Divination/Witchcraft: (Part 2b) - Spellbound Captivation - YOGA

Linda A. Knowles
Apr 10, 2018
6 min read

"'You shall have no other gods before Me.'" -Exodus 20:3 (NASB)

"I am the LORD; that is my name. I will not give my glory to anyone else or the praise I deserve to idols." -Isaiah 42:8 (NASB)

"'For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.'" -Isaiah 48:11 (NASB)

Yoga has gained popularity in Christianity; however, Yoga has no place in the life of Christian, and it is also another form of "Christian Meditation." Christians may live in this world, but we are not of this world. We have been set apart for service unto God and are to do things God's way and not take on the customs of this world. Vain philosophies and imaginations of man such as Yoga will only take you down the broad road that leads to destruction and just because the word "Christian" is slapped in front of Yoga or the like DOES NOT make it Christian. It is simply disguising itself in a blatant display of defiance before the God Most High who is spoken of in the Bible. The Scriptures clearly show the children of Israel did not get away with Idolatry, neither will you.

THE ORIGIN OF YOGA

Yoga has its origin in Ancient India and is practiced in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In India, it is common to greet someone with the word "Namaste" as well as in the cultures neighboring them, and "Namaste" is associated with Yoga. The word "Namaste" means "I bow to you" and the other meaning to "Namaste" is "the light in me bows to the light in you," and the word "Namaste" is used at the beginning and end of every Yoga session. If you are a Christian and you greet someone with the term "Namaste" you are actually telling the person, "I bow to you" which is recognizing the individual as a god, which means you are also acknowledging the ultimate goal of Yoga.

The word "Yoga" literally means, "to combine" or "to yoke," and if you are doing Yoga, you are yoking yourself to the worship of false gods. Part of Yoga is the chanting of the Sanskrit word "Aum" or "Om," which is considered so sacred that it is at the beginning and ending to every Hindu mantra and incantation. Even the holy book of Hinduism, the Bhagavad Ghita (ancient Indian Text) tells you why every mantra and incantation is buttoned with "Aum" or "Om," and is symbolic "Uttering the monosyllable Om, the eternal world of Brahman, One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the superior goal." The religion of Buddhism also considers "Aum" to be sacred and follows suit in its practice as well.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF YOGA

In Hinduism, the ultimate goal is to become one with god, to be the creator god (the supreme god) called Brahma, the first god (4-headed) in "the triad," which also includes the Hindu gods Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer as shown in the photo to the left. To reach what is called "moksha," a state of complete perfection, liberation, and godhood, some Sadhus, Indian wandering holy men, have chosen a life of poverty in order to go on a quest in search of perfection and liberation, and to become god the creator. They look inward toward themselves, "the god within." However, it is not only the Sadhus looking to reach a state of complete perfection, liberation, and to be the creator god but also anyone who practices the religion of Hinduism.

Now if any of this sounds familiar to you, there are passages that speak to one creature we know of that was thrown out of Heaven because he wanted to be God; His name is Lucifer/Satan, and he is the epitome of wickedness and anything that tries to exalt itself against the God of All Creation spoken of in the Holy Bible. Both the King of Babylon and the King of Tyre, within the pages of the Bible, are shown to have the same characteristics in human form as Satan; Satan, being the epitome of all evil, and the kings, spiritually speaking, were no different than their father the devil. The Kings of Babylon and Tyre wanted to be God and would do anything to achieve their goal of reaching the absolute state of perfection and godhood. From Isaiah 14:12-17 (GW) "How you have fallen from heaven, you morning star, son of the dawn! How you have been cut down to the ground, you conqueror of nations! You thought, 'I’ll go up to heaven and set up my throne above God’s stars. I’ll sit on the mountain far away in the north where the gods assemble. I’ll go above the top of the clouds. I’ll be like the Most High.' But you’ve been brought down to Sheol, to the deepest part of the pit. Those who see you stare at you; they look at you closely and say, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook the kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and tore down its cities, who didn’t let his prisoners go home?'" From Ezekiel 28:12-18 (ESV) “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx and jasper, sapphire, emerald and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you out as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stone of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you." From Luke 10:18-20 (BSB) When Jesus was speaking to the 72 who had come back from doing great works in His name, "He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." The 72 could not take credit or pride in what they had done in the name of God and through the authority given to them by Christ because the great exploits they had done were not done by human strength or human wisdom. They were given authority by Christ. They were to give glory to God and not take pride or take joy that the demons submitted to them.

"I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me." -Isaiah 43:11 (NASB)

"You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you." -Exodus 34:14 (NLT)

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." -Matthew 24:11 (KJV)

"Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons." -1 Timothy 4:1 (NLT)

ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION

How do you repurpose pagan worship and pagan prayer and then turn around, call it Christian, and actually believe the pagan worship and pagan prayer will be acceptable to the God who is spoken of in the Bible?