It's impossible to work in the area of natural or alternative health and not face the lingering question in the minds of many Bible believing people: is what you do part of the occult? We will be addressing this question as it relates to each modality that we employ but the focus of this post is specifically what is commonly called Body Reflex Testing, Muscle Response Testing (MRT) or Applied Kinesiology. MRT can best be understood as the body's built-in lie detector test. We were created to respond favorably to truth and positive stimuli (such as "love" and good food) and adversely to falsehood and negative stimuli (such as "hate" and junk food). There are several ways to measure the way the body responds. One can use electrodes to track heart rate, cameras to measure pupil dilation, sensitive computer programs to log frequency outputs, OR physical changes that can be felt by both the subject and the practitioner such as variations in muscle strength. It's not entirely clear how measuring the body's reactions to stimuli has become a matter of conviction but in response to those who are genuinely (and rightfully) concerned about not mixing religious practices we are presenting the following article:
A Christian Attitude toward Muscle Response Testing
Praise be to the Lord God Almighty, Great King and Creator!
In some circles there have been accusations about the spirit behind muscle response testing (MRT) and questions raised about the appropriate Biblical response to this method. I set out with prayer and contemplation about how the Lord would have me to respond and I will try to present this case clearly.
I must preface this by saying that there are no limitations on my God. He is and will be bigger than anything any one of us can dream. He exceeds our theology, He overwhelms our logic and He can never be fully understood or explained. It is amazing to me that so many of us, myself included, would view His creation with the idea that we can know more about it than He does. I am seeing now that the glory of His creation - the beauty, complexity and genius of it – may be forever out of our reach. Please continue reading this with a spirit of humility and awe.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. All that exists around us and all that allows us to “be” was brought forth by one thing….the amar (hebrew word to describe intention, thought, voice) of God. Amar is frequency, God’s amar created photons and all that is invisible to us and set them vibrating, amar is resonance. The most common thing in our universe is resonance and frequency. Everything in our world is made of elements that vibrate and nothing vibrates at the same rate, everything has its own unique frequency or energetic signature, like an energetic fingerprint. We are told that Jesus (the Word) created all things and is in all things because it was He was present at creation and was part of the amar that brought all things into existence. The fact that “new age” philosophy borrows this (Christ Consciousness) from scripture and science is unfortunate. We need to get away from religious buzz words and agree on the fact that God created the world through His intention/thought/speech and therefore there is something common in all things, especially if our Lord is in all things and holds all things together (Col. 1).
Wisdom - truth - all good things. From where do these come? The Bible tells us they come from the Father above. He imparted wisdom to Adam and Eve that we are benefiting from today. One of things He imparted to us was the gift of every green herb for our healing. He gave us the ability to come to Him in reverence and faith through prayer. He created our brain so amazingly that science has never discovered its secret. Our minds process and store more information every second than can ever be imagined. This is the God I serve. He also gave mankind the knowledge of frequency and the wisdom to know and understand the principles upon which the world was founded…for our good and His glory. The use of energy/resonance for healing is ancient, just as prayer and herbology are ancient. Scientists are just scratching the surface of what is possible through frequency, aka energy. Man will never fully unravel this mystery or be able to harness the power of the electromagnetic fields though many have tried by even soliciting help or information from sources other than the Creator. They were given to us for our benefit and to demonstrate His glory in spite how the information came to be or has been corrupted. Is it right to take what YHWH created and relegate it to the doctrine of demons? Jesus, Himself, faced the same problems when He was accused of operating in the power of Beelzebub. The religious elite of His time couldn't see the real Source (Matt. 12, Mark 3, Luke 11)
Jeremiah 10 states: Say this to those who worship other gods: "Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth." But God made the earth by his power, and He preserves it by His wisdom. He has stretched out the heavens by His understanding. When He speaks, there is thunder in the heavens. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from His storehouses. Compared to Him, all people are foolish and have no knowledge at all!
What do we know about lies? I know that the best lies are rooted in truth. Satan has demonstrated over and over again how easy it is to deceive when he can use the truth to do it (Gen.3). Let’s look at the glory of God’s creation and the counterfeit that Satan offers.
God gave us mathematics….Satan gave us numerology.
God gave us chemistry….Satan gave us alchemy.
God gave us sex…Satan gave us fornication.
God gave us astronomy…Satan gave us astrology.
God gave us herbology…Satan gave us pharmacology.
The word translated "witchcraft" is the Greek word "pharmakia" from which the English words "pharmacy" "pharmaceuticals," and "pharmacology" are derived. Interpreted literally, it refers to the practice of preparing poisonous potions to harm or kill other humans. (Galatians, et.al)
God gave us kinesiology….Satan took it and put his paw prints all over it so that it would be a gift disdained. So many of God’s good gifts are rejected and esteemed not.
When one sets out to discover the spirit behind something the Lord tells us to examine the fruit…by the fruit all will be known. Can you gather figs from thistles? (Matt. 7) When I examine the fruit of those that are using MRT to the glory of God all I see is healing, restoration, repentance, hope, peace, righteousness and joy. Perhaps there are thistles being produced by those giving glory to the gods of this age – BUT do we stop using math because some have used it to predict the future or stop flying in airplanes because the father of jet propulsion was also an occultist? By no means. Do we abandon our study of the heavens because people worship the sun and the moon? By no means. Why then should we leave MRT in the hands of those that understand the wisdom behind it but give glory to another? As mentioned previously, Jesus was once accused of being possessed by a devil. He was accused of casting out spirits in the name of Beelzebub. The people had limited information and made a huge mistake. Is our limited knowledge of MRT causing us to make accusations that are untrue? The Lord is gracious and merciful, all good gifts come from Him. I challenge anyone to examine the fruits of MRT in the hands of those that love and honor the Creator. Those who make unfounded accusations have probably never seen this in use by a faithful servant of God. It is easy to understand how this could happen though. I suppose that if the only thing I saw was fornication I would have a poor opinion of sex.
So what benefit is there for Satan to discredit the wisdom upon which God created the universe and defile this technique? I believe it is for one purpose: to enslave mankind, especially the followers of Messiah. Satan has almost TOTALLY removed our trust for health from the Creator and placed it firmly on the “created”. In ALL of scripture there were 2 options for true health: first, to seek the Lord and live righteously, second, to use what He provided through His creation. 2 Chronicles 16 tells us King Asa died because he sought physicians, the woman in Luke sought physicians and continued to bleed for over a decade. Over and over we are warned about pharmacology because it is from the pit of hell (Galatians). When we are sick what do we do? We go to the doctor and we take our medication and many times we are cut open. Is this of the Lord? No! Perhaps you are not aware of the fact that as I write this, physician-related deaths are now the greatest cause of death in the US? No wonder Satan loves our western system and hates what God has given to us that doesn’t cost a thing and gives Him glory! Surely there is a time and place for life-saving interventions but it is not meant to be our norm.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5
I implore you to study what God has to say about the “laying on of hands” before challenging spirit-filled believers who do this for healing. Perhaps the real question should be: How is this not biblical?
This is a subject so near and dear to my heart because the Lord used it to save my son’s life while he was still in my womb, my daughter’s vision and my soul from spiritual oppression. I have seen glory on the faces of those who honor God while using MRT. God is great and He can accomplish His purpose without MRT. It is not magical, it can not give one hidden knowledge (the Lord gives wisdom and knowledge to those who ask), and it is not a “cure-all”. It is another tool that the Lord has given us to live life healthier – physically, emotionally and spiritually. He does not give us a spirit of fear or infirmity, perfect love casts out fear. He is YHWH Rafa, the Lord that heals you. MRT can be learned and employed by anyone but should only be used with an attitude of thanksgiving and reverence to our Creator. Praise be to YHWH and His Anointed; Giver, Sustainer, Healer, Friend.