by Cleve Stafford<\/p>\n
In an age of spiritual confusion, many are turning to mysticism in the name of peace, balance, or inner healing. Practices such as burning sage to “cleanse” a room, carrying crystals for energy, reading horoscopes, or consulting psychics are increasingly viewed as harmless rituals or even helpful tools for mental clarity. However, while these trends may seem innocent or fashionable, the Bible reveals the truth about them. They are not just misguided practices; they are spiritually dangerous and rooted in darkness.<\/p>\n
God’s Word is unequivocal in its condemnation of occult practices. From the beginning, He has warned His people against engaging in fortune-telling, necromancy, divination, or any pursuit of supernatural knowledge outside of Him: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord<\/em>” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).<\/p>\n God does not use gentle language to describe these practices. He calls them detestable, not merely misguided. They are not spiritual curiosities; they are gateways to demonic influence and rebellion against the Creator. Seeking spiritual guidance or power apart from the Lord is never neutral; it is treason against heaven.<\/p>\n Some may wonder what harm there is in burning sage, wearing a crystal, or checking a horoscope for fun. However, these actions are not spiritually empty. They often stem from belief systems rooted in paganism and the occult-philosophies that deny God’s authority and subtly encourage people to trust in creation rather than the Creator. The moment we look outside of God’s Word for spiritual direction, we step into dangerous territory.<\/p>\nThe prophet Isaiah warned the people of his day not to seek insight from the dead or the occult, but to turn to God alone: The truth is that any power found outside of Christ is not divine; it is quite literally demonic. The spiritual realm is real, and it includes forces of evil that disguise themselves as light to lure people away from the truth. Jesus described what happens when a person removes evil from their life but does not fill that space with God: “Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first<\/em>” (Matthew 12:45).<\/p>\n Empty spiritual rituals create a vacuum. If we do not fill our hearts with the Spirit of God, something else will take His place. It’s important to remember that spirituality without truth is a trap. The answer is not just to avoid evil, but to pursue God with wholehearted devotion. True cleansing does not come through smoke or stone, but through the blood of Jesus Christ. Real guidance comes not from the stars, but from the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, not a psychic, is the one who leads us into all truth.<\/p>\n Christians must have the courage to call these practices what they are: counterfeit, corrupt, and condemned by God. The way of the cross is narrow, but it is the only path that leads to life. If you have dabbled in these things, turn to the Lord in repentance. His mercy is greater than our mistakes. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them<\/em>” (Ephesians 5:11). The time has come to abandon the shadows and step into the light. Allow your soul to discover its peace, its power, and its purpose in Christ alone.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Cleve Stafford In an age of spiritual confusion, many are turning to mysticism in the name of peace, balance, or inner healing. Practices such as burning sage to “cleanse” a room, carrying crystals for energy, reading horoscopes, or consulting psychics are increasingly viewed as harmless rituals or even helpful tools for mental clarity. However,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[604],"class_list":["post-87701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-witchcraft"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":57315,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/improper-sources-of-authority\/","url_meta":{"origin":87701,"position":0},"title":"Improper Sources of Authority","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Heath Rogers \"Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, \u02dcBy what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?'\" (Matthew 21:23). In \"The Proper Source of Authority\" we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87379,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/and-man-created-god-in-his-own-image\/","url_meta":{"origin":87701,"position":1},"title":"And Man Created God in His Own Image","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Floyd Chappalear via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 1, 31 March 1991 Yes, we are well aware that the Bible states that God created humans in His own image (Genesis 1:27), but there is something to be said for the title of this piece. You see, \"every way of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Buddah-idol-300x200.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23888,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-there-all-these-new-practices-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":87701,"position":2},"title":"Why are there all these new practices in the church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am having trouble accepting new ideas within the church. Last Halloween the church sponsored a \"trunk or treat\" in the parking lot by putting Halloween themes in trunks of cars and giving out candy to kids coming down the street!\u00a0 Then at Christmas, the preacher called my house\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94609,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-genocide-accusation-against-the-bible-and-why-it-fails\/","url_meta":{"origin":87701,"position":3},"title":"The \u201cGenocide\u201d Accusation Against the Bible\u2014And Why It Fails","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. Every semester, thousands of college students sit in classrooms where the Bible is ridiculed or reduced to a caricature. One of the most common accusations they hear is this: \"If God is real, why did He command genocide?\" For many young Christians, that question lands like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69676,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/leaving-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":87701,"position":4},"title":"Leaving the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall Meditate on this thought: \"What I believe about God's word is more important than how people treat me.\" Many people will leave churches where they are mistreated and start worshiping with a friendly church that practices and teaches things contrary to what they believe. Whether they want\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47317,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-peter-43-and-social-drinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":87701,"position":5},"title":"I Peter 4:3 and ‘Social Drinking’","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ron Halbrook (edited for length) Searching The Scriptures, June 1973 Three words are used in\u00a0I Peter 4:3 which have a bearing on modern drinking practices. All three words describe the lifestyle of the old man, dead in sin - living \"in the flesh to the lusts of men.\" Peter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87701\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n“And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?<\/em>” (Isaiah 8:19). God is not silent; He speaks clearly in His Word. Yet, when people turn to mediums, energy healers, tarot cards, or astrology, they reject the voice of God in favor of spiritual fraud.\n