works of the flesh – Praying Pint

43.m. “Wilderness” – 7.t. “You shall not permit a sorceress to live”

Exodus 22:18  “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

Leviticus 19:31    “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6     “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:10-11     There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer  or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead,

Isaiah 19:3   and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;

Galatians 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

2 Peter 2:1   But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Revelation 22:15    Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

The law shows that such communication is possible, and the penalty shows that it is dangerous.

“It is clearly against the will of God that in this life men should hold any communication with the spirit world, save that of direct fellowship with Himself, through His Son, by the Holy Spirit.” “Thus with blunt directness and complete finality, the law of God against all traffic with the world of evil spirits was put into effect.” (Morgan)

Witchcraft not only gives that honor to the devil which is due to God alone, but bids defiance to the divine providence, wages war with God’s government, puts his work into the devil’s hand, expecting him to do good and evil. (Benson)

In every form of witchcraft there is an appeal to a power not acting in subordination to the divine law. From all such notions and tendencies true worship is designed to deliver us. The practice of witchcraft was therefore an act of rebellion against Yahweh, and, as such, was a capital crime. The passages bearing on the subject in the Prophets, as well as those in the law, carry a lesson for all ages. (Barnes)

Whatever pretensions might be made to it; however, such being deceivers of the people, and leading them into unwarrantable practices, and off of a dependence on God and his providence, and from seeking to him, and asking counsel of him, they are by this law condemned to death. (Gill)

Witchcraft was professedly a league with powers in rebellion against God. How far it was delusion, how far imposture, how far a real conspiracy with the powers of evil, cannot now be known. Let the most rationalistic view be taken, and still there was in the practice an absolute renunciation of religion, and of the authority of Jehovah. (Uknown)

Sorcery was resorted to for all kinds of purposes, to heal diseases, to ward off disasters, to bring misfortune upon a neighbour, to inspire a woman with love, &c.; it was often supposed to operate by the power obtained through incantations or other spells over spirits. (Cambridge)

I have to say I don’t really give the occult world and those that practice it much thought. I did look up books promoting various occult practices. There are 100’s of them easily obtained online. People looking for meaning in their life, communicating with the dead, how to cause harm to another, how to find peace, wanting to impress others, etc…. will not find it apart from God. There is no hope to be found in the occult spirit world. Seeking to communicate with Satan and his demon spirits will have a very dark effect on the soul of the person seeking. Inviting them into your life will destroy hope, peace, rest, love, and joy, which can only be found in and through Jesus Christ. Ouija boards are the same commitment to seeking demonic spirits. There is even an ouija Christian board for sale online stating “the entity behind the board, recently released another video encouraging Christians to purchase the board so that they can hear messages from God”. Do Not believe these lies. This is of satan and his demon world..

8.r. “I warn you, as I warned you before”

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Romans 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

While John’s list is similar to those of Paul, it’s important to note that John begins with “cowards” and “unbelievers.” This appears to be an indirect appeal to all professing believers facing times of testing. John makes no distinction between those who deny Jesus under persecution and those who openly embrace pagan vices. Jurgen Roloff again writes, “In an effort to challenge the reliance of the addressees on their safe possession of salvation, John again makes it clear that, because of the magnitude of the promise received, the danger is all the more serious of being disobedient and faithless to Jesus. Whoever succumbs to it does not belong to those who stand in the Look of Life and is therefore fundamentally like God’s enemies, who stand in his judgment” (p. 238). This is not to suggest that the elect will fall away; rather it seems to be an affirmation that those who merely profess Christianity may expect to be exposed under the withering heat of persecution so that their true nature as unbelievers is made clear.

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse:

Fret Not, Envy Not

” Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”

Psalms 37:1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

Proverbs 19:3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.

Proverbs 24:1 Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them,

Proverbs 24:19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked,

Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways,

Psalms 73:3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Proverbs 23:17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

It is very easy to find ourself looking at others and being envious of what they have, how they live, and their apparent happiness. This is not something new to man. This is our rooted nature and is a battle with our christian walk. It is not what we have but who we serve. It is not the peace and comfort the world gives but the inner strength, hope, peace and joy we have trusting in the everlasting love, sovereignty, and power of our heavenly Father. Looking at these temporary things of this world it is easy to loose focus and purpose serving God. They will rob us of true peace and comfort which is only found in humble service, obedience, and desire to honor and glorify God. We need to keep our eyes on the author and finisher of every thing created. We need to encourage each other to remain focused, stay the course, and grow in our knowledge, understanding, faith and commitment to God. Great words from an old hymn;

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”