Astrology. Crystals. Tarot Cards. Ouija Boards. Psychic Readings. Speaking to the dead. Divination.
I normally don’t talk about this stuff. But the Lord has been guiding my thoughts. Sometimes these thoughts don’t leave. And as of late, this one hasn’t.
One thing the Lord has been gently revealing to me is a certain tactic the enemy is using. It’s not new. It’s been around. But it is becoming more socially acceptable.
It’s “Supernatural power…absent of Relationship.” And it’s dangerous.
Satan wants to eliminate a potential relationship with Christ by giving you access to his own demonic power that is absent from the Holy Spirit.
Sound vague? Spooky? Weird?
Well, it’s not new.
The impartation of demonic power to humans has been around. The Bible even talks about it…many times. And it’s still prevalent today.
“7 Then Saul told his officers, “Find me a woman who can talk to the spirits of the dead. I’ll go to her and find out what’s going to happen.” His servants told him, “There’s a woman at Endor who can talk to spirits of the dead.” 8 That night, Saul put on different clothing so nobody would recognize him. Then he and two of his men went to the woman, and asked, “Will you bring up the ghost of someone for us?”…”So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”
“10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.”
“16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.”
There are several passages of Scripture that highlight the impartation of demonic power to humans.
It’s not new.
But it is still equally as dangerous today.
I’m not going to sit here and lie by saying that there isn’t supernatural power in psychic readings, magic, omen telling etc. The Bible makes it clear that there is power. But the Bible also makes it clear that the source of this power is evil. And even more, it doesn’t measure up to the immeasurable power and authority given through the Holy Spirit. God’s power always supersedes demonic power. Always.
Isaiah zealously warned others of the limitations of demonic power.
Isaiah 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.
These are not coals for warmth;
this is not a fire to sit by.
15 That is all they are to you—
these you have dealt with
and labored with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
there is not one that can save you.
Daniel knew God’s power superseded demonic power. The Spirit of God gave Daniel the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems…more than any of his time’s magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners.
Daniel 5:11-12 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”
Joseph experienced this. At a time when no magician or wise man could interpret Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph possessed the ability…due to the Spirit of God.
Genesis 41: 8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
And Elijah rejoiced in this. The prophets of Baal made all sorts of sacrifices, but they couldn’t call on the power of their god-a god who had shown demonic power previously- when it came down to calling fire from heaven.
1 Kings 18:36-39
36 At the time for the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah went near the altar. “Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” he prayed. “Prove that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant. Show these people that you commanded me to do all these things. 37 Lord, answer my prayer so these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you will change their minds.” 38 Then fire from the Lord came down and burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the ground around the altar. It also dried up the water in the ditch. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell down to the ground, crying, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”
Yes, there's power in Astrology, Crystals, & Tarot Cards...but it’s not the kind you want.
It doesn’t invite the presence you desire.
And its experienced power pales in comparison to the direction, guidance, wisdom, and power imparted through the Holy Spirit.
Let me just pause and say this.
Be careful in seeking the wrong presence & the wrong power.
I understand that we, as a generation, no longer want religion/moralism. It’s quite distasteful to our palates. I’m in the same boat. We want to experience the supernatural. We thirst for presence. We want to be free. We know there is more to life than this. So what I’m going to say will be forthright.
Satan wants you to believe the following lies:
All supernatural power is good and confirms the working hand of God.
We all have a supernatural power inside that we simply need to unleash through self-discovery.
The power of the Holy Spirit is weak, is of the past, and has no relevance for the present or future. Demonic power is much more powerful.
Do NOT BE DECEIVED.
All supernatural power comes from one of two sources. Good and evil. Let me be more specific: Jesus or Satan. The Creator or the created.
We live in a battle. And there are only two sides. Yes, two. (This isn’t a Westernized way of thinking. There are believers all across the world who know this to be true. Many witches/satanists, turned believers, expose this truth. And unfortunately, many empathizers who think that there are several different roads that lead to heaven…find out this truth too late.)
Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan doesn’t have horns and a pitchfork. If he did, you wouldn’t be deceived. He comes as an angel of light. He lies by promising you peace, freedom, power, insight, enlightenment, wisdom, and spiritual connectedness. Allured by the promise, you become his slave. If you get a whiff of this demonic power and demonic insight, if you ever sense this supernatural presence, it can at first appear inviting. Electrifying. New. Even freeing. It can even appear harmless. But it’s an age-old trick: tempting you through the mesmerization of “power” and “presence” and then leaving out the dark side to both, when it’s outside the presence of the Holy Spirit.
We are controlled by one of three things: the Holy Spirit, sinful flesh, or demonic influence. Yep, that’s it. To have supernatural power, it must be imparted to you by one of two sides. The body, soul, and spirit are interconnected-but these are still separate entities. Therefore, to have supernatural power doesn’t come from an untapped source inside. It must be imparted. And you want to be very careful regarding which well you drink from regarding this. .
(SN: Discovering your created purpose is powerful. Listening to your body is of benefit. But these discoveries still do not stand against supernatural powers. Recall, we all live in a supernatural battle that the eye is not susceptible to seeing. With that said, I must add that the “Universe” is not a distant utopia in which positive-thinking ushers in your destiny. In which connecting to your inner-self delivers you from attacks from a very real enemy. In which clean eating makes you spiritually cleansed. In which living “freely” makes you actually free. Christ is the only One who can save you from sin and death, deliver you from demonic influence, and fill you with His Spirit. Passages like Romans 7:14- Romans 8:17 explain this much more thoroughly. Is positive-thinking, processing your inner thoughts, and healthy eating beneficial? Absolutely! I can attest. But the moment these become the sole-trusted activity you run to for solace, help, comfort, saving—is the moment you seek a power absent of relationship. Similar to another’s supernatural reliance on demonic power, Satan loves when he can influence you to rely on human power. Why? Because it accomplishes the same goal in his eyes. You’ve officially erected your idol of choice on the throne of your heart-one that is outside of Christ. And this still won’t save you in the end.)
If…you…only knew the power of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. No Power or presence can compare to that of God alone.
Unfortunately, some churches do not speak on the Power of Christ. Perhaps, it is to ensure that one’s motivation to submit to God is not due to one’s lust for power? I’m not sure. It actually doesn’t make sense to me considering that many believed on Christ, during His time on earth, due to His great power and authority displayed. But because of it, many Christians have no clue of the power they possess. Many Christians don’t exercise the authority that Christ has given them. And because of it, many are spooked upon hearing about demonic power and become fearful when hearing about spiritual attacks.
But if the believer only knew the power he possessed.
Recall that even demons believe on the name of Jesus Christ and tremble (James 2:19). That every demon will one day bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). That the Holy Spirit in a believer is greater than the spirit of darkness that’s in the world (1 John 4:4). That a believer has access to the FULL armor of God to stand against each and every one of the schemes of the enemy (Ephesians 6:10) through the power of the Holy Spirit. Countless times, we see through Scripture that demonic power cannot stand against the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why do I write this blog post?
A time is coming, if not already, when many will be deceived by false signs and false prophets. In the last days, the Bible warns us that many will be deceived by the demonstration of demonic power.
Take the time to read these scriptures.
Matthew 24:24
“24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.”
2 Thessalonians 2: 9-10
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth.”
Revelation 13: 11-14
“11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.”
Pondered Thought:
We live in an ongoing spiritual battle for your soul. There’s hope. Jesus has already fought the battle and won! He has the victory. If you choose Him, you can experience this victory too. Once for eternity, and also on a daily basis in this temporal body and temporal world.