With all the New Age religions coming forth and celebrities such as Tom Cruise speaking about Scientology and Oprah about A New Earth, it is understandable how some of these new ideas may seem appealing to Christians, but also how they may confuse them as well.
Most new age religions stress the importance of "me". "What I can do to make my life better. How I deserve to live and have many material things. How my happiness is dependent only on me. How can I awaken to my own spirituality and find my own path to god. I am my own god."
The problem is, as much as we do handle our own happiness, there is something missing from these false statements. The power is given into our own hands, and unfortunately they are the hands of sinners. If left to our own desires, we will not find what we are looking for, but instead lead ourselves down a dark and dangerous path away from God.
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." – John 8:12
"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on you do know him and have seen him." – John 14:6
Jesus tells us he is the light of the world, and as a concept for the newer religions, this may seem more of a statement made to encourage people to live like him, but they misconstrue the truth. When someone says, you deserve more, you can find your own path to God and riches, they are misunderstanding the Word and interpreting it they way they want to hear it.
The Word tells us that we do not need to worry about what we eat, wear or drink, because God will provide it to us (Matt 6). The Word tells us to tithe 10 percent, because it will be given back to us tenfold (Mal 3:10). The Word tells us to loose our anxieties on Him, because he cares for us (Matt 7, Phil 4). The Word tells us to put Him first in all we do, to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, and in doing so He will lead our paths straight (Prov 3).
However, being in a new age world, with so many new and exciting religions and beliefs and "spiritualities" popping out from every corner, it can be easy to be led astray. Especially when God doesn’t work in our lives the way we expect Him to and this is when those "religions" can take their toll.
In an age where everything has to be instant gratification, it’s hard for some people to be patient, to wait on the Lord to answer our prayers and understand that they may not always be answered in the way or manner in which we want. The devil preys on this malcontent when Christians become disheartened.
"My enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." – 1 Peter 5:8
God is not a plumber. He is not the man to call when something needs fixed, but ignored other than that. This I feel is where many Christians go wrong. This is when those new age spirituality religions become appealing, when the devil begins to whisper in their ears, "God has not answered your prayers, He doesn’t care for you, you can’t rely on Him, because He doesn’t hear you". Which is a lie. The devil knows everything God knows, he knows what is coming in the spiritual and will try with everything he can to prevent us from getting what God has planned for us.
But again, many Christians don’t rely on God until there is a crisis. Or something they want. I have been just as guilty of this as anyone else, but recent events in my own life have made me realize that I need God daily, not just when I need Him.
"I will rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again Rejoice! I will let my gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. I will not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, I will present my requests to God." – Phil 4:4-6.
"And I will pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." Eph 6:18.
So the message here is not to give into temptation, because God isn’t a plumber, or a genie or Superman. We cannot turn to Him only when we need Him, but we need to focus on Him every day. When we only present our requests to Him when it’s something we want (I want more money, I want him/her to love me, I want that job) we not only miss the point of what we are supposed to be doing, but end up being greatly disappointed when He doesn’t deliver our requests to us. This leads to the open door for new age thinking. This is the folly that can lead, and has led, many Christians and others astray, believing they are their own personal god. When we put our needs before those of others, how much better are we then than those we look at with judgmental eyes who do the same thing? Our purpose is to be beyond what mere flesh and blood is, but to be and strive to be Jesus-like.
We cannot do this when we are constantly looking to gratify ourselves. We open the door to the devil and this dark world when we do and will be disappointed. God knows what we need, and what we need, as the saying goes, isn’t always what we want. But for those who only rely on God when it comes down to the nil, this is a lesson they need to learn. It took me a long time in the learning of it and I am sure I will always be learning it.
So, what do we do in the face of such new age philosophy, against self proclaimed gods, against those who consider themselves intellectuals and down their noses on those who believe? We pray. We pray everyday, as the Word tells us. We shouldn’t just pray when it suits us or when there is something we want, because these things will pass away and you can’t take them with you. Jesus said not to be afraid of those who can harm the body, but of the One who can condemn the soul.
Remember that God is not a plumber, but He loves and cares for us everyday and we should be thankful for Him everyday. Not just when we do get what we want, but even when we don’t. Blessed be His name when all is right with the world and blessed be His name when we are suffering.
Don’t listen to the devil, be vigilant, be firm, be steadfast and be faithful. Our Lord is faithful to us, so we too should be to Him.
Copyright Mary Prickett