A Gold Coin - Free of Stereotypes

Post Summary:

Stereotyped thinking is over simplified thinking which categorizes individuals or groups based on a commonly held image or idea. More often than not, a stereotype consists of an image, idea or opinion which is based on misunderstanding, ignorance, or outright prejudice. Stereotypical thinking, along with the usually bad feelings and attitudes it produces, represents a significant barrier to spiritual growth for both Christians and non-Christians. What are these stereotypes and how do they impact us. What needs to be changed in our thinking both for Christians and non-Christians. Check out the section on stereotype thinking and spiritual growth in my book. It might just open up your mind!

A detailed and expanded version of this post can be found in Pastor Jochem’s book “The Spirit Universe: A Christian View” that is available in the Amazon Bookstore. His book is an invaluable resource to have on hand if you are interested in general information needed for investigating the paranormal, deliverance ministry, or counseling those hypersensitive to the spirit universe or those who are dealing with the occult and negative spirits. The book contains reorganized content from the blog, expanded information, and new content which will not be published in this blog. The book can be read on the Kindle or any device which can run the Kindle application including any Android phone, IPhone, IPad, and the home computer. It is also available in Word and PDF format. For more information and to order the book, click Here

Got a problem with the paranormal or have a question you would like one of our authors to discuss? Fill out a Confidential Help Request Form and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you would like to discuss this topic go to the Discussion Forum by clicking on the "Discussion Forum" link on the right side of this blog. If you have not made a commitment to Jesus and you would like to do so now, then click HERE to go to a page that will show you how to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Growth - Gold for a penny

A Story

With this post a transition in this blog is going to take place.  I have been primarily concerned with the negative aspects of the paranormal in order to warn my readers about the dangers and spiritual difficulties which result from an occult use of their abilities.  I am sure that this blog is not very popular with those practicing occult methods, because it presents direct evidence about these dangers. As a matter of fact, when I was steeped in occult activities, I would not have read a blog like this one. I would never have asked myself what it was that was so offensive to me, and why I would have simply rejected its truth even though I told myself I was seeking truth. So as I begin this post, I am reminded of a supposedly true story which I am going to tell you in a modified form. The story goes something like this:

Once upon a time there was an exceedingly wealthy man, who

filled a bag with gold coins and then stood in front of the Brooklyn Bridge.

All day he offered to every passerby a gold coin in exchange for a penny.

Some heard his offer, stopped and asked about the gold coin,

but in the end refused to give up their penny.

Others would not even listen to his offer,

But just rushed by, rejecting his offer as if they were deaf and blind.

At the end of the day, the bag was still nearly full of gold coins,

And he had just a few pennies.

You see what the wealthy man learned was this:

Those who stopped and listened could not believe or trust that

anyone would give them gold for a penny, and so

they kept their penny, and their poverty.

Those who blindly rushed by, well, they

thought that he was just trying to

sell them the Brooklyn Bridge.

Blinded by their preconceptions,
they lost their golden opportunity

The meaning
 I have been hypersensitive to the spirit world since I was a child. This is an ability that we all share to some degree since it is common to all mankind. For 12 years I was involved in the occult and had numerous paranormal experiences of an intense nature. Those were 12 years of spiritual defeat for me. As I said at the start of this post, though out this blog, I have been trying to reach out to those who are also hypersensitive to the spirit world and show them the spiritual and psychological dangers involved. I have also promised that I would show them a way that they can take their natural abilities and safely develop them to their spiritual benefit.
In the next 30 or so posts I plan on showing you my readers exactly how and why you can and must become truly paranormal spiritually. I have said enough about the occult, and now it is time to tell you about true power, glory, service, and salvation. I hope you will open your mind to what I have to say.
Like those in the story, I hope and pray that you will not hang onto your occult pennies but will take the golden coin. I also hope and pray that those who reject this blog because it is Christian will have a change in mind and will take advantage of their golden opportunity.
As usual, I will occasionally publish a science orientated post, and will write for Christians as well as non-Christians. If you have a passion for the truth and for knowledge,  and if you have an open mind and heart, then read on concerning the awesome power of God and the role that Christ can play in your life. I have a bag full of gold coins, don't hesitate to take one. After all, they only cost a penny. What are these golden coins? Find out in my book:

Pastor Jochem’s book “The Spirit Universe: A Christian View” is available in the Amazon Bookstore. His book is an invaluable resource to have on hand if you are interested in general information needed for investigating the paranormal, deliverance ministry, or counseling those hypersensitive to the spirit universe or those who are dealing with the occult and negative spirits. The book contains reorganized content from the blog, expanded information, and new content which will not be published in this blog. For more information and to order the book, click Here

Got a problem with the paranormal or have a question you would like one of our authors to discuss? Fill out a Confidential Help Request Form and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you would like to discuss this topic go to the Discussion Forum by clicking on the "Discussion Forum" link on the right side of this blog. If you have not made a commitment to Jesus and you would like to do so now, then click HERE to go to a page that will show you how to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Ghosts or Illusions of Ghosts

 

Introduction

I do not believe that everything that is seen in a ghost investigation is an optical illusion. To believe that would be a form of unhealthy skepticism which rejects the evidence which is being produced by investigations all over the world. I do believe that the human perceptual system is subject to illusions and consider that to be an established fact which must be taken into serious consideration during an investigation.
So what is the role of illusions during investigations, and can some of the experiences which have been reported be due to either visual or auditory illusions? I do believe illusions can account for a significant number of personal experiences and that anyone investigating the paranormal must deal with them.

The Investigation Visual Field (IVF)
Most investigations take place in the dark. They take place at night with lights turned off. This produces a low intensity background. That is to say, the background visual field is low contrast, low luminosity, and low color. It is obvious that under such conditions, objects in the background can become ambiguous, out of clear focus, and with little spatial orientation. At the same time, the investigators use flashlights or lights mounted on cameras to navigate and inspect the background. The area covered by the light tends to be limited, but is high in contrast, high in brightness, and colorful. So the typical IVF consists of a low intensity background in which there is an embedded high intensity foreground which moves and changes position. It is this combination of a low intensity background and a high intensity foreground which is fertile ground for visual illusions.

Illusion Generators
An illusion generator is an optical pattern designed to produce an illusion. While you will not find an exact duplicate of an illusion generator during an investigation, you will find that the conditions by which the illusion generator produces an illusion can occur in the IVF. Unfortunately, this blog format cannot handle the illusion generators which I want to use to show you how illusions can take place during an investigation. So I had to write several web pages, off-blog, which can show you how illusions can be generated and their possible application in an investigation. The first web page contains an interesting article about illusions and the paranormal. This article is followed by five pages of illusion generators. There are navigation buttons on the bottom of each page, and to return to this blog click on the button which says "Blog". At this point you can either go to the illusion web-pages, and then return to the Blog to read the conclusions section below, or read the conclusions section and then go to the web pages. To go to the illusion pages click HERE.

Conclusions
Most investigators will dismiss orbs as being out of focus dust caught in the flash of the camera. In the same spirit of skepticism, most peripheral vision images, or objects produced by Pareidolia should be rejected as being paranormal unless there is clear supporting evidence from measures not subject to illusion. In order to deal with or eliminate the possible effect of illusions, every attempt should be made to identify how an illusion could occur in the environment. Remember, certain illusions cannot be tested with photographs or video recordings. The illusion can take place by looking at the photograph or video, since it really takes place in the mind of the observer.

Pastor Jochem’s book “The Spirit Universe: A Christian View” is available in the Amazon Bookstore. His book is an invaluable resource to have on hand if you are interested in general information needed for investigating the paranormal, deliverance ministry, or counseling those hypersensitive to the spirit universe or those who are dealing with the occult and negative spirits. The book contains reorganized content from the blog, expanded information, and new content which will not be published in this blog. For more information and to order the book, click Here

Got a problem with the paranormal or have a question you would like one of our authors to discuss? Fill out a Confidential Help Request Form and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you would like to discuss this topic go to the Discussion Forum by clicking on the "Discussion Forum" link on the right side of this blog. If you have not made a commitment to Jesus and you would like to do so now, then click HERE to go to a page that will show you how to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

The Lion's Teeth Part 3 - Spiritual Freedom

Post Summary:
It may seem unusual to you for me to discuss the spirit world in terms of spiritual freedom. Spiritual freedom means that you are not influenced by any type of spirit from Sheol. You are free to make your own choices, and are not being held in captivity to the desires, influence, or subject to the whims of a spirit. Unfortunately, most cultures find it necessary to keep their hypersensitives captive to the spirits they serve. How are hypersensitives kept in bondage and how do they get delivered and find spiritual freedom? The answer is in my book:

A detailed and expanded version of this post can be found in Pastor Jochem’s book “The Spirit Universe: A Christian View” that is available in the Amazon Bookstore. His book is an invaluable resource to have on hand if you are interested in general information needed for investigating the paranormal, deliverance ministry, or counseling those hypersensitive to the spirit universe or those who are dealing with the occult and negative spirits. The book contains reorganized content from the blog, expanded information, and new content which will not be published in this blog. The book can be read on the Kindle or any device which can run the Kindle application including any Android phone, IPhone, IPad, and the home computer. It is also available in Word and PDF format. For more information and to order the book, click Here

Got a problem with the paranormal or have a question you would like one of our authors to discuss? Fill out a Confidential Help Request Form and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you would like to discuss this topic go to the Discussion Forum by clicking on the "Discussion Forum" link on the right side of this blog. If you have not made a commitment to Jesus and you would like to do so now, then click HERE to go to a page that will show you how to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

The Lion's Teeth Part 2 - Spiritual Traps

Post Summary:
I want to offer my readers a challenge! If you are a psychic or just someone who is hypersensitive and you want to develop your abilities, please look at all of the books about the paranormal that you have accumulated, and try to find just one warning that there are significant dangers involved. Find just one sentence which explains that using the techniques that they suggest could lead to spirit oppression or worse. Please find just a few words of warning that you could end up with serious mental and spiritual problems if you follow the metaphysical path that they advise. Tell me of one "psychic development" group that pre-screens their applicants to determine if they are psychologically healthy enough to apply their methods and then takes responsibility for the person who uses their techniques. The fact of the matter is that these methods and many of the groups that promote psychic techniques are offering ways by which a hypersensitivie can be trapped and damaged for years.  What are these traps and how do they work? Find out in my book:

A detailed and expanded version of this post can be found in Pastor Jochem’s book “The Spirit Universe: A Christian View” that is available in the Amazon Bookstore. His book is an invaluable resource to have on hand if you are interested in general information needed for investigating the paranormal, deliverance ministry, or counseling those hypersensitive to the spirit universe or those who are dealing with the occult and negative spirits. The book contains reorganized content from the blog, expanded information, and new content which will not be published in this blog. The book can be read on the Kindle or any device which can run the Kindle application including any Android phone, IPhone, IPad, and the home computer. It is also available in Word and PDF format. For more information and to order the book, click Here

Got a problem with the paranormal or have a question you would like one of our authors to discuss? Fill out a Confidential Help Request Form and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you would like to discuss this topic go to the Discussion Forum by clicking on the "Discussion Forum" link on the right side of this blog. If you have not made a commitment to Jesus and you would like to do so now, then click HERE to go to a page that will show you how to become a follower of Jesus Christ.