THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

Have you ever noticed that Satan likes to package things in beautiful packages to hide the real truth?  He appears as an “angel of light” to deceive people just as he deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Genesis 3:1-5, “Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he (Satan) said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?  And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, Except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.  But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.”  (The Everyday Bible Amplified Ed.)

It was a seed of doubt.  That is what he does.  He twists things around—half truths at best to deceive.  Some are being deceived by the New Age Movement of so to speak theology.  

According to an article by Lynn Stuter, Michael Beckwith, a supporter of the new age and the book, The Secret, stated “God is within,” God dwells within all people and man is divine, self-divination.  This defies the teaching of The Trinity and the ultimate higher Authority.  

People, including Oprah Winfrey, are pushing this agenda.  “In short, it is the intent, the agenda of these people that they will usher in a one-world religion based solely on the New Age world view!” The problem is that even though we may allow them to have their own views, they are not willing to allow us our views.  This view permeates government-run schools, the work place and even some churches.

Is your pastor telling you that contemplative prayer is okay?  This is worrisome because contemplative prayer is nothing more than transcendental meditation ™

Or Yoga, grounded in Eastern mysticism and is totally opposite of Biblical teaching because Yoga and TM use altered states of consciousness, are guided through visualizations to meet spirit guides (demons).  This is actually being taught in some schools.  Teachers in public schools are not allowed to speak about God or Jesus but Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism is allowed.  Of course, the schools are not the only place where God is being pushed out but in the work place, the media and politics.

This is all a part of not only destroying our Judeo-Christian beliefs, but also the Constitution, which is based on these beliefs, so that a One World Religion can be ushered in along with A New World Order which is Globalism. 

What is the most worrisome to me and should be to all believers is the fact that these New Age beliefs are in many Christian Churches.  There is a Catholic Church in my area that actually has Yoga classes. I know personally a friend of mine that was going to Yoga classes and as I told her the truth about Yoga, I told her she needs to renounce any involvement in it.  It appears that some of the problems she was having could have come from going to these classes.  

I also know of someone who is a Christian that has participated in Reike.  What is Reiki?  Moira Noonan who was a former Reiki Master wrote in her book, “Ransomed from Darkness says, “Reiki is a method of healing through the transmission and activation of a person’s spiritual energy…The symbolism of Reiki is deeply influenced by Buddhist traditions and invisible spirit guides.  These spirit guides are specifically invoked by name to confer their healing powers.”

We all need to be aware of how certain New Age practices are filtering not only into our culture as a whole, but our very own Churches.  We need to take a stand and spread the news because there are a lot of people out there who are unaware and are falling into the same temptation as Adam and Eve did with the deceit from the devil. 

If you have been involved in or are now involved in any form of New Age such as Yoga, TM, etc., the following is a prayer you can say along with me for deliverance and to renounce any involvement in the New Age.

 DENOUNCING SPIRITS

Heavenly Father, in the name of your Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I denounce the sin of idolatry, superstitious practices, and all vows of consecration that I have made to spiritual entities other than the one true God—the Blessed Trinity. I denounce the practice of offering prayers and worship to false gods and selling my soul along with the value of my good deeds to spiritual entities operating under religious-sounding names.

I denounce all forms of divination, seeking oracles from the dead, communicating with mediums, spirit guides, casting spells, automatic writing, astrology, tarot cards, horoscopes, fortune-telling, palm readings, magic charms, and anything associated with the occult or Satan. I denounce all of these practices in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who came in the flesh, and by the power of his cross, his blood, and his resurrection, I break their hold over me.

O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I confess all these sins before you and ask you to cleanse and forgive me. I adore you, love you, and need you. O good and loving Jesus, grant that I may always live in you, through you, and for you. Send forth your Holy Spirit and baptize me with power from on high, just as you baptized your disciples on the day of Pentecost.

PERSONAL PRAYER

                                                          PERSONAL PRAYER

I have talked about the importance of praying scripture.  Jesus set the example as He prayed the scripture.  We know from the scriptures that Jesus went off to pray.  This was His personal prayer between Him and God. 

In this busy, crazy, world we need to quiet ourselves and seek a place that we can come before the Lord in prayer.  Just you and Him.  It is a time of intimacy.  It is a time where one can get away from the trappings and noise of the world and seek our Father as His child.

Ann Graham Lotz, Billy Graham’s daughter, gives 4 components of her prayer time.

1.       Worship

2.      Confession of sin

3.      Thanksgiving i.e. answers to prayers; blessings

4.      Intercession

Worship does not necessarily mean a worship song.  It can be affirmations about God’s goodness and love.  Most of the Psalms were written by David and the word Psalm actually means song.  Many of the Psalms give praise and glory to God.  For example Psalms 149 and 150. 

This is a time to ask God to show us our sins as we ask for forgiveness and ask God to give us the strength to overcome our sins daily.

We thank God for His goodness and blessings.  We can thank God for answers to prayers.  The fact that we awake in the morning tells us that God has a purpose and a plan for our day.

Intercession is important not only for our own needs but for the needs of others.  If we forget who to pray for we can write people’s names and prayer requests down.

In my own prayer time with the Lord I start out the day praying the scriptures and then reading a chapter in the Bible.  Then I spend time with the Lord during the afternoon.  My afternoon time with the Lord has two basic components that I felt Him telling me to do.

1.       Give:  Worship and Praise God.  I usually do this by singing praise and worship songs on my IPad.  I may add, “Jesus, I praise You.”  “Lord I love You,” etc.

2.      Receive:  I listen to what God is speaking to me for that day or season.  This is the hardest time for me because I sometimes don’t have the patience to just sit still and listen.  Sometimes the Lord will remind me of something I need to do or give me insight on something that I am focusing on such as a Blog, etc.  Sometimes He will give me a prophecy and I write it down.

Prayer, essentially, is just talking to God.  It is also listening to Him.   This is one area that is difficult for me as far as distinguishing His voice and mine but I think God is teaching me each day as I truly seek to hear Him so I can do His will.

After all, prayer is not only at set times during the day but it is continual.  Brother Lawrence knew about this.  Brother Lawrence was born Nicolas Herman in modern-day eastern France. His parents were peasants, so his schooling was limited. Young Nicholas Herman grew up during the calamitous Thirty Years War, which devastated central Europe between 1618 and 1648.   He joined the army as a youth.  At the age of 26 he entered the order of the Discalced Carmelite Priory in Paris, France.

Here are some quotes from Brother Lawrence from his book, “The Practice of the Presence of God.”

We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence, by continually conversing with Him.  We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of Him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before Him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God. “He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”

The King, full of mercy and goodness, very far from chastising me, embraces me with love, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the key of His treasures; He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways, and treats me in all respects as His favorite. It is thus I consider myself from time to time in His holy presence.”

 “That we need only to recognize GOD intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment, that we may beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have done.”

Prayer is more than just a special time with God.  It is a way of life. Prayer will be different for everyone but we can look to others, such as Brother Lawrence, as examples of the presence of God in our lives.  The next topics will be about praying for others and praying in the Spirit.