10. Which is more important: experiential truth (deciding that what I experience is also a universal truth) or Scriptural truth (deciding that Scripture is true, regardless of my experience)?
11. The witch hunts were a volatile combination of religious half-truths and public imagination. Do you think the church teaches any half-truths today? What has our culture’s imagination right now? What do we seem to be fantasizing about, obsessing about, and fearful of? How can we apply the antidote of truth and love to these issues?
Supernatural Housekeeping
In my research, women told me that they became involved in the occult after experiencing a strange supernatural event. They were often unable to get help from their Christian church, so they turned to the occult or witchcraft for answers. If you believe you are being plagued by a demon, spirit, or any other supernatural phenomenon, you can find relief and restoration.
1. Start by reading these verses about Jesus:
? Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
? All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” (Luke 4:36)
These verses give you a bedrock, a firm foundation to work from. Jesus is the sole source of salvation, both in the eternal sense and in the earthly sense. He alone can save you from a supernatural affliction. His name is the only name with the power to save us from ourselves or anything else. While on earth, Jesus ordered evil spirits around, and they obeyed. He can handle whatever problem you may have, whether mundane or supernatural.
2. If you have a spirit in your home, don’t talk to it. Don’t attempt to engage it in conversation. (If you need to understand why, read the story of Adam, Eve, and the serpent.)
3. Pray over your home, room by room, speaking aloud the verses above. In Jesus’ name, command any evil spirits to leave. I’d like to suggest that a Christian should do this, since Christians have Jesus’ spirit within and have His authority to drive spirits out. If you’re not a Christian, you can consider asking a Christian friend to do this with you. You can also contact a nearby Christian bookstore or church. Many larger churches have counselors with training in what is frequently called “spiritual warfare.”
4. Satisfy your curiosity about the supernatural by going straight to the source: God. In the Bible you’ll find plenty of frank conversation about spirits, ghosts, psychics, and supernatural phenomenon. If you don’t know where to start, you can use BibleGateway.com. Search by keyword to see any verse that addresses that topic, in almost any translation. For example, I can enter the word demon, select my favorite translation, The Message, and see every verse in the Bible that talks about demons. It’s a good place to start your research, but you will still want to read the Scriptures in depth so you get the proper context.
5. I also recommend the books The Invisible War by Chip Ingram and Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ by Neil T. Anderson.
My research told me that experiencing a supernatural occurrence presents you with a choice. You must decide who to listen to, and which path to follow. I pray you choose to listen to Jesus: “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10 MSG).
www.DavidCCook.com