What does the Bible say about witchcraft / witches?

Witchcraft as Satan’s Counterfeit Spirituality

What does the Bible say about witchcraft and witches? Should a Christian fear witchcraft? The Bible has a lot to say about witchcraft. Witchcraft and its many cousins, such as fortune-telling and necromancy, are Satan's counterfeits to holy spirituality.

The Bible expressly condemns all forms of witchcraft. Since early times, people have sought supernatural experiences God did not endorse. The nations that surrounded the Promised Land were saturated with such practices, and God had stern words for His people concerning any involvement with them.

Old Testament Condemnation of Witchcraft and Mediums

Deuteronomy 18, 9 -12 says,. When you enter the land the Lord your God has given you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist, or who consults with the dead.

Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. God takes witchcraft very seriously. The penalty for practicing witchcraft under the Mosaic Law was death. 1 Chronicles 10, 13 tells us that Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord.

He did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance. In the New Testament, sorcery is translated from the Greek word pharmakia, from which we get our word pharmacy. Witchcraft and spiritism often involve the ritualistic use of magic potions and mind-controlling drugs.

Using illicit drugs can open ourselves up to the invasion of demonic spirits. Engaging in a practice or taking a substance to achieve an altered state of consciousness is a form of witchcraft. There are only two sources of spiritual power, God and Satan.

Satan has only the power that God allows him to have, but it is considerable. To seek spirituality, knowledge, or power apart from God is idolatry, closely related to witchcraft. 1 Samuel 15, 23 says,.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Witchcraft is Satan's realm, and he excels in counterfeiting what God does. When Moses performed miracles before Pharaoh, the magicians did the same things through demonic power.

Witchcraft as a Desire for Control and Forbidden Knowledge

At the heart of witchcraft is the desire to know the future and control events that are not ours to control. Those abilities belong only to the Lord. This desire has its roots in Satan's first temptation to Eve, You can be like God.

Since the Garden of Eden, Satan's major focus has been to divert human hearts away from the worship of the true God. He entices humans with the suggestions of power, self-realization, and spiritual enlightenment apart from submission to the Lord God.

Witchcraft is merely another branch of that enticement. To become involved in witchcraft in any way is to enter Satan's realm. Seemingly harmless modern entanglements with witchcraft can include horoscopes, Ouija boards, Eastern meditation rituals, and some video and role-playing games.

Christian Resistance to Witchcraft and the Call to Repentance

Any practice that dabbles in a power source other than the Lord Jesus Christ is witchcraft. Revelation 22 .15 includes witches in the list of those who will not inherit eternal life. We don't need to fear Satan's power, but we should respect it and stay away from it.

1 John 4 .4 says,. Satan can create much havoc, harm, and destruction even in the lives of believers. However, if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no power that can ultimately defeat us. We are overcomers, as we put on the whole armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

When we give our lives to Christ, we must repent. This repentance should include renouncing any involvement with witchcraft, following the example of the early believers in Acts 19 .19. Isaiah 8 .19 says,.

When we follow those words to their logical conclusion, we could ask,. Witchcraft and its many counterparts promise spirituality, but lead only to emptiness and death. Only Jesus has the words of life.

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