I think it's time to have another look at the battle for the mind that is going on in this forum at the moment.
We all need to remember a few things. I am going to hightlight this in the occult forum.. "where the real occult power comes from" thread.. but it's summarised here.
1. The occult world is as real as you or I are.
2. There is a spiritual invisible world in which the occult world exists, and which also God and the angels exist in.
3. If you are a non Christian you are a slave to the Prince of the Power of the Air.. that is Satan(Ephesians 2:2)
4. If you are a Christian you have moved from the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of light. ( ie from Satan's kingdom to God's kingdom).(Colossians 1:13)
Lets now look at the two kingdoms in more detail..
First, let's look at the world we live in (and Naruto, this will answer your question to mike).
Originally God created Adam and his race to rule over creation. Adam forfeited his position and Satan became what the Bible calls the"ruler of this world" (John 12:3).
At one stage in Jesus' life, Satan came to Jesus and offered him the kingdoms of the world and their glory (Matthew 4:8) in exchange for Jesus worshipping him. Satan's claim in Luke 4:6 that the earth "has been handed over to me, and I give to to whomever I wish" was no lie. He took authority when Adam sinned and rebelled against God in the Garden. Jesus took the authority back when he died on the cross and rose again from the dead.. and the Great Commission, the right to take the Authority of Jesus and go and destroy the works of the devil is Jesus' command to every believer ( Matthew 28:18-20 and 1 John 3:8)
Every one who is born, myself included was born spirtually dead and a slave to the Satan. When I became a Christian, God delivered me from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son (colossians 1:13). Satan is still the ruler of this world, but he is not my ruler.. for Christ is.
But as long as we are on this earth, we on Satan's turf. He will try to rule our lives by deceiving us in as many ways as he can.
Now, it's important to understand that Satan is not omnipresent, omniscient or omnipotent. He can't be everywhere at once.. this is the domain of his demons, their activity makes it seem like there is power around.. the angels who fell before the world began (see my other thread in the occult forum when I put it there).
Now, CS Lewis who wrote the series "the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe" once wrote this
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve their existance. The other is to believe and fell and unhealthy interest in them. They are equally pleased with both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."
The Bible is full of descriptions of demonic activity and refers to this activity as principalities and powers of this dark age. (Ephesians 6:12). AT other times, they are called superhuman powers (Colossians 1:16, Colossians 2:15, Romans 2:38,39).
The Bible doesn't set out to prove they exist.. the Bible just assumes we know they do.
How do they influence you? The same way that Satan influenced Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.. they put temptation in your path and ask you to look at it and see and feel how good it is.
they say things to you like "hmm.. no one likes you, no one really cares about you, but look at what you can do.. come and try this and see what a lot of fun it is, how good it makes you feel, how much it will help you." If you try it.. you will soon be on your way to real demonic attack.. why.. because you open yourself up to their attacks by opening the door to your life a little way of focusing on yourself.
Satan's big sin was to be like the most high God ( Isaiah 14:12-14). When you focus on yourself and your own so called abilities and powers, you are doing exactly the same as Satan, and saying to yourself you "want to be like the most high God".
Now, having tried it, you get told "hey didn't that make you feel good? now you can do that.. try this." You keep wanting more and more and more, and when you don't get it, you get depressed, angry. You close yourself off to the entire world so you can get more and more of it. Before you know it, what started as something you thought would make you feel better about yourself, becomes something that controls you. You are in bondage to it..
You are born into bondage to Satan, so anything .. absolutely anything in your life will become a tool for him to use. The more you allow yourself to get caught up in it, the more you become controlled by it. The furthur from God you will go.
Now.. hear me please...
it's important to know, that demonic influence is NOT an external force in the physical realm, it is the internal manipulation of the nervous system. The power that someone who is possessed by a demon is similar to the extraordinary adrenaline-driven power exerted in a crisis, that enables a panic stricken parent lift a car which has overturned on their child.
Satan will use your mind, your will, your emotions and your muscles. But how does he get entry in the first place?
The lure of the occult is almost always on the basis of aquiring knowledge or power. we crave a knowledge or skill that is not available to the ordinary person. We want to experience a power that is spiritual and supernatural in origin. In a sense, these are God given desires, that are meant to draw you towards him. However, as it's Satan's business to keep you from God, He feels your world with counterfeit power and passes it off as the real thing. If he can get you to accept his version of knowledge and power, he has a foothold in your life.
These powers are as old as the earth and there is nothing new in them. The question is NOT WHETHER OR NOT IT WORKS, BUT WHETHER OR NOT IT IS RIGHT."
Listen to this discussion between two people who were doing a study on the occult
She said "In all your exploration of your occult practises, did you ever ask yourself if it were right for people to get involved in it.?"
He said (the participant in occult practises) "Oh I'm not interested if it is right or wrong, I just know it works."
She said "I have no question that it works, Spiritual phenomena and occultic practises are as old as biblical history. The question is not whether it works, but whether it is right or wrong.
Those involved in these practises have opened themselves up to channelling by the spirit world and become channels of knowledge and power of satan. He intends doing one thing only in enabling you to do these things... " to sap your spiritual vitality and freedom, to keep you from seeking God and keeping you trapped in a counterfeit power that will eventually lead to eternal disaster.
The occult tells you that you don't need God, that you just need to center your mind and "your powers" and grow in your own abilities and in those in the world around you. In otherwords, you are doing exactly the same as Satan told Eve.. "why is God telling you not to eat and try this (fruit).. cos he knows that in doing it, you will be like God". (Gen 3:5) You are exchanging the truth for a lie, and worshipping the created rather than the Creator (Romans 1).
Naturo, how do we know that psionics and similar stuff is from Satan.. cos it's not from God.. purely and simply. It causes you to focus on you and takes away your freedom to turn to God and discover the real power that is there for you.. it's the power of truth and love, and there is no greater power than to know yourself forgiven and accepted as a child of the creator of the universe.