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Why You Should Probably Get Rid of that Ouiji Board

September 6, 2019

Acts 16:11-15 (NIV)

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

CONSIDER THIS

I remember as a child the stack of board games in our playroom. Tucked right there between Monopoly and Candy Land was a different kind of board game. It didn’t seem to belong in the world of Chutes and Ladders. It had a name we couldn’t even pronounce. You know the one I’m talking about. The dreaded Ouiji board. Some people considered it the spawn of Satan while others thought it good, clean family fun.

It’s the same with today’s text in some ways. Many clear-headed, well-meaning followers of Jesus don’t believe this kind of thing really happens any more. Many clear-headed, well-meaning followers of Jesus believe it happens almost constantly. The truth is likely somewhere in between.

In today’s text, we are dealing with a woman we might refer to today as a psychic. You’ve seen those little houses lining the freeway access roads in most cities. Palm Readings, Fortune Telling, Tarot Cards, Tea leaves, and so forth. I don’t know about you, but I mostly think of them as scam artists.

There’s probably a lot more smoke than fire to all this business, but as they say, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire.”

What do you think? Is it all a big hoax or is there some underlying reality of spiritual forces?

I believe the latter to be the case. Could Paul be making reference to this reality when he says things like . . .

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6)

Satan is real. Demons are real. Evil spirits are real. They aren’t everywhere lurking behind every ailment and problem in the world, but they are real. It takes discernment to understand when and where they are at work. The bigger reality we must keep always before us? Jesus is Lord. He is the armor of God who is all at once vulnerable and invincible (It’s how Paul can command the forces of evil in one minute and get the stuffing beat out of him by people in the next).

Here’s my practical advice:

  1. Don’t be afraid of evil spirits, but,
  2. Be aware of the possibility of their presence.
  3. Don’t take them on unless you know what you are doing.
  4. Get rid of the Ouiji board.

THE PRAYER

COME HOLY SPIRIT!

THE QUESTION

Where are you in your understanding of spiritual warfare, Satan, demons, evil spirits and so forth? Do you tend to overplay these things or underplay them?

For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com

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WHAT IS THIS? Wake-Up Call is a daily encouragement to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus. Each morning our community gathers around a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a few short questions, inviting us to reorient our lives around the love of Jesus that transforms our hearts, homes, churches, and cities.

Comments and Discussion

3 Responses

  1. The Long Island medium is of interest to me in the fact that her ” works” are of healing folks hearts who left things unsaid or wanting to know if they suffered. While Believers can and do get the same comfort from our Father and Son, and she seems to acknowledge God in all she does, as it was a gift given to her from God, my question is…Does God give these types of gifts? She is not telling the future but going back to whatever situation happened to those that have passed.

  2. Years ago, we stood in the sanctuary after worship visiting with a local police officer who had been doing undercover work in our town of 20,000. He talked enough about it that it was obvious that the job was wearing on him, but I was not prepared for him to say that if he peeled one more layer back, went any deeper, he was convinced he was going to come face to face with the devil himself.

    My own experience: when we loaded up and went to deal with my estranged Dad’s death, resuscitation, death and complete and total financial collapse, afterwards I called it facing my own personal darkness–it felt like the scene from Star Wars where Luke is walking down that dark tunnel where Yoda had sent him, and Darth Vader’s breathing was right there demanding his attention/taunting him. I have come to understand that it was so draining because I was a spiritual battle ground–and I had been most of my life. I later wrote about my life:
    On the day I was born, I was given an interesting set of cards to be played;
    a family harboring darkness, constantly on the move;
    a church long drifting from her method and message.
    I was left walking the line between light and dark,
    each pulling against the other,
    never fully in either.

    It was way overdue that I should stop walking the line and get a true understanding of who God is and who I am–no more walking the line. It is why I absolutely know that what you are doing is so vital.

  3. Good Stuff. We scoffed at ‘spirits’/demons, imagining that we explained things with psychology; now we are realizing how little we know(Bas Van Frassen among others: ‘Science does not explain; it only describes.’). Movie out: “Deliver Us from Evil” based on real stuff: Brooklyn Cop turns Exorcist.

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