Hi I learned of this sight from a friend of mine who frequences this sight. I am hesitant to post here as I understand this to be a Christian based sight and I consider myself to be Pagan. Most of my life I had considered myself to be Christian untill i was confronted with the truth of my self, that for all the words trying and wanting i found that i do not feel as the bible to my understanding explains how one should feel for Christ. Given that I find I would be a hipocrit to consider myself Christian.

Origionaly i came to this sight to read a post my freind was at the time composing to be posted here, having expressed my interest in what he was doing when he finished and posted the responce he gave me a link. In looking at his responces and other posts i found a post which struck me as interesting. I have always found discutions with Slade on prity much any topic to be insightful articulate and thought provocing. Thouse here i find no diferent.
This post has stuck with me for many days and I finaly talked to Slade a little about wanting to do a post becasue of the many thoughts and questions not just from the subject of this post but of the hole issuee has for a while now ingendered, and given Slade is one of the few whos opinions and insights i hold in high esteem i thought to bring up my questions here.

The subject of Magik and Witches (not satanisim or satanic practices which is an entirly diferent practice) caught my attention as I consider myself to be a Witch.. I do not myself at this point do ritual or spell work for i do not feel i know enough about the energeis and posible outcome of using them without bringing harm to myself and others.

The rest of this post I have removed in an attempt to clerify it as I was requested and may or may not post it again if i am able to clerify what I am attempting to ask

Thoughtfuly
Tri

1st of all I will say this - to the rest of the ppl who participate in this board, try your best not to be too judgemental or condemming of my friend as I heard you draw more flies with honey than vinegar & its Jesus' love that brings us to repentance.

Dear Tri,

Slade has become a trusted member of this board. Therefore, I also trust that you are sincerely posting some questions. However, I need to ask you to be much more specific. Your post as it stands could cause much more confusion to young believers than what it could potentially encourage. I therefore ask that you edit your post so that it better reflects your desired question. For example, the first paragraph is good and lets us know where you are coming from. The part about you believing yourself to be a witch is also alright and lets us know where you are right now. But the several paragraphs about the practices of witchcraft are not appropriate as you have them stated. Perhaps you could discuss them at a later time in a separate post one at a time.

I believe you have come to the right place, but please understand that we are required to guard this board as best we can.

I will let this post stand until the end of the day. Please try to make your edits by then. You can also write me at devotions@gdwm.org if you have any questions.

I will attempt to do as you have requested

Thoughtfully
Tri

1st off you said "i found that i do not feel as the bible to my understanding explains how one should feel for Christ." foucusing on the term "my understanding" my answer is to pray to the author of the book for his understanding. Jas 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Next you said "I have always found discutions with Slade on prity much any topic to be insightful articulate and thought provocing." & "Slade is one of the few whos opinions and insights i hold in high esteem" So I will respond "Thank you"

You said that magic & Witches are different than satanisim or satanic practices & my response is that in my opinion thats like saying that the radiator of a car does not belong to the engine. Let me clearify why I said that - I was taught that there is only one God. Isa 43:10 - 11 "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.", Isa 44:6 "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.", Isa 44:8 "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.", Isa 45:5-6 "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.", Isa 45:22 "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Isa 46:9 "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,", Hos 13:4 "Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me." I was also taught that any other god beside the (one true) God is a false God or demon in disguise so to speak. Jer 16:20 "Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?", Gal 4:8 "Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods." I was also taught that in order to practice wicca or the modern form of witchcraft; you need to whorship (the one, true) God & also other god's besides. So if there is only one god & you have to whorship other gods besides, then those other gods you are whorshiping are in fact, demons.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Slade,

Hi, Tri
I think it is not by chance that you have come to this Ministry. Jesus is knocking at your door as He always does in order to bring each and everyone of us to Salvation. (Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.")

I encourage you to continue visiting this board and sharing with us anything that you deem necessary. You have already been quite brave with your first post by openly revealing things about yourself that other people in a similar situation would rather keep to themselves.
There is a seed planted in your spirit that must grow and bear fruit to the Kingdom of God and I hope our Lord grants us wisdom to advice you correctly.

I understand where you are standing right now. My education was atheist and I grew up in an environment where being a Christian was sort of a crime. I was a seeker of the truth and did a lot of reading to have a materialistic and rational explanation of the universe, life, people, destiny, etc. Science was the object of my worship. Needless to say that there was no place for God in my mind. But there were always more questions than satisfactory answers.

Issues of my own personal life and my environment led me to discover the existence of a non-materialistic aspect of life that affected everything and appeared subject to laws and rules very different to the ones I was used to. A search into that world soon followed. I investigated, read about and participated in practices ranging from African beliefs to Spiritualism according to the doctrine of Allan Kardec and others. I became enticed with fortune-telling, Western astrology, Tai-Chi, palmistry, yoga, Chinese astrology, mithology from different cultures, etc. Again, there was always more confusion than light.

My father's family was Catholic and my mother's Baptist. I had read the Bible 2 or 3 times as an adolescent and young man but just as I read other books. A vague idea of God and no idea of Jesus was all I had for the greater part of my life.

Until I became sick of so much confusion wich appeared to lead me nowhere. I was always a man of faith failing to find the central figure of that faith. On my birthday five years ago I decided to kneel down and ask God to put an end to that turmoil I had in my soul and give me the clear path along which He wanted me to serve Him. It took only three weeks for Him to answer in the most amazing way. I received and witnessed a string of miracles, I read and understood the Bible like never before, I knew Jesus, I experienced communion with the Holy Spirit, I learned how to pray and witnessed the power of prayer, I found peace, love and purpose, I was given the blessing of a family in a miraculous way, I stopped worrying about everything, running around after nothing and having chronic headaches. In one phrase: I felt the purpose of my life had finally been achieved and I could die in peace.

Of course, that was the beginning. We learn to walk in faith each and everyday of our lives. We still have problems but we are enabled to handle them better than ever. The thirst for knowledge has found its perfect match. I'm not longer disappointed. (Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.")

I know I can go to God in prayer and I'll get the perfect solution to my request, both on behalf of myself or on behalf of others. (Joh 14:14 "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.")
I don't need a mediator to access Jesus; phone lines can be down or it can be after office hours but I can still reach Him. I don't need to cast bones or cards neither draw astrologic charts nor consult a medium in a seance. He is with me always. (Joh 15:4 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot, bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.")

I also know what my God wants from me. I don't need to have an initiation into any occult wisdom to please my God, nor have I to give Him meaningless candles, flowers, incense, animal sacrifices or any other offering of that sort but my heart, my faith, my obedience and my volition to act according to His commandments. (Joh 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments.")

I am patient about everything because My Lord knows all the answers, it is only a matter of time and His Will to reveal them for His own Glory and to sustain us in our faith. (Mark 4:22 "For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.")

I am not afraid of demons, witchcraft and world powers because my King has overcome the prince of this world. (Mat 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell")

I am not serving a bad tempered master with an ever-changing mind who delights in catching me doing wrong. I serve someone I can call a friend (Joh 15:15 "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.")

I have even been ordained a Priest of the Most High God by His own Grace, something I never thought I could ever be.
(Joh 15:16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.")

And, finally, I am not afraid of death anymore for I know I will see God and Jesus and live with Them forever. (Joh 5:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.")

All practices, beliefs and cults opposed to the Christian understanding of God stumble on one or more of these aspects:
1 They worship Creation rather than the Creator (Celestial bodies, animal, plants, stones, science, men dead or alive, etc)
2 They exalt man as the ruler of his own fate or as his own saviour, and
3 They honour spirits of darkness, meaning Satan and his demons.

The Bible teaches very emphatically from Genesis to Revelation against such beliefs. And Jesus said very clearly:
Mat 12:30 "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

There are indeed occurrences in the natural world which appear like magic or other phenomena difficult to explain at the current level of our knowledge. For them to be declared a manifestation of God there has to be an intention to glorify God and Jesus within the commandments and teachings given to us in the Bible, and usually in relation with bringing forth the work of Salvation promised to the first human couple in Genesis and fulfilled in Jesus. They are never isolated facts perpetrated by certain people who claim to have special gifts or secret wisdom.
See below some references about the Holy Spirit and regarding the ordination of believers to perform miracles for the Kingdom of God.

Joh 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
Mat 10:7 "And as ye go, preach saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."
Mat 10:26 "...for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mat 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops."

Have a blessed day.
Jorge S