Read Time 4 Minutes

Charlinggay was a spirit medium and old crippled Philippino woman. She was sort out by her people for help from spirit oppression. 

When the spirits were speaking to her, she would be found bent over, holding her spirit beads, shaking uncontrollably as the spirits moved into her body. Her voice would change as they began to speak through her. She was tormented by spirits routinely keeping her awake all night, every night.

One day she found herself in a conversation with a Bible Translator working in her village. In the midst of this conversation, the power of the Holy Spirit came on Jo, the Bible Translator.

She said to Chalinggay, “You poor woman, to be at the mercy of those spirits. Look what they have done to you – all your children are dead, your husband is dead, you’re lonely, the spirits frighten you all the time… a really fine lot those spirits give you for all your service to them.” 

Chalinggay stiffened; she’d never considered the spirits like this. She replied, “But they make me do it: they make me do what they say.”

Jo sighed and answered, “You don’t have to do what they tell you.. you can just ask God to send them away.” In the Bible it says, “Jesus told the Devil, “Get out of here, Satan,” Then the devil went away..”

That began a journey of Chalinggay encountering the power of Jesus, but she discovered that was not enough.

What really flipped her world upside down was when she experienced Jesus is the truth alone, that can save.

While she experienced the power of Jesus she still was experiencing the power of her tormenting spirits, in fact since encountering Jesus, the demonic torment had gotten worse. She mixed Jesus with a bit of her occultic practices and did both.

It wasn’t until the day she burst into Jo’s house sweating profusely, her face twisted in pain, holding her stomach as if she was being stabbed repeatedly. Her body going stiff, she screamed,“They are killing me! They’re killing me! Send them away, they’re killing me!”

Jo paralyzed with fear asked God “what do I do?” She started to pray and then it dawned on her.

“Chalinggay the trouble with you is you’re not God’s child.” Recalling Romans 10:9, Jo said, “If you repent of your sins and ask God to make you his child, then God would protect you.” Jo knew God had to help in this battle. 

Chalinggay didn’t wait, she threw her head back and shouted up to God, “God it is true. I am wicked.” She looked down and muttered curses at the spirits, threw her head back and continued, “But even though I’m old, just a remnant of me is left, make me yours and nobody else’s, but yours alone.”

Instantly the shaking stopped, the pain vanished: the spirits fled and Charlinggay never went back to her occultic practices. Finally knowing real peace especially in her sleep, it was Jesus and Jesus alone. 1.

There is no middle ground, no mixture of Jesus plus whatever we think we need to save ourselves from whatever is our hell.

When we mix a bit of Jesus with a bit of something from another religion or philosophy, this is called Syncretism. Mixture Christianity.

Sadly too many Christians tolerate and/or practice Syncretism. The lie is bought into time and time again, that it is logical when anxiety is through the roof to reach for a bit of Zen or whatever else, and mix it with a bit of Jesus.

Martin Luther turned the world upside down 500 years ago in the Reformation when he declared, “In Christ alone, we are saved.”

We are still getting the memo!

Jesus alone is the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19-20). If we do not anchor our soul on Jesus, our soul will anchor to something else.

If we do not believe that Jesus is enough, then our faith crumbles to nothing.

If your soul is noisy, Jesus is hope and he is inviting you to surrender your pride and self-righteousness, and trust Him to RE-FORM you.

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Jesus alone is enough!

Reference:

1. The Word Came with Power, Shetler, J and Purvis, P, Portland Oregon, Multnomah Press