PODCAST

A moving personal testimony about the journey from a successful musical career to a fulfilled life of faith in God. The speaker talks about her search for truth, her relationship with Jesus Christ, experiences with prayer, Bible study, family and service to others. Special emphasis is placed on the warning against esotericism, occultism, magic, spiritualism and alternative practices, which can be spiritually dangerous from a Christian-biblical perspective. The video encourages seeking help and deliverance from God, reading the Bible, trusting Christ and finding hope, peace and true freedom in God's love.

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Narrator: Eva Větrovská (Czech original)
Video recordings: StoryBlocks
Background image: Adobe Stock - PHAISITSAWAN
Music: ElevenLabs | Orville Vroemen | Sonica Veith

Transcript

Esotericism, occultism, spiritualism and magic from the perspective of the Bible

Moderator: Dear listeners, we have prepared a meeting for you with a woman who has gone through difficulties and changes. Just as almost all of us go through the ups and downs of human existence: Joys and victories, but also the depths and pitfalls of the life of a professional musician, a singer in a successful band.However, she has also had interesting experiences from a completely different world than we can normally see with our eyes, and would like to share them with you - with the desire to help those who are interested in understanding this dark world.

The musical path of life

Speaker: Have a nice day. I would like to introduce myself in a little more detail. I was born in northern Bohemia and shortly after finishing secondary school I was offered a job abroad by a West Bohemian music group, but also in the Czech Republic, and so began my sixteen years in an orchestra where I was able to live out my love of music, dance and theater. This activity also involved traveling to a considerable part of the world, which was almost impossible during the former political regime and not accessible to everyone. That sounds good, doesn't it? In the eyes of the public, I was socially successful. But there is a big but, which I would like to come back to later.

Moderator: So what specific successes have you had in your musical career?

Speaker: Well, I'd like to mention my work at a local radio station for almost a year during my appearances with the band, where I was able to invite important personalities from our region, including doctors and other people, as well as representatives of the city council. The management of this radio station suggested that I try to educate the listeners a little, which, if I may say so, was already my field at the time, and the listeners' reactions to these broadcasts were very good. Letters even came to the editorial office, including from several people in prison. With their permission, I quoted parts of these letters in the program, in which they described how they had re-evaluated their previous lives because they believed in God.I think that could be helpful for both sides, for the people in freedom and for those behind the prison walls. But I had no idea at all that God's education, guidance and preparation for what I do today with great love and gratitude had begun there and even long before.As for the course of my musical career, offers came from well-known Prague orchestras and also from individual famous personalities. Because of my husband, then my fiancé, who did not want to move to Prague, I turned down all offers and remained in my original band, which I have long known was a very wise decision at the time, and I believe that this was also led by God, as you will understand from the following story. But it must also be said: Although I am grateful to God for everything and despite all respect for those who have achieved something in this artistic field, my earlier successes in this sphere have almost no value for me today. They are just memories.

The big but behind the career

Moderator: However, you also spoke of a certain but in relation to your career. What do you mean by that?

Narrator: I'm sure almost all of you have heard about the temptations that the world of popularity, the spotlights, the stages and the so-called nightlife can bring.it's a kind of freedom that only appears that way on the outside, but can later entangle people in various dependencies from which they then have to struggle to free themselves.I have to be fair, though, and say that not every artist lives like this. I don't want to do anyone wrong or hurt anyone, but for me personally it was a great relief when I was able to leave this world - victorious, if I may say so - for something that is much more valuable to me, so I hope you don't mind me summarizing this chapter of my life in such a general way, because today we have much more interesting topics to discuss. And ultimately, thanks to God, I can live a full and joyful life of faith, with my own family, lots of friends, completely different values and a life's work that consists of helping others.

A personal relationship with God

Moderator: What do you mean by that?

Speaker: You have probably noticed that I have already mentioned God several times today. When a person is allowed to get to know God as the Bible describes him, and when he realizes that this description corresponds with what he can and may experience with God in everyday life, in experiences and also in miracles, when a person allows God to enter his life, then everything changes. I am convinced and know that it changes for the better, for something much better. If we want, God becomes our greatest help in everything, even here on this earth. That's why I consider the greatest success of my life today to be the fact that I can have a beautiful, loving, personal relationship with God.

Moderator: What does it mean to have a personal relationship with someone who is invisible and untouchable?

Speaker: That means that I can talk to God freely every day and actually at any time, talk to him in my prayers and invite him into my inner being, into my heart, if you like. But each of us can do that. And God speaks to me, to us in the texts of the Bible, sometimes also in our thoughts, for example through our conscience. So God speaks through the Bible and I or we speak to him in prayer. This is actually a dialog, an invisible but tangible encounter in which we are in God's presence. Even whenever we talk to someone about God. And I believe, by the way, that God is also with us right now in this moment of my story.

The search for God

Moderator: You said that you have your own family. Did faith come later in your life?

Speaker: The special thing is: I began to seek God in an awkward way precisely because I already believed back then. Probably thanks to my mother, who was a believer. I hoped that God was the only one who could bring children into a person's life, so to speak, and I longed for children very much. So I tried to make contact with God somehow awkwardly.

Moderator: I see. And what did you do for it?

Narrator: I went to see a clergyman, but it was complicated there. I didn't understand anything and I certainly didn't understand the Bible. So I kept searching until I came across a woman, and I think God put her in my path, like everything else in my life. This woman wisely advised me to start reading the Bible again, with prayer, with a prayer for understanding. She also offered me her help in understanding the Bible. Then came an invitation to join a Christian community and, after some time, my completely free decision to be baptized. Out of great gratitude, I longed to publicly confess my faithfulness to God and give my life to Him. Baptism in adulthood is actually a wonderful celebration, a wedding with the Most High.

Moderator: So a religious community.

Narrator: Yes, but first our two prayed-for children were born, even though it looked like we wouldn't have any. That made me even more grateful to God and even more grateful for this faith community, this large and loving group of like-minded people. Something like a family in which our sons could grow up.

Family, ministry and Bible study

Moderator: So what are you actually doing today?

Speaker: Your question reminds me of the second greatest earthly success of my life: that I was able to meet my current husband. Again, I believe, as God's gift of love. We have been together for more than four decades and have been able to start a family together. According to the knowledge of God, that meant absolutely everything to me. Because not everyone today, especially in this artistic industry, succeeds at the first attempt. So I very happily ended my career as a professional singer and began to devote myself to my family and children. Today, our sons are almost out of the house, although thankfully they often return. But even as they were growing up, I began to work with people and for people. Of course, in such a way that the children were not deprived of my love, my presence and my education. Today, I occasionally offer appropriate and simply unobtrusive health and spiritual literature to people who I believe God has placed in my path: Teachers, doctors, sales clerks, tradespeople, simply wherever duties and worries about everyday family life take me. This brings new acquaintances, later friendships and people's interest in divine things. They sense that this unpaid service is intended to help them unselfishly and without ulterior motives. Everyone without distinction, simply everyone who is interested. Because in these books, especially in Bibles, there is valuable advice and help for every situation in life. I also visit individuals or families to study the Bible. My husband and I help socially disadvantaged people. We also organize public book offers for passers-by on the street. We call them little tables where people can choose books for free. Or we also offer free books in stores, businesses and at similar events. There are, of course, many more volunteers like this. There are actually all over the world. I am by no means the only one.

Changes through God's work

Moderator: Do you believe that such an activity can influence the general public?

Speaker: I dare not judge whether it affects the general public, but in the twenty years of my ministry to people I have met and continue to meet, truly great and joyful changes have occurred and are still occurring in these people's lives. I am sure that these changes have come through God's work and also through the information they have gained, mainly through studying the Bible, but also through other literature. Many have gradually and voluntarily given their lives to God in baptism and continue to walk with Him through life, helping others just as they have been helped. My husband has been one of them for some time now. Believe me, it is a wonderful activity that fills a person's heart when you see these good changes in others. Thank God for that. But believe me, this job also has its pitfalls, its very dark and even dangerous sides.

Esotericism, occultism, magic and spiritualism

Moderator: Working for God and dark sides? How should we understand that?

Narrator: I am not speaking now of unloving rejections out of ignorance, because God was presented to mankind in an evil, false and distorted way with the vilest of intentions. Out of fear of faith and religion, such people either did not accept this offer or later refused to give up things and activities that I am convinced only harmed them. I would now like to talk about a much more serious spiritual state that people were in when we first met. I have only told you my life story so that you can get to know me a little better and understand the wider context of my story today on a very serious and extremely important subject. So that you can believe that I am speaking from my own experience about something that is very topical: the subject of esotericism, occultism, magic and spiritualism. Just briefly for those who have not yet come into contact with these phenomena: The areas mentioned are a totality of mystical practices, for example apparently also healing practices and teachings. They include supernatural phenomena, supernatural and secret powers that cannot be explained by ordinary science. I recommend looking up these terms and their meaning in an encyclopaedia or on the Internet. The main concern of the makers of this video, and of course my concern, is above all to help and advise people who find themselves in strange circumstances, in the grip of something seemingly mysterious, unknown, unpleasant and dark and do not understand why it is happening, what or who it is about, how it came about and, above all, what to do about it and how to get out of it.

Moderator: That sounds really scary.

Speaker: Yes, now we finally come to the part of our conversation about a topic that is actually foreign to me. Originally, I didn't understand the Bible either and therefore unwittingly and unintentionally fell into the dark world of esotericism. I looked for help and thought I was seeking it from God. But after some strange and inexplicable events in our home and in our lives, and after I had started to study the Bible and other literature with the help of a believing friend, I realized with horror that I had been looking in a completely wrong and opposite place.

What can lie behind occult practices

Moderator: I see. And what did you do with it?

Narrator: Amazingly, despite the consequences, damages and injuries, it was a great school for me. After I was led out of that time, which thankfully didn't last long, I began to really deeply and honestly research and study who or what was behind this strange and dangerous realm and actually behind this force. And when I already understood a lot, I began to give advice and help to others who were similarly affected, if I may say so. I realized that all esoteric to occult practices seem to work temporarily, but at the same time I was frightened because behind all this is not God, but another, very evil spiritual being. A being that once bore the beautiful name Light Bearer, translated as Lucifer, and which corrupted itself out of envy. Even in ancient times, he cunningly tried to place himself in God's holy place in the heavens, but after much persuasion by God and the unfallen angels, he had to be excluded from this holy place along with a third of the angels he had seduced. Many people believe in the existence of God, but not all believe that this darkness, this enemy of God and mankind, came down to this earth with a multitude of these fallen angels, now demons. By controlling some people, they can even be responsible for all the misery and suffering in the world. In my experience, it is very dangerous not to believe that this fallen and vile being and his demonic helpers exist, work and feverishly seduce people through invisible influence and lead them away from the light of God, salvation into darkness and perdition. Out of hatred towards God and people, because this hidden enemy, translated Satan, has not been successful in the heavens, he is now trying to implement his evil plans here on this earth. We humans on this earth are actually living in a war between good and evil, between God, who wants to save us, and Satan.

The great battle between good and evil

Speaker: You can read much, much more in the book by author Ellen G. White, in which she faithfully describes this great spiritual battle according to Scripture. This work is called The Great Controversy or From Shadow to Light and is available free of charge in up to one hundred and twenty-five languages of the world. It includes chapters with the titles: The Origin of Evil and Man's Worst Enemy respectively. Also: Can we talk to the dead? or The secret of immortality. Other chapters are entitled: Who are the angels?, but also God's people delivered and The victory of God's love. There we learn that God is and will always be victor over evil and that he also offers this victory to people. So we need not be afraid if we confess God and stick to him.

Because God said: "If you love me, I will also give you love for other people, so that you will do to them what you would like them to do to you." In short: love does no harm to your neighbor.

This is God's principle of his infinite love. We find this text in the Bible in the New Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 22, verse 34. Believe me, I do not want to frighten anyone and it is not my way either. My most sincere desire and even my joy is to praise, reassure, encourage and comfort with good reason. If we stick to God's principles, or even better to God Himself, then, as I said before, we need not be afraid of anything.

Why people seek help in the wrong places

Moderator: You mentioned the serious mental state of the people you may have met for the first time. What is it actually about?

Narrator: They were often very friendly and loving people, like the ones I met, who also tried to lead a good life. They sought help when they were ill or in other unpleasant life situations. They sought it in different places, as I once unknowingly did, but got caught in a web of different practices that looked like help or healing on the outside, but were a hidden trap under the surface. For example: Why doesn't God want us to know our future? I believe, out of mercy, we don't need to know in advance all the hard things that are coming our way and torture ourselves with them for years, sometimes almost a lifetime in advance. So all practices that predict the future are not from God. In Scripture we even read a stern warning against this curious activity. Another example: God, who according to Scripture is the only giver of life, clearly writes in the Bible of a single life on this earth. After that, after the resurrection and after the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, the Scriptures speak either of eternal life with God or of the final end of man. It is the free decision of each of us. The belief in being born again and again, perhaps even in different bodies, even in animal bodies, or the belief in a so-called life after death: God firmly warns against this.

The Bible as a guide

Moderator: And what if I don't believe in the existence of God or the Bible and what is written in it?

Narrator: I always ask people: What is the oldest book in the world? And how is it possible that it has not been burned or destroyed in almost two thousand years? Yes, I firmly believe that God preserves his Bible because it is our only guide that shows us which way to go to heaven. It is a book that simply reckons directly with the existence of God. I always say to people when I meet them: everyone should read the Bible with humility before this book and only then can everyone decide, but then in an informed way, so that they actually know what or whom they are actually rejecting or refusing and what tremendous help and joy they are depriving themselves of in my thirty-five years of experience in life. And let us look at nature, yes, and at man. It is impossible that such perfect coordination and enormous complexity simply function and come about by chance. Some scientists today compare a single cell with the complexity and functioning of a huge city. And according to the latest research, humans have thirty to forty trillion cells. Can we believe that any coincidence is possible here? Or does everything work under the loving hand of an almighty creator and sustainer of life? Please let's think about this. Believe me, during my life of faith I have experienced many times that God does not leave anyone without an answer who sincerely seeks, wants to know the truth and asks for it. Never.

The Bible says in Psalm 95, verses 7 to 8: "Today, if you hear his voice, God's voice, do not harden your hearts."

How to recognize spiritual stress

Moderator: That sounds like a great offer. But let's come back to those who have various difficulties. How do these people recognize that a dark force has moved into their lives that they neither invited nor wanted? Or did they invite it? Various and very unpleasant things happen to them in life. For example, they are ill for a very long time and frequently. Of course, this does not apply to all sick people.

Narrator: You could also say that their house is haunted. Appliances break in the home, they see dead people, objects move by themselves, they feel choking or the urge to jump out of the window. They can also hear voices. There really are many, many such unnatural phenomena. It is often impossible to live with them.

Moderator: Do these dark forces always manifest themselves in this way?

Narrator: Sometimes they work in a hidden way. For example, when we believe false doctrines such as reincarnation, the transmigration of souls, the immortality of the soul, the existence of UFOs or when we pray to angels. And which ones, if there are also fallen angels? This is a very dangerous situation. They can cause various addictions or a reluctance to read the Bible, pray and talk to God. They invisibly lead us away from our relationship with Him. And what is almost incomprehensible is that this also happens to people in churches who neglect Bible study or are not interested in such insights. So you have to learn to distinguish who is behind what is happening: God or the other person. As I said before, Scripture teaches us to distinguish between good and evil. It is the only source of truth and spiritual nourishment without which we perish inwardly day by day. Let us not neglect its study.

How people can open occult doors

Moderator: And how do these powers suddenly enter a person's life?

Speaker: You could say, as I have already indicated, out of ignorance, in a sense by our unintentional invitation. But before I begin to answer the question, I would like to ask you to pay particular attention. In what I am about to describe, I think it is very important to say up front: None of what I am about to say is said with the intention of belittling or even speaking disparagingly of anyone. Every human being was created by God as a human being for a worthy and good life, whether we believe it or not, and is immeasurably loved by God. Everyone, even the most seemingly insignificant from the perspective of this world, has tremendous value in God's eyes. However, it is our bad deeds and activities that can separate and humiliate us from God and put us in bad, even critical situations. But even then, God longs to save absolutely every human being if he wants to and if he allows him to. I will now describe and warn how and when we can come into contact with this invisible power: through people who serve it, are used by this entity and whose activity is often its source of income. These include fortune tellers, alleged fortune tellers, witchcraft, palm reading and various healers. There is also the reading of horoscopes, i.e. the study of astrology, numerology, watching unsuitable programs, horror films, pornography, violent programs and others. Even the so-called conjuring of spirits, even if it is supposedly just for fun, is an invitation. Much of today's music, art, superstition, graphology, as well as the veneration of and prayers to the deceased, for example to alleged saints, are also part of this. Because they cannot hear us. They sleep in the grave, as the Creator says in Scripture.

Ecclesiastes 9:5: "For the living know that they will die. But the dead know nothing."

Any kind of magic, the use of intoxicating, addictive substances and also objects that we may unknowingly have in our homes - statues, pictures, occult literature, inscriptions on clothing - can be problematic. But please believe me, I am not trying to scare you. The goal of this video is just the opposite: to give you a joyful hope for the future if you choose to remove these practices from your life. Because God is the most powerful of all and everything, and he loves man very much. He wants to protect and save him. So there is a way out, and God longs for you to live joyfully and freely. Please believe that.

Alternative practices from a biblical perspective

Moderator: How do you know for sure which so-called force is involved?

Speaker: The powers of darkness move in the mysterious. For example: How is it that all Chinese medicine, acupuncture, acupressure seems to work? What are these mysterious points on and in the human body? Or Ayurveda, Reiki, Tai Chi and other alleged exercise practices that work with so-called chakras and originate from Indian spiritual traditions. This also includes yoga, which is so popular with the public and claims to be gymnastics. But beware: yoga is also part of a spiritual movement that is directly opposed to Christianity. In some yoga exercises, people bow to the sun. They work with breathing techniques, with connecting the universal self with the unconscious. My greatest negative experiences are associated with yoga. There is also kinesiology. This is work with so-called past lives, which we Christians, as it is written in the Bible, believe do not exist. I have also had personal, very negative and strong experiences with this. Mesmerism, healing with magnets, homeopathy, pendulum, dowsing, hypnosis, autogenic training, belief in the healing power of stones and many other practices. So I ask: on what mysterious basis do these practices actually work? And where is the real medical evidence?

1 Corinthians 6:12: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are for good. All things are lawful for me, but nothing shall have power over me."

God gives us good things for free out of love: love for him, for our neighbor and for ourselves, friendship, children, nature and so many wonderful things. But this fallen being always demands a kind of originator's tax for the use of things that come from his workshop, so to speak. And it does not want to let go of such a captive person. It fights for him.

What can you do about it?

Moderator: So what can you ultimately do about it?

Speaker: Let's talk about all this with God in prayer. Because faith is nothing other than a loving relationship with God and obedience to his commandments. Let's read the Bible. If we are beginners, it is recommended that we do this with the help of someone who is a sincere Christian, knows the Bible well, understands it and can help us study it. The Bible describes some of these phenomena and warns against them. God and his intentions with each of us are only the best, understandable and clearly comprehensible. God also recommends a healthy diet, preferably plant-based, classical exercise, sport, walking, sufficient drinking, enough fresh air, sunlight with wisdom, positive thinking, preferably faith, good sufficient sleep and rest, at least one whole day a week.

Exodus 20:8: "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy."

In the New Testament of the Bible we read that only God's power in Jesus Christ can drive demons out of a person's life and from everywhere and command them. The enemy of God and man, that fallen angel, is only a created being. So I ask: Who is more powerful? God or this enemy? The answer is clear and biblical: the uncreated and eternal God.

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The path to liberation through Jesus Christ

So let us stick to the almighty God. Let us abandon these practices, throw everything out of the house that could be an invitation, and ask the Lord Jesus Christ for help, for he paid the ransom for us with blood on the cross. So let us confess to him that we gratefully accept his sacrifice, and let us dissolve all previous contracts, who knows with whom, even if they were unintentional. Ask fellow believers or experienced, sincere Christians to pray with you, perhaps repeatedly in the place where these unpleasant occurrences happen. Believe that this works wonderfully, even if it can sometimes take a while. But hang in there. God is and always will be victorious. I have seen and experienced with my own eyes that dozens of people have had really great and very different difficulties with these fallen forces and yet today they live fulfilled, joyful and free lives. They believed that Jesus Christ was born and lived on this earth to free us from our sins and to give us his righteousness and eternal life. They repented. And I want to emphasize that, because that is a very important part of deliverance: repentance. That means confessing to God with shame and remorse that we have done this or that evil in our lives and asking God for forgiveness.

"I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength."

Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace and not of disaster. I will give you a future and a hope."

The greatest discovery of life

Moderator: So a victory for anyone who wants to build a relationship with God or has already done so?

Speaker: Yes.

Moderator: And finally?

Narrator: The summary of all this is: I told you this so that I would not selfishly keep the greatest discovery of my life to myself. I have understood, solely thanks to God, that the purpose of my existence and the existence of all of us on this earth is to share this joyful and true message. God loves each of us infinitely and wants to become our most faithful and closest friend, our savior. He wants to help us already in this life, give us real and true dignity and freedom and be with us forever in that wonderful promised future world without pain and suffering. Death is not the end of life for those who accept this truth. We believe that the Lord will come soon, very soon, for his faithful ones, for everyone who wants to be with him forever. Let us not postpone our decision and let us prepare for this encounter, the greatest event in the history of mankind, but also of the whole universe. Now we know how. So I bid you farewell and wish everyone all the best from God's loving hand with all my heart.

Closing quote from "The Great Struggle"

And finally, I would like to end not with my own words, but with the words of a book that I believe will greatly encourage us all. A book that I have already spoken about here, which has helped me a lot to understand the Bible and has given me so much. I am reading the complete conclusion from the book The Great Controversy or From Shadow to Light by Ellen G. White.

The great battle between good and evil is over. There is no more sin and no more sinners. The whole universe is pure. Harmony and happiness reign throughout the immeasurable creation. From God, who created everything, life, light and happiness flow in all directions of infinite space. From the smallest atom to the largest celestial bodies, everything, animate and inanimate, proclaims in unclouded beauty and perfect joy: God is love.

Song (Sonica Veith):

He that sets his love on me, on the Lord Most High,
I will honor and answer him and with long life satisfy.
He is my peace. He is my calm in the storm, my refuge and my trust.
I will not fear the darkest night, for his word will be my light.
I will not fear the darkest night, for his word will be my light.