Many of those who believed . . . openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.

— Acts 19:18-19

Lisa is a person I know who came to faith in Jesus Christ from a New Age background. In her early days of following Jesus, she tried to mix many layers of the New Age movement in with her faith. It didn’t work. She would constantly be confused and lacking in her understanding of following Jesus. She finally found freedom when she rid herself of those mixed-in practices.

Jesus’ early followers knew that in order to fully surrender to him, they would need to get rid of everything that could distract from the work of the Spirit in their lives. In Ephesus, new believers who had practiced sorcery and witchcraft burned all of their scrolls in front of everyone.

People in many cultures attempt to mix other religious ideas and thoughts with faith in Christ, saying, “Really, what harm is there in that?”

It can also be tempting to mix the Christian faith with superstition or reading a daily horoscope for guidance. But if we do that, we fail to realize that we are not fully trusting in God and his Spirit to guide us and to provide us full life.

When we approach faith as a mixed bag, we water down the power of the good news of life.

Dear God, if anything in our lives misleads us from following you, help us to get rid of it. Guide us into real, full living each day, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.