Know Your Enemy

Part 4 of Battling the Darkness: Spiritual Warfare

Deuteronomy 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The list of abominations forbidden to God's people bears a remarkable resemblance to those practices popularized and glorified in today's mass media.  A necromancer is a medium, someone who purports to communicate with the spirits of the dead.  An "observer of times" is someone who reads horoscopes to determine someone's future or fate. while a "diviner" is akin to a modern psychic, or, perhaps more accurately, someone who uses items like tarot cards or dowsing rods to receive spiritual guidance.  "Familiar spirits" are nothing more or less than the "spirit guides" touted by modern psychics.

As Solomon wrote, The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  Occult practices are as old as the fall of man, ever since the serpent reared his ugly head to tempt Eve in the Garden.  They are given new names, and dressed in new clothes, but underneath are the same ugly spiritual realities as have always been there.  Two very popular TV shows picture two attractive, sensitive women as mediums, while certain reality shows use the talents of psychics to solve crimes.  It isn't that they scenarios are all fabricated; they do happen, the presence of numerous charlatans notwithstanding.  The knowledge provided, though, doesn't come from ghosts or benevolent spirits; it comes from demons, especially those with present or past association with the people about whom information is sought.  Satan is not above wrapping a small truth, if a bare fact can be called "truth", around a big lie.  By giving information to the living about the dead, or to a psychic about a crime, Satan's agents can better sell the big lie that occult practices are beneficial, or at least harmless.

The whole truth is that involvement in seemingly innocent practices like Ouija boards and horoscopes can provide demons with an open door to enter someone's live. We are already familiar with astrology and horoscopes, but there are a multitude of other occult practices around us.  Celestine prophecy is the idea that truth can be discerned in the "energies" around us.  Channeling  seeks guidance from the spirit world through the "channel" of material objects, like tarot cards, Ouija boards, or tapping sounds.  Crystal healing purports to accomplish healing through rock crystals or gemstones. These are only a few of a long list of abominations, all the way from dowsing to Wicca,  a modern incarnation of witchcraft.   For a more complete discussion of occult practices, see the Spiritual Warfare section in our Articles Directory.  The whole purpose of such devices is to allow Satan, through his demons, to take control of someone's life.  The people who follow such practices have submitted themselves, to some degree or another, to demonic control.

Demon possession is a very real, if rare, phenomenon.  When a demon, or demons, "possess" someone, they do, in fact, "own" them.  They seize control of the person's will, the one thing that God gives to all men when they're created.  They will say and do things beyond the ability or capacity of the one who is possessed, like speaking in ancient languages, or performing feats of superhuman strength.  Not everyone who acts in a bizarre way is possessed; the man or woman may simply be mentally ill.  It does seem, though, that mental illness, like prolonged physical illness, can open a door for demons in much the same way as occult practices do.  In all likelihood, this occurs because something else in the person's past has predisposed them to demonic bondage.  The Bible gives a definition of an evil spirit that has taken over someone: Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. (1 Corinthians 12:3).  That doesn't mean that everyone who curses Christ is demon possessed, but it does mean that the spirit that provokes them to say such things is not of God; the flesh without Christ is just as lost and undone as someone who is controlled by, or oppressed by, demons.  Only someone exercising the gift of spiritual discernment can tell if spiritual activity is demonic (1 Corinthians 12:10).

Someone doesn't have to be possessed to be influenced or controlled by demons.  The Devil is a liar, and a murder from the beginning (John 8:44).  The tools of his trade are deceit, half truths, and manipulation of people and circumstances.  "Oppression" is a step short of possession; demons use other people around us, and our own emotions and weaknesses, to attack us.  The result can be severe depression, paralyzing fear, and the inability to function normally.  Medical science treats the physical symptoms of depression and anxiety through the use of drugs and therapy; the root cause is very often spiritual.  One thing should be made clear: a Christian cannot be demon possessed, because our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and God does not share his temple with any other spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).  Christians can, however, be tormented and oppressed by spirits, especially if they are out of fellowship with the Lord, and with other believers.  As pointed out in an earlier article, our strength in believers derives from the unity of the Spirit, working in and through the Body of Christ, the church. We don our spiritual armor and wield the Sword of the Spirit as soldiers in an army, not as stragglers or deserters.  Nonbelievers are easy prey for occult groups, and for cults, but Christians are far from exempt.  There are many ways we can lose our witness, even though we will never lose our salvation.

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