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DEMONS AND DARK ARTS I GOT TO KNOW! (LESSON 1) THE DESIRE TO KNOW MORE
Since the beginning mankind has been curious about secret things, the unknown, the dark arts. But, although the desire to “know more” lies deep within the soul of every human being, “knowing more” does not come without a price. It is that desire that gives place to the greatest discoveries and opens the door to the greatest deceptions. For those who would embark on the spiritual journey to “know more,” the path is full of danger. The cost of breaking through the barrier of the known into the unknown is high, even tragic. The incentive for those willing to take the risk to explore the mysteries of the Kingdom of Darkness is the desire for immortality and the promise of power; power to determine their own destiny, and control over those who would present a threat to that power. THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS FEEDS INTO THE HUMAN DESIRE FOR:
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1. SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTMENT – Spiritual connections/ significance 2. IMMORTALITY – Eternal life and freedom from death 3. POWER AND CONTROL – Manipulation of others to get what you want Sin opened the door for death to enter into the world. And since we desire to live, we begin on a journey seeking SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT in order that we might find IMMORTALITY and ETERNAL LIFE, using POWER AND CONTROL to determine our own destiny.
DEFINE: enlightenment, immortality, power, control ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTMENT THE QUEST FOR SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING IS AS OLD AS THE GARDEN. SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (He called God’s commands into question). “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate….”
Q: What were Adam and Eve looking for? A: Spiritual Enlightenment Q: Did the serpent play into their desire to know more? A: Absolutely! Q: Did they have a clue?
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IMMORTALITY TO LIVE OR NOT TO LIVE, THAT IS THE QUESTION Have you ever seriously considered not wanting to live? Have you ever tried to kill yourself? Have you ever wished you were dead? Have you considered your life irreplaceable and precious? What makes a life precious and worth living? If you are done with life, have you considered giving the rest of it to the purposes’ of God?
SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
WHERE DOES MY LIFE COME FROM? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ WHERE IS MY LIFE GOING? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ POWER AND CONTROL POWER, POWER, WHO’S GOT THE POWER OVER YOUR LIFE? People_______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Places________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Things_______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Ideas_________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ WHY WOULD POWER AND CONTROL BE ENTICING INCENTIVES TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH? They are often oppressed and without power, at the mercy of parents and adults that are unloving and unavailable. If they could have it, wouldn’t they want the power to make people do what they wanted? Wouldn’t they feel better and safer to be in control of their own world? BUT THERE IS ONE PROBLEM – WHO’S REALLY IN CONTROL? SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 6:16 “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?”
TWO SOURCES OF POWER The clash and conflict for power, the insatiable lust for more, and the utter inexpressible disregard for human life has left a trail of bloodshed and plundering through out history. The pain and chaos continues with the desensitization to danger and the glamorization of evil. The news has left us calloused while Hollywood entertains us with horror until it becomes nothing unusual.
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WHAT IS A WORLD VIEW? (Lesson 2) COMPARE: Hollywood’s world view of spiritual reality with the Scripture. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ DEFINITIONS: Desensitization A subtle form of repeated exposure that dulls the senses to the awareness and perception of real danger
Is there a supernatural power behind the craving for power? Is there a systematic and deliberate plot, a diabolical force behind the mayhem and pain? Is there a general reorientation and repackaging of darkness that presents it as normal and appealing? Give some examples of repackaging of darkness to look normal and appealing. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
Is there a diabolical plot against us or is all of this mayhem and pain just a coincidence, a cosmic accident or somebody being paranoid? How could you prove that the Devil is real? Hint: Look for patterns of destruction being repeated down through your generational bloodline.
_________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Could it be that this assault and injury against the human race is more than just a coincidence, an accident, a random act of violence, as we would wish to believe? Is it an alien force that threatens us from without, or does he dwell in the midst of us? Could it be that the god of this age has come to claim his own through an internal and external human takeover? DEFINITIONS: Accident, coincidence, plot, scheme _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ WHAT IS AN ACCIDENT? COULD IT BE THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ACCIDENT? The common definition of AN ACCIDENT IS SOMETHING THAT “JUST HAPPENS” WITHOUT AN EXPLANATION OR CAUSE. If there is no cause, no reason, and no controlling factors, the accident would have to exist outside of God’s domain, and operate beyond His control. This would imply that God is not in control of everything, and therefore, not God.
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IF THERE IS AN IDENTIFIABLE CAUSE, THE ACCIDENT IS NO LONGER AN ACCIDENT, but a predictable outcome of a set of events or circumstances operating in accord with certain principles and laws that govern the outcomes of such events. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? SCRIPTURE: PROVERBS 26:2 “Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.”
If everything is explained as “just an accident” what happens to the hope of trying to correct it? A hint: If there is no cause, the problem cannot be solved and we will always be at the mercy of the unreasonable, the uncontrollable, and the unexplainable.
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What curses have you accepted as fate, bad luck or accidental in your life? Crashing the car? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Acne? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Bad relationships? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Sickness? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Being broke? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Never getting picked? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ What if there is a realm of cause and effect that operates beyond the perceptions of our five senses, in a spiritual, supernatural dimension?
Would we be superstitious or wise to consider addressing the cause of such mishaps and misfortunes? DEFINITION: Superstition Irrational Belief – an irrational but usually deep-seated belief in the magical effects of a particular action or ritual, especially in the likelihood that good or bad luck will result from performing it. Attributing magical powers to certain actions objects or rituals. DEFINITION: Superstitious Convinced that performing or not performing certain actions brings good or bad luck, and that certain events or phenomena are omens, or signs; fear of the supernatural. Am I superstitious? Scared of things I can’t see? Is there a reasonable explanation for those things? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________
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IS THE DEVIL REALLY REAL? (lesson 3) According to George Barna in a poll taken in 2000, 60% of non-Christian Americans believe that the Devil, or Satan, is not a living being but a symbol of evil. 45% of Americans professing to be born-again Christians do not believe the devil to be real. Given the disparity of opinion on the true nature and intention of this force, and the diversity of descriptions regarding his identity, it would be no wonder that there are differences of opinion regarding his very existence. DEFINITION: Opinion A view someone takes on a certain issue, based on personal judgment Does one’s opinion determine what stands as true and what will matter in the end? SIMPLE STRATEGY Division through confusion brings separation and death. SCRIPTURE: LUKE 11:17 “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.”
Would it not appear that the tried and true strategy of divide and conquer has been executed brilliantly? After all, would it not be to his advantage to persuade those he is trying to deceive into denying his very existence and conceal his true identity under the guise of the familiar and acceptable? The more we see of him the less we are shocked by him. (Use film clips from various movies portraying the devil)
Is there a personification of power, a form that defines the forces that seek through seduction and allurement, to persuade us? Is there an embodiment of evil that dwells in the midst of us who works to deceive us with his familiarity? Is he a myth, a legend, a lie, a fantasy, a cultural representation of darkness, or is he real? SCRIPTURE: LUKE 10:18 “And Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.”
If the Devil is indeed real, then who created him? Where did he come from? Why is he here? Does he have any power? Is that power real? If so, can it be destroyed? How?, When? Where? SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 12:7-9 “And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” What do you think? Is he real, or do you have a better explanation for all the evil and tragedy in the world? ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________