Category Archives: Review

New Book – An Update

06 Wednesday Jun 2018

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New Book Coming Soon

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. ~ Matthew 5:3-4, MSG

 I am excited! I am overwhelmed! I am thankful!

Who would have thought that writing about the times I was aversely separated from my oldest son—and about the inescapable nonstop grief I have felt since I lost him—would turn into a labor of love? I actually started writing about my mother-child separations and child-loss to help me cope with the unthinkable. I never thought the day would come when this therapeutic exercise would become my approved-for-publication memoir.  

There is the possibility that Untimely Farewells—my memoir—could be published this month. If not, then I am certain it will be in July.

The following manuscript review comments are what a Xulon Press copy editor says about my upcoming book:

“General Overview

Through her powerful personal testimony, the author shares her journey from life as a young wife and a new mother to her season as a divorced woman grieving for the death of her son. Her collection of moments and memories tells the story of a mother’s love for her child in the face of heartbreaking times of separation and encourages readers to never take their loved ones for granted.

Manuscript’s Strengths

• The book contains a strong, solid introduction that clearly shares the author’s message. The author’s explanation of “things that transcend the color line” is an effective way to express the universal nature of death and grief, and it also introduces the author not only as a writer at heart, but also as an intellectual who views aspects of life in interesting ways.

• The author’s writing is eloquent and beautiful, with description that is creative while also informative; the author’s description of events, characters, and moments in the story does not leave important details out of the plot.

• Throughout the text, the author includes a nice balance of dialogue and narration, so that the book flows like a story with the characters speaking to one another in conversation, as well as a decent amount of narration to share the author’s true, vulnerable thoughts with the reader.”

Thank You, God, for helping me write my memoir. Thank You, God, for Your Comfort and Peace.  Thank You, God, for how You will use by memoir—Untimely Farewells—to help other parents who are experiencing parent-child separations and child-loss.  

A Book Review of Michael Holmes’ I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness

10 Wednesday Mar 2010

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Michael Holmes and I are connected, and not only on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook, but also in Jesus the Christ as brother and sister, and as fellow teachers of God’s Divine Truths! Therefore, anyone who reads our online group discussions, comments, news feeds, status updates, and/or blog entries will agree that our love for our Lord is evident in what we post (see Michael’s blog).

Because of our Christian connection, I was honored when Michael asked me to read and review his I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles For Lasting Greatness. The fact that he provided me with a free copy of this book speaks volumes not only about his generous spirit but also about what he teaches and practices, which in this case is one of those “timely, timeless, inflexible” principles that he mentions in his book—the extra mile principle.

Where I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles For Lasting Greatness is concerned, it is evident that God has anointed Michael to communicate biblical principles and life-changing lessons. Moreover, it is obvious that God also has anointed Michael to deal with human nature, because it is natural for people to wonder what greatness really is and how they can achieve that greatness, and this doubt about “greatness” is exactly what Michael addresses in his book.

His anointing is perhaps the impetus behind why he organizes his book the way he does. The first half of Michael’s book is devoted to definitions and the necessary characteristics, attributes, and passions people who wish to be great must have, while the second half of his book is devoted to those time-honored principles that are essential for developing lasting greatness.

To make sure that his readers understand what greatness means to him, early in his book, Michael gives his definition of greatness. For Michael, greatness is self-sacrificing, self-effacing service. In other words, Michael believes that God raises up (elevates people to their highest potential level) mainly so that they will use their greatness to benefit others. Michael writes: “True greatness is not becoming great at the expense of others but rather at the expense of self; finding ways to serve the needs of people and make them better” (p. 20).

It is golden nuggets like Michael’s definition of greatness that not only make his book inspirational but also a must read. For sure, from beginning to end, I Shall Raise Thee Up is packed full of priceless nuggets of information, which makes it evident that Michael has done his research. However, for me, I learn just as much from Michael’s own valuable expressions of faith and wisdom as I learn from the Christian and non-Christian sources he quotes, or from the succinct narratives pertaining to those individuals Michael believes have mastered one or more of God’s ancient principles.

Here are some of Michael’s expressions of faith and wisdom written in his book that I also like:

  • “We were all meant to be great because we were all meant to serve.” p.20
  • “The talents you have, the tests you’ve been through, and the resources you’ve been given were never meant just for you.” p. 23
  • “Principles are natural laws that govern the world. They’re timely, timeless, inflexible and will always produce a certain outcome.” p.32
  • “Outlined are three criteria to determine whether something is a practice or a principle:

a) Principles are immutable…

b) Principles are consequential…

c) Principles are universal….” pp. 35-36

  • “People who do great things tend not to fit in. …They stand out in some form or another (often to their despair).” p.40

This nugget of information registered the most with me, because it crystallized the many situations I have faced from 2006-2009—made it clear to me that my most recent experiences with isolation have been God’s intended Way of showing me that He predestined me to be a loner (someone who wouldn’t fit in, someone who would NOT think, talk, write, or have the same interests as the masses).

  • “God cultivates those He isolates.” p. 41
  • “You can’t have the glory of influence without the weight of responsibility. To have one is to live with the other—the two can’t be severed. To escape the weight is to refuse the glory, and to seek the glory is to find the weight.” p.59

Additionally, what I like about Michael’s book is that it is jam-packed with sound teaching (healthy words that produce godly qualities, attributes, and passions). I like, as well, that Michael communicates this sound teaching with humor, grace, zeal, and simplicity.

Something else that I like about Michael’s book is that it has a definite hook (a point in the book when Michael says something that grabs the readers’ attention). For me, that point is when Michael makes it clear how his readers can get the most out of his book, which is by applying its lessons and then teaching those lessons to others (cf. pp. 15-16).

Now, some people might not think so, but Michael’s book does have a central theme. In most books, the central theme is usually implied rather than explicitly stated. Thus, in Michael’s book, his implied central theme is:  It is necessary for every person, whether Christian or non-Christian, to tap into God’s ancient principles before He can raise him or her up to the level of greatness that God’s seeds in that individual were meant to produce. Additionally, Michael extends the scope of this implied theme, by declaring that in order for anyone to attain lasting greatness this person must come to KNOW God—must become His genuine salt and light.

Now, the problem with implied themes is that many readers will find it more difficult to see how Michael is connecting the dots between the concepts, principles, quotations, biographies, and lessons that are mentioned in his book. However, whether the theme is explicitly stated or just implied, every author’s main job is to convey information in a clear and concise manner. One way Michael could have ensured that his readers could connect the dots (can understand how all of the provided information relates), or one way Michael could have ensured that his readers would convert to his way of thinking, is through the use of smoother transitions.

Smooth transitions (words, phrases, or techniques that help bring two ideas together) tell readers what to do with the information an author has presented to them. Since smooth transitions provide readers with directions for how to piece together an author’s theme, ideas, and information so that they (the readers) end up thinking or acting the way the author intends for them (the readers) to think or act, then by using smooth transitions every author will be able to keep most readers, if not every reader, from making these comments: How does this relate? Or, this book has a choppy flow; or, it is hard following your train of thought.

Unfortunately, there are poor transitions in Michael’s book. That is why I must admit that at times it was difficult following Michael’s train of thought. For example, in chapter 11, beginning with the paragraphs under the heading Servants Empty Themselves, I personally made marginal notes about how Jesus the Christ’s act of “emptying” Himself does not relate to Michael’s definition of being “empty.” Michael defines someone who is “empty” as a person who has removed “all preconceptions, pride, arrogance, brilliance, and even past information” (p.116).

The problem here is that it is not clear how Michael’s definition of “empty” fits God’s meaning for what Jesus the Christ does, which is to give up everything—all of His privileges (godly rights). Indeed, according to the Amplified Bible’s translation of Philippians 2:7, to “empty” Himself means that Jesus the Christ “…stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave)….”

Furthermore, nowhere in the Holy Bible is it written that Jesus the Christ empties Himself of past information or intelligence (if brilliance for Michael means intelligence). Then too, since Jesus the Christ is just as holy as God is holy, the Lord definitely did NOT have any preconceptions, pride, or arrogance to remove! Lastly, Jesus the Christ didn’t remove His godly attributes of supernatural power and glory so that He could find “better ways to serve.” He strips Himself of ALL of His heavenly privileges and godly attributes so that He could experience human rights, human attributes, and human conditions. Thus, the effect of His humble existence—becoming mankind’s servant—was so that He could show humanity how God wants people to serve each other!

For these above-mentioned reasons, Michael’s analogy is faulty. Furthermore,  this faulty analogy makes it impossible for me to see any feasible connection between how the greatest servant who ever lived “empties” Himself and how servants such as salespersons, doctors, companies, ministries, organizations, or even students “empty” themselves (cf. pp. 116-117). Therefore, I would have preferred to see smoother transitions—those words, phrases, or techniques that help to continue an idea, or indicate a shift of thought or contrast, or sum up a conclusion—that effortlessly bridge the gap between ideas. In other words, smoother transitions create coherence (stick togetherness), which is lacking in more than one section of Michael’s book.

I also would have preferred to see those long quotations (the ones that take up more than three lines of Michael’s text) blocked off and cited in text. Even though I am familiar with the Scriptures Michael quotes, I still would like to have seen their book, chapter, and verse(s) cited immediately after Michael quotes them, instead of having to turn to the Bibliography to find the listed sources.

Additionally, I would have preferred to read about more Christians in the ministry who have achieved entrepreneurial greatness. Surely there are many Christians in ministry who, by the aid of God’s Holy Spirit, have taken control of their lives and accepted responsibility for whatever they do with their lives (cf. Michael’s definition of a Christian entrepreneur in Brad Harmon’s “Going Deeper with Author Michael Holmes” interview).

Nevertheless, whatever objections I take to Michael’s style and content, the bottom line is this: in I Shall Raise Thee Up both the central message and the applicable lessons to learn are clear. The message is that every person can become great, because God not only has put the seeds of greatness inside of each individual, but also He has established time-honored natural principles that when “worked” will help in the maturation of those seeds. The lessons are those preparing/plowing, fertilizing, and nurturing steps every individual must go through in order to reap the kind of service-oriented greatness that ONLY can be sustained by a person’s character.

In I Shall Raise Thee Up, Michael teaches that the main reason why a person does not become as great as he or she could be is because this person does not own up to the responsibility he or she has to cultivate the seeds of greatness God put in him or her. Additionally, Michael teaches that the main reason why any of the lessons in his book would not be beneficial or profitable to his readers is possibly because the reader is more interested in instant-gratification (getting the fruit from the seeds without going through the plowing, fertilizing, and nurturing steps) than he or she is interested in tending to (growing up) that which God has put in every person (greatness seeds) so that he or she can produce the expected crop, which is service-oriented good works.

Finally, I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles For Lasting Greatness is a good book to read, a good one to keep, and a good one to share.  Moreover, Michael’s book not only is a relevant work but also it is one that counters this century’s New Age spirituality, which encourages the spiritually unhealthy self-interest, self-gratification, self-love, and self-importance attitudes. Thus, if for no other reason than it is true that the New Age’s spiritually unhealthy attitudes have helped to create a “me-first” and an instant-gratification generation, then this truth should be the one that motivates Michael’s readers to learn and then teach to others the life-changing lessons found in his book!

Our Deepest Fear: The New Age Philosophy/Spiritualism in Coach Carter

08 Thursday Jan 2009

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Coach Carter, MovieMovie Review written in Foshan, China on June 23, 2005

 

On or about June 20, 2005, for the fifth time that year, I finished watching the movie, Coach Carter, and, as in the four times before, I felt the Holy Spirit move so intensely within me that I was shaken to my core. At the very moment that the troubled Timo Cruz (played by Rick Gonzalez) stood up and gave Coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) the answer to the coach’s repeated question, this was the exact time when I experienced my shocking, recurring epiphany and became troubled, myself.

In the movie, Coach Carter repeatedly asks Cruz: “What is your deepest fear young man?” Prior to the very poignant moment when Cruz gives his answer, neither Cruz nor his teammates has a clue as to why Coach Carter keeps asking Cruz this question. So, the question and the answer, then, both serve to give the storyline a marvelous dramatic effect—the “fait accompli” to Coach Carter’s attempts to get his basketball players to see that the biggest obstacle in their lives is their own fear of trying for more than they already have. Yet, instead of feeling inspired by Coach Carter’s seemingly irreversible accomplishment, the apparent inner change in his players, I am unsettled. I am troubled because, hitherto, I make no effort to address the issue of the deadly impact the movie’s hidden message has on the development of individuals’ spirituality.

Cruz answers:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us….

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

…It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we  unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.                                                            

Here, Cruz is quoting Marianne Williamson from her book, A Return to Love:  Reflections on the Principles of A COURSE IN MIRACLES (1992, pp. 190-191). Her full quotation goes like this:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Even though from the “We ask…” sentence through the “You are a child…” sentence, plus the “We were born…” sentence of this quotation have been omitted from Cruz’s answer, both the full quotation and Cruz’s speech, on the surface, ring true—they sound a truthful note. On the surface, both the full quotation and Cruz’s speech SOUND affirming, positive, and uplifting, in as much as they both suggest that everybody is capable of being the captain of one’s own ship—that everybody is capable of taking control of one’s own destiny.

On the surface, both the full quotation and Cruz’s speech also SOUND “spiritual.” Yet, a closer examination shows that both Williamson’s language and Cruz’s interpretation of that language promote nothing more than the New Age ideas of self-actualization, self-assurance, self-belief, self-confidence, self-empowerment, self-esteem, self-healing, self-help, self-improvement, self-love, self-realization, self-reliance, self-respect, and self-satisfaction, with or without making any references to God or the Godhead. Thus, the deeper, subliminal message that the full quotation and Cruz’s speech make is that everybody is meant to evolve into the “god” that he or she has within; specifically, he and she ARE individual “gods,” too. Indeed, the New Age spiritualism language in Williamson’s words and Cruz’s use of her words endorse nothing more than self-centeredness.

In our world today, it is unlikely that people never will meet or never will have any encounters with selfish people. Inevitably, these happenings will take place because many of the people today are self-centered; they are “me first” folks who focus so much on themselves that their own needs, wishes and wants become the center of their world; to them their lives have no other purpose than finding that which satisfies them; this focus on “me” leaves them with little or no room for allowing Jesus to be the center of their lives, and little or no room for the Holy Spirit to fill and direct them.

Contrary to popular opinion, humbling oneself so that others might have the spotlight is enlightening and exactly what Jesus’ life teaches. Christ humbles Himself and suffers cruel abuse and the shame of the cross so that EVERY born-in-sin person could feel secure about one’s own redemption—about one’s own Christian identity—and, as a result, he or she would not be afraid to shine in this world. However, the “catch” is that there are very few people today who are genuinely humble individuals who will let others shine in their place, because in most instances the seemingly humble persons’ perception, or inner knowing, is saying: “you are the one who really has it going on” (are equal to or more powerful, intelligent, and confident than your siblings, relatives, fellow classmates, co-workers, friends, acquaintances, or any other individuals). Consequently, these wanna be humble individuals listen to their own perception or inner knowing and end up taking the spotlight that really was meant for the truly humble people.

Not only do most people lack sincere humility, but also many people lack authentic timidity. This phoniness (hypocrisy) in humans is also why it is unlikely that anybody will be able to find many people in today’s world who fear showing their own ‘brightness.’ By design, today’s masses want others to see how intelligent, beautiful, innovative, creative, superior, and worthy they are (even if they are not), and they might do anything and everything to accomplish this goal.

Case in point, in the film, Coach Carter, regardless of the personal struggles that the young basketball players face every day, these ballplayers still have delusions of grandeur. Therefore, they do not “play it small.” They, instead, want others to ‘see’ them as being ‘da bomb,’ as being the best that there is in high school basketball, and, in the movie, they stop just short of doing everything that they could do to get people to acknowledge their superior “skills,” as well as who they are—Richmond, California high school “stars.”

They are credit seekers—the “I” did this; “I” made this; and “I” got what “I” said “I” wanted for my life, individuals. In fact, it is precisely this self-centered attitude that gets the haven’t-got-a-clue Cruz kicked off the team in the opening scenes, and, later on, after being allowed to return, it is his repeated “me” first behavior that is the reason why he opts to leave the team for a second time.

In reality, most people don’t fear their own “light,” but rather they fear that others either will not see, understand, appreciate, or, more importantly, accept them for who they are–accept their light as well as their darkness; in short, accept them with warts and all. So, if people “play it small” these days, it is because these individuals fear their darkness (their ignorant, barren, or wicked natures) within them more than they fear their inner light; consequently, their “darkness” fear causes them to shrink away from trying to let their lights shine. They fear being found out; they fear not being either the person many people believe they are, or the person many people want them to be. Thus, Cruz’s shrinking from his ‘light’ represents what Christ means when He says, “…men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19, KJV).

Cruz evidently was more comfortable being in the darkness of the drug world than he was comfortable with being in the “light” of the worlds of academia and sports, because in his darkness he was able to say that his evil was “good,” because the evil in him had condemned that which was of the Light. Although he knew that being a dope runner was less glamorous than being a star basketball player, he ran to the dark world of drugs every time someone’s “light” seemed to reject him and his street-life bravado. Thus, in Coach Carter, it was only after Cruz experienced the death of his cousin (a dope dealer) did he realize that being back on the team that really accepted him for who he was would be better for him than being a dope runner in the streets of Richmond, California.

Once again, Cruz is reinstated as a team member, and shortly thereafter he makes his “Our Deepest Fear” speech. While the now enlightened Cruz seems humble and seems willing to give someone other than himself credit for saving his life, in this case, his Coach, the words of Cruz’s speech still promote a self-centered focus on his own inner “light.” Why? Because at no time does Cruz ever acknowledge God’s mercy and grace operating in his life. He completely misses the Divine Truth about who is the “real” source that supplies his inner light.

You may ask: “Doesn’t Christ, Himself, in telling people to let their lights shine, indicate that people should be self-confident, self-aware, self-reliant, self-affirming, etcetera?” No, He doesn’t. Yes, Christ tells believers to let their individual lights shine before mankind so that people will ‘see’ the good works in them (cf. Matthew 5:16). But the “LIGHT” that Christ is talking about is a giving, forgiving, humble, holy and righteous (Perfect) “LIGHT” rather than a selfish, vengeful, arrogant, self-righteous, and self-sufficient one (cf. Matthew 5:44-48). These latter kinds of lights are the New Age philosophy’s unholy, self-righteous, and self-centered lights that flood this world.

The “LIGHT” that Christ refers to, metaphorically speaking, is Creator God. Creator God is LIGHT because He not only is pure, (meaning, utterly holy and righteous), but also He is absolute Truth, Wisdom and Knowledge. Creator God also is LIGHT because He is the giver of all moral and spiritual enlightenments. Since God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are ONE–the Trinity/Godhead–through Christ, believers learn that Creator God’s LIGHT is that which Christ’s life fulfills as the Son, that which the Holy Spirit’s anointing and power authenticate as coming from the Truth bearer and mysteries revelator, and that by which Creator God’s Sovereignty decides with whom to entrust His power, authority and LIGHT, as He is the Father and Supreme Ruler of every living creation, all by Himself.

Accordingly, Creator God’s LIGHT, being also Jesus and the Holy Spirit in us, becomes the “greatness” that manifests through us. To this end, Creator God’s LIGHT should be evident in every believer, producing the kind of great works he or she should do that will glorify God. Like the great works that illumine through Christ’s life, shining in the face of adversities and calamities, as well as in times of favor and good fortune, believers’ “lights,” with the aid of the Holy Spirit, should reflect not only the same kind of great works but also greater works.

Christ, Himself, even tells us that we (together as One Body) will do greater works than He did (cf. John 14:12), but Christ clearly emphasizes that we should do these great works not so that we will get the honor and glory, but so that Creator God will. Therefore, we are cautioned against taking ANY credit for anything that we personally do and say, and cautioned against glorifying mankind by giving people God’s credit—especially when what any of us does and says glimmers with importance or radiates in perfection.

The ‘light’ in us should shine, but not so that it reflects our becoming all that we can be, in and of ourselves. Nor should it shine so that others can receive permission from us to let their “lights” shine. First off, both the commandment and permission to shine come from Christ who gets His instructions from Father God, the ONE who created every form of ‘light’ in this world and who engenders humans with portions of His eternal, spiritual LIGHT. Mankind, then, is neither the designer of ‘light’ nor the giver of ‘light.’ Secondly, to become all that Father God has purposed and created us to be–which is the image of Christ–can be achieved only if His Holy Spirit transforms us from our worldly souls to spiritual creations.

Contrary to popular beliefs, well-meaning and good-hearted men, women, boys and girls do not have all the power and all the wisdom, nor are they all-knowing beings. Therefore, the “light” in them, which they did not and cannot create, also in no way can compare with the Shekinah Glory that glows around and from the throne of the eternal, all-powerful, all-wise, and all-knowing Creator God. So how can any person take credit for anything that happens for the better in their lives or for the good of this entire world?

Yet, from the first time that Coach Carter asks Cruz about his deepest fear until the moment that Cruz gives Williamson’s “take” on self-awareness and self-help, the audience sees Coach Carter as the ballplayers’ own guru. The Coach even admits that he took the job thinking that he could bring about a “change” in these student/athletes, hoping to awaken them to a sense of the person they truly are and what they can achieve, if they are not afraid to try. However, even though this “change” and awareness that the Coach seeks, without a doubt, are “spiritual” ones, as their guru he is not leading them to the “true” LIGHT. Moreover, as with Cruz, even Coach Carter doesn’t give any credit to the Godhead’s influence in the lives of these basketball players. Coach Carter never acknowledges God as being the ONE who not only makes it possible for every person to let the “light” in him or her shine, but also he fails to teach that God is the reason why any person has any “light” within him or her, at all.

It is obvious that neither self-help gurus nor any of their books, tapes, CDs, motivational speeches/lectures, and so forth, can affect this kind of lasting inner or spiritual change in EVERY person. The proof of ‘this’ pudding, then, is in the eating. What hundreds of thousands of people find out after following the alleged ‘divine’ advice of their “gurus” is that they, even though obedient disciples, consistently continue to remain spiritually lost or disconnected, or they are bona fide twilight zone frequent visitors—they are WAY out there—(often seen as the people who are, at times, too heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good). The reason why these masses temporarily (or NEVER really) experience that mystical transcendence from old beliefs and traditions to a higher level of inner peace, authority and power is that this supernatural inner change cannot be accomplished through mere positive thinking methods/formulae, no matter whether these methods/formulae are subliminal, hypnotic or conscious.

While it is true that we should find out who we are–to know ourselves–or that we should learn what our deepest fears are, every bit of this ‘knowing’ is SPIRITUAL in nature, because this ‘knowing’ surpasses mankind’s collective knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. This kind of for certain ‘knowing’ only comes from Father God, the One who created each one of us and made us similar yet so uniquely different that He alone knows us 100%, inside and out. Thus, we find out who we are by going directly to Creator God, for He both commands us and gives us permission to seek Him for answers to our every problem or situation. By the by, this reachable level of irreversible spirituality only can be accessed through Father God’s Holy Spirit to whom Creator God gives permission to reveal everyone’s veritable inner self (and the mysteries of His Oneness), but ONLY if the seekers are believers who genuinely have accepted Christ as their personal Savior.

The conclusion of this whole matter is: God wants His children to recognize the enemy’s subtle ways he plots against mankind (like, placing ungodly messages in songs, movies, television programs, books, sermons, lectures, etcetera). God wants His children to realize that Satan’s primary aim is to get people, Christians especially, to take their focus off of Christ and place it elsewhere, like on New Age spiritualism. Specifically, then, God wants His children to become acutely aware of how easily the simple, sound-good, feel-good messages from people who claim to teach His ’spiritual principles’ can pique Christians’ interest and even enslave them. For the Christian believers these are not only harmful messages, but also deadly ones. If entangled by them, those Christians could become the biblical apostate end-time believers who have chosen to walk away from their trust (faith) in and reliance upon the ONE,TRUE and only Living Father God.

Since Christians are often very much like the ones who have not accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, in that, like non-Christians, believers also seek information that could possibly help them to overcome their struggles and/or problem areas, then Christians must take care to exercise a great deal of spiritual discernment (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1). They must take care not to endorse anyone who, or anything that, offers solutions to life’s struggles or problems that God’s Word does not approve of or sanctify (cf. Proverbs 14:12; Matthew 7:15; 2 Corinthians 11:13-14).

Finally, Christians must remember that the proof of the pudding is in the eating (that is to say that Christians who have tried, used, or experienced something, in this case the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel of Christ, usually are the ones who effectively can evaluate the quality of something deemed ‘spiritual’). So, if people write, speak, and do deeds that cannot pass the biblical Scripture or the Will of God tests, as revealed and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, then, because of the worldly spin on their actions and messages, what they do, speak, and write will be of no profit to Christians. Therefore, born-again believers should take care to guard their eyes, ears and mouth gates against the ungodly influences of worldly people and their doctrines and/or philosophies found within their books, movies, music, seminars, conferences, schools, institutions of higher learning, churches, and so forth. Indeed, born-again believers should avoid fellowshipping with any people who demonstrate the aforesaid worldly influences (cf. Isaiah 52:11-12; 2 Corinthians 6:17).