While reading in the women's bible study I came across a statement about fasting and prayer. It reminded me of a story a friend told me quite a few years ago.<P>My friend was traveling home by airplane and had decided that she would take this time to fast and pray(I can't remeber what her prayer intentions were). When the flight attendent came to take the orders for her and the person next to her, her neighbour said that she didn't need a meal as she was fasting. My friend was excited to hear this assuming she was seated next to a christian. She mentioned to her neighbour that she was fasting as well and went on to ask her what her neighbour was fasting for. Her neighbour informed her that she was a witch and was fasting for umoung other things-the disintigration of marriages. We are up against more than addiction, we are up against more than selfishness, we are up against the power of evil.<BR>But we have something stronger, the cross, and we can lay our marriages at it's foot, let go and let God.<P>------------------<BR>Love and Prayers<BR>Nicole<P><BR>

Nicole,<BR>You are absolutely right!<P>My H's brief affair happened right smack dab during Christmas season last year.<P>Given how much I have always LOVED Christmas, I'm not surprised. The evil one tried his best at a significant time.<P>This year is different. I can feel it. In fact, I can't explain the new confidence I have felt for the last few weeks.<P>I was not looking forward to the Holidays and who still knows...but I am feeling empowered rather than sad.<P>My H is here with me and my girls. He is horrified and remorseful that he did what he did. We are great! <P>Although 1999 was literally a year of hell on earth, I feel like I am finally truimphing. <P>I hope you find the same is true for you by next Christmas, even sooner@<P>------------------<BR>Faith, Hope, Love Remain,<BR>but the greatest of these is Love.<BR>1 Corinthians 13:13

FHL,<P>Thanks for the encouragement and hope for the future. I am trying to keep a positive attitude but some times are harder than others. It seems right now I am in an angry cycle. The smallest things get me riled up and a lot of the times I don't handle things as I know I should. I guess I just have to start over again. Keep me in your prayers, anger in check, positive attitude, kind words, loving actions.<P>------------------<BR>Love and Prayers<BR>Nicole<P><BR>

Patient Love;<P>I read your post and I have been feeling the same as you lately. Think that witch is still fasting? <P>Maybe it's the Holiday's that are getting to me as well. Everyone around me is sick with flu, Mom, Dad, Brother and his W, H and now my daughter isn't feelig too well. I have been running my behind off seeing that they are all eating and such. But I cannot seem to get in the mood of this holiday. Some days I do O Kay and others like yesterday and today I just blow or cry. Sometimes I feel so detached from myself. Do you?<BR>I do believe there is evil all around us and there are times when I can feel it too close to me here.

Nicole,<P>I was ready to go to sleep...<P>Your post hit me...<P>An extra prayer tonight for you...<BR>You recognize the terrible power of evil...<BR>You stand up to it...<BR>You get knocked over... and get back up again...<P>You're incredible... <BR>Strength to you... on those hard days to come... <P>I am so honored to know you...!<P>Jim<BR>------------------<BR>I can dare myself... I'll put a pebble in my shoe...<BR>I can walk... I can walk! I shall call the pebble Dare...<BR>Dare shall be carried... And when we both have had enough<BR>I will take him from my shoe, singing... "Meet your new road!"...<BR>Finally glad... Finally glad... That you are here... By my side...

We hadn’t been to Christmas for about 6 months. We went on Christmas Eve & I found out the next two nights about my Wife. I truly believe the God put the Spirit in both of us to get the marriage right. Now she is fighting God and evil <I>seems</I> to be winning, but God isn’t finished yet and neither am I.<P>Long live Jesus Christ! Amen<P>------------------<BR>Prayers & God Bless!<BR>Chris<BR>For relationship info check out <A HREF="http://www.pcisys.net/~chriscal1/resources.html" TARGET=_blank>Marriage & Relationship Resources</A>

Anybody read "This present darkness" or "piercing The Darkness" both are by Frank E. Peretti and are very powerful illustrations of the spirtual battle going on around us.<P>------------------<BR>Love and Prayers<BR>Nicole<P><BR>

PL;<P>You described it perfectly, BATTLE. I feel there is a battle going on around us right now and we have to find the strength to fight it. I'm still hangin in and it is difficult at times, but I and we all must remember to PRAY, PRAY and PRAY. <P>It just sometimes like now, I feel so defeated and tired. I have to get out of this wrongthink condition I'm in right now.

Nicole,<P>I glad to you posted this. Your friend confirms what I've been thinking and saying for a long time. <P>There is a huge spiritual war going on. Satan has been out to destroy all that is good in God's creation, since the begining.<P>He is going to the heart and soul of this goodness. marriage. I am seeing first hand how cunning and powerful satan is. Robin who is the nicest person I have ever known, has turned into one of the COLDEST people I have ever known. My diligent prayers and her willingness to pray is starting to thaw her self-centered thinking, and soften her heart.<P>I described addiction to my mom this way once. It is a mechanism satan uses on us especialy Christians, to keep us living in self-centered sin. <P>I know he's telling Robin she's not worthy of me. His family will never accept you asgain. Give up, you husband won't ever make you feel like this boy does. Your H will never get over this your marriage is RUINED, give up. You will <B>NEVER</B> be forgiven!!!<P>Then in her other ear God is <B>SCREAMING</B> it's ok, your husband loves you and the fruits of a christian life are waiting for you. You <B>WILL</B> be forgiven, just ask.<BR>Christ is here for you. He will wrap you in His love and rescue you from the hell that has been created in your life. You don't have to be miserable. I am here to complete you.<P>It's a terrible strugle and I have to watch my own reactions so I don't feed into satans hopelessness.<P>Thank you for posting this story, Nicole, I needed a reminder of this very thing.<P>Bill<P>God is bigger than the Boogieman...<BR>He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV...<BR>God is bigger than the Boogieman...<BR>And He's watching out for you and me....<BR>(my D's favorite song from veggie tales)<P><BR><P>------------------<BR>BB<BR>

I don't personally know anyone who considers herself a witch, but there are a number of them in my area. From what I have read, wiccan beliefs have nothing to do with the devil - it is an earth-centered religion, and their "spells" are supposed to be for good, not evil. I think it would be unwise to paint all witches with the same brush, based on what one, possibly very flaky, woman said.

A witch is a witch. There are no "good" witches. True some don't call directly upon the power of darkness & seem to do only "good" spells, but it's all a trick by Satan to make it not seem evil. It is.

Chris;<P>I believe that is true. It is all a part of the new age religion and thinking. No God or Jesus involved with it. It is a ploy by Satan himself to fool people into thinking they are not harming themselves or anyone else. HE LIES. Anything that pulls you away from God and his Son in practicing withcraft whether it be good or not is teaching the wrong principles. It is based in selfishness. And ultimately people who chose this path end up into something they didn't bargain for.

<B>AMEN</B> to that D2<P>------------------<BR>BB<BR>

Chris,<BR>Good, bad, or indifferent - IMO, witchcraft is just a bunch of malarkey - not worth getting worked up about.<P>devastated,<BR>Are you saying that all non-Christian religions are based in selfishness? I suspect there are quite a few million people who might disagree. There are both selfish and selfless people of every religion.

I truly didn't mean to offend anybody with my story. I was merely illustrating how even satan has people fighting his battle on earth. He is out to destroy everything that is good and righteous in this world. <BR>I believe that he uses new age doctrines, wicca and things such as these to disguise his agenda. He is known as 'the angel of light'. He is a master of disguise. People involved in these things may not even have the slightest idea of what they are involved in.<BR>It is our duty as christians to stand up to this and bring it out into the light.<BR>I don't want to come across as being some kind of 'holy roller' but I do want people to know where I stand.<BR>Sorry if this got a bit long winded and preachy.<P>------------------<BR>Love and Prayers<BR>Nicole<P><BR>

Nellie1;<P>I was speaking about witches. Didn't mean to offend you, sorry if I did.

OK,<P>You guys are starting to freak me out here. I had a tingling in my head and goose bumps reading this.<P>I am supposed to be the warped one here. <P>I have always had a facination with magic. Not the David Copperfield stuff. I understood that Wicca is white magic.<P>I don't know, I'm going away now. This scares me just a bit.<P>Tim

Sorry Tim,<P> Didn't mean to scare you or freak you out. Just an opinion. I know not everyone feels the same. Like I've said before, I don't want to come across as a 'holy roller'. <P> Sorry again.<P>------------------<BR>Love and Prayers<BR>Nicole<P><BR>

hmmmm.......deep breath.......<P>The Witches' Law, handed down through the generations, is, "Do what ye will an (meaning 'provided that')ye harm none". To this is added the Statement of Principle, "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust". The Law has also been expressed in the words "Love and do harm to none".<P>The use of personal energy does not appear to be dependant upon any particular religious belief. Magic is not peculier to witches. It has been used by pratitioners of all religions, from the most ancient to the most modern. Sometimes the magical formulae are called prayers or hymns. Sometimes they are called spells and charms. They are found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and all other major religions. In most of these the magic formulae involve the use of the names of gods or spirits. These are regarded as ways of calling up and focusing the required energy. A strong belief in anything is productive of psychic energy. What we believe has reality for us; we are what we believe we are.<P>The witch's craft is not outside nature, not supernatural. Nevertheless, it remains mysterious. We can no more explain it than we can explain why some people are "gifted" in one direction and others in another. And the 'magical' faculty, like all other human faculties, can be used for good or bad ends.<P>The difference between a 'true, natural' witch's use of these powers and the use made by some others is simply that the 'true, natural' witch works within the framework of a religion and an ethical discipline that prevents those powers being used irresponsibly or to harm.<P>Acts of magic which run counter to the credo of 'Love, and harm none' are wrong - they are indeed evil. Other acts, stemming from or for Love, are not. This was recognized before AD500 by the Christian Church. Indeed, Constantine's law against witches was simply that witches who did evil things should be punished: others should not be harmed.<P>Unfortunately, many catchpenny books about witchcraft, many books of spells, emphasize the sensational side of witchcraft and spend a great deal of time in explaining how to curse someone. Consequently, many think of witches as power-hungry and self-serving, and SOME of these people, who fancy the thought of possessing magical powers, decide they would like to be witches and even initiate themselves. They should be warned. There is a natural law that whatever magic one does returns upon the doer threefold. <P>Most 'true, natural' witches revere the story of Jesus Christ and his gospel of love and find his wisdom is awe-inspiring.<P>The organizations which have grown up around Christ's teachings and which have so often denied them, or elaborated them in a fashion quite alien to his message, are another matter. It was not Christ but the church that first stated that witches did not exist and that to believe in them was heresy, and then that witches did exist and that not to believe in them was heresy. It was not Christ but the Church that decided that "Thou shalt not Kill" meant 'thou shall not Kill anyone but heretics, murderers, theives, witches, Mohammedans, heathens, and anyone else the church decides'. It was not christ but the Church that invented the inquisition and killed millions of Jews, gypsies and witches in Europe over a period of four centuries. <P>Witches are not opposed to anyone practising whatever religion they find meaningful to them. They do not proselytize or attempt to convert people. Most believe that people, moving through many lives, must pass through many stages of understanding and must work out their own destinies. Help or advice or teaching along the way will be given when asked for; it will not be imposed upon the unwilling.<P><BR>I guess, if forced to 'label' myself, I would have to call myself a Christian Wiccan....the Holy Trinity being my spiritual focus instead of the usual goddess figure.....<P>I, for instance believe in natural magic, and believe that I am a natural witch....for example, the time I posted, asking everyone to stop and focus all their positive, good, loving energy at Bill because Robin was going over....that is the type of 'magic' I, as a wiccan use....and he had a really nice night because so many of us reached out ...in love and support of him...it may not have affected the outcome of his evening...but then again....personal energy focus can be powerful....you never know....<P>So, this person on the plane was a self-confessed witch......a loony with an attitude problem......she could have said she was a druid, an athiest, a mormon, anything at all....and she still would have been a loony...the person said these things...not 'the witch'.....<P>some of us feel closer to God worshiping him this way...I find it immensly personal and satisfying...I wake up and realize what a gift each day is.....but central to my core belief is that everything has a soul....all of nature...everything in God's creation....<P>some of 'us' are not really that scary, and we do not.... I repeat....DO NOT do the work of satan, lucifer, evil, whatever ......<P>I have ranted long enough.....what a stressful time to decide to come out of the closet.............<P>wishing one and all peace on earth and goodwill towards all men......that's what it's all really about...<P>Dylan.

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