Dalai Lama's Teaching on Nagarjuna’s ‘A Commentary on the Awakening Mind’ in Basel, Switzerland

Basel, Switzerland, 7 February 2015 - This is only the second time His Holiness the Dalai Lama has visited Basel, the ancient European city on the Rhine that lies where the borders of France, Germany and Switzerland converge. The historic hotel in which he is staying, Les Trois Rois, has previously hosted such famous but diverse guests as Napoleon Bonaparte, Pablo Picasso, and Theodor Herzl. There, before leaving for the venue where he would teach, he met with members of the media. He told them:

“I am one of the 7 billion human beings alive today. We are social creatures and today everything is interdependent. Therefore, we have to consider the welfare of the whole of humanity and the health of the planet. You media people have an important role to play in keeping people informed of the importance of ecology. Promoting awareness of the need to protect the environment is one of my own commitments.

“Secondly, I’m a Buddhist and I’m committed to fostering inter-religious harmony. This is not just wishful thinking, it is a realistic possibility. Look at India where all the world’s religious traditions, those that are indigenous and those from abroad, live together in peace. India is today a living example of diversity and pluralism.

“Thirdly, I’m a Tibetan and dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture.”

The first question from the floor was a simple “How are you?” and His Holiness replied that yesterday, when he arrived, he was tired. However, after going to bed at 5.30pm and getting up again at 2.30am he felt refreshed. Asked what needs to change in education today he remarked that the existing education system is focused on materialistic goals with insufficient attention to inner values. What is needed, he said, is a curriculum that incorporates such human values in a way that is universally acceptable. He mentioned meeting with members of the Mind & Life Institute a few days ago to hear about progress on just such a program called ‘Call to Care’.

In the context of religious freedom he was asked what he had to say to the pro-Shugden protestors on the street outside. He replied that the issue has nothing to do with religious freedom because it’s about spirit worship. The Buddha counselled his followers only to take refuge in and seek guidance from the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. He said we should not seek refuge in spirits. The history of the controversy goes back to the time of the 5th Dalai Lama in 17th century. And the 5th Dalai Lama pronounced Dolgyal or Shugden an evil spirit. Many prominent Gelugpa masters concurred. His Holiness continued:

“In 1951, at Yatung, due to a variety of circumstances I took up the practice. However, my Senior Tutor remained sceptical about it. In 1970, because I already harboured doubts about it I investigated further and discovered what the 5th Dalai Lama had written about this practice. Realizing it was a mistake, I stopped and eventually word got out.”

He explained that these protestors have tried to create  mistaken impression, particularly in Tibet, that the Dalai Lama opposes this practice because he’s pandering to the Nyingmapas. He said this is nonsense. They accuse him of lying, but he asserts that he is not, while they just don’t know the reality of the situation. His advice, he said, is to investigate the matter more thoroughly. His Holiness concluded that the protestors are clearly able to exercise their freedom of expression, which is good. Nevertheless, it remains his duty also to share what he knows. That’s all he’s done.

Under bright winter sunshine, His Holiness drove to St. Jakobshalle where he was to teach. Tibetans singing and dancing in colourful costumes at the door gave him a traditional welcome. Inside the hall, as he came onto the stage, with its backdrop of large thangkas depicting the Buddha, Nagarjuna and Manjushri, a capacity crowd of 7500 also welcomed him with warm applause.

He began by stressing the importance of knowledge,

“Today, we should be 21st century Buddhists, who know what the Nalanda tradition is. When we recited the verse taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, we need to understand what and who the Buddha is. If we understand the causes and conditions that result in a Buddha, we’ll understand what the word ‘Buddha’ signifies. Likewise, the Dharma indicates the path to liberation and the Sangha those who embody it.”

His Holiness remarked that the dull-witted simply have faith. The sharp witted, however, research and investigate the teachings. He cited what he had written in the colophon to the praise ‘Illuminating the Threefold Faith’ that invokes the qualities of the 17 Nalanda Masters:

“At the present time, when in the ordinary world there is great advancement in the fields of science and technology, we are distracted by the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, it is extremely important that those of us who follow the Buddha should have faith based on knowledge of his teaching. Therefore, we should examine the reasons for it with an unbiased and inquisitive mind, analyzing it closely.

... the foremost sages of the Holy Land of India have composed numerous excellent, meaningful texts that can open the eyes of those possessing fine discriminative awareness. During this time more than two thousand five hundred years have passed, but still those teachings (dealing with) hearing, contemplation and meditation survive undiminished.”

He further quoted the first two verses of that praise:

By understanding the meaning of the two truths, the way things exist,
We ascertain through the four truths how we arrive in and how we leave the cycle of existence.
Engendered by valid cognition our faith in the three refuges will be firm.
May I be blessed to establish the root of the path to liberation.

May I be blessed to perfect an uncontrived awakening mind of bodhichitta
Which is rooted in renunciation - the aspiration for liberation and
The total purification of suffering and its source -
And that boundless compassion that wishes to protect wandering beings.

His Holiness was invited to lunch with the members of the local City-Canton Government by its President, Dr Guy Morin. The President welcomed him to Basel and, during the course of the meal, told him there are currently about 600 Tibetan residents in the city. He said Basel’s connection with Tibetans is so long that he can remember having a Tibetan classmate at school 40 years ago.

Opening Nagarjuna’s ‘Commentary to the Awakening Mind’ after lunch His Holiness told his listeners that the text explains developing the awakening mind of bodhichitta in both its conventional and ultimate aspects. The explanation accords with that found in the sutras although the text itself is derived from the Guhyasamaja Tantra, which speaks of two kinds of bodhichitta: bliss and emptiness and the indivisibility of the two truths. He read the first verse, which expresses homage:      

1 Bowing to the glorious Vajra Holder
Who embodies the awakening mind.
I shall explain here the meditative practice
Of awakening mind that destroys cyclic existence.

The next two verses describe what the text sets out to teach:

2 The Buddhas maintain the awakening mind
To be unobscured by such conceptions
As consciousness of “self,” “aggregates” and so on;
It is always characterized by emptiness.

3 It is with a mind moistened by compassion
That you must cultivate [awakening mind] with effort.
The Buddhas who embody great compassion
Constantly develop this awakening mind.

Verses 4-9 present and challenge the views of the non-Buddhist schools of thought that flourished in ancient India. The text then moves on to deal with the views of the lower schools of Buddhist thought, culminating in an assessment of the Mind Only school, which the reader is advised is not to be taken literally:

27 ‘All of this is but one’s mind,’
That which was stated by the Able One
Is to alleviate the fear of the childish;
It is not [a statement] of [final] truth.

His Holiness concluded the session with verses that summarize the two kinds of bodhichitta:

72 Those who do not understand emptiness
Are not receptive vehicles for liberation;
Such ignorant beings will revolve
In the prison of existence of the six classes of beings.

73 When this emptiness [as explained]
Is thus meditated upon by yogis,
No doubt there will arise in them
A feeling attached to the welfare of others.

74 ‘Towards those beings that have
Bestowed benefits upon me in the past,
Such as through being my parents or friends,
I shall strive to repay their kindness.’

His Holiness announced that he would conduct the ceremony for generating the awakening mind tomorrow in conjunction with an Avalokiteshvara empowerment. The empowerment comes from the collection of secret visions of the 5th Dalai Lama.

As he was leaving the building, His Holiness held a short meeting with about 200 elderly and frail Tibetans. He told them that since they had spent their lives trying not to harm others and trying to develop the awakening mind of bodhichitta, as he himself does every day, they should relax and feel at ease. In the light of the empowerment he will give tomorrow, he commented that Tibetans have a special connection with Avalokiteshvara. He added that although Tibetans tended to squabble among themselves when Tibet was free, now the difficulties they have faced has brought about a firm unity.

original article link with photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1235-teaching-nagarjunas-a-commentary-on-the-awakening-mind-in-basel

Bondage To Rejection And Other Torments

Before I get started on this I would like to reiterate and I know I've said that we have nothing to fear many, many times in my previous blogs as Christ is very clear that if we are strong in Christ and our faith is rocksolid when it comes to anti-fear of anything demonic we have nothing to worry about. As I've said many times before, we have angels assigned to us by God the father, you do not want to piss off an angel of The Lord. Demons tremble in the presence of the Lord's Angel.

There is so much power in The Lord and The Holy Spirit. The Bible says there is life and death in the power of the tongue as what we speak we speak it into existence. Think about that for a moment.....The wrath of a Angel acting under God's authority is absolutely hands down no match for a demon or devil. As I've said many times this is just my humble opinion and I'm blogging about what I feel the Holy Spirit has led me to. I do pray before I decide what I blog about. I also write about what people have asked me to. I believe the statement when Angels acting under Gods authority may possibly mean they have the same amount of power as God for lack of betters words just until they complete their task however, as I've said before regarding angels they are extremely powerful and very much feared by Satan and his kingdom. It stipulates in the Bible when Christ resurrected and presented himself before a certain amount of people he told them "do not fret for I leave you with the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out demons in thy name". This is powerful stuff. No power is of our own, all power is God’s and comes from Him. With his authority in Jesus name believers can cast out demons, get answers to prayers, speak in tongues, and much more. We have his favor in life. God doesn't always answer prayers right when we ask. But he will answer in his own time. He's a very busy God. He loves each and everyone of us so very much. His son died so that we are forgiven of our sins and have ever lasting life in heaven with The Father.

Demonic Homes

Whenever you find yourself hearing stories of somebody casting out the same demons from the same person over and over again, then there's a good chance there is what some describe as a "demonic home" which the demon keeps returning to. A website called greatbiblestudy.com has a plethora of information on these types of things. A lot of my research has been done there and I definitely suggest that website for people to great website to check out.  There's many different subjects that they go over that is of course, a biblical point of view. demons as rats which feed off of garbage in our barn. We can keep on casting the rats out, but unless we clean up the garbage by which they are feeding, then they will keep coming that over and over again. They will never stop torturing this person.

This is why many encourage every deliverance minister to take the time to study and learn the roots of the popular spiritual bondages. I also believe that is referring to the stronghold. Make it your business to understand what brings on these different types of bondages to lust and pornography, anger problems, and so forth. Yes, there are demons involved in most of these situations, but there are also fleshly roots that we need to understand so that when we cast out the demons, they do not return. It is vital for deliverance ministers to take the time to learn and understand the bondages that are plaguing many people today so they can effectively allow people genuine lasting freedom and peace.

Next, let's take a young man by the name Joe. Joe has been rejected as a child by his peers, and today has a terrible bondage to rejection, thus making it difficult to create meaningful relationships as he feels all alone, and even when others aren't rejecting him, he perceives even a simple "no" as a form of rejection. Joe has difficulty receiving correction because he perceives it as an attack on him personally. As a result of feeling rejected, Joe naturally fell into a bondage to rebellion, which set him up for further rejection. Those are just a few of the things that Joe struggles with. Certain people called into this ministry could go about casting out the demon of rejection, OR minister to the root of the problem. With Joe's situation, the flow of bondage looks something like this:

A deep wound that was created when others rejected him CREATED a fleshly bondage where Joe felt worthless and worthy to be rejected WHICH BUILT a stronghold of self-hate, self-rejection, and so forth WHICH WAS a demonic home THAT CONTAINED a nest of demons (rejection, rebellion, self-hate, etc.). This was found at greatbiblestudy.com

A similar flow of bondage may look something like this:

A deep wound that was created when others rejected him CREATED a fleshly need to be accepted and a stronghold of rejection (or a way of perceiving yourself as rejected) WHICH WAS a demonic home THAT CONTAINED the demons of rebellion, rejection, and so forth.

One way Satan gains control of the mind is when we place our trust in what many Christians mistakenly call the Holy Spirit. What I mean is  "God told me to do this. . ." However, what God told them to do is completely contrary to God’s word. Jesus said in John 8:47 "He who is of God hears the words of God." God never, ever, ever leads us contrary to the Word of God. So when we receive anything we think is the Holy Spirit, the first question we must ask is "Does God’s word agree with what I believe is the Holy Spirit speaking to me?" Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no wonder for Satan transforms himself into an angel of light."

Written by Jennifer Lori Auld

A Display of Demonic Variety...Dead Files vs Ghost Adventures

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

I have written on the Ghost Adventures....I have written on the Dead Files....and I have written on Paul's injunction that we must not be ignorant of Satan's schemes. I'm going to pull these various threads together, and hopefully,  light will emerge!

The tactics regarding how warfare is waged, including change of the color of uniforms, occurred between Vietnam and the subsequent wars waged in desert/urban environments. A strategy/uniform designed for jungle warfare won't work for battle in Afghanistan or Iraq. What is true in human warfare has many parallels in spiritual warfare.That is where the Dead Files and the Ghost Adventures come into play.

I have not taken any notes, so this "off the top"..however, I have been thinking about this issue for some time--especially the comparison/contrast between these two top ranked paranormal shows.

Let me begin by asking a question: why is there virtually no discernible supernatural activity on the Dead Files, while every week there IS observable/verifiable supernatural activity on the GA?

First, let me address the extremist position, especially those who dismiss all activity on any of these shows as bogus. You are wrong sir/ma'am, and while we must not be gullible, we certainly must not be cynical--the biblical worldview is supernatural, including evil supernaturalism. I remember a conversation I had with a fellow Presbyterian minister who dismissed all these displays of demonic activity as fake after watching a couple of shows. I could not disagree more.They are out of touch with what is happening in our culture recently.

I have seen almost every episode of The Dead Files, and there is never any observable supernatural activity, despite the claims from Amy Allan that there are usually many dead people/demons/shadow people etc present at the location. Amy claims to be a physical medium--meaning she allegedly sees and converses with the dead. Yet her and her cameraman husband never seem to record what she says she is seeing. What makes the show seem so compelling is the correspondence between her observations and partner ex-homicide detective Steve Di Schiavi's findings...they are a mirror image of each other. Whatever she sees, he somehow comes up with an historical precedent which explains it. It is almost as if something was guiding him to unwittingly corroborate Amy's findings. BUT, the sensationalism is somewhat muted(well, except for when she gets "jumped"), just two people working independently, coming to the same conclusion--often in a very astonishing fashion. It is simply TOO amazing how consistently his findings are "spot on" with hers, and vice versa. Many people have moved away from the biblical position as a result of the uncanny correspondence between their "independent research". I put quotation marks there because I believe Satan is guiding their research to correspond.

On the other hand, the Ghost Adventures Crew (again, I have seen almost every episode) have no physical medium, but they have a plethora of the latest and greatest in paranormal observation gear. In addition, it needs to be said that they will do almost anything to stir up activity--using witches, mediums, Ouija boards, voodoo, etc. Unlike the Dead Files, they always have some kind of evidence of the supernatural.For example, it interests me how  often an odd shaped orb precedes a supernatural "happening" (footsteps, bangs, EVP and so on) It is as if the demonic are putting on a show to deceive the non-discerning. Some sensational evidence is almost always found by them. It seems that the demonic delight in displaying themselves overtly on this show, but covertly on DF. Both groups are equally disobeying God's holy law re necromancy, but the GAC is inundated with all kinds of experiences. Why?

ALWAYS.....NEVER....ALWAYS.....NEVER.....ALWAYS...NEVER. For the discerning their is a pattern.

I doubt Amy approves of how the GAC does their research, and vice versa, but they both come to the same conclusion--leading people astray re evil supernaturalism.

They wear different "uniforms" and use different tactics but the result is the same--people are led to believe that humans get stuck here after death, and massive confusion is introduced re what happens after death, and who populates the spiritual realm.

My objective was not to unravel/expose in detailed fashion either show, but to reveal that Satan has a vested interest in the success of both. That is the main point. Satan, like any good general, will use varying tactics to attack us--especially if they are proving effective.

The Dead Files and The Ghost Adventures are a display of demonic variety in trying to deceive us. We need to be on guard against all the schemes of the Evil One, wearing the full armor of Christ.

"Seeing Ghosts through God's Eyes" (also in a Kindle edition)...please consider purchasing my book which uses science, logic, and the bible to analyze the true source of power behind paranormal activity.

Dalai Lama Reading the Dhammapada in Sankisa, India

Sankisa, UP, India, 31 January 2015 - When representatives of the organizers, the Youth Buddhist Society of India, came to see him this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama first of all thanked them for inviting him to this important Buddhist place. He said:

"Although the historical Buddhist site is in ruins, the Buddha's teaching is not ruined. In fact many intelligent people today are taking an interest in it."

He mentioned that since he first came to Sankisa in 1960 several temples have been built. However, he stressed, as he said he always does, that the teachings are more important than temples and statues. Publishing books and establishing a library, as the YBS is doing, is more effective. He advised that work has begun on extracting Buddhist scientific and philosophical explanations from the 220 volumes of the Tengyur that include the works of the masters of Nalanda University. He hopes these can become the basis not so much of religious as academic study.

A short drive up the road from his hotel brought His Holiness to where Shechen Monastery has built a chörten that they had requested him to consecrate. This is part of a project to fulfil the wish of the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche to build chörtens in the Buddhist pilgrimage places. His Holiness performed a brief ceremony and posed for a photograph with Khyentse Rinpoche's present incarnation.

At the YBS grounds he was asked to bless an impressive new replica of the Sankisa Ashokan pillar that stands some 40 metres tall and is topped by a whole elephant capital complete with trunk and tail. Taking his seat on the stage at the teaching ground before an audience of several hundred monks, several thousand local laypeople, many hundred Tibetans and a handful of foreigners, he began:

"This is the place where the Buddha descended to earth after teaching his mother. I came here once before and I'm here again at your invitation. The YBS has started a library here and I'd like to express my appreciation of all the hard work that has gone into it. In this place that is sacred to the Buddha I pray there may be more such development.

"We'll begin with a recitation of the Mangala Sutta in Pali by local monks, followed by the Heart Sutra mantra. While the basis of the Pali tradition is the teaching of the Four Noble Truths, the 12 Links of Dependent Arising and the 37 Harmonies of Enlightenment, the basis of the Sanskrit tradition is the collection of Perfection of Wisdom Sutras."

He said that Nagarjuna had commented extensively on the explicit meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, emptiness, and Maitreya had explained the implicit meaning, the path. This is why he likes to start a teaching by reciting the salutation verses from Nagarjuna's ‘Fundamental Wisdom' and Maitreya's ‘Clear Ornament for Realization'.

"I'm going to go through the Dhammapada," he announced. "I'll read it with some explanations here and there. The Pali text is the Dhammapada, but in Tibetan the equivalent is the Udanavarga, which was one of the six principal texts of the Kadampa masters. In addition to the Jatakamala, these included Shantideva's ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life' and ‘Compendium of Training', Asanga's ‘Bodhisattva Grounds' and Maitreya's ‘Ornament of Sutras'."

He opened the text of the Dhammapada and read the first two verses as an introduction.

Mind precedes its objects. They are mind-governed and mind-made. To speak or act with a defiled mind is to draw pain after yourself, like a wheel behind the feet of the animal drawing it.

Mind precedes its objects. They are mind-governed and mind-made. To speak or act with a peaceful mind is to draw happiness after yourself, like an inseparable shadow

His Holiness remarked that both the teacher and his or her audience should correct their motivation for giving and listening to the teachings. The teacher should check that he or she is not teaching in order to earn name and fame, while the students should not attend merely to run up a score of teachings they have heard. Asking what the Dharma is and whether it is relevant today, His Holiness said it has the function of protecting us from suffering. As the first verses make clear, if your mind is peaceful, you'll be happy. This alludes to our dealing with our disturbing emotions.

Material development only gives us sensory pleasure, but to be lastingly happy we need to develop our minds. We need calm minds.

"If your mind is disciplined you'll be happier, whether you are religious or not. Today, even scientists are finding that if you have peace of mind, you'll be happier and your family will be more content. This is the basis of the kind of secular ethics that can appeal even to those who have no religious faith. And in this context I use secular in the Indian sense of having respect for all religious views and those who have none."

His Holiness explained that among the major religions are those who believe in a creator god and those who don’t. Among the non-theistic are Buddhists, Jains and part of the Samkhyas. The two latter traditions believe in an intrinsically existent self, while Buddhists don’t. Nevertheless, the purpose of all religious traditions is the same, to help us become better people. For this reason they are all beneficial and therefore should live in harmony with one another. This harmony that has existed for centuries in India is a treasure that should be preserved and protected.

The Three Trainings of Buddhism, morality, concentration and wisdom are practices found in common with other classic Indian traditions. The difference between them is whether they accept the selflessness of anatman or the intrinsically existent atman. Many people misunderstand this selflessness to mean that there is no self at all when what is actually refuted is a permanent, singular, autonomous self. The explanation is that the person is designated on the basis of the psycho-physical aggregates.

His Holiness read three verses from Chapter 20 of the text:

All processes are impermanent. When you see this with understanding, then you are disillusioned with the things of suffering. This is the Path of Purification. 277

All processes are painful. When you see this with understanding, then you are disillusioned with the things of suffering. This is the Path of Purification. 278

All processes are out of my control. When you see this with understanding, then you are disillusioned with the things of suffering. This is the Path of Purification. 279

He said that the solution to suffering will not be found merely through praying to the Three Jewels. We need to take action on the basis of the four aspects of suffering, the first Noble Truth, that it is impermanent, miserable, empty and selfless. He clarified that ignorance can be a matter of simply not knowing, but it can also involve wrong conceptions that distort reality.

His Holiness reminded his audience that following his enlightenment, the Buddha spent 49 days pondering what he had realized. He thought that while he had discovered the path to liberation, no one else would understand it, which is why we now have to make an effort too.

As he left the stage for lunch, he stopped to answer questions from journalists. They asked what he thought of Mr Obama’s comment that India must preserve harmony among its religious traditions. His Holiness replied that India is a living example that religious traditions can coexist and live together side by side. He added that in our increasingly globalized world we need to acknowledge that there are several religions and several truths. With respect to Mr Obama’s visit to India, His Holiness spoke of the importance of good relations between India, the democracy with the largest population, Japan, the most industrialized and developed Asian democracy and the United States that is the leader of the free world.

Another questioner wanted to know if he had anything to say about Mahatma Gandhi, the anniversary of whose death by assassination fell yesterday. He answered that Gandhi had dedicated himself to fostering the ancient Indian traditions of non-violence and inter-religious tolerance and harmony. Regarding Indo-Chinese relations he remarked that these two great countries have to live together and it would be better to work to build trust and better relations between them.

In the afternoon session, His Holiness explained how the Buddha had taught the Four Noble Truths. He had first stressed the need to identify suffering, its cause, cessation and path. Then it’s necessary to respond to what you have identified, to know suffering, to overcome its causes, to achieve cessation and to cultivate the path. Once that is done the result is that there is nothing to know, nothing to overcome, nothing to achieve and nothing to cultivate.

His Holiness resumed his reading of the Dhammapada with verses 11 and 12 of Chapter 1.

To see the essence in the unessential and to see the essence as unessential means you can never get to the essence, wandering as you are in the road of wrong intentions. 11

But to see the essence in the essential and the unessential as the unessential it is means you get to the essence, being on the road of right intentions. 12

He concluded the first chapter with the observation that “Even if he is fond of quoting appropriate texts, the thoughtless man who does not put them into practice himself is like cowherd counting other people’s cows.”

In this spirit, His Holiness suggested that it is more effective to take refuge in the Three Jewels if you understand what they are. Faith supported by reason will lead to liberation, which means we need to use our brains to the full.

original link with photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1230-reading-the-dhammapada-in-sankisa

Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 3

"Know you enemy..." Ephesians 5:11

Continued from: Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 1
Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 2


Continuation of this five part series blog I will cover and inform all of the readers on an important aspect in the realm of spiritual warfare.  In this part three I continue this discussion regarding the fundamental aspects of having a balanced aspect or approach so to speak when it comes to engaging demons as Christians.

From earlier we have learned that one must be very afraid of demons and that we also need not fear demons when we as humans are walking righteous with God.  So when clergy speak about getting stronger in faith and resisting the devil, people often get the mistaken idea that it’s all about becoming more self-reliant on our faith or perseverance.  That is completely false!  Read Proverbs 9:10 to understand fear of the Lord is true knowledge.

Remember that God is zealous to be our all sufficient supplier.   God wants all the glory for protecting us from demons and truly deserves it.  God will never lead you into a mentality of thinking you are spiritually bold by yourself.  However, God is going to teach you quite the opposite, which is that you are a powerless wimp who can’t do much of anything without him.

So then is the Holy Spirit trying to teach us how to out muscle demons?  If that is not happening then what is the Holy Spirit truly teaching us?   So to be honest here, the truth is this primary agenda from God with every Christian person is to strengthen their personal bond with Him.  Therefore, spiritual warfare is not about conquering demons, it is about growing and drawing closer to God.   Due to this agenda demons are never going to go anywhere near that bond.

Demons will always be raging against us humans and the closer we move towards God, the louder they roar against us.  View if you can for a moment a climactic scene from a movie where the two people are staring deep into each other’s eyes.  They are so intensely focused on each other and in tune with each other that they forget about the chaos that is happening around them, even if it is for several moments in time.

For those few brief moments, these two are in a world all of their own.  This is what strong faith is about!  This is not about huge bulging muscles, more so the tunnel vision in which an intense focus that blocks out everything else but God standing before us.  Whereas we then become triumphant over demons by learning to ignore them.

A person simply can’t ignore them by thinking of nothing.  However, we need to learn to cut off their access to us by intensely focusing upon God.  Hence, walking with God himself.  For our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 “Deny thyself and pick up thy cross to truly know me.”

In a hymn sung by the Christian group Hillsong it states to “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wondrous Face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”   Controlling our focus towards God is how we defend against and defeat the demons.  Therefore the louder they scream into our ears, the more stubbornly we must intently focus our eyes, mouth and heart upon that which the Holy Spirit provides.

This is an absolute war of wills.  In a strange manner this is about who can be the most stubborn, them or you.  One cannot not try to drive demons away, instead, we must learn to ignore their unholy presence and focus upon the presence of the Holy Spirit.  For it is written in James 4:7 “Resist the devil and he shall flee.”

To most people demons are extremely intimidating.  Especially when they manifest in some physical form which our eyes can detect, people instantly panic and who wouldn’t?  Some go so far as to think they’re ready to handle demons in person, because they never flinch at scary movies but that is far from the truth.

No matter how desensitized one has become by man’s impersonations of evil in movies and television shows, when the real thing manifests in your bedroom at night, you will go into immediate terror.  Thus if the Holy Spirit were to let demons constantly come at us in pure forms, those of us would be too terrified to learn the lesson God wants us to learn.

Consequently the Holy Spirit introduces us to their nastiness in stages.  This is done by carefully monitoring our level of exposure to them in very short bursts.  Demons are masters of disguise and half the battle is just learning how to recognize their presence.  Demons have the ability to plant thoughts in our minds, speak to us through other people and be hidden as well as the manipulation of our emotions and physiology to work in their favor.

Ever been home alone and suddenly you hear a creepy sound and the mind searches for a logical reason to explain this?   When a logical reason cannot be determined, then instantly images of a spiritual intruder fill the mind and the heart begins to race as well as reactions to the human body. This is a well-known classic demon trick to fool us so that the demons can see how we will respond.

Demons are the ones who make the noise, they watch and interpret how you respond or react.  They are the ones who will fill your mind with scary images.  Demons are all about creating negative responses and cause distress to the human to react.  Unfortunately this form of response from humans is what most people do.

In our next blog we will further discuss demons vs. you and how you don’t stand a chance!

Rev. Bradley Luoma

Spare The Rod Spoil The Child And Risk Raising A Killer?

Hello my para beauties. I've had 12 requests to discuss what the Bible says regarding the title of this article/blog. They feel that many people have and are raising children to feel the world revolves around them and what they want when they want. And can they really create a poltergeist when in chaos or anger. From what I know it's possible. And even grow up to be criminals. Way too many people are having kids at such a young age and are unable to care for them properly. And many have no patience it requires nor willing to give up their life in order to raise the child. They realize everything revolves around this dear child and they often neglect and sometimes kill their own children. They didn't ask to be born in interrupt anyone's life.

It appears that we are seeing on the news many stories of minors killing each people, either, their siblings, their parents etc...more and more teens are having children and are not properly raising them. They are told no but never been made to accept it. It's doing a disservice to the innocent children by not setting reasonable boundaries and rules. And follow thru with punishments they are told is the consequence of not following rules. Even the bible tells us this.

What Does The Gospel Say About This? Here are a few examples...

Colossians 3:20

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21

“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Colossians 3:20-24 ESV Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (21) Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. (22) Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, (24) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Leviticus 20:9

For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.

Proverbs 30:17

The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.

Proverbs 13:24

Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

In my humble opinion "Spare the rod, spoil the child," or, in more complete English, "If you spare the rod you will spoil the child." The general meaning is that parents who don't discipline their children are going to create spoiled children. Some feel they should take a more literal approach, and say that parents must physically discipline their children, because "the rod" here means "to beat your child with a stick." There is much debate about whether it is okay or good for parents to spank, slap, or otherwise discipline children through minor physical pain such as a pop on the rear end for disrespecting adults. That's just one example.

A friend of mine was talking about this very subject at bible study. "I was not spanked as a child. When I became a teenager I became very rebellious. I had no fear of consequence, no respect for my parents, or any authority. It is by the grace of God that I am not dead or jail. I am saddened that this is not the outcome for many who have never been taught as a child that life has consequences." More and more children receive no consequences for ill behavior much less ever have been made to accept the word "No".

Of course this subject could go on and on. I wanted to try my best at discussing this at both point of views. I think you have to do what you feel is best for your situation. There is a huge difference in dicipline and beating a child. But when there is never any consequences your taking a big chance and creating undue stress and a disservice to the child. They only know right from wrong from what the parents teach them.

 Written By Jennifer L Auld

Why the Old Testament is Vital in Countering the Occult

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Gnostic/occult.motifs were already present in the age of the Apostles. Early church tradition traces the rise of Gnosticism to Simon Magus, briefly mentioned in Acts 8:9-24. Remember he attempted to purchase the Holy Spirit. Peter was not pleased and it seems from the text that Simon repented, at least superficially. Later tradition says that Simon went to Rome and started a gnostic group, and competed with Peter for converts...he actually arrived in Rome before Peter did according to tradition.Justin Martyr, an early Christian apologist, stated that Simon was teaching that he was the Messiah--God! I don't do this often but I want to include here an extended quote from Harold Brown's 'Heresies'..

"Simon and his followers are charged by their Christian opponents with practicing magic(k) and occult arts.  This was natural enough; to the extent that they were impressed by his ability to work apparent miracles, the early Christians had no choice but to attribute them to the power of evil. MANY OTHER GNOSTIC FIGURES WERE ACCUSED OF NECROMANCY,A NOT UNLIKELY CHARGE IN VIEW OF
THEIR EMPHASIS ON THEIR ACCESS TO HIDDEN, OCCULT, KNOWLEDGE AND POWER.

Simon's system involved a number of points that will also characterize later heretical movements: 1.a syncretistic blending of biblical ideas with themes drawn from other, pagan, Near Eastern sources;2.a dualistic interpretation of the material world as hopelessly estranged, by nature, from the purely spiritual Father;3. the teaching that a personal Savior has appeared on earth; 4.a rejection of the Jewish Scriptures as fraudulent or malicious;5.an interest in not only secret lore, but in magic and the occult.The fact that Gnosticism, like certain later movements, ties rejection of the Hebrew Old Testament to fresh superstitions and an interest in the occult helps us to see the cardinal importance of the Old Testament for Christian orthodoxy.

The major doctrines of Christianity are indeed drawn from the New Testament, and superficially it might appear as though the Old Testament is of interest cheifly as background. As a matter of fact, however, it is the Old Testament that guarantees the rootedness of Christ, His Person, and His work in real history. Whenever the Old Testament is ignored or reduced to mere Jewish religious thought, Christians readily fall prey to various mythologies and occults. With the loss of confidence in the reliability in the Old Testament, brought about by, among other things, nineteenth-century liberal Bible criticism, some nominally Christian leaders developed an enthusiasm for pagan mythology...(Pg. 51)"

There is a confluence of forces that has caused the occult in general, and necromancy in particular, to explode. But according to Dr Brown (now deceased), a loss of confidence in the reliability of the Old Testament has been high on the list of causes.If he is correct, and I think he is, then we have a serious problem on our hands. Of those you reading this, how many of you have taken an Old Testament course which basically undercut the reliability of the Old Testament? Many of you, I am sure. When I was in college, it broke my heart to see the vicious spiritual wounds being inflicted in these classes, and the high number of student casualties. Students in these classes, as with the teaching of macro-evolution, were not made aware of brilliant scholars who differed with their professors anti-supernaturalistic presuppositions.Hence, we were made to believe that any thinking person MUST believe in macro-evolution and that the Old Testament was a mythical book which was riddled with errors and contradictions. Tragic....

The Old Testament is not full of myths, errors or contradictions. It is God's inerrant Word which is on a collision with the worldview which has become dominant today. The infinite/personal God created the heavens and earth....the biblical God is eternal, not energy. It is in the Old Testament where we have the most explicit denunciations of occultism...psychics/mediums, and necromancy.The biblical worldview is stated clearly in the Old Testament, especially in the first three chapters of Genesis. In fact, every major New Testament motif can be found in germinal form in Genesis 1-3.

In high school, and especially college/university, both the content and teaching methodology is uniformly anti-Christian. Not to mention graduate school, where even bible believing Christians are falling prey to the monolithic consensus amongst the faculty to develop methodologies foreign to the bible.And so we have seminary trained folks going on paranormal investigations and attempting to do what the bible abominates--attempting to speak to the dead. This is a call to re-capture a high view of the Old Testament, and to read it. Due to the darkening spiritual landscape, we MUST humble ourselves before God's revelation in the Old Testament--without it, we are historically rootless. May I close with a practical suggestion? Many Christians get fired up about reading the bible but give up after a few months, due to a lack of a reading plan.For the last 40 years, I have followed this plan on a daily basis. This has enabled me to read every word of the bible nearly 40 times. Here is a plan that has worked well for me...

Day one-read Genesis 1, and Matthew 1
Day two-read Genesis 2, and Matthew 2...and so on. If you wish to read through the bible quicker, just read 2-3 chapters instead.

I feel strongly about reading from BOTH testaments during each devotional, for this reason. It is absolutely amazing to see the unity of the bible over 1,500 years. (from Moses to NT)Very often what you read in the Old Testament, you will come across again in your New Testament reading....extremely enriching!! Reading from both enables you to see the continuities and dis-continuities between the OT and NT. Leviticus is usually the book that most Christians give up on. But that is unfortunate, because reading about the various OT sacrifices in Leviticus, illumines the many faceted nature of sacrificial death of Christ.And it helps to drive home the necessity of Christ's once, for all sacrifice.

Reading the bible is for nothing if we do not apply it. First, ask what does the bible passage teach...especially about God? (not what you get out of it), then ask how it applies to your relationship with God (how you think, act, feel) and your life circumstances. Much more could be said, but I will stop there....

"Seeing Ghosts through God's Eyes" (also in a Kindle edition)...please consider purchasing my book which uses science, logic, and the bible to analyze the true source of power behind paranormal activity.