The Bible leads from darkness to light (Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16). In his book, The Light That Was Dark, Warren Smith tells us how the Bible leads him from spiritual darkness to the light of the cross of Jesus Christ. He talks about teachings of the New Age/Spirituality movement that led him into spiritual darkness; and about how the biblical Word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, helped him to escape. Learning from what Warren Smith shares about coming to the light of the Bible may help some to avoid the dark deceptions of this movement; and help others to escape from its darkness.
Teachings of New Age/Spirituality Leads into Darkness
In his journey into the darkness of New Age/Spiritual, Warren Smith says he encountered different teachers:
A Psychic.Warren was introduced to a psychic who told him things about himself only he knew, after a “ball of light” appeared over his head. He asked to know more about the forces empowering the psychic.
A Guru. After reading a book by an Indian guru, Warren met the guru. The guru taught him about a “distillation of all the great teachers.” The guru said all the great teachers taught “the one truth that God is everywhere and in everyone and in everything.” Warren learned that as we discard our old beliefs about being sinful, “we can appreciate and love ourselves for who we are.” (p33). And he was given lessons on how to meditate and “enter deeply into the mystery of God and oneness.” (p35).
A Holistic Institute. Mr. Smith enrolled in a program of metaphysical spirituality at the Sacramento Holistic Institute. Metaphysical classes prepared students to be “channels of love, light and healing.” He learned more about meditation, yoga exercises, massaging and holistic health. He applied what he learned in his employment as a Social Worker with people with developmental disabilities.
A Course In Miracles.A friend in the Institute gave Warren a book to read, which led to a set of books called A Course In Miracles. The Course was dedicated to “dispel the erroneous…Bibles teachings.” The Course claimed to teach real gospel–-“We are all part of God and God a part of us” — “There is no sin, no devil, and no death” — “We really are… sinless, guiltless Sons of God” (p90).
The Bible Leads to the Light
Warren Smith had a dream about “the good book”—The Bible.He was a student in a metaphysical course of the Inner Light Consciousness Center when his instructor asked students to share a dream they might have had the previous night. He shared a dream in which he was walking along and lost his footing when the earth split. But he was able to climb back up. And as he was walking along again, he met a small group who was listening to someone reading from “a book.” The instructor warned that going of the spiritual path can be dangerous. However, the students concluded that the book was “the good book.” The Holy Spirit uses the good book of the Bible to lead Warren to the light.
The Bible leads Warren to question the Course. Warren began to meet with a group being taught by his former teacher of A Courses in Miracles. A close friend of Warren, named Joy, attend the Course with Him. Their teacher, Frank, reminded them of a tenet of the Course–they were “perfect, sinless, guiltless Sons of God” (p 107).
When Joy encountered a spiritual problem, she and Warren went to the teacher for his help. Joy felt that a client from her massage business had been trying to possess her body when she was almost a sleep. Frank gathered them into a circle, held hands and told them to “visualize sending light” to the client. However, Warren wondered out loud if something else could be done. Frank’s wife, Trudy, who was present responded unexpectedly, “Put on the full armour of God and stand fast against the wiles of the devil.” This is contrary what the New Age Course in Miraclesteaches. She advised them to read Ephesians 6:10 in the Bible. Trudy insisted the devil is real. Apparently, not wanting to contradict his wife at this time, Frank shrugged it off.
The Bible leads Warren and his friend Joy to see there is a devil. When Joy and Warren got home they read Ephesians 6:10-12, and saw that what Trudy said about there being a devil was in the Bible. However, they wondered why Trudy, a New Ager, would tell them to believe in the traditional teaching of the Bible.
- Was Trudy holding on to religious beliefs from the past?
- Was she led away from the church by Frank who was in church with her and convinced her to seek the “real truth” with New Age people?
- Did she marry Frank, contrary to the Word of God, knowing he was not a real traditional Bible believer? (2 Corinthians 6:14).
- Was she staying with Frank because the Bible says a married believer should remain with the unbeliever who wants to stay with the believer? (1 Corinthians 7:12-16)
- Was she now being used by God to help others who may be seeking the truth?
- Was God keeping a promise to her as a believer that He would never leave or forsake you?
- (Among the possible questions and answers, I feel one answer is God was keeping a pledge to Trudy. He kept his promise to me when I disobeyed him and backslid into sin–he never left nor forsook me (Jeremiah 3:14; Deuteronomy 31:6; John 10:29). Although Trudy went off course somewhere, I believe the Lord was using her to help others, as he did me when I returned to him.
The Bible leads them to believe in the power of the blood of Jesus.Spiritual attacks on Joy by powers of darkness continued until Warren discover an apparently out of place Christian book in the metaphysical section of a book store. The book, The Beautiful Side of Evil, was written by Johanna Michaelsen. As he began to read the book, a disturbed man, looking as if he was possessed, entered the store and tried to stop him from reading or buying the book. Warren said the man left when he showed he would not be intimidated. As Warren continued to read the book, he saw that Johanna had been heavily into metaphysics and had been attacked by evil spirits until she learned about Jesus from friends. He was willing to try anything to free Joy from her attacker. Later, Warren tried what he had learned from Johanna on Joy. When Joy was in a state of being attacked by the harassing spirit, Warren commanded the spirit, “in the name of Jesus …be gone,” and he “claimed” the protection of the blood of Jesus.” The spirit was gone. Because of their new experience in calling Jesus, they decided to read the Bible as well as A Course In Miracles. The spirit that was attacking Joy, gave up after they continued to call on Jesus.
However, they started being attacked by an apparent stronger spirit present when they were asleep. Whenever they called on Jesus it would stop; but come back later. Joy started suspecting the attacker was the spiritual guide of a “nice man” that caused her psychic alarm to go off whenever she saw him in town. They knew the man from having been involved in a metaphysical community with him. After the attacks persisted, embolden by the knowledge of Jesus, they decided to confront him. When they did, he denied having anything to do with their being attacked. But the next time they saw the “nice man” he appeared disheveled and “unnerved.” They recognized they were learning more about dealing with evil spirits. But more importantly they were learning more about the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Warren and Joy wanted to share what they had learned from the Bible. But the members of their Course group, with the exception of Trudy, turned against them. Warren and Joy soon left the group. They were beginning to see the real light, the real Jesus, the real God.
By comparing the Bible and the Course they saw the light of the real Jesus in the Bible. As they read the Bible they prayed to God for understanding. Warren prayed to God for his approval of Joy as his wife; then he waited for God approval before deciding to marry her.
Joy was the first to see clearly that A Course In Miracles was not from God, and that the Jesus of the Course was not the real Jesus (p 143). Still having questions, Warren isolated himself for almost a week studying and comparing the Course and the Bible.
By his study, he was thoroughly convinced that Joy was right. He saw clearly that the gospel of the Bible was “the real gospel.” He also saw that “the Course and the New Age were Antichrist” (p 145). Seeing that they believed in the real Jesus Christ of the Bible, the only begotten Son of God, the only way to God the Father, the Light of the world, they said “we are Christians” (p 148).
The Bible light that helped Warren and Joy, can keep you from going into spiritual darkness. It can free those who are captive of darkness by the light of the cross of Jesus Christ.
Warren Smith, The Light That Was Dark: From New Age to Amazing Grace(Magalia, CA: Mountain Stream Press, 2005)
