Occult Practices

Intended audience

One who claims to follow the Bible should renounce any spirituality outside of that which the Bible prescribes. So the question a believer asks is “How can I follow the Bible?” The Bible itself answers this question. This is a very simple approach.

Matthew 7:13
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
(Whole Chapter: Matthew 7 In context: Matthew 7:12-14)

However, it is rarely taken. Many supposed Christians actually ask the opposite question “How much can I NOT follow the Bible?” They usually phrase the question differently: “How much can I afford to NOT follow the Bible, and still be saved?” or “How much can I spend my time and money on doing things that the Bible does not command?”, or even.. “How much can I spend my time and money on doing things that the Bible forbids?” This document might give a person asking this last question useful information. Unfortunately, that is not its purpose.

Luke 9:62
Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
(Whole Chapter: Luke 9 In context: Luke 9:61-63)

I am writing to believers, who are asking the first question. As for those who are asking variations of the age old question: “How much sin can I get away with and still go to heaven?” I wrote a different document for you. You need to first respond to the Gospel, before reading this.

Acts 8
²²Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."

Luke 14:33
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
(Whole Chapter: Luke 14 In context: Luke 14:32-34)

To you who want to obey God all the time, with all your time and money and effort, I write the following.

Colossians 1:28
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
(Whole Chapter: Colossians 1 In context: Colossians 1:27-29)

You should renounce any spirituality outside of that which the Bible prescribes. Even within that scope, we are still commanded to test the spirits.

1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
(Whole Chapter: 1 John 4 In context: 1 John 4:1-2)

The purpose of this document is to warn you to avoid unwitting participation in the occult.

1 Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Corinthians 10 In context: 1 Corinthians 10:20-22)

To find out more about how to properly interact (through Christ’s authority) with occult powers and demons, you can begin by reading my document on healing. This document can only help you diagnose where you or others may have given the devil a foothold by opening yourself up to demonic powers of occult practices by disobeying God’s command to “have nothing to do with them”.

Ephesians 4:27
and do not give the devil a foothold.
(Whole Chapter: Ephesians 4 In context: Ephesians 4:26-28)

Omens

Deut 18:9-22

9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

10 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,

11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.

16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die."

17 The LORD said to me: "What they say is good.

18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.

20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."

21 You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?"

22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (NIV)

Is a fortune cookie an omen that predicts the future to you? Do you consult the dead by praying to Mary or a saint?

Astrology

Ps 1:1-2

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. (NIV)

Isa 47:12-15

12 "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror.

13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.

14 Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. Here are no coals to warm anyone; here is no fire to sit by.

15 That is all they can do for you-- these you have labored with and trafficked with since childhood. Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you. (NIV)

Fear

Many Africans engage in the magic arts out of fear of what will happen to them if they do not follow these traditions. Jesus has set us free from this fear.

I Jn 4:18

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (NIV)

Prov 3:21-26

21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;

22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.

23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble;

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26 for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. (NIV)

Luke 8
⁵⁰Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

Furthermore curses from witches, wizards, or other types of sorcerers, (or anyone else) can not harm an obedient believer.

Romans 8

More Than Conquerors
²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,^[10] who^[11] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."^[12] ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[13] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Isaiah 54
¹⁷ no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD ,
and this is their vindication from me,"
declares the LORD .

Proverbs 26
² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

Number 22-24 tells us of Balaam’s inability to curse Israel, except by enticing them into the disobedience of sexual sin. This is not a curse though, but a temptation that the Israelites could have chosen to resist.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Corinthians 10 In context: 1 Corinthians 10:12-14)

Numbers 23
²³ There is no sorcery against Jacob,
no divination against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, 'See what God has done!'

Psalm 34
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

Luke 10
¹⁹I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Christian Astrology?

Here is Kristine Frith on the topic as related to Reagan’s Christianity:

Here's just a tiny sampling of what God thinks of astrology. In the verses below the Lord is giving a rebellious Israel some bad news. Note that Israel hopes its astrologers will foresee the future and keep her from harm, just as Nancy wished to do for Ronald. It's an understandable desire to want to be kept from harm, but we are supposed to turn to God for protection, not "the stars."

Isaiah 47: 11-13

Disaster will come upon you,
and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
will suddenly come upon you.
Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,
which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
perhaps you will cause terror.
All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!
Let your astrologers come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
let them save you from what is coming upon you.

In the verses below, Nebuchadnezzar is relating a dream that terrified him. Were his astrologers able to help? No. Daniel, the man of God, was able to correctly interpret the dream. True revelation comes only from the Holy Spirit.

Daniel 4: 4-7

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.

One excerpt from the above article is below. I thought it very telling and extremely sad.

"Around this time Nancy had a falling out with Jeane Dixon, losing all faith in the psychic's abilities. The most likely source of this estrangement was Dixon's prediction that Reagan did not have a chance of being elected president in 1976. Nancy went shopping for a new supernatural consultant who might tell her what she wanted to hear."

What does the Bible say?

2 Tim 4:3
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

TV and Movies?

It is easy to notice hypocrisy in a pronounced Bible practitioner involved with astrology--but what about you? Do you claim to follow the Bible? Are you passively involved in the occult?

Ps 101:2-8

2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life-- when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart.

3 I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.

4 Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.

5 Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.

6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.

7 No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.

8 Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD. (NIV)

Eph 5:6-18

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)

10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,

14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

15 Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise,

16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be (NIV)

“I will set before my eyes no vile thing.” Setting your eyes occurs before you change the channel. How does an obedient follower of Christ find time for TV and other secular media?

The Lord of the Rings

1 Tim 4:7

7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. (NIV)

2 Cor 11:13-15

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. (NIV)

A messenger of light—Satan? I was exposed to much of this film unwillingly in a “Christian” Dentists office while waiting for the Novocain to set in. Yes, millions of “Christians” have set their eyes upon these vile depictions of Demons and occult magic. They excuse it and embrace the “Christian symbolism” of this GODLESS MYTH!

1 Pet 5:8

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)

There are plenty of stories in the Bible that can help you relate to God. You can watch many of them on video if you choose.

James 1:21
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
(Whole Chapter: James 1 In context: James 1:20-22)

If there is no need to watch this movie, then why do “Christians” embrace it so vehemently?

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
(Whole Chapter: 2 Timothy 3 In context: 2 Timothy 3:15-17)

I don’t have time to expose every occult thing that comes down the pike. If you are serious about seeking God, you will obey him. For more information on this topic, see http://www.ericbarger.com/lotr.c.c.2.htm. This is where I am quoting this paragraph from:

To believe that Tolkien’s work somehow lines up with scripture is akin to believing that God allows for occult practices by His church as long as we do it for the Kingdom of God!

It should trouble biblical thinkers that J.R.R. Tolkien (and his protégé, C.S. Lewis) utilized pagan imagery and characterizations that are considerably outside the pale of biblical Christianity. More troubling is the fact already stated that Rings has become so overwhelmingly accepted by Christians as a Christian story which supposedly gives an accurate portrayal of God’s values and truth, though it wholly abandons God’s absolute forbiddance of pagan practices regardless of how noble the use may be.

Along these lines, he also speaks out against CS Lewis’s mythical tales.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:21-22)

False Religion/Spirituality

Lodges/Oath-bound or secret societies

The Bible is opposed to the people of God being unequally yoked together with unbelievers; it is opposed to deeds done in secret. Many secret societies require the taking of an oath, which is expressly forbidden in Scriptures. Read Matthew 5:34; John 18:20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; James 5:12.

Oaths
The taking of an oath is a vain thing and condemned by the Scriptures. An affirmation to the truth of anything is sufficient. Read Matthew 5:34-37; James 5:12.

Renounce oaths taken during past involvement in secret societies like Mormonism or Freemasonry. Also, the Promise Keepers movement involves oaths. Joe Schimell’s expose on this movement provides a thorough examination, explaining occult links in the movement.