The Answer to Christian Witchcraft


For every fake there is a real article on which it is based. For every forged signature there is an authentic signature. And for every false and empty imitation there is a prior and original action rooted in true experience. This principle is especially true in matters of religion and spirituality. 

The nature of spiritual longing forces one to move either toward authenticity or mask wearing. For every person has a fundamental decision to make: Do I want to deal with God and reality as it is? If the answer is no then one has a further choice to wrestle through: Do I completely give up on religious practices or do I maintain the practice so as to appear that I am a “spiritual person”?

Perhaps you think this is odd that someone would consider this choice. Why not simply be authentic and honest about oneself and seek a remedy to one’s moral and/or spiritual challenges? Why not admit that I simply do not know how to relate to God and do not understand about spiritual reality? But this would require humility born of wisdom received from God (James 3:13). The proud person cannot tolerate true humility.

This brings me to the error of “Christian Witchcraft” which has been embedded into the thinking of some who claim the name of Christ. Those entrapped by this false teaching may or may not recognize it for what it is. Some do and continue to teach and model it because they can use it for their own benefit. The Lord and the apostles warned about such people who serve themselves under the cover of doing God’s ministry (for example, see Matthew 7:21-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Peter 2). Yet my purpose in writing about it is to help clarify why this teaching is false and what the original article (biblical teaching) is which we can embrace.

The Lord promised to his disciples that they would have the right to exercise, in dynamic relationship to God the Father through him, authentic spiritual authority for the good of others (see John 14:12-14). But the truth which he purposely fused together with this promise is that the one exercising this divine authority loves God and seeks to serve God from the heart. We can see this from the fact that he immediately begins to speak at some length about the necessity of the disciples growing in love for God and being receptive to God’s love (John 14:15-21; 1 John 3:18-24). If one truly loves God then that person will be seeking to submit to God in all things. For this is what the Lord himself did (John 5:19-20). And anyone who seeks to represent him as a teacher or doing any ministry involving phenomenal expressions of spiritual power must live as he did and does (1 John 2:3-6).

The line dividing authentic exercising of divine power from witchcraft dressed up in Christian terms is simply the orientation of the heart to God. If one is harboring iniquity or seeking to serve oneself under the guise of religion then by definition one has begun to use Christian ministry (along with the practices related to accessing divine power) for oneself. Dependence and submission to God is merely a pretense that allows such a person to maintain the appearance to fool others. This always ends up destroying the person doing this and bringing great harm to others. For the inner character of persons sold out to doing what God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19) will eventually be expressed in behavior to others.

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