this is used in churches.  They may say you may be cursed if you don't tithe or you don't really love God.  Manipulation is using guilt or fear to get someone to do something that you want them to do. 

People have gotten away from seeking to know the word of God but are now seeking signs and wonders instead.  This is why it is not of God.  Anything that does not draw people to the Bible but away is not of God.  People are having strange visions.  Some charismatic leaders are convincing people that they are seeing gold fall from heaven.  They do all this to charm people and mislead them. 

May God make us alert and give us discernment in these things.  Amen. :)