Dalai Lama's Long-Life Ceremony

Offering of a Long-Life Ceremony to His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, India - An estimated 7500 people packed the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Temple and Yard adjacent to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s residence this morning to participate in offering prayers for his long-life. The route from the palace gate to the temple through the yard and the temple itself had been richly decorated with garlands of flowers and bouquets. The pillars were painstakingly wrapped in coloured cloth. Tashi Shölpa, Gyal Shay and Lhamo dancers welcomed His Holiness as walked from his residence.

Inside the temple, which was filled with monks, sat representatives of Tibet’s religious traditions: from the Bön tradition, Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoché; from the Geluk tradition, Jangtsé Chöjé, Gosok Rinpoché and Ganden Tri Rinpoché, Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin; Head of the Sakya tradition, Sakya Trizin, Ratna Vajra Rinpoché; also from the Geluk tradition, Sharpa Chöjé, Lobsang Tenzin; from the Karma Kagyu tradition, Situ Rinpoché; and from the Nyingma tradition, Ringu Tulku.

To the right of His Holiness’s throne, behind Ganden Trisur, Rizong Rinpoché, sat the Abbots of Sera, Ganden, Drepung, Tashi Lhunpo, Gyumé and Gyutö Monasteries, while to the left sat serving and retired Kalöns.

His Holiness greeted them with a broad smile when he arrived, before taking his seat on the throne. Looking out over the audience he saw six monks from Thailand and directed that they be seated with the Abbots on the dais.

The ceremony, conducted by monks from Namgyal, Gyutö and Kirti Monasteries began with a prayer invoking the former incarnations of Avalokiteshvara in India and Tibet composed by the late Trulshik Rinpoché. Next, the ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda’ was recited. The offering requesting His Holiness’s long life was a rite focussed on Amitayus by the Fifth Dalai Lama and belonging to the collection of his Secret Visions. Its performance had been recommended by Nechung, the State Oracle, during the customary New Year trance and was offered by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the People of Tibet.

At a certain point in proceedings, after the dispatching of the five dakinis, the Nechung Oracle and the oracles of Dorje Yamakyong, Nyenchen Thangla, and Kharak Khyung Tsün approached His Holiness in trance, dancing and offering prayers. They were followed by the representatives of Tibet’s religious traditions who paid His Holiness their respects and offered prayers. Tsog was offered to him.

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay stood with Sakya Trizin as he made the mandala offering and recited from memory a long supplication to His Holiness to live long. The supplication mentioned that he has been inconceivably kind to the Tibetan people and has taught all over the world. He has encouraged harmony among the world’s religious traditions, the protection of the environment, and the preservation of the Tibetan cultural heritage. He has advocated non-violence. He has presented the knowledge contained in the Kangyur and Tengyur collections in terms of philosophy, science and religion and promoted secular ethics for the benefit of all.

The supplication ended, “May your life be as firm as an indestructible vajra, may the Tibetan people be reunited and may you return to Tibet to sit on the Lion Throne in the Potala Palace. Please guide us from life to life. We request you accept our prayer.” With that the Sakya Trizin presented a statue of Amitayus to His Holiness, followed by trays bearing the eight auspicious emblems, the seven symbols of royalty and the eight auspicious substances.

The religious heads and dignitaries from the CTA offered silk scarves.

His Holiness addressed the gathering. “People from the Three Provinces, representatives of our spiritual traditions and protector deities oath-bound at the time of King Trisong Detsen have made this Long-Life Offering—I’d like to thank you all.

“When I recently fell ill many people around the world, as well as inside and outside Tibet, prayed for me, and again I’d like to thank you all. Karma is such that if you haven’t done something, you won’t experience the consequences, nor will the consequences of someone else’s action ripen on you. However, because of close relations within a family and close links between teachers and students prayers between them can be effective. Those who prayed for me did so sincerely—I’m sure it will have been powerful and effective. Thank you.

“I can’t talk about my past lives, but in this life I became a monk and I’ve studied and practised, as Jé Rinpoché writes towards the end of ‘Dependent Arising: A Praise of the Buddha’:

“Becoming ordained into the way of the Buddha

by not being lax in study of his words,

and by yoga practice of great resolve,

this monk devotes himself to that great purveyor of truth.”

His Holiness described his deep respect for the 17 Masters of Nalanda. He observed that there had earlier been a praise for the ‘Six Ornaments and Two Supremes’, which overlooked several masters whose works were influential in Tibet. Consequently he composed his ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda’ and encouraged the study of their respective treatises.

“I’ve given serious thought to emptiness,” he continued, “thanks to the encouragement of my debate assistant Ngodup Tsognyi. Later, when I reported to Kyabjé Ling Rinpoché my experience as a result of contemplating the Second Dalai Lama’s ‘Songs of the Correct View’, he remarked, ‘Before long, you’ll be a ‘space-yogi’. As Choné Lama Rinpoché put it, ‘It’s because of my teachers’ kindness that I have anything to say about emptiness, the luminous nature of the mind and bodhichitta’.

“As far as bodhichitta is concerned, I found my mind was transformed as a result of hearing Khunu Lama Rinpoché’s explanation of ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’ in 1967. I’ve gained some experience of the view of emptiness and the extensive path of bodhichitta and I’ve shared it with others because I’ve seen them to be beneficial. I continue to generate bodhichitta on a daily basis and reflect on what Shantideva wrote:

"Whatever joy there is in this world

All comes from desiring others to be happy,

And whatever suffering there is in this world,

All comes from desiring myself to be happy.

If I do not actually exchange my happiness

For the sufferings of others,

Not only shall I not attain the state of a Buddha

Even in cyclic existence I shall have no joy.

As long as space endures,

As long as sentient being remain,

Until then, may I too remain

And dispel the miseries of the world.

“In this life I’ve been able to serve the Tibetan people and the Tibetan tradition and I’ve been able to show others how helpful an altruistic mind can be. Predatory animals only kill when they are hungry, but human beings do harm to each other on almost any pretext. In such a context we need to be more altruistic.”

His Holiness quoted the Buddha’s advice: ‘As the wise test gold by burning, cutting and rubbing it, So, bhikshus, should you accept my words—after testing them, and not merely out of respect for me.’ He observed that only the Buddha encouraged such a sceptical, reasoned approach. He noted that in his first round of teachings, the Buddha explained the Four Noble Truths and the 37 Factors of Enlightenment. During the second round he clarified the Perfection of Wisdom and in the third round he revealed the clear light nature of the mind, which is the basis for tantric practice. Thus, the Buddha gave his teachings in a progressive way.

Referring to his three commitments, His Holiness remarked that as a simple human being himself, he is committed to serving humanity. As a Buddhist he is committed to promoting harmony amongst religions, which as a result of its longstanding traditions of ahimsa and karuna (non-violence and compassion), flourishes in India. The aim of all religious traditions is peace. Thirdly, as a Tibetan, His Holiness reported that he has done his best to educate Tibetans in exile. Although it’s been difficult for him to be very effective in Tibet, in exile he has done what he could to support and enrich Tibet’s cultural heritage.

“Buddhism in Tibet is a complete tradition,” he asserted, “including the Fundamental Vehicle, the Universal Vehicle and Tantra. Shantarakshita, a philosopher and logician, established Buddhism in the Land of Snows. Sakya Pandita followed his lead when he wrote the influential ‘Treasury of Logic and Epistemology’. It’s on the basis of this that we’ve had successful and mutually beneficial interaction with modern scientists. I’ve made some contribution to general well-being over the last 60 years, but the unflinching spirit of the people in Tibet has been my inspiration. It’s because of them that we’ve been able to keep our culture alive.

“The First Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Gendun Drup, who lived to be 84, had no wish to be born in a pure land. Since I have the opportunity to benefit beings, it will be good if I’m able to live longer. I make prayers to him for his blessing that I may live another 10-15 years.

“Once I had a dream that I was swimming, even though I can’t swim, and Palden Lhamo was riding on my back. She remarked, ‘There’s no doubt you’ll live till you’re 110 years old.’” Applause rippled through the temple. “Other people too have dreamt that I may live till I’m 113. As I told people in Ladakh, what would you prefer, that you keep asking me to come here and there, or that I live long?

“People and gods have made this Long-Life Offering. I’m sure it will have a positive effect and I hope I will live to 110.”

Several auspicious prayers were recited as former and serving cabinet ministers paid their respects to His Holiness, concluding with the ‘Words of Truth’.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2019/offering-of-a-long-life-ceremony-to-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama

The Temptation of Jesus and Spiritual Warfare

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

We are continuing in our series on the events in the life of Christ that are crucial for our understanding of who He is and what He accomplished for us. Last time we looked at His baptism, and immediately after His baptism, Mark tells us that the Holy Spirit ‘drove’ Jesus into the wilderness (same word used when Jesus drove out demons). Perhaps this was to be seen as last of preparatory episodes before public ministry began in earnest. Once He was ordained and anointed for His public ministry, the Spirit leads the Lord Jesus as the Warrior King to march into an all-out assault on enemy occupied territory. This was holy war of the highest and holiest order—against unholiness and utter depravity. It was the devil who trembled and every demon in the world was probably in attendance.

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

I mentioned Jesus being ‘driven’…but is misleading to think of Jesus being dragged along, as if He needed encouragement: no, the idea is that the Spirit and Jesus worked in tandem to relentlessly wreck havoc on the enemy. Indeed the inseparable bond of the two, and the Spirits hovering over Jesus during this event and His entire ministry is important to know. As Basil said ‘they were inseparable companions’. This was holy war against an exceedingly unholy foe. It seems foolish beyond belief that the devil would take Jesus on, but evil is irrational—meaning there is no understanding it.

It is reasonable to assume that Jesus had been the target of Satan from the beginning, and His entire life was spiritual warfare. Indeed, there is no way to adequately understand Jesus’ ministry without realizing that Jesus battled the evil one constantly, and that one of His main foci was to destroy Satan and his works.

It is noteworthy that in the Lukan account, this episode is preceded by a genealogy from Jesus to Adam. This inclusio  suggests that the entire human history between Adam and Jesus, and that the temptation and victory of Jesus, are to be interpreted in contrast to Adams previous failure in his capacity as representative of human race. This is a re-run of Eden. Jesus is second/last Adam. We see this in Romans 5. 18 Therefore, as one trespassf led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousnessg leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19) As CS Lewis said, ‘Jesus danced Adam’s steps backwards’.

Contrast between 2 Adams:

Note contrast of location. Adam was in plush garden. Perfect environment; no lack of anything. But Jesus was in the midst of treeless, furnace-like wilderness, where all there is are vipers and scorpions. The location itself was foreboding and inhospitable for human habitation—epitome of fall.

Adam was in company of his wife as helpmate vs Jesus as all alone. Loneliness…and remember that man being alone  received first malediction recorded—in garden before Eve created. Think of the torment people go through in solitary confinement, bereft of any human contact. I remember one of the old prisons that is a paranormal investigators hot spot was a place designed to keep people totally isolated—drove many insane. Maybe Transallegany..I can’t remember but I got involved indirectly…mans phone caught on fire.

Adam lived in a gourmet restaurant with countless fruits to eat from, and his belly was content. But Jesus was on 40 day fast… literally starving. Unlike me, He did not live according to feelings, but set his face like flint in this prolonged battle. And the tense in Greek indicates that Jesus was being tempted continually. The last three are the culmination, and He is probably already worn out in every way.

Similarity—point of attack. Adam and Jesus’ temptation centered on the truthfulness, authority and trustworthiness of God’s Word.

To Eve Satan said: “has God said”? At first Satan was very subtle with Eve. “If God puts any restrictions on you, that means you are not free”. Then Satan outright contradicted God and called Him a liar, and said Adam and Eve would be as god. They trusted their senses, their own subjective intuition—became autonomous in their thinking. Adam was passive in his leadership/protection of the family. They gave the devil a foothold and he took full advantage and overwhelmed them with his superior intellect and insidious tempting. 1 Cor. 10:13 is for ‘front door’ temptations not when he’s already been let into your living room. Need to stop temptation in the bud.

It is obvious that Satan was an observer of Jesus’ baptism because he picks up on the very language the Father used to address Jesus-- “IF you are the Son of God, command these stones…” And as we are told in Eph 6 Jesus picks up the Sword of the Spirit and quotes from Deuteronomy-man does not live bread alone…but by every Word… I will starve before I deny My Father’s truthfulness.”

 Frustrated Satan, picks up on the tactic and quotes scripture himself—using same word ‘gegrepetai’. And ironically, he quotes from the very psalm that folks in deliverance use all the time, Psalm 91. I’ve used many times in demon infested homes. But so does Satan, but out of context. And Jesus replies:” You obviously forgot the first rule of hermeneutics—don’t set one text of Word against another—compare scripture with scripture..” do not tempt God.” Tempting God means putting yourself in a situation in which it would take a miracle to extract you from it.

Then Satan has the mind boggling audacity to ask God almighty to bow down and worship him—promising the Creator all the kingdoms of the world. Forgetting they were already Jesus’…though Satan had limited authority given him by God. And this agitates Jesus and He informs the evil one that God alone is to be worshipped, and with that He tells Satan to get lost. It was over. He lost. Battle won! And the devil departs, until an opportune time.

Three times Jesus was tempted and each time He replied ‘gegrepetai’…the sense is that, though written in past, it has abiding authority. The Sword of the Spirit of Truth—the Holy Spirit works in and through His Word. We need to realize that while this was a power encounter, it was first a truth encounter, and then the power was unleashed. We need to have same hunger, same worship, same respect for God's Word. Unlike Satan, we need to be willing to humble ourselves before God’s Word and embrace beliefs that, may seem to our pea brains to be irreconcilable—at least unable to explain how both can be true. For example, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility.

His whole life Jesus would be tempted off and on by Satan himself. Not a demon, but Satan himself, and I doubt any of us will ever face Satan himself in our lifetimes. His weakest demon is powerful enough to thrash me to shreds if not for God’s protection. I have seen the work of demons in person and I have seen the power of God in abolishing them through His Word and Jesus’ Name.

In applying this, often it is difficult in knowing if temptation emanates from indwelling sin or from outside, demonic source. But quoting scripture outloud can be of immense help in either situation. Sometimes we literally have to run. Last night on FB, I had a friend request and when I turned to it, it was hard core porn. That is something men need to run away from.

The devil hates the truth and so we can expect that he will do all he can to water truth down, and I am trying to expose folks to full counsel of God, rediscovered in the Reformation. It is sad that once what was so common then, and their successors the puritans, the doctrines of grace—are considered by many evangelicals to be aberrations. Martin Luther spoke often of how he was attacked by Satan himself—and I believe it because the precious gospel had been eclipsed in darkness in an anti-millennium from 500-1,500 AD. Is there no end to devils mimicry? Luther stood as single man against the church and Holy Roman Empire and was valiant for truth of gospel of grace alone.

This episode reminds us that God is passionate about sound theology and sound living…orthodoxy and orthopraxy.

In the end, angels came and ministered to Jesus—angels, who with the Holy Spirit, had been there the entire time. Praise God that Jesus did dance Adam’s steps backwards, and this was a prelude to the cross and the ultimate showdown…slaughter of Satan. And ultimately thrown into hell. Christus Victor—the Warrior King! Jesus Christ!  Amen.

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

Is It Possible to be Certain & Humble?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE CERTAIN AND HUMBLE?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,[f who is at the Father's side,[g] He has made him known. (John 1:18)

17 Sanctify them[b]in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17) 

One of the most frequent objections to Christianity is that they are arrogant for making claims for certainty: arrogant for claiming to be right, arrogant for claiming others are wrong, and even arrogant for claiming to know anything with certainty. It seems much more ‘humble’ to tell people that they can believe whatever they want to, and that all roads lead to the top of the mountain, as long as you’re sincere. It seems more humble to say: “I don’t know for sure, but as for me, I believe x,y, and z.”

Folks are naturally drawn to claims that are couched in uncertain terms because it does not demand a verdict or a change of heart-allegiance. From my experience, no matter how kind, gently, or loving one states certainty regarding truth, it will be ridiculed for being, well, arrogant…abusive..mean-spirited.

The US Constitution protects the equal rights of all religions, as it should. However, it is a short, but profoundly misguided step of logic in the mind, to go from equal rights of all religions to equal VALIDITY of all religions. That is a non-sequitor—it does not follow.

In addition, the claim that we can’t know for certain is an absolutely certain claim about uncertainty! Thus, it is a self-destructive belief/assertion.

But more to the point, we need to re-examine how we are defining ‘humility’.

First in the philosophical community, and then trickling down to popular culture, the definition of humility has undergone a profound change. We live in a culture which has been described as being in the death grip of ‘escape from reason.”,(see Francis Schaeffer, Escape from Reason) and this intellectual odyssey away from antithetical reasoning has led to a profound epistemological (the validity, nature, and limits of knowledge) skepticism.

I’m trying to shorten my blogs, so I’m not going to explain how the developments in philosophy (e.g. Hume, Kant, and Hegel) have profoundly impacted how we view the notion of certainty and knowledge acquisition. Maybe next time when I’ll discuss the basic reliability of the sense perceptions, which has been profoundly undermined in our culture.

The bottom line is that today, humility has become synonymous with ‘uncertainty’; to be uncertain is considered humble or open-minded—a virtue. But to be certain, especially about religious matters, is considered arrogant and close-minded—a vice. Whether we like it or not, that is the spirit of the age we live in.

This shift poses real problems for Christians who believe that we can have certain knowledge, not about everything, but certainty regarding God, salvation, who Jesus is and what He did, and how we can go to heaven.

God is the Lord of linguistics, and though human language is fluid, a concept as profound as humility (or arrogance) must be defined by the Living God, and not by a culture in a rebellion against Him (Psalm 2).

Our certainty has nothing to do with Christians themselves or our innate abilities. Rather, it is all grace dependent. And if it’s grace-dependent, then we have nothing to boast about in our certainty, but only humble gratitude before the Lord. Thus, we can be both certain and humble. Let me explain.

God has revealed true truth in His Word. If it were not for God’s purposeful, grace-full intention to reveal true (not exhaustive knowledge but true knowledge) knowledge about Himself via the Scriptures, we would know nothing regarding the main questions of life. General revelation through nature is true, but it lacks specificity regarding the issues mentioned above, and unaided human reason cannot attain accurate saving knowledge of God.

When it comes to crucial questions like: what is God like; how do we get to heaven, what happens after we die, who is Jesus and what He did, Christians have a solid foundation for being certain in our knowledge and claims: God’s gracious and clear revelation to us in the bible. I wonder how often bible believing Christians thank God for the immense treasure we have in the bible, and how lost we’d be without it?

In the Reformation debate between Erasmus and Martin Luther, Erasmus chided Luther for being overly bold in his assertions regarding how we are saved—Luther was insisting with utter certainty that we are saved by faith alone (which means by Christ alone). Luther, in characteristic fashion, replied: “God does not speak out of both sides of His mouth, and the Holy Spirit is not a Skeptic.” What he was saying is that, since God’s Word is clear, then we must be lovingly bold in our assertions, or it will imply that God has not spoken clearly to us, which would reflect poorly on His character and communication skills. One could say that it reflects a lack of humility to NOT speak with certainty because we are putting our fallible, finite minds in judgment above God’s gracious revelation. Or perhaps we fear what people will think of us if we speak the truth boldly. But Paul said that he was ‘not ashamed of the gospel…”, and neither should we. (Romans 1:16)

Jesus was the most humble Man who ever lived and yet He looked at the Sadducees and said: “You are wrong.” (re: their denial of the afterlife).

In John 1:18 Jesus exegeted the Father. Meaning that He explained what God is like because He IS God! Jesus, the Incarnate Word is the Ultimate revelation of what God is like. In John 17:17 notice that it does NOT say that ‘Your Word is true’ (adjective…though it is true), but that IS truth (alatheia, in Greek, noun) This implies that God’s Word does not simply conform to some other external standard of ‘truth’ but that it is Truth itself. It embodies truth and is the standard of truth against which everything else must be compared and tested. In fact, in Jesus, Truth is a Person (John 14:6). Certitude and humility are friends, not foes, due to God’s gracious revelation of Himself in the Incarnate Word and Inscripturated Word.

Christians can be both certain and humble because our knowledge is not based on ourselves, but in the self-revelation of the Living God. It is not arrogant to speak with certainty regarding matters God has spoken clearly on. It is living in humble reliance upon Him, and knowing that we don’t live on bread alone…

God didn’t go to such great lengths to reveal Himself in order to leave us in uncertainty! Unlike paganism/occult in which WE search for hidden knowledge/mysteries, in biblical Christianity it is God Himself who reveals and explains the mysteries to us—things we could not have known otherwise.

When I write a blog and make strong assertions, I do so with a humble reliance upon the God who, in His kindness and love, has revealed Himself through the Inscripturated Word as well as the Incarnate Word. Both are utterly certain! Not all things are equally clear in the bible but many things are crystal clear—sometimes it takes hard work to arrive at certainty. And when the Word is clear, then we are ill-advised to preface our comments with: “In my humble opinion…” There is certainly a place for those prefatory comments, but my thought is: why blog on something which you’re not certain about? Folks don’t care about my opinions, they want to know what GOD says!

So, let us not shrink back from speaking with confident, bold, loving certainty regarding matters the bible itself is clear about. Speak the truth in love, and not fall prey to false, worldly definitions of humility. We can be both humble and certain! Praise God! Humble certainty is what God wants us to have; it’s part of our inheritance as His children. And the world desperately needs us to be valiant for truth--declaring His glory, for His glory!

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

Ghosts and the Great Evangelical Disaster, Part 1

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Less than 80 years ago, our country had a Christian consensus.Virtually anyone could have expressed what the basic Christian beliefs were , even if they did not believe it themselves. Let me stop here for a moment, and state that I want to set this debate about the existence of ghosts in a larger context--namely as part of the very rapid cultural decline that has taken place.In order to accomplish this, we must set this debate regarding ghosts within the context of the spirit of our age.What is the prevailing spirit that is driving American culture into a deadly decline? (In my book I set this debate within the context of the clash of differing worldviews and antithetical epistemologies...that is, objective truth versus relatavisitic truth, and how the bible is REALLY true when it speaks about any subject matter--including science and history).

In the last 80 years or so years there has been a mad rush in our society to achieve autonomous freedom-- that is the spirit of the age that is napalming every segment of society. It is the drive to throw of the restraints of the God of the bible.It is search for freedom, but the autonomous aspect means getting rid of the restraints of the God of truth as well as the truth of God. A deliberate rejection of God and His law or morality. Hence, treasured aspects of our culture are destroyed almost overnight. In Romans 1:18f the Lord tells us that, since our country once did know the truth, but willingly rejected it, we are being punished for it. Let me quote my hero Francis Schaeffer, "But if we are looking across the history of the world to see those times when men knew the truth and turned away, let us say emphatically that there is not an exhibition of this anywhere in history so clearly--and in such a short time--as in our own generation." (The Great Evangelical Disaster)

I graduated from high school in 1974, and the changes in our country since then have been enormous...what were once vices are now embraced as virtues.It is a terrible thing for a 60 year old man like me to see how far we have declined in such a short time.It makes me weep.

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.(Eph. 6:12) Does the church in the twenty-first century of America really believe we are engaged in this cosmic battle? Again Schaeffer, If we do not believe these things(and we must say that much of the evangelical world acts as if it does not believe these things), we certainly cannot expect to have much success in fighting the battle. Why doesn't the church have more impact on our culture? Because we have not taken the primary battle seriously.And because we don't take this supernatural warfare seriously, we don't use the weapons our Lord has provided (Ephesians. 6:10-18) Without these weapons we have no hope of winning

As a consequence of rejecting the truth, Paul says in Romans 1:18-25 that their (our) thinking or reasoning processes becomes foolish and distorted.The reason I went into such detail in my book about adopting a Christian worldview is that foolish or distorted thinking is flourishing, not only in non-Christians, but in Christians as well. The result has been disasterous. We deserve, and are, under the wrath of God as a country...I say that with tears....

Because we have rejected the one, true God in a manic, depraved quest for autonomous freedom, our nation is now characterized  by foolish thinking (and the long list of degradations Paul mentions)--we are drowning in relativistic reasoning--AND God's anger is being poured out upon America.The last few generations have trampled upon the truth of God as well as the God of truth.We are seeing, right now, the outworking of this depraved thinking and acting. Do you think we can slaughter this many unborn children and not anger the Holy One of Israel?

An indicator of how few Christians think like Christians is the recent election. How many Christians viewed abortion as the primary issue? Very few. As important as the economy is, what can come even close to the significance of protecting human life? LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?!

We are still made in God's image and have a visceral desire for spiritual reality...even if we have rejected the God whose image we are made in. All of this frenzied quest for unfettered freedom from God and His moral absolutes, has left us in a spiritual void or wasteland. That is where ghosts come into the picture. I will develop this them further next time, but suffice it to say that Satan has developed this scheme masterfully.

Having rejected the true God, we have replaced Him and the bible with the satisfaction of immediate contact with the supernatural. Our Christ-less culture has become irrational. Instead of truth we seek experience with the paranormal  And where is the church?

Martin Luther (or somebody) said, If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the Devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.

Preachers preach on everything but that little point where the Devil is attacking.

Where are the sermons on the bible and ghosts? Again, I insist, where are the messages on the bible and spiritism? Because the church has flinched, it is not confessing Christ. It remains dogged in her dismissiveness of this topic (some rare exceptions). It has not engaged the spirit of this age.....again. Yes, of course there are many other important issues and topics. Our culture will become increasingly demonized if we don't bring the truth and light on this subject.I love the church and I love pastors. The Bride is committing adultery with the world. Lord, please have mercy on us. And pastors..... PREACH!

Read The Great Evangelical Disaster, Part 2 Loving Confrontation

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

20 Wise Quotes from The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama has some very insightful verses. I’ve gathered my favorite quotes from the Tibetan leader about a variety of topics such as love, compassion, peace, humanity, violence, and the environment. It’s a very interesting read.

Compiled by INeedMotivation and credited at the bottom.

1- Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

2- If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.

3- If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

4- My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

5- Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

6- The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual’s own reason and critical analysis.

7- We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

8- We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

9- Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

10- If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.

11- If you don’t love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others.

12- Human potential is the same for all. Your feeling, “I am of no value”, is wrong. Absolutely wrong. You are deceiving yourself. We all have the power of thought – so what are you lacking? If you have willpower, then you can change anything. It is usually said that you are your own master.

13- We must recognize that the suffering of one person or one nation is the suffering of humanity. That the happiness of one person or nation is the happiness of humanity.

14- Through violence, you may ‘solve’ one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

15- As people alive today, we must consider future generations: a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility toward others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy, if not healthier, than we found it.

16- To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle.

17- There is a saying in Tibetan, “Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.”
No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.

18- The creatures that inhabit this earth-be they human beings or animals-are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world.

19- A spoon cannot taste of the food it carries. Likewise, a foolish man cannot understand the wise man´s wisdom even if he associates with a sage.

20- In our struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we possess.


original article link: http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/04/20-wise-quotes-from-the-dalai-lama/

Symptoms of Spiritual Pollution, Part 6

Continued from: 
Symptoms of Spiritual Pollution, Part 1
Symptoms of Spiritual Pollution, Part 2
Symptoms of Spiritual Pollution, Part 3
Symptoms of Spiritual Pollution, Part 4
Symptoms of Spiritual Pollution, Part 5

Understanding Spiritual Warfare -- Becoming a Victor

In my continuation on the blog series Spiritual Warfare from the last time I discussed the critical aspect of Intimacy with God based upon the 4 essential core values that one must have to defeat the kingdom of evil.  In this blog aspect we will now cover what many refer to as DISCERNMENT.  So what is the definition of discernment?

Discernment by definition found in Webster’s is as follows:  a quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure, an act of perceiving or discerning something.  So what does discernment in the spiritual sense then mean?  In the Christian context it means a perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual direction and understanding.

Therefore let’s get this started: what is discernment?  This word has multiple definitions.  The culture within the Church wishes to define discernment as the power to see things which are not obvious to the average mind.  In other words, discernment is a special ability which sets a person apart as a special human.  However, once we start using words like “power” and “special”, our egos are listening attentively as well as the demons.

God talks about a person having discernment, this is a different definition.  So our dictionary states discernment can simply mean “showing insight and understanding”.  Spiritual discernment isn’t about power, this is about receiving information via the Holy Spirit.  This is about God helping a person see the difference between truth and deception.  Example of discernment is listen to a sermon, as you don’t want to just believe what you hear.   You will want to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you if anything the pastor is saying is truth. 

When you do this act of requesting to be shown truth you are asking God for discernment—you are asking for insight and understanding.  This is a comparison much like a student in a class and God is your teacher.  When you raise your hand to ask a question, you are asking for discernment.  A person is searching for clarification about something that bothers them. Sometimes God will give it to you, but sometimes God won’t.  All wisdom and understanding comes from God and thus God never downloads all of this wisdom into your brain at once.

As a person matures in their faith, they will find themselves feeling more and more dependent on God for everything.  God created you which as a powerless little speck you can’t do anything without Him.  This is a reality that will never change.  By listening to God’s truth, the more in touch a person will become and thus the total dependency on Him becomes even greater.  Now the opposite occurs as a person listens to lies, the more out of touch they become with their need for God. 

When people (whom are not righteous with God) encourage others to view themselves as a little Harry Potter—which is a person who is born with some innate supernatural powers, with which just some cultivating work can turn them into a master over the spiritual realms.  These individuals are teaching you to embrace or downplay your dependency on God.  These people are teaching others to downplay the dependency on God.  Unfortunately, those unrighteous people are teaching these decent people to view God as your willing assistant and not the sovereign King over your life.  Do you think that such a mindset might create problems between you and God?  Answer:  Yes and Big ones at that.

So have you been told that have the gift of discernment by someone other than God?  Can you sense the presence of demonic forces more often and clearly more than other people?  Do you believe that you have a “special” ability to see into the spiritual realm?  Were you taught by someone other than God directly that those special abilities are indicators that God has specially equipped you for battling demons?  If so, then you have been led to a very dangerous place. 

The way you presently comprehend spiritual warfare and your own spiritual abilities is very damaging to your soul.  Being caught in a web of deceptions is only going to carry you deeper and farther into a plot of delusions.  A person can’t draw close to God when they’re clinging to those delusions.  However, these kinds of delusions which one is headed towards are that these extremely addictive lies leaves a person wanting more.  These actions will serve the ego so much that you won’t want to let them go.  Demons know how to make lies sound far more attractive than truth and have been doing this since Adam & Eve.  The dangerous aspects are that you are some spirit kicking warrior is one of their favorite games to play with these self-absorbed individuals.

Now wait a second—are you saying that demons would encourage one to believe they are a threat to them?  Oh, yes and in a heartbeat.  That whole rebuking package that they’ve been sold—it comes straight from them.  Demons enjoy it when you start rebuking them in the Name of Jesus or better yet—chanting Bible verses at them.  Maybe you’ve been sold the version in which you’re supposed to hold up some large crucifix to drive those evil spirits back and commanding them to leave by just the presence of a crucifix.

Perhaps these spiritual mentors of yours took you down the holy liquids boulevard.  Teaching you to apply upon yourself some holy oil, holy water or something else holy as a physical shield against those powers of darkness.  This is all such a fantastic scam and unfortunately you are the victim.  If you’re serious about wanting to know God (i.e. drawing close) and thus please God with your life, then there is a whole lot of relearning needed about the spiritual realm. 

Getting a person to the proper place in their life with God is a challenge due to truth.  However, this isn’t going to be an enjoyable trek because God’s truth is often very repulsive to our own pride. Sadly, truth is truth, and trying to ignore it doesn’t change anything, this just ends up harming you further by ignoring the truth. Many people feel that God will adjust reality to suit their wishful thinking and that will not happen.  If you want to please God, then you have to submit to His rules and align yourself with His definition of truth, not your definition of truth especially in Spiritual Warfare.

In our next blog we will cover DEMONS and what this affords a person as this is thrown around in Spiritual Warfare.


Rev. Bradley Luoma, Exorcist

Ghosts are Residual Energies—Not People

By Lisa Grace

What people refer to as “ghosts” I call residual energy or if interactive, a type of demon. While the appearance may resemble a person who lived, the residual energy has more in common with a photograph or a video. Just as a photo is not the person, neither is the “ghost”/residual energy.

These residual energies, for a while, can attract other supernatural creatures, which I refer to as demons. Their whole purpose is to mislead you from the truth and down a path of destruction.

Ask yourself, why aren’t there any hauntings from societies we no longer remember? Why aren’t there tons of Roman soldiers or ancient Hitites? Why aren’t Italy or Greece the most haunted places per square foot?

Because these residual energies do not last forever. 

Just like photos, they fade and disintegrate. The evil demons that nurture or mimic them, move on to stronger residual energies.

Demons roam the earth looking for those they can destroy/mislead.

While listening to EVP’s is fascinating, it will never reveal more about the paranormal. Why?

Because these demons have zero interest in revealing the truth. The truth is already readily available in the Holy Scriptures.

If more people relied on the truth, once they realized a demon was present, they would bind them and drive them away.

Many paranormal investigators have had demons follow them home. They then realize maybe they are playing with fire. Entities are not harmless and are not toys.

What are residual energies?

We know thoughts are measurable energy. We were told thousands of years ago in the Scripture that our words are powerful. Every word starts out as a thought first. Therefore thoughts are powerful, too.

Thoughts can be measured by MRI’s and other types of brain scans. If we can measure the energy we can record it. That means there is a permanent record of that thought.

Scientist have actually created a machine that can look at a person’s electro magnetic energy released while concentrating on a memory, and they can recreate a crude picture/movie of the thought. http://techland.time.com/2011/09/23/scientists-can-almost-read-your-mind-turn-thoughts-into-movies/

If scientists can now prove what the Holy Scriptures have said (before it was provable), then we can see how strong emotions or repetitious actions can “burn” or record in time and place, a record of an event. This is all these residual energies are.

I watched an episode of The Neighbors last night. The alien dad was talking into an etch a sketch, expecting to get an answer, like you can with certain phone aps. This is what it is like when investigators try to talk to a “haunting.” Now because demons are attracted to these energies, if you get an answer, you have a demon. In that case, you need to get it removed. We’ll talk more about that in my next column.