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Question 3: There are those who believe that fortune telling, horoscopes and ouija boards are harmless fun, but what does the Bible say?

Leviticus 19:26-31

b.     Deuteronomy 18:9-14

 

c.     Have you ever been involved or participated in these types of activities?                         
Discuss what happened and how it started.

 

We have learned in this first section that the spiritual realm, these invisible or unseen forces, is real. If we believe in Jesus Christ, then we believe that He died to conquer the works of the devil to set us free. There would have been no need to come to die for us if this is all there is. There are forces, both angelic and demonic, that are actively working around us. Jesus told us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. He told us that the gates of hell will not prevail against the work that God has purposed for us to accomplish, as His will is being worked out in our lives. But we do hit opposition. We need to understand that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers in the heavenly places. As we begin to get a revelation of the spiritual warfare, we will begin to understand how the enemy moves against us in the physical realm. Job is a perfect example of a spiritual conflict that was manifested in the physical form. Job was a real human being living here on earth, but the Bible gives us a clear look at what was happening concerning Job’s life in the spiritual realm. God looked upon Job as a righteous man but, because Satan wanted to prove God wrong, Job became the victim of Satan’s attacks. Job’s family, finances and home were destroyed and his health and friends turned against him. Job experienced very real physical and circumstantial conflicts because of the conflict in the spiritual realm. Job also became the victor because of his faithfulness to God in words and actions throughout the trial. His victory was spiritual, physical and material…on earth as it is in heaven.

 

In the next section, we need to examine more closely the Worldly Battle. Why is the planet or the world in a battle in the first place? What factors play a role in this battle in our physical lives? Is there anything that we can do on this large scale?

 

Part II:           
The Worldly Battle

 

The Strong’s Greek and Hebrew dictionary defines the “world” as the “earth (as moist and therefore inhabited); by extensive the globe; by implication its inhabitants; specifically a participle land, as Babylonia, Palestine :- habitable part, world.” The world is where people dwell. So the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2 NIV) refers to how the people collectively choose to live on the earth. We, as believers, are told to not conform to the norms of how others live but to live to please God, who is not of this world. Jesus said in John 17:14-16, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” So, we are called to live in the world but not be a part of the world. Let’s study this passage more closely to understand what the Lord desires from us.