A Renewed Mind Lesson: ... HAUNTING by emb For our lesson here, we will define a haunting as a place being frequented by a ghost and a ghost as being a supernatural spirit. These days more and more people believe in ghosts and in there actually being places that are haunted. You would have to be an ostrich with your head in the ground Not to think there is something credible in all the reports about them. I for one do believe in ghosts and I do believe in places being haunted. Now it may sound like a hoky-poky fairy tale, but, you see, I believe in God and God is The HOLY GHOST and His Angels are spirits. So it would be silly for me not to believe in ghosts. However, I am doubtful of what I am being told that these ghosts are. The world teaches us that the ghosts who haunt a place are the ghosts of people who have died there and are haunting the place due to some mistake or just not being able to go to rest. Having not completed something in their natural life, they need to finish it now before they can go on to heaven's open gates. So they are stuck here on earth, haunting the place till whatever it is they need to finish is done. The truth lies in the Word of God. I think all of us Christians have been taught about the resurrection - the time when Christ our Lord shall return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Obviously, the above hasn't happened - the heavens are here and the earth has not been burned up. So we have not had the day of our Lord. So if we have not had the resurrection, how are dead people turning into ghosts? God teaches us that those who are dead are asleep... John 11: [11] These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. [12] Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. [13] Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. [14] Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And those who are asleep are awaiting the coming of our Lord as Martha thought of her brother Lazarus when she said to Jesus: John 11: [24] Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. [25] Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. We learn more about the Day of Our Lord here in: 1 Thes.4 [13] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words. This is a beautiful comfort. We are told that those that we love that have died are asleep and await the coming of our Lord. We are not to sorrow as others with no hope as our Hope is in Christ. For when He shall Return, the dead shall rise first, then we who are alive at the time shall be caught up together with Christ in the air! This is the Resurrection. So why does the world teach us that our dead have already gone to heaven? Why do we hear of hauntings? Ghosts of dead people roaming this earth? What is it really? Is it God's workings? We just read in the bible what is to be and learned that unless Jesus Christ is involved, there is no resurrection of the dead for He Is The Resurrection and the Life. And of course, we haven't had the Lord's Day yet. So. Who is the deceiver? Who is the liar? Why are we being tricked and led to believe that which is contrary to the Word of God? Well, it isn't too hard to figure out now is it? The devil is the one that is doing this. The question is why? Why go to such elaborate lengths to trick and deceive us into believing in the dead being risen after they die? Many reasons, but according to the Word of God, The primary one is this: Ephesians 6: [10] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. [11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. [13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. [14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; [15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: What did our forces do first off in this new war of ours? We bombed their places that we knew held their weapons. That is exactly what the devil is doing. As Christians, our weapon is the Sword of The Spirit which is The Word of God. Jesus used this weapon to fight the devil when He himself was tempted. He quoted scripture to the devil and defeated him. That is our weapon. When the devil uses his wiles to trick us into NOT believing in the Word of God, or to NOT know for sure what the Word of God really Is, he is in effect taking out our weaponry. Without the Word of God, we have nothing to fight with and the devil knows this. By making us believe his lie of dead people being ghosts and haunting places he can also make us believe Aunt Sofie is up in heaven and so is Uncle Joe and Grandpa and they are all waiting with loving arms for us to die too. Or Be a hero or a martyr and die for God as those falsely led Hijackers thought. Or that's why God took little Sally is because He wanted another rose petal in heaven. What evil lies. God is the God of the Living, not the dead! Mathew 22: [31] But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, [32] I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. As if God is a killer - a murderer that is so cruel a monster He would take the life of a beloved little child or wish thousands of innocents to die! Devilish evil lie! Satan knows darn well how Aunt Sofie looked during life and if need be can use devilish wiles to make one of his devil spirits look surprisingly like her - why he can even make it sound just like her too - oh and wow! Guess who knew where her birthmark was or where she put that long lost diary or about anything else to deceive you into believing his evil devil spirit is indeed your dead Aunt Sofie's ghost?! Why? Again. Anything it takes to get that dreaded weapon out of your hands, the Devil will do. Because then he has no trouble controlling and defeating you. You are at his mercy. The second reason for all this is to get you to not believe in the Return of Christ. The Lord's Day. It is pretty much in vain if the dead are already at the pearly gates and going through judgment as soon as they die. Now isn't it? No need for a resurrection. No need for a Day of the Lord. Why that pretty well makes it in vain for our Lord to have even died for our sins...if He isn't coming back for us. See how the lies take away the truth? Once you loose the Truth, you are like fighting the devil with a toothpick instead of a sharper then two-edged sword - The Word Of God! Which is Exactly what Satan wants. So. What do you think Jesus Would Do if He happened to come across one of these haunted places? I know what he'd do! He'd kick some evil, spiritual, lying, deceiving butt and evict them with the Word Of God! He'd be saying something like, "Go Ahead, Make My Day! Little Girl Ghost? I think NOT!! Get thee behind me Satan for it is written: 'For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first..' Be gone and haunt this place no more!!" And poof - The Magic of the Word of God would be revealed as you'd have a spiritually clean place and an 'exercised' ghost -- cause He made the dirty, devil spirits Walk A Mile! Heb.4 [12] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Ahh, I love it when a plan comes together! Don't ya just love it when a haunting spirit goes asunder? God Bless You And Yours!! ... :) Shangy!!