Curious about the Paranormal
Only some things that appear unknown can be explained in the following way; there are a multiplicity of explanations for the things that happen.
In a post-Christian culture, the environment is such that any occurrence that is not unexplained by natural means is understood through demonic deception. After being rescued from Egypt, the land of their captivity, Israel sinned through unbelief, so the first generation died and was buried in the wilderness. The Bible refers to believing in the unseen God, who is Spirit, as saving faith. Moses received the second law (Deuteronomy) before entering the land of Canaan.
Israel received the land of Canaan because God had come to an end of His mercy and brought judgment upon the people. Therefore, we are told in Deuteronomy 18:9, "When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations." So significant was the decline of those nations that God referred to their practices as detestable. All sin is an offense to God, who is infinitely righteous, but that is not to say that sinful men do not decline into more extreme ways of wretchedness.
The details of how low the Canaanites had fallen into sin are explained in verses eleven through fourteen. "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. "For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you. "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. "For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so."
The first sin named was the murder of their children in the idolatrous act of offering them to the god Moloch. Attached to this atrocity are the sins of demon worship. The names given to these acts of worship are divination done by diviners, followed by witchcraft, interpreters who use omens, sorcerers who cast spells, mediums, and spiritists.
In modern movies and books, such things are viewed in our scientific community as fantasy; however, they can be authentic. It is not the magic of men revealing their paranormal powers but, in reality, people who come under higher levels of slavery and bondage to demon spirits.
Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones of Wales became a preacher and pastor in 1925 when he left the second-highest medical position to do so. In his book, Spiritual Warfare, he said, "In the twentieth Century psychology came in and spiritual warfare went out." The religious community stopped praying as it should always do and gave too much heed to natural means of healing people's problems at the loss of temptation and slavery to the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Of course, modern medicine that can heal the body is a gift from God; counseling at the cross can help people of faith go to the root of their problems of addictions and idolatry at its heart, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the sinful pride of life.
There is, however, only one way to deal with beings more intelligent and mightier than ourselves and through an intimate connection with the living God. Fighting off demon spirits is no problem for Jesus Christ, and neither is their power too great for those who find their refuge in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it takes fasting and prayer. The Christians must be standing on the wall and watching so they do not become overwhelmed by being caught by surprise. This scenario happens all too often because people do not pray as they should. Prayer is an exercise of faith, and faith is weakened when people rely almost exclusively on what they can see and explain to the exclusion of the spiritually unseen world.
If you would like to hear or read more on this subject click the link below. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones can be heard sharing with doctors on the subject The Supernatural in Rligion and Medicine and Questions and Answers - on Healing and Demon Possession.