Witchcraft and Christianity

Witchcraft and Christianity
By Sharilynn McIntosh

Galatians 3:1-11 (NIV):
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing – if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Understand, then that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

God is not interested in partial obedience; He wants full and total obedience. What is witchcraft? It is defined in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NIV):

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

Rebellion is the same as witchcraft. When you are bent on having your way, regardless of the direction God is trying to take you in, you are living in rebellion. Stubbornness is the same as idolatry. In Galatians 3:1, Paul asks the Galatians who has caused them to change their hearts and minds from following after Jesus Christ, the true and living God, to follow after laws and precepts, which have no place in serving God. Please don’t get me wrong…let me qualify what I mean. We must follow the laws of the land, and be subject to the authorities. However, God does not require us to live under the law; Jesus died for the law to become grace, which is what we are currently living under. We no longer need a priest to go into the Holy of Holies to slay animal sacrifices to atone for our sin, and his as well. We can approach the throne of grace boldly, without fear, and ask our Heavenly Father for forgiveness.

Galatians 5:19-20 (NIV):
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions; factions…

Idolatry is when you exalt your opinion above the Word of God. Be careful.

Here are the Four Key Identifying Characteristics of Witchcraft:

1) Manipulation – Trying to control or rule.
If rebellion is in the neighborhood, witchcraft is around the corner. Don’t hold back your tithes, time, talent, etc.
2) Domination – To act in a manner to control by fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV):
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

How many controlling people do we know, and allow to frighten us into doing things that we know we don’t have any business doing? Or, are we the ones controlling others into doing what we want?

3) Intimidation – To keep apart; to divide.
4) Separation

Obscurity of the truth, when it is in plain view. When our friends and family try to tell us about a character flaw, we don’t want to hear about it. Our world view of ourselves is tainted. We want everyone to think about how wonderful we are, and that we have a perfect personality and lifestyle. Kirk Franklin eloquently made a quote in one of his CD’s, when he asked the audience how many were glad to be saved. Then he went on to inquire about how many were glad that God delivered them from all their mess. Then a more serious question was asked in that how many were glad that God didn’t expose their mess. In other words, when we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, a change was supposed to take place in our hearts, minds, and spirits. Sometimes, however, we tend to get involved in things (and in some cases, people) that God tries to steer us clear from, but we insist on having our own way, and get ourselves tangled up and bound up in sin. Here’s another thought…

Authority asserted, when not given by God, is witchcraft. It is rebellion against delegated, legitimate authority.

God never tells us anything that violates what His Word says. How many times have we seen people, or actually been the person, to fight against what our pastor, the one who God has put in place to shepherd us? How dare we fight the man or woman of God, which He has placed in the house for such a time as this? If anyone of us (me included) has been guilty of doing that in the past, or present, we need to stop right now and repent before God, and apologize to our pastors. The Bible tells us to “touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” We must be very careful when we disagree with what God may have placed as a vision in the pastor’s spirit. Don’t allow the enemy to have a place in you, and cause you to be haughty and high-minded against the man or woman of God.

Another thing to consider is that dysfunctions that operate within a family will eventually surface in the church. If there is trouble in your home, you must deal with it, God’s way. If there are problems in your marriage, don’t be so proud, and leave it alone, and hope that it will work out. Don’t be embarrassed to seek Godly counsel from your pastor or a Christian psychiatrist or psychologist. The enemy would love nothing more than to destroy your marriage, and leave your family, especially your children in turmoil for the rest of their lives. I know of a family whose parents divorced when they were relatively young, and they are still affected by it, and they are in their 40’s. Don’t all Satan to make your household another statistic.

A main spirit that prevails in the arena of witchcraft is the nature of the Jezebel spirit. In the history of the Old Testament, from 1 Kings 16-21, Jezebel is the queen to Ahab, an evil king in the Israeli camp. Unfortunately, here is an example of the power of a woman to steer the heart of a man astray. This woman was given the power to manipulate her will to the extent of having some of God’s servants executed. She usurped authority that didn’t belong to her, and in the end, she paid with her life. In Galatians 5, Paul warns the Galatians to not take their freedom in Christ, and become bound by traditions and sin. The Jezebel spirit is not one that is only relative to women, but men as well. Look at Judas Iscariot. Zechariah 13:7 (NIV) prophesied: “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the Lord Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.” This verse foretells the death and crucifixion of Jesus, but it was Judas who allowed the enemy to use him to betray our Lord. He felt that he would have power and prestige, and in the end, he realized what he had done, and he committed suicide.

In conclusion, we must examine ourselves, and search our hearts. We must ask God to forgive our waywardness, and yes, even the best of us has strayed. Maybe not in our words, but in our thoughts and deeds. Remember, God knows our every move, so we may be able to fool some of the people some of the time, but we can’t fool the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. He loves us, and will cleanse us from every sin, as David asked Him to do in Psalms 51. Seek His face, and turn from wanting our own agenda, and sincerely ask God to lay out the map of our lives, and chase after Him. Not what He can do for us, but Him. Seek the Creator, not His creation.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV):
I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Endeavor to live peaceably with all men, as much as it is possible. We may not agree with our spouses, our children and our church leaders all the time, but we must pray for them earnestly, and trust that God will speak to them, and that they will be open to hear from Him. We certainly must not act like we have arrived, and have cornered the market on hearing from God. We have missed it, many times, and need to be refocused on what God has for us to do.