Category: MYSTICISM MONDAYS
It is not my intention to offend Catholics who believe that these are truly apparitions of Mary. Rather it is out of love and concern for precious Catholics that I write these types of posts in order to urge Catholics — and everyone — to read and to study God’s Word and to test everything against the truth of God’s Word so that they will not be deceived by the many spiritually deceptive things that are taking place these days in the name of “Christianity.”
As you can see from the title of this post, this will be the last in the series of posts for Mysticism Monday. Lord willing, I will be explaining why in an upcoming post later on this month.
The information that you will see and hear in the following videos sums up perfectly the many things that I have tried to warn you about in these Mysticism Monday posts. When time allows, I hope that you will watch these videos and pray for discernment so that you will not be deceived by the many ways that spiritually deceptive teachings and practices are infiltrating many churches today, because some of these things may very well be happening in your church!
If you are new to this blog, I hope that you will consider clicking on the Mysticism Monday Category and read some of the previous posts so that you can be aware of the many other things that I have warned about over the past year or so.
The main thing that I try to stress in the things that I write here on my blog is the importance of reading and studying God’s Word so that you will be able to discern a counterfeit form of spirituality from genuine Christianity.
The following videos will show you how the teachings of the New Age — which are now referred to as the New Spirituality — are merging with Christianity and seducing Christians into the world of the occult because of so-called Christian leaders who are encouraging Christians to have experiences with God instead of telling them that the only way to come to know God is by the truth of His Word –the Bible. Please don’t allow yourself to become one of the many Christians who have been deceived and led astray by teachers who claim to be Christian and yet promote these unbiblical spiritual practices!
Here are the video descriptions:
VIDEO 1
A look into the Invasion of the old New Age Movement in today’s Post Modern Church.
VOLUME 1 OF A MULTI-PART SERIES
COVERS THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:
The Counterfeit Church
Biblical Christianity
The Evolving New Age
Christianized New Age Spiritually
The New Age in Media5 PARTS | 40 MINS EACH | 3 HRS TOTAL
also available in the Europe Shop
VOLUMES 2&3 ALSO AVAILABLE AT WWW.CARYL.TV
VIDEO 2
Continuing from VOLUME 1: A look into the Invasion of the old New Age Movement in today’s Post Modern Church.
VOLUME 3 OF A MULTI-PART SERIES
COVERS THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:
The Holy Spirit Gifts of The Holy Spirit
Five Fold Ministry
Music
God Chasers and Mystery Schools
Mystical Divine Within
Little Gods in the End-Times Battle7 EPISODES | 2 DISC SET | OVER 5 HRS TOTAL
also available in the Europe Shop
WIDE IS THE GATE VOLUME 1 & 3 ALSO AVAILABLE AT WWW.CARYL.TV
And now for the final Mysticism Monday:
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:13-23)
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11,12)
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
Have you unknowingly been lured into New Age mystical practices by teachers claiming that certain “new ways to pray” will bring you closer to God? Have you signed up for classes in Spiritual Formation, or has your pastor been preaching on it? Have you been involved in “Christian“ Yoga, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, or Lectio Divina? Well, this series of posts in the new Category of posts that I have entitled, ‘MYSTICISM MONDAYS,‘ will attempt to not only peel back the layers of the many forms of spiritual deception that have been entering the church in order to reveal them to you as being lies of the enemy of our souls, but also the intention of these posts is to present you with the truth of God’s Word in order to expose the spiritual dangers of these practices.
Lord willing, at least once a month on a Monday, I will be sharing teachings with you from Christian experts on the subject, some of whom have even been personally involved with these dangerous practices. All of these teachings that I will be presenting to you will focus on many Scriptures; those who speak on these topics will not just be talking about these practices, because it’s only the truth of God’s Word that will expose the dangers of these practices and set a deceived person free.
Lord willing, when time allows, I will be writing many posts in the future zeroing in on specific Christian programming and Christian teachers who are promoting these deceptive practices, (I recently posted a very lengthy one concerning Moody Radio which I recently updated, and when time allows I will complete it by adding notes that I took as I listened to many of Moody’s, now cancelled, Midday Connection programs) but since my time is getting rather limited these days because of other important responsibilities that I now have, I will oftentimes simply be sharing a video or an article with you.
When time allows, I truly hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to these messages or read these articles, as well as read the upcoming posts that — Lord willing — I will be writing on these important topics so that you can be aware of these false teachings that are deceiving many Christians –possibly even you!
Please be sure that you test the teachings of all those whom you listen to against Scripture as God’s Word shows us that we are to do (Acts 17:11) so that you will never be deceived.
I hope and pray that all of you who are Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ are constantly testing what your pastors and teachers are presenting to you against the truth of God’s Word as we are shown in Scripture to do (Acts 17:11) no matter how long they have been in ministry, because many pastors and teachers are now embracing and presenting New Age mystical practices to their people through things such as yoga, as well as though meditation practices which often times are found in Spiritual Formation classes and are referred to as Contemplative Prayer, silent prayer, Lectio Divina, Taize, etc.
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Mysticism in the church is one of the many ways that Satan is now using to bring about the oneness and unity that is being promoted in the world to bring about the One World Religion. Sadly, many pastors and teachers lack discernment and have now become tools in Satan’s hands to promote these mystical practices. We must keep in mind what God says in His Word:
“Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Are you a follower of a man (or woman) and their ministry? Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Will you be a Berean and examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they are saying is true? Will you walk in the light and in truth and leave, if necessary, if Yoga and other mystical practices are being promoted at your church? Or are the relationships that you have developed over the years while you have attended your church more important to you than being obedient to God and the truth presented in His Word? True followers of Jesus Christ will follow Him –no matter what the cost.
“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
Now for today’s Mysticism Monday:
Today I would like to share some very good information with you concerning Mysticism and the Emergent Church from a ministry that I recently discovered through someone on Facebook who has been posting some of their videos. The name of this ministry is Youth Apologetic Training. Please continue to test everything that you hear and read in light of Scripture, but so far everything that I have seen and heard seems to be very Biblical. Although this series on the Emergent Church was written in 2013, it is still very relevant for us today. This article addresses labyrinths, yoga, Contemplative spirituality, breath prayers, mantras, and more. You can also click on links to listen to many podcasts concerning the Emerging Church, and many other topics, as well.
(SOURCE)<–Click here to continue reading.
Because of how drastically our world has changed, and is continuing to change, especially morally and spiritually, I have a deep concern and burden for the youth of today, and I know that many of you do, as well. I hope and pray that you will find this website to be a good source for helpful information for you to help your children and teens, and that you will be able to share some of this information with them, as well, so that they might learn to discern and realize just how relevant God’s Word is for today. The Bible is not an old book with outdated information, as some sadly seem to think it is. God does not change, and His Word does not change either. It is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), and with 100% accuracy it has already revealed what will happen before it has happened, and it will continue to do so, thus verifying the Bible is indeed the very Word of God!
The Bible is filled with prophecies! It is said that almost one third of Scripture is prophetic. Here is a very good article by Let Us Reason Ministries for those of you who would like to read more on this subject:
THE PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES
If you had a chance to watch the videos from Calvary Chapel Cypress‘ ‘CHANGES WITHIN THE CHURCH ROUND TABLE MEETING‘ with Pastor Chris Quintana, Roger Oakland, Xavier Ries, as well as the videos from Hosanna Christian Fellowship’s Conference, ‘THE REMAINING AND ONGOING DANGERS OF THE EMERGENT CHURCH MOVEMENT‘ with Roger Oakland, Warren B Smith, Paul Smith, and Xavier Ries, (I also posted these videos further below for you) then I am sure you realize that the Emergent Church Movement is alive and well today! This movement elevates having experiences with God over the Word of God, and, sadly, they do not place very much emphasis on God’s Word at all; they do not acknowledge it as absolute truth, but rather something that can be debated and adjusted in light of how the culture is today.
Please pray and take time to read and to study God’s Word so that you will not be one of the many who are being deceived and led astray by these movements and mystical practices that are coming into many churches these days!
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:8,9)
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:16-21)
“Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:1,2)
“When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:29-32)
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:18-20)
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
YOUTH APOLOGETICS TRAINING – EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE – PROPHECIES OF JESUS
RELATED VIDEOS
EMERGING CHURCH ROUND TABLE MEETING – POSTED BY ROGER OAKLAND
Posted by Hosanna Christian Fellowship (Please read the concerns that I addressed in my post about what Xavier Ries said in the first video at the 1:27:56 – 1:28:09 minute mark in this Conference by clicking HERE and reading the 2/6/16 UPDATE, or just pray for discernment before you listen to these videos. Always make sure that you test everything that you listen to and read against Scripture. – Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21).
The following videos from the Remaining and Ongoing Dangers of the Emergent Church Movement Conference were posted by Roger Oakland. For whatever his reason may have been, he chose not to include any of Xavier Ries’ presentations from this Conference, which I am thankful for, because even though Xavier had a lot of good things to say, he did cause a lot of confusion for many as they watched and expressed their concerns during the live streaming of this event.
REMINDER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERESTED:
Don’t forget about the Calvary Chapel Cypress Defending The Faith Conference coming up this weekend! If they live stream this event or upload it onto YouTube, Lord willing, I will post it here on my blog for you.
Have you unknowingly been lured into New Age mystical practices by teachers claiming that certain “new ways to pray” will bring you closer to God? Have you signed up for classes in Spiritual Formation, or has your pastor been preaching on it? Have you been involved in “Christian“ Yoga, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, or Lectio Divina? Well, this series of posts in the new Category of posts that I have entitled, ‘MYSTICISM MONDAYS,‘ will attempt to not only peel back the layers of the many forms of spiritual deception that have been entering the church in order to reveal them to you as being lies of the enemy of our souls, but also the intention of these posts is to present you with the truth of God’s Word in order to expose the spiritual dangers of these practices.
Lord willing, at least once a month on a Monday, I will be sharing teachings with you from Christian experts on the subject, some of whom have even been personally involved with these dangerous practices. All of these teachings that I will be presenting to you will focus on many Scriptures; those who speak on these topics will not just be talking about these practices, because it’s only the truth of God’s Word that will expose the dangers of these practices and set a deceived person free.
Lord willing, when time allows, I will be writing many posts in the future zeroing in on specific Christian programming and Christian teachers who are promoting these deceptive practices, (I recently posted a very lengthy one concerning Moody Radio which I updated last weekend, and when time allows I will complete it by adding notes that I took as I listened to many of Moody’s, now cancelled, Midday Connection programs) but since my time is getting rather limited these days because of other important responsibilities that I now have, I will oftentimes simply be sharing a video or an article with you.
When time allows, I truly hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to these messages or read these articles, as well as read the upcoming posts that — Lord willing — I will be writing on these important topics so that you can be aware of these false teachings that are deceiving many Christians –possibly even you!
Please be sure that you test the teachings of all those whom you listen to against Scripture as God’s Word shows us that we are to do (Acts 17:11) so that you will never be deceived.
I hope and pray that all of you who are Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ are constantly testing what your pastors and teachers are presenting to you against the truth of God’s Word as we are shown in Scripture to do (Acts 17:11) no matter how long they have been in ministry, because many pastors and teachers are now embracing and presenting New Age mystical practices to their people through things such as yoga, as well as though meditation practices which often times are found in Spiritual Formation classes and are referred to as Contemplative Prayer, silent prayer, Lectio Divina, Taize, etc.
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Mysticism in the church is one of the many ways that Satan is now using to bring about the oneness and unity that is being promoted in the world to bring about the One World Religion. Sadly, many pastors and teachers lack discernment and have now become tools in Satan’s hands to promote these mystical practices. We must keep in mind what God says in His Word:
“Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Are you a follower of a man (or woman) and their ministry? Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Will you be a Berean and examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they are saying is true? Will you walk in the light and in truth and leave, if necessary, if Yoga and other mystical practices are being promoted at your church? Or are the relationships that you have developed over the years while you have attended your church more important to you than being obedient to God and the truth presented in His Word? True followers of Jesus Christ will follow Him –no matter what the cost.
“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
Now for today’s Mysticism Monday:
On February 5, 2016, Larry DeBruyn of GUARDING HIS FLOCK was a guest on Tom McMahon’s radio program Search The Scriptures 24/7. The title of their discussion was Have You Contemplated Your Spirituality? Some of the things they discussed were Contemplative Prayer, solitude, silence, the desert fathers, what is true spirituality, and more. Everything was examined in light of Scripture, including the life of Jesus to see if any of these practices were in any way presented in Scripture as an example for us to follow.
When time allows I hope you will listen to these programs so that you might grow in your understanding of how mysticism is rapidly entering many churches these days and leading many astray. Please don’t allow yourself to be one of the many who are being deceived by these spiritual practices that attempt to lure you in through your emotions. Stand fast against the wiles of the devil! (Ephesians 6:11)
For those of you who would rather read the articles, or for those of you who may have some type of a hearing problem, you can read Part 1 and Part 2 of their discussion at the links below which are actually the transcripts of their conversations.
PART 1 – HAVE YOU CONTEMPLATED YOUR SPIRITUALITY?
PART 2 – HAVE YOU CONTEMPLATED YOUR SPIRITUALITY?
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-17)
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:3,4)
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men. after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
“Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:26-31)
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
Have you unknowingly been lured into New Age mystical practices by teachers claiming that certain “new ways to pray” will bring you closer to God? Have you signed up for classes in Spiritual Formation, or has your pastor been preaching on it? Have you been involved in “Christian“ Yoga, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, or Lectio Divina? Well, this series of posts in the new Category of posts that I have entitled, ‘MYSTICISM MONDAYS,‘ will attempt to not only peel back the layers of the many forms of spiritual deception that have been entering the church in order to reveal them to you as being lies of the enemy of our souls, but also the intention of these posts is to present you with the truth of God’s Word in order to expose the spiritual dangers of these practices.
Lord willing, at least once a month on a Monday, I will be sharing teachings with you from Christian experts on the subject, some of whom have even been personally involved with these dangerous practices. All of these teachings that I will be presenting to you will focus on many Scriptures; those who speak on these topics will not just be talking about these practices, because it’s only the truth of God’s Word that will expose the dangers of these practices and set a deceived person free.
Lord willing, when time allows, I will be writing many posts in the future zeroing in on specific Christian programming and Christian teachers who are promoting these deceptive practices, (I recently posted a very lengthy one concerning Moody Radio which I will continue to update when time allows until completed) but since my time is getting rather limited these days because of other important responsibilities that I now have, I will oftentimes simply be sharing a video or an article with you.
When time allows, I truly hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to these messages or read these articles, as well as read the upcoming posts that — Lord willing — I will be writing on these important topics so that you can be aware of these false teachings that are deceiving many Christians –possibly even you!
Please be sure that you test the teachings of all those whom you listen to against Scripture as God’s Word shows us that we are to do (Acts 17:11) so that you will never be deceived.
I hope and pray that all of you who are Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ are constantly testing what your pastors and teachers are presenting to you against the truth of God’s Word as we are shown in Scripture to do (Acts 17:11) no matter how long they have been in ministry, because many pastors and teachers are now embracing and presenting New Age mystical practices to their people through things such as yoga, as well as though meditation practices which often times are found in Spiritual Formation classes and are referred to as Contemplative Prayer, silent prayer, Lectio Divina, Taize, etc.
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Mysticism in the church is one of the many ways that Satan is now using to bring about the oneness and unity that is being promoted in the world to bring about the One World Religion. Sadly, many pastors and teachers lack discernment and have now become tools in Satan’s hands to promote these mystical practices. We must keep in mind what God says in His Word:
“Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Are you a follower of a man (or woman) and their ministry? Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Will you be a Berean and examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they are saying is true? Will you walk in the light and in truth and leave, if necessary, if Yoga and other mystical practices are being promoted at your church? Or are the relationships that you have developed over the years while you have attended your church more important to you than being obedient to God and the truth presented in His Word? True followers of Jesus Christ will follow Him –no matter what the cost.
“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
Now for today’s Mysticism Monday:
In the video below you will hear Phil Holden of *EDINBURGH CREATION GROUP as he gives a clear and very detailed explanation of why we are now seeing paganism replacing Biblical Christianity in many churches these days. In his presentation he also explains how paganism slowly made its way into the teachings at many schools and universities today. As he presents all of his information you will come to realize what is truly responsible for paganism’s modern rise.
Here is a quick capture from a portion of his article that will give you an idea of some of the things that he addresses in his presentation:
(SOURCE) *“Edinburgh Creation Group is an active forum where scientifically minded people meet to discuss evidence supporting the Biblical account of creation.”
Some of the things discussed in this video are Freemasonry, Evolution, becoming gods, enlightenment, and more. He clearly establishes a spiritual link between evolution and paganism through all of the visual and documented information that he shares in the following video. He gave this presentation in front of a very large audience at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival.
When time allows I hope you will watch this video so that your eyes will be opened even more so that you can see how these spiritually deceptive teachings are attempting to erode the foundations of Biblical Christianity and our society as a whole.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:20,21) (KJV – Bible Hub)
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:6-8)(KJV – Bible Hub)
16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” King James Version (KJV) Romans 1:16-32) by Public Domain
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
UPDATE:
For those of you who may be interested: Yesterday I updated my post, MOODY RADIO’S MIDDAY CONNECTION PROGRAM – CANCELLED, and, Lord willing, I hope to add a little more information to that post later on this evening.
Have you unknowingly been lured into New Age mystical practices by teachers claiming that certain “new ways to pray” will bring you closer to God? Have you signed up for classes in Spiritual Formation, or has your pastor been preaching on it? Have you been involved in “Christian“ Yoga, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, or Lectio Divina? Well, this series of posts in the new Category of posts that I have entitled, ‘MYSTICISM MONDAYS,‘ will attempt to not only peel back the layers of the many forms of spiritual deception that have been entering the church in order to reveal them to you as being lies of the enemy of our souls, but also the intention of these posts is to present you with the truth of God’s Word in order to expose the spiritual dangers of these practices.
Lord willing, at least once a month on a Monday, I will be sharing teachings with you from Christian experts on the subject, some of whom have even been personally involved with these dangerous practices. All of these teachings that I will be presenting to you will focus on many Scriptures; those who speak on these topics will not just be talking about these practices, because it’s only the truth of God’s Word that will expose the dangers of these practices and set a deceived person free.
Lord willing, when time allows, I will be writing many posts in the future zeroing in on specific Christian programming and Christian teachers who are promoting these deceptive practices, (I recently posted a very lengthy one concerning Moody Radio which I will continue to update when time allows until completed) but since my time is getting rather limited these days because of other important responsibilities that I now have, I will oftentimes simply be sharing a video or an article with you.
When time allows, I truly hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to these messages or read these articles, as well as read the upcoming posts that — Lord willing — I will be writing on these important topics so that you can be aware of these false teachings that are deceiving many Christians –possibly even you!
Please be sure that you test the teachings of all those whom you listen to against Scripture as God’s Word shows us that we are to do (Acts 17:11) so that you will never be deceived.
I hope and pray that all of you who are Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ are constantly testing what your pastors and teachers are presenting to you against the truth of God’s Word as we are shown in Scripture to do (Acts 17:11) no matter how long they have been in ministry, because many pastors and teachers are now embracing and presenting New Age mystical practices to their people through things such as yoga, as well as though meditation practices which often times are found in Spiritual Formation classes and are referred to as Contemplative Prayer, silent prayer, Lectio Divina, Taize, etc.
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Mysticism in the church is one of the many ways that Satan is now using to bring about the oneness and unity that is being promoted in the world to bring about the One World Religion. Sadly, many pastors and teachers lack discernment and have now become tools in Satan’s hands to promote these mystical practices. We must keep in mind what God says in His Word:
“Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Are you a follower of a man (or woman) and their ministry? Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Will you be a Berean and examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they are saying is true? Will you walk in the light and in truth and leave, if necessary, if Yoga and other mystical practices are being promoted at your church? Or are the relationships that you have developed over the years while you have attended your church more important to you than being obedient to God and the truth presented in His Word? True followers of Jesus Christ will follow Him –no matter what the cost.
“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
Now for today’s Mysticism Monday:
Roger Oakland of UNDERSTAND THE TIMES, and Pastor Chris Quintana of CALVARY CHAPEL CYPRESS discuss End Times from a Biblical perspective. They also address the fact how many Christians are unaware of what is taking place in the name of Christianity and how we all need to wake up. Contemplative Prayer, the Emergent Church, doctrines of demons, and many more things are discussed. Lord willing, I will continue to add any new programs they do in this series to the Playlist that I have added for you below).
“People are following after ideas, after men and their methods, rather than following after God…” ~Roger Oakland
“I can’t tell you how many times, even like he [Roger Oakland] has mentioned kind of the mysticism that really is so entrenched in a lot of the old liturgical, the older denominations, are now making their way into the mainstream and people who should know better are falling into it incrementally…” ~Pastor Chris Quintana
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:2-4)
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9)
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4)
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.” (2 Peter 2:1)
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:1-5)
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
Have you unknowingly been lured into New Age mystical practices by teachers claiming that certain “new ways to pray” will bring you closer to God? Have you signed up for classes in Spiritual Formation, or has your pastor been preaching on it? Have you been involved in “Christian“ Yoga, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, or Lectio Divina? Well, this series of posts in the new Category of posts that I have entitled, ‘MYSTICISM MONDAYS,‘ will attempt to not only peel back the layers of the many forms of spiritual deception that have been entering the church in order to reveal them to you as being lies of the enemy of our souls, but also the intention of these posts is to present you with the truth of God’s Word in order to expose the spiritual dangers of these practices.
Lord willing, at least once a month on a Monday, I will be sharing teachings with you from Christian experts on the subject, some of whom have even been personally involved with these dangerous practices. All of these teachings that I will be presenting to you will focus on many Scriptures; those who speak on these topics will not just be talking about these practices, because it’s only the truth of God’s Word that will expose the dangers of these practices and set a deceived person free.
Lord willing, when time allows, I will be writing many posts in the future zeroing in on specific Christian programming and Christian teachers who are promoting these deceptive practices, (I recently posted a very lengthy one concerning Moody Radio which I will continue to update when time allows until completed) but since my time is getting rather limited these days because of other important responsibilities that I now have, I will oftentimes simply be sharing a video or an article with you.
When time allows, I truly hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to these messages or read these articles, as well as read the upcoming posts that — Lord willing — I will be writing on these important topics so that you can be aware of these false teachings that are deceiving many Christians –possibly even you!
Please be sure that you test the teachings of all those whom you listen to against Scripture as God’s Word shows us that we are to do (Acts 17:11) so that you will never be deceived.
I hope and pray that all of you who are Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ are constantly testing what your pastors and teachers are presenting to you against the truth of God’s Word as we are shown in Scripture to do (Acts 17:11) no matter how long they have been in ministry, because many pastors and teachers are now embracing and presenting New Age mystical practices to their people through things such as yoga, as well as though meditation practices which often times are found in Spiritual Formation classes and are referred to as Contemplative Prayer, silent prayer, Lectio Divina, Taize, etc.
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Mysticism in the church is one of the many ways that Satan is now using to bring about the oneness and unity that is being promoted in the world to bring about the One World Religion. Sadly, many pastors and teachers lack discernment and have now become tools in Satan’s hands to promote these mystical practices. We must keep in mind what God says in His Word:
“Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Are you a follower of a man (or woman) and their ministry? Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Will you be a Berean and examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they are saying is true? Will you walk in the light and in truth and leave, if necessary, if Yoga and other mystical practices are being promoted at your church? Or are the relationships that you have developed over the years while you have attended your church more important to you than being obedient to God and the truth presented in His Word? True followers of Jesus Christ will follow Him –no matter what the cost.
“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
Now for today’s very short, but very important, Mysticism Monday:
Before I begin though, I first want to thank those of you who have already taken the time to participate in my Survey Saturday poll:
SURVEY SATURDAY – GIVING YOU, THE READER, AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR REQUESTS
SURVEY SATURDAY – GIVING YOU, THE READER, AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR REQUESTS
For those of you who would still like to vote on your favorite Category of posts that you enjoy reading on this blog, you still have until Saturday evening, February 6th, to place your vote.
If you prefer, you can also send me a message using the ‘If You’d Like To Contact Me’ form at the top of my blog, or you can send me a message using the Contact Form that I added to my Survey Saturday post if you’d like to give me suggestions on what you would like me to prayerfully consider writing about over this coming year.
I would also like to sincerely thank those of you who sent me personal messages concerning what you would like me to write about. In doing so, God used you to confirm to me what I see the need to write about because of the heavy burden that I have upon my heart to warn Christians about these specific things. Please pray for me as I seek God’s help in writing these posts. Thank you so much!
Today’s Mysticism Monday has to be another short one because of unexpected circumstances that I have to deal with.
And now, finally, here is today’s Mysticism Monday:
The following videos are concerning Rick Joyner, of MorningStar Fellowship Church which is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, in order to demonstrate the power of suggestion, emotional manipulation, and his unbiblical teachings.
These videos will also demonstrate how mysticism and doctrines of demons are being accepted without question by Christians who are lacking discernment not only because they fail to read and study God’s Word, but also because they fail to pray for discernment and do not test what is being said and done in light of Scripture. (Acts 17:11) (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
Watch how the leaders of Rick Joyner’s Morningstar Church first declare what will happen, thus preparing the people to accept this as from God. Listen carefully to what is being said and how the people are acting. Does God’s Word reveal to us an account of anyone acting like this? How many Christians are accepting the words of men (and women) and ignoring the many warnings in Scripture about spiritual deception and doctrines of demons? Sadly, it appears that many do these days. Please do not be one of them!
RICK JOYNER CHURCH OF ALTERED STATES
RICK JOYNER INTERVIEWED BY SID ROTH
SID ROTH AT RICK JOYNER’S CHURCH
PEOPLE SO MANIPULATED AND SO DEEPLY LACKING IN DISCERNMENT THAT THEY ARE LED TO DO UNBELIEVABLE THINGS, SUCH AS THE HOLY GHOST HOKEY POKEY
TESTIMONY OF MISHEL MCCUMBER OF DECEPTION BYTES, A FORMER MEMBER OF RICK JOYNER’S CHURCH:
MISHEL MCCUMBER – TESTIMONY – ADRIFT IN THE RIVER OF GOD
INTERVIEW WITH MISHEL MCCUMBER – SHE ALSO WARNS ABOUT THE FALSE TEACHINGS OF DOMINIONISM THAT RICK JOYNER IS INVOLVED IN AND IS ALSO PROMOTING
RELATED VIDEOS
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
UPDATE:
I am sorry that I was unable to update my post on Moody Radio over the weekend, but, Lord willing, I am hoping that I will be able to do it throughout this coming week –if time allows.
If you didn’t see that I updated my
post by adding a link to Chris Rosebrough’s sermon review of Levi Lusko’s message in which he clearly makes the shocking and even blasphemous statement that “Jesus had suicidal thoughts in His head,” please be sure to listen to that clip from Levi Lusko’s sermon, as well as what Chris has to say in his short review.
Have you unknowingly been lured into New Age mystical practices by teachers claiming that certain “new ways to pray” will bring you closer to God? Have you signed up for classes in Spiritual Formation, or has your pastor been preaching on it? Have you been involved in “Christian“ Yoga, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, or Lectio Divina? Well, this series of posts in the new Category of posts that I have entitled, ‘MYSTICISM MONDAYS,‘ will attempt to not only peel back the layers of the many forms of spiritual deception that have been entering the church in order to reveal them to you as being lies of the enemy of our souls, but also the intention of these posts is to present you with the truth of God’s Word in order to expose the spiritual dangers of these practices.
Lord willing, at least once a month on a Monday, I will be sharing teachings with you from Christian experts on the subject, some of whom have even been personally involved with these dangerous practices. All of these teachings that I will be presenting to you will focus on many Scriptures; those who speak on these topics will not just be talking about these practices, because it’s only the truth of God’s Word that will expose the dangers of these practices and set a deceived person free.
Lord willing, when time allows, I will be writing many posts in the future zeroing in on specific Christian programming and Christian teachers who are promoting these deceptive practices, (I recently posted a very lengthy one concerning Moody Radio which I will continue to update until completed) but since my time is getting rather limited these days because of other important responsibilities that I now have, I will oftentimes simply be sharing a video or an article with you.
When time allows, I truly hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to these messages or read these articles, as well as read the upcoming posts that — Lord willing — I will be writing on these important topics so that you can be aware of these false teachings that are deceiving many Christians –possibly even you.
Please be sure that you test the teachings of all those whom you listen to against Scripture as God’s Word shows us that we are to do (Acts 17:11) so that you will never be deceived.
I hope and pray that all of you who are Bible believing followers of Jesus Christ are constantly testing what your pastors and teachers are presenting to you against the truth of God’s Word as we are shown in Scripture to do (Acts 17:11) no matter how long they have been in ministry, because many pastors and teachers are now embracing and presenting New Age mystical practices to their people through things such as yoga, as well as though meditation practices which often times are found in Spiritual Formation classes and are referred to as Contemplative Prayer, silent prayer, Lectio Divina, Taize, etc.
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Mysticism in the church is one of the many ways that Satan is now using to bring about the oneness and unity that is being promoted in the world to bring about the One World Religion. Sadly, many pastors and teachers lack discernment and have now become tools in Satan’s hands to promote these mystical practices. We must keep in mind what God says in His Word:
“Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Are you a follower of a man (or woman) and their ministry? Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Will you be a Berean and examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they are saying is true? Will you walk in the light and in truth and leave, if necessary, if Yoga and other mystical practices are being promoted at your church? Or are the relationships that you have developed over the years while you have attended your church more important to you than being obedient to God and the truth presented in His Word? True followers of Jesus Christ will follow Him –no matter what the cost.
“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
Now for today’s very short, but very important, Mysticism Monday:
This post has to be very short because my condo is still rather messy, and as I am writing this I am eating my cereal out of a container meant for left overs, and eating it with a fork. 
That’s what happens when a Berean and detective-at-heart is filled with an urgency to warn other Christians by spending countless hours writing and updating posts out of a desire to reach other Christians in order to emphasize the importance of testing the teachings of Christian pastors, leaders, and writers against the truth of God’s Word so they will not be deceived! At least that’s my excuse reason.
In all seriousness now, I’d like to share one of Ray Yungen’s ‘For Many Shall Come In My Name’ programs that he does on Rapture Ready Radio with you. In this episode Ray Yungen is joined by Jackie Alnor of THE SCATTERED SHEEP REPORT. The World The Parliament of the World’s Religions, oneness, the pope, Contemplative Prayer, and Beth Moore are some of the topics discussed in the following thirty minute message. Just click on the link below.
Here now is today’s Mysticism Monday:
RAPTURE READY RADIO – MANY SHALL COME IN MY NAME WITH RAY YUNGEN
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
Have you unknowingly been lured into New Age mystical practices by teachers claiming that certain “new ways to pray” will bring you closer to God? Have you signed up for classes in Spiritual Formation, or has your pastor been preaching on it? Have you been involved in “Christian“ Yoga, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, or Lectio Divina? Well, this series of posts in the new Category of posts that I have entitled, ‘MYSTICISM MONDAYS,‘ will attempt to not only peel back the layers of the many forms of spiritual deception that have been entering the church in order to reveal them to you as being lies of the enemy of our souls, but also the intention of these posts is to present you with the truth of God’s Word in order to expose the spiritual dangers of these practices.
Lord willing, at least once a month on a Monday, I will be sharing teachings with you from Christian experts on the subject, some of whom have even been personally involved with these dangerous practices. All of these teachings that I will be presenting to you will focus on many Scriptures; those who speak on these topics will not just be talking about these practices, because it’s only the truth of God’s Word that will expose the dangers of these practices and set a deceived person free.
Lord willing, when time allows, I will be writing many posts in the future zeroing in on specific Christian programming and Christian teachers who are promoting these deceptive practices, (I posted a very lengthy one last week which I will continue to update until completed) but since my time is getting rather limited these days because of other important responsibilities that I now have, I will oftentimes simply be sharing a video or an article with you.
When time allows, I truly hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to these messages or read these articles, as well as read the upcoming posts that — Lord willing — I will be writing on these important topics so that you can be aware of these false teachings that are deceiving many Christians –possibly even you.
Please be sure that you test the teachings of all those whom you listen to against Scripture as God’s Word shows us that we are to do (Acts 17:11) so that you will never be deceived.
Now for today’s Mysticism Monday:
This morning as I was continuing to do research in order to add more information to my PREVIOUS POST concerning Moody Radio and Midday Connection, I came across the following article posted by Amy Spreeman when she was still writing for Stand Up For The Truth. Though it was written in 2013, it continues to serve as a clear warning concerning the spiritually deceptive programs and practices that are still being presented to Christians in many churches and seminaries today! Even though I had only planned on cleaning all day today, when I came across this excellent article as I was eating my breakfast, I decided to share it with all of you.
Here is a quick capture of a small portion of that article:
(SOURCE) <– Please click here to continue reading this important article which has a lot of important information that you need to be aware of.
When time allows, I hope and pray that you will consider reading the above article in its entirety. As Christians we must not only read and study God’s Word so that we will know it so well we will immediately be able to discern error as soon as we are presented with it, but also we must make ourselves aware of the many spiritually deceptive ways by which the enemy of our soul is trying to lead many Christians astray in these last days! And Spiritual Formation programs, which oftentimes present unbiblical, New Age practices that are rooted in Buddhism and Hinduism, are responsible for leading many Christians astray today! Please pray and learn to discern, so that you will not become one of the many who are being deceived!
NOTE: Sadly, I discovered that the documents mentioned in the comments section as being a “fantastic resource” are no longer available at the link provided. 😦
Okay. That’s all for today Mysticism Monday. Back to cleaning my condo!
Lord willing, at least one new post coming later this week.
Thank you for stopping by, and thank you very much for taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:3,4)
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9)
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4)
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.” (2 Peter 2:1)
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:1-5)
“Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:26-31)
(SOURCE)
UPDATED MONDAY 2/22/16 7:44 P.M. Added another video of Dr. Sue Edwards and more information. See further below dated 2/22/16 in red.
UPDATED SUNDAY 2/21/16 Added video of Dr. Sue Edwards, Barbara Neumann, and George M Hillman discussing Organic Mentoring, and added a few more comments.
UPDATED SATURDAY 2/20/16 Added more information. See further below dated 2/20/16 in red. Lord willing, when time allows I will be searching for the notes that I took as I listened to many Midday Connection programs, and will share them with you in this post which should then fully complete this post.
NOTE: 1/4/2016 This post is a work in progress. It is almost completely finished, but in order to make sure that I will not lose all the information that I have already added to this post, I am publishing it now, and will continue to update it when time allows until it is completely finished. I will then remove this note. Thank you.
Christians, have you ever found yourself stunned by what you have heard on Christian radio while you’re driving? Have you found yourself in disbelief to the point of where you gasp in utter shock and have to remind yourself that you have to concentrate on your driving or you might hit the car in front of you? Well, that had been my experience many a time over the past at least five years or so while I had been listening to Moody Radio’s Midday Connection program which started at 12:00 noon central time in my area. I write in the past tense because at first I was led to believe (by the announcement that I found as I was searching for more information at the end of October which I quick captured and posted above for you) that Moody Radio was simply going to be airing prerecorded editions of Midday Connection programs until the start of the new year when they would then begin having their new Midday Connection programs. However, after I began writing this post way back on September 9, 2015 with the intention of warning you about what is being presented on Midday Connection, as I was searching for more information at the end of October to add to this post it was then that I discovered the show was actually cancelled! I then realized that what they meant by “new program” was actually just that; an entirely different program. I then had to go back and reword some of what I had already written and change the title of this post, as well. All that just to explain to you one reason why it has taken me so long to finish writing the post concerning Mysticism that I had been telling you at first was coming soon.
Okay. On with my post.
As I searched the Internet to see if I could find out the reason why Moody cancelled their program, I came across the blog belonging to one of the former hosts of Midday Connection —Lori Neff. She wrote a very vivid and deeply emotional account of how she was told:
(SOURCE)
My heart was filled with compassion for her because it reminded me of how I was treated after working so very hard for thirteen years at my previous job, and it brought back to my mind of how I felt two years ago when I was called into the office and told that I was fired. Unjustly fired, I might add. But that’s another story.
As I continued to read Lori Neff’s post I also identified with the shock that she felt, the disappointment, as well as the depression. But I had actually been praying that God would somehow get me out of my job mainly because of how the new manager was treating me. And although I shed some tears for a few moments after I left the building because I was escorted out as if I was a criminal, and because I loved my co-workers and was hurt that no one came to my defense, my heart then became filled with thanks to God for releasing me! Lori Neff, on the other hand, loved her job! As did Melinda Schmidt and Anita Lustria, I’m sure!
Before I continue by sharing some of my concerns with you in regards to what Moody Radio has presented and is continuing to present to their listeners, I’d first like to start out by saying that Moody Radio played a part in my spiritual journey before I was a Christian and when I was still married, yet feeling so unloved and alone. When my ‘husband’ would leave for work very early in the morning, I would search through all of the radio stations looking for something to comfort me, and one day I came across Moody Radio. One of the songs that I heard for the first time was Unfailing Love, by Evie Torquist. The beauty of her voice, the melody, and above all, the gospel message (that I was unaware of at the time) which permeated this song, was what truly brought me to tears. Here’s a portion of the lyrics:
“Unfailing love flows from His heart and heals my soul. In spite of who I am He loves and makes me whole. I almost can’t believe it’s true, unfailing love. And yet I know…He gave His life to give to me, unfailing love.”
I wanted to know God’s unfailing love! I needed His unfailing love to heal my soul! However, it would be a few more years and many more days of tears, heartache, and rejection until God revealed His love — as well as His truth — to me, and healed my soul and made me whole. (If you’d like, you can read about that by clicking on My Testimony at the top of my blog).
Mike Kellogg’s soothing voice, the Scriptures that I heard him share, as well as the songs that he played on his program Music Through The Night on Moody Radio was also a deep comfort to my broken heart and troubled mind throughout those years before I personally came to know Jesus Christ and the true gospel in 1980.
Now I’ll get back to the reason for this post by focusing on the program Midday Connection:
While Anita Lustrea, Melinda Schmidt, and Lorie Neff seem like they are all very sweet and warm radio hostesses who treated their callers with respect and gave them enough time to share what they wanted to say when they called in, I found myself becoming deeply concerned about all of those who listened to their programs because of many of the guests they had on over the past, at least six years, or so. Take September 9th, 2015 for example. Ruth Haley Barton, the former Associate Director of Spiritual Formation at Willow Creek Community Church, who is the founder of the Transforming Center, was their special guest:
For those of you who are not aware of who Ruth Haley Barton is, you will find some of many articles on her posted by Lighthouse Trails, HERE.
Here is an excerpt from some of the information that you will find:
(SOURCE)
Here is another very good article with a lot of information on Ruth Haley Barton that was written by the late Pastor Ken Silva (who faithfully and earnestly contended for the faith), followed by a quick capture of a portion of his article:
WHO IS RUTH HALEY BARTON?
(SOURCE)<–Click here to continue reading.
Then on September 29, 2015, Midday Connection had author, speaker, and spiritual director, Janet Davis, as their special guest. During this program creative ways to pray were discussed which focused on prayer beads, breath prayers, wordless prayer, body prayer, praying in color, and other forms of prayer and practices that went beyond the examples of prayer that can be seen in Scripture, and into mystical and pagan practices that can be seen in the New Age/New Spirituality movement. Lorie Neff said that these creative ways to pray, such as wordless prayer, brought about a “deeper connection with God.” Janet Davis agreed by saying that these creative ways to pray is “something that can really revitalize our prayer life.” Because of the fact that what they presented to their listeners on this particular day was so far from Biblical Christianity, and because much of what they presented on many of their shows led their listeners to desire having mystical experiences with God and away from seeking God in His Word, I found my concern for their listeners begin to intensify!
During this program, Lorie Neff, the host of Midday Connection, also mentioned Richard Foster’s book Prayer which she said she had read for her spiritual direction training. (More information on Richard Foster a little later in this post).
(SOURCE)<– You can listen to the program here.
Here is a quick capture from one of her articles on Being Prayer, and using visual aids in prayer:
(SOURCE)
While doing research for this post I discovered that on June 3, 2013 Anita Lustrea wrote an article about Walking the Labyrinth on their Midday Blog:
(SOURCE)
For those of you who are not aware of what a Labyrinth is, here is some information that will show you this is not a Christian practice by any means; it is pagan in origin:
ENTER THE LABYRINTH – LET US REASON MINISTRIES
VIDEO PLAYLIST OF MANY DIFFERENT LABYRINTHS, AND AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT CAN BE FOUND IN THE CENTER OF THEM IN THE VERY LAST VIDEO:
At first I was hoping that some of Moody’s discerning listeners called and complained about the many New Age/New Spirituality teachings that were being presented on Midday Connection and that was the reason it was going off the air.
However, as I was listening to Moody’s morning show with Karl and June, I realized that was definitely not the reason, because on the morning of October 26, 2015 they had Richard Foster as their guest, so I went to their Facebook page to quick capture this for you:
That wasn’t the first time that Richard Foster was on Moody Radio. I remember him being on Midday Connection at least a few times over the past six or so years. Here is just one example:
(SOURCE)
One of the most alarming things that Richard Foster said in the 1978 version of his book Celebration of Discipline, a book which can be found on the Recommended Reading list put out by many churches to this day, is the following very disturbing description of what the reader is instructed to do which exactly describes the same occult practice of astral travel:
“In your imagination allow your spiritual body, shining with light, to rise out of your physical body. Look back so that you can see yourself lying in the grass and reassure your body that you will return momentarily … go deeper and deeper into outer space until there is nothing except the warm presence of the eternal Creator. Rest in His presence.” –Richard Foster in the 1978 edition of Celebration of Discipline, pages 26,27 (SOURCE) Lighthouse Trails
There was a time when you could listen to Moody Radio and hear many Biblically solid teachings and messages. Today, however, as I hope that you can now see, things have drastically changed!
When I first bought a computer in 2008 I began searching for information on some of the guests that I heard on Midday Connection because of some of the troubling things that I heard them say, Lighthouse Trails Research was the first blog that I found that had an abundance of information concerning Moody, as well as Midday Connection. The information that I found confirmed all of my concerns and provided me with enough information to even cause my concerns to intensify! That’s why I decided to start writing posts this past year such as Mysticism Monday and Warning You With Tears Wednesday instead of just writing poetry that I began this blog with, so that I could warn all of you of the extreme importance of not only reading and studying God’s Word, but also the extreme importance of testing everything that you hear and read in light of Scripture (Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21,22), as well as the need to help you become aware of Satans devices that he is using to cause many Christians to be led astray and even to become deceived!
Lighthouse Trails has been warning about Moody’s promotion of mysticism and New Age spirituality for over seven years, as you will see by reading this article when time allows:
MOODY’S PASTORS’ CONFERENCE TEACHING LECTIO DIVINA THIS WEEK – AND SEVEN YEARS OF WARNING BY LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS GO UNHEEDED – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
Here are just some of the many other special guests that were presented to the listening audience on Moody’s Midday Connection over the past at least six years, and some articles and videos of them, as well. Pray for discernment when you have time to read the articles and listen to the videos below:
As previously mentioned, Ruth Haley Barton was one of their guests:
Trevor Hudson was on quite frequently, as well. Here are two examples:
(SOURCE)
(SOURCE)
Here’s an article with information on Trevor Hudson posted by DISCERNING THE WORLD – EMERGENT MYSTICISM: A BIBLICAL APPRAISAL OF THE MOSAIC CONGRESS – MOSAIC CHURCH (4-5 SEPT 2009)
John Ortberg
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: WHAT ABOUT JOHN ORTBERG’S ‘FULLY DEVOTED’ BOOK? MY PASTOR WANTS TO USE IT
Erwin McManus
(SOURCE)
ERWIN MCMANUS – HIS GOAL IS TO “DESTROY CHRISTIANITY” – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
Below is a quick capture from a portion of one of the many articles concerning Erwin McManus that you will find on Lighthouse Trails at the link above:
(SOURCE)
Kyle Strobel, son of Lee Strobel, was also one of their guests.
(SOURCE)
Here is more information on Kyle Strobel that I found over two years ago, which should raise your concerns, because, as the saying goes, “One picture is worth a thousands words.”
Richard Rohr – As I searched the archives of Midday Connection’s previous shows that now only date back to 2014, there were none to be found for Richard Rohr, but I am almost positive that I remember him being on there, and will continue to search for information to verify that for you.
I remember him as being one of the guest speakers on Midday Connection that I was very concerned about! Just by reading some of the titles of the following videos should cause a discerning Christian to become very alarmed!
Good information on Richard Rohr by the late Pastor Ken Silva in the following article:
WHO IS RICHARD ROHR
James Bryan Smith
James Bryan Smith was also a featured guest on Midday Connection. His book The Good And Beautiful God was discussed once a week on their programs throughout the entire summer of 2015.
(SOURCE)
Here is an article that I just found which was posted by Lighthouse Trails in which they give a review on his book, as well as inform the very concerned writer of the letter they received that James Bryan Smith is a writer and speaker in the area of Christian spiritual formation and that he has a very close connection with Richard Foster:
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: CONCERNS ABOUT HOME CHURCH USING BOOK BY RENOVARE’S JAMES BRYAN SMITH
Margaret Feinberg – Margaret Feinberg was also a frequent guest on Midday Connection. As you can see from the quick capture below, she presented many teachings from the Book of Genesis:
(SOURCE)
In a PREVIOUS POST, I added a lot of information concerning Margaret Feinberg. Here is just a little of what I wrote in that post to make you aware of some of the troubling things that she says:
“In the following video you will hear Margaret Feinberg say, “God often uses the repetitive nature of events and themes in daily life to get our attention. I call these moments, “Sacred Echoes.”
“In the video below, Margaret F. expounds on what she means by “Sacred Echoes” by saying the following.”
“What is a sacred echo? It is the persistent voice of God in your life.”
“And in my own life, while I want to hear the whispers of God, what I am discovering is that when I listen for the sacred echoes — when I listen for the repetitive nature of God’s voice in my life — then I walk more fully, and more confidently into all that He has for me.”
In that previous post I concluded expressing my concerns about her by saying the following:
“When you hear Christian leaders and speakers say things like that it should truly concern you, because it’s leading people away from the belief in the sufficiency of Scripture. Yes, Margaret F. does say in many of her videos that ‘what we hear must line up with what God’s Word says,‘ but the emphasis is no longer completely on hearing God speak to us through His written Word. Instead, people are now encouraged to learn how to hear God speak by not only Margaret F., but also by Christian teachers such as Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and many others. It then makes God’s Word appear to be outdated, and some will end up opening themselves up to doctrines of demons and demonic spirits through participating in these occultic practices and will end up being deceived spiritually. Never lose sight of the fact that we have the very words of God Himself recorded in sixty-six books of the Bible written by many different authors, but completely inspired by the Holy Spirit.”
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20,21)
Ann Voskamp
This program originally aired on November 27, 2013
(SOURCE)
Ann Voskamp is the author of the New York Times best selling book One Thousand Gifts. Although our hearts go out to Ann because of the very tragic death of her baby sister which she speaks about in her book as well as on this program, and even though she focuses on the goodness of God in both of them, as well, there are some extremely serious concerns that many Christians have with some of the very disturbing and unbiblical things that Ann Voskamp says in her book. We must be very careful not to be so emotionally moved by something that an author or a speaker says that we forget the importance of praying for discernment, as well as the importance of testing what is being said in light of Scripture. You can read about the serious problems in her book in the following articles:
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH – ANN VOSKAMP’S BEST SELLING BOOK ONE THOUSAND GIFTS – A COLLISION OF INSPIRATION AND THE NEW SPIRITUALITY
CRITICAL ISSUES COMMENTARY: ROMANTIC PANENTHEISM – A REVIEW OF ONE THOUSAND GIFTS – PASTOR BOB DEWAAY
Mark Buchanan – Original program aired on Dec. 6, 2010
(SOURCE)
Mary DeMuth – Original program aired on May 19, 2010
In this program, Mary DeMuth shares her heartbreaking story of child abuse in her book entitled, Thin Places (a Celtic term; physical places between heaven and earth were considered “thin places” where they believed “you can sense the presence of God”) and the healing that she said she received after coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
(SOURCE)
Though the above program was very moving, not only because of hearing what Mary DeMuth went through as a child, but also because of the heartbreaking circumstances that women shared when they called in, what I discovered while doing research on A PREVIOUS POST is the fact that Mary DeMuth promotes contemplative spirituality. As you can see in THIS ARTICLE posted by Lighthouse Trails, in Mary DeMuth’s book Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, she “favorably quotes [Marjorie] Thompson in three different chapters.” The book that she quoted from was Soul Feast. In the article by Lighthouse Trails, we are told that this book “is a book that promotes mantra meditation and New Age mystics.”
Here is a quick capture from a portion of the article by Lighthouse Trails Research:
(SOURCE)<–Click here to continue reading the article.
Nancy Kane
Ray and Nancy Kane were frequent guests on Midday Connection and discussed topics that focused on marriage and relationships. However, Nancy Kane is also deeply involved in the Spiritual Formation movement which she briefly mentions in this program:
(SOURCE)
Although I could not find examples of programs in Midday Connection’s archives concerning Keri Wyatt Kent who was one of the guests on the show who promoted and who continues to promote Spiritual Formation and contemplative spirituality, here is some information on her:
Keri Wyatt Kent
(SOURCE) <–Click here to continue reading
(SOURCE)
Mindy Caliguire – Although I had never heard of her before, Mindy Caliguire was another person who immediately caused alarm bells to go off in my spirit when I began to hear her speak on Midday Connection.
(SOURCE)
After listening to her for the first time, I began searching for information on her later because as I listened to her speak I discovered that she was involved with Willow Creek Community Church where Bill Hybels is the pastor. That definitely heightened my concerns that I already had about her! By all that she said it was very clear that she was also involved in promoting Spiritual Formation.
Here’s some information on Mindy Caliguire from her Soul Care website:
(SOURCE)
(SOURCE)
Mindy Caliguire promotes Catholic mystic Teresa of Avila as well as Richard Foster’s Renovare’ and Dallas Willard:
Mindy Caliguire is also involved in The Practice:
And as Amy Spreeman of Berean Research tells us in the following article, WILLOW CREEK’S “THE PRACTICE” BLENDS NEW AGE AND CATHOLIC MYSTICISM, The Practice is:
“… the brainchild of Pastor Bill Hybels son-in-law, Aaron Niequist. Niequist is also the Worship Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, and he calls a Jesuit priest his spiritual director.”
Here’s a portion of her very revealing article that clearly shows you the intent for The Practice:
(SOURCE)
This tweet by Aaron Niequist that Mindy Caliguire retweets, again confirms to you her promotion of Spiritual Formation. A term that may seem innocent enough, but as you take the time to read the articles that I have added links to, as well as watch the videos below, you will come to realize that it’s simply New Age meditation techniques cloaked in somewhat Christian terminology. Please do not be deceived by those who promote this! Our minds are renewed and we are conformed into the image of Jesus Christ through the reading of God’s Word! These practices will only succeed in leading Christians away from the sufficiency of Scripture by telling you that you can have experiences with God! God’s Word is all that we need to truly come to know Him through Jesus Christ and to become like Him. (Read Hebrews 1, Romans 12:2, Colossians 3:1-14, 2 Timothy 3:16, Ephesians 4:22-32, just to name a few Scriptures).
In the following series of videos, Mindy Caliguire also had another one which was entitled, Practicing Silent Prayer. However, it seems that because of the comments that I remember discerning Christians had made on that video, she must have decided to remove it.
As I was doing more research today, 1/4/16, desiring to finally finish writing this post, I did another search on Lighthouse Trails hoping to find some information on Mindy Caliguire’s video, Practicing Silent Prayer that she must have removed from her series like I just mentioned to you above, and was so thankful to have found an article that had been written by Mike Stanwood which included information on that video! Here is a portion of his article that I quick captured for you:
(SOURCE)<– Click here to continue reading.
David Jeremiah
Moody radio also airs David Jeremiah’s program, Turning Point. There was a time when he strongly warned about the New Age Movement in his book and audio series Invasion of Other Gods, (which I personally have). Sadly, however, he now promotes Roma Downey, who is deeply involved in the New Age Movement.
Here’s some information concerning Roma Downey:
NEW BOOKLET TRACT- CONFUSED BY AN ANGEL: THE DILEMMA OF ROMA DOWNEY’S NEW AGE BELIEFS – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
David Jeremiah also ‘opened his pulpit to Contemplative Advocate, John Ortberg‘ as Lighthouse Trails documents for us below:
(SOURCE) <– Click here to continue reading
As you can see, John Ortberg was also a guest on Midday Connection:
(SOURCE)
Here is some information on John Ortberg that was written by James Sundquist of Rock Salt Ministries which I found posted at DECEPTION IN THE CHURCH– JOHN ORTBERG EXPOSE’
John Ortberg and Joyce Meyer discuss “how to experience God in every day life.” He also mentions Catholic mystic, Brother Lawrence and “practicing the presence of God.”
Further below you will see an example of another Moody Radio program, This Is The Day, with Nancy Turner. Nathan Foster, the son of Richard Foster, was her featured guest. The “ancient practice of spiritual disciplines” was the topic of their conversation.
As her program began, Nancy Turner invited those who tuned in to her program to continue listening, by saying:
“Hope you’ll stay tuned to hear the insights from saints of old to uncover fresh ways of of living in our world today.”
She introduced Nathan Foster by saying the following:
“Nathan is associate professor of social work and theology at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. He holds the Andrews Chair in Spiritual Formation. He’s also a licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Director of Teaching Ministries for Renovare.’
When asked by Nancy Turner to explain what Renovare’ is, Nathan said the following:
“Renovare’ is a nonprofit organization that my dad set up, and essentially it is kind of an outgrowth of his work and Dallas Willard’s work in helping equip the church with teachings on Spiritual Formation and how people grow into Christ-likeness.”
(SOURCE)
To read about the many concerns that discerning Christians have with Renovare,’ please consider reading some of THESE ARTICLES POSTED ON LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
Also, if you are not aware of who Dallas Willard is, here’s some information for you:
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH – DALLAS WILLARD GOING DOWN THE CONTEMPLATIVE ROAD, AND TAKING OTHERS WITH HIM
The clearest evidence that I can present to you to show you that Moody is indeed promoting Spiritual Formation, (if everything that I have already shared with you wasn’t enough) is the fact that Moody Bible Institute now has a Spiritual Formation program, (which Nancy Kane briefly mentioned in her November 19th visit on Midday Connection) and upon completion of the class you will receive a Spiritual Formation certificate:
(SOURCE)
If you are still unaware of what Spiritual Formation is and the dangers that you can encounter in most of these teachings, please consider reading the following articles, as well as the articles that I have added under Further Reading. When time allows, I encourage you to watch the videos further below, as well.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION – PASTOR GARY GILLEY
ROOTS OF THE SPIRITUAL FORMATION MOVEMENT – PASTOR GARY GILLEY
When time allows, I will be updating this post by adding more information and videos, as well as some notes that I took as I frequently listened to Midday Connection’s programs in order to do research on the many guests they had on over the many years they were on. It would not be an exaggeration to say that at least 98% of their guests were — and still are — involved in the practice and promotion of mysticism and unbiblical spiritual disciplines at various degrees. Simply by looking at the information that I have already provided for you, I am almost certain that you will agree.
UPDATED: 2/20/16
HERE ARE SOME UPDATES FOR YOU:
Upon discovering that Moody Radio chose Equipped as their new show that would replace Midday Connection, I decided to listen in on January 7th 2016 to get an idea of what they would now be presenting to their listeners:
(SOURCE)
(SOURCE)
The description of this show reminds me of In The Market with Janet Parshall because they discuss topics in light of our culture today. At first I thought that this show might be good, because from the little that I heard the host of the show, Chris Brooks, say that day, he seemed very discerning and he is aware of the fact that spiritual deception is a big concern these days, and it sounded like Dr. Sue Edwards seemed to be presenting some good Bible studies by listening to much of what she had to say, as well. While I am not going to judge Chris Brooks by simply listening to one of his shows, what I soon discovered about Dr. Sue Edwards did cause me to become concerned:
Wanting to be certain that this particular speaker was Biblically solid, and that she wasn’t into anything related to Spiritual Formation since it seems that these teachings are especially permeating countless number of churches and ministries these days, I decided to do some research on Dr. Sue Edwards. Sadly, as you can see from the information that I quick captured for you below, she is on staff at Dallas Theological Seminary where they are presenting these teachings to their students, and they have now merged their Christian Education and Spiritual Formation & Leadership departments:
(SOURCE)
Sue Edwards, along with Barbara Neumann, wrote the following book which caught my attention because the term organic, when not referring to food, can mean something new, vibrant, and unique in the language of the New Christianity:
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS – NEW BOOKLET TRACT: D IS FOR DECEPTION-THE LANGUAGE OF THE “NEW” CHRISTIANITY
After looking at a preview of this book on Amazon it clearly shows that the intent of this book is to explore ways that will be successful to mentor young women in order to keep the relationship going between mentor and mentee, and by the little that they showed in the preview, there doesn’t appear to be anything troubling in this book. However, just the fact that Spiritual Formation is strongly promoted at DTS is reason enough to be extremely hesitant about purchasing this book.
In the following video as Organic Mentoring is discussed, George M. Hillman had this to say towards the end of their discussion beginning at the 28:29 minute mark:
“Plug for my department: Many of you are in a Spiritual Formation group…that’s mentoring! That is pure mentoring. And you have an opportunity to invest in people’s lives and not just your leader in the group but you invest in one another’s lives. And I’ll go a sales pitch with this aspect of…if you want to learn this stuff, guess what. Be a SF leader. We’ll give you a group of people and say, “Hang out with these people and love on these people.”
As I continued to search for information I came across this Spiritual Formation series that is based on a curriculum which was developed at Dallas Theological Seminary which I have added to further demonstrate that Sue Edwards is indeed involved in Spiritual Formation. Not only is she is on staff at a seminary that teaches Spiritual Formation, but also she is on staff at a school that develops Spiritual Formation curriculum. Therefore Moody is still continuing to feature speakers on their programs that are involved in Spiritual Formation, some more deeply than others.
Below you will see that Dallas Willard (who is now deceased) and Richard Foster, who both have strongly promoted mysticism in their teachings, are favorably mentioned:
(SOURCE)
In Part 3 of this series, which is entitled Integrity, you can see by the list below that Spiritual Disciplines are a part of this course. To what extent, I do not know, but it is very possible that since Dallas Willard and Richard Foster are quoted favorably in their series, the mystical practice of Contemplative Prayer may very well be included in their Spiritual Discipline practices.
(SOURCE)
UPDATED 2/22/16
After discovering that Sue Edwards had some of her teachings on YouTube, I decided to listen to many of them to test them in light of Scripture. Here is one of them that I would like to bring to your attention:
Beginning at the 4:57 minute mark in the above video you will see the following information that I quick captured for you below:
As you can see from the information above, Sue Edwards listed Henry Cloud’s book as one of her Recommended Resources.
This is very troubling in light of the fact that as Lighthouse Trails shows us in the following article (that I quick captured a portion of for you below), Dr. Henry Cloud wrote the forward to the Be Still book (the companion to the 2006 Be Still DVD that featured Beth Moore, Henry Cloud, Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Priscilla Shirer, and more) in which he “makes comments that clearly show the true nature of this mystical spirituality.”
(SOURCE)<– Click here to read this very good article in its entirety, or click on the link below.
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS – BE STILL BOOK CONFIRMS TRUE NATURE OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
END OF 2/22/26 UPDATE
Another thing that I would like to bring to your attention as you can see from the quick capture below, is the fact that Moody Founder’s Week just took place on February 1st through the 5th:
As you can see from the schedule below and the video that follows, one of their guest speakers was Ann Voskamp. Earlier in this post I shared with you the serious concerns that many have with what she presents in her books.
(SOURCE)<–All of the above information that I quick captured can be accessed here. You can listen to all of the sessions from Founder’s Week 2016 here, as well).
Thanks to Debi Martin, (who must also be a detective-at-heart like I am) it was made known on Facebook that Moody Theological Seminary is having a Spiritual Formation Retreat this weekend. By doing so, they are now more openly declaring just how strongly they are promoting Spiritual Formation:
So upon seeing the above post, I decided to see what else I could find out about this Retreat, and I discovered this video and the following information:
(SOURCE)
Why is it that those in leadership at Moody are so lacking in discernment? Why are they not aware of the fact that because of the many ways that they are promoting Spiritual Formation, they are actually presenting New Age/New Spirituality practices that are rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism to Christians? Why are they not carefully examining what Christian speakers actually say and write in light of Scripture before they choose them to speak at their Conferences?
Why is it that so many Christians in leadership positions today lack discernment? Is it that they no longer see a need to examine the Scriptures daily to see if what these pastors and speakers are saying is true? (Acts 17:11) Have they forgotten or are they just ignoring the many warnings in Scripture about doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1) and false teachers, and that many of these false teachers will arise from among us? (Acts 20:30) Do many in leadership today just seek after those speakers who are the most popular and highly sought after in order to attract more people to their conferences and retreats? God will judge their hearts and their motives one day, but this is very troubling because oftentimes they are failing to protect their sheep! And because of the many in leadership these days who are strongly promoting Spiritual Formation Classes and the Spiritual Disciplines which almost always include Contemplative Prayer, Lectio Divina, and other mystical practices that can be found in Buddhism and Hinduism, they are actually leading many Christians astray and right into Satan’s territory!
As Christians all of us are accountable before God for what we choose to do, but I truly hope that we are coming to realize more and more that we are to trust and to follow no one but the one and only Good Shepherd — Jesus Christ — and how we are only to believe the God-breathed words recorded in His Word –the Bible. END OF 2/20/16 UPDATE
IN CLOSING
Dr. Harry Ironside, former pastor of Moody Memorial Church from 1930-1948, wrote an article, entitled, Exposing Error: Is It Worthwhile? I answer that question with a hearty, “YES!” As I began to write this post I thought about him and how deeply grieved he would be if he knew about the many spiritually deceptive teachings that are now being promoted today through the ministry that he was once a part of.
I can think of no better way to pay tribute to him than by sharing it with you here as a way to carry on his legacy of earnestly contending for the faith. Here is a portion of his article that I quick captured from The Berean Call:
(SOURCE) <–Click here to continue reading.
It is my hope and prayer that those on staff at Moody will come to the realization that they are drifting away from the Biblical foundation that this ministry was founded upon, and that they would repent and return to presenting Biblical principles through their radio programs, their publications, and through their classes at Moody Bible Institute, and put a stop to presenting any speaker or writer who promote these unbiblical New Age/New Spirituality pagan practices that are being promoted through Spiritual Formation.
Please know that this post was not written with the intention of attacking Lori Neff, Melinda Schmidt and Anita Lustria, for I truly see them as sweet and loving women. However, I pray that their eyes will be opened to see the dangerous spiritual path that they are going down — and leading others down — which is leading them and many other women away from Biblical Christianity, not only because of their deep involvement in Spiritual Formation and the mystical practices that they are promoting, but also because of their involvement with the many others who are promoting these things, as well.
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:3,4)
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9)
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4)
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.” (2 Peter 2:1)
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:1-5)
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matthew 7: 13-15)
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men. after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17-4:1-4)
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:6-8)
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
“Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:26-31)
RELATED VIDEOS
RELATED POSTS
AN ANCHOR FOR MY SOUL
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOUR PASTOR IS ONE OF THE MANY WHO IS PROMOTING ‘A.D. – THE BIBLE CONTINUES’
FURTHER READING
MOODY’S PASTORS’ CONFERENCE TEACHING LECTIO DIVINA THIS WEEK – AND SEVEN YEARS OF WARNING BY LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS GO UNHEEDED – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
LETTER TO THE EDITOR – THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT MOODY HAS GONE CONTEMPLATIVE – THIS YEAR’S RADIO PROGRAMS (2014) PROVES IT – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
DAVID JEREMIAH’S BOOK LIFE WIDE OPEN – STILL SOLD ON HIS WEBSITE – STILL INCLUDES NEW AGERS
MISGUIDED SHEPHERDS – INFORMATION CONCERNING DAVID JEREMIAH – TURNING POINT MINISTRIES, AND CHUCK SWINDOLL – INSIGHT FOR LIVING – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: WHAT ABOUT JOHN ORTBERG’S ‘FULLY DEVOTED’ BOOK? MY PASTOR WANTS TO USE IT
IS YOUR CHURCH DOING SPIRITUAL FORMATION? (IMPORTANT REASONS WHY THEY SHOULDN’T) – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
THE DANGERS OF AND THE TRUTH ABOUT SPIRITUAL FORMATION – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
SOLITUDE AND SILENCE – PASTOR GARY GILLEY
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER – PASTOR GARY GILLEY
SACRED READING – LECTIO DIVINA – PASTOR GARY GILLEY
UPDATED EXPANDED EDITION OF BOOKLET TRACT ‘FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
THE TRUE SPIRITUAL DIRECTION OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION – TESTIMONY BY PAMELA COUVRETTE – GUARDING THE DEPOSIT
EVANGELICALS TURNING TO ROMAN CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY – DAVID CLOUD – WAY OF LIFE LITERATURE
CONCERNS GROW AS MOODY PRESSES FORWARD DOWN CONTEMPLATIVED PATH – LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
AN INSIDER’S ACCOUNT OF WILLOW CREEK’S DEEPENING APOSTASY – BY MARY FAIRCHILD – RAPIDNET
CONTEMPLATIVE OR MYSTICAL SPIRITUALITY CONTRASTED WITH BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY – EXCELLENT INFORMATION IN PDF FORM AT THE LINK BELOW:
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/lochurch/contempl.pdf
Mary Dalke - Living4HisGlory
Living4HisGlory 