Who's Been Stealing Your Spiritual Gifts?

By Kirby Robinson

We're currently knee-deep into two intense investigations that we'll be sharing with our readers once we return after the 4th of July holiday. Be sure to check back within the next few weeks as we take an in-depth look at a less than honest Ghost Adventures episode. We'll also prepare our readers for the Paranormal Unity Police Force, that will have official badges and uniforms! It's being formed in order to stifle any view that questions and/or differs with the para-celebrity entertainment industry. 

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14

Folks, contrary to what many teach, spiritual gifts are there within your arm's reach. All you have to do is reach and you will find.

Quite often we think God is stingy, He isn't. And quite often we think that God is so far above us and we are mere mortals who must beg for a few crumbs from His table.

This sort of thinking has two direct influences on our view of God. If we think that we must beg, plead, whine, or shout at the top of voice to get God to do anything for us, this often leads to a life where there is little more than one where we live day by day begging, pleading, shouting, groveling on our knees looking for crumbs and rejoicing when we find just a few. Or we could just live like Elijah and simply pray "the Lord He is God the Lord He is God, amen." Secondly, many times we toss in the spiritual towel because God is stingy. Which in reality and plain sight to all is extremely far from the truth. In the book of James, James tells us that God gives generously to all without finding fault. If we are leaders or followers, churchgoers or not, teachers or students, oldies or young ones in the church God gives us all the same regardless of our faults and weaknesses.

All gifts that the Lord gives us are free. The two that are supreme, salvation and forgiveness, are given with no strings attached. Thus, the lesser gifts, which are the spiritual gifts, aren't offered to us in any different fashion. All we have to do is ask for and expect to receive it. But there are thieves lurking in the shadows. They want to see us go without. Without salvation, without hope, without healing, without joy, without the material things as well as the spiritual gifts that the Lord can give. I'm going to discuss the five most common thieves.

The first thief is the fear of the supernatural. Fear can be good, we should be fearful of lighting, fire, etc, those are things that can harm us. But fear can have a negative side if we have fear of the unknown of those things we have little control of. Then we will be fearful of experiencing new spiritual activities. Hence, we'll be living a lesser life than the one that is offered to us.

One great example can be found in the Book of Mark. After Christ cast the Legion demons out of the man who had terrorized the countryside and that no one could control, when folks gathered to see the man now wearing normal clothing and talking to Jesus, they didn't rejoice. Instead the fearful people asked Jesus to leave. Luke Chapter 8 verse 37.

The second thief is social acceptance. People like to fit in and be part of the in crowd. They want to go along with the flow, and not make waves.

Some people try to turn their backs on the spiritual gifts. They say, "I can't walk up to a total stranger and give him a word or ask to lay hands on him, I just can't."

Why not? Did Jesus Christ ever turn away from an encounter with someone that needed His spiritual help?

Think of it this way you could possibly be the person's last lifeline. You could be the person that was at the right place at the right time and had the right experiences to share and the right words to speak. And if you don't then there's guilt to haunt you for not doing what you could and what ends up happening to that individual.

Don't worry about this world. We live in it but we are not of it. Social acceptance isn't going to give you one ounce of good karma or give you one reward in heaven. So why covet it over coveting the gifts?

This excerpt is from my book Paranormal Teachings: The Best of Shedding Some Light

The Dalai Lama's Three Main Commitments

His Holiness has three main commitments in life.

Firstly, on the level of a human being, His Holiness’ first commitment is the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.  All human beings are the same.  We all want happiness and do not want suffering.  Even people who do not believe in religion recognize the importance of these human values in making their life happier. His Holiness refers to these human values as secular ethics.  He remains committed to talk about the importance of these human values and share them with everyone he meets.

Secondly, on the level of a religious practitioner, His Holiness’ second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religious traditions.  Despite philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create good human beings.  It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of each others respective traditions.  As far as one truth, one religion is concerned, this is relevant on an individual level.  However, for the community at large, several truths, several religions are necessary.

Thirdly, His Holiness is a Tibetan and carries the name of the ‘Dalai Lama’.  Tibetans place their trust in him.  Therefore, his third commitment is to the Tibetan issue.  His Holiness’ has a responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice.  As far as this third commitment is concerned, it will cease to exist once a mutually beneficial solution is reached between the Tibetans and Chinese.

However, His Holiness will carry on with the first two commitments till his last breath.

From DalaiLama.com

Paranormal Headline Monday & Guest Blog – June 25, 2012

By Kirby Robinson

We'll always keep working hard for our readers in searching out stories that no one within the paranormal field wants you to know. Why? Because knowledge is power and the paranormal elite want to keep that power. Not that many in the elite know all that much, they just love to pretend that they do.

Do we have a new Jonestown being built in Africa?

http://www.waatea603am.co.nz/news/2012/june/tamaki-new-jerusalem-a-cult-city

No legit proof that anything is "real" in the paranormal, says a leading investigator…

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4380738/I-give-Red-Lights-to-paranormal-cheats.html

This is why those who are unskilled in the art of hypnosis can do far more harm than good…

http://www.examiner.com/article/school-performance-produces-mass-hypnosis

If he was as psychic as he claimed, he should've seen this coming …

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/06/20/psychic-karl-lang-tricked-young-women-into-stripping-naked-court-hears-91466-31225654/

Guess some psychics just love milking the public!

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20120620/NJNEWS/306200045/Randolph-psychic-charged-stealing-324-650?odyssey=nav|head&nclick_check=1

A shout out to all the fake demonologists out there! Want to learn something real? If so, stop watching reruns of Paranormal State and Ghost Adventures.

http://artvoice.com/issues/v11n25/art_scene

Guest Blog

It might not be a blog but I got a heads up about this group. Actually, it came from a Blogtalk radio show that seems to feature nothing but paranormal fakes and paranormal porn producers…

Worst Paranormal does their best to expose fakes within the paranormal field. We give a big thumbs up to them. Give them a read...and your support.

http://www.worstparanormal.com/

Keep current and follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/eyeonparanormal

A CALL TO ACTION! If you have a website, forum or blog you can set up an Amazon Associates Affiliate Program link and sell the Kindle version of INVESTIGATING PARANORMAL STATE, PARANORMAL STATE EXPOSED and PARANORMAL TEACHINGS: THE BEST OF SHEDDING SOME LIGHT and earn money. You can also sell other books and products that Amazon offers. Here's the link: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/

Genuine, Childlike Faith

By Bridgette O'Hare

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

When I was pregnant with my second child people would often want to know if I was having a boy or a girl.  Since I wanted it to be a surprise I never asked the doctors to tell me.  However, my four year old son, Patrick, was certain that he knew.  Whenever someone would ask if I knew, my faithful little boy would pipe in boldly saying, “It’s a boy.   I know because I prayed and asked God for a brother.”  He was confident that he was going to get a little brother. He believed God for his promise that if we ask, we shall receive (John 16:24).   He had an attitude of faith that his request had already been granted even though he could not yet “see” this physically. James 4:2 states, “You have not, because you ask not…” Patrick asked and, low and behold, his little brother arrived.   Granted, we do have to be careful what we ask for sometimes.   There have been moments when I heard Patrick mumble “what was I thinking?” and other times, when Patrick is rather annoyed with Dade, the little brother he so faithfully awaited, I hear Dade quickly remind him “well, YOU prayed for me!”  (There’s nothing like brotherly love, is there?)

This childlike faith is required for us to receive the blessings that the Lord longs to give us.   When we pray and make a request of God we shouldn’t murmur to ourselves “I hope this works out.”  We should have the confidence in God that little children have. We should believe that our prayer has already been answered and wait patiently for God to bring it to us in HIS time.  At four years old, Patrick had no concept of the amount of time he would have to wait for his little brother, though he did often ask “how much longer?”  He simply believed that God would send him his request.  Never once did he question God.  I can’t lie, I found myself wondering how I would explain it to him in the event that his little brother turned out to be a little sister instead. My faith was not as genuine as Patrick’s was. Thankfully God took care of that one for me.

Looking back I realize that I simply lacked confidence in God.  And who am I to question the dependability of God? He has always been there for me.  Genuine faith is not professing that you believe… genuine faith is actually believing what you profess.  It is having confidence in the dependability of God...and who is more dependable than He is?

Our Christian lives begin because of our faith in Jesus Christ, they are lived by faith and they end in faith.  Our faith is strengthened by spending time in God’s word, if we do this... it is guaranteed that our faith will grow and we will have more childlike confidence to ask the Lord for the blessings we long for…even the ones we think may be too much to ask.  Maybe it’s time that we stopped insisting our children grow up and start thinking about learning to be a little more like them...childlike in our own faith.

Hebrews 11:1 is a well known verse.  Many Christians can quote it fluently, but quoting it isn’t enough...do you live it?  Do you truly have faith in God for the things you are hoping for, but cannot yet see?  How childlike is your faith?

Don't Play With Fire!

By Stephen Piersall, Deliverance Ministry, Central NY

Why is it among the zillions of paranormal investigator groups that many use provocation? The Bible is very clear that we should not communicate with evil spirits, but yet we always have someone walking around in the dark asking “Is there anyone here tonight?” Why are we trying to speak to ghosts (demons)? Are we hoping to hear something that would just scare the daylights out of us? Or maybe, hear the voice of a small female child, so that we can help them? The truth of the matter is quite simple; Satan and his minions is a master of disguise. They know what we want to hear, and will perform according to the circumstances.

The term “provoking” originated from the early days as in religious provocation. Religious provocation is used by clergy to make demons show themselves in order to gather the proof needed to get the “Catholic Church” involved, etc. Clergy and Christian Demonologist are trained when attacked in how to successfully defend themselves and fight back. A paranormal group usually does not have such background.

For a paranormal group to provoke whatever is in the home is not only foolish but it is also tremendously dangerous! You don’t know what you’re dealing with and many paranormal groups have learned this the hard way. Some have been attacked physically, emotionally and mentally. Can you really defend yourself against an evil force that you can’t see? This should be reason enough not to ever provoke or challenge something that may be in someone’s home. You need to be responsible to the clients. If you plan on provoking during your time there, make sure you get the resident’s permission first and explain to them what religious provocation is. This way if things get out of hand the clients can leave. Never, use provoking without the permission of the homeowner. Provoking should be an absolute last resort during your time there.

My point is clear; don’t get trapped into the culture of Para-celebs and the media by provoking. Do go out and try to help someone who is asking for a paranormal investigation. But, make sure you do your homework first. Research, interview, and debunk are terms that I have used all along. Now it is biblical that if a Christian states they are being haunted, we should trust them, and proceed accordingly. If the family is not a Christian, all the praying, cleansing and hope that you might have of succeeding is wasted energy. Evil will dwell way after you have left the premises. Satan and his minions are smart enough to lay low while you attempt a cleansing, but will be right back at it with even more force after you leave. Remember the client will still be living there while you go home and review hours of tapes and recordings and you probably won’t get back with them for several days.

The only sure way to help someone is first YOU must be right with God. Many have said that a 3 day fasting should be done and there are many ways to fast. During your preparation you need to pray and pray and even get a prayer group involved to help you gain wisdom, courage and protection. YOU will not be successful in ridding an evil entity! God will remove it and use you as his tool, but we must be dedicated and pure in heart of our intention dealing with this. Why are we not using God and the Bible as tools whenever we go on a "ghost" hunt? I think this is a gross misrepresentation of any Christian who is involved with any paranormal investigation. If we do an investigation and are provoking all on our own, how do you live with your conscience as you sit at your church on Sunday morning? How will you explain yourself the day you die and bowing before God Almighty?

Don't play with fire!

Understanding the Appeal of Believing in Ghosts

By Rev. Mark Hunnemann

In the not so distant past, interest in ghosts and contacting the dead was relegated mainly to fringe cultic groups.  I think it is important, especially for those who do believe in earthbound spirits (ghosts), to realize just how recently this popular belief has exploded into the mainstream.  It is so hard, but so important, to stand outside our own culture and analyze the flow of history.  I’m not talking about merely sitting around the campfire telling ghost-stories…most of us did that - even in the Boy Scouts!  No, I’m talking about what has become so enormously popular today…serious belief in trapped spirits.  In the span of 15 years or so, the paranormal has become the new normal.  Pop culture is immersed in spiritism.  Why?  What is the appeal?

First, there was the influx of eastern religions in the 1960’s.  It has been said that the New Age was conceived in the 60’s but was born in the 1990’s - a 30 year gestation period.  I have corresponded with Dr. Peter Jones (NT professor), who I have mentioned before had been desk-mates for several years with John Lennon.  They also both came over here for the first time within months of each other in the mid sixties; Jones to seminary (I think), and Lennon to world-wide fame.  Ed Sullivan...haha, what a trip he was!  Anyway, the Beatles were a huge catalyst to the infusion of eastern thought forms and practices.  This move away from physicalism (physical is all there is) has made our cultural landscape fertile ground for the growth of belief in spirit-beings.  After gestating for three decades, Demi Moore and Patrick Swayzi made a movie, and Hollywood has never been the same - and neither has American spirituality.  During this gestation phase, a paradigm shift was occurring; a dying Christian worldview was being replaced by something that re-introduced spiritual reality.  Magick was back!  The spiritual bankruptcy of materialism created a yawning void which eastern religions seemed to fill.  Which brings us to the second reason for the appeal to spiritism…

Sadly, tens of millions of Americans have become interested in the occult (and belief in ghosts is occultic) due to being burned out on traditional religion.  Four years ago I was seriously seeking to start a new church, under the auspices of my denomination.  During this time I went door-to-door, not to evangelize but to ask people why they thought so many folks were leaving the church, and what they would like to see in a church.  Irrelevant sermons, focus on money, and a lack of spiritual reality and observable love were some of the main reasons my neighbors gave as to why they had given up on the “hidden” God of Christianity.  But being made in God’s image, they still had a visceral longing for spiritual reality.  Imagine the electricity when they see real supernatural activity on TV?!  That is massively appealing to spiritually starved people.

Thirdly, folks find ghosts appealing because we live in an experience-oriented society.  As Dr. Ron Rhodes says in his excellent primer, The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums and Psychic Phenomena, on the paranormal in general, “Rather than embracing an objective, factually-based faith, resting, on divine authority, many today are seeking mystical and emotional experience.” Folks will go to great lengths to experience spiritual reality, and in so doing they often become non-discerning regarding supernatural reality.  Such is the overriding nature of the obsession with experience.

Surely a powerful appeal of ghosts is the fascination with the supernatural.  Most of us were afraid but strangely drawn to ghost stories or scary movies when growing up.  This natural fascination with the paranormal has led many people to mess with Ouija boards, conduct séances, or talk to the dead.  However, they often don’t realize the Bible condemns such practices.

The fifth reason the notion of ghosts is so appealing is the desire to have evidence of the afterlife.  Unless Jesus returns first, all of us will die.  Though we speak of death as being natural and normal, it is not; it is the violent disruption of the vibrant flow of life.  We were made body/soul composites which were originally designed to stay together.  The Bible says we “have eternity in our hearts.”  The paranormal community loudly and proudly proclaims that irrefutable evidence of ghosts gives irrefutable evidence that we continue to live after we die.  It’s hard to illustrate just how exaggerated and appealing this aspect of alleged existence of ghosts can be.  Many paranormal investigators get involved, at least in part, to answer the nagging question of whether there is evidence of life after death.  It needs to be pointed out that the most compelling evidence of supernatural beings does NOT prove the afterlife; it simply proves there are supernatural beings, whose identity is demonic.

The longing to communicate with deceased loved ones is another very appealing aspect of the notion of ghosts.  It is also the primary reason psychics and mediums are so popular.  They routinely say that ALL of our dead loved ones on the other side want to communicate with us.  Having lost both of my parents, as well as four siblings and a granddaughter, it is understandable to me why this desire to communicate is so strong.  Frequently people will claim that a deceased loved one appears to them, years after they have died, in the form of a ghostly apparition.  Again, it is hard to express just how exaggerate this aspect of ghost appeal has become.  It has caused many people to do what they know is wrong (attempting to speak to the dead…Deut. 18:11-14) because of the intense desire to make contact with a lost loved one.

The seventh reason ghosts have become so appealing is that they allegedly answer life’s deeper questions.  We noted already that evidence of ghosts supposedly gives evidence of life after death.  And since psychics/mediums say all religions are the same, then it would not matter what you believe in order to go to heaven.  If their view were correct, we would all live with confident joy and not fear death.  Is it becoming clear now why I keep saying that the notion of ghosts raises questions of titanic importance?

A feeling of control can be tied to belief in ghosts and communication with them.  Not just lonely teens, but many adults as well, experiment with paranormal phenomena in order to control or influence their circumstances for the better.  As Dr. Rhodes says, “This gives them a false sense of control and a misguided sense of significance.”  Communicating with spirit guides and lost loved ones has become a new way of determining how to navigate life.

I am sure that you could add reason upon reason why the belief in ghosts is so appealing.  This is not meant as an exhaustive list, but as an attempt to explain the explosive new popularity of belief in ghosts.  I can, on a visceral level, understand why the notion of ghosts is so appealing.  However, objective truth is what defines reality, and not what my desires are…no matter how strong the feeling might be.  The question we should be asking is not “is the notion of ghosts appealing?” but rather, “What does God’s word have to say about ghosts?”  In the final analysis, it is not any of these notions by themselves that have caused the belief in ghosts to skyrocket; it is Satan craftily working WITH them in his grand dark conspiracy.  Are you an honest seeker for truth?   Then realize the power of wanting something to be true could be affecting your ability to discern supernatural evil.  Conceived in the 1960’s but born in the 1990’s (at least in the US), this is certainly one of Satan’s most successful global deceptions of all time.

Do You Believe in Angels?

By Lisa Grace


Recently I was asked in an interview if I believe in angels or the supernatural as the way it appears in my fiction books.

Yes, I believe in angels. Have I knowingly seen any? No.

However, I have met some disturbed people that I believe are possessed, and no, the mental health counseling and medication did not help them.

Do I believe events could happen the way they do in my books? Yes and no. It’s a work of fiction and as such, many incidences are over the top. I believe in today’s modern world the supernatural one does prefer to remain hidden. It’s easier to operate when people don’t believe it exists. I believe all “ghosts” are demonic manifestations leading people away from truth.

If a being, (no matter how beautiful as Satan can appear as an angel of light) contradicts the Holy Scriptures, it is evil and sent to lull people into believing a false view of the afterlife to their detriment. The devil is recruiting for his army through deception.

Your best defense? Know your scriptures. Understand the supernatural world and its goals. Put on the armor of Christ and be prepared for spiritual warfare.