Identifing Roots

The reality is that when death occurs around us it reminds us of our own mortality. The fact that we are utterly out of control, bouncing around the world attempting to make sense of what is to come. What we cannot control. When I was around 12 years old or so I was faced with several deaths around me that were within our family. It may had been earlier then 12 years old but I remember being consumed with the reality of death. If I am honest, the thought still haunts me at times, challenges me. The idea that you are here one moment and gone the next is a insane thought. A thought that can drive anxiety and throttle fear into a place that is paralyzing. Some of you may know this feeling. When I was a young adult I was neck deep into a lifestyle that was completely out of control and yet was so seemingly controlled by me. I was intrigued by the occult, why? Because it seemed to be a instance gratification of something powerfully interacting with me all the while sharing these experiences with a few others. When you have shared experiences with other people and they have the same experiences it is a source of vaildation. There are experiences that I have had with some people during this time in my life that no one outside of us would even believe. But we experienced them. Was it evil? For the most part, yes. Was it real, I think so. I had started dabbling in the occult (of course that is not what I called it at the time) when I was around 16 or 17 years old  (maybe earlier in more childish ways) with a small group of about four or five others. None of us really knew exactly what we were playing with and invoking but we knew that something communicated and that was enough for us. The odd thing was that my interested was perked after some counseling sessions wth my priest at the Catholic Church we attended sporadically. I remember one specific conversation that I prodded him until he opened up about it. The subject was exorcisms I had seen on movies. I had watch my fair share of pretty dark movies with spiritual undertones like Amityville Horror, The Exorcism (I - III), Hellraiser and of course Nightmare on Elm Street (many others as well). These movies did not independently push me into an interest in the occult, wanting to jump into the darkness but it did stoke an already growing frustration with religion and God. My questions while sitting across from my priest were pointed and direct from an awkward 12 / 13 year  old kid. Why is evil so active? Why is God so silent? Why does the 'satan' or a group of demons seem so interested in the living, deceiving and entertaining desires of the flesh? I was consumed with connecting to the spirits through many years of my life and to make matters more intense I was involved in relationships that entertained those curiosities in occultist activity. (find our more by clicking here, Hangover to Jesus) From tarot cards, ouija boards to discussions that minimized the impact of these actives. 
During this time in my life was the most intense time as far as drugs, alcohol, pornography and other actions and things I participated in that I would rather not mention. I look back on this time of my life and am reminded of it every time I sit with a man struggling with addiction. Struggling to say no to pornography or other sexual strongholds. Without getting into the evidence and supporting resources, sexually acting out and distortion of sex is at the core of the occult interactions in some form or fashion. There are a handful of times throughout the Bible that we are warned to stay clear of mediums and psychics, to stand clear of the demonic activity. Now I am not saying that some people don't have a gift and can see more then the average person, what I am saying is that there are warnings in the Bible about mediums and psychics and there are instances where the dead visit the living. I also acknowledge that this country has a dark history of some horrific things that were done to people, among those things was a disturbing event in the 1690's of the witch trials. Over two hundred women were thrown into prison for witchcraft and out of those 200 about 20 where burned alive in public. Disturbing. Later when some realizations and misunderstandings were relized the women in prisoned where let out and the families of those put to death were compensated. What I am getting at is that we just don't have a handle on this as a people group to this day. And as witchcraft and occult religious practices grow in our country in popularity we have a great intrigue going on among people. Why? Not totally sure but from my own prospective fear is playing a role in this. God's message is faith and the freedom to choose obedience to His message of grace, unconditional love and hope. The other side is speaking from a place of instance gratification, entitlement, selfishness and hate. There are two messages with two very different outcomes. 
There is an interesting account in the Bible in Acts 16. Paul and Silas are imprisoned after being beaten publicly. You may remember the story, Paul and Silas are in prison and they start singing hymns and praying while other prisoners listen on. An earthquake occurs creating a crack in the foundation for them to escape. But do you remember why they were in prison? When they rolled into Philippi they were approached by a local medium / psychic who told fortunes. She was a slave girl but apparently had some respect because of her abilities to tell fortunes. As Paul and Silas are walking through town the girl interacts with them pointing them out as slaves of God. Berating them with an onslaught of words for a few days. Paul in is his typically, "I have had enough" attitude goes to the girl and proceeds to perform a exorcism on the spot. The girl is released of the demon and can no longer tell fortunes. The leaders are furious. Why? Because they depend on the psychic, they looked to her for guidance, comfort and direction. They were full of angry driven by fear. Fear of the unknown. 
Fear is a deeply rooted emotion. There are different types of fear but the fear I am talking about is that fear that sits in the gut, turning and tormenting. The leaders of Philippi knew that fear because they turned to something that they felt could provide them a remedy for that fear. They were caught in this worship type, dependent relationship with this girl with psychic abilities. Fear is a driver. Many men are rooted with a fear that is being satisfied or temporary sedated by sexually acting out. Modern day pornography is no different than David looking over a Bathsheba and lusting after her. It is an escape, a place of taking back this temporary control out of a place of fear, anxiety or those feelings of not measuring up because of performance based issues or the feeling of being out of control, out of place. 
Everyone has a root issue. When a man comes clean about the sexually strongholds or secret addictions in their lives, it is time to go to that closet way back in the mind. The place where the root issues lay. Why a person is so passionate about one thing or another? Why a man is so compelled to look at images on a computer screen or cell phone for hours? Why a group of people in Philippi threw men of God in prison for taking away their "god". Everyone has a root to why they are the way they are, and who and what they worship. 
So, how do you get to the root of your addictions, your strongholds the reasons why? While there are simple actions, abuses and overall pain that account for a lot of our root issues; there are also more sinister reasons. What we worship, what we look to for reason and comfort in the midst of fear and the attempt to control becomes our god, the idol. A few questions to ask yourself, what does your free time alone look like? What do you do? Is your faith in God involved in that time? When sadness, fear, anxiety or angry creep in what do you turn to? Social media, food, porn, Netflix, alcohol or do you have some people in your community that are positive, supportive and encouraging people that can have a real voice in your situations? The overreaching point to this is are you reaching out to God or the world? God offers true freedom, grace, inclusion and unconditional love - the world offers instance relief for a temporary time, offers dependence on man and offers a place to have company in your misery. 
What are the struggles? Addictions? Emotions? These are by-products of some root that is deeply ingrained that needs to be eradicated. But first we must be willing to go that deep. Cutting a tree down at the stump doesn't remove the tree, the roots must be removed for new growth to occur.  
Photo by Zach Reiner on Unsplash