Author Archive
Aug
11
2008
Posted by: Jim in Extreme Bible Study, Uncategorized, tags: christians, corruption, devil, humble person, jonathan edwards, proud person, satan, self confidence, spiritual pride, suspicion
“Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil’s reach as humility.” (Edwards)
Here are some interesting thoughts on pride, and the worst pride, spiritual pride. See what you think.
Jonathan Edwards on Spiritual Pride.
The first and worst cause of error that prevails in our day is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead the judgment, and the main handle by which Satan takes hold of Christians to hinder a work of God. Until this disease is cured, medicines are applied Continue reading
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Aug
02
2008
Posted by: Jim in Musings of a Wretched Man, tags: demon, demon oppression, demons, oppressor, satan, satanic forces, satanists, selfishness, stumbling block, witches
Ok, call me foolish. I still don’t get it. Why can’t we understand the obvious:
SATANIC FORCES (WITCHES, BRUJOS, SATANISTS, DEMONS, ETC.) OPPRESS CHRISTIANS! And the closer to God you are, the more you try to do what He wills, the fiercer and more persistent the attacks.
Many people wonder what exactly is oppression by demons or other satanic forces. Demon oppression can be relatively simple to see or very complex to actually understand. In the Bible, in the book of Matthew chapter 16 we have the following incident recorded:
Mt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the
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Jun
29
2008
Posted by: Jim in Possession and Oppression, tags: Afraid, christian, demon, devil, fear, God, Jesus, oppression, possession, satan, spiritual, warfare, witchcraft
In a stunning turn of events (or is it?) the Church has largely turned it’s back on the importance of Satan and the topic of Demon Possession, especially in the recent past. Specifically is the question of whether or not a Christian can be demon possessed. Actually, many churches that otherwise walk the straight and narrow when it comes to following God seem to ignore the warnings given throughout the Bible concerning Satan and his demon’s, demonic practices, the counterfeiting of all things Godly, etc.
You say you can’t remember being warned about these things, about fighting with Satan, about the possibility and downright certainty of being oppressed by, if not possessed by demon’s? It’s no wonder. Again, the church, God’s people have chosen to tread… Continue reading
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Jun
29
2008
Posted by: Jim in Musings of a Wretched Man, tags: blackbird, brujas, brujeria, brujos, demon, Demonic, oppression, possession, Shaman, witch
The first meeting of the From Darkness to Light Foundation took place in Panajachel, Guatemala Friday night, June 27, 2008. There were about 15 people present and the topics discussed were related to the mission of the Foundation: working with the community to educate them about demons and demonic activity, witches (brujps and brujas and bujeria and shaman here in Guatemala), oppression and possession by demons (including the question "can christians be possessed by evil spirits/demons?"), deliverance from or exorcism of demon possession or evil spirits.
There were several stories related concerning the demonic activities in the area including discussion of a general nature concerning Rachels demonic possession story and the oppression of Pastor Trinidads daughter by an evil presence (complete with nightly visits… Continue reading | 1 Comment
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Jun
26
2008
Posted by: Jim in Musings of a Wretched Man, tags: plan, sad
Well, I just discovered last evening that all the links in this site were broken. Probably that way for two weeks or better. That means that all the visitors coming for help and several in particular could not find the direction and comfort they were looking for. How sad…
Or is it? Things are back to normal and God continues to work His plan. I trust that this incident was His plan or in His plan and we are on course!
Full speed ahead!… Continue reading
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In an earlier post I wrote about the practicality of fighting against Satan and his workers, be they brujos or brujas with their brujeria or demons or new agers or games of fantasy; regardless of the method used for entry into ones life, the fight is still between God and Satan. In this fight God uses weak instruments to prove His power, and those instruments are His people, at least those willing to be used. And if one is not willing to be used He can use them anyway. Understanding that should provide some insight into the following verse:
Ro 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
According to the verse above and… Continue reading
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This post is general in nature because I need to speak to the skeptics out there about demons (satan’s workers) and fear. I continue to read post after post which makes light of Satan and his practices. But I can assure you this is no joke.
In a thousand posts easily found in a search of the internet one can find site after site that pokes fun at evangelicals who raise a warning flag about the dangers of association when it comes to things of the dark side. Ouija Boards, fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons, witchcraft or brujeria; all are directly or indirectly associated with an involvement in things not of God.
A few days ago I met with a Pastor and his family to talk… Continue reading
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Jun
10
2008
Posted by: Jim in Bible Study, tags: Fight, power, satan
As you can see if you read some of the posts on this site, there are people who believe it wrong to be engaged in a battle with Satan. They ask if it’s biblical and wonder where the precedent lies. I have several examples to share with you but first let me be clear about fighting with Satan.
There is no way to fight with Satan or his associates and win. Well, almost no way. There does exist one certain Avenue of victory in the fight against Satan. Can you recall someone who in their own strength was able to fight Satan and win? Here is a passage that may help you:
Eph 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, Continue reading
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It seems that many readers of the material on this site think it wrong to devote much time to studying the dark things, the things of Satan. Let me say here and now I understand and almost agree with them. Satan and his associates are not where we focus our efforts nor our attentions normally. But consider this. Times change and so does the plan of God. Not as in deviate from the plan, but as in deviate from our perspective of the norm. The plan of God doesn’t change; the plan of God changes times. Consider this:
The time was during the ministry of Christ, when the disciples were walking with Him daily. That was the norm. He tried to tell… Continue reading
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The Dream; Bringing it All Together
We have the dream about spells and voodoo, and pins in the doll. We have a blackbird hovering outside the door. We have a blackbird flying into and then out of a room of the same house just after midnight. We have a mysterious phone call a short time later, a baby bird found in the driveway and a death in the household.
If you haven’t already, please read Parts I and II:
Oh, and one more thing I forgot. Hector… Continue reading
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What is Your Fear?
written June 27, 2005
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Yesterday we faced a difficult moment. On our way to a very remote village to attend a church service and assess the possibility of a future medical clinic we came upon an obstacle in our path. It was a river (not a stream or brook; a RIVER) that we would need to cross three times in various places to drive to the village. It was normally passable with a high clearance 4 WD vehicle but this day was far from normal as we had had heavy rains and it was overflowing its banks and flowing very swiftly. I
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I Will Fear No Evil?
Written in Guatemala
July 16, 2006
Two weeks ago in Guatemala, I woke up one morning thinking about the 23rd Psalm. But I couldn’t get past the first verse:
Ps 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. It just sounded too simple. The Lord is the shepherd and I am one of his sheep. I follow him; he takes care of me. I follow him. He
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Blackbird Brings Death?
If you haven’t read the first article in this series, Witch, Brujo or Bruja, Shaman, Demon; Satan’s Workers? it’s best to do it now.
To sum up, a man is telling of a story wherein a blackbird is fluttering outside his bedroom door and then a few nights later, actually enters the bedroom and flies around before being ushered out by the man’s wife. A baby bird is found a few days later and is brought into the house where it subsequently dies.
The story is interesting on its face but gets even more interesting as other details are added. The same man has a dinner where he has invited a doctor and… Continue reading | 10 Comments
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A Blackbird Brings Bad News; Or Does It?
Have you ever thought about witches and witch doctors (brujos or brujas or shaman in Guatemala), demons or other ungodly entities, what they stand for and what they do? Rest assured they are not on God’s payroll. They are workers for Satan, directly or indirectly and he accomplishes much through their efforts. We glorify these entities in many ways in our society and we teach our children many unfortunate things through seemingly innocent channels. We do all this while at the same time limiting those things that come from Continue reading | 6 Comments
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Heart Attack -Go to the Hospital… Or the Church?
In Guatemala several years ago I found a woman on the side of the road suffering from an apparent heart attack. Gathered around her were family members very much in a panic as we were in a remote area with little traffic. As I approached and surmised that there was a problem I stopped to offer assistance. What followed was an incredible example of faith. Read the story at the link below:
You might have to hold the “Control” key and then right click the link…
I know there were some misunderstandings about it so let me try to clarify what I said, now that you’ve had some time to think about it.
First, I do not advocate rushing a heart
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May
14
2008
Posted by: Jim in Possession and Oppression, tags: believe, bible, christian, church, Deliverance, demon, devil, evil, Exorcism, God, Hank Hanegraaff, John Macarthur, possession, satan, spirit, trust
I DO BELIEVE DEMONS EXIST
Written by Jim Guffey
March 6, 2008
“Matthew also says the demoniacs were “exceedingly fierce.” That means they were violent. Mark 5 says that people had tried to bind them with chains, but those demoniacs broke them with their tremendous strength. Such strength was demonstrated to me when the demon-possessed woman I spoke with flipped over a steel desk with only two fingers.”
Do I believe demons exist? That’s a good question. Unfortunately, the answer is a little complicated. I believe angels exist but I’ve never seen one. I believe God exists but I’ve never seen Him. Let’s just say Continue reading
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Note: This listing of The Bible in chronological order is taken from an incredibly good author by the name of God (just kidding-He is incredibly good but He is responsible for the Bible, the organization of the content is what I am talking about). The organizers name is F. LaGard Smith and the name of the book is “The Daily Bible In Chronological Order 365 Daily Readings”. It includes devotional insights and is worth it’s weight in gold to me as it really helped to bring all the stories together. Please buy this book in your local Bible bookstore. For the purposes of this posting I have taken the liberty to adapt it slightly by not including parallel entries.
If there is interest I will post the Daily Reading every day. … Continue reading
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The president of Iran thinks the Holocaust was a ‘myth’. Watch the video. What do you think? (If you don’t see the screen below this line please click the title above) [google]8913950098590832934[/google]… Continue reading
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Note: This listing of The Bible in chronological order is taken from an incredibly good author by the name of God (just kidding-He is incredibly good but He is responsible for the Bible, the organization of the content is what I am talking about). The organizers name is F. LaGard Smith and the name of the book is “The Daily Bible In Chronological Order 365 Daily Readings”. It includes devotional insights and is worth it’s weight in gold to me as it really helped to bring all the stories together. Please buy this book in your local Bible bookstore. For the purposes of this posting I have taken the liberty to adapt it slightly by not including parallel entries.
Additionally, from time to time I will make comments on the passages… Continue reading
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