Sly Deceptions & Discernment

 This is a headline that recently caught my eye: Why are women becoming witches?

It mentions some of the things going on in pop culture and social media that I honestly knew very little about. I have, of course, heard of Taylor Swift but don't keep up with her music. That one of her albums appeals to Wiccans doesn't shock me, but I just had no idea. I'm in no way surprised that there is a large base of Wiccans on TikTok. There is a large base of everything on the site. I just joined a couple of months ago to find hair and beauty products and am astounded at how much content there is.

At any rate, I bring this up because it reminds me that deception is everywhere and anywhere. With internet access to so much information and sharing, it's easy to slide into being deceived. Anything online can turn into a rabbit hole.

Once about 6, 7, or maybe even 9 years ago, I went online looking for information about an ingredient for a recipe. I can't remember the ingredient but I ended up finding it on a page that talked about how it had long been used for healing or something. Turns out the site I was on was dedicated to using "healing herbs and roots". Interesting, right? I thought so. And then I fell down the rabbit hole. Because of my African and backwoods and Southern ancestry, I knew a little about how "herbs and roots" had been used for medicinal purposes back when going to - or even having - a doctor was a regular thing.

I'd always been told by older relatives that back in my grandmother's time (she was born in 1901), black cohosh had been used for a lot of "female problems". Or how there had been a lot of home remedies for things such as earaches, ringworm, constipation, etc. Cod liver oil was something many elders took daily; mineral oil was regularly given to kids; vinegar, salt, and baking soda were not things used just for food preparation!

So, yes, I was familiar with a lot of things that I found on that site I visited. 

However...

Where a lot of things used by my grand-cesters (Hah! I just made that up!) were just medicinal for them, a lot of people tie the use of herbs and roots to religious practices and beliefs. I found that out by traveling the rabbit hole I'd innocently tumbled into. I guess I was spiritually grounded enough even then to know I needed to watch myself. 

Satan is wily
Satan tried to twist words to tempt the Lord,
think he won't try this on you?

One of my SILs was interested in herbs and natural healing before she became a Christian. She signed up to attend classes in natural healing. After about a year in, she became uncomfortable with how much of what she was learning was being tied into Wiccan arts and beliefs.  She dropped out after spending a lot of time and money. When she became  Christian, it became much clearer to her what she had been getting into in those classes. (Keep in mind that I only have pieces of the story. One day, I will get details from her and do a blog post about this.)

Wandering into deception is easy. There are people every day who become involved with dangerous practices because they got curious. 

Found this & an article (I have not read) at
Praise Moves

There are Christians who don't understand why Yoga is not for Christians. Yoga is, in fact, actually practiced in or approved by many Christian churches. I have heard some people call this "Christian Yoga". There are many reasons Christians should have nothing to do with Yoga and why Yoga cannot be "Christianized" but I will cite a quick read from Got Questions which points out a basic truth:

"Yoga originated with a blatantly anti-Christian philosophy, and that philosophy has not changed. It teaches one to focus on oneself instead of on the one true God."

from this page

That the word "Yoga" means "union" should be a red flag. Union with what, exactly? 

I ask myself 2 questions when I wonder about whether or not I should participate in something:

1. Does it glorify God - or some other 'god'?
2. Is it against either the *10 commandments - in Exodus & Deuteronomy - or *the list of things God hates?

That makes it both simple (because it's right there in black and white) and complicated (because I sometimes try to find wiggle room).

My whole point here is that it's always been very easy to find yourself sliding into deception. Our access via the internet to more people and things has really opened up dangerous wormholes for satanic influences to come through.

Please always be prayerful, friends. Pray for discernment and pray for those who might be falling prey to deception. 

Peace

--Free

* Got Questions gives very readable outlines of the 10 Commandments and of Proverbs 6:16-19