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quote:
Originally posted by myfutureself:
quote:
Originally posted by Tucker:
http://www.amazingabilities.com/amaze5a.html

Just for fun Paul, explain why this fellow can do what he can do.

Either you claim that he is subconsciously creating a reality or that the whole thing is a hokes or there is something else involved?

He has actually agreed to be studied by medical science and India is just the beginning.

If one's subconscious mind can create that reality, then where do we all go from there?

I know how he is doing what he is doing and yes he is a Hindu and yes he is actually real.

just love,

tuck


No clue, Tuck.

I didn't mean to come off as if I were being confrontational or that I'm trying to explain away divine intervention, because I'm not. Do I think most things considered magic have reasonable metaphysical explanations behind them (to most people these explanations wouldn't carry any weight anyway)? Yes, I do, though I don't claim to know what all of them are. And I can't even say it will be profitable in all cases to even attempt to figure them out. What I CAN say is that human beings have immense creative powers that lie beneath the unconscious mind, because we are made in the image of God.

That said, this guy seems to have something special going on, though I don't know exactly how useful of a gift it is, except for the incredible savings of not having a grocery bill and the potential to make an awesome astronaut.


Paul you are fun! I like to read what you write.

There is a scripture in one of the Hindu religious works that claims that if a yogi meditates on his throat chakra that he will not have to eat. The question is, "Is it really a goddess that is doing it?" Smiler Because it does not have to be. That is what is funny about this stuff, the Loving Divine is real, but it does not have to be. When the atheists tried to convince me that God was an imaginary friend for adults, I told them that I do not care, I love Him anyway. I do not love and worship God because I am afraid of going to Hell, I love and worship God because I want too. And I will love and worship Him even if, my name, is not written in the book of life, I do not care about that either. I am just thankful that He is there for me to love and worship.

love,

tuck
 
Posts: 429 | Location: USA | Registered: 04 April 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Shasha,

Just a clarification on two things in your post of 21 May 9:57.

“Derek Prince [I know you don't like him but he does have a lot of field experience that we don't and gave his life as Christ's servant in ministry] shares that he does not launch into praying, intercessory, for somebody unless he is sure within his heart that he has a sufficient degree of gratitude for them. Very interesting. Wise, methinks. Brilliant. Not fearful in a neurotic, obsessive way.”

I have nothing against Derek Prince, nor the efficacy, fruit and value of his healing and deliverance ministry; nor do I question his holiness and efforts in service to the Lord etc etc. (He has been of more service than I, I realize). I do disagree with the validity of the conclusions he came to concerning the passage you had provided from his book, and for the reasons I had stated.

You made a statement in one your posts that ‘an apple tree cannot bear figs’. My disagreement with his statement in the paragraph that you provided from his book is more along the lines of -- Derek might well be a fruitful apple tree and generates lots of apples, but in his analysis he had moved into fig territory IMO. No personal accusations or affront intended.

As for your saying ‘he did not launch into praying, intercessory for somebody unless..’

Derek had a healing and deliverance ministry and knew when he began to pray he might be moving into deliverance issues (direct confrontation with evil spirits) when he started praying. And wisely he always made sure of his posture before the Lord and the conditions of his own heart when doing so. As you say: wise. I would do the same if I were involved in such a ministry. People in he community I was involved with always did the same. But again, as I have posited a typical Christian praying for another is a different issue and their prayers need not be inhibited due to fear of injuring the recipient. And I don’t believe themselves either (except if one is getting involved in deliverance prayer without authority or attendant wisdom) – but again that’s atypical relative to how this ‘praying for others topic’ came up and has evolved here.

I just wanted to be clear as to where I have been coming from and what I am saying. AND I realize that we are under different opinions.

Fine enough.

Pop-pop
 
Posts: 465 | Registered: 20 October 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by pop-pop:
...
I have nothing against Derek Prince, nor the efficacy, fruit and value of his healing and deliverance ministry; nor do I question his holiness and efforts in service to the Lord etc etc. (He has been of more service than I, I realize). I do disagree with the validity of the conclusions he came to concerning the passage you had provided from his book, and for the reasons I had stated.
... No personal accusations or affront intended.
Right, of course. I didn't mean to imply you were slamming him, in general. Thanks for being my editor and helping me to be more precise in my thinking/writing.

As for his conclusions on that example, I see that his *reasoning* is loose, but I was more simply trusting his *gut* on his conclusion. Maybe naively so, but I see that and similar examples he gives as warnings that some well-intended praying to our God from and for Christians can, at times, be harmful.

About Derek's point about positioning his heart with gratitude, I'll have to look up the precise context ...(if we can stand to keep talking about it). I don't think the context is what you've shared in your post above, but I will do my homework.

Pop, I don't think our opinions are that far off at all, but more to the point is my needing to be more precise about what I say.

The Carmelites teach that one of the classical mistakes of 'baby' Carmelites is that they too quickly assume the teaching role. That's me from time to time... Roll Eyes Smiler And I need more advanced Carmelites to support me.

And BTW, I'm not at all offended by your correcting me, challenging me, etc. Twice on this thread you've expressed concern about that. Not at all. Trust me. I'm not like your mom. I will go storming off in a fit of hurt that you don't like my meatloaf. Wink (Although my writing is better than my cooking. Lord help me. Why my kids want to go out to eat all the time.)

God's deep peace and joy,
Shasha

p.s. Tuck, I think FWIW means "for what it's worth"
 
Posts: 1091 | Registered: 05 April 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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"In a private conversation with a very highly respected leader in charismatic healing prayer, this person shared that somebody asked her if they could pray for her as one of her intercessors and she thought, "No thanks, I don't want all your junk." Both she and Prince are Spirit-filled, charismatic people who have 30 plus years experience with healing prayer. They know something about energy transfer through prayer."


I never want to separate myself from anyone, when praying or otherwise. It is my heartfelt prayer hourly, minutely, that Our Lord sustain me in this request through faith.

I think I shared this once concerning the relationship I had with the child I saw Jesus of the Divine Mercy take home. Initially I had a certain perception of him, one that I believed was accurate and 'discerning'. I saw him as a brat and unpleasant, as one who needed deliverance.

Then i was granted the grace of seeing him through the eyes of Our Lord. I was beyond blown away. I was shown how incorrect i was about him. . The scales fell off from my eyes. So profound an experience was this -- I was shaken to my knees . I fell on my face before God that day and remained there for years utterly aghast. I vowed and confessed and pleaded before the Lord with all my heart for His grace to never ever judge another through the lens of my conditioning. I was shown how subtle it can be to justify yourself and your own convictions, and how easy it is to be fooled. How easy it is to be arrogant.

I feel i had a taste of what Saul felt like when Jesus appeared to Him on the road to Damascus, when in his heartfelt conviction, through the lens of his conditioning, he was persecuting the early church. Jesus asked him why he was persecuting Him. My heart has been rendered in two and thrown into the fire of His Love, His Sacred Heart, after being shown how He sees us all. He has filled my heart with an unquenchable fire to see His face in ALL people, especially those who have most needs of Gods mercy.

Today it these little ones that God is calling us to pray for, using the chaplet of the Divine Mercy, in this great gathering of souls: those who have most need of His mercy. Personally I do not care what it cost me or will cost me. It doesn't matter what I feel or think about them or what potential threat of harm to my self during prayer. It does not matter if those I pray for bear fruit or otherwise, or look like they belong in this gathering of the saints. Most are so far from bearing fruit of any kind. Most would be unlovely to my senses if i was not shown how deeply beyond words we are loved and seen by our Lord.

It is precisely those who have all this junk that God is calling to pray for these living dead. Those of us with lots of junk know first hand the need for His mercy... Smiler

As for the man who hasn't eaten or drank anything in years: I have no idea the state of this man's soul, why he has not eaten or drank anything in years. I have no ideas about where this sustenance he claims to receive comes from: God or elsewhere. I know nothing about the goddess. God knows. I do not esteem him because he is some yogi and has not eaten in years. I esteem him because he is a child of God and of great value in our Lord's eyes, and I don't see anything else..

Shasha you wrote: " You see bad fruit. You provided a quote from a poster who said something like: better off not to pray at all if you're mixed up about them, etc., citing that as fear-fruit. I actually considered it a reasonable response, a discerning one...?

There is no reason not to pray for another if one is christian. . If one is seriously mixed up and confused then pray for light to be shed on why the confusion .. then pray anyway. .....if one only knows how to pray with soulish prayer.. then so be it... trust that God will use our soulisg prayers for His Divine purposes...

you wrote Derek Prince [I know you don't like him but he does have a lot of field experience that we don't and gave his life as Christ's servant in ministry] shares that he does not launch into praying, intercessory, for somebody unless he is sure within his heart that he has a sufficient degree of gratitude for them. Very interesting. Wise, methinks. Brilliant. Not fearful in a neurotic, obsessive way.

love is not dependent on ones sufficient gratitude for another, but rather gratitude for God's saving mercy and healing grace ... when this occurs in a persons life it cannot help but spill over into gratitude for ALL of life and then participation in union with the Holy Spirit. for those parts of His body which are not yet healed...

Blessings to all...

Christine
 
Posts: 281 | Registered: 19 October 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Wow, what a thread. I missed out and had to start reading right from the beginning.

I really connected with much that was discussed on this thread.

I have been struggling with what does/does not constitute "magic" for years.

I came out of a new age context believing in energy and its' manipulation and believing in magic and its' power.

When I became a Christian I forsook all these realities.

But through Shalomplace I found myself drawn back to reconsider these things. I find that I often agree with Paul and Tucker that magic is simply the manipulation of energy.

But if this is the case then why does the bible forbid it? And are those who are aware of energy and doing energy work - even passively via kundalini awakening - practicing magic?

What is the magic/sorcery forbidden in the New Testament? If it is energy work then what are we all doing?

I am not trying to be judgmental here. Simply letting my own fears and concern flow as I type. What are others' takes on this?
 
Posts: 716 | Location: South Africa | Registered: 12 August 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Hello all,

I think this is an interesting thread. I had a few (semi-random) thoughts while reading it.

I feel like the underlying question that's really being raised here is just "what is prayer?" Of course usually people recognize that there are different kinds of prayer, so more specifically the question is really "Is intercessory prayer different from 'magic' or energy work, or other similar sorts of phenomena, whatever those might be, and if so, how?"

I wouldn't presume to be any sort of authority on prayer. In fact I'd say I'm a rank novice in many many ways, but nevertheless these are my thoughts:

1) Prayer in the Christian tradition is not magic, and it is also not energetic transfer (although sometimes in prayer energetic transfer occurs).

2) One way to mitigate concerns about personal impurities interfering with prayer is to focus on making all prayer begin with the experience of the Presence of God, and the experience of being Present to God

3) When spiritual works flow out of prayer (healings, energy work, other spiritual phenomena), the most important aspect of this from the point of view of the one praying is Faith, rather than any sort of abstract knowledge or technique.

These are all closely related of course. Earlier in the thread someone noted that one factor that distinguishes Christian prayer from magic is presumed passivity to the will of God. I think that's an excellently concise summary of the difference, in a nutshell. In magic or energy work or other forms of "spiritual power", typically the presumption is the effect of the work is a consequence of the knowledge, technique, or other effort of the one performing the work. In the New Testament I don't think healings or other spiritual works are ever referred to as prayer (and I think there is good reason to distinguish these from even intercessory prayer), but in all cases the two most fundamental points that are made are the necessity of faith, and that all is done through the name of Christ. "In the name of Christ" doesn't signify just a symbolic gesture, but more something like "in the power of Christ." It is God through Christ that acts, and that is a key point. When Jesus performed miracles, he nearly always made reference to the necessity of faith. When he talked to the disciples about works that they might do, he referenced the power of faith, I think to the exclusion of everything else.

Faith is a tricky thing to try to define, and that's part of the problem, but without trying to do so here, I think the main point is simply what he didn't say. He didn't say some arcane knowledge could move mountains, only faith. So we should pursue what it means to have faith.

I think sometimes faith is defined in a rationalistic context, as merely a sort of belief without evidence. But I don't think I could settle for that at all. It makes too many concessions to a mind of materialistic epistemology that I don't think Christians can really accommodate. Rather I think faith is commitment and trust, of the whole heart, not blindly given but impelled by the Spirit from an experience that is transcendent.

And that ultimately is why I think it may always be helpful to view prayer as beginning with Presence. Being present in mind and heart to God who is at once infinitely transcendent and infinitesimally immanent. Because if it is the Spirit who intercedes through my spirit, then in faith I can be assured that no energetic entanglement, demonic attack, or personal failing my part can overwhelm the infinite power of the Divine. God may or may not allow some phenomena to occur to me, but if he does allow it I can trust that he has a purpose. I can trust that God isn't playing Gotcha with me. And more, I can trust that if there are imperfections in my petitions, which there surely must be, in humility I can ask the Spirit to perfect them for me in God's will. If the ultimate goal of Christianity is that we become Sons and Daughters of God through Christ, we in Him and He in us, then it makes sense that the ultimate goal of prayer is to cultivate that. All these other things flow from that, and if they flow from that then it makes sense to me why some of these other concerns become irrelevant.

Beyond that, I feel like for insight on prayer, the best people to go to advice to are those who have dedicated a lifetime to cultivating it, that being monastic writers. I feel like there's a wealth of insight and wisdom to be mined there. From the reading I've done I think the most striking thing is even given how much time many spend in intercessory prayer, when they write about what is essential in cultivating prayer, it is usually not about that, but rather about working on your own state of heart, your own purification, and your own dedication simply to being always in the remembrance of God.

Sorry that this is a little long and probably a bit rambly, and not very specific. thanks for the interesting discussion

Cheers,

Matthew
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: 29 November 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by faustina:
...There is no reason not to pray for another if one is christian. . If one is seriously mixed up and confused then pray for light to be shed on why the confusion .. then pray anyway. .....if one only knows how to pray with soulish prayer.. then so be it... trust that God will use our soulisg prayers for His Divine purposes.....
I agree that if one is mixed up about the pray-ee, especially in very messy relationships, yes, first pray for yourself before you pray for them.

For instance, one could be bundle of impulses that are flying in all directions as they are wanting to pray for somebody. One day you hate this person; the next day you love them. One minute you want to kill this person. The next minute you want to have sex with them. Best to pray for your own healing...In some cases, an obsessive focus on praying for the other broken person is an avoidance and denial of one's own turmoil. The state of your heart seems important. Still, even in the messiest relationships, God can grant grace for loving prayers. Smiler

P.S. Coming back in to say WOAH...looks like four of us were writing at the same time tonight. Don't mean to ignore any of your posts, but gotta sign off for now...

with love,
Shasha
 
Posts: 1091 | Registered: 05 April 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Re. the manipulation of energy and "magic" and just to throw a monkey wrench into the discussion: Big Grin aren't we manipulating energy all the time?
- building a dam;
- burning gasoline to power our vehicle so we can go places;
- growing a crop;
- cooking a meal;
- digesting our food;
- etc.

By "magic" do some of you mean to be saying the manipulation of energy directly through the use of attention/thought/will without using created forms to accomplish one's intent? That's what "magic" suggests to me: I want something so I think or desire it to be so and hope that it comes to pass without me having to do anything to make it so. In a way, much intercessory prayer can be like this, so I do see that connection, only Christian spirituality requires us to do our part to bring forth desired outcomes. Are some of you saying that magic does not require this kind of responsibility?
 
Posts: 3983 | Location: Wichita, KS | Registered: 27 December 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by Jaques:

Wow, what a thread. I missed out and had to start reading right from the beginning.

I really connected with much that was discussed on this thread.

I have been struggling with what does/does not constitute "magic" for years.

I came out of a new age context believing in energy and its' manipulation and believing in magic and its' power.

When I became a Christian I forsook all these realities.

But through Shalomplace I found myself drawn back to reconsider these things. I find that I often agree with Paul and Tucker that magic is simply the manipulation of energy.

But if this is the case then why does the bible forbid it? And are those who are aware of energy and doing energy work - even passively via kundalini awakening - practicing magic?

What is the magic/sorcery forbidden in the New Testament? If it is energy work then what are we all doing?

I am not trying to be judgmental here. Simply letting my own fears and concern flow as I type. What are others' takes on this?



Jacques, thanks for adding to the thread. The question for me has always been, where do I draw the line between simply using the natural abilities that God has given us, akin to our ability to think and reason and act, and cross over to where I'm listening to the serpent and attempting to "be like God." Before I go any farther, I don't want to give the wrong impression. I don't really DO energy work or any kind of "magic," at least not in the sense of willfully, in order to obtain certain goals, whether they be spiritual or material. Not based on any kind of morality about it, but just because I'm too lazy and stupid to be consistent and effective out of my own power. I literally *need* God to act in me and my world in order to effect real change.

I think, to answer your question though, that the line is drawn more by intent than by actions. That is, someone using magic in an attempt to further his own pride and vanity, is in the exact same boat as someone who uses money to do the same things. In the same vein, putting your faith in energy techniques in order to merit some kind of spiritual reward is a type of rejection of Christ's sacrifice, don't you think? That being said, can we say that Jesus will never utilize energy work to accomplish something within us? I don't think we can say that. What I can say is that if my choices are a) do something of my own power without involving Jesus or b) let Almighty God do it for me, and I choose a, my motivation can't be all that's pure. I'm either trying to accomplish something I know God doesn't want for me, or I'm trying to steal his glory.

As it relates to prayer, what makes Christianity unique, I think, and as Matthew talked about, is that Jesus literally does all of the praying for us when we're led by the Spirit, and it is these prayers that we are assured are always granted by the Father. On a personal level, with this question like so many others, all we can really do is admit to God that we don't know what the hell we're doing down here, and thank him in the faith and knowledge that, being aware of our predicament, he's given us a way out. I've gone through periods where I REALLY REALLY wanted more control over my spiritual journey (looking back, mostly so I could gain and abuse new powers), but because my entire being and growth only exists as Christ's work, I've simply failed when I've tried to take the reigns.

Paul
 
Posts: 119 | Registered: 08 April 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Phil,

Even without a rigorous definition I think when people use the term energy in this thread they haven't meant things like kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, chemical (electromagnetic really) energy, or any of the other normal definitions per physics.

Not that I know what Kundalini or other kinds of "spiritual energy" are or whether they fit ontologically with the aforementioned but nevertheless I think most people assume they are something a little different
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: 29 November 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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" I agree that if one is mixed up about the pray-ee, especially in very messy relationships, yes, first pray for yourself before you pray for them."



oh so true Shasha! i remember NOT wanting to pray for my son in law when he was messed up on crack cocaine and because of this , his behavior was seriously hurting my daughter and our whole family.. it had been crazy for years.....

i wanted to NOT pray.. i wanted him to just got away! by Gods grace , i did pray for him ,( after a few hours of fighting with God as to why i thought praying for him was spaced out)..

it was not easy.. i begged God to get me OUT of the way s i was really in the thick of it.... and then i prayed .

In this prayer , to my horror i felt his pain.. his deeply etched pain and sadness.. A long story , but he says today he actually 'felt' that prayer at the time i was praying..and called home and said he was coming home to get help. .. The next day in a car alone and messed up out of his mind, he cried out to God.. he was put under in the Holy Spirit.. he was changed that day.. today he is a deep follower of Jesus Christ and completely changed.

i was that bundle of impulses flying in all directions.. as a human being i think we all are at one time or another.. it is called the human condition. What i found is.. praying for him.. there was a deep healing within myself.. God is SO awesome.. He not only drew my son in law to Him ans healed him..... but used it to act as a catalyst to His Healing me! LOL!!!!! so what i learned from this was.. the healing is not just for the prayee.. but also the prayer... erSmiler
 
Posts: 281 | Registered: 19 October 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Paul.. excellent post. what you said mirrors my sentiments... i could quote you but the whole post was simply excellent . thank you for your sharing on this thread...
 
Posts: 281 | Registered: 19 October 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
I don't really DO energy work or any kind of "magic," at least not in the sense of willfully, in order to obtain certain goals, whether they be spiritual or material. Not based on any kind of morality about it, but just because I'm too lazy and stupid to be consistent and effective out of my own power. I literally *need* God to act in me and my world in order to effect real change.

I think, to answer your question though, that the line is drawn more by intent than by actions. That is, someone using magic in an attempt to further his own pride and vanity, is in the exact same boat as someone who uses money to do the same things. In the same vein, putting your faith in energy techniques in order to merit some kind of spiritual reward is a type of rejection of Christ's sacrifice, don't you think? That being said, can we say that Jesus will never utilize energy work to accomplish something within us? I don't think we can say that. What I can say is that if my choices are a) do something of my own power without involving Jesus or b) let Almighty God do it for me, and I choose a, my motivation can't be all that's pure. I'm either trying to accomplish something I know God doesn't want for me, or I'm trying to steal his glory.


Thanks for the reply Paul. Just a few questions if you don't mind. You say above that you don't do "magic" but that it isn't a moral choice but simply laziness. But if you don't consider it a moral issue then why is it considered a work of the flesh in Galatians and one of the practices that will bar people from the New Jerusalem in Revelations.

It seems that the way you put it, so called "white magic" should be excluded as the kind of sorcery discussed in the New Testament - at least when it is practiced with a pure heart and a desire to help people.

If a Christian practices Reiki for no other purpose than to bring comfort and healing to hurting people, even though it qualifies as "magic", it should not be considered the kind of magic forbidden in the New Testament.

But the New Testament doesn't seem to make those kinds of distinctions - unless all magic of the time was of the "black" or "manipulative" kind and that energy work as healing practice was not common and therefore not addressed.

But let me just say that I completely track with you in what you say about intent and the reasons magic becomes evil. Both when we try to accomplish something without God and when we try to "work" our way into some kind of spiritual wholeness. I'm just still unclear about other kinds of magic.

I know Phil has said before, "why practice Reiki when as Christian we can pray in the Power of the Holy Spirit?" But does that mean that Christian Reiki practitioners are "doing magic" by manipulating energy even though their motivations are pure? - if perhaps not as well thought through as those who reject this practice....i don't know?!?
 
Posts: 716 | Location: South Africa | Registered: 12 August 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Even without a rigorous definition I think when people use the term energy in this thread they haven't meant things like kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, chemical (electromagnetic really) energy, or any of the other normal definitions per physics.

Not that I know what Kundalini or other kinds of "spiritual energy" are or whether they fit ontologically with the aforementioned but nevertheless I think most people assume they are something a little different


Matthew et al, part of the purpose of my "monkey wrench" post was to illustrate that we DO manipulate matter and energy all the time. Perhaps the most basic example is through the expression of thought, which is, ultimately, connected with "subtle energies," however we understand these. There is no "manipulating" anything without making use of thought and will, as these are the means by which our spiritual awareness expresses itself.

To my thinking, then, there is little moral distinction to be made between the exercise of thought and will through the ordinary activities of the body and a more direct, spirit-to-spirit, pre-verbal expression. The latter presents a higher risk of being influenced by the quality of energy in the other, especially if this encounter takes place outside a context of prayer. I might pick up on something of the energy of a depressed chef when eating a hamburger he prepared, but would be more vulnerable by doing some kind of energy massage with him, or even psychotherapy, where I am receiving the expression of his negative thoughts. So the risks have to do more with vulnerability than morality, imo. Several of you have suggested as much, I know.
 
Posts: 3983 | Location: Wichita, KS | Registered: 27 December 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Desire rules. Know your desires, they are your world.

Will does play a part in things, but desire is what actually creates the reality, be it consciously or subconsciously or a combination of both.

love,

tuck
 
Posts: 429 | Location: USA | Registered: 04 April 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Pop-pop, To tie up some loose ends here...

In Blessing or Curse (1990), Derek Prince begins his chapter on Soulish Prayers with Proverbs 28:9 "One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." He shares that it is important to turn to the Holy Spirit in humility and purity of motive before we pray. We must ask God to purge us of wrong motives and selfish attitudes before we can pray. Without this, Prince shares that "our praying degenerates into the James 3:15 'syndrome': earthly--soulish--demonic." The two main pitfalls in praying are when we accuse or seek to control the person/people for whom we're praying--even if it's subtle, we think we're right, or in the other's best interests.

So following after Paul, who opened in explicit gratitude for the churches in his letters, Prince uses gratitude as the gauge for whether he's feeling sufficiently God-led to pray. "I make it a principle never to pray for fellow believers without first thanking God for them. If I cannot do that, then I feel it is better not to pray at all!"

He goes on to share that well-intentioned prayer laced our impure motives can have negative spiritual effects on the recipient.

From time to time, like most Christians, I experienced periods of spiritual "heaviness."...In such a situation, I have learned by experience that the cause may not be in me at all. My "heaviness" may be due to some other Christian--well-intentioned but misguided--who is accusing me before God....Once I have correctly diagnosed my problem, I can turn to my High Priest, who sees all my faults and yet continually pleads my case before the Father." --citing Romans 8:33-34.

He gives an example of a father who feels his daughter is in "rebellion" because she leaves the church and becomes engaged to a fellow. He doesn't want to lose her, and he prays against the marriage. They break up. Prince concludes the prayers were answered, not by God, but by the James 3:15 'syndrome.' Conclusion, and I quote: The power of soulish prayer is both real and dangerous.

The good news is that you can repent if you've been guilty of praying this way; seek God's forgiveness, and "firmly renounce any attempt to accuse other people or to control them by the words we speak in prayer."

That's been a great lesson for me! One worth talking about, methinks.
 
Posts: 1091 | Registered: 05 April 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by Phil:
...
To my thinking, then, there is little moral distinction to be made between the exercise of thought and will through the ordinary activities of the body and a more direct, spirit-to-spirit, pre-verbal expression. The latter presents a higher risk of being influenced by the quality of energy in the other, especially if this encounter takes place outside a context of prayer. I might pick up on something of the energy of a depressed chef when eating a hamburger he prepared, but would be more vulnerable by doing some kind of energy massage with him, or even psychotherapy, where I am receiving the expression of his negative thoughts. So the risks have to do more with vulnerability than morality, imo. Several of you have suggested as much, I know.
There's a line in the prayer of St. Patrick...something like "Christ in the mouth of those who speak about me."

Funny you should mention the chef. I gathered with friends years ago for an outdoor barbeque. The chef was at the grill near us at the table. He was cooking up burgers while spewing out hatefully about something. The next morning, I awoke with terrible stomach pains. As I was barfing my dinner, I suddenly 'saw' this man's face and literally felt his hateful energy being evacuated from my body. Nobody else threw up their dinner or complained about being sick in any way. Now, I am 'religious' Smiler about praying and asking the Father to bless the food for my body before I eat. I do believe He changes the food for me.

And getting a massage. No way, that's impossible without taking the person home with you!
 
Posts: 1091 | Registered: 05 April 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Shasha,

This has been a great thread discussion and I think many have found it interesting.

Regarding the loose ends you wanted to tie up—and I guess we’ve tied each other up with all this discussion (lol)—the texts you present from Prince’s book as I have extracted and present below from your post, speak to *accusation and control of others* being what would constitute ‘soulish prayer’ per Derek Prince.
________________________________________________________________________
“The two main pitfalls in praying are when we accuse or seek to control the person/people for whom we're praying”

“…..who is accusing me before God...”

“ he prays against the marriage”

“firmly renounce any attempt to accuse other people or to control them by the words we speak in prayer."
_______________________________________________________________________

Surely this might well be different from what started all of this discussion thread -- praying FOR others.

We had read of a woman receiving a prayer request via email and responding by praying FOR whatever the request involved was. That is neither accusation nor a desire to control, but a response to a request.

Nor would praying for handsome Mel be a desire to control or an accusation or a praying against – even if ‘God hadn’t initiated the request’.

Actually, if God is love and our prayer intentionality stems from love it stems from God (I would think -- kinda per “he who abides in love abides in God and God in him”) even if it has an attraction-based component. Such prayer would not injure or harm the recipient or the intercessor. If we are praying for another’s well being we need have no fear of harming others or ourselves in doing so.

Look once more at this, and see if you see ‘accusation’ or ‘desire for control’ being expressed here:

“saying something to the effect of, "God, I don't know what is best for __________, so your grace and guidance be with them,"

To me, it doesn’t. and I kind of doubt that Derek Prince would consider such prayer soulish – though I haven’t read his book So, if you feel strongly that you want to retain cautions IAW Derek’s thinking, you should be clear in what you define as ‘soulish’.

I think that what with everyone today feeling so very p.c. against judging, I doubt many accuse anybody before God. That’s all kind of funky stuff to be praying in the first place methinks.

************************************************************************________________________________________________________________________
On another note: It’s good to have Matthew back posting. Nicely written posts, Matt.

Pop-pop
 
Posts: 465 | Registered: 20 October 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by pop-pop:
...
Surely this might well be different from what started all of this discussion thread -- praying FOR others.
...
Look once more at this, and see if you see ‘accusation’ or ‘desire for control’ being expressed here:

“saying something to the effect of, "God, I don't know what is best for __________, so your grace and guidance be with them,"
...

Of course, it's different, Pop-pop, that's why those general prayers are kosher. I never argued they weren't...that's one of the context issues that I tried to say was not being considered in your reaction.

About praying FOR someone vs. ABOUT someone, I don't see that much difference in some cases. A father can wholeheartedly believe he is praying FOR his daughter, out of his great LOVE for her, when he prays AGAINST her rebellious marriage. That prayer is going to land on her head.

Of course, love is the ultimate way to hold others, but what is love? To some love may look a whole lot more like possession or infatuation. Anyway, I do trust God to work things out, and of course to ultimately protect us.
 
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quote:
Originally posted by Jacques:
...
What is the magic/sorcery forbidden in the New Testament? If it is energy work then what are we all doing?
...

I think you got some good responses from others on this. The paper by Sears I cited early in this thread addresses your question too. He talks about Christian Reiki among other kinds of energy healing techniques. I believe the Catholic Church as made an official statement denouncing Reiki.

My personal take is that we need to offer ourselves as living sacrifices--body, mind, and soul--to Christ's mission. In so doing, I think, God makes it clear what to do with our energy. It's like having a lot of money, as I think Paul pointed out. The more you have, the more you have to give to God. The more you have, the greater your responsibility to be ethical.

My son was sharing about the character in a movie he watched. He said, "And this guy has godly powers! He can make reality happen just by thinking something!" I told him those powers are not godly, but supernatural. I further shared that God does not want us to use those kinds of powers because he wants us to turn to Him for all of our needs.

You'll have to have those talks too with your boys--pretty soon-ish! Smiler
 
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Originally posted by faustina:
... What i found is.. praying for him.. there was a deep healing within myself.. God is SO awesome.. He not only drew my son in law to Him ans healed him..... but used it to act as a catalyst to His Healing me! LOL!!!!! so what i learned from this was.. the healing is not just for the prayee.. but also the prayer... erSmiler
That's a wonderful testimony, Christine. I had the experience recently of beginning to pray for somebody for emotional healing of a particular kind and suddenly stopped and realized that I needed more of that too! That's not always the case, but sometimes you'll run into a prayer request that is God-designed to heal us as well (and maybe moreso than the recipient at times).

I really enjoy exchanging stories of God's love with you, Christine! You're truly a sister in Christ to me. Smiler

(BTW, concerning your response to my comment about the healer who didn't want a particular intercessor's "junk," I think you may have misunderstood that piece.)
 
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BTW, concerning your response to my comment about the healer who didn't want a particular intercessor's "junk," I think you may have misunderstood that piece.)



morning shasha,


i believe that is more than entirely possible!


i told my husband Matthew( kenosis) that it seems more and more these days with the energy moving through my brains that i hear and see in a different way.. much to my amazement.

My left brain seems to be less dominant and my right brains seems to be running the show more..Believe me, this place of being has more than enough perks, but trying to read critically and put down thoughts in any organized way is NOT one of them! LOL!!!!

i told him i think i need to stick more to painting, praying and working down at the soup kitchen and playing with my grand daughter than trying to post here any kind of serious response......

the past few months the mind has fallen deeply into this sense of quiet .. the best way i can say is .. it is harder to push out..Smiler ah well..

thank you for your your kindness in calling me your sister in Christ... i feel this way about all here.. i truly enjoy everyone's insights and unique expression of their love of God...


love christine
 
Posts: 281 | Registered: 19 October 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Christine,
You've been a great light to Shalom Place. And your posts are wonderful! I feel very much encouraged by so much of what you've shared. I don't see you at all as incapable of contributing in a serious and meaningful way. But I do know what you mean about feeling right-brain dominated at times and not able to focus reading or articulating what you mean.

Anyway, I hope you will always keep Shalom Place in your heart and in your prayers , whether or not you contribute through discussions. Smiler But I hope you do stick around!
 
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quote:
Originally posted by faustina:
quote:
BTW, concerning your response to my comment about the healer who didn't want a particular intercessor's "junk," I think you may have misunderstood that piece.)



morning shasha,


i believe that is more than entirely possible!


i told my husband Matthew( kenosis) that it seems more and more these days with the energy moving through my brains that i hear and see in a different way.. much to my amazement.

My left brain seems to be less dominant and my right brains seems to be running the show more..Believe me, this place of being has more than enough perks, but trying to read critically and put down thoughts in any organized way is NOT one of them! LOL!!!!

i told him i think i need to stick more to painting, praying and working down at the soup kitchen and playing with my grand daughter than trying to post here any kind of serious response......

the past few months the mind has fallen deeply into this sense of quiet .. the best way i can say is .. it is harder to push out..Smiler ah well..

thank you for your your kindness in calling me your sister in Christ... i feel this way about all here.. i truly enjoy everyone's insights and unique expression of their love of God...


love christine


Ah man! Christine I am happy for you and I am not surprised, as one gets closer to God they have a tendency to wander off, but, ah man! Smiler

You are love and you are loved!

love,

tuck
 
Posts: 429 | Location: USA | Registered: 04 April 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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thanks tuck and shasha.. i will contribute.. but for now i have that wandering off feeling .. painting praying and smiling at folks at the soup kitchen while working.. oh, and also sticking my feet in the Yellowstone river this summerSmiler

loves to allSmiler

christine
 
Posts: 281 | Registered: 19 October 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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