Has witchcraft seeped its way into the church?
In one of his latest messages, prophetic voice Troy Black shared the signs you can look for to determine if someone is using witchcraft principles and manipulation.
1. They discuss sexual trauma from a dark spot instead of through the lens of freedom and forgiveness.
With this particular attribute, Black says that instead of bringing forth the truth and exposing the darkness, someone involved in witchcraft will want to stay in the darkness, reveling at just how dark it is instead of shining the light in it.
“Sometimes they even think they’re doing good in the moment, but a lot of times it will cause people to reach back into the trauma of their own past, and begin to tell people how dark the darkness is, but it’s satisfying a need in their own heart to expose what was done to them,” Black says.
Instead of spreading light, Black says these actions spread the darkness.
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2. There is a great fascination for spiritual things, but not for the foundational tenets of the faith.
With these types of actions, the person will be very detailed about performing spiritual things on the outside, but they ignore the very basic tenets of what it means to live a life built on the foundational truth of Scripture and knowing Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. There is little effort to teach the justice and mercy which the Lord holds so dear.
“Someone who’s operated out of a different realm—who’s hijacked the church, who’s hijacked a position in the church because they have to talk about spiritual things in order to look spiritual,” Black says. “They’re going to neglect the most important, the most weighty parts of the law of Jesus Christ.”
3. The Word of God gets twisted to fit their agenda.
Black points out there are times when God asks us to support different causes or organizations that fit His kingdom purpose. However, when this purpose gets twisted and becomes more about the cause than the One who put the cause on your heart, it’s no longer about Jesus but about human efforts.
“The fastest way to rid the church of the glory of God is to replace the Word of God with a human agenda,” Black says. “Jesus has got to be the agenda, and then His glory is going to be there too.”
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4. Righteousness is preached, but there are no practical solutions given for how to live righteously, creating the pathway for a faith based on performance instead of the finished work of the cross.
While Black points out that not all who find themselves in this category are necessarily witches and warlocks, this is in error to the Word of God, and it can be a sign of someone using witchcraft in the church. The idea of control and manipulation is, in essence, witchcraft.
“It’s just like the Pharisees who wanted control,” Black says. “They wanted control and they wanted to manipulate God, apart from a real relationship with God.”
5. They focus on fueling people’s hatred for one another and their past instead of restoring them and their relationship with Christ.
Black says this is like a broken record, replaying the same hurts and anger over and over instead of focusing on God’s restorative power to bring healing and forgiveness.
“His heart for His people is forgiveness and redemption and reconciliation, not just between us and God, but between us and our fellow members of the body of God,” Black says.
While some of these signs are subtle, it’s important to keep them in mind when interacting with others to see if the fruit of their life is positively or negatively shaping your relationship with Jesus.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.