I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.
~Jewish Proverb
~Jewish Proverb
A few weeks ago, a lady at our church, who works with the younger children, prayed over all the teen helpers, including the Princess. A few days later, my daughter asked about what "enchantress" meant. I asked her why she was asking because I felt that she already knew what it commonly would mean. It was then that she told me the lady told her she was an enchantress. Again, I am not one to get highly concerned about such things because of two reasons:
At the time, I told my daughter that since there is nothing that God would promote that was associated with evil, then I would see the use of that word as associated with her being enchanting or charming in the way that she is as a captivating performer, whether it be performing at the piano or acting.
However, my daughter also started asking me about the population in Florida, about whether or not Fidel Castro was still alive, and concerns about Russia and China. She has had difficulty falling sleeping at night for the last few years, but recently she began having serious problems with it. She was not sleeping at all or very little with black circles under her eyes. I learned later that she was actually trying not to sleep on purpose. Remember that I am empathic so take a guess who also was beginning to have the same problems.
After quite some time in prayer and quite a few talks with quite a few people besides the Princess, including one with the lady who prayed for her, I think I finally have a better picture of what happened and is happening. The lady, who has the gift of prophetic dreams and visions, prayed over her and heard the word "enchantress," but did not say that my daughter was one. She did not feel it was meant to be a warning or condemnation and she had explained to my daughter that she did not feel it meant anything to do with witchcraft or magic, a point my daughter failed to mention. In fact, the lady told her that she felt it meant about the same thing I had thought it might mean.
Since then, the Princess has been having what she believes are prophetic visions and dreams of the End Times. She tells me that only a "handful" make it out of Florida, which becomes flooded, and a key point in her visions is that what she is seeing begins after the death of Fidel Castro. Then there are attacks on the east and west coasts by Russia and China. She even made a map showing what parts of the United States come under occupation.
- Teenagers often wrongly tell about or leave out key details about such experiences, even though they are not intentionally hiding anything or trying to deceive.
- If such a word was a message from God, then it must have a completely different and anointed meaning in His realm than most Christians would associate with it.
At the time, I told my daughter that since there is nothing that God would promote that was associated with evil, then I would see the use of that word as associated with her being enchanting or charming in the way that she is as a captivating performer, whether it be performing at the piano or acting.
However, my daughter also started asking me about the population in Florida, about whether or not Fidel Castro was still alive, and concerns about Russia and China. She has had difficulty falling sleeping at night for the last few years, but recently she began having serious problems with it. She was not sleeping at all or very little with black circles under her eyes. I learned later that she was actually trying not to sleep on purpose. Remember that I am empathic so take a guess who also was beginning to have the same problems.
After quite some time in prayer and quite a few talks with quite a few people besides the Princess, including one with the lady who prayed for her, I think I finally have a better picture of what happened and is happening. The lady, who has the gift of prophetic dreams and visions, prayed over her and heard the word "enchantress," but did not say that my daughter was one. She did not feel it was meant to be a warning or condemnation and she had explained to my daughter that she did not feel it meant anything to do with witchcraft or magic, a point my daughter failed to mention. In fact, the lady told her that she felt it meant about the same thing I had thought it might mean.
Since then, the Princess has been having what she believes are prophetic visions and dreams of the End Times. She tells me that only a "handful" make it out of Florida, which becomes flooded, and a key point in her visions is that what she is seeing begins after the death of Fidel Castro. Then there are attacks on the east and west coasts by Russia and China. She even made a map showing what parts of the United States come under occupation.
Scary stuff to say the least. Now I completely understand why she has been so depressed for a few weeks. I think if I were having these same visions and dreams that would be a basket case myself, so I can only imagine what a fourteen year old might be feeling.
I am mindful that this gift happened after someone with the same gift prayed for her, because being empathic I have been influenced by other people's gifts when I touch them or am close or on rarer occasions when I am thinking or praying for them. However, it is more like a temporary borrowing that lasts just for that time not something that lasts for weeks as with the Princess. I still believe her main gift is in her performing talents, although one person told me she is a seer as she seems to have an awareness of the spiritual realm and I have seen some empathic tendencies in her as well.
I feel I need to address the "enchantress" thing, because the overwhelming response from my Christian friends have been how "enchantress" had an occult influence that would appeal to the Princess. I have prayed for her protection and for God's guidance of her since she was born, but particularly now. I have been very mindful of her in this respect before this incident for this is the age when the Christian women in my family, who became the most steadfast in their faith, were strongly drawn by the occult, but God always guided us—yes, that included me—away from it and gave us strong discernment to recognize it from that time on. I think this is kind of what my daughter is going through right now, so I also believe that she was given that word from God. Enchantress is a word that has two meanings in the English language:
- a woman who practices magic; sorceress.
- an irresistibly charming or fascinating woman.
Looking in the Bible, I could only find these four words in Hebrew:
נָחַשׁ nachash: (verb) to practice divination, observe signs
עָנַן anan: (verb) to bring, but also associated with enchanter, observer of times, soothsayer, sorcerer
לָ֫חַשׁ lachash: (noun) a whispering, charming
Obviously, most uses for these words in the Bible are nothing with which a Christian would want to be associated, BUT some of the uses are not bad at all. In fact, Isaiah 26:16, lachash is translated as a "whispered prayer!" In Genesis 9:14, God used anan to describe how He would bring clouds to make a rainbow. In Strong's Dictionary nachash also means to learn by experience, diligently observe, and even observe signs, and I know quite a few Christians who have been observing and looking for signs particularly of late with the four blood moons.
I believe its meaning was more associated with seeing signs given to my daughter to serve both as a reminder how easy it is to be seduced by Satan to use a gift in a way that does not please her Lord and also to describe her gift. Plus, she is very charming, particularly on stage, and I believe it is that gift God means to use the most to bring people to Christ. So, to me it means a charming woman with the gift of observing signs meant to be used to bring Christ to people and people to Christ because of her love for Him. That was what I believe (and also the woman who prayed over her) that God wanted the Princess to understand.
This is not the first time that I have had this kind of experience that goes against the grain in mainstream Christianity. God also gave me a gift that most Christians, including me originally, have judged as highly questionable if not down right evil. However, I know the months I spent in prayer and fasting to be sure I had God's complete approval—of a gift He gave to me, no less!— and He gave me confirmation time and time again from differing sources, even when I still would not accept His answer. I am so thankful God is so patient with stubborn Christians, who want to keep Him in a box.
I have had pastors and even very close friends tell me flat out that my gift of empathy was not a named gift in the Bible or too far removed from what they believe that they did not want anything to do with me anymore, but I have had other friends actually seek God on the matter and were given confirmation of His approval. I know, without a doubt, it came from God; I remember the moment I was given it like it was just yesterday. My Christian friends would rather describe it as a Word of Knowledge and that is fine with me; on the other hand, it just is what it is, it whatever you call it, and God gave it to me. I call it empathy because that describes it the best, like a sub category under a Word of Knowledge. The empathy works with the gift of healing, so I am aware of what a person needs in the way of healing even when they do not. Empathy was a gift I asked for, sort of; I did not ask to be empathic specifically, I simply asked to know what was wrong with people and the gift of empathy obviously was His answer.
I know this will not be a popular post and I am open to discussing anything here. I would just like to bring up a few other terms used by Christians and non-Christians and even Occultists: healer, seer, and prophet. My point is that the word "enchantress" in God's Kingdom cannot have a bad meaning and I choose to live in God's Kingdom. So, if my Lord has said my daughter is an enchantress, then it must have a holy meaning honoring Him that has been twisted by evil in our fallen world and I choose to see it through His heart and I believe that is where He has led me.
My Lord, I do not understand everything in Your Kingdom. I am a child hungry for the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom You will provide for my daughter, my husband, and me. Help me be strong when I need to be strong, have my eyes and heart open to what You wish me to see, and be Your humble student always.
