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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The first time I heard about it, I was both fascinated and intrigued. I was and am always fascinated by the power of the Holy Spirit but this was new. A man filled with so much power so as to be able to blow air from his mouth upon another in front and make him/her fall dawn on the ground. They called it” Slain in the spirit” Wow! This is great; I said then. (This was a few yrs. ago). My wife was averse to the phenomenon saying that it didn’t seem right. But then the, man in question preached the full gospel and seemed to have a genuine experience of God as he spoke and wrote his testimony. His books were and are filled with lectures of the Holy Spirit and the anointing. 1994 was the year and I read a lot about the phenomenon. As much readable material (news abstracts, and books) I could lay my hands on, I read. I searched the Bible for an answer. I wrote an article in a leading Indian Christian magazine (Faith Today) vouching for the genuiness of the phenomenon. The man in question was coming from the USA to India and a large crusade was arranged in a neighboring state. “This is a must”; we must go; I told my wife. She was not really enthusiastic but still agreed. What made me even surer of this man’s ministry was that another man of God from Chennai had invited him to conduct the “Miracle Crusade” as it was called. I remember a servant of God introducing “the man in question” that 1st day of the crusade as the “Man of God for the hour”. The singing continued long; the man preached only for 20 minutes or so and then announced suddenly “The Holy Spirit” is here. 5 of us had gone as a family seeking for more of God spiritually and physically. The so called healing commenced with the man calling out names of sickness. Some went on stage to give testimonies. And then suddenly it started raining so heavily that everyone scampered helter-skelter for cover. But on the beach (where the crusade was held) there was no cover except the sky and most of the 50,000 - 1 lakh people were drenched to their bones. We were soaked, the roads were overflowing with water and the traffic jam was bad. To escape the rain’s fury we had to reach the hotel as soon as possible. 3 of us 5 got separated because of the crowd jostling. Later we met together after 1/2 hr. at a road crossing. I rebuked Satan for bringing on the rains but today I wonder whether it was really Satan/ God who brought on the rains and whom I had rebuked. Poor discernment I guess; but God is the best teacher. We attended 2 days of crusade meeting and returned back. A year or so passed. My fascination for the man’s ministry grew and I sought God for similar power. And then one night, 1 yr. after we had gone for the crusade I saw a dream one night. “I saw the man with the great ministry, who blows air to make people fall and speaks a lot of the anointing standing before me smoking a cigarette and me telling him, “That’s not right; that’s against the “Word of God”. He smiled mockingly at me.” The next morning I woke up and we (I and my wife) discussed the dream and when we got free time asked the Holy Spirit during prayer to explain the vision. I knew that the smoking of the cigarette was not indicating that he was a smoker but something deeper a mystery. And what the Holy Spirit revealed was so shocking. “The power was not of God but satanic and the Holy Spirit was not involved in the healings. The phenomenon was from evil spirits mimicking the power of God.” Later I had questions for God.
Q: How does the man know so much about the Holy Spirit.?
A. He reads and has read a lot of material on the Holy Spirit. So he keeps speaking. He reads and is well versed with the Bible too.
Q. Where from the power then and the miracles?
A. All counterfeit; satanic power manifested to such an extent that even the elite fall for it. If this was shocking for me, it must be for some of you too. Some of you can’t believe it. Trust the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. In the book of Malachi we read,
And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. (Malachi 3:18) When the man in question motioned with his hands for the Holy Spirit to come on the people, through a vision the Holy Spirit himself revealed several evil spirits being cast at the people seeking the power. The Holy Spirit also revealed the mans quest for more and more satanic power and idols that he worship to get the same. O! What a pity that even God’s servants including me are fooled by such satanic tricks. These are the last days, dear friend. Even the elite are being deceived by satan coming as an angel of light. If the great man of God who invited that imposter from abroad was deceived, what about the ordinary (Ordinary in the sight of man) Christian. The deception is very subtle, so one has to have discerning power of Holy Spirit. We can only trust God the Almighty in this matter.
I have been in earshot range ( not gone) of so called Christian conventions held by people who say they too are approved by God when they are still worshipping idols and I have been to and take part in true worship in spirit and in truth. These days the deception is so fine that often a person without discernment of spirits can hardly make out the difference. The singing is great, the preaching alike and the healings are there for everyone to see. Yet, the truth is that only God can heal. It’s easy for Satan to pull off a trick on a sick person whom he has afflicted. As the false worship reaches the crescendo the evil spirit that has afflicted a part of the sick person’s body just withdraws itself and presto we have a so called healing. The healed person may go off feeling free, only to be afflicted in another way on his person that very day. He takes a new bondage home, so as to say. Often I have asked the question;
“Why doesn’t God destroy these cheats? The answer is,
“He has made everything beautiful in it’s time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Also that God can bring good out of evil too for He is Master of All and All in All. Praise Him for that. The days are very evil dear friend. One must be very careful. Trust in the Holy Spirit to lead you to the right place of worship. Wait upon the Lord and He will guide you wonderfully. As we read in Isaiah 30:21
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it”. On the 2nd day of the crusade in ‘95 there was a special meeting for the servants of God. A big bunch from all over India had gathered for special empowering from on high. “What a pity” that none could discern. I was there holding high my wife’s hand when the man said we were going to be filled with heavenly power. As the man showed a throwing action with his hand towards the audience, people literally staggered back. As indication that they were struck by the power. The Holy Spirit explained this: the evil spirit performing this trick uses force to push back the people and they stagger back or fall. Later we enquired of God about a famed woman evangelist who as the story goes walked through a kitchen and many people including cooks fell under the power. And in reply the Holy Spirit said, that God does not go about pushing people down to show His power. How true what the great apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their action deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) Be on your guard friend. Trust only in Jesus. Let Him guide you continually in these end days, by His Holy Spirit.
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Hawthorne was one of the great masters of American fiction. His novels and tales are penetrating explorations of moral and spiritual conflicts, and his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, is often considered the first American psychological novel. Hawthorne also helped to establish the American short story as a significant art form with his haunting tales of human loneliness, frustration, hypocrisy, eccentricity, and frailty. What future US president did Hawthorne befriend in college?
