Charismatic Witchcraft: The Deception of False Anointing & Power Without Submission
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession’” (Psalm 2:1-8 NKJV).
Why do the heathen nations rage and the people imagine a vain thing?
The actual question in this text is not King David asking God the motivation of those who take counsel (conspire) to come against the Lord and His anointed. More importantly, it is David asking God why He allows it to happen. “God, why do You allow the heathen to rage, and why do You let the rulers and kings of the earth set themselves against You and against Your anointed? Why God, why?”
The Question is Why
Why does God allow His anointed to suffer so greatly? After all, the sole motivation of the anointed is to do the will of God. You would think that if the primary desire in the life of the anointed is to please their heavenly Father, the least He could do is protect and preserve them. You would think God would stop the persecution, mistreatment, and abuse by the heathens and phony church folks. But the truth of the matter is that God allows and, in most cases, sends His anointed through more than all others. An intelligent question is, “God, why?”
The anointed might say, “Why do You let this mess happen when I’m obeying You? Why do You let people treat me like this? God, what’s up with that? Are You a sadist who enjoys inflicting pain on others? Oh God, why allow these heathens to trip on me like this? I mean, after all, I’m a man of God, I’m a woman of God. I don’t have to take this kind of treatment from some stupid unsaved employer who doesn’t even respect the fact that I’m called, appointed, and anointed. Hey, these people don’t even know You. I do! Therefore, I should be afforded special privileges. I should not have to wait until I mature and develop character to get whatsoever I desire— I’m a King’s kid! I should be able to just name it and claim it. I have the keys to the Kingdom. I can call what I want into existence. I thought all I had to do is say the Word, right?”
Experience the Power of His Presence
T.D. Jakes
But you know what God’s response is to all that selfishness and flesh? “No!”
Let’s look at the psalmist’s question in this passage and address each point, one by one.
“Whys” of the Anointed
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together [conspiring together], against the Lord, and against His anointed (Psalm 2:2 NKJV).
“Against the Lord.” The most prevailing sin of all humankind is the sin of selfishness…the idolizing of self (self-idolatry). Selfishness is the epitome of satanic, demonic, and rebellious sinful motivations and behavior. Observing the power and majesty of Almighty God, satan became jealous of the Lord’s glory. Satan sought to instigate a mutiny in Heaven.
Jealousy is the manifestation of insecurity and dissatisfaction with one’s calling and self-worth. When you don’t know your purpose, you become discontent and many times become envious of another’s success. Jealousy and bitter envying are the root cause of the spirit of competition. That spirit presently plagues many in church leadership and those aspiring to positions of leadership. Everybody wants to be number one, the top dog, the head honcho, the man or woman in demand.
So in our desire to be number one, we covet, lust, and compete for another’s position, status, or possessions. Why do we do this? Because we want everybody to look at us, to like us, to admire us, to respect us, to worship us. Before we know it, we’ve become drunk with selfish ambition and, like satan, our hidden motives of the heart become the attitude of rebellion against who and what God has called us to be and do. If we don’t come to our senses and repent, we will inevitably become deceived and overwhelmed with the lust for power, prestige, position, and possessions. We no longer aspire to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.
The confession and attitude of our heart reflect the sentiment of satan: “I will exalt myself above the throne of God, above the throne of my husband, above the throne of my employer or super- visor. My church will be bigger than the Baptist church down the street. I’m going to be more popular and bigger than the other TV evangelist. I will… I, I, I, I will exalt myself.”
If we don’t repent, we will become deceived with the lust for power, prestige, position, and possessions.
Because you were not patient enough to wait on God’s timing (even though you’ve been called, you need to wait until you are sent), you’ve aligned yourself with the wicked rulers of the day and taken counsel against the Lord. Why? Selfishness!
“And against His anointed.” It is without exception, absolutely necessary for the anointed to suffer. The moment you begin to accept and understand this, you will begin to rejoice in tribulation. I know this doesn’t sit well with much of what we’ve been taught in reference to our victory in Christ. We do have victory in Christ, but we must understand that there has to be a battle fought in order to gain a victory. There is no victory without war.
Also you have to know that just as God has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory, He also has promised us trials and tribulations in this life. Tribulations and trials serve, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, a divine purpose. The purpose is death. Death? That’s right, I mean death—death to the flesh.
If you are going to walk in the anointing, power, and presence of God, you must be dead to self. In order to be alive to Christ, you must first yield to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and die to the works of the flesh. Why? So that no flesh may glory in His sight. Before a man or woman is dead to self, they are occupied and consumed with self and how they can please themselves. They make a conscious decision to walk in their own understanding, instead of acknowledging the Lord and being directed by His wisdom.
Submission + Suffering + Obedience + Praise = Anointing (Power for Living)
So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:22-23 NKJV).
Like King Saul, selfish Christians are charismatic witches. They rebel against totally submitting to the lordship of Christ Jesus (the Anointed). Like King Saul, selfish, carnal Christians and Christian leaders are idolaters of self. They stubbornly insist upon doing things their way instead of God’s way. Selfish people (self-idolaters) sometimes are a god unto themselves. Just like King Saul and Samson the judge, they will awake one day to find that the glory (the Anointing) has departed (that is, if they were ever anointed in the first place).
Embrace the Power of His Presence
Most believers chase after God's gifts, blessings, and answered prayers, but there lies a deeper dimension that He longs to bring you into: His very Presence.
When it seems like your prayers are going unanswered and you feel like God isn't listening, you may find yourself in a valley, a dry place, a test, or a trial. These moments can make it seem like His help is far away. Yet, when you discover the Power of His Presence, everything changes!
Bishop T.D. Jakes, a New York Times bestselling author and founder of The Potter’s House, is one of the most influential evangelicals of our time. Having walked through his own valleys and trials, Bishop Jakes writes not as an expert, but as a fellow traveler. He reveals that the secret to flourishing and thriving in every season is found in the power of God’s Presence.
In these 40 inspirational entries, you are invited to:
Experience God’s closeness, keeping you stable through every storm.
Draw from the unlimited refreshing of the Holy Spirit, even while facing trials.
Stay anchored and immovable in God’s Presence, regardless of the storms around you.
Embrace God’s guidance through detours into your destiny.
Don’t let any circumstance, trial, or the enemy derail you from your divine destiny. Once you embrace the powerful reality that God is always with you, you’ll be anchored in the Presence of God―the One who will never leave you or forsake you.
