I was sitting with our Creative Writing group recently as we worked through our projects together. My friend and I got into a discussion with one of our fellow tablemates, a sweet but socially anxious girl who I’ll call Jessie. I asserted that 2000s Christian music is one of the best decade genres, to which I received an unexpected response from Jessie.

“Well, I’m a Christian, but I’m also into, you know, witchy stuff.”

I stared at her, completely unprepared for the statement. All we had done was discuss music decade preferences, and suddenly the conversation had turned to an argument in favor of witchcraft. I asked her to explain, to which replied that she loves God, but also prefers to engage in “witchy” practices that are the only things keeping her “sane”.

Flabbergasted, all I could think of to say was, “Well, that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to Christian music.” She agreed, and let me send her some songs from the decade that I had mentioned. But I couldn’t shake the conversation from my mind. I wished I had said more, explained faith better, but I had been caught so off guard nothing came to mind.

I had mostly assumed, from experiences I’ve had with other lukewarm “Christians”, that those who engage in ungodly practices understand that they are ungodly and simply don’t care about the consequences. They recognize that they aren’t really Christians. Typically, those who neglect to go to church acknowledge their lack of faith, for example.

While I knew the perception existed, this was the first time I had engaged in a direct conversation with someone who believed she could be a Christian and engage in the same practices as the occult.

This perception has taken a firm root in our culture today, as truth and fixed meaning have been threatened by claims of subjectivity. Now, being a Christian is seemingly a matter of professing faith and then living as one pleases. After all, what right do we have to claim that what we believe is the only truth? Christians are seen as simple-minded and given all sorts of labels–homophobic, transphobic, and many more.

The Bible provides a different point of view.

In the beginning, God lived with His angels who served Him. But one of the angels became jealous of God’s power, and riled up a third of the angels against Him. That angel is Satan, and he stands against God today by inciting God’s creation to evil practices, trying to get as many people to deny God as possible. When people engage in divination or welcome the practice, they align themselves with Satan and are held captive by his power.

Before Paul and Silas went to prison, they met a slave girl with the “spirit of divination” (Acts 16:16-18 ESV) who practiced fortune-telling. Paul, annoyed at her constant pestering, commanded the spirit of divination to leave in the name of Jesus. What enabled her to speak divinations was an evil spirit, a demon. This passage illustrates how divination, fortune-telling, horoscopes, and witchcraft are not harmless practices to engage in. With each finger dipped into the water, demons are increasingly allowed to take advantage of whoever engages in those practices. At its worst, it leads to demonic possession. This is precisely why it is impossible to be both a Christian and a participant in “witchy” things. There is no way to serve both a good God and an evil spirit at the same time.

After the ascension, Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, entered Samaria to preach about the good news. Among the people there lived a man named Simon who was deeply involved in magic. Simon came across Philip as he performed godly miracles, and desired the power Philip used. Philip replied, “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22 ESV). Simon the Magician saw the power of God not as the ultimate divine power, but as another thing to be grasped. Having been consumed by the power of darkness, Simon used powers given to him directly by Satan, which required repentance if Simon had any hope of heaven. So why should we support divination, if it is the power of Satan, if it can only lead to death? 

Even before Jesus preached on earth, in the old laws given in Deuteronomy, God commanded his people to avoid 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” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ESV). Whoever practiced such things stood on the conveyor belt to hell, which is why God warned so strongly against it. God doesn’t want anyone to live an eternal death, but a father will not give his son an inheritance if the son has a history of squandering money on useless, consumerist passions. The king won’t bless a citizen who is engaged in a revolutionary league. So, God doesn’t want us to involve ourselves in those practices because they tear us away from the promise of his love. They remove us from eternal life with Him. 

So what should we do? If we choose to walk with God, we have to obey him and be mindful of the spiritual impact of our actions. Removing ourselves from seemingly harmless activities like horoscope reading and ouija boards is essential. When we say no to evil, we have room for the light that can ultimately save us. When we choose to honor God with our lives, he will give us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3 ESV). He will fill us with joy, hope, sanity, love, blessings, every good thing. He will listen to our prayers and treat us as sons and daughters.

So what would I say now to Jessie, who believes “witchy” practices are the only things keeping her sane? They are the very practices trapping her in such a mindset. With God, there is more freedom than we could ever imagine.

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.