What is a Soul Tie, Part 2 of 2, Episode 7
Welcome back! This is Conquering Our Unseen Enemies and I am your host Dawn Simmons. Today we are going to talk about something you may already be familiar with, Familiar Spirits!
We will discuss how these harmful counterfeits to the Holy Spirit develop relationships specific to an individual and what you need to do to evict these spirits and their influence in your life. Before I begin, I do want to say that this episode will have content that is inappropriate for children.
Let’s start off with clarifying what is a familiar spirit? It’s likely you have actually heard of this spirit more often than you realized. This is a specific type of spirit who functions in a relationship with a human taking on the characteristics of a familiar person. This can be a real person or even an imagined person or personality. This could be taking on the appearance of a family member or friend who has passed away. We discussed in an earlier podcast that a demon is a disembodied person, they have personalities. Generally they take on a personality that is specific to their function, for example anger, depression, sadness and bring those characteristics in our lives to influence our behaviors. This spirit, however, functions a little differently. It plays on our heart more, our weaknesses. It’s almost like a slot machine at times or even like a genie in a bottle. That is what makes it so powerful and dangerous in our lives.
I would say for the most part, people do not want to communicate with demons. Let’s focus on Christians in particular here, if you ask a Christian if they would want a relationship with a demon, we should have pretty close to 100% no. I would say anyone who answered yes, already does. I would also say that of that 100% that said no, it’s highly likely that a percentage of them actually do have a relationship with a demon and don’t realize it. Why on earth would I say such a thing? It’s a terrible thing to say, right? It is terrible. It’s terrible because it is true. Why do I know it is true? Because a familiar spirit is a counterfeit to the Holy Spirit and plenty of Christians can’t tell the demon apart from the actual Holy Spirit. These demons are good at what they do and we don’t have enough Christians properly equipped in knowledge of the spirit realm to know the difference.
Let’s talk about how these the familiar spirit works. The biggest tool they use is communication. Personally, I am more aware of this spirit affecting women than men. Women like to communicate a lot more than men do. We talk things out more. Communication develops relationship. A familiar spirit will be more than happy to accommodate our communication needs especially if they can exploit a weakness in the process. The familiar spirit becomes attached or associated to the individual person. Just as we have a cell phone or a work space, the familiar spirit is identified with us as individuals.
There are two main ways you will see familiar spirits operate. The first is one on one as a companion to a human. The human knows the spirit is there, likely sees it as a good companion and either knowingly or in ignorance has created, fostered and developed that relationship. This is the genie on the bottle. This frequently manifests as a relative who has passed. The second way is through someone who serves as a public medium. The public medium provides a “service” to others. This functions like a slot machine of whoever people want to access. In both instances, the human is a medium, but one is for individual or private purposes and the other is for public purposes. We will go through examples, but first let’s take a look at three scriptures in the Bible referring to these spirits:
First, Leviticus 19:31 tells us “give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; seek after them to be defiled by them, I am the Lord your God.”
Second, Leviticus 20:6, “and the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”
Third, Leviticus 20:27, “a man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.”
It’s pretty clear, there is no grey area here. It is black and white what God tells us about these familiar spirits and our involvement with them. So let’s talk more about how these spirits integrate into lives, with people willingly and unknowingly inviting them into multiple aspects of their lives.
The first way these spirits integrate is more difficult to discern. The familiar spirit uses deception by appearing to be a good companion or providing some sort of benefit, useful information for example. The human erroneously believes that because this spirit has been helpful that it must be a good spirit, it must be from God. So the human, let’s call this human by a name from here forward for ease of conversation. Let me think, let’s call the human…we’re just going to say Jane to be as generic as possible. Jane gets what she considers helpful information and sees this spirit as a companion. If I met Jane and discerned what was really happening and explained it to Jane, she might decide to believe or not believe me but she likes the companionship and she isn’t going to get rid of this familiar spirit. Sometimes a person is reluctant to give up or evict a spirit of this kind because of the comfort they feel they are receiving, but that comfort is a lie.
Let’s look at this another way. Jane has this same familiar spirit, but in her mind she thinks what is happening is her imagination or a fantasy. She doesn’t recognize that it is a spirit being at all. Sometimes you will even hear this rational described as accessing God through the mind. There has been quite a bit of study lately on accessing God though our brains that quite frankly is just a waste of time and money. All of this is orchestrated by satan as a tactic to draw us away from the true Holy Spirit and counterfeit access to the Holy Spirit.
Probably the most commonly recognized avenues of integration is through attempting to communicate with the dead. This is frequently done with a medium. We will get into more detail about that as we progress through our discussion.
So why are humans drawn to activities that knowingly or unknowingly open the door to a familiar spirit? The easy answer to that is a lack of a relationship with the true Holy Spirit. Anyone who has the Holy Spirit has all of the guidance, knowledge, wisdom they need to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Look at King Saul. God made him the very first King over Israel. He had everything but yet he consulted with the witch of Endor for insight and that did not end well for him. Humans have a desire to know everything or be involved in the supernatural as if they will have some supernatural powers or special knowledge and all of that is driven by evil. Anytime we want to ignore God or step outside of God, we are stepping into a trap.
Let’s look at some specific activities so you can begin to recognize warning signs.
First, divination. Divination has become so mainstream now and it is really quite scary how well it has been integrated into our culture. People continue to seek a medium to know their future. Quite honestly, if you are using a medium to know your future, it’s not good. Here are people that are categorized as mediums: a psychic in person or on an 800 number, Voodoo priests, Medicine Men, Shaman, Witches, Warlocks. These mediums will engage in the use of tarot cards, casting spells, crystal balls, palm reading, automatic handwriting, potions, sacrificial or occult ceremonies, water witching, trances, seances. Unfortunately there is a new category out there for mediums now and they call themselves wellness coaches. They use “intuitive” practices to claim they are teaching healing. We need to call it what it is, an avenue straight to hell if we are involved in any of this. I know that’s blunt but it’s also true. If you hear someone near you talking about any of this, especially if they are inviting you to participate, call it what it is right then and there and rebuke it.
Second, games and toys. We all know a Oiuja board is purely Satanic but there are plenty of new gaming activities that are satanic in nature. When we start identifying as characters and dressing up, melding who we are with a fictional character you open a door to losing your identity and partnering with a familiar spirit. People think this is harmless fun, but unfortunately when worlds begin to blend our minds become influenced to accept a deception as a truth.
Third, us of drugs or alcohol. This can be either prescription or hallucinogenic drugs. All will alter our state of mind to accept a deception as a truth. Now I am not referring to a temporary need to take a prescribed drug, this is addressing abuse of a prescription. A familiar spirit will use the altered state to make an appearance and begin communication.
Fourth, the use of the practice of Visualization. This may not be something you see often, at least I hope not but it is a tool often used in inner healing situations. A few years ago I was hosting a meeting of believers with spiritual gifts. These are generally smaller meetings and it would be rare that someone comes to the meeting that I have not spoken to ahead of time. In this case, one of the men brought his wife as she was not working due to a Covid shutdown. I knew the husband was a believer so I didn’t say anything to the contrary when he advised he was bringing his wife. As the host, I was responsible for what happened at the meeting and that meant I needed to make sure everything was scripturally based. At one point in the meeting, the wife, let’s call her Jane also, so Jane began to talk to another person in attendance about inner healing. We did not conduct inner healing sessions at our meetings. As the conversation continued, I began to hear the Holy Spirit telling me this was not correct. She was discussing and trying to use this visualization technique for an inner healing. This technique has been used for hundreds of years as a tool in witchcraft. Christians have adopted the technique as a way to contact God or to receive some spiritual insight. Again, if we are not going through the Holy Spirit, then we are using a counterfeit with a demon and it is forbidden by God. I will over time share with you other stories of interference as a result of having Jane in meetings. I want to share these types of encounters because often times we are in a situation and we don’t know how to handle it. As believers we can be very sensitive to not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings or embarrass them. When we see something happening not of God in a public setting, or even in a private setting, we still need to call out demonic. You always follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He will guide you as to how He wants it handled. To tell you how this meeting was handled, the inner healing process did not continue. I was then instructed by the Lord what needed to be said to her after the meeting and to specifically advise that our meetings were not intended to be a place for inner healings.
Fifth, communicating with the dead. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 18 :9-12, “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the [d]abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass[e]through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are [f]an abomination to the Lord,” That is pretty clear. So any involvement in communicating with the dead is off limits. We talked about the use of a medium already, and we mentioned Oiuja boards but let’s go a step further than that. An overlooked issue in these instances is when we allow the deceased person to become an idol in our lives. Combine that with attempting to communicate with the dead and you might as well have dinner ready because you will have a familiar spirit visiting you real quick. Here is where it gets touchy, but I will try to explain it so we are all on the same page to know when it is a problem. So, I want to explain this in a situation without the use of a medium. When we have objects or pictures of a loved one and those items become an idol, then we need to question if how we are feeling or if the attention we are directing at the item is healthy. If it is then no problem. As I write this I have a huge collage of my grandfather, the man I consider to be the greatest man I ever met, on the wall behind me. I respected him immensely, you will hear why over time, and the collage was a gift. I have no soul tie, I do not overly focus on, I have never tried to contact him, not would I ever. It’s a healthy situation for me to have his photos hung. I am happy for him having passed the way he did and that he is where I will see him again one day. If something tries to show up and tell me it’s my grandpa because he had one last thing to say to me, that’s a no. Get out in the name of Jesus. Now, I am going to broach a subject that will not sit well with some, but it is true and I have to share what I am being asked to share. I’m going to start with a few scriptures: John 14:6, Jesus tells us, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
We see the same message in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Praying to Mary, the mother of Jesus, or any of the apostles or people designated as saints, is not biblical. I recently visited the site of where Mary, the mother of Jesus, is believed to have lived her remaining years outside of Ephesus. The structure there is clearly not first century, there are first century ruins under that structure. Anyhow, when we asked if our museum pass would cover the entrance fee I was surprised to be told no because this isn’t a museum, it’s a shrine. As I was walking up to the location of where her house would have been I passed a bronze statue of Mary. I didn’t think anything of it, I see a lot of bronze statues and marble statues everywhere we go when we visit archaeological sites and the museums. Just after I passed this statue, a woman runs up behind me and she starts crying, kissing the feet of this statue, huge sobs as she kisses this statue, speaking in Spanish talking to Mary and completely overwhelmed by the sight of Mary in this statue. Not discussing the woman, but the actions of that woman were acts of idolatry and necromancy, praying to the dead. I am convinced that if Mary were alive today and she saw all of the idolatry that is happening of her, she would be the first to tell people to stop, she is not to be worshipped and prayed to, only Jesus.
Sixth, transcendental mediation, which is associated with Hinduism, or any form of trance producing meditation where chants or mantras are used to receive enlightenment or revelations of hidden or secret knowledge. Yoga is associated with the use of these meditation techniques and this technique combined with visualization discussed earlier are open doors.
Seventh, imaginary friends. I think a lot of us have had imaginary friends when we were kids. Unfortunately, there are times when opportunities that may not be ideal in a child’s life produce an imaginary friend. This friend is in fact real and it is a demon that this child feels it can rely on particularly in unstable environments.
Eighth, music. The lyrics we sing are invitations and even declarations that allow familiar spirits to attach to our lives. Be careful what you say, know what you are saying in the lyrics. Sometimes meanings are hidden in symbolism, sometimes they are right out there in the open and we still sing along.
Before I go further, this is an adult content warning.
Lastly, and there’s a reason this one is last, I don’t want to even think about this, but we have to because it happens. I have in my lifetime only heard of this a handful of times. I will say the most recent example I can think of where a woman described this was attempted was maybe 3 years ago. So what I am talking about are unclean spirits, male and female, who visit with the purpose of having sex with that person. This would be horrible, absolutely horrible. Where this tends to come up is with people who were promiscuous, involved in adultery or other sex related behaviors that would invite spirits to engage in behaviors associated with lust or perversions.
So how do we get rid of a familiar spirit.
There are 5 simple steps
1. The first thing we need to do is identify the when, where and how we came into relationship with the familiar spirit. We need to understand how it happened because that is a weakness we will need to address immediately and going forward. If we don't address it, we will leave the door open for a repeat. I think writing it down to keep a record for ourselves is a best practice.
2. Second, we need to confess this to the Lord and ask for forgiveness
3. Repent and renounce our involvement with the activity or whatever the circumstances were that created that relationship. This includes any ongoing supporting activities. Commit to no longer engage in any activity that fosters the relationship with the familiar spirit.
4. Command the Spirits, and you can name them if you have a name for them, but otherwise just refer to them as a demon, and evict them in the name of Jesus. Confirm that you are no longer allowing them access to you and you no longer want them there. You are renouncing and severing all ties in the name of Jesus.
5. Invite the Holy Spirit to come in and reside with you and be your Comforter and Counselor in the name of Jesus.
That was a lot to take in, I know. Let’s do a recap to hit on the highlights:
Top show points are:
· A familiar spirit is a specific type of spirit who functions in a relationship with a human taking on the characteristics of a familiar person. This can be a real person or even an imagined person or personality.
· The biggest tool a familiar spirit uses is communication. I am more aware of this spirit affecting women than men. Women like to communicate a lot more than men. We talk things out more. Communication develops relationship. A familiar spirit will be more than happy to accommodate our communication needs. The familiar spirit becomes attached or associated to the individual person.
· There are two main ways you will see familiar spirits operate. The first is one on one as a companion to a human. The human knows the spirit is there, likely sees it as a good companion and either knowingly or in ignorance has created, fostered and developed that relationship.
· The second way is through someone who serves as a public medium. The public medium provides a “service” to others.
· how these spirits integrate into lives, with people willingly and unknowingly inviting them into multiple aspects of their lives.
o The first way these spirits integrate is more difficult to discern. The familiar spirit uses deception by appearing to be a good companion or providing some sort of benefit, useful information for example. The human erroneously believes that because this spirit has been helpful that it must be a good spirit, it must be from God.
o A second way: tricking our minds to think what is happening is her imagination or a fantasy. She doesn’t recognize that it is a spirit being at all. Sometimes you will even hear this rational described as accessing God through the mind.
o Probably the most commonly recognized avenues of integration is through attempting to communicate with the dead. This is frequently done with a medium.
· Specific activities so you can begin to recognize warning signs:
o Divination has become so mainstream now and it is really quite scary how well it has been integrated into our culture. People continue to seek a medium to know their future.
o Second, games and toys. We all know a Oiuja board is purely Satanic but there are plenty of new gaming activities that are satanic in nature.
o Third, us of drugs or alcohol. This can be either prescription or hallucinogenic drugs. All will alter our state of mind to accept a deception as a truth.
o Fourth, the use of the practice of Visualization. This may not be something you see often, at least I hope not but it is a tool often used in inner healing situations.
o Fifth, communicating with the dead.
o Sixth, transcendental mediation, which is associated with Hinduism, or any form of trance producing meditation where chants or mantras are used to receive enlightenment or revelations of hidden or secret knowledge.
o Seventh, imaginary friends This friend is in fact real and it is a demon that this child feels it can rely on particularly in unstable environments.
o Eighth, music. The lyrics we sing are invitations and even declarations that allow familiar spirits to attach to our lives.
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
· Warrior Words on website