Name it and Claim it

Christianity in the twenty-first century includes a noticeable quest for the mystical. Christians who were fed up with centuries of Christian Intellectualism embarked on this quest for the mystical. Most of them were linked to the Methodist movement adopting the notion of a "third blessing," and began to desire to see the manifestation of God in more than the rituals of the church. They wanted power to influence the world. These Christians came to form what we now know today as the Pentecostal Movement. The desire, however, for manifestation of God's presence not only causes the Pentecostal movement to stand out, it is also the very root of the heresy within the movement. Part of the problem with this movement is that it centers on speaking in tongues as the evidence of God's presence in a Christian. As was explained in the "God Bearing Witness" section, this particular gift is not the only gift a Christian can manifest to show the presence of God in his or her life. Nevertheless, the desire for manifestation led to dogma that is contrary to what scripture states. Why? We believe it is due to doubt and unbelief. When the Christian begins demanding a sign, he or she is making a statement about the validity of the Word of God (see "The Principality of Tradition"). Ultimately, the Christian asserts that the Word of God is not enough and we need some other evidence of who God is. We are not suggesting that God does not give us any evidence outside of the text of scripture to show who he is, but we are saying that when we take one thing from scripture, and demand it, and not understand it as a whole, that it leads to false doctrine because of the origin of the demand. Doubt and unbelief are open doors to Satan. If they are open doors, then Satan is capable of bringing leaven into our hearts thus ultimately leading us away from God and toward self-exaltation (humanism).

The Pentecostal movement centers on the notion of the manifestation of God's presence. It is clear, then, that there is a direct line from the Pentecostal movement to the modern day Word of Faith movement. Over the past 30 years we have seen the rise of preachers who claim to have extraordinary powers over many of the things in life. As you will see, preachers claim to have various gifts (which they call "anointings") that allow them to accomplish feats that the regular Christian is not able to accomplish (see "The Anointing"). The regular Christian looks to the anointed Christian to sample some of "their" anointing so that he may have some of the same power. The regular Christian asks the anointed Christian to "release" his anointing or his "blessing" over him so that he can have more power.

The Spirit of Saul

In this section, we discuss what we believe to be the foundation for many of the doctrinal phenomena we see in the Word of Faith movement. It is associated with the spirit of Saul in that it is a desire to seek power from a source that is not God through his Word. It is an attempt to rebel against the oracles of God thereby necessitating that one creates another source if one desires to keep one's position (see "The Principality of Rebellion"). There are so many Christians who have created new sources of authority because of their inability to connect with God. This disposition leads to much misinterpretation of scripture and creates a hermeneutic that remands a spiritual interpretation of scripture and allows, indeed, causes, an idolatrous interpretation of scripture (hence the focus on manifestation). Additionally, we want to point out some of the scriptural misuses of those within this movement and how they cause a particularly antichrist move in the body. We begin with a discussion of what exactly are witches, wizards, and sorcerers. All of which are functionally the same in the eyes of God. We make these points because there are generations of Christians, including us, who in the past, have been trained to exclude other Christians because they do not exercise a gift of the Spirit. Scripture does not justify this belief. Moreover, we accepted this belief because we wanted to have some other evidence than the Word of God to justify ourselves. God, however, showed us the error of our ways and the error of the church at large. There are so many movements in the church where Christians emphasize the Holy Ghost, the revelation of the Holy Ghost, and believe that the Bible is nothing more than a means to get something. In fact, we have encountered many Christians who argue that reading the Bible makes one "intellectual." They do not mean this in a positive sense; they mean to say that an "intellectual" person is basically a Christian unbeliever (see "That's Intellectualism"). What does this do? It causes people to stop reading their Bible's and to trust the "voice" in their hearts. They begin to believe something extra-biblical about God, which causes the spread of foolishness. This is exactly what Jesus is not saying to us. We want to show you God's perspective on these issues.

Christian Wizardry?

Throughout the Bible, there is great condemnation for those who pay homage to wizards. They came in all shapes and sizes, both men and women, but they had one purpose: providing an alternate means to engage the supernatural, the realm of God. They made their living off of being a conduit to the supernatural and thus making God useless. This angered God so much that he gave these ordinances:

Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times ... Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:26, 31)

And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. (Leviticus 20:6)

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD ... (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

And God asks this question that shows his disdain for those who possess these powers: "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead" (Isaiah 8:19)? Wizards, witches, and sorcerers (also astrologers, psychics, palm readers, soothsayers, mediums, necromancers, etc.) provide a stumbling block to God. They not only seek money for their own gain, and they distract people from God and place attention on themselves. Here is a clear example of this being illustrated; here is the story of Simon of Samaria:

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done ... And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. (Acts 8:9-13, 18-20)

Do you see what happened here? Simon was the center of his attention even after his salvation. He used his power to gain prominence and attention for himself and then he wanted the power of God to do the same thing. In other words, he was still up to his old tricks; he wanted to use sorcery to have power that others did not have and distract the attention from God and place it on himself. This is the spirit of sorcery at its best working in people to make them forget the Lord. Simon wanted to buy God's power through offering to the Apostles. We want to make this clear: YOU CANNOT BUY THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY GHOST OR THE POWER OF GOD. We can only receive from God when we give ourselves to him. That is the only way we can receive what God has for us. Every time we hope to gain spiritual blessings from God by paying money, we are doing the exact same thing Simon did. And we are cursing ourselves in the process, look at what Peter said, "Thy money perish with thee!" God doesn't want or need our money; he wants our hearts. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17).

There are two major points that we want to draw out here: first, Word of Faith preachers tell us that giving to them causes the blessings of God to come upon us so we can have power (You see what happened to Simon with this same logic; see also the "Tithes & Offerings" and "Live of the Gospel" sections); second, these preachers tell us to use the Word of God to get the manifestation of God's power for our lives, healing, money, deliverance, etc. These two points link Word of Faith logic to witchcraft and sorcery from a biblical point of view. In this section, we will focus mainly on the second point. As a side note, we must remember God did not save us for our sake but for his sake. He expresses this through Ezekiel in chapter 36, "Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went" (Ezekiel 36:22). See? God explains that he did not broker a new covenant with the people for themselves but for his own name's sake. If this is true, then we have no rights. We do not have the ability to say the Gospel is about us. It is about him.

Applying the Word of Self-Gratification

In the New Testament, we are warned about witchcraft as we are warned in the Old Testament. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21). There is much we could discuss from this list. But when we look at it, it does not seem to add up, every single one of these "works" listed here seem like they make sense together, except for "witchcraft." What average person actually practices "witchcraft" in the sense we know it: "Bubble bubble, toil and trouble." If we did a survey of the people in our Christian community, or even our own communities, we would probably conclude, not many. See, here "witchcraft" is defined as a "work of the flesh": meaning that it is supposed to be common to everyone. It is easy to see that most if not everyone does these things listed above, but what about "witchcraft?" To gain a better understanding of why this word is here, let us look at a Greek/Hebrew Dictionary. Strong's translates the Greek word pharmakeia to mean "witchcraft" or "sorceries" and gives this explanation "1) the use or the administering of drugs 2) poisoning 3) sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it 4) metaphorically, the deceptions and seductions of idolatry." Here are some important terms we can take from this definition: idolatry, drug use, and seductions. This scripture, then, explains what people who use drugs are up to, they want to escape the world, experience another, in an effort to have control (idolatry). As an aside, people struggling with drug addiction are actually wrestling against a spirit of sorcery. All of these terms express our point, as is explained in the aforementioned "The Principality of Witchcraft" section; people trying to control their environment are involved in "sorcery"; they want to manifest God's presence for their own self-gratification. Said another way, they want to tap into God's power and might through their own means and not by his Spirit. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). They want to make use of God's power by their self-appointed authority; as did Simon: "And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:18-19).

You Gotta Speak that Thing? Confess it and Possess it? Believe and Receive?

Now with this point established, we can get deeper into the topic so that you can fully understand the wizardry going on in the modern Christian movement. In the following examples, we would like to highlight a few scriptures, state the magical interpretation, and its correction.

Example 1: Eminent Financial Transfer

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed. A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. (Proverbs 13:20-22)

Magical Interpretation: There is a financial transfer about to take place. Money from the unsaved is about to come into my house so I can be rich and have what I want and bless others.

Correction: God will grant me riches in his Son, Jesus Christ, who is my inheritance. This must be the case because he said that a rich man (having physical riches) can hardly enter his kingdom.

Example 2: Your Heart's Desires

Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:4-5)

Magical Interpretation: God wants you to have what you want as long as you belong to him.

Correction: God wants my desires to change so that I may desire the things he desires and pray for the things he wants me to pray for. Putting my trust in the Lord demands that I bear my cross and follow after Jesus (Matthew 16:24). Moreover, the first request he makes in that process is self-denial. Thus, my desires have to be denied and replaced with desires that please the Lord: desires according to his will.

Example 3: Believe and Receive Version I

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:22-24)

Magical Interpretation: God wants us to have what we want. So ask him for whatever you want listed in scripture and he will give it to you. So that means money, houses, lands, cars you name it!

Correction: He tells us to have faith in God. Well, that means that I must put my complete and total trust in him. As he shows me what his will is (because my will is subject to his will) my desire will follow and I will ask for the things according to his will.

Example 4: Believe and Receive Version II

For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. (Job 22:26-28)

Magical Interpretation: Once you decree something it is done. All I have to do is say it in faith and it will come to me. It is the promise of God!

Correction: We cannot decree ANYTHING, there must be limits: the will of God. Notice the caveat in verse 23: "If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles." What if we decreed that we have all of the money in the world and no one else has any money? "Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees" (Isaiah 10:1). Well, God will not grant this decree because it is not his will and it is based on lust not love (James 4:3).

Example 5: Speak Things into Being

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. (Romans 4:17)

Magical Interpretation: You have to call things that be not as though they were! Speak your faith!

Correction: First of all, the scripture does not say that! It says it is "God" who "calleth those things that be not as though they were." It is God who is the Creator not us: we are part of his creation. God did not extend his authority and power to us to create (do not confuse this with invention which simply makes use of God's creation to make something else). After all, "there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9): there is no new thing in the physical world that has been created since God "rested from all his work which God created and made" (Genesis 2:3). Jesus asks, "which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest" (Luke 12:25-26)?

Another instance of this magic is the practice of many Christians to use "flattering" titles (bishop, reverend, doctor, preacher, etc.) to label someone who is not an ordained minister (scripture commands us to not use titles even for those who are called and ordained: see "Flattering Titles"). They claim that they are speaking their faith. In other words, they believe that if they speak their desire it will be manifested. Ministers of Jesus Christ, however, are not selected by man, they are chosen by God before they are born; therefore, "speaking my faith" amounts to foolishness. When a Christian speaks of their own volition to call forth something that is not, they are guilty of witchcraft, sedition, and lying! They presume to speak for God with authority not granted; hence, they speak not truth but a lie. Even Jesus, the Son of God, says "he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him" (John 8:26). "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20); anything else is a lie. "Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not" (Lamentations 3:37)? "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another" (Ephesians 4:25).

We have just sampled a small portion of scriptures that many people believe and wrongly interpret. The end result is that they are operating in the spirit of sorcery and/or the spirit of witchcraft. Heed the warning from the Lord: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:7-8).

False Prayer

Here is another example of this false interpretation of God's Word: using it as a book of spells. A popular pastor has taught his congregation that there is a special seven-step process towards getting your prayers answered. These are the steps:

Seven Steps to Answered Prayer

1. The first step to answered prayer is to be specific and stand on God's promises. Decide what you want from God's Word and meditate on the scripture that relates to the promise until your heart becomes established on it. Speak the Word of God when the enemy attacks you. Stand and fight for what God promised you in His Word.¹⁰⁴
2. The second step to receiving answers to your prayers is to ask God for what you want and believe that you receive it.¹⁰⁵
3. The third step to answered prayer is to be positive in your thinking. Make sure your thinking is in line with God's Word. Keep your mind on the answer and let every thought, feeling and emotion confirm that you have the answer you have prayed.¹⁰⁶
4. The fourth step to answered prayer is to guard your mind against every evil thought that causes you to doubt God's Word. You must cast down negative thoughts and suggestions by speaking the Word of God. Your thoughts are governed by your observations, associations and the teachings you receive.¹⁰⁷
5. Meditating on God's Word is a critical step to receiving answers to your prayers. You must see yourself successful before you will actually experience success. Use your imagination as a tool to frame your future. Become consumed with what God has said in His Word.¹⁰⁸
6. Thanksgiving is a powerful force that releases God to change your situations and circumstances. We are to give thanks in every situation we find ourselves. Thankfulness equals fruitfulness, but ungratefulness hinders what God can do for you. Instead of worrying about things, give God thanks.¹⁰⁹
7. The seventh step to answered prayer is to make every prayer a statement of faith. Plead your case before God and only speak words of faith so you don't cancel what you have prayed. Refuse to speak words of doubt and unbelief.¹¹⁰

Now, we address many of the concerns presented on this list elsewhere but here we want to make a specific point. These steps have nothing to do with neither the kingdom of God nor the model prayer with which the Lord gave us to structure our prayers. You will be hard pressed to find, in the New Testament, as single person praying or telling us to pray about selfish things like this. In fact, we are instructed to pray for those that want to use us and for others. Below are some examples of the scriptures in the New Testament that instruct us to pray. Notice that there is very little concern about the blessings you want,

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44)

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Wouldn't you think that of all the things that the very model prayer that the Lord himself gave us, the so-called Lord's Prayer, would at least match what is said in the seven steps?

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Prayer should be modeled after this format; not simply vainly repeated (see "Say Grace"). First of all we should be thanking and praising God for who he is and praying for his kingdom to come, which involves prayer for others to be brought to the Gospel (intercession). Second, we ask for provision from God: "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Third, we seek deliverance from sins and the power of the enemy. Then the focus goes right back on God. You see the problem we have as Christians is that we are self-centered. Self-centered people can never submit themselves to anyone fully; if this is true, how do we think we can submit ourselves to Christ? WWJD? Jesus Christ was not self-centered; he submitted himself to God. Even in Gethsemane, when it seemed he was asking God for something selfish, even though he wasn't, his conclusion was "thy will be done" (Matthew 26:39), which is something that the "Seven Steps" method of praying does not allow, for it says "my will be done."

Conclusion

The Bible is not a book of spells that we read to tell us about ourselves. It is not a book about us. It is a book about the Lord Jesus. Anytime we come up with a conclusion different from Christ, then we have completely missed the point being made in the Bible. The Bible was not written for us to manipulate and control our environment, which makes us no different from sorcerers and witches. The Bible is here for us to fully submit ourselves to God and become like him through his Son Jesus and his Spirit dwelling inside of us. This is the point that we would be in his image and likeness through Christ. When we pray for blessings and the like we are asking for things God has not promised because they are outside of Christ. When we use the scripture to get what we want, we are not standing on the promises of God. Rather, we are using the Bible as a means to an end when it (the Word of God) is an end in itself. God did not send us his Son to: make us rich, take away all physical pain, and give us what we want. He sent his Son to redeem us to himself.

Our demand for manifestation is simply a demand for something to relieve us of doubt and unbelief. Our demand, however, shows that we have doubt and unbelief, which makes us exempt from receiving the promises of God. We end up making the Gospel about us; the Word of God alone is not enough, it then becomes about the things we demand. This demand is rooted in a desire to manipulate and control God for what we want. Preachers, teachers, whoever is out there using these messages to distract the people of God from Jesus Christ, placing the emphasis on yourself and causing the people to place the emphasis on themselves, we rebuke you. Turn from your wickedness. God will not tolerate your sorcery. On the Day of Judgment, you will be punished if do not turn to the Lord. Saints of God, hear this word from the Lord. He loves you and wants to be manifest in your life, not because of your demands, but because he loves you. If you obey his word, he will make you into the person HE wants you to be and will manifest himself to you. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Let us do it saints because we need Jesus more than we ever have before.

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