Saia 🎹🌊 (Graduated)
@SaiaMantaray • 2,856 subscribers
This manta is returning to the depths of the ocean to get a well deserved rest~ Thank you for everything 🎹🌊💙
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I used to be an atheist who practiced witchcraft before I turned to Christ. The one question that led to it was: "If God is all loving, why do we need to follow a set of rules to not be condemned to eternal death?" I was convinced God was selfish and narcissistic "worship me or you go to hell". I explored atheism, paganism, buddhism, satanism and shintoism. Shintoism and buddhism have very peaceful teachings, they focus mainly on revering nature and bringing goodness to the world. Paganism focuses on nature too, but they practice rituals/traditions and seek spiritual guidance. Meanwhile satanism is the polar opposite of christianity, focusing on flesh over spirit. So what is christianity then? 💠 Here is what convinced me: - God created a set of laws for humanity to live by to align with his holiness and maintain order, such as the law of nature/asking/prosperity etc - The consequence of falling outside of the law is life without God; and hell is a physical manifestation of the absence of God, basically non-creation or void - You can't be neutral, the moment you give your life to Christ, your name is written in the book of life and you become a citizen of heaven. If you're not on that list, there's only one other place left; that's why you can't be neutral with God Revelation 20:12: "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 💠Conclusion: - Christianity is about law and love - The reason why judgement is so often mentioned in the bible is because God wants us to follow the law, because not only: 1 - We were built to thrive when we follow the law as a way to live; 2 - Because of his love for us, He doesn't want us to experience life without him. (Hell) Same way a parent who wants you to stay in school, have good grades and follow the law so you can get a good job and prosper in life; except God is a cosmic being so apply the same parent logic but to cosmic, inter-dimensional standards - When someone is actively watching over you, keeping you safe from spiritual warfare, guiding you, and doing all these good things for you, I naturally strive to listen to what he has to say, out of respect and gratefulness towards him. Over time, your will aligns with his and you stop craving earthly things. - Therefore, it's not selfishness, it's maintaining order with the law, all he wants is for you to follow the it so you can prosper alongside him, because sin cannot physically coexist with God - You exchange a sinful life for guaranteed spiritual safety, prosperity and a worry-free life, who wouldn't take that offer it's such a great deal Romans 8:7 "The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so." ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 💠 The answer to this question became the foundation of my faith. He allowed me to question him and explore other religions so I can come to the conclusion that christianity is the only religion that has an active God who works in my life daily, and the only religion that brought me genuine peace. (If you like this topic I recommend you read the book of Romans!) ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ Another question I had was "why doesn't he just show himself so more people believe"? 💠 The answer I believe in is this: - One reason is because we physically wouldn't be able to handle his presence, since a lot of times when angels showed up in the bible in physical form people fainted from their presence, and those are just angels, so imagine God's presence 💀 - His presence is so overwhelming that even the solar system tried to escape and hide but couldn't (Revelation 20:11: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.") - The other reason is the paradox of the nonbeliever— if anything from God happens, you'll continue passing it off as coincidence; you need to start with a specific motivation and drive to find God before he starts working in your life in order to be open and receptive to his presence, otherwise you'll keep passing off your encounters as coincidences. - The only way to understand God is by reading the bible, intermediary content from other christians on the internet (such as this post) isn't enough! 💙 So lock in!! ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´- ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 💠 At the end of the day, christianity is a religion built on love and justice. The only thing it costs me is my human greed, lust and other negative qualities, which is good to let go off for my growth as a person outside of religion too. So if there's a God out there who actively wants the best for me, and already blessed me with so much, I'm more than willing to listen to what he asks of me; out of respect for everything he's done for me and my family. Galatians 5:24: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" Matthew 19:11: "Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. (...) The one who can accept this should accept it"." Everyone is free to come to God by their own choice, your duty as a christian is to have the answers ready if someone wants to come to Christ, not to force it on them. That is a perversion of the gospel from the evil one, it becomes incredibly counterproductive. Because instead of inspiring curiosity, you'd inspire disgust and exhaustion. Nobody wants to listen if you hold the threat of eternal damnation over their heads! ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 🌊 This is part of my testimony, I hope this gives you some motivation and strength in our Lord Christ! God bless you!💙 ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ (I want to emphasize that I'm only sharing my experiences and I'm not looking for a debate! I am open to learn more in a calm and kind manner though! ^^)
Saia 🎹🌊 (Graduated)23,400 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce
As I said in my testimony, I used to practice witchcraft. I practiced spellcasting, burning candles, incense, fire rituals; and the one that took me years to heal from was a satanic pact I made out of ignorance. I want to share what I used to practice and believed in at the time, so you can see the drastic changes God made in my life and hw it was part of my salvation. Witchcraft is very real and dangerous. Please keep in mind it's been years since I practiced paganism, so I might misremember some things ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 💠 My pagan belief and practices: I used to believe that nature is sacred and sufficient for spiritual protection, I also believed both demonic and heavenly forces are real. That God and angels existed in the same universe, but they wanted you to focus on them and nothing outside of christianity. And that demons are real and you can work with them as partners. I used to be terrified of the power angels had and always felt like they were angry with me, I was not scared of God though. He felt to me like a bystander who doesn't get a say in what I chose to do with my life at the time. My spellcasting rituals included gemstones and spices you find in a regular kitchen. Everything in nature has specific properties connected to forms of abundance, protection or curses. So whenever I worked with spells, I used to crush certain gemstones and mix them with other ingredients in a small jar, then activated it by sealing it with wax while setting a clear intention in mind. I used to carve sentences or words into candles and letting them burn until the word melted out. It's said to carry your intentions through a fire ritual, which are considered immensely powerful. I used to be interested in divination, but even as a pagan I didn't think any of those gods were real, so I never gave it a try. 💠 The regrettable pact: Now regarding the pact, there was one time I did a ritual with a pentagram and fire involved, I wrote a sentence on a piece of paper, with norse runes and pentagrams, and set it on fire (incredibly smart choice to start a fire indoors btw. The glass got too hot and I dropped it, it broke and spilled wax all over the carpets...) It created a pact that I struggled for years to break. I've only been freed from it this year after I begged God ceaslessly to free me from any pacts I formed in the past. These demonic pacts are very real and dangerous, it brought me so much suffering, I was stuck in loops for years trying to break free from it. I will not get into details because it's rather personal and I want to keep it that way... ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 💠 Why this is important to know as a christian: It's important to know how these rituals operate because then you understand how curses work, and why as a christian you don't have to fear them. Because a causeless curse can't reach you. Proverbs 26:2 "(...) an undeserved curse does not come to rest." Not all rituals are sacrificial or for cursing, a lot of them are also for blessings. There are very wicked ritual practices as well, but it's important to know that there is a difference. Witchcraft is real and the bible recognizes it. It can open portals and let entities into your house that you're not equipped to deal with. It's an unholy practice that God denounces very clearly, because we don't know the spiritual implications of such rituals and could doom ourselves in our ignorance. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; (...)" ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 💠 Final reflections: Looking back on it, the thought of practicing pagan rituals with the knowledge I have now feels the same as self sabotage; willingly allowing entities to enter my house and torment me when I can instead rely on the Lord to bring me peace and prosperity, and all I have to do is just follow his law and be christlike. The difference between paganism and christianity is self reliance over trusting God to provide everything you need. These two cannot coexist. I always felt like I had to perform rituals for my safety, anxiety etc. Meanwhile God provided me all of these just for putting my faith in him, our Heavenly Father is all mighty and full of grace in the name of Jesus. To my fellow christians, if you recently turned to Christ, or feel unease in your heart, pray for him to free you of any pacts you created by accident; ask him to cancel any assignments of the evil one upon you and give you protection in the name of Jesus. ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ 💠 In conclusion: I'm grateful for the amount of mercy and grace God showed me while I was in this phase of my life. At any point in time I could've passed and I would've been doomed for the rest of eternity, but my Father saw hope in me and gave me another chance, I am forever grateful that he saved me and I will never stop telling everyone what he has saved me from, and how much he's blessed me despite my sinful past. 🌊 This is part of my testimony, I hope this gives you another perspective into witchcraft and paganism, and a reminder that God keeps us safe from spiritual warfare every moment of the day. Stay strong in our Lord Christ! God bless you!💙 ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ (I want to emphasize that I'm not looking for a debate, I'm sharing my experience so the people who needed to hear this message can have another perspective they can use to strengthen their faith with!) Sorry for sounding a bit more aloof in this video, I'll try to improve on this for next time
Saia 🎹🌊 (📌 Emergency)17,372 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce
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