Written several years ago… For Your Information

“Buying and Selling the Souls of Our Children”
-by JOHN PAUL JACKSON

In recent years, our culture has developed an obsession with the dark side of the supernatural. To the untrained eye, it may seem as if we are living during a time of heightened spirituality, but what is being promoted is not Christianity.

It s a form of New Age spirituality where pagan practices such as sorcery, necromancy, channeling, clairvoyance and psychic healing are being mainstreamed into society.

A multi-billion dollar entertainment industry is playing an important part in this paradigm shift towards the supernatural. Shortly before the Oscars, a chilling ghost story that promoted necromancy as a gift to be embraced, The Sixth Sense, raked in a total of $281.2 million propelling it to the twelfth highest grossing movie ever made. Another supernatural film that garnered big returns in 1999 was The Blair Witch Project.

WITCHCRAFT ON THE RISE

Witchcraft has had a surge of popularity in our culture over the last few years. In fact, clubs for witches now outnumber Christian clubs in schools across our country.

Equally disturbing has been the popularity of television programs like Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and movies like The Craft. Their heroines are young, hip and alluring witches who serve as role models to our children and who casually train them in how to practice sorcery.

HARRY POTTER CASTING SPELLS OVER PEOPLE

Many in the publishing industry have been surprised by the astronomical sales of the Harry Potter children’s books, where the hero and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls and turn themselves into animals. But again, this points to our cultures shift towards the dark side of the supernatural.

Another multi-billion dollar industry that dominates the market today is occult oriented role-playing games. These role-playing games foster a sense of personal power and authority through identification with the characters portrayed in the game. Some psychologists have warned that imagination and make-believe can cause children to emotionally experience or simulate the role being played.

This becomes dangerous when the acts are violent in nature. Tactics such as inflicting pain through slashing, psychic power, fits of rage, and “draining the life force” out of an opponent which are role-played in games like Pokemon — belong to Satan, not to God.

Role-playing games can desensitize children toward violence. Distinctions between good and evil often become blurred. Therefore, what was once unthinkable behavior becomes acceptable or normal behavior. This is known as gradualism.

THE FROG PARABLE

Remember the parable of the frog that jumped into a cooking pot on the stove? At first, the water was temperate, even comfortable for the frog who was stranded in this strange human abode.

Gradually, the temperature became warmer and more uncomfortable. When the water began to boil, the frog didn’t notice. It never felt the increasing heat. Despite the fact its skin was burning, the frog wasn’t alarmed. Not long thereafter, the frog lost consciousness and became dinner that night.

In a similar way, what is true in the physical sense is true in the spiritual or ethical sense. In a culture of increasing darkness and depravity, it s easy to drift along, unaware of impending danger, until it s too late.

NO VOODOO OR PENTAGRAMS, BUT PAGAN GAMES ARE OK?

While many Christians would not allow their children to bring a pentagram or a voodoo doll into their homes, they have unknowingly penned a door to the demonic simply by allowing their children to read books, watch programs or play games that are pagan, and that employ principles practiced in occult worship.

It is surprising how many Christians are deceived concerning the dangers of witchcraft and sorcery. God does not consider sorcery or witchcraft to be innocent fun for children or adults. He confronts it in the strongest of terms. So, let s take a moment to examine how seriously God views this sin.

Give no regards to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I AM the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:31)

SORCERY

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out before you, (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

Scripture also points out that nothing good can come out of trying to communicate with the dead. If someone believes they are speaking to the dead, then it is something to be feared, not embraced. Demons will gladly disguise themselves as the dead, if it will gain them an audience.

Centuries ago, Jesus predicted there would come a day when many would reject God’s truth and accept the counterfeit gospel of Satan. He warned:

“For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect,” (Mark 13:22).

A TIME OF GREAT DECEPTION

Looking at the times and the seasons facing us, I am absolutely convinced that we are living during a time of great deception spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12.

Blindly following an ingenious counterfeit, many will stumble headlong into evil, unaware they are being deceived. Sadly, many will never stop to heed the warnings that foretell of the deception and will allow themselves to be hardened to the truth.

The apostle Paul described this time as being one where Satan would try to deceive even the elect, if that were possible, (Matthew 24:24). Veiled by a magnificent illusion, even Christians would have a difficult time recognizing the evil masquerade, were it not for the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

BABYLON

I also believe that we are also living in an age described by the apostle John in Revelation 18. He foretold of a time when the entire world commercial system also called Babylon — would be dominated by Satan and where merchants of the Earth would buy and sell everything from gold and cattle to the very souls of men, women and children (Revelation 18:13).

By the use of sorcery, every nation on Earth was tricked, defrauded and led astray.

Believe it or not, children at an early age can become indoctrinated into the ways of sorcery. It does not matter if the sorcery is blatant or unrecognizable, its seeds can be sown into a child s heart and mind through seemingly “harmless” pursuits like Pokemon.

As the seeds of sorcery grow, strongholds will develop, which are often undetectable to the natural eye. Over time, such a child will become desensitized to the Holy Spirit and will be increasingly unable to discern the darkness from the light.

AFRAID TO BE LABELED “INTOLERANT”

Unfortunately, some parents do not want to be labeled as “intolerant” and therefore, give their approval to role-playing games like Pokemon.

However, God has strong warnings about dabbling with divination, witchcraft, necromancy, psychic power, channeling, wizards, charms and fetishes. We are warned to have nothing to do with these counterfeit acts of darkness.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter, (Isaiah 5:20).

TO REMAIN CLEAR-MINDED

As Christians, we are exhorted to not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). We are to remain clear-minded and attentive, because our “adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” (1 Peter 5:8). In fact, we should expose the works of darkness and walk wisely as children of light, (Ephesians 5:11, 13).

As our children are being lured into the mysterious realms of deception, we need to heed God s prophetic call (Revelation 18:4) to come out of Babylon to separate ourselves from the world and its seduction and snares.

DEEDS OF DARKNESS

The views being espoused by our secular entertainment industry train our children in deeds of darkness. Sensual passions and desires are the seeds that produce evil behavior. As Christians, whatever we fantasize about, matters to God.

Therefore, it is critical to censor our imaginations, because wrong thoughts can easily lead to wrong attitudes, which give birth to sinful actions. Emotions can manifest with equal force, whether incited by fantasy or reality.

This fact alone fuels the pornography industry. So it s important to censor what we gaze upon and what we feed our imagination.

Daily, our culture bombards us with worldly values and philosophies. Our resolve to live a holy life is often weakened by the battering ram of cultural compromise. All of us can easily be seduced into drifting away from that which is holy and good.

Therefore, the Bible encourages us to not forget, to hide away, to retain and inscribe in our hearts, and to meditate on God s Word. As followers of Jesus, we should place a high value on His Word and position it at the center of all we do.

THE AMAZING DESTINIES OF OUR CHILDREN

Our children have an amazing destiny awaiting them. They are a part of a prophetic generation foretold in Scripture by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32).

Although the Holy Spirit had rested upon prophets and priests in the past, he described a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, prophetic utterances would arise from young children — not just those who are mature in the Lord.

As our children mature in Christ, they will walk in greater anointing and hear from God more clearly than previous generations. They will perform miraculous signs and wonders and accomplish great exploits for the Kingdom of God. They will boldly speak forth God s Word to a lost and dying world.

Many will lay down their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ.

JOEL’S MIGHTY ARMY

This generation will resemble Joel’s mighty army — trained to walk in obedience, patience and endurance. They will have supernatural strength and great courage, the like of which has never been seen on the Earth (Joel 2:1-11).

Our adversary hates this. Satan seeks to silence future prophetic voices through abortion or to render them powerless through the misuse or misdirection of their gifts. Weaving a web of lies, the enemy camouflages his deceptions and seductively indoctrinates the unsuspecting into the principles of his diabolical kingdom — one characterized by chaos, deceit, strife, rage, confusion, greed, and power.

Therefore, we need to keep alert and remain in prayer, so that we may escape all the things that will come to pass (Luke 21:35-36). Since our children have such an awesome destiny awaiting them, we should walk wisely, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

 

Adapted from Buying and Selling the Souls of Our Children: A Closer Look at Pokemon by John Paul Jackson, copyright 2000. Published by Streams Publications.

“Buying and Selling the Souls of Our Children”
-by JOHN PAUL JACKSON

 

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Mary Lindow has a passion for encouraging others – all generations, careers or vocations to live expressing excellence through personal integrity, healthy accountability, and wise management of talents and skills. She’s a sought after keynote, inspirational, humorous speaker and teacher across the USA and internationally in Ministers & Spiritual leaders Conferences, and training seminars for various organizations.

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