Some time ago I received an email from a young man in Minnesota. His
mother had been at the Christian Workers Conference in Spokane, WA and had heard me
address the conference on the effects of the occult in our culture. In particular, she had
become concerned about her 13 year-old son’s affinity with Egyptian artifacts.
Shortly thereafter the young man (Ryan) wrote me about his interest in ancient Egypt.
"Ancient Egypt and studying about it. I have a collection of
Egyptian stuff like books, small statues, papyrus wall hanging, Egyptian stamps, Egyptian
money, a cheesy looking pyramid. My statues are of Anubis the Sphinx and a
statue of King Tut."
He added saying, "I am a christian I enjoy doing 20 min.
long sermons for Church Youth Group nights. I love christian music. I really believe in
the power of prayer. So my question is since I am a christian and know what the kind of
Egyptian stuff I buy symbolizes does that still mean I am at risk of anything Satan might
bring in because of my Egyptian stuff?"
I wrote Ryan a very straight-forward letter warning him that even
though he may know what the items he was collecting and studying
symbolized they may well represent a way for Satan to gain a foothold in his life.
I wrote: "Anubis - Egyptian god of the Dead is represented as a
man with the head of a dog or jackal. He was a god of the funeral cult and of the care of
the dead.
In The Book of the Dead, he was depicted as presiding over the
weighing of the heart of the deceased in the Hall of the Two Truths."
Among other things I said, "I encourage you to begin spending the
time you now spend each week on study of God’s word instead of the Egyptians...they
followed MANY other Gods...we follow just one and He wants his children filling their
hearts and minds and spending their time learning about and serving Him.
I also encourage you to renounce all forms of mysticism and idolatry
and if they have gotten a hold on you begin to claim the promise that Christ’s blood
is greater than all of Satan’s deceptions."
I didn’t hear back from the young man again for some time but not
long ago I received this email.
His recent email started by saying "Thanks, you saved my
life spiritually."
He wrote: "I wrote you last year and was asking you about my
Egyptian collection. You pretty much said to get rid of it. I was angry at first but I
prayed about it that night and the next morning the first thing that came in to my mind
was to get rid of it.
The next night after I took my stuff down, I felt something that was in
my room; it may sound weird but it felt like an evil presence. That was the first night in
two years that I needed the light on with my door open just to feel some what safe.
I was going to sell it on ebay but it didn’t sell. Then my Great
Aunt said that it could be that God wants me to get rid of it and not give it to someone
else. So I very reluctantly burned it. But after I burned it that night I felt a Godly
presence in my room that night. Later that night I thought to myself that I WAS falling
away from God without knowing it. During that time I had my Egyptian collection I was
falling away from my Christian friends and I was rejecting authority.
I guess all I can say is thank you, because you can’t thank
somebody enough for telling them the truth and saving their soul. If my mom hadn’t
gone to Spokane, Washington who knows where I would be right now.
I am doing another sermon on the 18 of January on reincarnation. I may
be over anxious but I think I have found my calling for life. I would like to be a
Chaplain in the U.S. Army. Anyway thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me get rid
of that stuff. Also I love to read your newsletter and I really enjoyed the newsletter on
Harry Potter. I think you should keep on writing about it you may be able to get more
people listening to you.
Thanks again!
Ryan
God knows exactly when to prompt someone to send this kind of
encouraging email. It encourages me no end that the Lord has used us in so many situations
to see families and individuals like Ryan find help and hope.
I want to share with you an example of how God supernaturally
encouraged me at literally the very moment I was first working on this newsletter!
I received this email on Monday morning at 8:35 AM.
Subject: Thanks for your newsletters
Thank you for your newsletters. I love receiving them. I was a Mormon for the first
twenty years of my life and have been a Christian for 12. I look forward to the time when
I’ve been with Jesus longer than I was with a cult.
Thank you for your ministry, it really struck a chord with me
because I know that there were people praying for me, at war for me spiritually, in my
struggle to come out of the Mormon Church. You may never know how much your ministry
affects people until we all get to heaven, but at least you’ll know today.
God Bless you!
Lucy
I wrote back:
Lucy,
I cannot express to you in words what it means to me to know how you
feel.
Thanks so much for your encouragement!
It may blow your mind to know but I am sitting here working on a future
ministry newsletter. In it I am highlighting the story of a young man who believes that
our ministry "saved his spiritual life."
The last line I wrote in the newsletter article just now was: "God
knows exactly when to prompt someone to send this kind of encouraging email."
Then I "heard" your email come in. Wow! Goose bumps.
God truly does know when to lift us up. I slept three hours last night
and have been in the office since 3:30am...it's now 8:46. I guess I needed a little more
encouragement and the Holy Spirit just brought it through you.
I am so glad you are free to serve the real Jesus. Let us
know if there is anything we can do to assist you or help in your ministry to others.
Have a blessed day and thanks again for writing!
Eric
It is truly awesome to watch as God changes lives. Occasionally He
dispenses angels or intervenes in other blatant supernatural ways. But most often the Lord
seems to choose to use His human servants to touch others for Him. Melanie and I have seen
Him orchestrate our steps and actions so many times to position us to minister to
someone’s immediate need. But we’re not special. We’re just available.
God wants to use you also. Kingdom minded Christians are always
preparing for service and simply available.
Study of the Word in comparison to the cultural issues (such as cults,
etc.) that the Lord directs you in along with regular times of prayer and worship enable
us to be fit for service by
the King of Kings!
Make yourself available today and watch how the Lord will position you to affect
someone else for His glory. God is looking for someone to use and that someone is YOU!
