‘I Was Being Used by the Devil’: World’s Bestselling New Age Author Left It All Behind For Christ

From Faithwire:

‘I Was Being Used by the Devil’: World’s Bestselling New Age Author Left It All Behind For Christ

Photo by pawel szvmanski on Unsplash

Once upon a time, Doreen Virtue was one of the most well-known figures in the New Age movement. She was a successful author and purveyor of “angel cards,” an occultic tool, until she had a stunning awakening in 2017 that imploded her worldview and led her to embrace Christ.

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Now, Virtue is warning people not to buy her old oracle cards and products, to flee the New Age, not to pray to angels, and to cling to Jesus.

It’s a remarkable turnaround that came after Virtue studied the Bible and, after decades in the New Age movement, saw the true evils of the occult. She’s now trying to undo the impact of her past work.

“I’m devastated that some people may be in hell now because they were following my work,” Virtue said on the “Ex-Psychic Saved” podcast. “It’s heartbreaking every day to realize my old work’s out there and what I did.”

But Virtue relies on the Lord, telling host Jenn Nizza she’s grateful God opened her eyes and heart to the Gospel and saved her “while there was still time.”

“It’s a miracle,” she said.

Listen to Virtue tell her story on the “Ex-Psychic Saved Podcast”:

Virtue also discussed the roots of her foray into the occult, revealing some of the lies she believed as a child. She recalled thinking she didn’t need to read or trust the Bible, that Jesus was simply a man, and that Christ was essentially a wish-granter.

As Virtue grew up in the shadow of these sentiments, she took a truly dark path into the New Age and soon found herself doing readings and using angel cards to try and channel spirits to convey information.

Eventually, these activities intensified, and she moved into creating her own angel card decks, finding massive success selling them to others in the New Age movement. At the time, she assumed God was on her side and she was doing His work; now, she believes otherwise.

“It just became this phenomenon really quickly, and I thought it was God’s blessing on me,” Virtue said. “I didn’t realize that the devil will use people … to further his deception.”

She continued, “And so I was being used by the devil, thinking that I was getting rewarded.”

And by all worldly standards, Virtue did seem to have all the dividends one could ever want: an ocean-front house, nice furniture, and a family. Yet the cracks eventually started to show through.

“I really thought I was a Christian doing God’s work,” she said. “I had no idea that I was an abomination to God by doing and teaching divination until 2017 when I read Deuteronomy 18:10-12, and I was floored when it says there that anyone who does these things … is detestable [and an] abomination to God, and the veil was lifted. I just … fell to my knees.”

 

The sudden realization her life had been lived contrary to God’s will left Virtue “dumbstruck,” as she began apologizing to the Lord and crying out to Him.

“I … gave my life to Jesus,” she said. “That was the autumn of 2017 and, ever since then, I’ve just been telling people, ‘I’m sorry I made these cards. Please don’t use them.’”

Virtue said she’s faced quite a bit of pushback for speaking out against her former angel cards, yet she continues to do so, knowing she previously helped lead many astray.

The former psychic also addressed the accuracy of angel cards and other such tools.

“The trouble is that these angel cards and other divination methods, they do work to a degree, and they …. can predict the future to a degree,” Virtue said. “But it’s a future that’s dangerous and … very often I would follow it, and I would get divorced, or I would be away from my children doing things that were sinful.”

She continued. “God would never give us a message that would be against his commandments.”

Listen to the full episode on “Ex-Psychic Saved.

Quote for the Day

At the return of the seventy disciples who were given the authority to cast out demons, Jesus proclaims, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). This is not a reference to the primeval past, nor is it the long-overdue expulsion from the council (an assumption driven by mistakenly seeing the śāṭān in Job 1–2 as the devil). The point is that the reversal and demise of Satan’s kingdom has begun—for good. Michael Heiser

Reflection on 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

Scripture

It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.

Observation

Paul says that he is encouraged by the reports that the Thessalonians are standing firm in their faith. In fact, this news gives hi new life. He thanks God for them whenever he enters God’s presence.

Now Paul prays for them, and for us. May the Lord grow them in love for all people, making their hearts strong, blameless, and holy..

Application

People who are genuinely anointed by God for the equipping, or five fold ministry – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers – have a love for the church that other people seem to appreciate but not understand.

Like Paul, I get excited when I see the people in my church making progress and overcoming opposition that seeks to undermine them. I get excited to hear that people read books that I recommend, especially those who don’t read comfortably. These people want to grow in their faith and that excites me.

Paul received so much encouragement from the Christians at Thessalonica that it feels like new life to him. We might say it gives him motivation to get out of bed.

What motivates or encourages you in the Lord?

Prayer

Father, I thank you for people who motivate me and encourage me by their own walk with you. Please help us all to grow in this ministry of spurring one another on. Amen.

Quote for the Day

That Satan tempts Jesus in the desert wilderness is not arbitrary. The Greek term translated “wilderness” (erēmos) is used in the Septuagint translation of the destination of the goat for Azazel (Lev 16:10) and the desolate place described by Isaiah that was home to preternatural creatures associated with evil spirits (Isa 13:9).  Michael Heiser

Quote for the Day

The other frequently employed term for God’s great enemy is diabolos (“devil”), a title that means “slanderer.” John’s use of the term (John 8:44) followed by the epithet “father of lies” captures the slanderous, accusatory tone. Michael Heiser

Charges Dropped Against Christian Woman Arrested After Silently Praying in Her Head Outside Clinic — but She Plans to Continue the Battle

 

Photo: Alliance Defending Freedom UK

U.K. authorities have dropped charges against a charity worker who was criminally charged for praying near an abortion clinic, but her case might be far from over.

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Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) charges against Isabel Vaughan-Spruce have been dismissed, but she has no plans of stepping away from the legal battle.

According to a press release from her attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom UK, Vaughan-Spruce “will continue to await justice as she states her intention to pursue full dismissal of her charges.”

Uncertainty as to her legal rights has led the charity worker to fear potential new charges or legal issues moving forward, so she’s looking for a “clear verdict in court.”

“Given the nature of Vaughan-Spruce’s regular voluntary work in offering charitable support to women in crisis pregnancies near abortion facilities, the discontinuance has left her with significant legal unclarity moving forward, given that CPS made clear that the charges ‘may well start again’ in the near future subject to further evidential review,” the statement reads.

As CBN News previously reported, Vaughan-Spruce, the director of the UK March for Life, was arrested in Birmingham, England, this past December after she said she “might” be silently praying when questioned as to why she was standing on a public street near an abortion clinic.

Vaughan-Spruce was reportedly silent before police approached her and had no signage in her hands. Her offense? According to CBN News, authorities received complaints from an onlooker who suspected she was praying silently in her mind in a so-called “censorship zone.”

Video of her police encounter went viral and sparked an international reaction. Vaughan-Spruce can be seen in the clip interacting with police and explaining she “might” be praying in her head but isn’t protesting. “You’re under arrest,” a cop proclaims in the viral video before detaining her.

The City of Birmingham maintains buffer zones around abortion clinics; these designations render it illegal for people to engage “in any act of approval or disapproval” surrounding abortion, including through “verbal or written means, prayer or counseling.”

Through Vaughan-Spruce’s ADF UK attorneys, she explained why she’s forging on to seek a more definitive conclusion clarifying her legal rights.

“It can’t be right that I was arrested and made a criminal, only for praying in my head on a public street,” she said. “So-called ‘buffer zone legislation’ will result in so many more people like me, doing good and legal activities like offering charitable support to women in crisis pregnancies, or simply praying in their heads, being treated like criminals and even facing court.”

Vaughan-Spruce said she wants to be able to continue her pro-life charity work and, in order do to so, she wants to have a clear legal status.

“Many of us need an answer as to whether it’s still lawful to pray silently in our own heads,” she continued. “That’s why I’ll be pursuing a verdict regarding my charges in court.”