Dear Patheos Friends: It is June and we are making our way slowly to summer! However, here in Texas, it already feels like we are in the middle of summer. We are seeing temperatures in the nineties with a few more days to June 20th when it is officially summer. Friends not yet in summer, enjoy the cool temperatures in your areas. The month of June comes with National Donut Day, Pentecost Day, Flag Day, Father’s Day, Juneteenth and many more celebrations. Happy Father’s Day to all our amazing dads. Prayers of blessings as you celebrate this priestly role with your families. And shoutout to everyone that has a birthday during this month! Blessings and love!
Recently had a meeting with a parent at her city’s local library. She wanted to meet to discuss summer planning for her five children ranging from seven years to fifteen years old. Before we dived into planning, she showed me some messages her fifteen year old had been receiving from some friends. This mom, wanted to know my thoughts on the messages. Due to the gravity of the messages, after our meeting, informed parent I have some deep concerns and will be doing this month’s column on the topic after much study and prayer from a Biblical lens.
Our children and youth (adults are not immune either) are facing one of the most tumultuous times in our culture. With school been out, summer time can be an unknown open door to darkness. Our culture has made darkness appealing and captivating. From tarot cards, to astrology, ouija boards, spirit boards, witch boards, talking boards, charlie charlie, the road to deception, delusion and division is wide open. The Bible explains this era we are living in, so that Christians would live with soberness and alertness.
The rise of these witchcraft tools in our culture is a cry to know the true God. A cry for relationship with the Creator Himself. It is a cry to fill the void in the human soul that was meant to be filled by God Himself. The scary thing is that just one innocent look or dabble into these darkness tools, is enough to plant a seed that then grows with passing days, months and years in the life of any person. Ask any Christian that has had an encounter with one form or the other of witchcraft, and he or she will tell you, witchcraft is real as day and night. There is nothing trendy or cool about these subtle deceptions to gain a foothold in the lives of our children and youth. Let us all be reminded that there is no “good” devil or evil.
Parents, this summer, please make sure your child/children are engaged with “light tools”, such as Awana, Vacation Bible Schools, summer camps and more. In fact, make Bible study, Bible reading, prayer and worship a priority this summer. Take time to review the type of TV programs or games they play on their devices. Many TV programs have subtle openings to these occultic tools. Remember, the goal is to make these witchcraft tools look so appealing, captivating and enticing, that an innocent dabble is enough to plant the seed that grows to later chain their lives and souls to darkness. The main goal of the devil is explained in the scriptures, so that Christians can keep that front and center and be daily reminded. The main goal is to steal, kill and destroy; this is exactly what John 10:10 tells us in the scripture: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The good news is that Jesus Christ is come, so that anyone who believes in Him will have life (relationship with God The Creator), now and eternity.
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