The Rise of Wicca, Witches, and Warlocks

by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines 
the course of your life.” ~ Proverbs 4:23

“Matters of the Heart” is a weekly blog that deals with the deepest issues of the human heart, the issues we all face but sometimes don’t want to talk about. The heart is the programming center of our lives. What is programmed into our heart will affect every area of our lives. Learn how to examine your heart and how to program your heart for success.

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Witchcraft is on the rise in the United States and in the world.

And you need to be aware of its dangerous and destructive plans for you and your family!

As the approach of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ draws near in the amazing event called the Rapture, Satan and his demons are hard at work to deceive people everywhere and to draw them away from the truth. One such deception is the current craze and interest in witchcraft, a deception that particularly abounds during this month of October with its celebration and glorification of Halloween. 

Jesus prophesied that such deception would occur in the last days before His return: “‘TAKE HEED, lest any man deceive you … For false christs and false prophets shall arise and shall show signs and wonders to seduce, if possible, even the elect” – Mark 13:5,22 (Emphasis mine).

We are seeing this take place before our very eyes today. Occult practices abound in the form of astrology (horoscopes, tarot cards, palmistry), yoga, and the martial arts. Shockingly, even Christians are participating in them, unaware that such participation gives demons and other seducing spirits access to their lives.

Occult “religions”–such as Wicca, Satanism, Kaballah, and Goddess Worship–are on the rise as well and have their roots in the very pit of hell.  We Christians need to be aware of these deceptions and warn others about them. Many in the Church are being led astray by practices such as so-called “Christian yoga” and “Christian Martial Arts.” These practices are not Christian at all. They have their roots in Satan and are dangerous! 

“The root determines the fruit.” – Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

It is important to understand that Satan presents evil as good. The Bible tells us that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” ( 2 Corinthians 11: 14). To masquerade–or wear a mask–means that one is pretending to be what one is not.

Satan wears a mask of light to pretend he is light when, in truth, he is the essence of darkness itself.

Satan’s goal is to counterfeit Truth. He presents as truth, that which is false, and as false, that which is true. He does this by presenting evil as good. By presenting darkness as light. By presenting wrong as right.

Consider this: For every counterfeit, there is a genuine. For every counterfeit $50 bill, there is a genuine $50 bill. Have you ever seen a counterfeit $70 bill? No. Why not? Because there is no such thing as a $70 bill.

Likewise, for every truth in the Bible, there is a counterfeit. So, when we see a counterfeit gospel–one that is rooted in anything other than Jesus Christ–know that this is a false gospel counterfeiting the genuine Gospel. It doesn’t matter if this counterfeit gospel produces miracles, signs, and wonders. Remember: Satan still has supernatural power, although his power has no teeth since Jesus defeated him by His death and resurrection. But, unless one is aware of Satan’s deception, one can easily think that Satanic power is the greatest power when, in truth, it is not.

Satan’s only power is the lie.  And even the power of the lie has no effect on us if we don’t believe his lies. For this reason, we must saturate our minds and hearts with the Word of God. Only the Word of God will enable us to discern between the truth and the lie.

A huge lie of our day is the lie of the occult. This Satanic movement seeks to demonstrate supernatural power in order to deceive and to draw people into death and destruction.  It is an alluring movement, and unless one is born again and grounded in the Word of God, one will easily be deceived into believing that the power of the occult is the only supernatural power there is.

But the power of God is far greater than the power of Satan (See 1 John 4: 4). 

Remember: Satan is a created being. He was created by God as Lucifer, the Chief Worship Angel in Heaven. He fell from great heights when Jesus Christ defeated him on Calvary. But Satan has not given up on his desire to be God. Of course, he never can be nor ever will be God. But because of his intense anger at God, Satan is still trying to steal people from God in order to destroy those whom God loves.

If you are finding it difficult to discern truth from evil, I urge you to do two things:

1–Dig into God’s Word daily. Memorize it. Meditate on it. Make it your final authority.

2–Examine the root of popular practices, such as yoga, the martial arts, etc. Is the root Jesus Christ, or is the root something outside of Jesus Christ? Remember this: the root will determine the fruit. You cannot have an unholy root and expect holy fruit. 

The Word of God gives us this warning about the last days: “But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.” – 2 Timothy 3: 13

Do not allow yourself to be deceived. Stay close to Jesus and be continually in His Word. Pray in the Spirit, and be aware of what is going on around you.

Prayer for Today: Lord God, we ask that You would keep us from all deception in these last days. As we seek Your Face, we trust that You will protect our minds and hearts from the lies of the enemy. We thank You for the gift of discernment. In Jesus’ Name we pray and receive by faith. Amen.

Now, it’s YOUR turn: Please share your questions and insights in the Comments box below. Thank you!

TWEETABLE:  “The Rise of Wicca, Witches, and Warlocks  by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio @DrMaryAnnDiorio (CLICK TO TWEET).

For further study, you may wish to read this article “Growing Number Of Witches & The Upcoming Hex On Justice Kavanaugh” at http://prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2644#ywYDxLgkPItfM7k8.99 http://prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2644.

To be sure you don’t miss any of my future blog posts, you may wish to subscribe to Matters of the Heart. CLICK HERE 

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If you found this post helpful, please forward it to a friend. Thank you! You may also be interested in reading the following popular posts:

“Don’t Let Satan Play Your Pipes!”

“How to Recognize a Controlling Spirit”

“Sex and Soul Ties”

Please check our archives in the right sidebar for older posts on a variety of topics. You may also search for a particular topic in the search box at the top right. 

For additional encouragement, check out my podcasts at the following links:

A Moment with MaryAnn – Podcasts on Living the Good Life

Winning with the Word Podcast Series

Write Your Heart Out! – Podcasts for Writers

Please tell your family and friends about this blog and my other resources, and please pass this post on to them. Thank you!

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Copyright 2018 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be published or printed in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may contact her at info@maryanndiorio.com to request permission.

Amazon.com Required Disclosure: MaryAnn Diorio is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Disclaimer: This site uses cookies. Your continued use of this site constitutes your consent to our use of cookies. 

ARE DEMONS DESTROYING YOUR DESTINY?

by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines 
the course of your life.” ~ Proverbs 4:23

“Matters of the Heart” is a weekly blog that deals with the deepest issues of the human heart, the issues we all face but sometimes don’t want to talk about. The heart is the programming center of our lives. What is programmed into our heart will affect every area of our lives. Learn how to examine your heart and how to program your heart for success.

AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog via Facebook, click here. If you are not on Facebook or would prefer to subscribe via a different venue, please check the sidebar to the right for subscription options. Thank you!

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We don’t hear much about demonic activity today, yet it is definitely going on, and at alarming rates. Perhaps you are a victim of it.

What is demonic activity? Simply put, demonic activity is the disruptive attempt of demonic spirits to divide and destroy you and everything that pertains to you. 

Let’s take a look at some facts about demons:

1–Demons do exist. Contrary to much current teaching, demons are real. Scripture provides abundant evidence of their existence in passages such as Ezekiel 28:18, Matthew 25: 41, and Revelation 12: 4.

Demons are a category of evil spirits who do Satan’s bidding in the earth. They are his evil “lackeys” who carry out his dirty work in the earth. It is generally believed that demons are the fallen angels who followed Satan when he rebelled against God and who, as a result, fell from Heaven with Satan. Some scholars, however, believe that demons may be the product of the union of fallen angels with the daughters of men, as recounted in Genesis 6: 4.

Satan (aka, the Devil) now has his headquarters in the Second Heaven, which is immediately above our firmament and under the Third Heaven where God and His angels dwell.  From the Second Heaven, Satan and the fallen angels give orders to demons to wreak havoc in the earth and upon individuals, particularly those who follow Jesus Christ. 

2–Demons have an agenda. That agenda is to carry out Satan’s instructions to destroy you, particularly if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. They do this in a variety of ways, but primarily through the tactic of “divide and conquer.” Their primary modus operandi is deception.

3–Demons have names. They are named according to their nature. For example, a spirit of anger is an evil spirit that tempts people to anger. A spirit of lust is an evil spirit that tempts people to lust. A lying spirit is an evil spirit that tempts people to lie. 

4–Demons seek to inhabit physical bodies, whether human or animal. Because demons are spirits without bodies, they continually seek either to inhabit a physical body or to attach themselves to one in order to express themselves in the earth. For example, an evil spirit of murder is powerless unless it has a body through which to murder.

4–Demons are the lowest in rank and power in Satan’s kingdom. They do not strategize. That function falls to Satan and his higher-ranking evil spirits who reside in the Second Heaven. Demons simply carry out on earth the orders that are given them by Satan and the fallen angels. 

5–Demons do not die. Because they are disembodied spirits, the same demons that were around thousands of years ago are still around today, tempting people to commit the same kinds of sins.

6–Demons operate through deception. Their goal is to keep their activity undercover so that people will fall into their traps. They present as good that which is evil. 

7–Demons attack in a variety of ways. Here are a few of them:

  • Sickness
  • Mental Illness
  • Twisted Communication
  • Spreading False Doctrine
  • Discouragement

8–Demons enter a life in a variety of ways. Here are some of them:

  • Through rebellion against God-ordained authority;
  • Through an anti-Biblical worldview (e.g., secular humanism, globalism, Mother Earth philosophies)
  • Through participation in New Age practices (e.g., yoga, martial arts, Eastern mysticism and meditation, goddess-worship); through the occult (séances and other Satanic rituals), and witchcraft (e.g., Wicca, the New Paganism, horoscopes, Ouija boards);
  • Through disobedience of the Word of God;
  • Through neglect in prayer, worship, and the study of God’s Word.

No one is immune to demonic attack. But Jesus said this in John 10: 10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” The key to resisting demonic activity is Jesus Christ. When you are in Christ, you have all the authority and power you need to drive out demons from your life. 

Remember this verse in 1 John 4: 4: “Greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world.” HALLELUJAH!

Now, it’s YOUR turn: How do you deal with demonic attacks? Please leave your valued comment in the box below.

TWEETABLE:  “Are Demons Destroying Your Destiny? by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio (CLICK TO TWEET).

For additional resources on understanding demonic activity, you may wish to check out the following books:

101 Questions & Answers on Demon Powers by Dr. Lester Sumrall

Identifying the Hierarchy of Satan by Joy A. Schneider

Dealing with Hindering Spirits by Perry Stone

To be sure you don’t miss any of my future blog posts, you may wish to subscribe at http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/maryanndiorioblog or through the feed of your choice.

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If you found this post helpful, please forward it to a friend. Thank you! You may also be interested in reading the following popular posts:

“Sex and Soul Ties”

“Don’t Let Satan Play Your Pipes”

“How to Recognize a Controlling Spirit”

Please check our archives in the right sidebar for older posts on a variety of topics. You may also search for a particular topic in the search box at the top right. 

Matters of the Heart is a weekly blog that deals with the deepest issues of the human heart, the issues we all face but sometimes don’t want to talk about. The heart is the programming center of our lives. What is programmed into our heart will affect every area of our lives. Learn how to discover what is in your heart and how to program your heart for success.

AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog via Facebook, click here. If you are not on Facebook or if you prefer to subscribe via another venue, you may do so by using any one of the other subscription options listed under the Networked Blog section in the sidebar on my website: www.maryanndiorio.com/blog. Thank you!

For additional encouragement, check out my podcasts at the following links:

A Moment with MaryAnn – Podcasts on Living the Good Life

Winning with the Word Podcast Series

Write Your Heart Out! – Podcasts for Writers

Please tell your family and friends about this blog and my other resources, and please pass this post on to them. Thank you!

___________________________________________

Copyright 2018 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be published or printed in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may contact her at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com to request permission.

Amazon.com Required Disclosure: MaryAnn Diorio is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Disclaimer: This site uses cookies. Your continued use of this site constitutes your consent to our use of cookies.