Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/92

Contributor - Kathy Gerstner

Title - We Are Not Contending Against Flesh and Blood: An Interview with Wanda

Topic - Cults

Picture a five-year-old girl who has never known her father because he died when she was only ten weeks old. This little girl, Wanda, felt very confused, rejected, and deserted because she did not have a father like other children her age. She clearly remembers the day she asked her mother about her father. "Mom," she said, "where is my Dad?" Her mother replied, "Jesus took him." As though it were a conscious decision, Wanda thought, "Well, Jesus may have taken him, but I'm going to be sure that he'll never get me!" And for the next 35 years Wanda did everything possible to reject and ridicule Christianity.

While only five years old, Wanda began dabbling in the occult through the use of the technique of astral projection ("night flying"). At the age of seven, Wanda and her mother moved two houses away from a Spiritualist "church". Wanda immediately made friends with the caretaker there, and spent much of her free time with the people of that congregation. By the age of nine, Wanda was proficient in the use of the Ouija Board which her mother had given her and the Tarot Cards given by her grandmother.

As a child, Wanda was brought to Sunday School on a regular basis; however, she believed that the Bible was filled with fairy tales and folklore, and mocked anyone who took the Bible seriously.

As a young adult, an acquaintance who drove Wanda to school tried to witness to her. Wanda flatly rejected all she had to say and refused further rides, feeling it was better to walk than listen to someone speak of Christianity.

Throughout her childhood, Wanda's occult involvement broadened and deepened. She and her mother regularly attended psychic fairs, read their horoscopes and went to see a fortune teller on an annual basis. Wanda also became involved in seances, witchcraft, fortune telling for others through the use of tarot cards and the ouija board, reading tea leaves, palm reading, etc. These practices continued into her adult life and she in turn began passing them on to her children.

Wanda's life began to change in August of 1989 when her five-year-old son asked to attend daily Vacation Bible School at their neighbour's church. Assuming it would be a harmless play time for Rusty, she readily agreed. What Wanda hadn't bargained for was that Rusty would want to give his life to Jesus Christ after being exposed to Christianity for the first time in his life. For the next ten months, Sunday mornings became a battle between Wanda and Rusty. Rusty desperately wanted to attend Sunday School at the church where he had attended VBS, and Wanda desperately tried to avoid Jesus Christ. In May of 1990 Wanda finally succumbed and took Rusty back to "his" church. Wanda felt she should attend church with him a few times to be sure he would not be fed any "harmful doctrine".

Two months later Wanda accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour during a worship service at the Cambridge Christian Centre.

Wanda is quick to point out that her conversion was only the beginning of her struggles. She sees the occult as an addiction. It is an all-encompassing philosophy, a way of life that elevates the self and completely eliminates the need for God. It is intellectual, logical, and flips Christianity on its head so effectively that it is extremely difficult for someone to see a way out of the movement. Wanda feels deeply indebted to her neighbour Gloria, a committed Christian who first brought her son to Vacation Bible School, and then stood by her physically and spiritually in prayer, both before her conversion and to this day. Wanda has required Gloria's help to rid her home of her Satanic and New Age literature; to help her work through the intellectual and spiritual issues which plague her as she learns to shift her whole outlook on life; and to withstand the temptations to fall back into her old lifestyle, for which, on one level, Wanda has no desire and to which she knows she can never go back, but on another it seems more comfortable.

Wanda challenges all Christians to look for opportunities to share their faith with even the apparently most "impossible" non-Christians but don't stop there. Be willing to stick with them. For the new Christian, especially someone who has been involved in the New Age or occult, the road is not easy and the temptation to slip is great. We cannot say "let go and let God" because God uses us to accomplish his purposes. Gloria went through tremendous physical and emotional pain to help Wanda. All Christians need to be willing to do the same. Although Wanda still struggles and has many difficult days, the Lord has been faithful in giving her the necessary strength and has been using her in remarkable ways to lead others to the Lord.

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