What If We’ve Made Christianity Too Comfortable? | The Parts of the Bible We Don't Talk About

Hey guys, welcome back. October has taken us into some conversations. Christians don't always like to have dreams, visions, Halloween, the spiritual realm. And the deeper we've gotten into studying these things, the more we've realized something.

I think we've made Christianity a little too comfortable. Do you realize that we believe in a supernatural God? We believe Jesus performed miracles, cast out demons, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven.

We believe in angels, the Holy Spirit, and a spiritual world that we cannot see. But the minute somebody starts talking about dreams, visions, spiritual warfare, demons, prophecy, supernatural experiences, and suddenly most Christians get uncomfortable. And here's what's funny.

The Bible itself, it's pretty weird when you get into it. We've got strange heavenly creatures, wheels within wheels, dragons, Leviathan, things covered in tons of eyes, and even a talking donkey, which is one of my favorites if I'm being honest.

So, today we're asking a question. Have we gotten so afraid of looking weird that we've made Christianity more comfortable than the Bible actually is? We're not interested in chasing supernatural experiences or believing everything we hear.

Scripture tells us to test things, but testing and dismissing are not the same thing. So, Courtney,

What "Supernatural Christianity" Means

when I say supernatural Christianity, what does that mean to you? I feel like it's a mix of what you said. I mean, it's it's having the belief system of something that you can't see, but it's it's something that you truly believe is um reality.

You believe that it is the right way.

Um it's I don't know. It's something that you can't you're putting your trust into, but it's not like a full fact blank blank and your face is like a book. It's like, well, there are things that I in my own um self have to believe that this happened even though I wasn't there

um or I can't see it.

Why Churches Skip Revelation and the End Times

I don't understand why most churches just seem to completely um bypass all of this,

right? I mean, like I feel like churches don't really touch on the details in Revelation, you know, where it gives us um the description of Satan coming back and what he's going to look like and like I think it's the double-headed dragon or something or

seven. Se Oh, well,

yes, correct me. But, uh,

we'll get there.

Yeah, there's just a lot that happened in Revelation and I feel like people churches and sermons like to talk about the end times, but they don't touch on why there's so much um supernatural things that we haven't seen before, descriptions, and how that makes sense to us.

Yeah.

Where we're at. And I think people that aren't of faith would be like that's that's weird that there that it's not and it's not an angel that looks like a statue that you'd see at a graveyard that you know it's

a bunch of different eyes and a bunch of different feathers and stuff.

We'll get to that too.

Yeah, just so you know. So I just finished watching the Left Behind series. Um it's on Amazon Prime right now and apparently my husband's never seen it and I was like what?

Because for me, I just kind of grew up with that because Kirk Cameron, I mean, was huge when when I was younger. But even just watching that, I mean, it's a lot more dulled down than things will actually be.

But the fact that we do believe that one day the Lord's going to bring all the Christians up into heaven just like that

and they're going to be gone.

And when you watch that movie, we don't know really what it's going to look like, right? But the fact that people are driving down the interstate and they're just going to disappear and there's going to be car accidents and there's going to be planes falling out of the sky.

I mean, it's going to be mass hysteria and then you have this person that's going to rise to power and look like he's the Messiah. And it's just it's a lot. I mean, it's like a movie. It's it's craziness.

And we know that that's going to happen, but we just don't really want to talk about all the details as much

or that some of it I feel like is leading up to it.

Yes, there are things now that are I believe are part of Revelation. It's just not like a very obvious. Some of it is, but I think it's not really obvious to people that read scripture and can also relate it to like, oh, this is what's going on today.

And like it's definitely a connection.

Yeah. Well, like Brandy and Lexi said the other day, we all kind of feel like that and I hate to say veil because it's not really a veil, but like that space between the earthly world and supernatural is getting a lot thinner and a lot more things are starting to happen.

I feel like a lot more people are waking up to their calling and becoming pastors and being able to speak out and be bold. So, I don't know, maybe it's just my world and the realm that I circulate in, but I just feel like there's a lot more of that.

Yeah. I feel like there's uh becoming a division between uh frauds

Yeah.

of the faith.

Yeah.

And real devout

That's really hard. people. I mean, it's

you just think how many people are out there that are s That was really weird. Why did I say it like that? Out there that are proclaiming his name and putting stuff out there.

And this is why we say so much like you need to weigh things against scripture because not everything that everybody's saying is true and you have to take it with a grain of salt.

Yeah. And you really need to research and find the people that are accurate and stay away from the false prophets because there are a lot out there.

Right. Right. I mean, in reality, if we go to Ephesians 6:12, our struggle isn't against flesh and blood.

And I really believe like that's more prominent in today's age is that we're seeing uh certain events, certain people, certain topics really rile up uh spiritual like a spiritual realm with Jesus and the enemy and like what has been fed into these people or into our minds to believe a certain thing.

Yeah. Um, you know, I feel like it's just really there. It comes in waves, but I feel like we're in a dark time.

Why Christians Fear Looking Weird

No, I I totally agree. Um, why do you think that Christians are so afraid of being labeled as weird?

I don't know. Cuz I'm okay with that.

I am too. Look, I think it's I mean I I grew up the way I grew up, I don't remember much talk about any of the things that we really talk about and I really wish that churches talked more about this kind of thing because I think that is why we feel weird. Yeah.

because it's just something that's kind of like hush hush and swept under the rug and and not brought into the light, which is exactly what the devil wants,

right?

He doesn't want us to know. He doesn't want our eyes to be open. He wants us to be blind to what he's really doing behind the scenes.

Or I mean, yes. Or it's a leeway because when we don't know and we're not getting it from the church, our curiosity can kick in.

Oh, that too. And then there comes a different path where it's like well I don't know if it's said or not.

So

yeah,

it's maybe not clearcut and Bible or something. So people are going to do it anyways. And that can form, you know, some bonds, some profession that is integrated in your body now from the enemy. Like

yeah,

Curiosity, Possession, and the Pull of the New Age

uh I think it can go both ways. And I know in general like us with a human soul and a spirit well human soul. We are made to be curious people. We are just naturally curious. We want to know. We want to know about God. We want to know about the afterlife like heaven and hell.

Um but when it comes to things that it's like why is there a talking animal? How did how how is the possession and you know when Jesus was um you know casting out demons like is the possession back then the same as now?

Like there's so many questions that we have or at least I have had on the supernatural that I feel like if you start bringing that up it's like oh oh you are prioritizing Satan.

You know, I think that I hate to say it this way, but I think possession does not look now like it used to because it is much more mainstream.

Oh, I agree.

I think it is a lot easier for the devil to seep in and we're just around so much demonic right now, we don't even recognize it for what it is.

How do you think it's able to fester in music, in movies? Oh yeah.

And again, like you're saying, so it's just so in our face.

I don't think it has to be as drastic as it was back then.

I don't think so either.

Um,

but you talking about people being curious, you know, I hate to use this old saying, but you know, curiosity killed the cat.

And the fact is, if the church is not teaching these things and we aren't aware and we get too curious and we go down the wrong road, then I think that that can lead you into things like new age. And for a lot of people, that is very appealing,

right?

Because it is meditating and breathing and all that kind of stuff and and yoga. And it seems so innocent, but you need to do your research. I'm not saying that yoga is necessarily demonic, but I'm not saying that it's necessarily not.

So, just make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into because you can go down a rabbit hole really quick and not realize where you are before it turns bad.

Yeah, I agree. I agree.

Not to rant or anything, but

No, I mean it that's true.

I don't like yoga anyways. I feel weird when I I've tried it. So, stay away from that. Um, but to answer your question, I feel like a lot of Christians don't want to have the label weird or uh outcast or different.

I think there's a lot of um, you know, like there's people pleasing, there's pleasing the Lord.

Oh, yeah. And I think both of those can have a healthy side, unhealthy side

and it can become religious versus faith faith driven like personal relationship very fast. Yeah. And so I think the church can sometimes like or churches um want to be hush- hush about the things that are a little bit um supernatural or not uh clearcut

because they don't want to feel like outcast. Yeah.

Or they don't want to feel different. So

Knowing the Enemy Without Focusing on Him

well get this. I hate to break it to you, but we are not of this world and we are not called to be like this world. So, we are weird,

right? And if and honestly so blunt, I'd rather know about the enemy and not just see him as like a redheaded horn devil, but see him as oh like he's supposed to come to you sometimes as beautiful,

an attractive man that's going to draw you in. And so it's like I want to know without worshiping him or prioritizing my focus on him, but scripturally prioritizing God, but trying to understand the history of what happened, why it happened, who he is, who are the other

followers of him.

Yeah.

And how can I look out for it?

Yeah. Because I feel like different denominations too will touch on, okay, this is the spirit of Lilith. This is, you know, and so not every denomination really hones in on that either.

Yeah. Well, it's, you know,

we are not raising you up. We are calling you out.

So that that needs to be the focus. It's like we won't don't want to focus too much to where he feels like he's getting something out of it, but we want to call out what he's doing and shine the light on it. So,

yeah.

The Weirdest Things in the Bible

But, so going back to the weird supernatural kind of freaky stuff, um, have you actually read your Bible? Because when you get into it, it can get real weird. There's some creatures in there, right?

Some strange stuff. So, do you know some of the weirdest things that are actually in the Bible?

You're asking me?

Yeah.

I mean, some of it. Yeah.

What do you think is the weirdest that you've experienced? I say experience, not experiences, but read that just was kind of like, what in the world?

Uh, Nephilim was always interesting to me. just like they're huge people

and they were perceived differently than just like normal angels.

Oh yeah. What don't they have like six fingers or something? Isn't that one of their traits?

I have no clue. I just know that they're very enlarged.

Yeah.

Um

I think that's an understatement.

Right. And so uh that always was interesting. The whole book of Revelation to me has been interesting. I've had to read it multiple times to try and get an understanding

for what I can envision of it.

Yeah.

Um

it's really hard. I really wish somebody, you know, some Christian producer would like make a movie of just all of it so I could like

I mean this one's this one's a little different because it's not necessarily like

it is some form of supernatural, but when Jesus cursed the fig tree

Oh, yeah. Born it beared no more fruit.

Yeah. And it's like, could you imagine seeing someone be like, I'm gonna curse this thing and then it just doesn't ever formulate it.

You're not producing apples. You're ticking me off.

Right. It's just like that's I remember reading that.

Yeah.

And being like that's so weird.

It is. It's very strange.

Uh what about you?

Ezekiel's Wheels and What Angels Look Like

Um so I was telling you earlier like the talking donkey always gets me. I don't know why it just it throws me for a loop. There's so much so many weirder things than that, but that one's just always my go-to. But let's just go through some of these real quick and discuss them.

So, Ezekiel 1:15-21 describes a divine chariot driven by four living creatures, wheels covered with eyes. And it says wheels within wheels and rims full of eyes and the spirit of the creature being inside the wheels.

Yeah, I'm not too sure what that mean.

So, when I was researching it, it describes them as like angelic beings or cherubim, living servants of God is what it says. So the the creatures, it's a lion, ox, man, and eagle. And it has an explanation of what all of those stand for,

right?

But it just, it blows my mind that we are looking at angels as like these fat little babies in diapers or like these very attractive tall men with these huge wings and like flowing gowns. And I just I'm wondering to myself where that came from.

So I looked it up and it says that western art is what really shifted our focus into that.

Like making it be beautiful.

Yes. Because the artists didn't want to depict terrifying monsters. So they chose to make them beautiful men.

Yeah. if you put it in a church too and you just see things and you're like

I mean I get it but it's again one of those things that it just so desensitizes us and I don't know just kind of sets us down the wrong road because these are like powerful warriors you know it's not a fat baby. No, it's not.

The Behemoth and Leviathan

Um, let's see. So, another one is the behemoth. So, do you know anything about the behemoth?

I have heard that name. I don't really remember what it was about, though.

Okay. So, let me describe it to you and you tell me what you think it is. It says it eats grass like an ox. It lives in the marshlands and swamps. It describe it describes it as having like major strength and a huge tail like a cedar tree. So what do you imagine?

I don't know because people say and I've heard this multiple times that it was a hippo

but like a hippo's tail is like this

like uh

like a musc

cow woolly mammoth mix.

Well, when you think about the tail being like a cedar though like what is that? That's like a massive

Is it saying it is like like in the sense of the thickness?

It expands on it.

Yeah. Oh,

so another description that I saw was um like of a dinosaur type creature because it mentions scales too.

Yeah. I mean that would or I was going to say maybe like reptile like snake.

Yes. Yeah.

They stand on their

lizard something like that. Yeah.

I don't know. I think very prehistoric and I don't know if you've been to the Ark exhibit. Have you ever been?

No.

So, it really threw me for a loop when we went because again,

did you see a behemoth?

Well, no. But art and everything that we are surrounded by shows us zebras and giraffes and bears and like all these animals that we're used to. But when you go to this exhibit, you're seeing dinosaurs.

you're seeing scales and feathers and lizards and like and it's just like, oh, you know, why are we not talking about this, right?

Like it makes total sense. I get it. And not to go down a huge rabbit hole, but when you think about the dinosaurs and them going extinct, I mean, flood, I don't know. Look, when I was growing up, I still believe in dinosaurs because of Ice Age. Yeah.

Like the movie. That helped me to be like, you know what? This is why they're extinct.

Yeah.

This happened.

Not fully accurate, which

plot, but I mean that and also my grandma used to take me to like the uh gosh, there's a great exhibit, like a science exhibit museum in uh Georgia that she used to take me to. And man, that had like huge dinosaurs and like um what is it?

Archaeology that like looks through the uh bones and stuff.

Yeah.

You know, you got to see all of that and you're like, "Oh, this was real." Like, you know this for a fact.

Paleontologist, right?

I think that's right. We don't We don't know our facts, but you know,

but I I I don't know what I would think. I would say that's a dinosaur or something.

Yeah, I agree. No, I think it makes much more sense than a hippo with a little tail that looks like this. No. Okay. So, another one is le

Leviathan, but the Hebrew root is leaton, meaning coiled and twisted. So in Isaiah 27:1 and Job 41, it mentions this creature with teeth, scales, smoky fire imagery, twisting serpent, dragonlike creature, a marine beast.

So there are a lot of tales out there from history described seeing creatures like this. I don't know if it's demonic. I don't know if it's of who knows really what it is. I think that it Well, few things.

I know that some people still believe it's like out in the ocean somewhere.

No, I believe that.

Yeah.

Mhm.

I feel like there is connotations for it being a bad thing though.

Yeah.

Like some people believe that the Leviathan is a demonic

and people that I aren't super religious will say things like, you know, you're treating them like they're a Leviathan and stuff like that. So, it's like you're treating them like a creature that is terrible kind of. Um,

but I don't know. I kind of envision it being like a really large snake

like thing that is able to be

I mean some snakes can't live in the water but it's a humongous snake that's in the water almost like uh

gosh what's it called? They made a movie about the animal and it's out of Ireland or Scotland. Loch Ness monster.

Yeah, kind of like that. I have thought about that too.

Yeah.

I wonder if that's something in relation. The ocean is so huge and vast and deep and unexplored. We do not know what is out there.

And we've gone deep and we got that ugly blobfish looking thing with light that

pretty weird. Yeah.

So like I can't I have no idea.

Yeah. And we're still finding new things every day. Like we Yeah. We don't know. But um I will say there is a podcast called The Haunted Cosmos. So, if you're really into this kind of stuff, the history of it, they do some explaining.

So, that's a good podcast for you to check out. So, let's go to the last one.

Yep.

The Great Red Dragon of Revelation 12

The great red dragon in Revelation 12 3-9. This passage identifies the dragon as being Satan. It calls it red like blood, you know, kind of gruesome. It says it has seven heads and seven crowns which represents the counterfeit claim to rule. 10 horns.

Um the wicked human kingdoms that he uses to oppress. And it says something about the tail sweeping a third of the stars from the sky which would represent the fallen angels.

Right? So, it's very interesting to envi and this makes more sense to how I would envision Satan. You know, I think in our minds we can much more make sense of like a red dragon than we could a handsome man because he's just like, you know, scary and and evil. But,

oh why I thought it was two heads. It's definitely makes sense for seven because that's a biblical number. Uh I did remember that the tail swooped in that. So I I definitely almost envision that as like he is trying to attack like people in the earth.

Yeah.

And he's just kind of not I don't know the word off the top of my head but doesn't really care about what he's doing.

Oh yeah.

And so he just takes it down.

Mass destruction,

right?

Yeah.

But God said nope. He said bye Satan.

Yep. So why are we okay reading all of this in scripture but uncomfortable when someone says the spiritual realm is real?

Because they want to believe the good part of the spiritual realm and not really look into the the art like dark.

I think too we want to think that a lot of this is like symbolic imagery of something else,

right? But I don't believe that at all. Right? I mean, God can do whatever he wants. If he wants to make a chariot with covered in eyes or if he wants to make a donkey donkey talk, he can do what he wants to.

To me, I'm like, "Okay, y'all. You did all of this and all of this earth and you made us look like this.

What's wrong with us? We look normal, but if you saw like a se whatever a seven head of

No, but I'm just kind of like it it's like the saying like you're never

God's mind or whatever. Like it you can't fathom his processing.

I mean it's really true cuz I'm like looking at some animals and I'm like what's the point of this? But there for some reason

just for funsies,

right? There's a point of the thing that does nothing and it looks like a stick.

He has a sense of humor.

Yeah,

dramatic bug. I love those. I think

apparently I have a hatred towards them or something. But yeah, I'm like, you know, what's the point of fire ants or things like that?

Mosquitoes, cockroaches. We could really go down a rabbit hole with that. But I just I love how in the Passion of not the Passion of the Christ, what am I trying to say? The chosen that they kind of give him that little sense of humor, like that little um Oh, I love it.

Just a hint of sarcasm because it's just it's so real. It makes him so relatable. Yes.

Yeah. He was human and he was like I I feel like some people forget that.

Yeah. And in order to create some of the things that he's created, he has to have a little bit of a sense of humor. So,

or like a little bit of um I feel like Jesus had a little bit of attitude in a good way with some people. He was like

calling the Pharisees out and he's like, "Who do you think you are?" Like I am the son of God. like, "Okay, then." And then like with the the woman, um, he was like, "Catch your first stone then."

Yeah.

I just I see him with like an attitude, but I think it's also my relationship with him is like I'll talk to him, he'll be like, "Well, what do you think you need to do about it?" I'm like, "Yeah, put you in your place."

Well, I'm asking you. So,

The Nephilim and Spiritual Awareness

yeah, that happens a lot. Let's get into our next interesting creature slashhumanish thing. So, in Genesis 6:1-4, I'm going to read this to you real quick.

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

Then the Lord said, "My spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal. Their days will be 120 years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them.

They were the heroes of old, men of renown. The Nephilim are called sons of God, but they are not of God is my understanding. They are fallen angels and demons that had relations with humans is what I understood.

Yes. Yes.

So, um, the Nephilim were called Nephilim. There's like a root word in that that stands for the fallen ones. and they were known as giants, warriors, um, very weird looking angels were real. I know demons are real, but I'm not really going to put my foot in there.

I'm not going to really like look further than that. But the reality is is like if you look at our world, there is spiritual warfare everywhere right now.

Yeah.

And you should look at it. You should be spiritually aware. Mhm. So

Mhm.

And I do think that fear of the supernatural can actually make us unaware of what's around us as well. Like

even when it comes to um sickness, you know, I don't think it's always something that's just come from man-made things or like germs or or whatever. I think sickness can be spiritual attack.

Um, and we've just become so blind to that. I think that should always be our first point to look into is is this spiritual or is this actually physical,

right? No, I I agree with that. I think that's very important.

And churches should take care of that more. They should be willing to pray over people for healing and believe that it can happen because I think there's just so much prayer going on these days where people aren't actually believing what they're saying can happen.

And that's kind of the whole point. You know, you're not going to see it if you're not really believing that it's going to happen,

right? Um, do you think Christians actually live like we believe there's a spiritual world?

No. No, because I just think there's so much religion, so many people that um call themselves Christians, but it's just

I agree

a label and not a lifestyle.

I think some younger generations are intrigued by the spiritual realm. So, they're, you know, taking it like that. But I even think like so many people's prayer life is not with the fact of knowing like really making it known that you know the spiritual realm.

Yeah. I mean mine wasn't there for the longest time. I mean

but you're not taught that until you go out like for me I wasn't taught that until I went out of my way to research stuff

and listen to

pastors or podcasts giving me scripture and details as to why this is going on. We're hurting ourselves. Really?

Yeah.

Yeah. Go deep, people. It's time to go deep.

The Talking Donkey

Figure it out. Take some time to do your research. Okay. Now, let's get into my favorite, the talking donkey. So, in Numbers 22:21-35, God was very angry with Balaam when he went. And the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.

Balaam was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. It turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.

Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it laid down under Balaam. And he was angry and beat it with his staff. Poor donkey.

Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and it said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made me made a fool of me. If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.

I love how he just instantly replies to this. I mean, the donkey's talking to him, and it just doesn't even phase him,

right?

The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn.

So he bowed low and fell face down. The angel of the Lord asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you, because your path is a reckless one before me." The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times.

If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it." Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.

Interesting story, isn't it? The donkey sees the angel before Balaam does, but God opens Balaam's eyes,

right?

Isn't it interesting that something was there before Balaam could really realize it,

right? I think he had so much hatred in his heart. Like look, if I if my dog or cat started talking to me, I I mean, I'd be very happy.

I'd be like, "Why are you beating me?" I would, you know, I'd be like, "What do you mean?" I'd be like, "Are you talking right?" Like, he was just like, "No." Cuz, you know,

I would be shocked.

He was I think he was filled with so much

he was just so riled up.

Mhm. And he was still kind of like, "Well, I would have beat you again."

Um, and I think it kind of shows like when you're spiritually focused on one thing.

Yeah.

Like I'm not going to say for his part it wasn't spiritual, but when you're focused on one thing, you can't recognize what's also present. Yeah.

And I think for Christians like if you're only focused on the good and not necessarily focus like also recognizing that there's evil around there can be evil in the room.

There can be evil in like your week or your life or just in your job or something like you need to be spiritually aware because it's all so present and it also has an impact.

Prayer, Distraction, and the Enemy's Lies

There is just so much distraction around us. We are just so stimulated it's hard to pay attention to anything else. So I think that's our problem. There's just so much muchness around us. We can't be quiet. We can't be still. And we can't be part of the spiritual realm.

I feel like I'm very I'm very in the spiritual realm. Like when I pray to God, some people like in different beliefs of following God cover themselves with a blanket as a shield because they believe when they're on the ground on your on your knees covering yourself,

the enemy can believe that you are dead or sleeping because I guess in history people used to pray covering having a cover laying down so that he thinks that you are defeated. But in actuality, you're speaking with the Lord.

Now, I'm not saying I do that, but when I'm praying, I'm also in a fight

because I'm like, I'm one that I have a very ADHD mind in general. Like, there's so much that I get fed by social media or just with my own thoughts that it's hard to be quiet. But when I'm praying to God, the enemy is just kind of like, you don't need to be doing that.

like you know you can just be on your phone or something.

So while I'm praying, I also have to recognize the lies because it says take every thought captive and the power of the tongue is very important and also everything you do flows from your heart and that's where the enemy can get you cuz for women and men but mainly women it's like I feel good but in reality like I think more Christians need to be like people can pray and have a serious prayer life but if you're not also recognizing the person that doesn't want you to pray I think that's a different step in your prayer life.

Yeah. Because for me, I'm like, "Look, I've been feeling this. I feel like something has I'm not going to say manifested, but it's like been it's been in my system recently or I feel attacked or whatever. I bind that and cast that out and like I'm very vocal about that."

I know some some denominations are very hush- hush. It's like we're going to do the Lord's Prayer and that's it.

But I feel like we need to really like lock in Yeah. and be like there's this there is an adversary that does not want us to have a relationship with God.

And I think for a lot I feel like for a lot of people that are of religion

do not recognize when the adversary has already gotten to you.

Yeah.

Or you become like a Pharisee where you're like

you are not a Christian and I'm just going to

like belt out to you and just share all the things that you're not doing right when it's like you don't see the plank in your own eye. Well, I feel like that's what what we even say when people come to us with these supernatural experiences.

How to Respond When Someone Shares a Supernatural Experience

I mean, if somebody comes to you and said that they've had an encounter with the Lord, what do you do with that? Do you like shun them and be like, "Oh, you're weird.

Like, you're saying all this stuff, or do we like look into it and research it and like believe them and try to help them?"

I would explain this.

I would also go a step further. I'd say, "Oh, Jesus, you know, Jesus met me in my sleep tonight and man, I just had a great dream and I felt covered by him and I really felt his presence." I was like, "Man, that's great."

Or, man, I had a spiritual attack last night. Like I felt the enemy like it was very strong and I felt attacked and I just felt like

there was something in my room and people are like judgment like

and that's it.

I think that's what's hard is it's like

for me if someone came to me like I'm like okay cool let's pray like we're gonna we're gonna toe to toe this demon like we're going to cast it out. But a lot of people are like, "Oh, no. I believe in God." Like, "I believe in the encounter of the Holy Spirit and stuff, but

I'm not touching that."

If Satan tries to, you know,

yeah,

get to you, it's kind of like, I don't really know what to do besides go to God, but then it's like,

if he's also still in the room, what do like it's, you know,

Ghosts, Haunted Homes, and Spiritual Authority

but I want to jump to this. So we are not necessarily receptive to um demonic attack but we are receptive to ghost.

Yeah.

Because I think a lot of people believe in ghost but what do you believe?

I'm going be honest. I'm not too sure. I grew up with an extreme amount of ghost adventures growing up and like being so fascinated about the whole like devices that speak to enemy like the the ghosts and stuff and I was like man like they're real.

So I wouldn't say that I agree with what they were doing with trying to like tempt them into a conversation. Yeah.

I don't believe all of them were good.

But it did make me grow up thinking, "Oh, they they are real." Like there's something on this earth that we can't see that is not good. And I think that kind of translates to spirits. Like there are really good spirits,

demonic deception.

And then there is demonic spirits.

So do I believe in ghosts in the context of spirits? Absolutely.

Yes.

Do I believe that they look like Casper and they're floating around? No.

Well, so the Bible does warn against familiar spirits. In 1st Samuel 28, King Saul, desperate for guidance in battle, visits the witch of Endor and asks her to conjure the deceased prophet Samuel. God allows this to give King Saul a final message.

So that was a God ordained experience. But I truly believe that anything else that you see is demonic deception because again like I said demons, Satan, like they can make you see whatever you want to see.

But the Bible says when we die, we go to paradise, which is an intermediate state before heaven. So that's where everybody goes. we don't hang around or our spirit's not tied to a house or anything like that. But I will say this.

So when we talk about um a place feeling spiritually oppressive. So I had an experience and I don't think I've ever talked about this on here. Um I'm a realtor obviously. I think I've talked about that.

I went into a house one time and um I just felt weird, like something was off. Um it was kind of heavy and it felt like I was not alone. And so I reached out to the other agent and I was like, did something happen in this house? Because it just it feels really weird.

And apparently number one the person who owned it was into witchcraft and number two the person who owned it was murdered in the home.

So that tracks I think when you are doing things that are not of the Lord you can bring these spirits and this presence into your home and at that point it can stay with the home.

when traumatic things happen like some somebody's murdered or just horrible things then I think that can can stay but it's not somebody dying and staying to haunt you that's a totally different thing in my opinion but

no I so I mean like it goes down a very interesting path of what I believe in regards to when you die and you get to heaven if you just immediately go there or if it's a waiting thing until revelation or how it was in the Old Testament before there was Jesus.

Um I kind of believe that when you die it's you're waiting until judgment day.

Yes.

And then you go to heaven.

Yes. But I do think when it comes to witchcraft or demonology and things like that, if you are actively present with anticipating rituals, altars and things like that,

Ouija boards,

I mean, look, it's the equivalent of like if you believe that a burning sage is casting out evil spirits, I'm not going to say that is uh but if you do that in a home, the sage is supposed to have the aroma. It's supposed to stay.

And it's the same thing as if you go around your house and pray. There's going to be a presence there. Now, it's just very different presence.

But I mean, think of it. If you have like 20 cats in a house

with carpet, it is going to smell like 20 cats in a house. Sell it.

Oh.

So, it's it's what you are implementing and putting in the house. And

have you ever experienced that smell? Because it will knock you off your sock.

No. But I've heard people say like they got a house and it smelled like the animal and you can't. But that's kind of the thing is when you put something into a house that has a serious meaning,

not cats, I love cats, but demonic or um Jesus Christ, like faith-based Holy Spirit, you're going to feel it. Like uh in that movie War Room, I think is what it was called or prayer room or whatever.

Um they walked in the house and they're like, "What what was this exact room for?" She was like, "This was her prayer room."

She was praying in here and they're like, "I could feel that."

Well, it's like preparing ourselves for battle daily. You know, it says, "Put on your armor." So, when we're praying and anointing a house, I mean, that's kind of what we're doing. We're protecting our fortress.

So when you have the opposite, you're bringing down that fortress and opening the doors to anything that wants to come in and stay.

No. And I take that very seriously. I've had to have people who know my house with me.

Yeah.

From church. I mean,

it has gone to a point where I was like, "Something isn't here." And if I did not know good and evil,

uh, I could have maybe surpassed it, like just bypassed it and just been like, maybe it's just

or think you're going crazy having a mental health issue.

Oh, it's kind of like when I'm when I'm running up the stairs in the dark and I'm scared of the dark. Nothing's there, but it's like in your head and you could go down that rabbit hole, but I knew something was there. I could see it. I could smell it. I could sense it.

And I was like, "We're not doing this. I am going to anoint this house. I'm going to pray over it because I I have the power.

God has gifted Jesus Christ has gifted you the power. Yes.

To cast out demons and to do these things in his name.

Yes.

And so, you know, when it comes to the spiritual,

if he's given us that power, don't you think we need to know how to use it? Yeah.

Don't you think we need to know why we have that power? And that's where it's like, okay, if he gave us the power and he gave the disciples the power to cast out demons in his name. We need to be face to face with that at times.

Like it needs to be in your face and it can talk back to you.

Yeah.

My my issue has been I'm like, "Oh, if I'm ever going to encounter this, I need to be prepared or I need to know what I'm doing or whatever, right?"

But no, I mean, really, no. Like when you're in that circumstance, he's going to prepare you. He's going to give I mean, he's already given you what you need. Like Courtney said, he's given you authority to take care of these things.

When you were saved, when you ask him to come into your life, like the Holy Spirit is within you and that will give you the power to do the things that you need to do to protect yourself.

I I feel like, you know, when it was like 1999, which I wasn't born, but people thought like, "Oh my gosh, we're going to die." Yeah.

Like, it's just the end of the world. And people prepped for that. Why are we not spiritually prepped?

Yeah. Oh, yeah. No. Like, definitely not.

People got guns and food containers.

Doomsday prepper.

Like people are like, "Okay, like if something happens with a war or the end of the world, nuclear, whatever the case may be,

I don't care. I'm going home." You know,

like people are like, I'm I'm prepping for this, but it's like where's your spiritual preparation?

Yes.

Cuz that can happen any day.

You're prepping for the world end, but you're not prepping for your trip to heaven,

the actual like your end.

Discernment Over Fear

Yes. Yeah. No. Totally. So the point in all of this, we are saying there's just there's so much and as Christians, we have got to stop being so content and so comfortable and just believing whatever we're told and whatever is thrown in our faces. But we don't want fear.

We don't want obsession. We want discernment. And ultimately, I don't want to know more about the enemy than I know about Jesus.

Right?

So, stop being so comfortable. Maybe Christianity isn't supposed to fit neatly inside everything we can explain. I mean, it's definitely not.

Maybe we've gotten so comfortable with the parts of God that we do understand that we've become uncomfortable with anything that reminds us how much we don't. And there's so much more that we don't understand than we actually do. I don't want to chase the supernatural.

I want to chase Jesus. But I also don't want my fear of looking weird to cause me to ignore something scripture clearly tells me is real.

Right?

There is a spiritual world. There is an enemy. And there are things in scripture none of us can explain. And that's okay. God is beyond our explanation. I'm not asking God to make me fascinated with what's hidden. I'm asking him to make me discerning.

Maybe the prayer isn't God, show me something weird. Maybe it's the prayer Elijah prayed. Lord, open my eyes so that I may see. That's good.

Open your eyes, people. We'll see you next time. Bye, guys. Dear Lord, I want to pray right now for those Christians that are just stuck in contentment. Lord, that they are just going to church, that they're checking the box, and that they're going home.

Lord, I pray that you wake them up. I pray that you open their spiritual eyes and show them the world around them for what it truly is, Lord. that you educate them and you help them have wisdom so they can be protected for what's around them.

Um give them a healthy curiosity, Lord, so they can study your word and go deeper and just take it all in and really know what your word says so that they can walk in your ways and so that they can bring people to your kingdom. Lord, just grow them stronger.

give them a godlike strength, grow their spirituality, and Lord, just help them walk this out. We just pray that you are with everybody as they walk through this Halloween season. Lord, you provide protection for them and protection for their family.

Lord, we are thankful for you and everything that you do. And we praise you in your name I pray. Amen. Before you go, if this episode spoke to you in any way, would you do us a favor? Share it with a friend who might need it, too.

You never know who's walking through something quietly. And don't forget to follow, like, and subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next because we've got more real conversations, more honest moments, and probably a few more burnt toe stories along the way.

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We'll see you next time.