Witchcraft and Christians, Ep 16
Welcome Back! I am your host, Dawn Simmons, and in this episode of Conquering Our Unseen Enemies we are going to be discussing witchcraft. There are several episodes worth of information that can encompass witchcraft, so I am going to narrow down our scope to discuss activities that Christians participate in knowingly and unknowingly that are opening the doors to the demonic through witchcraft. I will share some stories as well. The activities we are referring to in this episode include: astrology, palmistry, seances (conjuring up the dead), consulting a medium for any purpose such as tarot cards, speaking to the spirits, guidance, consulting a witch or wizard for spells or guidance.
These activities we are addressing are mentioned in the Old Testament as something detestable to God. Deuteronomy 18: 9, When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable way of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord has not permitted you to do so.
So this scripture is the backbone we are working from as we talk through this issue.
Trends in witchcraft today are being related to people having less interest in "religion" and an increase in wanting something spiritual. It is being labeled as a form of self-care. There is a false belief that answers, comfort and meaning can be found in witchcraft practices at a time when the world is chaotic. Another false belief is that it creates a sense of community with female empowerment. It may bring likeminded people together in a community, but the support it provides will not be based on truth. Wicca is currently claiming to be the worlds fastest growing religion, my research indicates Islam is actually the fastest growing, partially attributed to birth rate among Muslims. Regardless, between the two, the demonic influence is pulling them away from the opportunity to know Jesus the deeper they get into these false religions.
Most of what I am going to be addressing are activities done by people who do not identify as witches. However, all of these activities we are going to discuss are activities Christians participate in actively. I struggle to understand how Christians participating in these activities don't know what they are doing, that it is evil, that the source is evil. The reality is those participating don't understand what the Bible says or care to understand the danger they are putting themselves and their families in when they, for example, go to a psychic. The devil is a liar, even when you are paying him to tell you your future. Why would anyone believe a psychic is going to know their future? A psychic only knows what they make up or what a demon reveals to them to say to manipulate the person. A demon doesn't want to help you feel better by telling you all the great things about your future. The demon doesn't care if you find your soul mate. The demon doesn't care if you want to know what to do with your career. The demon is more than happy tho, to say things to take you further into their influence. The medium is all to happy to tell you things to tickle your ears so you will come back and give them more money. We have to stop being so naïve as to think that we can call ourselves Christian and do these things without consequence.
I want to share with you a story from someone I spoke with last week that is struggling. A Christian, we'll call Jane, rented a room from a witch who actively practiced voodoo. The house was filled with demonic influences. She saw paranormal activity daily, and ultimately had to leave that house. When Jane moved into a new place, demonic spirits moved with her. The thing we need to understand in this situation is that even tho Jane did not participate in the witchcraft, she put herself in a position to be continually exposed to the demonic. As a result, things in her own life that were sinful, which we all have, sins that were totally unrelated to witchcraft, these sins then opened the door to demonic influence in Jane's life. So the demonic spirits in the house as a result of the voodoo could easily just stroll right in and start demonizing her. Now, the situation gets more complicated. Jane believed that the demonization is a result of a spell or some voodoo directed at her from the prior landlord. After moving and being demonized for a few years, Jane decided the only way to combat this is to deal with any spells or magic from the old landlord, the witch, by consulting a wizard to get the spells removed. The act of reaching out to the wizard for consultation is Jane now practicing witchcraft. We have to start understanding that what we do matters. The Bible clearly states consulting a medium for anything is detestable to God. I'll be frank here, and I have Jane's permission to share this with you, Jane was surprised to hear that reaching out to the wizard meant she was practicing witchcraft. We cannot evict the enemy from our lives if we are participating in enemy activity. It is impossible. This is a black and white issue, there is no gray here.
Right now, it is October, so people are celebrating Halloween. This time of year, it is common for so many people celebrating to overlook or downplay things they say, how they tie themselves to devils, witches and death. Many Christians will justify their behaviors by calling those who do not agree with Halloween devils, witches and the like by saying we are being too "religious" and overreacting, not by what the Bible tells us is Godly or ungodly. The justification for celebrating Halloween becomes about other people overreacting and that's the wrong measuring stick. Let's talk about this a minute because it happens a lot. We cannot justify our behavior or our activities on something that is not the standard of how to measure our behavior or activity. That's called an excuse. Let me give you an example. For several months we have seen activists across the world demonstrating for various reasons, climate change, antigovernment, whatever their cause. As a result, they are gluing themselves to art in museums, emptying milk cartons all over grocery stores and sitting in roadways blocking traffic. When an ambulance can't get through to the hospital because the road is blocked by protesters and someone dies, the protester cannot justify their actions in that death with "we are still reliant on fossil fuels". Sitting in the road and obstructing traffic is unlawful. Whether we are reliant on fossil fuels or not, the act is still unlawful. The measuring stick of whether we should be using fossil fuels is entirely unrelated to the action of blocking an ambulance from getting to the hospital. It’s inexcusably wrong thinking.
I know a man, we'll call him John, who is struggling with this issue in his house right now because he does not like all of the Halloween décor. As a Christian, he doesn’t want to see symbols of death and demons on display and celebrated in his home. His wife's response is that she does not believe everything in the Bible, so to her the witches and demons and whatever else she was hanging are fine to be in their house. Let's just stop and think about that for a minute. Let's not even address the décor, that is now secondary in his situation. As Christians, I mean true Christians, we don't get to pick and choose what we want to believe in the Bible. You believe it all or you believe nothing. If you say only part is true, then you are calling God a liar. The real issue in this house isn't Halloween décor, that's a symptom, the real issue is a heart issue. We need to identify the real problem, the root of a problem or if we just address this as a décor disagreement, what happens when that wife shows up to meet Jesus and has her judgment day. John's wife has no discernment between the Holy Spirit and symbols of demonic spirits in her home. The root of the problem is why young people are lost and exploring witchcraft and they think of it as self-care. Satan has created all of these ways to counterfeit the Holy Spirit and he will use cutsey ways and disarming ways to needle his way in to manipulate us to open the door for him. He can't come in unless we let him in ourselves.
I am working with a man, John 2, who is trying to break free from witchcraft that has been in his family line 5 generations. His involvement is mostly growing up around it and his exposure to it as a child which led him to engage in the activities he was taught. As a child, he didn't know anything about Jesus so he had no idea what he was doing. Most frequently John 2 was involved with trying to conjure up the dead. Luke 16:26 tells us: And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. John did not realize that any attempt to conjure up the dead is simply communication with the demonic spirits impersonating the dead. Anyone who thinks they are seeing their lost parent, lost spouse or friend is only seeing a familiar spirit attempting to manipulate the person to draw them in with a false sense of comfort and influence their lives for demonic purposes. As an adult, John 2 is starting to see how all of his activities have created countless negative consequences for his entire life. John 2 is now saved and has repented, but he still has damage to address as he has also included the next generation, his children and sees the impact it is having on them. His marriage is damaged, he has lost a business, he is now in debt and it will take him years to repair all of these areas of his life. As a result of consulting with "spirits" decisions were made that had terrible consequences.
Let's look at another example in the Bible that tells us that satan is aware of believers, what we do and is waiting for an opportunity. Luke 22:31, Jesus is talking the night of the Last Supper. Jesus just finished talking to the twelve explaining what it means to be the greatest and he turns to talk to Peter. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” So from that we know that satan had to ask permission to demonize, just as we see he does in the book of Job. We also see in this that God allowed the sifting at least to a point, so there is a level of protection there. Jesus prayed for Peter, can you imagine what that prayer must have been like and what an honor for Peter. The outcome is also revealed to Peter in the response Jesus gave him. What I want you to take away from this is that these men, Jesus said "to sift all of you" so these men who were with Jesus night and day were going to be under attack. For the rest of us, we need to be aware that we are not any better than the disciples such that we will not be chosen by the enemy to attack. Too often we walk around and engage in cleverly disguised activities the Bible clearly identifies as witchcraft. When we fail to discern, we open the door. We can withstand an attack, we can beat the enemy, that's what this podcast is about, equipping ourselves to evict satan, but we need to discern and not create invitations that allow the enemy access.
Let's talk a little bit about astrology because I think it is the most common of the detestable activities that Christians are prone to follow. Astrology goes back thousands of years. The creation of the stars goes back even further to when God created them, Genesis 1: 14-16, And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. Astrology is an attempt to "interpret" the influence stars and planets have on human destiny. There are signs to represent birth months and through cyclical movements astrology claims patterns are developed that allow for healing, transformation and an unlocking of a spiritual connection to the universe. There is a claim to it even having a predictive tool for us and that these patterns can give us insight into our personal issues. God created the stars for our benefit and the enemy is using the stars and the planets as a poor counterfeit to the Holy Spirit. People read their horoscopes daily looking for some influence, some hope, some insight into their lives. So what insight am I really gaining in my life if the same message is given to every person born in the same month period. What does it have anything to do with me specifically? What it is claiming to do cannot possibly be true. The Holy Spirit does know me and will provide me with specific guidance and hope and insight in my life whenever I want. I don't have to wait until the next horoscope is written to gain insight. It does not matter if a horoscope is read "just for fun" the act of reading it is engaging with it and then we enter into behavior that God has clearly stated is detestable to Him.
Let's take a look in Leviticus for a minute before we talk about a few more things. Leviticus 19: 26 and we'll look at 19: 31. 26 reads, “‘Do not practice divination or seek omens. 31 reads, “‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. So that is our compass for the next topic.
Unfortunately for years now I have known Christians who have used mediums and had tarot card readings and don't see anything wrong with it. We have to be more knowledgeable about what the Bible says, it is our compass, we have to read it and know when we are participating in activities contrary to God and His word. Tarot cards were originally just playing cards. In the late 18th century they became another tool used in divination. Demons cannot tell us our future. They can tell us things that we erroneously come into agreement with that can bring about an event to happen, but then we have influenced it.
The real kicker in all of these witchcraft forms is that in every area there are people who practice and call themselves Christian witches or Christian mediums, whatever title they chose to use. They are no more Christian than the demons they use to influence them because I can guarantee you they are receiving nothing from the Holy Spirit in anything they do. The Holy Spirit would not participate in that on any level.
I want to issue 3 challenges this next week. I hope you will take up one of these three challenges.
1. If you are a Christian that is participating in any of these activities, I challenge you to stop and instead for just one week, seek the Lord only. Repent, ask for forgiveness and seek the Lord only. I guarantee you, the Lord will reveal himself to you in ways much clearer, more loving and more peaceful than anything you have received prior.
2. Second challenge, if you are a Christian and you do not participate in these activities, ask the Lord to reveal to you someone who may be involved in these activities that you can lovingly speak truth to about what these activities involve. Offer them another way. I guarantee if you do, the Lord will show you someone you can help.
3. Spend time with the Lord, this one week and pray for Christians to be broken from the veil of deceit that witchcraft brings into their lives.
We always love praise reports, so please share with us your success stories from the challenge this week, email me at contact@conqueringourunseenenemies.com
Ok so as always let's recap the Top Show Points:
· Discussed activities that Christians participate in knowingly and unknowingly that are opening the doors to the demonic through witchcraft
· Deuteronomy 18: 9, Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord
· Trends in witchcraft are being related to less interest in "religion" and an increase in wanting something spiritual.
· We talked about 3 people, 2 of which are struggling with consequences of witchcraft and a third that is dealing with a wife not recognizing demonic influences because her heart is not open to the truth of the Bible
· We talked about Luke 22:31, and the challenges the disciples faced under an attack from satan "to be sifted"
· Astrology is an attempt to "interpret" the influence stars and planets have on human destiny. Counterfeit of the Holy Spirit
· Leviticus 19: 26 and we'll look at 19: 31. 26 reads, “‘Do not practice divination or seek omens. 31 reads, “‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
· Tarot cards were originally just playing cards. In the late 18th century they became another tool used in divination.
· All of these witchcraft forms is that in every area there are people who practice and call themselves Christian witches or Christian mediums. Their source is entirely demonic.
· We issued a challenge to either
o 1)turn away from witchcraft activities and seek only the Lord
o 2)ask the Lord to reveal to you someone you can help who is involved in these activities
o 3)pray for Christians to be broken from the deceit of witchcraft
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and it is required for the gift of spiritual discernment
· Also, I want to encourage you to visit our website and join our Warrior community. In the month of October I will be picking 2 more people at random from our Warrior community for a one hour one to one discussion, so if you would like to be included in that random drawing make sure you join the community.
Have a great week!
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