Personal vs. Biblical Conviction - Part 2 (Music)

Personal vs. Biblical Convictions: Music

 Music was placed by God in Lucifer before he fell
 
Ezekiel 28:13-15
Thou hast been in Eden

 
 (This was obviously an Eden existing before the one that Adam & Eve were in. It shouldn’t be that difficult to consider the fact that the fall of Lucifer had already taken place before the creation of Adam and Eve. It’s as though we can see him sitting, pondering, stroking his goat like beard, while wondering, how will I introduce myself into this pristine environment He (God) has created for them? 

While we don’t have time to properly expound on this concept in this teaching, it should be noted that there is evidence in the scriptures that speaks of the concept of the earth before the fall of Satan. Here, we see one aspect of that evidence in the sense that he (Lucifer, while he was in his original state of perfection was in an Eden. Furthermore, the words in Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form (tohu) and void… describe chaos and emptiness. In the Hebrew these words are tohu bohu, and Isaiah 45:18 says, …thus saith the Lord who created the heavens…who formed the earth… He created it not in vain (tohu). The point to all this is that the scriptures declare in Genesis 1:1 that God created the heavens and the earth. Furthermore, Isaiah says that God created the heavens and the earth to be inhabited…not in vain, but Genesis 1:2 tells us that the earth was without form and void, so if God didn’t create it that way, then it became that way, and the way it happened was through the fall of Lucifer. So while it’s difficult to absolutely prove all the details surrounding this concept, it makes perfect sense. There was an Eden before Lucifer’s fall, and before the earth became without form and void, and before the Spirit hovered and the word spoke in Genesis 1:1, and before Adam and Eve fell. At this time many scholars believe that Lucifer was in same way the anointed cherub who directed worship from earth to the throne of God. Who was worshiping on earth? Some speculate angels. Why were they there? We don’t know. In my personal opinion, I have wondered whether or not Lucifer knew beforehand that God was going to create man. I’ve wondered whether there was a possibility that the angels were on this original earth, in this original Eden, preparing a place for humanity, not creating, but preparing. And this beautiful angel, full of pride, determined in his heart that God’s plan wasn’t good, and that this creation should be ruled by him and the angels helping him not by some inferior race of mortals that were somehow created in the image and likeness of God. That’s complete speculation on my part, but what is not speculation is the fact that earth was created and seems to have afterwards become tohu bohu—why should we even care? Why, because we’re in a war. God has placed us here for a purpose, and He is allowing us an opportunity to be part of something bigger than this little bit of a physical world that we’re part of now.

 

The garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets (workmanship of thy tabrets from the root of a drum) and of thy pipes (some type of pipe/ flute instrument) was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created (music was in him). Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth.
 

(Exodus 25:20-22; Hebrews 9:24 the cherubim were always associated with the presence of God. It seems that with Lucifer as the anointed cherubim that covereth, had a special place associated with the presence of God);
 
And I have set thee so:thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways.
 
(Once again, this had to be an Eden before the Genesis account because the scripture speaks of the fact that this was the time when he was a perfectly created anointed Cherubim)
 
From the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
 
Isaiah 14:11-15
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols.
 

(viols- some type of a stringed instrument)
 
the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

 
Music entered the world through Cain's fallen lineage, a lineage that lived apart from God and produced the fruit of Satan.
 
Genesis 4:16-26
And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod.

 
Nod-- ("restless wandering"), any movement away from the presence of God is only restless wandering.
 
On the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch:and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
 
(dedicated is the meaning of Enoch. If we look closely Nod is in a direction "away from the presence of the Lord;" in this place, Cain's offspring are dedicated, not to God, but they’re dedicated to the building of their city and life as they restlessly wander outside of God's presence)
 
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael:and Mehujael begat Methusael:and Methusael begat Lamech.  And Lamech took unto him two wives…
 

(first to rebel against the way God ordained the family. Genesis 2:18, 23 And the Lord God said, it is not good that man be alone… Adam said, this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh… Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave unto his wife: they shall be one flesh. It should be noted once again that they're rebelling and building without God or concern for His word or structure.)
 
The name of the one (Lamech’s wives) was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal:he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ (probable a pan pipe—a breathing instrument. If anyone is honest with themselves, they would have to admit that music is very spiritual; it evokes emotion, and can quiet the soul of a man).

1 Samuel 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand:so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

(This is where music entered the world, through the fallen line of Cain, in the midst of these descendants who are building their own lives away from the presence of the Lord)
 
And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron...
 
(They began also to produce metals for weaponry and agricultural purposes, attempting to find their own comfort from the effects of the fall.)
 
This is a scriptural example of how humanity is doing their own thing excluding God in the midst of their feasts and lives, using music and wine to comfort themselves.
 
Isaiah 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe,
and wine, are in their feasts:
but they regard not the work of the Lord,
neither consider the operation of his hands.
 

Genesis :
and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives,
Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice;
ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech:
For I have slain a man to my wounding,
And a young man to my hurt.
 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth:For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos:
 
then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

(Finally, God's creation willing to serve Him, and allow Him to be a part of their lives).

The main point I wanted to make was music was heavenly, created by God, and placed in Lucifer. Upon Lucifer's fall, there became a fallen element to music, because music was part of his being.
 
Job 21:12-16
They take the timbrel and harp,
and rejoice at the sound of the organ.

 
(Job is the oldest book in the Bible that was written. In other words Genesis contains history of earlier times than Job, but Genesis was oral tradition written/ compiled later by Moses; whereas, Job was written by Job before Moses compiled the Penteteuch (Greek for the first 5 books of the Bible). We see an example in the oldest, written book of the Bible that there was an element to society that didn't want to have anything to do with God, but they were very connected to their music).
 
They spend their days in wealth,
and in a moment go down to the grave.
 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us;
for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
 Lo, their good is not in their hand:
the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

Google search: musician admitting to channeling spirits to produce music.
 

Article: Exposing the Works of Satan in Popular Music
 
Examples of musicians and their own admission to channeling demon spirits to produce music:
 
8 grammy award winner, Tori Amos, said "I think music comes through dimensions, it`s arrogant to think you can create music on your own, there`s a co-creation going on. I don`t know with whom, but there is this well that we all tap into". She once said "I wanted to marry Lucifer I don't consider Lucifer an evil force .I feel his presence with his music. I feel like he comes and sits on my piano". She even made a song dedicated to Lucifer....
 
Lady Gaga apparently gets her music from demons. She said herself that she has the spirit of her dead aunt living inside her (which is really a demon) and that the spirit of Alexander McQueen wrote a song for her called Judas...
 
John Lennon is believed to have "sold" his soul or made a deal with the devil, in fact he said it himself. There is even a book about it called The Lennon Prophecy. The Beatles channeled evil spirits as those in his inner circle revealed. John Lennon once said "When the real music comes to me it has nothing to do with me ‘cause I'm just a channel. It's given to me and I transcribe it like a channel." He once referred to himself as a hollow temple in which the spirits would inhabit him then leave to be inhabited by another. When asked why The Beatles were so successful he said himself "I sold my soul to the devil" (Ray Coleman, Lennon, McGraw-Hill)
 
The main reason I pointed this out is because I have repeatedly heard Christian musicians talk about how they have to listen to worldly musicians in order to improve their skills in their music play because they have better "stuff."
 
They're getting their "stuff" from another source or another spirit. Christian musicians need to wake up and ask the Holy Spirit to help them produce better lyrics and arrangements of musical notes; they definitely don't need to receive "improvement" from another source.
 
As I began to study some basic theory about music from the video ministry of EX Ministries (Pastor G. Craige Lewis), but also through some articles written by secular music theory professors, I learned a little about the way that music is layered.
 

We must remember that Satan has an extremely powerful influence over music, and he will stop at nothing in his attempt to destroy God's church and God's people; furthermore, I can assure you that the liar has and will continue attempting to destroy God's music.
 
For a moment let's consider some of the elements of what ungodly music looks like, so we can be prepared to shun its influence and cling to God's will. One main reason that I feel it’s necessary to mention much of this is because:

(1) the church is filled with people who fill themselves daily with secular music, and I think it’s necessary to educate God’s people on the dangers associated with that practice—the music industry isn’t friendly;

(2) there are many in the church that think you can take any sound, put a couple Christian lyrics to it, and presto, you have Christian music. It doesn’t work that way, and while we don’t have time to cover it here, I would like to point out that Pastor G. Craige Lewis has done some excellent work on the roots of the hip-hop industry, making the point that hip-hop is a culture not a music; furthermore, it’s a culture that can’t be redeemed.
 
This is where I often lose people. What the naysayers want to do is make a comment like, "Well, the FBI doesn't do it that way; instead, they study the real money, so they will know the fake when they see it.
 
First, anyone who knows me, knows I do my best to study the truth.
 
Second, I'm not in the FBI; you may be, but I'm not. I'm in the Army of God, and my God told me that I have an adversary who roams like a lion and wants to destroy my eternal soul.
 
Third, even the physical soldier understands the concept of becoming familiar with the tactics of his enemy, so that he won't blindly walk into his snares.
 

OCCULT DRIVEN MUSIC
 
The professor I read behind made the point that rhythm or beat driven music is more conducive to chanting rather than singing. This concept opens up a completely different problem associated with occultic ties, which we will attempt to tackle. The problem I speak of is that both drum beats and chanting are used by the occult, whether they be tribal, or western minded practitioners, in their summoning of demon spirits. This writer is not saying that drums in and of themselves are demonic. As we move forward, we will see that music theory teaches the layering of music in certain ways. Melodically driven music is conducive to lyrical accompaniment. In other words, singing coincides with the melody of music. Rhythm driven music, on the other hand, has always been associated with conjuring spirits. One last thing I would like to say about this is that I’ve had multiple conversations with people about music, specifically hip-hop, and more specifically about the lyrics; their response on multiple occasions has been, “I don’t listen to the words; I’m into the beat.”

(Article) Feeling the beat: Symposium explores the therapeutic effects of rhythmic musichttp://news.stanford.edu/news/2006/may31/brainwave-053106.html

Beats, chants, meditations, and channeling demon spirits
 
Google search: the drumbeat and the Shaman.
 

For Tibetan Buddhists, the typical representative of...the shamanist tradition is the pawo or nyen-jomo medium....
 
The pawo begins chanting, accompanying himself with a little drum or bell. He dances, first slowly, then faster and faster, and, finally, trembles convulsively. A being of another world, god, demon or spirit of a dead person, has taken possession of him. In a kind of frenzy he utters broken sentences, which are supposed to convey that which the invisible being wishes to communicate....(1931:36-37)
 
"In 1901, US ethnologist Waldemar Bogoras traveled to Siberia to visit a shaman of the Tchouktchi tribe. In a darkened room, he observed a spirit-conjuring ritual. The shaman beat a drum more and more rapidly, putting himself in a trance state. Startled, Bogoras heard strange voices filling the room. The voices seemed to come from all corners and spoke English and Russian...
 
Google search: do drum beats affect alpha beta or theta waves in meditation

om
ōm/
noun HINDUISM TIBETAN BUDDHISM
a mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra. It appears at the beginning and end of most Sanskrit recitations, prayers, and texts.

Some of the experiences practitioners reported with the meditation OM sound track:
 
“This OM beat is the BEST binaural beat I've ever listened to. I tried several paid beats but none of which has a powerful effect like this one. Especially, it magically helped ease my migraine headache to an amazing extent, almost disappear. Can you believe it? I gave it to a friend while he had a headache and he reports that night he had good sleep. Thank you. Remember: sometimes the best thing out there is not marked with highest price :-) Try it !” N. H. M.
 
"This is amazing! Your meditation track is the most effective I’ve ever experienced! It even tops Monroe’s Hemi-Sync process. The second half of the track induces a very deep state – where dimensions intersect. Rarely I experience such a state of awareness myself. I wish it was more than mere 30 min long. 60 or even 90 min, I think, would be the best. What a great Lucid Dreaming tool!" R.

Taken from the website of an occultist-

"You should first recall what I said in the introduction: “Lucid Dreaming is an incredibly 
useful skill, in that it enables one to work on the astral plane even before one has mastered 
the art of Astral projection.”….

"This brought me to a deep place on the very first listen (actually at one point it brought 
me to the edge or border of something...)" D.

"I have to tell you that my arms kept shaking as if the energy vibrations were off scale 
and my heart seems to be quite active. Also the first two minutes of sounds send several 
waves of energy down my body opening/tuning the nervous system." H. 
(Multidimensional man website: OM meditation).


Music Theory: melody- harmony- rhythm 
The book of Ephesians tells believers to make a melody in their hearts; in the occult realm, 
the layering of music is transposed from this order where the rhythm becomes the dominating or   
driving force.

According to one professor, the point was made that the melody is typically the driving force of 
a song. The melody's purpose is ultimately going to be conducive to lyrical accompaniment. In other 
words, the layering takes place in this way the melody is the way: the notes are arranged in a 
certain order, which results in musical arrangement where lyrics or words can coincide properly 
with the musical notes; ultimately producing a pleasant mix of music and lyrics. 

To the best that I can understand, harmony is produced when other voices or instruments played in a 
"chordal" structure accompany the melodic arrangement of notes and lyrics. 

Lastly, rhythm or percussion is added in order to accentuate the overall sound of the music. 

The music of the church is supposed to be melodic in nature. In other words, the driving element 
moving the song forward is supposed to be the melody because music conducive to lyrical singing is 
melodic in nature. And the whole purpose of music in the church is to worship God by praising Him 
through singing His word back to Him, causing Him to inhabit the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3).

In this Psalm, the word says that God inhabits the praises of His people Israel. The word praises 
there has the idea of a hymn; for Israel, a hymn was a Psalm, which is a song inspired by God in 
the heart of His people to be remembered and sung by His people. Most importantly, the Psalms are 
the word of God, and if we want the churches music to have power to break chains it needs to sing 
the word of God. 

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making 
melody in your heart to the Lord;... 

The word melody here is psallo; when studied contextually this word describes strumming with vocal 
accompaniment. Once again the melody is music conducive to lyrical arrangement, and church music 
should be the word of God arranged melodically. 


Old Testament Form of Worship 


Psalms 33:2
Praise the Lord with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
 
Psalms 57:8
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake early.

 
Psalms 71:22
I will also praise thee with the psaltery,
even thy truth, O my God:unto thee will I sing
with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
 

Psalms 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance:
let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
 
Psalms 150:3
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
praise him with the psaltery and harp.

 
Psaltery appears to be some type of guitar or violin or lyre
 
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
 
Hebrews 2:12
Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
 

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
 
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
 
Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
 
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Risen with healing in his wings,
Light and life to all he brings,
Hail, the Son of Righteousness!
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
 
Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace
Hail the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lay His glory by
Born that man no more may die
 
Come Desire of Nations come,
Fix in us thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Adam's likeness now efface—
to wipe outStamp thine image in its place

 

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft (Exodus 33:22) for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.
 
Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
 
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
 
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
[originally When my eye-strings break in death]
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

 

"O the Blood" -Gateway Worship 2014

VERSE 1
O the blood
Crimson love
Price of life's demand
Shameful sin
Placed on Him
The Hope of every man
 
CHORUS
O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory
 
VERSE 2
Savior Son
Holy One
Slain so I can live
See the Lamb
The great I Am
Who takes away my sin
 
BRIDGE
O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
The precious blood of the Lamb
What a sacrifice
That saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory
 
VERSE 3
O what love
No greater love
Grace, how can it be
That in my sin
Yes, even then
He shed His blood for me

This teaching focuses more on music. Video 1 of 2

Personal vs. Biblical Conviction - Part 1

There is unity between the testaments. God demands His people live separated and follow His word then and He still does today.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments (word), which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently  [to prick or pierce; to implant by repeated statement or admonition: teach repeatedly]  unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.


1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
 
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence
. [to be first in rank or influence; hold the first place]
 

Blessings

Deuteronomy 6:10-25

10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

12 Then beware lest thou forget [how can we His people forget His deliverance?] the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;

15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers.

19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.

20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?

21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:

22 And the Lord shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:

23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.

24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.


Before we get started, I understand that some of the things I will discuss are going to seem foreign to many people's minds. After we start walking with God, there is a time-frame, where God renews our minds to His way of thinking. Before that, most of our thinking is tainted by the world and its lies.
 
I want to address the concepts of Biblical vs. personal convictions. When discussing this concept, there are many times that people want a specific verse in order to determine whether something is really a biblical conviction; they want to determine whether something is OK for them to do because they want to do it. But what we have to understand is that when we learn the overall counsel of the word of God, it begins to change the way our minds process our surroundings; in other words, we receive a renewed mind.
 
To be more specific, I want to point out that I'm beginning to realize that many times what we (leadership & laity alike) view as personal convictions and suggest that we shouldn't put those convictions on others are in reality issues that don't promote God, and in some ways work against our desires to help our families embrace Jesus.
 
The first concepts I want to discuss are Easter and Christmas. I don’t want you to be confused into thinking that I’m having a problem with the celebration of Jesus’ birth or His death and resurrection; instead, the problem I’m having is how these holidays are engaged by the society that we live in and how it has affected our perception on these important remembrances to our faith.

 

My wife and I made a decision early on that we weren't going to teach our kids to believe that Santa or the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy were real. There were several reasons for that decision:
 
(1) The main reasoning was because of the above passage. God doesn't want His people involved in magic or witchcraft. You can say man you're crazy, you're taking things too far. And that's your opinion, but I believe that God doesn't want His people messing with magic; furthermore, He desires truth not lies:

 

Psalms 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
 

(2)Sister Toot, our pastor, back when pastor's took a stand whether people liked it or not, told us not to.
 
(3) Danielle read a secular article that made the point that children have a hard time discerning between fantasy and reality; therefore, we felt that, as Christian parents it was our responsibility to make every effort to teach our children the ways of God, and remove every hindrance to that purpose.
 
(4) I was much less spiritual than my wife when we were first married, but I was all for it because I could still remember vividly the day I found out Santa Clause wasn't real. I was heart- broken. Let me make this clear, "It wasn't Santa I was disturbed about." I can remember thinking, my parents lied to me about this. And it made me wonder if anything else could be untrue?
 
You can think my story is dramatic if you want. But it's my story, and it's what I honestly felt. I can also tell you that there have been countless testimonies of people who were later saved who, when first approached about Jesus, thought within their self, another Santa? I have personally witnessed to people and they've made comments about Jesus, Santa, and the Easter Bunny, lumping them altogether.
 
It seems to me that we are being influenced by 2 sources: the world, under the influence of the spirit of antichrist and the church. Sadly, under the church there are two sources of influence to contend with: (1) the traditions of men and (2) the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so over the next two weeks I want to consider where we are receiving our convictions from: world or church, more specifically (Holy Spirit or men).
 
I'm sure people will disagree with much of this, but that doesn't mean it's not the truth. You will have to figure it out for yourself.
 
I would just ask that you listen and pray that God would show you whether what I say is right or wrong.
 
I believe that God expects the people He has called to preach the gospel to also care for the flock and warn them about danger.
 
He calls His preachers to rightly divide the word and present it in such a way that God's people would: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8
 

When the word of God is rightly divided, the only conclusion we can come to is that the forces of evil are real, spreading lies, and blinding the eyes of God's people,

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
 
 As I researched for my book Occult Exposure, I learned a very disturbing fact: the forces of evil have acquainted themselves with the teachings of the Bible better than the nominal, pew warming Christian; unfortunately, most Christians, including myself for most of my walk, have been oblivious to the deceptive workings of Satan upon this earth.

You can purchase a copy of Occult Exposure at:https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781625103598

You can purchase a copy of Occult Exposure at:

https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781625103598


In order for a person to be sober and vigilant, he must have his spiritual eyes open and want to see what God wants him to see. He must have the heart of His Lord in Gethsemenee, "Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done."
 
I bring all this up because I want to discuss for a moment the concept of Easter and Santa Clause. I want to discuss a little bit about their origins and whether we should view these situations on whether people choose to play along with this or not is really a personal or a biblical conviction?
 
Is it possible that teaching our children to believe in these "magical," fantasies can hinder us from teaching our most precious possessions the most important thing in this life-- Jesus?
 
Genesis 18:17-19 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
 

God says that His purpose in calling and knowing Abraham is so that Abraham can teach his descendants after him about the ways of God, so that God will be able to bring about the promises He gave to Abraham. God's promises surround the salvation of man, "Through you all nations will be blessed." Genesis 12. Jesus came from Abraham.
 
1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God:which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
 


Easter: personal vs biblical conviction?


 
1 Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
 
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

 

"Then look at Easter. What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, as pronounced by the people Nineveh, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country. That name, as found by Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar. The worship of Bel and Astarte was very early introduced into Britain, along with the Druids, "the priests of the groves."
 
Astarte was also adored by our ancestors (British) and that from Astarte, whose name in Nineveh was Ishtar, the religious solemnities of April, as now practiced, are called by the name of Easter--that month, among our Pagan ancestors, having been called Easter-monath. The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter. It was called Pasch, or the Passover, and though not of Apostolic institution, * was very early observed by many professing Christians, in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ" (Hislop Two Babylons).
 

Eggs
 
...The origin of the Pasch eggs is just as clear. The ancient Druids bore an egg, as the sacred emblem of their order. In the Dionysiaca, or mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg. The Hindoo fables celebrate their mundane egg as of a golden color. The people of Japan make their sacred egg to have been brazen. In China, at this hour, dyed or painted eggs are used on sacred festivals, even as in this country. In ancient times eggs were used in the religious rites of the Egyptians and the Greeks, and were hung up for mystic purposes in their temples. From Egypt these sacred eggs can be distinctly traced to the banks of the Euphrates. The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians; and thus its tale is told by Hyginus, the Egyptian, the learned keeper of the Palatine library at Rome, in the time of Augustus, who was skilled in all the wisdom of his native country: "An egg of wondrous size is said to have fallen from heaven into the river Euphrates. The fishes rolled it to the bank, where the doves having settled upon it, and hatched it, out came Venus, who afterwards was called the Syrian Goddess"--that is, Astarte. Hence the egg became one of the symbols of Astarte or Easter; and accordingly, in Cyprus, one of the chosen seats of the worship of Venus, or Astarte, the egg of wondrous size was represented on a grand scale."
 

http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect32.htm-- this is the link to the document about Easter
 
I can tell you that there are many well meaning Pastors who truly desire to teach their congregation to love Jesus; furthermore, they attempt to find innovative ways to teach the children Jesus; however, they would never seem to think in a million years that the embracing of pagan practices, no matter how innocent the intent may be, could have negative effects on really putting Jesus in their children's hearts.
 
People want to pretend that what they're doing isn't that big of a deal, but the truth is that they spend numerous dollars and energy convincing their children that the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are real. But they spend very little, if any, teaching them about Jesus and the Bible.
 
Now, to worsen matters, many churches are beginning to embrace the practice of Easter festivities, where the focus for the children is Easter eggs. Yes, there may be a lesson on the resurrection, but the illustrative sermon is ending up as an Easter egg hunt. I'm just curious, "Why wouldn't we want to teach our children about the Passover and Resurrection instead?" Isn't the church's job to contradict the world's ways and embrace and teach Jesus?
 
Does the Bible even say anything about Easter? YES IT DOES!
 
Jeremiah 7:17-19 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the Lord:do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
 
Jeremiah 44:15-18 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem:for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

 
The Queen of Heaven is Ishtar also known as Astarte where we get the Easter.
 


Santa Clause: personal vs biblical conviction?
 


1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
 
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

 

In a similar fashion, Santa Clause is something we've called a personal conviction also, but is it really a personal conviction, or does the teaching of Santa Clause in a young child's mind draw both the child and the Christian parent away from properly sanctifying Jesus in the heart, and properly teaching the child the importance of Jesus.
 
I know that many people will have a problem with this, but has anyone tried to raise a godly child in this wicked society? Well I have, and let me tell you that with all the work, effort, and grace of God, the spirit of antichrist still pulls and tugs on the heart of my children, so don't tell me a little lie isn't going to hurt them. I don't have time for a little lie. I don't have time to take chance with any lies. I need to give them truth every chance I get.
 

"Nicholas' existence is not attested (proven) by any historical document, so nothing certain is known of his life except that he was probably bishop of Myra in the fourth century. . ." ("Nicholas, Saint" Encyclopaedia Britannica 99)

"Nicholas, Saint (lived 4th century), Christian prelate, patron saint of Russia, traditionally associated with Christmas celebrations. The accounts of his life are confused and historically unconfirmed." ("Nicholas, Saint" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99)

"Unfortunately, very little is known about the real St. Nicholas. Countless legends have grown up around this very popular saint, but very little historical evidence is available." (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 130)
 
"In 1969, the final nail in the coffin to the feeble fable of St. Nicholas was officially hammered down. Despite the fact, St. Nicholas is among Roman Catholicism’s most popular and venerated "Saints," Pope Paul VI officially decreed the feast of Saint Nicholas removed from the Roman Catholic calendar. UPI Wire Services reported that St. Nicholas and forty other saints were deleted because "of doubt that they ever existed." ("Pope Marches 40 Saints Off Official Church Calendar." UPI Wire Services. <www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=389> )
 
"Because the saint's life is so unreliably documented, Pope Paul VI ordered the feast of Saint Nicholas dropped from the official Roman Catholic calendar in 1969." ("Santa Claus" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99)
 
"Old Nick: A well-known British name of the Devil. It seems probable that this name is derived from the Dutch Nikken, the devil..." (Shepard, Leslie A. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. New York: Gale Research Inc. 1991, p. 650)

"Nick, the devil." (Skeat, Walter W. Concise Dictionary of English Etymology. Ware: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1993, p. 304)
 
"Devil: Besides the name Satan, he is also called Beelzebub, Lucifer . . . and in popular or rustic speech by many familiar terms as Old Nick . . ." (Oxford English Dictionary)
 
"Nicholas is one of the most common devil’s names in German, a name that remains today when Satan is referred as Old Nick." (Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, p. 69)
 
Santa.
 
"You ever noticed how easy it is to transform "Satan" from "Santa"? Just move the "n" to the end. And presto! "Satan" appears. . ."  Hmmm….
 
An internet Google search on "Satan Claus" [not Santa Claus – but SATAN Claus] found over 1,700 hits! Obviously, there are many that tie the two together.
 
The rearranging of letters (called anagrams) to hide secret names or words has long been practiced in the occult. The Jewish Encyclopedia writes of the Jewish occult book called the Cabala:
 
"The golden age for anagrams began with the Cabala. The Platonists had strange notions as to the influence of anagrammatic virtues, particularly of anagrams evolved from names of persons. It is not surprising, therefore, that the cabalists, like all the Neoplatonists, pretended to discover occult qualities in proper names and in their anagrams." (www.jewishencyclopedia.com)

One of the most well known anagram in the occult world is the name of Sanat Kumara. Sanat is better known as Satan. Constance Cumbey, writes in her best-selling, new-age expose, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, ". . . they [New Agers] freely call Sanat Kumara (Satan) 'God'. And their doctrinal reference books by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Alice Ann Bailey freely cross-reference Sanat Kumara with Venus. In occult writings, Lucifer and Venus are one and the same." (Constance Cumbey, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 138)
 
Texe Marrs writes of 'Sanat' in Dark Secrets of the New Age:
 
". . . the New Age offers a being called Sanat Kumara. 'Sanat' is obviously a thinly veiled reference to Satan; nevertheless, New Age teachers evidently believe that the new spelling will alleviate the concerns of those not yet ready to confess Satan as their Lord and Messiah." (Texe Marrs, Dark Secrets of the New Age, pp. 79-80)

Interesting. . . Where does that put Lord S-A-N-T-A?
 
H.P. Blavatsky, the Satanist and new age teacher writes in The Secret Doctrine:
 
"many a mysterious sacred name. . . conveys to the profane ear no more than some ordinary, and often vulgar [common] word, because it is concealed anagrammatically or otherwise." (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol II, p. 78)

Like S-A-N-T-A?
 
Blavatsky also writes, the name is not important – but the letters.
 
"The name isn't important. It is the letters." (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol II, p. 350)

Blavatasky’s anagrams were used to disguise who her true god was. Blavatasky openly taught Satan is mankind’s true redeemer, creator and Saviour.
 
"And now it stands proven that Satan, or the Red Fiery Dragon, the ‘Lord of Phosphorus’ and Lucifer, or ‘Light Bearer’, is in us; it is our Mind — our tempter and Redeemer, our intelligent liberator and Saviour. . ." (HP Blavatasky, The Secret Doctrine p. 513)

"Satan, the Serpent of Genesis is the real creator and benefactor, the Father of Spiritual mankind. For it is he . . . who opened the eyes of the automaton (Adam) created by Jehovah. . . he still remains in Esoteric Truth the ever loving messenger . . ." (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol 3, p. 243)
 
Gail Riplinger writes in her excellent book, New Age Versions on the use of anagrams in the occult world:
 
"Lucifer's True Identity as Satan is Revealed as the Anagram, a Transposition of Letters, To Obscure It. "Blinds," as esoterics call them, include scrambling the letters of a name to hide the true meaning of a word from the uninitiated." (Gail Riplinger, New Age Versions, p. 52)

It is interesting Mrs. Riplinger also raises a red flag about the anagram Santa:
 
"Gods of the New Age include Sanatan and Sanatsiyata, . . . New Agers say each name is 'concealed anagrammatically' 'and are aliases,' and are 'an anagram used for Occult purposes. Is Santa, the great usurper of Christ's attention at Christmas, an anagram? "Ole Nick" is listed among the fallen angels or devils in the Dictionary of Fallen Angels. Scholars concur that Christ was born in the fall on the 4th day of the feast of tabernacles. December 25 is actually "the feast in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven, later called Saturnaha by the heathen Romans." (Gail Riplinger, New Age Versions, p. 52)
 
The famous anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss writes in his popular analysis of "Father Christmas":
 
"Father Christmas is dressed in scarlet: he is a king. His white beard, his furs and his boots, the sleigh in which he travels evoke winter. He is called "Father" and he is an old man, thus he incarnates the benevolent form of the authority of the ancients."
 
Revelation 1:14
-- His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow;... [Same hair]

 
Revelation 19:13
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:and his name is called The Word of God. [Same red garment]
 
Daniel 7:9
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool... [once again same appearance]

 
What about Kris Kringle?
 
 And there is the seemingly innocent, friendly, jingle-jangle name of Kris Kringle.
 
By far, the name Kris Kringle is the most blasphemous. With Kris, Satan slowly removes the mask. There is no doubt about the intentions of "Kris Kringle".
 
Believe it or not. . . Kris Kringle is German for "little Christ Child".
 
"Kris Kringle a U.S. name for Santa Claus derived from the German Christkindl (little Christ child)."
(Brewer's Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Phrase and Fable, p. 334)

Santa Claus or Kris Kringle is the counterfeit "Christ Child"!"
 

http://www.av1611.org/othpubls/santa.html-- this is the complete link to the previous discussions about Santa Claus.
 
Once again, my purpose here was to discuss personal vs biblical convictions regarding, whether or not the embracing of these past Pagan practices are harmful to our walk or make it more difficult for us to convince our children about the truth of Jesus.
 
Ultimately, the question to be asked is whether or not the things in our lives, or our perceptions about the things of life are going to help us in our walk with God vs. understanding what the Bible says about these things.
 
Why do we spend all our time trying to be like the world. When we are His peculiar people (purchased possession). We are a chosen generation (Chosen is eklektos Ek= out; lektos= election i.e. chosen out, so we are chosen out, purchased possessions of the Lord); yet, so many times, we find ourselves spending more time getting caught up in what the world around us is doing instead of finding out what God's word says we should do.
 
God's purpose for humanity is that they would choose Him and be His people. He desires that they would live their lives in such a way that they would bring glory to Him.
 
But does God even say anything about this goddess known as Easter?
 
Colossians 2:6-8 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
 
g4492. ριζοω rhizoo; from 4491; to root (figuratively, become stable):— root.
AV (2)- root 2;  to cause to strike root, to strengthen with roots, to render firm, to fix, establish, cause a person or a thing to be thoroughly grounded
 
g2026. εποικοδομεω epoikodomeo; from 1909 to build upon, i. e. (figuratively) to rear up:— build thereon (thereupon, on, upon). AV (8)- build up 3, build thereupon 2, build 2, build thereon 1;
 to build upon, build up- To finish the structure of which the foundation has already been laid, to give constant increase in Christian knowledge and in a life: conformed thereto (Strong's)
 
Here Paul exhorts the church of Collossae to continue their walk with Jesus the same way they received Him. We receive Jesus by faith in Him and what He did for us (the cross); this gives us right standing with God because we have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus; now, Paul tells us to continue our daily walks that way-- faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the place where man is righteous and declared righteous (justified) by God, which gives the believer access to grace (Romans 5:1,2), which empowers for daily living.
 
As we do this, a root system is being produced, even a foundation for God to build upon, increasing our faith and strengthening our walk. I guess another question to be asked is whether what we just covered helps to build a root system with God for ourselves and our children, or is it even possible that it could work against it?
 

Clothing


The next area I want to cover in relation to "personal" vs Holy Spirit conviction is clothing. To be truthful, I'm really just using this as an opportunity to make a point about New Testament/ New Covenant theology, as opposed to outward religious practices.
 
While some people may question why this even needs to be addressed, I can tell you that if you can think past the exact example I'm using in clothing, there are multiple scenarios where these concepts we will discuss apply. The scenarios I speak of are outward attempts of righteousness, which frustrate grace rather than giving access to grace.
 
I have had multiple conversations with some people who believe that the apparel they wear has something to do with holiness or separation from the world. While this may seem silly to some people, it's a reality to other people's view of righteousness. Now, let me say this, "Clothing may possibly be an outward expression of a change that has taken place in someone's heart as the Holy Spirit has dealt with them; however, the clothing, or anything outward for that matter, has nothing to do with a person's right standing or a true separation of holiness from the world.
 
I purposefully use this as an example because I was recently in a conversation with a family that was raised in an Apostolic Pentecostal denomination. At the time I spoke to them, they weren't living for God, but some of the family was still wearing the classic clothing: long dresses, long hair, no make up, and no jewelry.
 
But let's forget about them. I have seen this scenario played out time after time. I have even seen people living in a life of fornication; yet, talk to me about the clothes they wear and equate it in some way to sanctification. What?
 
I would like to say that a woman who desires to dress modestly, preferring her brother, and hoping to help him not lust is a woman of God with pure motives, so I commend her.
 
But! A woman can wear a long dress that accentuates her body in such a way that it’s just as seductive as a mini skirt.
 
The main point I'm trying to make with all of this is that separation or sanctification isn't something that's outward (unless it’s the overflow of what has happened inward); instead, sanctification, separation, or holiness is something that happens inwardly, it's something that happened spiritually when you placed faith in Jesus and His sacrifice.
 
What we need to understand is that on the day the Christian got saved, he was baptized or immersed into Christ. The sinner born of Adam became one with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. Scholars call this our "vital union" with Him.
 
Just as Israel, the natural born branch was broken off because of unbelief (Romans 11:19-21), you the wild branch were grafted in because of belief. He was pierced in His side on the cross, and you were planted as a graft in Him, through faith. He is that life giving vine, through which the Holy Spirit flows into you, the recipient branch, where fruit is produced. Hallelujah!
 
The point I'm trying to make is that, once again, in the New Covenant, when you were born again, you were translated from the darkness of the world into the light of God. At this time, you were planted into Jesus, your relationship with the sinful nature died (I didn't say that it was removed); I said that the relationship between your "new man" and the sinful nature died, and if you're not careful or aware of how to walk with God, Satan will do CPR on your "old man," and he (old man) will be revived.
 
What happens to the believer through grace is: he is clothed with the righteousness of Jesus (Galatians 3:27); because the believer is now righteous in the eyes of God, he (believer) has access to grace (Romans 5:2), and through grace, God changes the interior of a person, breaking bondages on the inside, revealing the heart of man, then applying the cross (that instrument of death) to the sin in the heart, resulting in resurrection life taking its place.
 
When you get saved, your position is righteous. God sees you and declares you this way. JUSTIFIED! I said...your position is righteous, but what about the condition of the heart?
 
If we're truthful, our condition is below our position. In other words, there are times that we've been told all this before, and we even say in our hearts this makes sense, "Jesus is my righteousness. The 'old man' died, and the 'new man' resurrected! Hallelujah, I'm free!" We get it intellectually, but then we look at what we do; we look at our actions or the conditions of our hearts, and we question what's going on. It's because we begin to look at our condition and not our position.
 
Loren Larson said once, "The fall has produced a mound of debris in our hearts, and similar to the aftermath of 911, there is an insurmountable task of cleanup ahead, but look at the bottom of the screen Christian. You can barely distinguish their movement amidst the rubble, but those are dump trucks. The dump trucks are moving in and moving out; they're slowly carrying away the debris. In a similar fashion, the Holy Spirit is everyday bringing our condition a step closer to our position, and this process will continue until the final consummation. And, 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
 
That's going to be a glorious day, and until then we're being made to look more like Him:
 
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
 
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 
How does this tie into all the things I previously spoke of? 

God wants us to sanctify a place in our hearts for Him. He also hates witchcraft and anything else that tries to take the preeminent place in our lives. When a person is taught how the covenant of grace works, which allows the Holy Spirit to reign supreme in their lives, they may not like what they hear at first, but if they're presented the truth, and they're operating the way the New Testament message is supposed to, then they will hear from God and respond appropriately. How does one respond appropriately?
 
We respond appropriately to sin or missing the mark, which is the definition of sin in the Greek, by asking God to remove it once it’s revealed. You can't get rid of the garbage in your life. The Holy Spirit is the dump truck that removes it, but faith in Jesus' sacrifice is the currency that allowed the truck to roll.
 
In addition, when we find ourselves falling under the dominion of external religion, as in the sense of outward apparel resulting in a sanctification or separation from the world, we have resulted to Law and forsaken grace. Furthermore, the woman who attempts to find holiness may still be bound with a spirit of lust herself. I already have given examples of that previously.
 
What about the real problem preacher? You're over here telling a woman she needs to dress differently for victory or sanctification and she's bound with lust? No, sir! You're a liar, and you're keeping the people sitting in your pews shackled in the bondage of religion. Shake off those shackles Christian! Jesus purchased your victory!
 
He who the Son has set free is free indeed, no more chains of slavery.
Truth has triumphed in victory!
He who the Son has set free is free indeed!
 

So she can be bound with lust wearing a long dress and exuding lust into the atmosphere; furthermore, some dude in the church is bound with a spirit of lust, and when he comes across her, do you think for one second that her long dress is going to help anything? Come on man! We don't war against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.
 
I close, once again, with one of my stories from the past.
 
Several years ago, before I finally surrendered to God and was living under the bondage of religion and sin, I was working with an attractive nurse. Unfortunately, my "old man" was trying to regain a heartbeat. I didn't know anything about the gospel, even though I had been sitting in church and reading my Bible for 12 years.
 
Anyway, I was oppressed with a spirit of lust, and in my opinion she was friendly with one (a spirit of lust) too, and familiar spirits know how to find one another. I can assure you that it was never my intention to cheat on my wife, and thank God I didn't, but there is forgiveness for that too.  I knew that was sin, but somehow I was blinded to the fact that what I was doing (flirting with sin) was also sin; furthermore, I had been bound for so long I didn't even know what freedom from lust was.
 
Anyway, one day, we both ended up in the drug closet where they keep the samples of medicine, and I made the big mistake and said, "You look good today." Now, let's clarify something. There are probably appropriate times to tell another woman she looks pretty, but I would imagine that they are very few and far between, and unfortunately my motives were far from pure, but previously everything was just a game. You know, I make a little comment; she makes a little comment; we both kind of laugh, and then that's it. It's over.
 
But this time was different. She turned around and said, "When you get serious, and you're ready call me some weekend." I don't even remember my response, but I do remember how I felt trapped and so close to danger. I thank God I backed out of that deal.
 
The Lord set me free in 2001. Last year I saw her in a public place; she hurriedly walked up to me, and with a big smile asking, "How have you been," while batting her eyes? My response was much different than previously. I said, "Great! I've been living for Jesus!"
 
I can tell you unequivocally that when you let Jesus' cross kill the "old man," so the "new man" can resurrect on the other side, changing the way you think, changing your speech, it will also begin to change the atmosphere around you.

...We will discuss Personal vs. Biblical Convictions Part 2 next week. The emphasis of that teaching will be on music.