Dreams, Witchcraft, Rebellion & True Worship

Things can appear in dreams when one is thinking intensely about something. We engage in psychological processes and are unaware of the level of thought we devote to a subject. Troubling things affect us on a subconscious level, triggering stress responses that can manifest in dreams. The subjects of dreams are often composed of the things we take in very early in the day or from way back in memory.

Dreams from the Lord remain clear and are fresh in every detail. Interpretation of dreams, however, may come swiftly or may need prayer and fasting. It does not necessarily mean that the dreamer receives an interpretation. We must also discern whether those dreams are personal or corporate. So prayerful thought and asking for revelation are pertinent. It is also important to discern those dreams that intrude on the sleeper's subconscious from nefarious sources and interfering and persistent spirits.

Witchcraft in the church.

I am perturbed by the level of lack of understanding needed to undertake warfare within the realms, especially when confronting witchcraft.

It’s important to understand that, as in the church, witchcraft also has its high holy days and festivals. These prevail throughout the year, with each month bringing various celebrations of the craft and other pagan aspects of worship, when practitioners of the dark arts gather together. The times around the summer solstice, autumnal and winter equinoxes are an active period, especially those times around the feast days of the Lord. These are spiritual convergences on a high scale of activity.

Understanding the times of spiritual activity is not on the radar of most Christians, and dealing with the unseen is certainly not a priority on the church's activity calendar. When it comes to dealing face-to-face with witchcraft, it is presumption and ignorance for a single person to undertake deep activity in warfare at any level unless they are trained.

A group of people, a squad of spiritual warriors and intercessors, should be gathered who know spiritual warfare and authority. A call to warfare is unctioned by the holy spirit and can also be signalled through a divine dream or vision.

It may also be pertinent for such a group to be the ones who specialise in deliverance and exorcism, as seen in the main denominational churches.

Where there is the inability to shift or remove spirits, it is often the Lord's way of telling that you are not trained sufficiently, you don’t have the backup, or know how to use authority for the task. It is a safety mechanism of God’s protection and grace, as the situation could turn out hostile and beyond one’s control.

Thus, when we don’t see things happen as expected, we should question whether we have prepared sufficiently, especially in petitioning the Lord for strategy and permission.

In addition, lone practitioners may and will come under severe attack directed at them or at their loved ones, so it is crucial not to dabble but to be trained.

Whilst ministering in Scarborough for several years, we saw much witchcraft. The East Coast is incredibly active in witchcraft. We dealt with witches regularly and saw them come to the Lord and renounce witchcraft, but the battle was hard and got very personal at times. Prior to the deliverances, we spent time in prayer, fasting and in the practice of pre and post-counselling. Follow-up was important to maintain rich fellowship and study. We always refrained from acting spontaneously.

You must know the enemy’s ground, tactics and armoury.

Use the weapons given when you are released to do so by the Holy Spirit, and never take anything for granted except to know that we have been given the victory and the enemy is going to lose. It is also important to deal under the covering of love.  The enemy knows your weakness and your understanding of authority.

We should know that the devil comes to church, but he cannot come against the consecrated and the Holy. If things are happening demonically in a church, then we need to understand why..

Sanctity,  sacred space and consecration of the assembly hold the devil at bay. Draw near to God, resist the devil, and he will flee! This is a key to seeing deliverance for all parties involved. He cannot attack if he is not given authority…and he certainly cannot stand on Holy Ground!

The word Kirk or cirque, means a circle or group. It is from this word that the word 'church' is derived. So it should come as no surprise that practitioners of the cults gather in their own churches as unified groups and worship in circles. a few weeks ago a brother had a dream in which a demonic force would not retreat despite the procolamtion of Jesus' name. in the dreammy friend found himself with a group who were seated in a a half circle formatio, an ark. The ark may be representative of a gathering of people under the covering of Christ, or it may be representative of an incomplete circle. I lean toward the latter symbolic meaning. If the arc represents an incomplete circle, then it is pointing to the fact that the group is weak and obviously not complete. It is also important to know that witchcraft is a constant practice in a religious society and is part of the social culture of many nations. It is propagated through every form of the media. The media is a platform employed by spiritual forces to enduce and control people through mesmerisation , a means of enchantment. The practice of Wicca, or white magic, for instance, can be seen as something completely separate from the practice of black or dark witchcraft. Wicca practices, for example, observe natural phenomena, and the seasonal movement of the earth and heavenly forces throughout the cosmic sphere. Generally earth worshippers are not concerned with the activities of the church. The church, to a certain degree, observes some of the same practices today. Dark or satanic witchcraft is the complete opposite. It goes against the will and the purpose of God; it contends with the power and spiritual aspects of redemption and eternal salvation of every believer. It seeks to cause failure and loss of salvation by turning hearts against God by rejecting the precious blood of Christ and the perfecting of His bride. It seeks to kill and destroy. This type of witchcraft also prevails very heavily within the media, hence the films on witchcraft and sorcery. However, it is subtle and works on subconscious levels. Confronting this form of dark witchcraft brings heavy consequences and collateral damage if we are not prepared. This type of witchcraft is also used to bring division and diversionary tactics among assemblies with false teaching and a preeminence on non-biblical references and practices. Modern forms of worship are also creating weak Christians because they obtain their understanding through the theologies of songs rather than the teaching of the word. The resulting

lack of discipleship occurs because there is a lack of good shepherding and disciplers. Clever programs and theophostic courses don't set people free. We are told that freedom comes from knowing the truth.

The tactic of enchantment and mesmerisation in some modern worship genres is employed through showmanship and stage props. This again is a cunning aspect used to prevent the growth of the worshipper. ‘If someone is worshipping God, does it matter how they are worshipping and whether they understand what they are doing?’ Yes, it does! God desires worship from the heart and the lips, not just the lips. He desires that men raise ‘holy’ hands and that they worship in spirit and truth. It is a matter of consecration.

When the witch repents and is converted, the power of God‘s word results in the complete demolition of occult practices. The New Testament adopts a redemptive attitude toward witchcraft, in contrast to the Old Testament, which does not spare the witch to live employing punitive measures.

The repentant person then has to live a life that is conducive to the way of Christ, which means becoming a fruit-bearing disciple. Generally, the repentant who was once embroiled in the depths of opposition to God will show a greater degree of zeal following the swing into kingdom life.

Most believers are unaware of the level of witchcraft that prevails within the church. Many believers may also be unaware that they have connections to it or still practice certain types of it. This, therefore, may be symptomatic of the problems we see within the church.

We are told that witchcraft is rebellion. 1 Samuel 15:23

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. AMP

Let us look at this very closely. Rebellion is the decision to turn from the word of God. It turns the person's heart to seek an alternate path. It causes one passion to focus on anything but God. Despite recognising God as a deity worthy of worship and praise, the person chooses to ignore the divine superiority and sovereignty of God.

Some Christians, however, though not actively involved in the practices of the occult, can also be on the receiving end of occult curses and incantations. Spirit attachments take place, bringing oppression and sickness, addictions and wicked habitual practices, which can take long sessions of pre-counselling, occupying the time of ministry and causing diversionary events within a congregation.

However, when such cases arise during congregational worship, it is important for the spiritually discerning to recognise these types of tactics and maintain the congregational focus on worship.

We must realise that the intention of congregational gatherings for worship are intended to serve God in spirit and truth. God seeks the kind of acceptable worship that builds for Him a place which He can inhabit. The rebellious spirit, on the other hand, seeks to disrupt the building of this throne for God, because it does not want Him to occupy sacred space.

True repentance and the worship of God are the keys to gaining deliverance and freedom. The enemy of our souls seeks to steal peace and freedom, and to destroy every possible way to prevent the intimate bonds that Father God desires with His children.

The Tabernacle and the Pattern of Worship of the Church.

When God established the model of worship for Israel, He was laying out a pattern that everyone should observe. From the High Priest, the serving priests, the temple attendants and the people understood that as long as the temple functioned by the ordinances of God, all would be well and God would dwell iamong them.

The early church understood this. God gave an exclusive pattern of worship to Israel.

Exodus 9:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”

During the judgment upon Egypt, God commanded Pharaoh to let His people go so that they may worship Him. How were they to worship God? That is a matter that comes clear once the Torah is given to Moses and the Israelites are transformed into a covenant people.

The Tabernacle pattern is a foreshadowing of the body's movement toward the Holies of Holies. It is also the pathway of the purification of the bride of Christ toward her husband. Can we say that we are in any way emulating this pattern in its fullness and can we be honest and say that a few things ahve been changed along the way?

What were the foreshadowings laid out for us?

Service within the Tabernacle was based around a sacrificial system, offerings of kosher and perfect animals and grain offerings, purifiaction and consecration. in addition,a tithing system of agricultural produce maintained the well-being of the priests - the tribe of Levi and its clans.

Romans 12:1  sees Paul admonishing us to present ourselves as sacrificial offerings.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

It can’t get much clearer. In one atoning sacrifice, Christ offered up Himself as the Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world. The sacrificial system of Israel had been superseded; Christ Jesus had fulfilled the law.

Believers supersede the priests and are now to serve God the Father through the Son and not through men.

The consecration of the believer gives access to the throne of grace because ritualistic sacrifeces have been done away with throught the atonemnt of Christ. The church becomes sacred ground, and the people become the elements of the tabernacle. The spirit of the Lord dwells in the hearts of the converted and is no longer held behind a curtain.

The pattern outlined is one of repentance. Bringing the acceptable pure sacrifice of the animal to the priests is a form of worship. The priests are constantly washing themselves and putting on clean garments. The light of the menorah burns constantly, and the incense of the praise and adoration of the YHVH rises permanently to the Lord. As the tabernacle grounds were separated from the main camp, God’s people were to remain spiritually holy and separate from the world.

This is the obligation and worshipping practice of the Church. The worship of God must remain and be established upon sacred ground. Abominations must not be allowed to enter; the sacred things must not be profaned.

That is not always the case in the church today. Profanity and aberrant practices are rife because the people have given a different context to what is holy. The priest who accepted the offering in the tabernacle inspected the animals for imperfections. At first, this observance was maintained, but soon the practice of accepting anything became the norm.

This is what the Lord says in Malachi 1:6

“A son honours his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’

7 By presenting defiled food on My altar.

But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’

By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible.

8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

9 “But ask now for God’s favor. Will He be gracious? Since this has come from your hands, will He show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.

Leviticus 22:20-22 You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. / When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable. / You are not to present to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything with a running sore, a festering rash, or a scab; you must not put any of these on the altar as a food offering to the LORD.

Friends, God is not afraid to shake His church or destroy His temple. He has done it before.

The second temple did not hold His presence. His presence seeks to dwell in a different place. It is a heart that is wholly given up to Him; It is the heart of His bride that seeks holiness and intimacy with Him, and it is incumbent upon the priesthood to protect her from the attacks and devices of the enemy. Unfortunately, when spiritual discernment is lacking, the plans of the enemy sneak by the doorkeepers and taint that which is meant to be holy. Consequently the Lord's house becomes contaminated.

Without discerning the array of various devices the enemy uses to disrupt the worshipping life of the body of Christ, we fall into his many traps. Repentance, fasting, prayer and worship keep him at bay. We must maintain the covering of the spiritual army given to us and not take spiritual warfare for granted. As in all battles, people get hurt. For us, we are called to remain strong, seek spiritual discernment, heal and get back on duty.