Occult: Spiritual Practices Outside God's Revealed Truth

The occult encompasses practices that seek hidden or supernatural knowledge and power apart from God. Rooted in counterfeit spiritual experience, occult involvement exposes individuals and their descendants to deceptive influences, drawing them away from the one true source of spiritual insight—Jesus Christ.

The Nature and Deception of the Occult

The occult includes any counterfeit religious or spiritual experience that does not come from God. It often involves a strong desire to obtain mysterious or secret knowledge about the unknown and to connect with spirit guides. False religions are closely linked to the occult, promising peace, power, knowledge and access to a 'higher power', but they lead into darkness because the source is Satan. Involvement exposes the person and their descendants to demonic (evil spirit) influences and deception (Num 14:18).

Satan's deceptive, evil system turns people away from the one true God to false gods, bringing them into bondage as they search for answers the material realm does not provide—driven by a desire for power over others, a fascination with the supernatural and wanting to know the future (1 Tim 4:1). Paul taught that any departure from the true gospel was inherently evil (Gal 1:8-9). We are not to blindly accept all spiritual claims but to "test the spirits", discerning the source by which a teacher is influenced, rejecting error and holding fast to what is consistent with Scripture (Act 17:11; 1 Thes 5:21; 1 Jn 4:1-6).

Occult Practices and Biblical Condemnation

The main branches of the occult are divination (which provides knowledge about people and events, often relating to the future) and sorcery (which uses various means to make an impact on the physical senses, usually with evil intent). The various practices include: consulting mediums, divination, psychic predictions, extrasensory perception (ESP), horoscopes (astrology), casting spells, Spiritism, fortune telling, wizards, witches and witchcraft, calling up the spirits of dead people, superstitions, séances, magic, crystal healing, hypnosis, Ouija boards, tarot cards, Wicca, lucky charms, free masonry, sorcery, New Age activities, martial arts and illicit drugs. These and similar practices, some of which are mentioned in Scripture, are to be avoided (Gen 41:8; Ex 22:18; Deut 18:10-11). Those living these lifestyles are often immoral too.

A psychic is a person who is sensitive to influences of a mental or supernatural nature, claiming to see into the future and identifying information hidden from the normal senses (by means such as extrasensory perception) or who performs acts apparently inexplicable by natural laws. A medium is a person who allegedly communicates with spirits of those deceased, acting as an intermediary between the spirit world and ours. The Bible condemns this practice: "Do not turn to mediums…I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums…mediums must be put to death" (Lev 19:31, 20:6,27). In the New Testament these practices are strongly condemned and those involved will be excluded from heaven: "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality…witchcraft…those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal 5:19-21; Rev 21:8). King Saul's interaction with a medium was a key part of why he was dethroned and his dynasty cut short (1 Chr 10:13-14). Any alleged communication with dead people is understood to be an evil spirit impersonating them.

Freedom and Deliverance from Occult Bondage

If you have been involved—even slightly—in any occult practice, rid yourself of its influence: confess it as sin to God, repent of participation, ask for divine forgiveness, cleansing and release, renounce the devil and his works, and claim the Bible's promises (Lk 10:17; Jas 4:7-8; 1 Jn 3:8, 4:4). Deliverance from bondage may be necessary. As believers, we must have on the full armour of God so we can withstand Satan's destructive intent for us (Jn 10:10; Eph 6:10-18).