Readers of A. J. Russell’s God Calling books and Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling series may reject the idea of becoming a medium, channel, or psychic if it is put plainly before them. However, if it is introduced indirectly through Christian-sounding devotions, and if the spirit being channeled is called “Jesus,” they might be more receptive.—BNES
“Jesus Calling Devotional Series—A Path to Mediumship?”
By Chris Lawson
Founder and Director of Spiritual Research Network
In an August 2019 headline on Thomas Nelson’s publishing blog titled “The Jesus Calling Brand Celebrates 30 Million Units Sold,” it stated:
Devotional continues to grow year-over-year, more than 15 years post-release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 26, 2019) – Today, Thomas Nelson announced that the Jesus Calling brand by Sarah Young has surpassed 30 million units sold since it was first published in October 2004. It remains one of the most successful devotionals of all time. The deep connection that readers feel to the content in Jesus Calling is evident across its various social media accounts, which total more than 1.5 million followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Readers regularly share their experiences with Jesus Calling on social media, and those experiences led to the creation of the Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith Podcast, which recently surpassed 3 million downloads.
In light of the “Jesus Calling Brand’s” incredible popularity, there is something very important you should know, which is stated in a booklet written by BDES that we keep on our website titled “Training Manual for Mediums?—Quotations from the God Calling Books and the Jesus Calling Series.” Here is an excerpt:
The God Calling books and the Jesus Calling series teach the principles of mediumship with gentle, repetitive commands that are woven into the text and scattered throughout the books. Readers are progressively presented with meditation techniques that sound vaguely scriptural but are not actually found in the Bible. Devoted readers, consciously or not, may find themselves gradually embracing an Eastern model of religious devotion, characterized by a consistent list of imperatives.
Millions of Christians have absolutely no idea about the spirit that is influencing Sarah Young—which is providing her with New Age/occult concepts, buzzwords, and phrases, as well as names and titles for the Divine, that are actually from New Age, occult and cultic belief systems. (See, Extra-Biblical Names in the Jesus Calling Series by BNES.)
For Jesus Calling readers, this may sound extremely harsh; however, our reasoning is based on factual data that has been craftily embedded into the entire framework of the Jesus Calling devotional series texts. Sarah Young and the voice/thoughts/spirit that is communicating to/with/through her have given to the world a message from “another” Jesus (2 Cor. 11:1-4), and that message is found collectively within the texts of Jesus Calling, Dear Jesus, Jesus Lives, Jesus Today, Jesus Calling Devotional Journal, Jesus Today Devotional Journal, Jesus calling Morning & Evening, and Jesus Always.
The Bible states that Christians can fall prey to spiritual deception without even realizing it. Paul the apostle wrote the following to the church at Corinth:
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.—2 Corinthians 11:3-4
Our concern is about the overarching and hidden (occult) theme throughout the Jesus Calling series—and that overarching theme, which can be found by examining the entire series in detail, is the induction into mediumship/channeling, which is inspired by “the Presence” that Sarah Young writes about.
Click this link to read: “Training Manual for Mediums?—Quotations from the God Calling Books and the Jesus Calling Series.”
Chris Lawson, Director of SRN
Spiritual Research Network
Related Articles:
Letter to the Editor: I Was Seduced by the “Jesus” of “Jesus Calling”
Jesus Calling, Contemplative Prayer, the New Age, and Psalm 46:10
Calvinists are not solid believing Christians or they would never mention the name of this dead man who taught the doctrines of demons. Obviously, you are stated what you did to sell this false man to others. If you were a true Christian, you would simply state you are a Bible-believing Christian, from cover to cover with no added men’s teachings.
Calvinism is heresy, a plot of satan to remove God’s chosen Jews out of the picture. Satan hates the Jews because they are chosen of Almighty God. Calvin rewrites the Bible as do all of those who follow the doctrines of demons. He followed Augustine the father of the Catholic church, an idolater, who worshipped Mary. This is why he believed in the heresy of infant baptism. He stole doctrines from Augustine. Augustine taught the Catholic church replaced the Jews. Calvin changed it to say believers replaced the church. Please watch video of popes praying before bones, including Augustine’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtphyBYFgAg
John Calvin believed in general society owning worth. He believed society would conquer satan. Calvin: “Wherefore, the sense will be (in my judgment) that the human race, which Satan was endeavoring to oppress, would at length be victorious.” “To mean the posterity of the woman generally.” He later added Christians into this equation further into his commentary on Genesis 3:15. It is all insane as with much of what he writes in his commentaries that is blasphemous. I see why Calvin is called a humanist.
Calvin did deny Jesus Christ by saying it was not Christ who would bruise satan on the head at the time of His crucifixion, being a false prophet, blasphemer and heretic. Christ did perform this at the time of His death, as the seed of the woman is God the Son. Is it not interesting, Catholics lie and state, Mary was the one who bruised satan on the head? Once again, you see Calvin taking idolatrous Catholicism (Augustine-ism) and changing it to his own blasphemous liking.
And Revelation, in chapter 19, we read of satan being cast into the lake of fire by an angel through the agency of Christ following the tribulation. Satan’s influence on the earth will end till he is released after a thousand years.
Because Calvin believed in satan being bound, some generations following Adam and Eve, true Calvinists believe satan is bound today and society is relevant to Christianity.
This calls to my mind Ezekiel chapter 8 where the priests pretended to worship God, but behind closed doors, they worshiped false gods—satan in his various forms.
And I have been greatly persecuted by Calvinists for simply standing on the Bible, including being held in a room by them and you could feel the presence of demons. It is all about getting me away from the Bible and reading reformists books full of the doctrines of demons.
Lauren, Lighthouse Trails is not and has never said that there are not real Christians within the Calvinist camp. But it is in spite of the Calvinist doctrinal system, not because of it that some are believers. You have written on this blog a number of other times about this. It’s true that diligent study is needed to understand Calvinism, but not studying what other Calvinist teachers say but rather studying God’s Word, which we have and continue to do. And it is from this biblical study that we come to the conclusion that Calvinism does not represent God’s Word and His salvation.
You should be careful in your attack on Calvinist/Reformed Christians because some of them , like me, are real solid believing Christians. There are very apostate new calvinists and reformed churches who are corrupted by liberality and modern errors. There is a huge difference and you are most definitely are not aware of this. So, when you make such a sweeping accusation you need to have studied enough to be right, which you are not in this case.
It is interesting to note that some organized churches now refer to only “Jesus” on their web sites. I found that the Christian and Missionary Alliance in my area, recently completely revamped their web page and it only uses the name “Jesus”. To find “Jesus Christ” mentioned, one must look for the official church statement of faith which is not easily located, but plenty of “social justice” and new spirituality lingo is featured before one would even get close to finding the statement of faith. Everything is changing in the organized churches – and quickly. I have always realized that there is a false Christ of the new age, and this is what has now replaced the true Jesus, and this seducing spirit is most definitely the one found in “Jesus Calling” and what one will contact while practicing meditation/contemplation techniques.
Joy, thanks so much for sharing. Yeah, the world of New Age trickery is filled with catchphrases; think “unity, diversity; all is one, synchronicity, spirit guides, etc.”. And then the huge paradox, “There’s unity in diversity.” (That last one is a paradox like the rather commonsense-lacking “Less is more.” Haha!
Indeed, you experienced the presence of a demon(s), alright. How fortunate are born-again believers who have the Holy Spirit who testifies about Jesus and who points to all truth?
And how blessed are we who are born-again as these dark forces are powerless against the Holy Trinity? Demons know that God has made His dwelling in you at the time of conversion, and they shudder, believe me.
I knew a Canadian woman who got “visited” by demons and who called me in a state of worry. Because I have no authority over those things (contrary to what certain deceivers “teach”), I simply prayed to God to sort it out. Within minutes, my son and I (14,000 km away, or 8700 miles, if you prefer) got visited by the same three guests. We paid them no mind, and they disappeared within seconds (and they also did not bother my friend again).
Joy, these things are real, and I thank you for sharing your experience; I hope people take note of what happened to you. Jesus, who saved us (past tense) is the name above all names.
Peace, Joy, and many blessings.
Thank you. I reposted as is my norm. i also shared my story which correlates. In writing about the Curandero for the repost I finally understood why I had such a visceral reaction and almost wrecked my truck .when I heard a reading from JC over the radio- it was the same spirit…
“In 2001 Pima County, including Tucson, Arizona, had a mandatory “Cultural Diversity” class for their employees. “Diversity” trainings were still fairly new and no one knew beforehand who the speaker was or the subject other than it was class on Diversity.
Only 15 people at a time were allowed into the class. I was scheduled for and attended the first session. I had NO idea what I was in for as the door closed. The speaker the County brought in was a “Curandero” aka a “Mexican Healer.” The “o” in the word Curandero means this healer was a male of Mexican descent, about 50 years old. Although I’d never heard of him, it turned out he was a highly educated, respected and well known, “healer” in both the US as well as Mexico.
On the front table he had laid out the many symbols of his trade, including those of his closest “spirit guides.” Included in the array on the table were Eagle feathers, and a wolf’s head along with candles. The Curandero lifted up the feathers followed by the wolf’s head sharing how his spirit guides helped him in his work.
The Curandero also PROUDLY shared that “Jesus” was one of his most treasured spirit guides. At the beginning of his lecture the Curandero promised to demonstrate his healing powers using a volunteer from the audience.
I do not know if there were other genuine Believers among my coworkers joining me in silently prayer against this demonic session. I do know that I sat white knuckled in earnest prayer. The Healer forgot his promise for our session.
I was going to stop here. But early on in writing this comment, I remembered something. Those who know me personally and /or who read my post at the time will remember the incident.
The same spirit of evil I sensed way back then was the SAME spirit of evil that came when I heard a something being read on Christian radio.
It sounded like a Bible reading but it wasn’t… it sounded like Jesus speaking scripture – BUT IT WASN’T!
I almost wrecked my Truck trying to get the station changed or the radio turned off. Turns out it was a radio commercial…
for “Jesus Calling.”
I had never read a single passage of Jesus Calling and so I wasn’t familiar with the “voice” of the book. That was my first and only exposure to the book.
The “Curandero” and the devotional book, “Jesus Calling” both have the same spirit guide and IT ISN’T JESUS.
Joy 💜”
Elizabeth, indeed. How can Christians believe the contents of books that are/have been written by those who are not born-again, unsaved, especially “spiritual” nonsense? I have friends in academia whose books I use in my research, but these books are not “spiritual” or pretending to be “inspired by god.”
My answer to your question is this: Maybe, just maybe, the readers’ foundations are rotten. Just as it is in the world of music, so it is with books. Someone says “lord” or “Jesus” or “god” and people get all teary-eyed and believe it’s inspired by the God of the Bible. Nope, nope, nope,. Consider the atheist and foul-mouthed and dirty mind Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” And consider the ramblings by every Calvinist/reformed writer. There, nothing more to add.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for being aware! You are a shining light.
How can Christians believe in books written by non-believers? That is the question. Christians are being fooled just because Sarah Young puts a lot of Biblical references at the bottom of the page, which most people will not read and the references have nothing to do with her devotional page. We have to know which authors are born again believers and which are not. Sarah Young and her enablers will have much to answer for on Judgement Day.
Thank you, just wish people would listen to the warning.
Chris Lawson has been warning about this for years. These books are either channeled or made-up (the former is the obvious answer). Demons are having a whale of a time destroying those whose foundations are on the sand.
Chris (and Warren Smith) is one of the best around when it comes to research.
People, these “books” are written by demons, as fearmongering as it may sound. One question: Would Jesus contradict Himself? Nope.
Thanks, Chris. You’re a man on a fearless and Godly mission, and Lighthouse may feel proud (in a good way) to have you as a researcher and writer.
This reminds me of the perverted “Fifty Shades of Nonsense” that was found on every “Christian” woman’s bedside drawer…for “research purposes.” I could not stop laughing…