OPINION:
It is peculiar how many people consider Halloween to be their favorite time of the year, considering it is a season that openly embraces the spiritual darkness in relation to witchcraft, séances, palm reading, tarot cards, healing crystals, fortune telling, Ouija boards, murder and horror movies and tales, and many other similar practices.
Are these things merely trivial entertainment or are we dabbling in forbidden territories which invite devastating consequences?
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The word “occult” is defined in Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, “matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers or some secret knowledge of them.” Thus, the occult is a special (at one-time “secret”) knowledge and interaction with the spiritual realm. Speaking from the Christian perspective, “the occult” refers to all spiritual interaction and knowledge that is not biblically approved by the Lord.
The Bible undeniably reveals that we exist in a world where a critical spiritual battle occurs between good (the Lord) and evil (Satan) (Genesis 3, Psalm 91, Luke 10:17-20, Ephesians 6:11-12). And all who do not follow Christ’s instructions for spiritual victory will be consumed by the enemy (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, Revelation 1-22).
The Word of the Lord teaches humanity how to embrace our immensely honorable and unique purpose – eternal life and spiritual union with Him. The enemy, Satan, is a master deceiver obsessed with derailing these efforts and thereby preserving our separation from God through sin. Since sin entered the picture, open doors (of trauma, invitation, or generational transference) allow for destructive, demonic spirits to spiritually unite with us. Therefore, occult practices and beliefs align with Satan’s efforts by embezzling powerful partial truths from the Bible and distorting them to exacerbate humanity’s disunion from God (often through idolatry) and open a spiritual door for the demonic to enter through and unite with us.
Both efforts are based on deception.
Any occult practice that seeks guidance or empowerment from spirits (e.g. tarot cards, psychics, palm reading, séances, horoscopes, and witchcraft/wicca) initiates a relationship with that entity and establishes a potential soul tie to them. Willing “spiritual mediums” authorize the demonic to enter and manipulate them (e.g. Hinduism – Kundalini, spiritualism – Ouija/automatic writing, yoga meditations which “invite an energy source in,” and voodoo/hoodoo). Many “new age” beliefs also pull fragments of biblical wisdom and distort them through self-worship (e.g. Hindu, Buddhism, and Satanism), and divert from the Lord’s provision for sin through Jesus. All efforts of the occult funnel us into a pursuit for power, enlightenment, love, life, and hope within the elements of creation rather than finding them in the Creator Himself through Christ. These paths defiantly declare that the Lord and His plan/provision through Jesus, is not enough for them and declare that God is not trustworthy, competent or relevant).
To reverse the damage inflicted by occult activity, we must first genuinely repent by renouncing and changing our sinful ways, seek forgiveness from the Lord, and surrendering our lives to Jesus as our Lord and Savior alone. Second, those involved in the occult should find a credible and competent deliverance ministry to assist them in removing any demonic spirits from within. Enduring freedom from occult involvement often requires assistance from others. Finally, they must commit themselves to learning the Bible and its instructions against idolatry as to have an intellectual and experiential relationship with the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In this final stage, it is essential that this person genuinely embrace the power behind their identity in Christ. They will learn to face and defeat these demonic spirits with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is not a light-switch solution but rather a refining journey (like the wilderness wanderings of the Exodus) that trains and equips a person to rise as a powerful warrior for the Kingdom of Christ.
The occult often plays to our desires (like the beauty of healing crystals and the lure of being a powerful witch or warlock, or the quest to unleash the god within us) but they are all devastating deceptions. Deceptions are partial facts and partial lies – serving as distractions from the whole truth to avert us from reaching our Divinely intended destination. As God’s children we must see the occult for the deception that it is and understand the Divine boundaries we are not to cross. We must learn the full truth of our identity in Christ (intellectually and experientially), embrace and protect our unity with God, and become powerful agents of life, love, truth, and hope in the midst of the darkness and confusion surrounding us.
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Derek Mason is the author of “Embracing Our Full Victory in Christ: The Journey from Darkness to Light.” He is founder and president of Identity In Christ, Inc. and currently serves as an associate pastor at Grace Bible Church in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.
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