The Spiritual Warfare Error

 Among all the errors I've pointed out so far, this is one of the most ridiculous doctrines preached by charismatic ministers. But had they studied the subject correctly, they'd have noticed it isn't about chasing demons.

So what is spiritual warfare? Simply put, it's preaching the truth from scripture. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV), "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;"

The context of this chapter shows plainly that we battle lies and faulty human reasoning with God's Word. It isn't done by binding and rebuking Satan. Matthew 18:18 clearly is in the context of church discipline, not, as charismatics claim, sending demons to the abyss. They preach utter nonsense and are deluded into thinking they're serving Christ.

And as Paul admonished in 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV), "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

The sixth chapter of Ephesians lists the spiritual Armour which we must wear at all times. Each part is needed for the destruction of Satan's lies, one of those being that demon-chasing doctrine. As C. S. Lewis noted in his book, The Screwtape Letters, people have two equal and opposite errors about demons. Either they don't believe there are any or they're obsessed by them to the point where they aren't preaching the gospel.

I need to write my book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Satan has millions of lies, all designed to pull people off the narrow way. My intent and mission is to pull people onto that straight way.

Stay tuned for more excellent Bible teaching. I have many more errors to comment on next month.

BEWARE OF SUPERSTITIOUS CHURCHES

What's this? Are some churches really superstitious? From what I've experienced, some are. In my brief stay on this planet, I wasted fifteen and a half years in one. Now I'm free of that aberrant congregation and their superstitious nonsense.

What do I mean by superstitious nonsense? Many Christians seem to think that if they do or don't do certain things to ward off evil, bad things will happen to them or their loved ones. For example, I remember being told to plead the blood of Jesus over myself or my friends in order to protect them from demons. Some of my former congregants even backed up this superstition by mentioning bad consequences resulting after  foregoing this procedure. Nowhere in all of Scripture does it say we should pray to have Christ's blood sprinkled on us to protect us from demons.

If you read the sixth chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesian church, You'll find out the activities and attitudes which actually protect Christians from going astray and sinning against God. Furthermore, putting on the whole Armour of God is a spiritual exercise involving our minds. It isn't declaring, "I Plead the blood of Jesus," on somebody or something.

Using "in Jesus' name" at the end of a prayer doesn't make it more effective either. I was wrongly taught that it gave the prayer more power if I said that. What those misleaders failed to recognize is God's sovereignty over all things. What he lets happen happens for his glory and our spiritual growth. Prayer isn't some sort of magic incantation but our agreeing with the heavenly Father that his will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Perhaps the worst example of superstition is the idea that our words can bring what we say into reality. The idea is that since God spoke and the universe leapt into existence, and that we can become his adopted children through Christ, that we also can wield the same creative power. Some preachers even have blasphemously claimed that we are little gods. They base this on Psalms 82:6. I found out the hard way that this DOESN'T work. Only God has creative power and prerogative.

Having written my testimony of how God corrected the superstitions I learned at a cultic house church, I'm eager to help free others of their bondage to blasphemous notions. Please listen to my testimony and hear why it's so crucial to understand that nothing happens to us that God doesn't know about and that nothing he lets happen is for our eternal harm. Check out my memoir of God's providential leading on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.