tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post7415604101269110353..comments2024-01-16T02:13:31.190-08:00Comments on What Does the Bible Say? Conundrums & Controversy: Is Reiki Safe for Christians to Practice?Conniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-28929003082764814992020-07-28T09:44:06.269-07:002020-07-28T09:44:06.269-07:00I'm glad you realized the truth and got out of...I'm glad you realized the truth and got out of it. God is good to save us from the worst of whatever we find ourselves in.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-80409339853040013472019-06-26T05:58:25.872-07:002019-06-26T05:58:25.872-07:00I'm sorry that I had to delete your comment. H...I'm sorry that I had to delete your comment. Had you just commented, I would have left the comment, but you were advertising and promoting something which I cannot have on my site. Should you want to give your opinion again, that is fine, but please leave the websites and such out. I will not promote such things here.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-83850696036383993712019-06-26T00:15:23.550-07:002019-06-26T00:15:23.550-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05938472890683311271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-86083310780553013012018-11-09T23:40:45.433-08:002018-11-09T23:40:45.433-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14602066696757482156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-35477577446324927092016-10-28T03:22:28.630-07:002016-10-28T03:22:28.630-07:00Also my email is diana4research@gmail.comAlso my email is diana4research@gmail.comTorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353892453706616813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-78572520525396564332016-10-28T03:21:46.538-07:002016-10-28T03:21:46.538-07:00Hi Connie,
I am a Christian and stumbled onto you...Hi Connie, <br />I am a Christian and stumbled onto your site after getting an on the phone "Energy Reading & Spiritual Guidance" reading.. had no clue what this was, a friend just gave me a number, and he basically gave me advice about a relationship I am getting back into. Then at the end of the call he "sent energy" to me, and said over the next few days I will feel something. I definitely felt something! Which I didn't expect and was odd to me, and something most definitely happened, and I felt excited and happy at first, but I realize now that this is something demonic that he sent. I am praying and need help now and am not sure what to do. Can you help? Torihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353892453706616813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-41868854625789729662016-09-21T12:37:49.027-07:002016-09-21T12:37:49.027-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-69065334513838506432016-09-21T12:02:50.209-07:002016-09-21T12:02:50.209-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Tetsjehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11254683616126131248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-70995909220022400692016-09-19T17:49:06.084-07:002016-09-19T17:49:06.084-07:00God the Father is the one whose will is obeyed by ...God the Father is the one whose will is obeyed by the other two. Someone has to be in charge in an ordered society, lol. The other two willingly submit to God's final decisions and will. Our corresponding part to that is our will/intellect/personality. It is eternal and will survive death whether born again or not. It will either go to heaven or hell, depending on what the condition of our spirit (dead or alive) is. It is the one who makes the final decision when the spirit and flesh come into conflict. Sometimes it will give in to the flesh's demands, and sometimes it will side with the spirit, but whatever it decides, the other two have to submit to it, just as the Holy Spirit and Christ submit to the Father. That is how you learn to resist sin after you are born again. The will has (by your choice to accept Christ) chosen the path of righteousness and so with the Holy Spirit's help it learns to overcome the desires of the flesh and turn from sin and side with the perfect spirit that has been born again. Now do we always to that? No. Unfortunately, the flesh is very strong and we all continue to give in to sin on occasion. That is why you have to constantly repent to keep the communication lines open with God.<br /><br />I realize it is probably a totally new concept to think that you have several "persons" with a will of their own housed in your body, but it is true. <br /><br />The Holy Spirit whose physical manifestation is not described in Scripture, is the Person who guides, teaches, helps, counsels and does all sorts of things for us. He prays for us when we don't know what to pray, because we are too distressed. He is not a force as some think, He is a person. Just a very quiet one in Scripture as far as telling us about Him. We only know that He is God's spirit or presence inside us when we accept the Lord as our Savior, to direct and guide and help us. <br /><br />As to what effect does He have on me? He is my conscience. He has helped me to understand the Scriptures when they were hard to understand. He helps me make decisions. He can direct me to do things, when I don't understand why I am doing it, and then things happen that are to my benefit. He really kind of runs my life - when I let Him. I am not sinless by any means, and when I do sin it gets in the way of the communication, just as any disagreement gets in the way of people's relationships. Unfortunately I still haven't learned to resist giving in to the flesh occasionally. But then nobody else can either. Nobody's perfect. And that kind of sums up who the Holy Spirit is.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-76250388656272754602016-09-19T17:48:36.816-07:002016-09-19T17:48:36.816-07:00You are full of questions, aren't you. lol
O...You are full of questions, aren't you. lol <br /><br />Okay, this is going to take a little turn to things that you aren't expecting to help describe Him. There is not a tremendous amount written about the Holy Spirit. What I can tell you is that He (not it) is the second (or third depending on how you look at it) person in the Trinity. God is three persons in one which is a hard concept to grasp, because each of God's personas has a manifestation apart from the other two. The reason we are made in God's image is because just as He is a Trinity, He created us as a trinity also. But we maintain all three parts of ourselves in one body instead of three different but connected manifestations. But then, we aren't God. <br /><br />The easiest part of the trinity to understand is the body. We have a body, which corresponds to Christ's place in the Trinity, as He was the physical incarnation of God on earth. Before the incarnation He was known as the Angel of the Lord and appeared to people in that state as God on earth. He willingly submits to the headship of God the Father. Our body is corrupt and not redeemable which is why God has us die, so that He can give us a new perfect body in the resurrection. Believe it or not the body (just as Christ has His own mind apart from the Father) has a mind of its own. It wants to and craves sin. It leads us to do sinful things. It has sinful desires and acts upon them.<br /><br />The Holy Spirit is that person who is according to Isaiah 11, the source of wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, and a few other things. He is referred to in theological circles as the seven-fold spirit because of His seven characteristics. He provides the link between God and man. He is the manifestation of God's righteous spirit and indwells those who accept Christ as their Savior to lead us to live in righteousness. Corresponding to that, we have an eternal spirit that either connects to God or is disconnected from God. In spiritual language the spirit disconnected from God is said to be "dead,” because it has no influence over man except possibly for evil. It is.....dead in that sense. So our spirit is either "dead" or "alive" (born again), and is the second part of our being and is the source of righteousness in our lives after we accept Christ. He gives us wisdom, knowledge, etc. of God. Once a spirit is born again, the righteous spirit comes in conflict with the sinful body and a tug of war ensues for every Christian, for just about everything. The flesh wants to do one thing, the spirit another. It's a constant battle between the two parts of our trinity.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-53588736662998967202016-09-19T16:05:49.925-07:002016-09-19T16:05:49.925-07:00what is the holy spirit from your personal underst...what is the holy spirit from your personal understanding and what effect does it have in your life?<br />thankssean vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416178472613333682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-51054907461128013492016-09-19T15:57:17.443-07:002016-09-19T15:57:17.443-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.sean vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416178472613333682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-84626578652120396502016-09-19T15:20:44.941-07:002016-09-19T15:20:44.941-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-69070642217393612182016-09-19T14:25:25.008-07:002016-09-19T14:25:25.008-07:00thanks for sharing your story.
that miraculous eve...thanks for sharing your story.<br />that miraculous event sound interesting- would you mind sharing it please?<br />thankssean vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416178472613333682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-6699089150977719592016-09-19T10:36:40.357-07:002016-09-19T10:36:40.357-07:00I was brought up in a Christian home, but that rea...I was brought up in a Christian home, but that really means nothing. Becoming a Christian is a very personal thing and many of those I knew who were brought up in Christian homes have walked away from it. My father was the most godly man I ever knew. He walked with God and if ever a person was the personification of love, apart from Christ, my dad was it. He was a fantastic example. My mother on the other hand had a Christianity that seemed to be more of a lifestyle than a personal experience. She did not want me, and she would tell me I was bad and abuse me from the time I was little. My father didn't see a lot of what was going on. As a result I thought myself a very bad person, for why else would a mother not love you? When I was four I was attending a Vacation Bible School (something that many churches do in the summer to get the kids out from underfoot) and they were telling the story of Jesus death for our sins with a flannelgraph board. It wasn't just a story for me at that point. It became personal. I knew I was bad or sinful, and here was this loving, perfect man (God incarnate but I don't know if I understood that at the time) who took all the beatings I deserved, and died in my place for my sins so that God could forgive and love me. It struck directly into my heart and I sobbed my little heart out. They didn't know what was wrong with me, but for me it was personal. VERY personal He died for ME. I knew what beatings were and He took them for ME. From that point on I was His. And that's how it has been every since. He has always come through for me no matter what has happened. He's saved my life several times, He's gotten me out of scrapes that I had no idea what to do, and in fact I was the recipient of one miracle. One that took me outside of time. I know that sounds ridiculous, but there is no explanation for what happened to me that the law of physics can explain. And it was at a very crucial time. I would, and most likely with what is coming, will die for Him. He died for me. I owe Him. <br /><br />Now you might say, well didn't you ever investigate other beliefs and such to be sure. Oh, yes, I am a terrible skeptic and don't take anybody's word for anything, so of course I have looked at other beliefs. But in the end the God of Christianity and the Bible hold truths that others just can't match up to. I am an investigator of all things, so have learned much. I was taught a whole lot of wrong beliefs in the Church, so abandoned them and started from scratch to see what the Bible really taught. That is why I have ended up where I am at. Does that answer your question?Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-11246138473882845822016-09-19T10:36:19.367-07:002016-09-19T10:36:19.367-07:00No, I don't mind at all that you are asking. ...No, I don't mind at all that you are asking. I am what is called born again. If you need an explanation of what that means, simply ask. I am by no means Pentacostal. I am not the type for that sort of uber emotional thing, and having carefully examined and tested their manifestations which they are calling the gifts of the Spirit, I can say that much of it is phony, which really upsets and annoys me. I'm afraid that I put everything under a microscope and weigh it against Scripture before I will accept it. I'm not saying everyone is phony or faking, but much of it is, and it gives Christianity a bad name, as does all this apostasy and compromise. God has a lot to say about the Church and where it is at these days in the prophecies in the Bible. It is headed to some big-time chastisement. But that's off topic.<br /><br />I'm not a part of any sect or denomination. I and many others who are of the same mind as myself, think of ourselves as remnant Christians. That means that just as the Pilgrims of the Mayflower rejected the Church of its day as being far from what the Bible said (and I'm a direct descendant of one of those Pilgrims), so separated themselves from the organized Church, (and were ostracized and punished for it) there are those of us who have basically pulled out of the organized Church, because we feel that they have strayed so far from what the Bible really teaches that it isn't even recognizable as what the Bible says. And that has brought the same result to most of us. Many Christians will not abide us, and throw us out of churches, because we object to the paganism and such. That doesn't mean to say that we don't attend churches at all. I do on and off as God leads me to various churches, (until I'm asked to leave, lol) but I am okay with not going also, as my relationship is not with the Church, as so many seem to base their relationship with God on, but on Jesus personally. It's like any other relationship I have with any other person. It's one on one, not through some organization or other person. <br />Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-27401114569091120512016-09-19T07:52:29.637-07:002016-09-19T07:52:29.637-07:00thanks.
are you a pentacostal/ born again christia...thanks.<br />are you a pentacostal/ born again christian or what sect?<br />did you have any personal spiritual experience with god, or did you just get bought up with the teachings, read the bible and believe the teaching?<br />hope you don't mind me asking<br />thankssean vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416178472613333682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-74298341494948704292016-09-18T16:43:25.275-07:002016-09-18T16:43:25.275-07:00Sorry for my long answers, but it is that thorough...Sorry for my long answers, but it is that thoroughness to cover every contingency when I am researching and writing that makes me sure that I have understood and present God's Word correctly. I will try to be more concise this time, but you are asking me to describe God. That is not an easy thing to do in a paragraph or two, so I'm sorry if I have trouble condensing it to something so short. <br /><br />God is a being who lives outside of and is not restricted by time and matter, because He created it. God is righteous, just, merciful, and loving among other things. He created mankind because He wanted someone to love, who would freely love Him in return. God, being righteous and just cannot allow evil to go unpunished. But God is merciful, so He had to reconcile both of those things, for true justice leaves no room for mercy. Knowing in advance that mankind would rebel and sin against Him, He sought a way to save that creation before He created it. That part of Him which is called the Son (Christ) agreed to pay the penalty for our sins that justice demands, so that God could then show us mercy and forgive us, if we accepted Christ's paying the penalty for us.<br /><br />The Bible in its entirety is the story of that plan and the redemption of mankind and the planet. It is a complex love story which is not understood by most, because they 1) do not accept that God created us and 2)don't accept that we sinned against Him and there is a penalty for that and 3) don't study it. At times God looks like He is a bully, but once one understands the entire picture and process, there is a very good reason for everything that God does. If I just looked at Hiroshima, I would not understand why it took place. You need to know the whole story. The Bible is the same. God will not force anyone to accept His Son's great sacrifice to redeem us. He wants your love out of your choice, not by force. Those who do not want to take that gift nor want Him in their lives under His conditions are given their desire. Upon death they are sent to the one place that God has said He will not enter to bother them and where they can pay the penalty themselves, Hell. People send themselves there, because they don't want to accept the way He provided to get them back. Hell is simply what exists when God's presence is not there. It is the absence of all that is good. That is why it is so horrible. God does not want anyone to go there, but justice demands that a penalty be paid, and if you don't want Christ's substitution for you, you must pay it yourself, and therefore He can't offer mercy. Once you accept His gift, He asks that you follow His commandments so that sin does not continually put a barrier between you and Him. And the Ten Commandments are all about love. And that, in as short as I can make it, is who I know God to be.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-38990814370199627492016-09-18T09:19:24.741-07:002016-09-18T09:19:24.741-07:00thanks for your response, i do appreciate you eng...thanks for your response, i do appreciate you engaging me like this.<br />just so that i can fully grasp your perspective, can you just explain for me briefly what God is from your understanding?<br />you could just summarise it in couple of paragraphs.<br />thank you in advance for your patience.sean vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416178472613333682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-73486532446454798852016-09-18T08:30:59.275-07:002016-09-18T08:30:59.275-07:00Just in case you missed it, as my answers were lon...Just in case you missed it, as my answers were long, I did say that the Christian church had adopted many pagan practices (and beliefs) much to their shame. My desire is that the church would rid itself of that stuff, as God will not hold them guiltless.<br /><br />I take the Word of God at face value (I prefer that to the word "literally" for people tend to then throw obvious metaphors at me to say that I don't take it all literally. Obviously I understand grammatical structures.) If one does not take it at face value then it can mean anything and as a consequence means nothing. God wants us to understand and the best way to do that was say what He means. The God of the O.T. is the same God in the N.T. It is only in understanding God's character and His entire plan of salvation that you understand how it all works together and how and why He is operating in different ways at different times. He is still very much a God of wrath. Try reading Revelation. <br /><br />Yes, I do believe that Christ is the only way to God. He came and showed through His life and miracles and death and resurrection that He was sent by God to save us from our sins. Nobody else can save us. There is only one way. You have chosen to reject that way, and that is your choice. God doesn't force anyone. <br /><br />My hope and prayer for you is that you will come to a knowledge of the truth before it is too late. I know you are convinced of your belief, and I respect your right to that, and I wish you well, but I sorrow that one day you will find that I was telling you the truth and it will be too late. Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-7065611327743779742016-09-18T06:17:38.818-07:002016-09-18T06:17:38.818-07:00response part 2 - i cant help but feeling that alt... response part 2 - i cant help but feeling that although christianity is a wonderful and true way to develop a deeper relationship with a meaninful life, it is only one way not the only way. you of course would disagree based upon the interpretation of the translation of a statement attributed to jesus- i am the way, the truth and the light- nobody comes to the father but through me. to me there could be other ways to view this statement. it doesn't necessarily mean that christianity is the only religion to get in touch with god- but this is how many christian's take it. there was of course no christianity when he said this. It could easily instead mean that what Jesus's life represents are the way, the truth and the life and that living a similar life of prioritising the same ideals as him is the way to live to reconnect in harmony with god's true nature (which is also our own true nature). most of the other religious traditions also hold up similar ideals of more fully expressing man's higher nature and practicing and developing inner virtues and living a life more in service than in selfishness, thus reconnecting with god's as well as our own true higher nature.<br /><br />i hope now that i have explained a little about my belief structure that you may now see that i just hold different views than you and it isnt that i am being manipulated by demons or that i am attacking you in any way. <br /><br />we may have to agree to differ though i think. but i do sincerely wish you much love, light and peace in your life.<br />sean vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416178472613333682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-42996329287243905642016-09-18T06:16:34.669-07:002016-09-18T06:16:34.669-07:00response part 1 - very strong and again excessivel...response part 1 - very strong and again excessively long response. there was lots of points that i disagree with but like you i'm very busy and havent got the time and inclination to answer all of them.<br /><br />the reason that i came across your blog was not looking for some sort of confirmation from god, as you presume but actually because somebody that i know who is a christian who had been having occasionally reiki sessions as a therapy for several years had stopped having them because somebody had told here that it wasn't a godly practice- so i did a bit of research to see what the varying christian views were about it- yours i found to be the most fervant opinion.<br /><br />i think that there are lots of ways that i differ from you in my outlook. firstly i don't believe that the bible is the literal word of god, i believe that it is god inspired yes, but written by man, many , many men over a long period of time- but all, along time ago in ancient languages.<br /><br />linking onto that last point i noticed that you mention in the article of hows the jews were influenced by the babylonian mystery tradition and so have somehow been tainted by that, i researched this too from christian sources and it seems that when rome adopted christianity and made it into a formalised religion- the roman catholic church - much of the practices, observances and festivals that they practiced and still practice today were adopted from the babylonian mystery tradition. these practices are nowhere to found in the bible either -included in these are lent, much of the easter and xmas tradional activities, celibate monks and nuns, taking wafers at mass, shaved tops of the heads, the bishops mitres, plus much else. in fact it seems that the roman catholic church is in effect a splicing together of 2 different traditions together to make a new one. at this time many of the early christian material was rejected as the new testament was compiled- much of the rejected material certainly put a different spin on the understanding of christ's message, we know this from ancient manuscripts unearthed in recent decades.<br /><br />i also believe that christ's description of the nature of god to be very different if not contrary from that of the old testament and was meant to correct the old jewish misunderstandings of gods nature. the loving and forgiving god of jesus seems very different to the vengeful, jealous god of the old testament.<br /><br />another thing that colours my view of christianity is that for many many years i have read up and studied many different religions and spiritual philosophies- so i can see what they all have in common. by doing this it becomes possible to see what the essence of all religions are- but it has also given a differing view about what the nature of God is. it stops my having such a narrow and fixed view of God and i tend to have a more embracing accepting attitude to other faiths.sean vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416178472613333682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-9111607357089845532016-09-17T15:51:49.709-07:002016-09-17T15:51:49.709-07:00Now I have a rhetorical question for you. How did ...Now I have a rhetorical question for you. How did you find my article? Why did even you go looking for an article on whether or not Christians should be practicing reiki, if you already have convinced yourself that it is okay with God? I don't go looking for articles to see if people will agree with or confirm what I do or believe. I go directly to the Word of God if I question something. It matters not to me what others think, as long as I know what God thinks. Was something inside of you not quite sure and you were looking for confirmation of God's approval? When faced with two opposing Christian views on the subject, you chose to side with the one that approves your decision, because that is what you want to believe, and you want God to approve what you want to believe. You are not necessarily seeking for truth, you are seeking God's approval for something which you have already decided is okay. In my article you ran into a great many Scriptures (And they are only the tip of the iceberg. The article was long enough.) that said otherwise, and it upset you. I get this same thing from people commenting on other articles. They come searching to see what the Bible says about something, because they want approval on their sin or doctrine or whatever, and when they don't get it here, they get angry and strike out at me. One person said to me verbatim, "How dare you not give me your approval." (for the sin they wanted to indulge in). I'm not here to give MY approval or disapproval. Why would anyone need or want it anyhow? Nobody knows me. It shouldn't matter whether I approve or not. God's approval is the only one that anyone needs. I'm here to tell you what God's Word says. Whether or not you want to accept that truth is up to you, but I cannot extend God's approval where He clearly has not given it. If you were so certain that what you were practicing has God's approval, you would not have searched out to see what other Christians had to say on the subject. You didn't get what you wanted to hear. Armed with the idea of having a fair and balanced view presented (God isn't concerned with fair and balanced, He's only concerned with obedience) you tried to justify the practice by pointing to and quoting others who say they are Christians who are trying to justify their participating in a pagan practice by quoting Scriptures that suited their purpose (anything can be justified by taking Scriptures out of context or in part instead the whole). If a Christian were to have the gift of healing, this is not using it the way God's Word says it should be practiced. This is participating in a pagan practice. Nor does reiki fit the requirements of how one will receive the gift of healing, since a relationship with Christ is not required in reiki, but it is required by God. This is trying to put a Christian veneer over a pagan practice. The Church unfortunately has done that with a whole lot of things, not just this. And shame on them for doing it. If you want to believe that God is okay with that, it is your choice. God does not force anyone to obey Him, but choices have consequences. Just remember that once you have been given the truth and rejected it, God holds you that much more guilty of ignoring it.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-82812846663569766262016-09-17T15:51:22.614-07:002016-09-17T15:51:22.614-07:00Many people come to my blog looking not for what t...Many people come to my blog looking not for what the Bible says, but to find someone who will say that God approves of whatever they want to do - whatever sin they are committing, whatever false doctrine they want to believe, or whatever behavior they want to indulge in. When they don't find what they want to hear, they get upset and start attacking not only what I relate that the Bible says, but me personally. This does not bother me, for God's Word stands against the arrows of the enemy, whether people want to accept it or not, and I don't care what people want to call me or think of me, as Christ said I would be rewarded when people speak ill of me for standing for Him. When I write an article I take lots and lots of time to research the subject, and then I go through the Bible to find anything that remotely would address that subject, so that I cover everything God says and don't take things out of context. Then I write what God has to say on the subject. If people don't want to hear what God's Word has to say, that is their prerogative, but I am not going to back down from the truth and tell them what they want to hear just to make them happy, for God will hold ME responsible for that. If they choose to turn from the truth, then God holds THEM responsible for that.<br /><br />Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902564489239485922.post-48649217702303042962016-09-17T15:49:48.597-07:002016-09-17T15:49:48.597-07:00Now as to the laying on of hands. Yes, laying on h...Now as to the laying on of hands. Yes, laying on hands accompanied with prayer to God through Jesus Christ is the method by which any healing would take place from a person with the gift of healing, as nobody has power of their own, the power is Christ's and we are but a conduit, but there is also another way that provides healing, and there are some requirements that must accompany healing, regardless, which reiki is not requiring. James 5:14-16 "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."<br /><br />If we are sick, we are not to seek out a reiki practitioner in their office. As Christians we are to follow the protocol given above in James. If there is one with the gift of healing in the church, then this person would definitely be a person that would be sought out for the process described above, but few churches seem to have someone with the gift, so the elders would be the prayer warriors you would seek out. The protocol is, first you contact the elders of the church. They will anoint you and pray over you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but before they do that, look at what else is mentioned as necessary. Confess your sins, and this does not just apply to the one seeking the healing, but everyone involved in the process. The reason for this is that sin hampers our prayers from reaching God's ears. And sin will hamper your being healed. Does reiki require this of the people involved? It is the fervent prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man that gets results, as it says above.<br /><br />Those who are in disobedience or sin do not get a hearing. Proverbs 28:9 "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." God's law are the Commandments, which Christ said if we love Him, we will obey. So one must repent before seeking healing in prayer, for prayer will not be heard if there is a hindrance. Not only is healing given, but forgiveness is also given with the healing.<br /><br />And lastly one must ask in faith, for only the prayer of faith will the healing be effective. James 1:6-7 "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." And the faith is not in the reiki practitioner's abilities, or in some universal benevolent force, but in God through the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Physician. For healing to be effected, according to God's Word, these conditions should be met. To my knowledge, reiki is meeting none of the conditions of God's Word. If a Christian truly does have the gift of healing, they need to disassociate themselves completely from reiki and follow God's Word in practicing their gift, for reiki's source is from paganism, and is practiced by pagans. Christians are not to be yoked to paganism. It is a sin. They are to be exercising this gift within the Body (meaning within the Body of Christ, not just the local church) for its edification. Or if they do take it outside the Church it must be coupled with evangelism, for that is the great commission we were given.<br />Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624728134929059941noreply@blogger.com