A Way That Seems Right: Avoiding the Deception of Yoga

Posted on 12/14/2020 by goodnewsfromadistantland — Leave a comment

There is a way of living that is right and true, which leads to well-being and long life.

There is also a way of living that “seems” right, but that way leads to failure and death.

But how can we know which is the right way?

The phrase, “A Way That Seems Right” is found written in the Scriptures, the Bible. The Bible contains the True and Eternal Words from the Only True, Living, and Eternal God, Yahuwah Elohim [the Hebrew name for the LORD God].

Because He is a personal, loving, and merciful Creator God, Yahuwah Elohim has provided His Words, the Bible, to all people. Therefore the Bible gives much instruction on the Way that is right, good, true, and benefical to us. Yahuwah’s Truth as revealed in the Bible is unchanging and absolute, because Truth has its origin in the pure and eternal character of Elohim [God] Himself.

Elohim’s Truth is authentic and indisputable because it is founded in the nature and character of Himself — the loving and merciful Creator of all things. But best of all, His Truth is available to us because He wants us to know personally of His everlasting love! When we have His Truth, we can walk in His pathway of abundant LIFE, and avoid deception.

However, as a merciful God, Yahuwah has also revealed in His Word many warnings on how we are to avoid the way that ‘seems’ right. He warns us to avoid what ‘seems’ right because actually, it is a way that is harmful and deadly.

There are many things in this world that can hinder our understanding of Yahuwah’s Good and Truthful Ways. One of the greatest hindrances to knowing and understanding Yahuwah and His Ways is to embrace and follow Spiritual Mixtures. Spiritual Mixtures are a combination of Bible truths with man-made, counterfeit doctrines. These deceptive teachings and ideas combine truth with false and demonic ‘wisdom’.

Deceptive, Spiritual Mixtures mix the Truth from Yahuwah’s WORD [the Bible] with the dark wisdom of this world. The frightening thing about Spiritual Mixtures is that they seem or appear to be right:

There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

This verse is given twice in the Bible, and it should be a double warning for us. The many worldly pathways and practices of so-called ‘wisdom’ appear to be good, right, and wise. But in reality, they are deceptive pathways, and result in death!

The apostle Paul expressed a clear warning regarding the nature of counterfeit, spiritual pathways:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled [deceived] Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Messiah [Christ]. (2Corinthians 11:3)

This verse describes for us what Spiritual Mixtures (spiritual counterfeits) do. These subtle, deceptive teachings from Satan corrupt us and rob us of the simple truth of Yahuwah’s Ways and His Son’s message! Spiritual Mixtures contain the corrupt widsom of this world, leading downward to death. They are earthly, soulish (sensual), and demonic (James 3:14-16).

Satan is capable of transforming himself into an angel of light (2Corinthinans 11:13-14), so his deceptions can allure anyone who desires spiritual insight. Have we ourselves become beguiled — captivated, deceived, and led away from the simplicity that is in the written Word of Yahuwah and in Messiah?

It is crucial that we learn Yahuwah’s written Word for ourselves because it is the only true source of authority for all our beliefs and actions. When we know the Word of Elohim [God] then we will learn what is true. Knowing and doing what the Bible teaches helps us avoid destructive pathways that lead to captivity and deception!

What may SEEM to be right, what is popular, and what “everyone-is-doing,” is often a way that appeals to our carnal nature, a way that appeals to our own soulish, human wisdom. And what ‘seems’ to be right is certainly appealing to many! The Scriptures confirm this:

Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are which go into destruction in this way (Matthew 7:13).

If we desire to learn what is genuinely true and not counterfeit; if we desire to learn the Good, Eternal, and Merciful Ways of Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD God], then we will forsake the worldly (often demonic) wisdom of this world — forsake false values, false practices, false religions, false gods — forsake ‘the way of the heathen’!

Counterfeit Wisdom

Many sincere people do not realize the dangers of following ‘the way of the heathen’, and have embraced a Spiritual Mixture. Unknowingly, these sincere people are following false gods. Instead of looking to the True, Eternal, Almighty God, and His wisdom [the Bible, Yahuwah’s written WORD], these deceived souls are looking in the wrong places! They are doing what ‘seems’ to be right to them. But they are falling prey to popular, counterfeit, spiritually dark wisdom — the wisdom of this world. They are feeding on one or more of the myriads of Spiritual Mixtures — the corrupted and twisted thinking of the false gods of worldly religious systems.

Spiritual Mixtures do two things:

they take away, or steal, from the Scriptures, [the Bible], or
they add to the Scriptures, [the Bible].

This is a direct and dangerous violation of the written Scriptures (Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19).

What does Father have to say about Spiritual Mixtures?

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)

These verses are a very good description of Spiritual Mixtures – mixing good with evil, mixing light with darkness, mixing sweet with bitter, mixing a little bit of the truth with the false. What does Yahuwah say about those who accept and embrace such mixtures? – “Woe unto them!!”

Woe to them because they have rejected the pure Truth of Yahuwah’s written Word, and have embraced a false religion’s practices, and a false salvation (Psalm 16:4a).

Woe to them, because they lean on human understanding, trusting in their own imaginations, following what ‘seems’ to be right. The false religious systems of this world are nothing but ‘the way of the heathen’.

“In the spiritual realm, the Bible is the standard of that which is straight – that which is true! Anything that departs from the Bible is false. Whether it departs by little or much is relatively unimportant. Some of the subtlest deceptions are those that appear to differ only a little from the Bible!” — Derek Prince

Sadly, there are many ‘ways of the heathen’ that infiltrate all societies. For this article, we will focus on only one particular ‘way of the heathen’: the practice of yoga.

A Way of The Heathen: The Practice of Yoga

The seemingly ‘harmless’ practice of yoga is one of a thousand different ways many are being deceived by wandering into the territory of Satan, and thereby becoming enslaved. Yoga is not merely a ‘physical’ exercise. It is a spiritual discipline, intended to lead the soul into total union with a supposed ‘divine’ being or spiritual substance. This spiritual being is claimed to bring one into ‘becoming one with nature and the cosmos’ — but it is in reality a demon spirit that will bring one into bondage.

Every definition and description of yoga confirms its link to its origin: the Hindu religion.

Yoga is a participation in the Hindu philosophy which advocates a course of physical and mental disciplines for attaining ‘liberation from the material world’. The goal of yoga is to achieve a union with the ‘supreme being’ through the use of a mantra (chanting a word or phrase) along with certain kinds of physical exercises, postures, and meditative stances. The word ‘yoga’ comes from the Sanskrit language which means merger or union or yoke.

Hinduism is an Eastern religion, also known as ‘Dharma’, the way of life, or ‘the eternal way’. Hinduism contains a wide range of philosophies and practices which includes yoga. Hinduism accepts numerous divine beings (gods), and many Hindus consider the deities to be manifestations of a single impersonal absolute, or to be an ultimate reality, or to be a God.

Some may say that there are benefits from practicing yoga. But the problem with practicing yoga is that we align ourselves with pagan principles and a false understanding of salvation. When we practice this particular ‘way of the heathen’ (yoga) we become entangled in, or yoked to, pagan theological religious beliefs. And this is exactly what Yahuwah Elohim (the Only True, Living, Eternal God) warns us against:

Thus says Yahuwah [the LORD], Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. (Jeremiah 10:2)

When you are come into the land which Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD your God] gives you, you shall not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10) There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11) or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12) For all that do these things are an abomination unto Yahuwah [the LORD]: and because of these abominations Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD your God] does drive them out from before you. (Deuteronomy 18:9-12)

And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of Yahuwah [the LORD], to provoke Him to anger. (2Kings 17:17)

And you shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things (the wicked things as outlined throughout this chapter), and therefore I abhorred them. (Leviticus 20:23)

The above Scriptures are just a few of the verses that Yahuwah Elohim has given as warnings against the evil of learning the way of the heathen. The Creator God, Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD God], warns us to not learn to do according to the abominations of the nations. If we continue to do so, we will continue in disobedience, and provoke Him to anger.

Let’s take a deeper look at a few of the Hebrew word meanings of some of the relevant words for this article.

Hebrew Word Meanings

The word ‘nation‘ is the Hebrew word ‘goy’ (plural – goyim) <Strongs #1471> and it means “nation, Gentile, heathen, people.” The word is used 559 times in the Scriptures. Most often the word is translated as ‘nation(s)’, usually referring to a foreign nation. But within the 559 times that the word is used, 143 times the word is translated as ‘heathen‘. Most of us know the definition of heathen: a pagan, one who does not acknowledge the true God, or one who worships idols.

The word ‘divination‘ is the Hebrew word ‘qesem’ <Strongs #7081> and it means “lot (the custom of deciding doubtful questions by lot, as to cast lots; to draw lots), divination, oracle, witchcraft.” Divination is a foretelling of future events, or the discovering of things secret by the aid of superior (supernatural) beings. It is also very significant that the meaning of this Hebrew word includes the word witchcraft.

The word ‘enchantment‘ is the Hebrew word ‘nachash’ <Strongs #5172> and it means “to hiss, that is, whisper a (magic) spell; to prognosticate, divine, enchanter, learn by experience, diligently observe.” Enchantments are incantations of ritual recitation of words or sounds believed to have a magical or spiritual effect.

The word ‘charmer‘ is the Hebrew word ‘chabar’ <Strongs #2266> and it means “to join specifically by means of spells, to fascinate, a spell, charm(-er), coupled (together), have fellowship with, join (self, together), league.” Charmers whisper, charm, and conjure up a spiritual experience by muttering and whispering.

The word ‘abomination‘ is the Hebrew word ‘toebah’ <Strongs #8441> and it means “something disgusting, abhorrence, idolatry, abominable, abomination, detest, loathe.”

After looking over these words, there is a definite similarity with the words enchantment and charmer, and the yoga practice of chanting a word or phrase by using a ‘mantra’, which is literally a Hindu ‘sacred utterance’. Such practices are forbidden and warned against in the Scriptures (Leviticus 19:26; 2Kings 21:6; Isaiah 47:9). This alone ought to be a flashing warning signal to stay far away from a yoga class.

Also the postures, the breathing-exercises, and the meditation practices of yoga are equally dangerous, since they are the steps required to attain unity with the ‘Brahman’, the supreme, universal, impersonal, divine essence of the Hindu religion. This effort to participate in the steps to align oneself with this false god of Hinduism (Brahman), is a blasphemous action against the One True, Eternal Creator God who tells us, “there is no God beside Me”:

Know therefore this day, and consider it in your heart, that Yahuwah [the LORD], He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deuteronomy 4:39)

I am Yahuwah [the LORD], and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded (strengthened) you, though you have not known Me: 6) that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am Yahuwah [the LORD], and there is none else. 18) For thus says Yahuwah [the LORD] that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am Yahuwah [the LORD]; and there is none else. 22) Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:5-6,18,22)

A Corrupt Tree Cannot Bring Forth Good Fruit

It does not matter how much so-called ‘benefit’ a person may acquire through the practice of yoga, the truth remains: if we have fellowship with the dark powers of demons, then we are in agreement with Satan, the father of lies, and we open ourselves to deception, bondage, and spiritual corruption:

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (Matthew 7:18)

Origins are important! The origin (seed) from which something begins, and springs into being (tree), will always bring forth the result (fruit) that is characteristic of its beginning. If the origin of something is corrupt, then the only fruit of that ‘something’ will always be corrupt.

There is no question about the origin of yoga — its origin is the Hindu religion. Practicing yoga is a perfect example of a Spiritual Mixture that is just one of the many ‘ways of the heathen’. It combines a little bit of good with evil, a little bit of light with darkness, a little bit of sweet with bitter, a little bit of truth with error.

What is Yahuwah Elohim’s message to anyone involved in the practice of yoga? “Woe unto them!!”

Yahuwah Elohim (the Only True, Living, Eternal God) has revealed His Ways in His written Word, the Bible. Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD God] is the One and Only Almighty, Creator God, and He is a very personal, loving, and merciful God and Father. And because of His great love for each one of us, He sent His Son to this earth to die in our place, revealing His compassion for us.

It is only through Yahuwah’s Son that we can ever hope to know and come to understand who Yahuwah Elohim is. Those who are searching for peace of mind and peace of heart will find it only through Yahuwah Elohim’s Son, for no one can come to the Heavenly Father except by coming to His Son.

And who is Yahuwah’s Son? He is Yahushua Messiah [the Hebrew name for Jesus Christ]:

And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him. (Mark 9:7; See also Acts 3:22-23)

Yahushua [Jesus] said, … All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, except the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:27-28)

Yahushua [Jesus] said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me. (John 14:6)

Conclusion

This is a very brief exposé of the problems with yoga. I have just scratched the surface of this problem because the subject is too huge to cover it in this short article. I have listed some Helpful Resources below, and I encourage those who want to escape the darkness of yoga to look up the links.

I have written several Related Articles about the necessary steps a person must take to truly come to know the True, Eternal, Everlasting Heavenly Father (Links given below). For now, I will give a couple of helpful tips if you are sincerely interested in being set free from this spiritually dark ‘wisdom of this world’: yoga – ‘a way of the heathen’.

Tip #1

The first real and concrete step to truly knowing and understanding Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD God] and His written Word and His Ways, is to be ‘born of the Spirit’:

Yahushua [Jesus] answered and said unto him, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. … Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again. (John 3:3-7)

Yahushua Messiah [the Hebrew name for Jesus Christ] taught us that “You must be born again“. I have written about how to become Born Again in the article Good News – 3 Truths to Finding Peace With God, and I urge you to read that article if you are not sure you are Born Again.

Tip #2

It is very important that you begin to read the Bible daily. If you are new to reading the Bible, then it may be difficult at first. For me, I found that reading the book of Proverbs was a big help right at first. Then reading the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), was very helpful too. I encourage you also to read Pslam 119. If a phrase seems to ‘jump out’ at you, then stop and think about its importance.

Be patient and persevere because when you regularly read the written Word of Yahuwah Elohim [the Bible], you are involved in the all-important process of ‘being transformed by the renewing of your mind’:

The entrance of Your Words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

Notice that phrase in the above Scripture: “Be Not Conformed To This World“. That phrase is another way of saying, “Learn Not the Way of the Heathen!”

Father in Heaven, I thank You for Your Word – Your True, Pure, and Merciful Wisdom. Help me to seek You diligently and study and learn Your written Word for myself, so that I can obey You and avoid Spiritual Mixtures. Help me to make Your Word first place in my life. In the precious name of Your Son, Yahushua Messiah, I pray. Amen.

This is Part 3 in our series on “A Way That Seems Right”.

See the companion articles:
Part 1: A Way That Seems Right: Avoiding the Strong Delusion
Part 2: A Way That Seems Right: Avoiding The Sin Against Our Own Body

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Helpful Resources:

Should Christians practice Yoga?
https://carm.org/should-christians-practice-yoga

The Truth About Yoga
https://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2005/march/truth-about-yoga.html

Is Yoga Sinful?
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-yoga-sinful

What’s Wrong With Taking a Yoga Class?
http://www.brfwitness.org/whats-wrong-with-taking-a-yoga-class/

The Way to the Father
https://www.derekprince.org/Articles/1000133821/DPM_USA/Resources/Daily_Devotional/2015_Format/DGW_August_07.aspx

12 Reasons Why Yoga is NOT Good for Christians
http://www.praisemoves.com/about-praisemoves/why-a-christian-alternative-to-yoga/12-reasons-why-yoga-is-not-good-for-christians/

God’s Word Condemns Satan and all His Works
https://www.cai.org/bible-studies/gods-word-condemns-satan-all-his-works

Opening demonic doors – Even with your thoughts!
https://www.greatbiblestudy.com/deliverance-ministry/opening-demonic-doors-even-with-your-thoughts/