The spirit of witchcraft is demonic. She is cunning, deceptive and manipulative. She is not an imagination of the mind. She is real and right under our noses. She manifests herself in much of modern western culture. Whether it be through sexualised media, power struggles in sexual politics, wild and unsubmissive wives, hedonism and harlotry, she manifests herself through these means. These are only few examples of how she manifests herself.
The spirit of witchcraft tempts people to desire to be independent. God did not makes us to be independent of him or of each other. He made us to be dependent on Him and to be interdependent on each other. Much of western culture speaks about independence, whether it be children being independent of their parents, wives being independent of their husbands, and each individual being independent of everyone else. It is this desire to be independent which the spirit of witchcraft feeds, seducing them with the lust of the eyes.
The desire to be independent is of the flesh because it is of selfish ambition, which is a sin of the flesh (Galatians 5:20). It is of the spirit of rebellion. Indeed, 1 Samuel 15:23 says: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king." This desire to be independent manifests in rebellion, covetousness and idolatry.
The devil and his demons tempts people by three ways, the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life (1 John 2:16). Rebellion feeds on the lust of the eyes, promising the eyes a means of living how one wants. Rebellion starts in the mind which hates God, and seeks its own way which are evil, and cannot submit to him (Romans 8:7-8). The very thought that one need not please God, but can live in one's own way is itself rebellion. This is exactly what Eve thought when she decided to eat the fruit: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (Genesis 3:6).
Eve desired to be wise in her own way, not God's way. This is the first example of independence from God. Such rebellion is not satisfied with oneself being rebellious. It cannot have peace until to makes others rebel. This was the case with Eve when she tempted her husband to sin with her in Genesis 3:6. Sin came into the world by Eve, who is the first one who sinned. Adam was tempted by her sin. The only reason why sin in attributed by Adam in Romans 5:12 is because he has the headship. However, it was Eve was the first rebel against God, tempted by satan in Genesis 3:1-3.
Covetousness feeds on the lust of the flesh. It seeks to have one's desires satisfied in one's own way. That is itself what covetousness is. It is not merely a desire to have what others have, or to be possessive of what one has. The root of covetousness is the desire to satisfy one's desires. It merely manifests in desiring what others have which one wants, or to despise sharing what one has. This is a superficial understanding of covetousness that falls far short of what it truly is. Covetousness follows rebellion because rebellion is the desire to live in one's own way, as opposed to the way God wants one to live. Covetousness seeks to have one's own desires satisfied in the way one wants, as opposed to the way God wants. Discontentment and dissatisfaction are only just manifestations of covetousness.
The Bible says: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). Covetousness seeks its own way, apart from God, or independently of God. Contentment in the true sense, as opposed to the earthly sense, seeks God's ways and is dependent on God in having one's needs met. It seeks not to define its own needs, which would make them fleshly desires, but is satisfied with what God gives.
Idolatry feeds on the pride of life. The pride of life is the desire to justify living one's live in one's own way. It justifies all rebellion and covetousness, for pride seeks to justiy one's own flesh (Psalm 10:4; Galatians 5:19-21). It does not seek God for it loves itself and thinks itself justified in doing so. Psalm 10:4 says that "the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts". It is pride which keeps people from seeking God and turning to Him in repentance for it seeks to justify itself in its wickedness. Idolatry feeds on this pride as it seeks to make itself the one who should be worshiped, instead of God. One may ask why do people worship things other than themselves such as false gods, political ideologies and nature. In worshiping such things, one is seeking one's own glory. People worship what they worship to ultimately worship themselves in seeking to live their own way, which the the ultimate manifestation of pride.
Romans 1:21-25 says that that heart of idolatry is the exchange of God's glory for the creation:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Such people follow evil, in loving themselves, out of their vain desire for self-glory (Romans 2:8).
The spirit of witchcraft thrives on rebellion, covetousness and idolatry. She feeds on the desire to be independent of God, which manifests in rebellion, covetousness and idolatry. Those who are under the spirit of witchcraft are those who are rebelling against God, covetous and seeking one's own way. Both the unsaved and saved, when they fall into sin, can become under the influence just as both the unsaved and saved can become under the influence of the spirit of mammon.
The spirit of witchcraft tempts people to desire to be independent. God did not makes us to be independent of him or of each other. He made us to be dependent on Him and to be interdependent on each other. Much of western culture speaks about independence, whether it be children being independent of their parents, wives being independent of their husbands, and each individual being independent of everyone else. It is this desire to be independent which the spirit of witchcraft feeds, seducing them with the lust of the eyes.
The desire to be independent is of the flesh because it is of selfish ambition, which is a sin of the flesh (Galatians 5:20). It is of the spirit of rebellion. Indeed, 1 Samuel 15:23 says: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king." This desire to be independent manifests in rebellion, covetousness and idolatry.
The devil and his demons tempts people by three ways, the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life (1 John 2:16). Rebellion feeds on the lust of the eyes, promising the eyes a means of living how one wants. Rebellion starts in the mind which hates God, and seeks its own way which are evil, and cannot submit to him (Romans 8:7-8). The very thought that one need not please God, but can live in one's own way is itself rebellion. This is exactly what Eve thought when she decided to eat the fruit: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (Genesis 3:6).
Eve desired to be wise in her own way, not God's way. This is the first example of independence from God. Such rebellion is not satisfied with oneself being rebellious. It cannot have peace until to makes others rebel. This was the case with Eve when she tempted her husband to sin with her in Genesis 3:6. Sin came into the world by Eve, who is the first one who sinned. Adam was tempted by her sin. The only reason why sin in attributed by Adam in Romans 5:12 is because he has the headship. However, it was Eve was the first rebel against God, tempted by satan in Genesis 3:1-3.
Covetousness feeds on the lust of the flesh. It seeks to have one's desires satisfied in one's own way. That is itself what covetousness is. It is not merely a desire to have what others have, or to be possessive of what one has. The root of covetousness is the desire to satisfy one's desires. It merely manifests in desiring what others have which one wants, or to despise sharing what one has. This is a superficial understanding of covetousness that falls far short of what it truly is. Covetousness follows rebellion because rebellion is the desire to live in one's own way, as opposed to the way God wants one to live. Covetousness seeks to have one's own desires satisfied in the way one wants, as opposed to the way God wants. Discontentment and dissatisfaction are only just manifestations of covetousness.
The Bible says: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). Covetousness seeks its own way, apart from God, or independently of God. Contentment in the true sense, as opposed to the earthly sense, seeks God's ways and is dependent on God in having one's needs met. It seeks not to define its own needs, which would make them fleshly desires, but is satisfied with what God gives.
Idolatry feeds on the pride of life. The pride of life is the desire to justify living one's live in one's own way. It justifies all rebellion and covetousness, for pride seeks to justiy one's own flesh (Psalm 10:4; Galatians 5:19-21). It does not seek God for it loves itself and thinks itself justified in doing so. Psalm 10:4 says that "the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts". It is pride which keeps people from seeking God and turning to Him in repentance for it seeks to justify itself in its wickedness. Idolatry feeds on this pride as it seeks to make itself the one who should be worshiped, instead of God. One may ask why do people worship things other than themselves such as false gods, political ideologies and nature. In worshiping such things, one is seeking one's own glory. People worship what they worship to ultimately worship themselves in seeking to live their own way, which the the ultimate manifestation of pride.
Romans 1:21-25 says that that heart of idolatry is the exchange of God's glory for the creation:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Such people follow evil, in loving themselves, out of their vain desire for self-glory (Romans 2:8).
The spirit of witchcraft thrives on rebellion, covetousness and idolatry. She feeds on the desire to be independent of God, which manifests in rebellion, covetousness and idolatry. Those who are under the spirit of witchcraft are those who are rebelling against God, covetous and seeking one's own way. Both the unsaved and saved, when they fall into sin, can become under the influence just as both the unsaved and saved can become under the influence of the spirit of mammon.
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