Prophetic Insight Or Fengshui

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Jeremiah 10:2-3 (New Living Translation)
This is what the LORD says:
"Do not act like the other nations,
who try to read their future in the stars.

Do not be afraid of their predictions,
even though other nations are terrified by them.

Their ways are futile and foolish.

They cut down a tree,
and a craftsman carves an idol."

What is fengshui?

Fengshui is a Chinese system of geomancy or divination.

The term fengshui (風水) literally means 風(feng) wind and 水(shui) water in English.

Historically, the superstitious Chinese people used fengshui to position or orientate buildings and items - often spiritual and significant structures such as tombs, temples, houses, shops, factories and business centres in an auspicious manner.

Depending on the style of fengshui being used, an auspicious site could be determined by taking reference to local features and elements such as bodies of water, stars or a compass.

The five elements or forces, according to the Chinese, are namely metal, earth, fire, water and wood.

Fengshui also employs the use of numerology - the study of presumed celestial, mystical or other special relationships between a count, a number or a measurement and some observed or perceived events.

Fengshui also employs the use of colours. Each colour is an expression of one of the five fengshui elements. Each colour has a meaning or connotation associated with it.

Fengshui was suppressed in China during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. But since then, it was revived and has gained popularity throughout Asia and the world. It has secretly crept into Christianity.

What does the Word of God teach us concerning fengshui?

The Bible clearly condemns all forms of occults and witchcraft including fengshui.

Witchcraft is seeking spiritual guidance, power, or information from sources apart from God.

Occult is simply the act or practice of unravelling the knowledge of the hidden – seeking spiritual reality into the dark side extending beyond human reasoning and physical sciences.

God forbids us from dabbling with the occult powers of darkness. He told us not to act like the other pagan nations, trying to read into the future by looking at the stars and other elements. We are not to be afraid of their predictions, even though the other people are terrified by them.

Their ways are futile and foolish. When they cut down a tree, their craftsman will carve it into an idol. They can make something out of anything! Even gods! Thus we must avoid all these wicked customs and practices of the pagan nations!

Deuteronomy 18:9-12
When you come into the land
which the LORD your God is giving you,
you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.

There shall not be found among you
anyone who makes his son or his daughter
pass through the fire,
or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer,
or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist,
or one who calls up the dead.

For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD,
and because of these abominations
the LORD your God drives them out from before you.

Unfortunately, many Christians have unknowingly employed some occultic ways in their worship to God by combining pagan and oriental religions with Christian beliefs. They think that they are very creative in a new move of God. But in doing so, they are totally deceived.

They naively enter into the New Age religion - believing in pantheism (everything is god or everything has something to do with God) and rejecting monotheism (there is only one God).

Many Christians can spiritualize everything they come into contact with - every item, color or number has a spiritual significance or meaning. Super religious. Behaving just like the ancient Israelites.

During their long stay in Egypt, the Hebrews fell into idolatry. Their idolatrous ways learned and acquired in Egypt were probably rooted out from them as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.

When the Jews finally entered the Promised Land, they came into direct contact with the pagan religions of the Canaanites. Instead of following the ways of God, the Israelites wandered off and worshipped the idols of those heathen nations. This was their great national sin.

God sent them off as exiles to Assyria and Babylonia for a period of 70 years for self-evaluation and reflection. That exile finally purified the Jews of all idolatrous tendencies and ways. Before that, the Jews honestly thought they were doing the right things until God proved them wrong. What feels good for us to do may not be good for us!

If the ancient religious Jews could fall into idolatry so easily, we Christians are also vulnerable to such temptations! That’s why God gave us the Ten Commandments.

The first and second commandments are directed against every form of idolatry.

Exodus 20:1-6
And God spoke all these words, saying:
"I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image—
any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth; 
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
to the third and fourth generations of those
who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands,
to those who love Me and keep My commandments." 

Recently, I came across some new interesting practices in the Christian circles.

Kites & Boats (風筝 - 水船)

Flying a kite is perfect and good for leisure. But to determine the will of God or to make a strategic movement or a “prophetic” act by following the winds 風 and seeing where the kites will fly and land is definitely not biblical.

Going on a boat-ride and following the water 水 directions, ways and gates and unravelling the knowledge of the hidden is also not biblical.

Determining the location or position of the head or the tail or the womb or the mouth or the heart or the stomach of a city or nation is also not a prophetic insight but just some 風水 geomancy or fengshui knowledge in motion.

This year, someone even claimed to have slayed the dragon in the beginning of the year of the dragon.

Anointing Trees With Oil

Some Christians have done what the pagans are doing. They wanted to have breakthroughs and abundant fruitfulness in their lives. Thus they went to anoint some trees with holy oil from Jerusalem!

They honestly and sincerely believed that they were carrying out some "prophetic" acts. But the Word of God clearly forbids it.

1 Kings 14:23
They also set up for themselves high places,
sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill
and under every spreading tree.

Stamping Over Satan

Some Christians claim that Satan is under their feet by quoting Romans 16:20.

There is something we must take notice in this verse:

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

The devil is not under our feet yet. God will soon crush him under our feet. The word “shortly” means “not yet but coming soon.” Jesus is coming soon and very soon. But His Second Coming is not yet fulfilled!

Jude 8-10
In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams
these ungodly people pollute their own bodies,
reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.

But even the archangel Michael,
when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses,
did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said,
“The Lord rebuke you!”

Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand,
and the very things they do understand by instinct—
as irrational animals do—will destroy them.

Even the archangel Michael dared not trample over the devil! And Jesus did not do so when He was tempted thrice by the devil in the wilderness! He just declared the Word of God against the devil!

Some people claim that they have divine authority from their dreams and wishful presumptions. They live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. Because they do not understand spiritual authority, they do whatever their instincts tell them. They claim that the Lord tells them to do this and that. But in doing so, they bring about their own destruction.

Releasing The Lion Of Judah

Some people claim that they have the power to release the Lion of Judah. First, the Lion of Judah is not a beast or an animal. He is the King of kings and the LORD of lords! Second, He is not in captivity or in prison. Thus He needs not to be set free or be released!

But we can declare and proclaim the Lion of Judah and His glorious majesty to the cities and nations!

Some claim that since the Bridegroom is the Lion of Judah, we the Bride of Christ are now lionesses. Assuming in the jungle, all the animals are lions and lionesses. There will be disastrous disorder and imbalance!

If a city or nation is completely filled with lionesses and lions, therein will be no peace and no rest 24/7. Therefore, there will be no lion in the Highway of Holiness!

Isaiah 35:8-10
A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.

No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.

But the redeemed shall walk there,
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Calling Down Angels, Fires, Rains And Winds By Waving Some Banners

This is definitely a New Age movement but copied directly from the shaman priests and priestesses. A shaman is a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of spirits, who typically enters a trance state during a ritual, and practices divination and healing.  

Some of my friends have all sorts of colourful banners. Using them for praise and worship is perfectly beautiful and commendable. But using them to summon angels, fires, rains and winds may be a bit too presumptuous!

Who are we to summon angels to do this and that? Only God can do so. We must not think that we are God!

Wearing a dress or clothing having a lion or an eagle doesn’t make us one! Wearing an angelic outfit doesn’t make one to become like an angel.

Only the righteous are as bold as a lion. Wearing a dress or T-shirt or waving a banner of the Lion of Judah doesn’t make one a lion.

Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee when no one pursues,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.

Some Christians wanted to have revivals in their ministries or churches. And they did so by calling down revival fires, rains and winds. They wanted to start a movement. But this again is not right.

We cannot start a revival! It is the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit moves, the rest is history.

On the day of Pentecost, the 120 in the upper room didn’t know what was going to happen to them, and what would happen next. They just waited and prayed as instructed by the Lord. And the Holy Spirit came down. That day, there was a mighty revival in Jerusalem. They didn’t pray for a revival or wanted to start a revival. But the zeal of the Lord did it! By His Holy Spirit!

The zeal of man will always want to do the work of the Holy Spirit! We cannot advertise or declare a revival beforehand. We can only say that there was a revival after it had actually occurred!  

Gold Dust, Precious Stones And Oils

While the Great Awakening was focused on evangelistic priorities, the Counterfeit Revival is focused on egocentric parties.  Many Christians fell for gold rust, angel feathers and anointing oils flowing down from egocentric and attention-seeking prophets and preachers!

Today, very few Christians are interested in evangelizing and reaching the lost. They are more interested in soaking and more soaking in "glory," self-indulging, partying and enjoying themselves in whatever it feels good and great! In doing so, many have deceived themselves. Self-deception is a deadly disease in the kingdom of God now!

Instead of worshipping God, many have worshipped mankind and angels. Even John the beloved disciple of Jesus almost fell into this error in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible!

Revelation 22:8-9
Now I, John, saw and heard these things.

And when I heard and saw,
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel
who showed me these things.

Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that.

For I am your fellow servant,
and of your brethren the prophets,
and of those who keep the words of this book.

Worship God.”

If John the Apostle was vulnerable, we too can commit the same error of falling down before an angel and worshipping him. But God forbids! We are to worship God and God alone!

Downloading From Heaven

Because we are living in the internet and fast information age, some of us have used terms and words that are not biblical.

Downloading from heaven sounds good until we understand its implication and true meaning.

Can we really download from heaven at our will and desire? Unless God uploads to us, there is nothing to download.

Downloading also implies that there is a big distance between God and us. We are called to sit at the feet of Jesus, worshipping Him and communing with Him - face to face. As such, we don't need to download. We just listen attentively to what He is saying to us. Drawing near to Him as He draws near to us! No need for downloading!

Downloading also implies that we want things fast. No waiting time. Just give me what I want. There is no sweet communion and fellowship with the Lord. Like fast food, we just swallow whatever we are served within a few minutes! We do not take time to enjoy the food and its tastes. As such, we don't even give thanks to the Lord for what He has done. We have become very impatient! Just download to us. And fast! High speed!

According to the Bible, there are things we need to do before God does what He wills:

Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might
He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people
who are called by My name
will humble themselves,
and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

We are living in very exciting times. It is time to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. God is seeking for true worshippers. We cannot play spiritual games with Him anymore. Game over.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Many Christians are not walking by faith. They are walking by what they can see, feel, touch or perceive. If God does nothing, they will do something. They cannot wait on the Lord, and be still before Him! They have itching ears, and they will turn to fables and tales of their false teachers and prophets.

2 Timothy 4:2-4
Preach the word!

Be ready in season and out of season.

Convince, rebuke, exhort,
with all longsuffering and teaching.

For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine,
but according to their own desires,
because they have itching ears,
they will heap up for themselves teachers;
and they will turn their ears away from the truth,
and be turned aside to fables.

Who prepared the way of the Lord in His First Coming? John the Baptist.

But who gave birth to John the Baptist?

Luke 1:5-7
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea,
a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah.

His wife was of the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.

And they were both righteous before God,
walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

But they had no child,
because Elizabeth was barren,
and they were both well advanced in years.

Both Zacharias and Elizabeth were blameless and righteous in God’s eyes, faithfully walking in obedience to all of the Lord’s commandments and ways. Yes, righteousness in living and faithfulness in obeying God!

In fact, Zacharias could not speak to anyone about what happened in the temple of God. He neither did nor spoke anything. No prophetic act. He was both the messenger and the message! He could not declare this or proclaim that. He was speechless! But God's promise was fulfilled through him! John the Baptist was born when the appointed time came!

Abraham was called by God. And God promised him a son Isaac. But because the waiting period was long, Sarah advised Abraham to take Hagar her Egyptian maidservant as wife. Abraham agreed. He took the matter into his own hands. Ishmael was born.

Because of this, there were continual conflicts and disorders in the family of Abraham until today! No peace until the Prince of Peace comes again! And there are also many Ishmael-types of ministries birthed in the church today! A lot of heartaches and headaches!

I am not against spiritual warfare. We are to put on the whole armor of God, and stand. Yes, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

Ephesians 6:10-20
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood,
but against principalities,
against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore,
having girded your waist with truth,
having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and having shod your feet
with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
above all, taking the shield of faith
with which you will be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God;
praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end
with all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints—
and for me, that utterance may be given to me,
that I may open my mouth boldly
to make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains;
that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

James 4:6-8
But He gives more grace.

Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore submit to God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Until we humble ourselves and submit to God, we will not be able to resist the devil.

Until we realize that we can do nothing without God, we will always want to play a fool with the devil.

I don't have another 40 years to wander in the wilderness.

And I also do not have another 70 years to spend in exile.

 

Written on 5 September 2012