ARE YOU PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT? Galatians 5:19-21; 3:1-9; 1 Sam 15:17-23, 20220403
Our lesson today is Are You Practicing Witchcraft? The three characteristics of witchcraft, are domination, manipulation, and intimidation. Rebellion against GOD, or GOD’s representative on earth: Pastor, Leader, Elder, Teacher, Professor, Husband or Wife is the same as practicing witchcraft.
Any Christian, i.e., Pastor, Leader or Elder, man or woman, who tries to dominates another person by forcing the other to comply with their demand is practicing witchcraft
Likewise, any Christian who craftily manipulates another person is involved in witchcraft.
Witchcraft is activated when anyone uses intimidation to achieve their selfish goal. These three characteristics can be performed by children or adults.
How could Christians who have been baptized into union with the LORD Jesus, and the Holy Spirit become bewitched? Well, it happened in the Church at Galatia because they allowed the Devil to deceive them much to the surprise of the Apostle Paul, and he rebuked them for it in Galatians 3:1-9
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
If through the ministration of GOD’s Holy Spirit, we realize the dangers that the Devil is leading us into, I pray that we will confess our sins and call to GOD in genuine repentance.
I want to testify to GOD’s WORDs in Psalm 1, 23, 91, Isaiah 53:4-5, and other Scriptures on the protection for true believers. Genuine Christians can NOT fall into the deception of the Devil and his evil spirit, if they are controlled by the Holy Spirit, are living in holiness by the WORD of GOD, and are covered by the shed Blood of the LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen! However, because some of us are defiantly practicing witchcraft, which is the same as stubbornness and rebellion, and are not making any efforts to examine our lives, confess our sins, and repent of them, we are left in a state of spiritual bondage to the Devil. Many of us don’t even obey GOD’s warning in 1 Corinthians 11:30,
We all agree that there are two powers in the world: GOD’s and the Devil’s. Since we know that sicknesses and diseases come from the Devil, we must take proper steps to win the battle through GOD’s Power through self-examination of our life.
The sin of rebellion says that instead of doing it GOD’s way, I will accomplish it through the devil’s evil method - witchcraft. The sin of stubbornness, which is idolatry says “I will do it in my own human effort.” A stubborn person makes idols of his own opinions by listening to demons. Rebellion consists of setting aside the legitimate authority of GOD or a GOD-appointed ruler, or a GOD-appointed figure of authority: a father, a husband, a pastor, an elder, or manager.
Witchcraft is the illegal and evil power that supports illegitimate authority against the authority of GOD. In Galatians 5:20, witchcraft is listed as the work of the flesh, an expression of man’s disobedient carnal nature.
Any bad habit that we cannot easily stop or any of the works of the flesh are influenced by demons or evil spirits. For example, anger, hatred, envy, stealing, lying, gossiping, smoking, drunkenness, and immorality are all demonic, and only true confession and the Blood of the LORD Jesus Christ can wash us and deliver us from these infirmities.
Witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, are all parts of the same family of rebellion controlled by the Devil.
• Witchcraft operates through spells and curses. For example, people with familiar spirits or generational curses
• Divination is the fortune telling aspect of witchcraft. For example, Balaam in Numbers 22:7 the elders of Moab and Midian brought divination money to curse Israel, and in Acts 16:16-18, the servant girl who announced that they were preaching the Gospel of the LORD Jesus Christ had “the spirit of divination”; and
• Sorcery operates through objects to gain power over other people, through love potions that people put in drinks and food to control that person. Also, sorcery operates through charms, superstitions, lucky horseshoes, dolls, puppets, souvenirs, black cats, and through music, especially heavy drums such as rock music
• The three key words that represent witchcraft are: manipulate, intimidate, and dominate. Wherever manipulation, intimidation, or domination are in operation, they are influenced by witchcraft. We know that our Almighty Father never manipulated, intimidated, or dominated the Israelites despite their many sins. Rather, 2 Peter 3:9 reassures us that our merciful GOD “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that we should come to repentance.”