REFLECTIONS on the WORD
An excerpt from
Twenty-five years have passed since the first publication of this little treasure from J. Heinrich Arnold. Yet, its message that Christ brings healing and freedom are as fresh today as ever. The excerpt below is from the chapter "Deliberate Sin," page 13.
Most often, of course, deliberate sin takes place on a more personal level. One area of special concern to me as a pastor is the occult, which I have run into often in my counseling work. Occultism is often regarded as just another science to be studied. yet supposedly harmless forms of spiritualism, as well as superstitious practices such as wearing health rings, tipping tables, or talking with the dead, can bind a person to demonic forces even when entered innocently. I firmly believe we should reject these things completely. They have nothing to do with a childlike faith in Jesus. . .As long as we allow ourselves the loophole of indecision -- as long as we give evil even a little rein in our hearts and do not break with it fully, we will never become wholly free; it will continue to exert power over us. I am not speaking only of the occult here, but of everything that is opposed to God: jealousy, hatred, lust, the desire for power over other people, and all the other sins. As long as we deliberately steel even a small part of our hearts against God's intervention in our lives, we cut ourselves off from the mercy he offers us through Jesus.
Certainly, a divided soul must be treated with compassion--Jesus himself says he will not "break a bruised reed" or "snuff a smoldering wick." But it is also clear, I believe, that ultimately he cannot tolerate anything that grieves the Holy Spirit. Jesus was and is fully victorious over the devil and his demons, and he demands our wholehearted service in the fight against them too.
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