Supernatural Wounds

Recently I came across someone who had received what I would call a "supernatural wound". They had been exposed to something arcane as a youngster and it had resulted in them having a profoundly damaging experience.

Essentially they were offered via a friends, a book that allegedly contained magic spells that "really worked". What the book turned out to contain was various satanic rites. Once exposed to this, the person struggled with it for some time. They now have a fledgling faith, but are still haunted by the things they have read. They told me that it is at these times, when they hear God reminding them that He still loves them no matter what they have done... and reassuring them not to let it get to them. I would still class it as an open wound however, it's a source of attack that needs closing off.

I know what that kind of wound is like. I once misinterpreted what a scripture from Mark's Gospel meant... and felt condemned by it. I struggled and struggled with it for about 6 months. It lead to me opening up to people for the first time, because I couldn't control my problem alone... it was eating me up from the inside out. It helped me to lean more on God rather than worship him from a distance, so that was positive... but once the positive had been eked out... the wound needed closing. People prayed with me and helped me to understood what Jesus was getting at., that the issue was one of a "continual denial of grace" and not as plain as it seemed in the text.

However it's because of my own experience that I recognise the need to resolve issues like this in other people. The best way to disarm the enemies lies and curses is to remind people of God's blessings and promises. So here are a few scriptures for any spiritually damaged Christians out there. People who know what a direct spiritual attack feels like. These are DEEP truths, let God speak them into your heart as you read them:

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." - John 10:27-30

"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34: 7-8

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all" Psalm 34:17-19

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him" Psalm 103:8-13

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49:15-16

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day" Psalm 91:4-5

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him."
Psalm 91:14-15

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:31-39

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

If any of you doubt you are righteous, then know that if you have accepted Jesus sacrifice you are considered righteous by faith through Christ. God sees you as his child.

God said it in His Word, you believe it in your heart, that settles it forever.

If you struggle with anything like what I have mentioned above, I strongly recommend you pray through it with a leader at your church. They won't think you are crazy and will take you seriously. If you have a serious wound, it is better to have it treated than to struggle on and needlessly suffer.

Throwing Your Toys Out of the Pram

Recently I've had a couple of conversations about sin and misbehaviour, and how they affect us as christians.

A friend of mine who is a Christian, used to smoke... but after wrestling with it, has finally managed to kick the habit. He doesn't believe that addiction to smoking is just a physical thing. Now, months down the road.... when the physical effects of addiction are totally gone.... he still gets the occasional pang to light up. He believes it is a spiritual stronghold. The only time he gets this temptation is when everything around him is going pear-shaped.

I know exactly what he means... but not for the same reason.

Against all the odds I've never smoked, despite the fact that my parents do (in fact I think my mum smoked during pregnancy - times were different), never had a physical addiction or dependency of any drug. I hardly ever drink alcohol... only having one or two glasses of wine on special ocassions (that's enough to make my legs feel like lead and for me to be a little giddy). However, that does not stop me from having my own rebellious moments. It's the equivalent of what we do as babies, we get upset and do something negative that is pointless or non-beneficial and will upset us all the more... such as throwing our toys out of the pram, just to get our poor parents attention. I believe this is exactly how we treat God.

Maybe you know what I'm talking about. Something goes wrong in your life... and you do something that damages yourself or your relationship with God and/or those near and dear around you. You know you really shouldn't do it, but you know in the sort term it will make you feel better... and yet when the dust settles, the smoke clears and the deed is done... you are immediately convicted of your actions and steel yourself not to do them again.... until the next time.

God is so gracious.

Despite our wretchedness, despite our rebellious nature; he still loves us and wants the best for us. The book of Hebrews comes down pretty heavy on sinning deliberately once we have recieved God's grace. Yet Paul and John in there works point out both the need to refrain from sin... but also the recognition that we still do it. Listen to what John writes:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:8-10)

Paul also makes the following statements:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:15-25)

and

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

Moving on and I want to look at one more curious thing that Paul wrote:

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-11)

Paul was given a "thorn in the flesh" a messenger from Satan to torment him. Some scholars think it may have been a physical affliction... but others think it may have been Paul's own struggle with sin. Lets just consider that for a moment. What did God say to Paul? "My grace is sufficient for you." So God recognises us in our struggles and has mercy upon us. Ho wonderful is he? He offers us the way out - Life by the Spirit.

As I've said before... running away from sin is not enough... we must run to the Lord. Even this in itself is not enough, we need to learn ro run using the strength God gives us:

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

I just want to conclude by pointing out (whoever you are) that God says:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

High Noon

This morning I heard an interesting sound.

It was the faint jingle of spurs approaching, as peers from the House of Lords, consider the merits of having a showdown - spaghetti western style with El Presidente Blair and his bandits, as reported in the two BBC reports below:

Peers 'may force terror showdown'
Are Lords out of order on terror?

The peers have twice thrown out proposed Government bills this week, and rightly so. There was a time when I would have looked upon the House of Lords as purely an archaic, self serving institution. At the moment however they are the only form of opposition who are capable of slamming on the brakes of Blair's agenda.

Blair is arguing that he has a mandate to bring in his "jack boot" authoritarian laws because he was elected. This is rather a dubious claim because as the Lords have rightly surmised, the increase in voter apathy, together with the depletion of New Labour seats to both the Tories and Liberal Democrats; is a good indicator that the tide of public opinion over recent months does not give Blair any basis for believing himself to have a "firm mandate". Yes he was elected, but it was nothing to crow about... no matter what his army of spin doctor's tell you.

I don't agree with the curbing of free speech as prescribed by the Blair Camp. I don't agree with biometric ID cards. Even if the Government believe had good intentions with these Laws - the very nature of their wording would make it easy to warp them towards favouring certain points of view in a court of Law. This is the danger of poorly thought out Laws - Civil Case Law always translates them into a beast that they were not intended to be. Regardless of this, I do not believe whoever thought these Bills up, had honourable intentions in mind. If they become Acts, this country will take a firm turn for the worse.

I could go on ad infinitum speaking on ground I have already covered. However, if you want to read further on what my views actually are, here are hyperlinks to several of my previous political blogs, which I strongly urge you to read:

A Disgraceful Law
Oh Happy Day
Tony Blair's Speech
London Bombings
There is a Storm Coming...
The Lord's Debate
Blair "Terror Warning"

I hope they prove elightening.

Regards

N

God, Babel and the Bomb

I've been thinking rather a lot today about the vast advances in technology mankind has made during the relatively brief amount of time civilisation has existed on Earth.

One reason for this is my continuing concern and apprehension, concerning Iran's nuclear program, and the increasingly disturbing statements that come from the country's leader - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the West, we find it highly disturbing (and rightly so) that anybody with an extremist agenda should ever obtain the ability to carry out a nuclear tactical strike against a populated city (although, even the idea that a "civilised" society should have such a capability is frightening and abhorrent enough).

In the Biblical book of Genesis there is a curious passage, that deals with the subject of technological progression - and it has always fascinated me:

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1-9)

You might have read that and thought "Well gosh, thanks a lot God, no wonder the World is in such a state!" It is true, that God appears on the surface of things to be confounding man's unity just to stop him developing incredible technologies. Superficially it appears like an incredibly selfish thing to do. You might well ask, how many wars may have happened over simple misunderstandings just because people weren't able to communicate?

However, we live in an age where through the spread of a few large empires and the rise of technology the human race has arrived at a point where mankind is largely able to develop a dialogue with his global neighbours. Having reached such a unique and advanced point in our development, do we find that this has stopped us finding reasons to harm, deprive or kill one another?

No, it has not. We have seen first hand how things such as enlightened self interest, personal agendas, economic stability and ideological purity drive our political and social conflicts. The hampering of communication was never a driving force behind our historic conflicts, but in most cases merely a contributing factor to their inevitability.

As much as poor communication and "chinese whispers" may cause conflict, how much more so is the saying "familiarity breeds contempt" true? It is in our nature to seek out the familiar in one another. We build cliques and join clubs - fly flags and draw up borders and call ourselves friends or nations or allies. Then, when somebody different comes along who we don't like, or who challenges our supremacy,authority or even just our security - we gang up on them (although sometimes like in World War II and the cause is noble and just, this can be justified). This is the way of the World and God in his wisdom knows it. The fact is that we (the human race as individuals), are very adept at both seeking out allies and more frighteningly - seeking out what is different in others and oppressing it. You can see this in all the most unsavoury areas of our characeter... and the darkest chapters of our history. Fortunately in the modern world, most of us have adopted a live and let live policy towards our fellow man... and usually the most divisive of arguments tend to be restricted to personal altercations and heated group debates. Kingdoms aren't ruled by the will of one, but the will of many... so theoretically it should be less likely that personal agendas shape international policy (although recent administrations on both side of the Atlantic have severely bucked that trend lately). We have things like Magna Carta to thank for that.

It wasn't always like this.

Going back to the story in Genesis, I would argue that contrary to the first impression, if you bother to dig a little deeper... you can see that God actually did the human race a favour.

Lets speak hypothetically about a possible scenario that could have happened, if God had not confused the tongues of men. Can you imagine what the Earth would be like today if the feudal rulers of Bronze/Iron or even Middle Age civilisations had acquired nuclear technology? A dust ball no doubt.

I believe God slowed our ability to make technological progress to a point that was more equated with our capacity to learn tolerance (generally speaking), and bear with one another. He knew our ability to intellectually progress was much more efficient than our ability to emotionally develop... and very wisely did something about it. I would argue that he saved our hides with that judgement call (not for the first and certanly not for the last time).

In days gone by, there were many men who were as foolish and insecure as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and George W. Bush are today. We should give thanks that God did something about it in our past, because I pretty much reckon we wouldn't be around today to talk about it if he hadn't.

What seemed like utter foolishness, turned out to be true wisdom and I just want to conclude with one last exhortation from the Bible about the wisdom of God:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

Some of you who have read all this may think the idea of a God willingly going to his death to save humanity from sin is foolishness. However, I hope I have adequately demonstrated just one way in which something that seemed very foolish turned out to be very wise. If that's you, I urge you to take a good look at the cross again... and uncover it's deeper wisdom.

Blessings

N

Christianity & Freemasonry

Some time ago, I think I hinted I might make a post about freemasonry... but I never got around to it. In truth, I'd been putting it off because I know that what I have to say will sound controversial and I know I could cop for a lot of flak. However I'd be a hypocrite to run away forever, because as I said many months ago... we don't fight battles because they are convenient... nor because they are easy to win... but because they are righteous.

I figured now was the right time because things keep cropping up. Firstly, freemasonry keeps coming up in conversation. Secondly somebody I work alongside is a Freemason... and finally Inspector Morse was on this afternoon and it featured freemasonry in the plot. So here I am!

Like Morse, I disagree with freemasonry both socially and theologically. I think the suggestion that anyone getting a leg up on the ladder purely because they belong to a certain group, unjust. My social disagreements do not nearly match my theological distaste however. I find the practice of freemasonry to be at odds with Christian teaching. Many are attracted to it simply because of the brotherly social aspect, or the charity work. However what lies beneath is far more sinister. When a mason is sworn in, they do so with a noose around their neck and a sword pointed at their chest. This is to point out that if they try and withdraw from the masons or advance too swiftly, they seal their fate (by tightening the noose if they walk backwards or piercing themselves if they walk forwards). The Freemasons insist this is purely symbolic and nobody ever gets killed (although there are certain stories around that make this statement a little untrustworthy), but symbolism or not an oath is an oath. This in itself is dodgy because by the time of Jesus, the Bible teaches that you shouldn't make oaths on anything (Matthew 5:33-37), ironic don't you think that courts of law expect us to swear on the Bible ( a subject for another time)?

Something that Freemasons dispute is the meaning behind the name they attribute to God - Jabulon. I've heard Christian scholars argue that this is a composition of three deities rolled into one. Jehovah, Ba'al and Osiris. If that's true, we have yet another "no no", for the Bible teaches us pretty much all the way through from Genesis to Revelation that we are not to have any other gods before or besides Him. So you can imagine how wazzed off God would be if people were worshipping His name together with other gods - especially those attributed to detestable practices among the Canaanites (including infanticide as a form of sacrifice).

When Rome conquered Israel, the Israelites were asked what image they would like put in the Pantheon to recognise their god by. The Israelites refused, responding that firstly they were commanded not to worship God alongside other false gods... and that they didn't know what he looked like anyway and they were not allowed to have effigies or idols.

That attitude should be no different for us. It's true that we have have art that represents imagery of God... but we do not worship the art as an idol... we merely appreciate gestures behind it that emphasise the nature and character of God.

I've heard another "sacred" word associated with freemasonry is "Abaddon". This is a definite bad call - Abaddon is the Hebrew name for the biblical destroyer. You can find him in the book of Revelation. He has another name in Greek - Apollyon. He is most closely associated with the Greek god of the Sun - Apollo. Curiously one of the local masonic lodges by me is called the Apollo Lodge (and indeed it is a popular name for masonic lodges in general). So I can certainly believe this.

My other main contention with Freemasonry though, is the fact that at it's heart it is interlinked with heresies like gnosticism. You only have to look at masonic history to know this. Although the masons claim the origins of their beliefs date back to the building of Solomon's Temple, modern freemasonry starts during the middle ages. At that time, knights were assigned the task of protecting pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem. During the time they spent there, some orders of knights became acquainted with gnostic teachings. Gnosticism as I have mentioned before is all about "special knowledge". It preaches that all physical things are evil and that the resurrection (including Christ) is only a spiritual one. It preaches that the way to attain salvation is through special knowledge and not divine grace. The Bible teaches us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If we truly think we can evolve a better human by our own efforts, we are no better than Buzz Lightyear... we might convince ourselves we are flying - but in reality we are falling with style.

A lot of the New Testament is aimed at stamping out the gnostic heresies - especially John, who was the Gospel writer who was closest to Jesus. We know however that the Templar Knights (coincidentally also a masonic rank), followed gnosticism... if you live in a town or village with the prefix "Temple", then chances are it used to be a Templar Knight stronghold. Their order was excommunicated by the Church and persecuted (for various reasons: heresy (including gnosticism), worship of the "severed head" of "Christ", and as a cash and land-grabbing incentive by the Pope). Despite this, some gnostic gospels have survived today... and have fuelled some of the more outlandish claims in modern fiction (despite not having reliable evidence of authorship themselves).

Perversely, the modern Church has been infiltrated by many Freemasons (sadly many of them - especially the lower ranks do not see anything wrong with this). Masonic services are held in Christian Churches, some clergy are Freemasons. Certainly many civil authority figures are. My hometown is riddled with Freemasons and it lives under a cloud of spiritual oppression. I don't believe these two facts are entirely isolated from one another.

I truly believe that the day will come when this is overturned, but it grieves me that such people hold power today - both secular and nominal.

I strongly urge people with masonic connections to come out of them and be clean.

Finally I just want to say one thing in general:

Religion is man's quest to find God. Jesus Christ however, is the fulfillment of God's quest to redeem man!