Ghosts, Spirit Guides and my personal experiences with the paranormal

Once again, a reader of my blog has a question for me, this time regarding my last post on the difference between a psychic and a prophet. I figure if she has this question, then perhaps other readers are also asking the question so I've decided to answer her question here.

Her question is this, " How do we know that psychics/mediums are consulting with demons and not real spirits of deceased loved ones?" This particular reader has often watched "The Long Island Medium" and has consulted psychics herself. She finds the idea of a demon pretty far out there and a bit ridiculous. Therefore I have posted this video that I highly recommend that everyone watch. Additionally I am going to explain about my personal experiences dealing with demons and I pray that you will read about them and consider the implications of what I'm about to describe.

Before I became a Christian I would laugh at anyone who proposed the idea of Satan and Demons.  I felt the ideas of Satan, Hell and Demons preposterous. However I can now assure you that Satan and his demons are real and they are masquerading as deceased loved ones, ghosts and they can and will brew up paranormal experiences in the lives of those who invite them in.

As I have described, before becoming a Christian I had dabbled in the occult. I (like many) was drawn into the idea of being a "Spiritual" person and was drawn in to The New Age Movement. I consulted psychics, I owned crystals to "guide me"and asked my "spirit guides" to lead me to all things good.  During that time I had many dark and very scary things happen to me and I now realize without a doubt that these scary occurrences were the result of the fact that I had unknowingly opened a portal to demons and they were not only in my life, but they were messing with it.

At the age of 19 I left home to move away and attend a university. I meditated on my crystal day and night asking the universe to send me to the "perfect" room mate and place to live near campus. Once I found the room mate and room to rent I sought the counsel of psychics to guide me through my college experience. I was thrilled to learn that my room mate was also very interested in being a "spiritual" person and had also sought the advice of psychics.

Without going through every harrowing experience one by one let me just tell you that I had many very scary experiences in our shared condo. The least of which was hearing my name called out throughout the home by a voice that can only be described as demonic in nature. This demon would wait till I was alone for maximum effect in being sure it scared me half to death.

Completely unaware that I was dabbling in the occult, I continued to bring these demonic forces into my life for many many years. I had some terrifying experiences and I felt helpless to stop them. In fact the worse the scary experiences got the more I would call to my "spirit guides" to guide me to safety. I had no idea that I was continually inviting this dark presence into my life as I did this! My room mate also had experiences that were dark and unwanted. I'm happy to say that my ex room mate and I are both now Christians and looking back we know exactly what was going on in our lives and in that condo.

Fast forward to 2012. I've now been a Christian for ten years. I know that Satan and his demonic forces are real. We moved into an older home in a beach city in Southern California. This was a dream house for me. It was light yellow with a white picket fence. The yards were perfection. We immediately signed a lease and moved in.

Within a few months of living there I felt what I can only describe as a  "presence" in the home.  Nothing was actually happening at that point other then I would occasionally see a shadow in a corner and feel that something was "off". Then things started getting a little more odd. Out of nowhere pictures started falling off of walls. In our guest room we had a small tv plugged in for guests. I could be in the kitchen and I'd hear the tv on and turned up very loudly in the guest room. No one else was home, so it had turned on all by "itself". Pictures falling off of walls and the tv turning on and off were becoming a daily thing.  My son and husband also witnessed these things. Oddly, I wasn't scared at all I felt protected by God.

This went on for about a week and then one night my husband, son and I were all awoken by what was a very loud crash coming from the attic. My husband and son bolted out of bed, got the ladder and went up to see what was going on. They found nothing. The "experience" had kept us all up half the night and low and behold we missed church the next day as we were so tired. Interesting.... The next day I was in my craft room and I was standing there watching tv while preparing to work on my scrap booking. I literally watched as a bottle of Windex that was sitting on the window ledge fall to the floor. It was like it was pushed off the ledge.

I decided right there that these two full weeks of bizarre activity was enough. I went to the Lord in deep prayer asking Him what to do. Immediately he told me that I had opened a demonic portal in the home because I had been watching "The Long Island Medium" and "Hollywood Ghost Stories" on a regular basis on tv. Additionally I had struck up an acquaintance with a woman who worked at Whole Foods who was a follower of Wicca and called herself an "Earth Witch". She was the nicest, sweetest lady in the world and I had mentioned my "haunting" to her the week prior. She had advised me to burn sage and wave it from room to room. I actually bought the sage hoping it would work!  I try really hard to befriend, love and witness to all of God's children regardless of their religious beliefs, but God reminded me that by engaging in conversations with her about her Wicca religion over the past several months I was opening myself back up to the occult. It then dawned on me that I started watching both ghost shows and having conversations with the  someone who follows Wicca only AFTER moving into the house. I knew I shouldn't be watching those shows but I found them so fascinating. Even after 10 years of being a Christian there was a part of me that still wanted to believe that we could somehow contact our deceased loved ones. I was still allowing myself to be pulled into the darkness of the occult even though I knew better!!  This desire came from the fact that I had lost my mother 5 years before. Even though I knew what the Bible said and deep down I knew that these mediums were most likely communicating with demons....I still had hope that perhaps the experiences were real. I had real hopes of reaching the Wicca lady for Christ as well, but realized then that by allowing myself to listen to her talking about her witchcraft and it's practices I was opening myself up to things I shouldn't. The fact that I followed her advice with the burning sage only drew me in further.

Once God revealed all of this to me, he prompted me not only to stop watching the shows and to no longer engage in conversations with the Wicca lady regarding her religion; but to go through each room and pray over it. So I did. I went from room to room and in a loud, authoritative voice I said the following,

"Through the power of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ I renounce you Satan! I am telling you and all of your demons to leave my house NOW!"

I even stood directly under the attic opening in the ceiling and yelled it up at the attic!

After praying over every room of the house, I went back to the Lord in deep prayer and continued for the rest of the day to repent of being lured back into the occult. Low and behold, the strange activity stopped THAT DAY. This is after having pictures falling off walls, a tv turning on and off, strange shadows lurking in corners and crashing noises coming from the attic had gone on for well over 2 weeks.

If that does not prove the power of Jesus Christ over demonic behavior than I don't know what does. Each and every believer in Jesus Christ has the power of the holy spirit within them and has authority over Satan and his demons. All we need do is exercise our power and let the demons know that we have the power of Jesus within us!

God tells us in His word about our authority through Jesus over Satan.

Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 


James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."


These are just a FEW of the verses that God has given us regarding Christ's  power over Satan in His name. If you or someone you love is seeking the advice of psychics, playing with the Ouija board or dabbling in the occult in any way, shape or form I admonish you to take serious heed. I promise you that I have lived through some very dark and scary experiences as a result in  times where I dabbled in The New Age Movement and even recently as a very strong believer in my faith in Jesus and Christianity I was very easily and quickly drawn back in.

Satan does NOT want you to know the truth about Jesus. He wants you to follow him and his schemes. Remember how the crash in the attic happened on a Saturday night and kept my family from going to church the next day? These demons are not fooling around. They want to keep you away from God and His people and that includes church. We must always be on the alert and guard our hearts and minds.

In addition to my experiences I have spoken to several friends and family members who have also had paranormal experiences as a result of dabbling in the occult. One family member was living with a group of 3 girls while away at college. The girls decided it would be fun to buy a Ouija board and try to drum up "spirits" one night. After dimming the lights, lighting candles and all sitting around the board they began to play the "game". It wasn't long before they had opened a portal to demonic activity and one of the doors in the back of their apartment slammed shut! Next thing they knew they heard loud foot steps walking down the hall coming towards them. They screamed and ran out of the apartment. It scared them half to death. They got rid of the Ouija board and were so scared for the next several weeks they all slept together in the same bed! There was no one in the apartment with them and in speaking to these girls personally they are all positive this was a real experience with a real demon.

Another friend who had dabbled in New Age activities also had an experience where one day she was sitting at her computer writing an email. Out of nowhere she felt something squeezing her arm very forcefully and hard. There was no one there. She hopped up and told the "spirit" to go away. The experience terrified her and in talking to her about it she felt it was the spirit of her mother in law who had recently passed away. Since they always had a difficult relationship she felt her ghost had come back to haunt her. What she didn't realize is that her adherence to the New Age Lifestyle had opened a portal to a demonic presence.

These are only two examples out of many I could share. If you are a saved believer in Jesus Christ and you stay clear of all occult practices, including entertaining yourself with watching shows on mediums, reading New Age books, following your horoscope, seek out help from someone who follows Wicca or anything else that is strictly forbidden by God in the Bible, then you should never have to worry about being affected by a paranormal activity brought on by a demon. 

"When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations."There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,… Deuteronomy 18:9

"Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the LORD your God......Leviticus 19:31

Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life and may God bless you!

The difference between a Psychic and a Prophet.

A friend and reader of my blog recently read through my posts on the New Age Movement and asked  me, "what's the difference between a psychic & a prophet?" .... They both claim to foretell or foreknow information concerning the future ........"

l told her, the difference between the two is the SOURCE  from which they receive their information. A prophet knows information as it has been revealed to him/her by God, whereas a psychics source of information is revealed through a "familiar spirit"  ....

In times of such uncertainty we all want to know what will be the outcome of our future, we, in our human nature want to know the details of our lives ..... the who, when, where & what of our existence/future, so it can be tempting & easy for one to get caught up and not realize they're opening Pandora's Box & potentially dancing with the devil when they seek out a reading with a psychic. In the past I have consulted with psychics and although these "seerers" seemed to know things about my past and were anxious to foretell my future; I know now that the" familiar spirits" that were giving the psychics information were not to be trusted.  

"What are familiar spirits?"

The word familiar is from the Latin familiaris, meaning a "household servant," and is intended to express the idea that sorcerers had spirits as their servants ready to obey their commands. Those attempting to contact the dead, even to this day, usually have some sort of "spirit guide" who communicates with them. These are the" familiar spirits."

Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27, and Deuteronomy 18:9-14 refer to “mediums and familiar spirits” and forbids being involved with them, as they are an abomination to the Lord. The medium was one who acted as a “go-between” to supposedly contact or communicate with the dead, but in reality they were contacting demons who convinced the mediums that they were “familiar” and could be trusted and believed.

The word "psychic" is from the Greek word "psychikos"-"of the mind" "mental", also called sensitive is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception  (ESP), or is said by others to have such abilities.

The word “prophesy” is from the Greek word “propheteuo” and means “to foretell events, divine, speak under inspiration, exercise the prophetic office”, “to hold the office of a prophet; to do the work of a prophet, i.e. to speak forth, in declaration, warning or exhortation, as directed by the Spirit of God” 

The word “prophecy” means “1. a. a message of divine truth revealing God’s will. b. the act of uttering such a message. 3. the function, activity, or charismatic endowment of a prophet or prophets” 

Have you ever wondered why Christians behave as they do? What factors motivate our actions? One important answer is the nature of a believer’s spiritual gift. Whatever you do in life, you will do your best and find the greatest sense of fulfillment by using your gift in the power of the Holy Spirit. The gift of prophecy is one of seven motivational gifts identified by God’s Word in Romans 12:6-8:

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith."

Prophecy means much more than to foretell the future. It also means “to speak the truth” or “to proclaim.” For some with this gift they are able to hear God speak to them in many ways. Audibly or through an internal "voice" that they clearly hear,  through dreams, visions,  etc.. For these operating in this aspect of the gift, God reveals future events and information with great clarity.  For most however, the motivational gift of prophecy is primarily concerned with speaking forth the truth. The Word of God helps us to understand characteristics and avoid misunderstandings associated with the gift of prophecy, and it shows us how we use that gift when we walk in the Spirit.

At Pentecost (after Jesus died, he sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in all his followers), his disciple Peter addressed the crowd and said,

“‘In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Acts 2:17-21

The Gift of Prophecy functions when a Holy Spirit-filled believer is “in tune” with the Spirit of God, perceiving and discerning what God wants spoken out in a particular place or time amongst a certain people. He has to use those who are available to His promptings . . . who are willing to step outside their “comfort zone” and allow the Lord to speak through them in a public manner with an audible voice. God has chosen this means to “communicate” His word and will amongst the people! Prophesying is speaking forth under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, sharing a love message (or letter...or blog post!) from the heart of Jesus Christ to the people. We as believers  become a delivery person speaking on behalf of God. Because it is Holy Spirit inspired, it is a message from God through us to the people. If those with this gifting fail to stir up, and step into, the exercising of the Gift of Prophecy, then we are “robbing” others of the opportunity to hear God speaking to them in such a way that they will do something about their present situation or lifestyle. Below is a list of attributes that are typically found in someone with the gift of prophecy.

1. Those with the gift of prophecy have a strong need for verbal expression. Believers with this gift are likely to be the very first to speak in any situation. They rise and state their feelings, particularly when they observe some act of injustice. Peter is an excellent example of someone with the gift of prophecy, because he was always the first disciple to speak out. Those with this gift don’t necessarily speak publicly, but they often give counsel. They tell us exactly what we should do, then they check with us to see if we did it.

2. Those with the gift of prophecy have a strong ability to discern the character and motives of other people. Christians with this gift may walk into a room and immediately sense any harmony or discord among those present. They are very sensitive to the hidden motives of people, because the Spirit of God has given them the power of discernment. They are also committed to God, and therefore prone to correcting behavior that isn’t true to His Word. Christians with the gift of prophecy are often misunderstood because of their quick judgments.

3. Those with the gift of prophecy become wholeheartedly involved. Believers with this gift devote all their effort to every activity in which they become involved. Their nature is to pay whatever price is necessary to get a job  done. Therefore, they have little patience with those who continue to spend valuable time laboring too much over a decision. They make their choice quickly, get to work, and expect others to do the same. Peter exemplified this tendency when he jumped into the water at Jesus’ invitation to step from his boat and walk on the sea (Matthew 14:25-29)  These believers work with all their heart and conviction. 

4. Those with the gift of prophecy are open to correction. Because they are committed to obeying God’s Word, these believers are willing to be shown their spiritual shortcomings. They enjoy seeing righteousness in the lives of others, but they want to see it in their own lives as well. Therefore, they are dedicated to doing the right thing. Peter doubted Jesus when He told him to go out to sea and put down the fishing nets, but when the bounty of Jesus came through, Peter saw his mistake, and fell at the feet of Jesus saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8) A highly recommend as believers that we have an "accountability partner" or a mentor. Someone who is a very mature believer that you trust to "call you out" so to speak if you need it! For me, my friend Beverly J is that person. I have given her permission long ago to lovingly and obediently admonish and correct anything that she sees me doing or hears about me doing that is not following God's word for righteous living. 

5. Those with the gift of prophecy are extremely loyal. In marriage, among their children or parents, or in any other setting, believers with the gift of prophecy always show loyalty. The gift will not allow them to be fickle, and they will stand beside even those friends or leaders who have done wrong, not to justify their sin but to help them. Jesus once asked His disciples if they, too, were going to desert Him when so many others did. Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

6. Those with the gift of prophecy are willing to suffer for what is right. Believers with this spiritual gift are greatly opposed to wrong and injustice. They will take a stand for what is right, even if it requires sacrifice. Peter wrote, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed” (1 Peter 3:14) How many Christians today are willing to stand by the church during hard times?

7. Those with the gift of prophecy are persuasive in defining truth. You will never be in doubt about the beliefs of someone with the gift of prophecy. They speak their convictions with great clarity. They also validate their beliefs through the Word of God. Believers with this gift will always make certain that their words are understood, because they want their listeners to do the right thing. Therefore, they will take care to speak at the level of understanding that is appropriate for that audience.

8. What are some common misunderstandings about the gift of prophecy? Those with the gift of prophecy are often seen as being intolerant because of their strong sense of right and wrong. They are thought to be poor listeners because they are eager to proclaim the truth. Their frankness may be viewed as harshness, and their interest in the whole group may be misinterpreted as lack of interest in a particular individual. Because they find new methods of accomplishment, they are accused of using gimmicks. These believers focus on their personal decision, and others accuse them of neglecting spiritual growth. Finally, their public boldness and strict standards can hinder them from experiencing intimate personal relationships.

9. What if someone with this gift fails to walk in the Spirit? Those with the gift of prophecy are always truthful in the Spirit, but walking in the flesh will make them deceptive. Their sincerity in proclaiming the truth will quickly become hypocrisy when they are not allowing the Spirit to direct their lives, and their strong commitment to living morally will give way to impurity. Although this gift encourages boldness, when we live in the flesh we become fearful and ineffective. When walking in the flesh, this believer will be less forgiving and more prone to cruelly reject others.

Walking in the Spirit makes all the difference in your life. We are joyful and fulfilled when we let God guide and direct how we use the gifts He gives us. Yet we are ineffective and frustrated when we try to live under our own power. My friend, it is essential that you and I walk in the Spirit every day, whatever we do. When we walk in His power, we keep in step with God’s plan for our lives. Then, when we need to be corrected, God will send someone with the gift of prophecy to correct us in a loving and constructive way. Do you have a humble, correctable attitude? If so, you will grow stronger and more obedient, and then you can begin to operate effectively through your spiritual gift, whatever it may be.

       As wonderful as the gift of prophecy is to those who are blessed to have the God given ability,  there are many dangers of prophecy that need to be considered. Prophecy is particularly dangerous in the key areas of life. There is so much risk, and so much damage has been done in God’s name by unwise, unsafe prophecy. 

We should avoid, in almost every case, what I call “hatch, match or dispatch” prophesies. What’s a hatch prophesy? A hatch prophesy is when you go up to a lady and say, “I really believe God is going to give you a baby.” Not wise. 

A match prophesy is, “I think you two should get married,” or worse still, when a guy goes to a girl and says, “God has told me that we’re going to get married.” Not wise. The girl might well reply, “Well, He hasn’t told me!”

Dispatch prophesies are about predicting death—not good.But just as dangerous also are those prophecies where someone has a fatal illness and a foolish person says, “I really feel God has said you’re going to be healed.” Not helpful—it can be very dangerous. Avoid sharing these kinds of prophecies like the plague.

Prophecy can be misleading and very damaging in foolish hands. Lives can be destroyed by the response of someone to a careless word. In fact, because of this risk, I can understand why at various points throughout history, the cry has gone up, “Ban it!” But the Bible does not allow us to do that. Because of the dangers of prophecy, I would encourage you, if you do have a prophetic word for someone, to have a witness present to confirm or correct what is being said and to relieve any pressure that the person might feel. It’s very wise to say things like, “Well, I need you to weigh this,” or, “Please check this with your pastor,” or, “Does this make any sense to you?”Sometimes people deliver a prophetic word and they say, “Does that make any sense?” and the answer is no. “What do you mean, it doesn’t make any sense? It was God, wasn’t it?” Well, not necessarily.How do we recognize true prophecy, then?

It is not the prophet who we test; rather, it is the prophetic words. A powerful word can sometimes come from a new Christian. Equally, however, no word is true simply because it came from someone who has a good track record of hearing from God. We are not told to test the Bible. The Bible, we know, is true. But we have to test prophetic words by what the Bible says. For those who operate in this gifting, they typically know it. However, they should still consult each and every prompting from the Lord to His word before delivering prophetic messages to others. 

Do you feel YOU have the gift of prophesy? If you do, then I strongly suggest that you not hide from this God given ability. There are many books that can help you to strengthen your spiritual gift and speaking to your Pastor or another trusted believer who also has the gift can help you as you begin to utilize your special gifting bestowed upon you by the Holy Spirit.

I encourage all believers to find out what their spiritual gift(s) is and use it wisely and effectively to serve the Lord. In a future blog post I will be discussing more on spiritual gifts. In the meanwhile, if you are a believer I encourage you to take a spiritual gift assessment test. I have provided the website to a trusted and accurate test site below. A large part of living a spirit filled life is knowing your spiritual gifts and using them to serve God. Nothing brings more fulfillment in life than doing what it is that God sent you here to do!

                                                   www.spiritualgiftstest.com

Unfortunately I was unable to get the above website to link here, so you will have to type it in yourself on your search field.

A special thank you goes out to my reader who asked me the question about what is the difference between a psychic and a prophet. This blog post now completes my examination of the New Age Movement and I will now move on to looking at another prominent world religion/movement which is Mormonism.Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life and may God bless you.

Warren Smith: The Meaning and Danger of the New Age Movement

As an important part of my series of posts on examining major world religions, I want to expand further on looking at the New Age Movement and  share a few videos with author, speaker and past New Ager Warren Smith. Warren discusses how he was very involved in the New Age Movement for many years and how he found his way out of the movement and was ultimately saved and is now a believer in Jesus Christ.

This interview reminds me a bit of my spiritual journey. I was introduced to the New Age Movement as a teen ager and as I've said I sought out readings with psychics, mediums and also attended a few Channelings. I read many New Age books. I owned crystals which I meditated on to bring me good fortune. Like Warren however, there was a darkness that surrounded me and in fact I had some very real and very scary experiences that I now know were the result of the satanic presence that following the New Age Movement brought into my life.  This darkness followed me well into adult hood and all the way up until I accepted Christ.

At the end of this video when Warren explains how he asked Jesus to come into his life and how he immediately felt the darkness leave him as the holy spirit begin to dwell within him brought me to tears as it is exactly the same experience that I had.

I urge you to watch this short video where Warren shares his in depth experiences as a follower of The New Age Movement, the danger that is a part of the movement and about his life now as a follower of Christ.

*Video starts near the end. Slide red bar over to the left and start from the beginning.

EXAMINING WORLD RELIGIONS: PART ONE: The New Age Movement

If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, then you might recall that I said I was going to examine and discuss several religions in addition to mine which is Christianity. As a seeker of my "spiritual truth" I felt it important to be sure that I research all the religions and spiritual movements in search of that truth, which I found in Christianity. You may also recall that I said that prior to becoming a Christian, that I considered myself agnostic, that is I did not subscribe to any particular religion or spiritual movement. If there was any "spiritual" path I subscribed to at all it  was The New Age Movement. 

I want to stress that as I share information that is a result of many years and hours of research about several of the prominent world religions, that I am in no way criticizing or judging anyone who may be reading this who identifies,subscribes or is a member of any of the religions I will discuss. I will say that I am often surprised to see that people may say they are "a Mormon" or "A Buddhist" or "A "Spiritual" person ie: New Age Thinker", but have never taken the time to dig really deep into what they believe in. It is my belief that we can not afford to only partially understand or follow the crowd in matters of spirituality.  As a past journalism major and reporter for my college newspaper I learned that research reveals the truth. Blind faith does not. Adhering spiritually to what is politically correct, what is popular or even what your parent's taught you is not going to matter very much when it comes to matters of your soul's eternal resting place. It is up to you to be sure that you do the research and truly understand what it is that you believe in. With that said, If you are reading this then you are most likely seeking answers regarding spiritual truth and my goal is to give you all the keys necessary to unlock the door to spiritual truth.

* My goal is to share to the best of my ability the information that I have found on several world religions, starting with The New Age Movement. Clearly, I have found all of the religions I will talk about to not be true and I feel it is my responsibility as an evangelist and disciple of Jesus to expose the truth about these religions. Once again, this is in no way a personal attack on anyone who is a member of or adheres to any of the spiritual movements that I will discuss.

 I will refer to The New Age Movement as (NAM) throughout this post. New Age" Movement (NAM), sometimes also referred to as the "Human Potential Movement", is a loosely connected network of people, groups, activities and practices which, according to its adherents, purportedly foster and produce a vast array of beneficial results such as "spiritual" and personal growth, financial success, improvement in relationships, physical and psychological healing, individual and global peace, stabilization of the environment, etc. 

Warning! This is a long, in depth post on the NAM. There are many important things to cover and I feel it is very important to devote the time and space to that effort. 

BACKGROUND 
 
Although the words "New Age" could cause one to assume that these beliefs are new, little is new in the New Age Movement. The words "New Age" are derived from the idea that the world is about to enter a utopian age of Aquarius. Astrology -- the belief that the heavenly 
bodies affect the mundane matters of humanity -- gets a lot of attention from the New Agers. It is from astrology that the "age of Aquarius" is derived.
The NAM was born in the U.S. during the rebellious 1960's when all traditional institutions and values, especially in relation to the Church and the family were under attack. The forerunner and vanguard of the New Age was the "Peace Movement" of the 1960's which condemned traditional morality. The NAM also drew from Radical Environmentalism, Radical Feminism and Feminist spirituality of the 1970's while it gained popularity around the world. Today the NAM has been able to successfully infiltrate almost every major institution, both religious and secular.

The New Age Movement seems to be a reaction to the scientific age. During a time when everything has become so objective and particularized, the shift now is to emphasize the subjective and the whole. This shift has focused attention on the "inner" feelings and on 
wholistic (or holistic) health, as well as on global matters rather than nationalistic ones. 


BELIEFS 
 
  Douglas R. Groothuis, research associate with Probe Ministries 
  (Seattle, Wash.), identifies six distinctives of New Age thinking: 

  All is One 
  All is God 
  Humanity is God 
  A change in consciousness 
  All religions are one 
  Cosmic evolutionary optimism 
  Norman L. Geisler focuses on 14 doctrines typical of New Age 
  religions: 

  1) an impersonal god (force) 
  2) an eternal universe 
  3) an illusory nature of matter 
  4) a cyclical nature of life 
  5) the necessity of reincarnations 
  6) the evolution of man into godhood 
  7) continuing revelations from beings beyond the world 
  8) the identity of man with God 
  9) the need for meditation (or other consciousness-changing 
 techniques) 
 10) occult practices (astrology, mediums and so forth) 
 11) vegetarianism and holistic health 
 12) pacifism (or anti-war activities) 
 13) one world (global) order 
 14) syncretism (unity of all religions) 
 
    SOURCE OF AUTHORITY 
 
  Generally, New Agers do not speak of a source of authority. If such is referred to, it is not an external authority but an internal one. In the New Age Movement, the individual is considered to be the standard of truth. New Age proponent Shirley MacLaine reveals the supposed power of the individual when commenting, "It's all my dream. I'm making all of it happen -- good and bad -- and I have the choice of how I'll relate to it and what I'll do about it."   MacLaine goes on to say, "Perhaps everyone has his own truth, and truth as an objective reality simply does not exist." 

  The Scriptures, on the other hand, present objective truths.  They are inspired (literally, "God-breathed"); therefore, they can be fully relied on. The fact of the inspiration of the Scriptures is seen in 2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." The method of inspiration is seen in 2 Peter 1:21: "No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The extent of inspiration is seen in Matthew 5:18: "For truly I say to you," said the Lord Jesus Christ, "until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished." So no individual is left to himself and his inner feelings as final authority; the Bible serves as this objective standard. 
Although I do not believe we "create our own reality" like most New Agers believe, I see nothing wrong with having a good overall attitude towards the future and envisioning good things for yourself. I would imagine that God would not want you to focus on the negative, but instead to project a positive attitude towards the future and all the good things that one can expect as a result of the many blessings that God promises to those who love Him. 
I sometimes will write down scriptures or positive biblical affirmations on post-it notes and put them around my house. Filling our minds with the love of Christ and His promises is never bad! Visualizing God's love and the things that He has promised to do in your life are positive, life affirming practices. 
 
  GOD 
 
New Age thinkers show their true colors in what they believe about God. To them, God is not a Supreme Being distinct from creation -- He IS  creation. In developing a worldview about the material and immaterial world, New Agers reach a faulty conclusion. To them there is 
only one essence in the universe, and everything and everyone is part of that essence. This is known as "monism," which comes from the Greek word monos, meaning "one". 

 Monism is a common view of Eastern religions, especially Hinduism. All creatures, as well as inanimate objects, are viewed as part of this divine essence. Some of the more commonly known groups in the United States that share this Hindu view with the New Agers are Transcendental Meditation (also known as the Science of Creative Intelligence), Christian Science and Unity School of Christianity. The monism of the New Age Movement is really pantheism, believing that all (pan) is God (theos). Following this line of reasoning, whatever exists -- whether it's a person, a poodle or a pickle -- is part of God. This leads observers to say that the worldview in the United States has switched from the atheism of secular humanism (man is the measure of all things) to the pantheism of the New Age Movement (man is god). 

 The God of the New Age Movement is an impersonal presence, not a person with intellect, emotions and a will, as the Bible presents Him. 

  The God of the Bible is a personal Father, not an impersonal force. This reveals why New Agers cannot accept the teaching of the Bible. They are not able to get beyond the first five words: "In the beginning God created" (Gen. 1:1). Because they confuse God with creation, the New Agers see God as part of creation -- not separate from it.  Biblical Christianity clearly distinguishes between God and creation. 

  While rejecting the Bible's distinction between God and creation, the New Agers accept and believe the lie of Satan. Eve told the Tempter that God had said they would die if Adam and she ate from the tree in the middle of the garden. But the Seducer said, "You surely shall not 
die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:4,5). 

  Notice that not even Satan indicated they would not "be" God -- only that they would be "like" God. And even this was in only one aspect: "knowing good and evil." After the fall of Adam and Eve, God acknowledged what had occurred: "Behold, the man has become like one of 
Us, knowing good and evil" (v.22). "This knowledge, as absolute, is an attribute of God (3:5), who is omniscient," wrote Merrill F. Unger. "But man, created with only the knowledge of good, acquired the experiential knowledge of evil through pride and disobedience, and in this manner fell into a state of sin and misery." 

 Satan's lie -- as verified by history -- was "You surely shall not die!" (v.4). Adam and Eve immediately died spiritually, for their act of disobedience separated them from God. They later died physically as a result of their sin (see Romans 5:1 2). 

  Because the New Agers think all is One, this leads them to thinking they -- and everything else -- are part of this divine essence. They believe each person is "intertwined" with God. New Agers even use the Bible to support their erroneous beliefs. They are especially fond of 
Jesus' words "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21, KJV). New Agers use these words to claim that each one has a divine spark within because he or she is part of the divine essence. 

 As in other instances where they use the Bible, New Agers twist the context and words to mean what they wish. Jesus Christ had come to earth to present Himself as the Messiah of Israel. The Pharisees were opposed to Him because He was ruining their established man-made rules, which they had added to Old Testament revelation. They were always trying to 
pose some question to disprove the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. When they demanded of Him an answer concerning when the kingdom of God would come (v.20), He answered, "The kingdom of God is within you" (v.21). 

  Jesus did not mean that these Pharisees had the kingdom of God inside of them. To the contrary, they were the enemies of everything the kingdom stood for. The word translated "within" is entos. Although it can have the meaning of "inside", it can also mean "in your midst". This latter possibility fits the context, as well as the rest of the Bible's teaching. Jesus Christ Himself was the King -- the ruler of the kingdom. When the Pharisees asked Him when the kingdom would arrive, Jesus told them that the kingdom was in their midst, because the King (whom hey rejected) was standing right in their presence. 
 
  Appearance of Good/Reality of Evil 

The NAM, on the surface, appears to be a good thing. It promises global peace, health, personal and spiritual growth, and environmental stability. However, the methods it promotes to achieve these goals are cleverly hidden beneath this benevolent surface appearance. A closer scrutiny reveals a dark, sinister methodology for drawing people away from the Jesus Christ and towards individualism, and the religious practices of pagans, belief in reincarnation, and the power of the "Self". 

Nevertheless, the NAM, on the surface, does not deny the existence of Jesus Christ - to do so would scare off most Christians in an instant. Instead, clever syntax is applied, while traditional aspects of the Christian faith are redefined. Jesus Christ becomes less than what He is, God, and instead is relegated to becoming one of a number of "Spiritual Guides" or "Ascended Masters" who were mere humans who "evolved" into higher beings after discovering and using "ancient wisdom." Indeed, the NAM promises that any individual can attain this status through "Self Realization" or "Higher Consciousness" of the fact of one's own "Higher Self", "God-Self", or "Divinity". Essentially, each individual can become God.

Forbidden Fruit 

The NAM is riddled with occult and other forbidden practices which make up the "ancient wisdom", including mediumship, channeling, divination, astrology, consulting spirits of the dead, tarot cards, crystals, palm reading, ouija boards, psychic powers, some forms of Yoga, transcendental meditation, rose poetry, past-life regression, etc. God spoke to Moses about such practices:

"Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the 
fire, nor fortune teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord" (Deut 18:10-12)

"Do not turn aside to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I, the Lord, am your 
God." (Lev 19:4)

"The Spirit says clearly that some men will abandon their faith in later times. They will obey lying spirits and follow the teaching of demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

Despite the clear implications of such practices, an increasing number of people are abandoning their true faith to follow some or many aspects of the NAM. People today are replacing God with evil spirits and pagan gods, just as the ancient Israelites and Egyptians did during the time of Moses. The seductions are subtle, but at its core is Satan himself. 

What appears to some New Agers to be a "Divine Light" is, in reality, the "Shining Darkness" of Satan. Despite the attractiveness, and apparent concern shown by these "Spirit Guides", these spirits will ultimately lead to spiritual oppression and other forms of spiritual destruction here on Earth, and possibly serious consequences in the life to come.

Because of my past association with the NAM I not only have sought out advice from a psychic in the past, but I have also had a session with a medium and sought to speak to a deceased loved one. I also once attended a channeling. At the time, the experience seemed very real and the thought was "there is no way this person would have known all these things about me or about the deceased loved one if they were not truly a psychic or medium".  It  is undeniable that psychics sometimes know things that should be impossible for them to know. Where do they get this information? The answer is from Satan and his demons. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) (Acts 16:16-18) describes a fortune teller who was able to predict the future until the apostle Paul rebuked a demon out of her.

Satan pretends to be kind and helpful. He tries to appear as something good. Satan and his demons will give a psychic information about a person in order to get that person hooked into spiritism, something that God forbids. It appears innocent at first, but soon people can find themselves addicted to psychics and unwittingly allow Satan to control and destroy their lives. Peter proclaimed, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1Peter 5:8). In some cases, the psychics themselves are deceived, not knowing the true source of the information they receive. Whatever the case and wherever the source of the information, nothing connected to spiritism, witchcraft, or astrology is a godly means of discovering information. How does God want us to discern His will for our life? God’s plan is simple, yet powerful and effective: study the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and pray for wisdom (James 1:5). Clearly, I no longer seek the counsel of psychics or mediums. I seek only one source now for direction and that is the Bible.

"No Sin, No Hell" 

In New Age writings, I've searched in vain to find references to sin. Because New Agers believe that each person is God, they don't believe in sin as the Bible defines it. Any lack a person has, they say, is a lack of enlightenment. Their solution is to alter that person's consciousness 
so he will think properly about his oneness with the Force, or the impersonal presence. Because they explain away sin, they have no need for salvation in the biblical sense. In their minds, any salvation would simply be a more complete unification with the One. 

 But this is not what the Bible teaches. Genesis 3, previously referred to, reveals that mankind was separated from God when he disobeyed God in the Garden. Because of this sin, a curse was placed on both mankind and nature (see vv. 14-19). The New Testament confirms that each individual is a sinful being (see Romans 5:12). Note that the reason death passed to all of us is that we all have a sin nature. Contrary to what the New Agers tell us, each person is not god; each person is separated from God. 
 
The concepts of sin and hell do not exist in the NAM. Reincarnation and "ascension" are the explanations given by the NAM. "Original blessing" replace the concept of original sin, and Man's fall from grace is now termed Man's "ascension". The redemptive power of the cross is no longer needed, and in this way Jesus' Crucifixion is no longer meaningful and can therefore be totally ignored. Some aspects of the "New Age" depersonalize Jesus Christ by referring to a "Christ Consciousness" (Eckankar) -who came through various persons in channelings throughout the ages, or a "Cosmic Christ" (Rosecrusianism). 
  

  JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE NAM
 
 Many counterfeit religious groups use the same tactic when explaining who Jesus Christ is - they deny His deity by distinguishing between "Jesus" and "Christ". Those who believe that "all is One" cannot accept the teaching of the Bible concerning Christ. The Bible teaches 
that Jesus Christ is God. It teaches that He took upon Himself human form to redeem mankind from sin's penalty. 

  Typically, those who believe all is of one essence make "Christ" the cosmic principle, or ideal. Jesus was simply an unusual man, they say, who had this ideal within Him as we all do. Barbara Marx Hubbard says we need to recognize that the "Messiah is within." 

  The human potential movement among the New Agers is based on the faulty premise that each person is god and needs only to have his consciousness enlightened so he will realize that fact. And the means to this enlightenment is meditation. But the forms of meditation are many. 
Daniel Coleman, writing in Psychology Today (March, 1977), described 13 different forms of meditation. "Each of these approaches," wrote Coleman, "seeks the same basic psychological change in the meditator's awareness." 
 
  The New Age Movement is not the only group that emphasizes human potential. Biblical Christianity releases individuals to achieve their true potential in Jesus Christ by freeing them from the burden of sin and condemnation and by giving them untold optimism for this life. But 
biblical Christianity is also concerned about preparing people for eternity - not just preparing them to reach their maximum potential on earth. 

  Although the emphasis on human potential is selling well in the business world, when a person truly looks inside of himself, he finds wickedness and ugliness - not God. "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick," says Jeremiah 17:9, "who can understand 
it?"  

   We cannot separate the human Jesus from the divine Christ, as the New Agers attempt to do. They believe that the same Christ ideal, or spirit, dwelt in "Hercules, Hermes, Rama, Mithra ... Krishna, Buddha, and the Christ." 

  Sound confusing? It is. The Bible, however, does not leave a person wondering about who Jesus Christ is. The name "Jesus" means "Savior." Referring to the child who would be born to the virgin Mary, the angel told Joseph, "You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save 
His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). 

  The name "Christ" means "anointed one," or "Messiah." In Bible times, saying "Jesus Christ" was the same as saying "Jesus, the Messiah." After Andrew first began to follow Jesus, he went looking for his brother, Simon Peter. When he found him, Andrew announced, "We have 
found the Messiah." By inspiration, the Apostle John added in his record of this event: "which translated means Christ" (John 1:41). 

  Jesus is like no other. He was unique in His birth, life, death and resurrection. He was virgin born (see Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23); He lived a sinless life (see 1 John 3:5); He died in the place of others to pay the penalty for sin (see 2 Cor. 5:2 1); and He was raised from the dead on 
the third day and ascended to the Heavenly Father (see 1 Cor. 15:3,4; Acts 1:11). 
 
  
  FUTURE LIFE (REINCARNATION) 

 Reincarnation is the central belief  of the NAM  and says that the soul survives death and is reborn in another body, destined to repeat this cycle of death and rebirth until enlightenment is achieved. In the East, the doctrine is sometimes referred to as transmigration of the soul, wherein a soul may return to earth as any number of creatures such as an insect, mammal, person, and so on. The tendency in the West is to view reincarnation as dying and returning as another person. The belief itself is foundational to both Hinduism and Buddhism.

The system of reincarnation depends on belief in karma. Based on moral cause and effect, karma is essentially responsible for human fate. In relation to reincarnation, if in a past life one developed bad karma by committing, for instance, murder, then this bad karma must be balanced with good karma in a future life in order to make progress on the path to enlightenment or spiritual liberation. Within certain Hindu traditions that adhere to monistic pantheism (“all is one, all is divine”), such as Advaita Vedanta, enlightenment is attained when, following a series of reincarnations, a soul is ready to be released from the cycle of death and reincarnation (samsara) and be absorbed into the impersonal Brahman.



However if reincarnation, in the end, leads to an absorption into something impersonal, how did such a personal system ever get started? Moreover, if after countless reincarnations we finally reach enlightenment, what is the lasting purpose of this spiritual liberation if we are then absorbed into an impersonal force? How did the system of reincarnation get started? If we presumably had a first life, was it tainted already? How so? If we don’t recall our past lives in our current life, what’s the point? Doesn’t all the spiritual progress we may have made in past lives seem empty if we can’t even remember what we did or did not do? Furthermore, since believers in the NAM don't typically adhere to any authority, who is it that decides who is reincarnated into what? Is there a big "reincarnation mill in the sky"? 





 Some point to past life regressions as proving they lived past lifes. Others may say that a spirit came through in a channeling and told humanity that reincarnation was true. These "spirits" are not evolved souls from the past, they are Satan and his demons aimed at misleading, confusing and drawing humanity away from God and Jesus.  If reincarnation is true, then there is no need for a savior. Satan has pulled off this scheme with great success and many believe that reincarnation is what can be expected for your soul to experience when you die. There is no proof source for this theory, unlike the Bible which is a historically accurate, proven and trusted word of God. If you are questioning whether the Bible is the word of God or is accurate, please see my posts under the label at the top of my blog called " The Bible" where I show many evidences of it's authencity.





God makes it abundantly clear that those who are believers in His son Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior will live forever in heaven. Those who reject His Son will be eternally separated from God. We live once and then we face God for judgement. Are you ready to face God at your time of death? Or, are you going to hope that there is some cosmic reincarnation mill out in space that will recycle your soul into a new body for another "go around" here on earth? If you are not entirely sure of the answer to this question than I encourage you to do the work in researching what the future holds for your soul.



 There is absolutely no proof source for the theory of reincarnation, however there is over whelming proof that the Bible is truly the word of God, that Jesus lived, died and was risen from the dead. The work he did on the cross was to save all mankind from their sins and those who believe in Him can be sure where they will spend eternity with God in Heaven. Why a need for a savior? As I've explained in past posts, God, the source from which there is no source, is HOLY. He is unable to be in the presence of sin. Since all men are sinners and fall short of the glory of God they can not approach God and be in His presence on their own. God said that the wages for sin is death. In the old testament times (before Jesus) sacrifices were made to cleanse people of their sins so they could be right before God. Typically a goat or a lamb was used as a sacrifice. God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, Jesus to once a for all pay the price of death on the cross to wash us clean of our sin, so that we could be in the presence of our almighty creator and God.  If we accept this truth and accept Jesus as our Savior from sin, we are saved....and we can be in the presence of God! We can be with God forever in his kingdom of heaven upon our death. God promises eternal life to all who are saved through His son. 

  FINAL THOUGHTS

 
  The concepts of the New Age Movement are not new - they are based on ancient erroneous beliefs about God, man and the world. The Movement is to be commended for its spiritual concern, but it has turned away from the true God to gods of the spirit world. As Paul said of the Jewish leaders of his day, "They have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge" (Romans 10:2). 

  Anyone who is tempted to delve into the teachings of the New Age Movement needs to heed the warnings of the Bible (see Deut. 13:1-3;18:9-12). God has given us His completed revelation, so we have no need to seek further information through the spirit world. Our need is to know the clear teachings of the Bible better. 

  We should be concerned about world peace, the environment, humane treatment of animals and reaching our full potential in Christ. Our concern should not be based, however, on the theology of Eastern religions - believing that all these things are part of the One, or the 
impersonal Force. Above all, we should not be naive when we hear someone mention the terms "God" and "Christ." When the New Agers use these terms, they are not talking about the God and the Christ of the Bible. 

 

Truth=Jesus Christ 
We need to become more aware of the lures and traps of the NAM in order to avoid them. We must reject the lies and false promises of Satan's NAM, and give ourselves completely to the Truth that is Jesus Christ. Satan wishes to rule the world, but God will ultimately triumph. He alone is our hope and our salvation. Thank you for reading my first blog post installment of EXAMINING WORLD RELIGIONS. Next up will be Mormonism.