Skip to main content

24 July 2020 - "Bomoh" or God?

By

24 July 2020 - "Bomoh" or God?

Isaiah 8:19-9:7

What do you do when you receive bad news? Who do you consult for advice?

As a native of the island of Borneo, it is not uncommon for us to hear of people, Christians included, consulting "bomoh" and mediums for spiritual advice. I had an experience where a young person was "spiritually harrassed" and was brought to church for deliverance. As I did an assessment on the situation, I discovered that he had undergone many “treatments" by various "bomoh". As a result of this, he was tormented by many demonic spirits. By God's grace and power, he was immediately delivered by the Word and Name of Jesus Christ.

My point is that there is great temptation to consult different sources of "power". In the reading from Isaiah 8:19-9:7, God inquired the people through the Prophet Isaiah, of their idolatry and witchcraft. They had been consulting mediums and "spirits of the dead," to advise them of the grave situation they were in - the destruction of their nation by the Assyrian kingdom. They had lost their belief and faith in their God. In fact, they had become a pagan nation like the rest of the known world of their time.

Today, we might not consult mediums or spirits as the ancient Israelites did. Rather, we turn to superstitions such as horoscopes, fortune-telling, folk-beliefs and taboos (pantang-pantang) to determine our decisions. We also consult people of other faiths and religions, and their scriptures, to seek advice. Just as detrimental, we consult websites and online personalities (social-media influencers) who do not have the fear of God. They lack biblical wisdom and insights. All these are "dead spirits" that are contrary to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life. This faithless and godless acts are truly an offense to the LORD.

We are asked the same question that Israelites were asked, "Should not a people inquire of their God?"

God is not too far that he cannot be inquired of. Instead, he insists that we seek him and call upon him first and only. He urges us to persevere in our prayers for surely he will answer us. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus came to prove to us that God hears our pain and cry for deliverance.

In Isaiah 9:1-7, God foretells a Prophecy that Hope will arise from the land in darkness. A light will dawn upon it and the people will rejoice again. Jesus, the child that is to be born, who is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (v. 6), who is Immanuel (Isa. 7:14), God with us, is our assurance that we do not need any other mediator - bomoh, mediums, spirits - for advice or comfort. Jesus is our promised Mediator (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-25).

Perhaps, you have been struggling and are tempted to find solutions from unbiblical and unholy sources. I urge you to heed the Holy Spirit's advice to turn to God in your time of distress. Let him give you the answer you need. Let him be your Answer.

Prayer :

Father, may I trust you and no one else. Help me to overcome the temptation of seeking wisdom from other sources that are not truth. I choose to fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author of my faith. AMEN.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Danger of Spiritual Infancy (Hebrews 5:11 - 6:12)

By
Have you met people who refuse to grow up? There are some adults who prefer to remain as children because they do not want to take on adult responsibilities. Not only is immature behaviour unpleasant to observe or deal with, the consequences are often destructive. In Hebrews 5:11-14, the writer expresses his frustration that some members of the church were refusing to grow into spiritual maturity. They were no longer trying to understand God’s word (v 11). Instead of taking on the responsibility of teaching others as they themselves had been taught, they needed to be taught the basics all over again (v12). Therefore, they were unable to take on “solid food” which is for mature Christians, and they were not able to distinguish good from evil (v14) or to understand teaching about righteousness (v13). Spiritual maturity is a necessary part of our walk with God. Remaining as a spiritual infant means that you are not good at discerning right from wrong and you will have a hard time maintain
Post a Comment
Read more

22 Sep 2020 - Isaiah 54 : GOD’S PROMISE FOR FRUITFULNESS AND BLESSING

By
Daily Devotion Tuesday 22nd September  Isaiah 54 – GOD’S PROMISE FOR FRUITFULNESS AND BLESSING    This scripture is a beautiful promise of encouragement and affirmation to God’s people. If you have served God faithfully, but you feel discouraged, if you feel that your effort thus far has not borne any fruit, if you feel that you have been despised or looked down upon, this promise is for you.    God tells the “barren woman” to sing and shout for joy, because God will give her the desire of her heart and gift her with more children than she can imagine (v1). This is a prophecy for the increase and expansion of the nation of Israel through the birth of many children, and a promise that the city would be rebuilt. The barren woman could also mean a person or a church that is feeling discouraged, unfulfilled or foolish. Perhaps you feel foolish and discouraged for putting your trust in God for so long, but you have not experienced the results that you expected? If you are feeling discourage
Post a Comment
Read more

A prophet prophesies and the church fully obeys (Acts 11:27- 12:4)

By
During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. 12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. When Jewish believers from Cyprus (Europe) and Cyrene (Liby
Post a Comment
Read more