Transcription
You've probably heard someone say lately, "The universe is shifting my energy. Everything's finally aligning for me." Or maybe you've seen a friend post, "The universe is sending me signs. It's trendy, harmless sounding, even comforting."
But here's the thing. What the world now calls energy, the Bible once called divination. Divination is one of the oldest temptations in human history. The hunger to know what only God knows. The Hebrew word is kessum. It means to seek secret knowledge or predict the future through supernatural means apart from God. It's the spiritual version of peeking at tomorrow's script before it's written.
In the Bible, we see this clearly in Numbers 22 with Balak, the so-called prophet for hire. Kings paid him to speak blessings or curses because they believed his words could bend destiny. But God steps in and shows Balak that true power doesn't come from human incantations. It comes from obedience. Then there's King Saul who lost his throne because he started listening to omens instead of listening to God. 1 Samuel 15:23 says it plainly, "Rebellion is as the sin of divination."
Why? Because both say, "I don't trust God's timing. I'll take the reins myself." And that's exactly what divination looks like today. We just gave it better marketing. We don't visit witches. We visit wellness coaches. We don't read crystal balls. We read horoscopes. We don't bow to idols. We bow to algorithms that promise to predict what we want next. It's the same spirit in a sleeker package.
People say the universe is aligning for me. But the universe doesn't have a mind. It's creation, not creator. When you say the universe is guiding you, you're replacing the one who spoke it into existence with the thing he made. Romans 1:25 calls that worshiping the created instead of the creator.
Think about how subtle this is. You pray less but check your horoscope more. You stop asking, "God, what do you want from me?" and start asking, "What's my energy saying today?" That's not harmless. It's idolatry disguised as inspiration. Isaiah 47:13-14 warned Babylon about the same thing. "Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month. Surely they are like stubble. The fire will burn them up." Divination has always promised control. But the irony is it gives you the illusion of control while making you spiritually enslaved.
Every time you chase a sign, you stop listening to the shepherd. And Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, not the stars, not the spirits, his voice." So if you're tired of checking the sky for answers, look higher. The one who made the stars still holds your story. The future doesn't belong to zodiac signs, tarot cards, or manifestation rituals. The future belongs to God, not the algorithm, not the stars, and not the universe.
Sorcery. Have you noticed how everything spiritual has become fashionable again? Walk into almost any store and you'll find shelves filled with crystals, sage bundles, tarot decks, and candles labeled with promises like manifest love or money energy. There are entire social media accounts teaching moon rituals and energy cleansings. People call it self-care or healing or even Christian witchcraft.
But let's be honest, what the world now calls energy work, the Bible has always called sorcery. The Hebrew word is kashaf and the Greek is pharmarmacia. The use of potions, spells, or substances to manipulate outcomes. It's where we get the word pharmacy. In ancient times, sorcery wasn't just waving a wand. It often involved potions and drugs meant to open people to spiritual forces. That's why Exodus 22:18 says, "You shall not permit a sorceress to live." It wasn't cruelty. It was protection. God was drawing a clear line between his spirit and every counterfeit spirit that tries to take his place.
Fast forward to the New Testament, and the warning doesn't soften. Paul includes Pharmarmacaya in Galatians 5:20, listing it alongside idolatry, hatred, and sexual immorality as the works of the flesh. And Revelation 2:18 says that sorcerers will have their part in the lake of fire. That's how seriously God takes it. Not because he's harsh, but because he knows where these practices lead.
Sorcery is humanity's oldest power grab. It's the belief that we can bend reality to our will without bowing to God. In the Old Testament, magicians stood in Pharaoh's court and mimicked Moses's miracles. They could turn staffs into snakes, but they couldn't make life. That's always been the difference. Witchcraft imitates God's power, but it can't recreate it. It's imitation without intimacy.
Today, the same spirit shows up with a new vocabulary. We say, "Manifest your destiny, speak it into existence, or charge your crystals with intention." But beneath all the pretty candles and poetic language, it's still the same temptation from Eden. You will be like God. We don't want communion with God. We want control. And that's the core of witchcraft. Even the modern psychedelic movement with its spiritual awakenings through substances echoes the same ancient pattern. It promises enlightenment, but it bypasses the spirit of truth. Revelation 9:21 says that people refused to repent of their murders, their magic arts, pharmarmacaya, and their idolatries. It's a sobering picture of a world addicted to counterfeit power.
See, witchcraft doesn't always look dark and demonic. It often looks beautiful, empowering, and kind. That's why it's so deceptive. It plays on our desire for healing and control, but it separates us from the only one who can truly heal and redeem. Isaiah 47:12-13 warns Babylon, "Continue with your enchantments and your many sorceries. Let your astrologers come forward. Perhaps you will succeed." The sarcasm is divine. God is exposing the emptiness of false power.
When you try to command the universe, you're no longer trusting the creator. You're imitating him. And imitation without obedience becomes rebellion. The power of the Holy Spirit is given to transform hearts, not to manipulate outcomes. So if the culture tells you to manifest your dreams, remember this. The greatest miracles happen not when you speak the universe into submission, but when you surrender your will to God. Because what the world calls manifestation, God calls manipulation.
Interpreting Omens. You ever hear someone say, "I keep seeing 11-11 everywhere. It must be a sign." Or, "That butterfly landing on my car means my loved one is watching over me." It sounds comforting, even spiritual. But here's the question no one asks. What spirit is actually behind it?
We live in a world obsessed with signs. Every coincidence becomes a message. Every random number becomes an angel number. People scroll through social media looking for confirmation from the universe. But the Bible has a word for this. It's called omen reading. The Hebrew word is on meaning to predict or interpret the future through signs, patterns, or natural events. It's the ancient version of saying the universe is talking to me.
In the ancient world, omen reading was everywhere. Babylonians studied the flight paths of birds. Egyptians read the patterns in the stars. And even Israel's neighbors believed thunder, lightning, or an animal's behavior revealed God's will. But in Leviticus 19:26, God draws a hard line. "Do not practice divination or seek omens." Why? Because his people were never meant to look to creation for guidance when they could talk directly to the creator.
That's what makes modern superstition so sneaky. We no longer read sheep entrails. We read coincidences. We treat the universe like a personal assistant sending cryptic text messages. But the Bible says in Jeremiah 10:2, "Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, even though the nations are terrified by them." In other words, don't let your faith be steered by the stars.
Now, don't get me wrong, God does use signs in scripture, but they're always his choice, not ours. Gideon asked for a sign, and God gave one out of mercy, not method. The shepherds saw a sign at Christ's birth, but that sign pointed them to the Savior, not to themselves. The difference is all about who's in control. When God gives a sign, it's revelation. When we demand a sign, it's manipulation.
The problem with omen hunting is that it shifts the focus from God's voice to our interpretation. We stop asking, "What does God's word say?" and start asking, "What does this random event mean for me?" That's not faith. That's superstition dressed up as spirituality. And it's dangerous because it replaces scripture with symbols. Isaiah 8:19-20 warns, "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, should not a people inquire of their God? Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." That's God's way of saying, "Stop chasing signs and start opening your Bible."
Here's the truth. Faith doesn't need breadcrumbs from the universe to know it's on the right path. Faith stands on God's promises. Even when there's no visible sign at all. Abraham didn't get angel numbers. He got a word from the Lord and obeyed. Noah didn't wait for stars to align. He listened and built the ark anyway. So the next time you catch yourself saying, "That must be a sign," ask this instead. Did God's word say it first? Because if the sign doesn't align with scripture, it's not divine. It's distraction. Faith doesn't look for signs. Faith listens to scripture because the word of God doesn't hint. It speaks.
Casting Spells Are Charming. You've probably heard it. "Speak it into existence." It's the motto of our modern age. We tell ourselves that our words can bend reality, that if we just say it with enough passion or positivity, the universe will eventually make it happen. You'll find entire conferences, books, and sermons built around manifesting your destiny through words.
But here's the question we rarely stop to ask. When did prayer turn into performance? The Bible has a word for this kind of word power. It's lash, to whisper an incantation or enchantment to influence people or events. In the ancient world, sorcerers murmured spells under their breath to curse an enemy or to charm someone into love or loyalty. Their belief was simple. If I say it right, I can control reality. Sound familiar?
We may not be chanting in the moonlight, but our culture is full of the same mindset. If I say it, I can shape it. But scripture tells a very different story about the power of words. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." That doesn't mean your words are magical. It means they're moral. They reveal your heart. Words have impact because they align you either with truth or with deception. James 3:10 warns, "Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing." My brothers, this should not be. Our mouths aren't meant to cast energy. They're meant to confess truth.
In ancient Israel, lash was forbidden because it tried to use spiritual power instead of submit to it. The difference between faith and witchcraft is direction. Faith speaks to God. Witchcraft speaks like God. Faith says, "Your will be done." Witchcraft says, "My will be done." One surrenders, the other commands.
Even today, Christianized versions of this exist. People say, "Don't speak negativity into your life," or "You have to declare your miracle." There's truth in guarding your words. But when we start believing that our declarations create reality, we've crossed the line from confession into incantation. The prophet Isaiah faced the same issue when God said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Isaiah 29:13. Words alone don't move heaven. Surrender does.
Think about Jesus in the wilderness. Satan tempted him to speak power into action. "If you are the son of God, command these stones to become bread." But Jesus didn't speak it into existence. He quoted the word of God instead. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4. He didn't rely on sound vibrations. He relied on scripture.
And that's the real difference. Our words don't have divine power. They have delegated purpose. When we echo God's word, we're aligning with the truth that already carries power. But when we try to use words to force outcomes—wealth, healing, control—we're whispering the same ancient lie the serpent told Eve. You can be like God. So be careful what you repeat. Not every affirmation is harmless. Some are just modern spells wrapped in motivational language. True faith doesn't chant for results. It trusts the one who already holds the results because the power isn't in your voice. It's in his word. And Christian faith doesn't cast spells. It declares truth.
Consulting Mediums. Have you noticed how death has become entertainment lately? Shows about ghost hunters, mediums on talk shows, TikToks claiming to channel loved ones, or people using spirit boxes to record voices from the dead. It's marketed as comfort. It's framed as closure, but beneath the gentle music and glowing candles lies something scripture calls dangerous deception.
The Hebrew word for medium is ab, literally a hollow one, referring to a person who becomes a vessel or channel for a spirit. In ancient times, mediums would speak in strange voices claiming to summon the dead to give counsel to the living. But the Bible is crystal clear about where that power actually comes from. It's not the voice of grandma. It's not the spirit of peace. It's demonic imitation.
Leviticus 19:31 commands, "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God." Notice that last line. God ties this warning directly to his identity. I am the Lord. Because consulting the dead isn't just curiosity. It's spiritual infidelity. It says, "God, you're not enough. I'll get my answers elsewhere."
The Bible gives us one chilling example. Saul and the witch of Endor in 1st Samuel 28. After God stopped answering him through prophets and dreams, Saul panicked. He disguised himself and visited a medium asking her to summon the prophet Samuel. And something terrifying happened. Samuel actually appeared. But it wasn't comfort. It was condemnation. Samuel's words were not guidance. They were judgment. Think about that. Saul didn't find answers. He found his downfall. That's the nature of every false light. It promises revelation, but delivers ruin.
Today's mediums may sound more polished, but the pattern hasn't changed. Whether it's a psychic reading, a ghost hunting app, or a so-called Christian medium claiming to connect you with your loved ones, the goal is the same. Bypass God's authority to access forbidden knowledge. But Isaiah 8:19 asks the piercing question, "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?"
The ache behind these practices is understandable. Grief makes us desperate. We miss the ones we've lost. But that longing is meant to draw us closer to the living God, not to the shadows. The truth is those who have died in Christ are not wandering around trying to send messages. They are with him. Paul said in Philippians 1:23, "To depart and be with Christ is far better." Our loved ones are not speaking through psychics. They're resting in his presence.
Every time we chase voices from beyond the grave, we're listening to the wrong spirit. And the enemy loves that. He doesn't show up with horns and fire. He shows up whispering, "I can help you heal." But 2 Corinthians 11:14 reminds us, "even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." God's word doesn't tell us to talk to the dead. It tells us to trust the one who conquered death. Jesus said in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies." That's not a seance. That's salvation. So when you seek the dead for answers, you're turning away from the living God. But when you turn to him, you find not just memories, you find resurrection hope. 'Cause the only voice worth hearing from beyond the grave is the one who walked out of the tomb.
Wizards. You ever notice how people today talk about being spiritual but not religious? It sounds enlightened, like they've evolved beyond organized faith. They talk about connecting to their higher self, calling on spirit guides, or listening to the energy of the universe.
But here's what most don't realize. That exact language has ancient roots. The Bible already talked about this thousands of years ago, and it called it yidioni, the practice of communing with familiar spirits. In the ancient world, wizards weren't the robewearing magicians from fantasy movies. They were people who claimed to have secret access to divine insight, not through God, but through a spirit guide that whispered hidden knowledge. They could tell fortunes, interpret dreams, or speak in voices not their own.
And the people of Israel were surrounded by them. Every pagan culture had its wise men who promised enlightenment without repentance. But God drew a clear boundary. In Leviticus 26, he warned, "I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them." That word prostitute hits hard. God uses it because seeking hidden wisdom apart from him is spiritual unfaithfulness. It's cheating on the truth.
Fast forward to today and we've simply changed the vocabulary. Now, it's energy healing, chakra alignment, or channeling ancestors. People say, "I'm just connecting with my spirit team," or "I'm listening to my intuition." But behind those soft phrases lies the same old lie. You can access wisdom and power without God. And that's not new. It's the same whisper from the garden. "You will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:5.
Every spirit that promises revelation apart from the Holy Spirit is just echoing that first deception. It looks harmless, even healing. But 2 Corinthians 11:14 warns us that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." Not everything that glows is good. Isaiah 8:19 puts it bluntly. "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, 'Should not a people inquire of their God?' Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?"
God's people were never meant to chase whispers. We were meant to listen to his word. And here's where it hits home. Even Christians are starting to mix this language into their faith. You'll hear things like, "I'm raising my vibration." Or, "The Holy Spirit is my energy source." But the Holy Spirit isn't an energy. He's not a force to be channeled. He's a person to be known. Jesus called him the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, not a cosmic current. When Acts 1:8 says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you," that power isn't about self-enlightenment. It's about transformation.
So before you buy into anything that offers hidden knowledge, pause and ask, does this draw me closer to the truth of Christ or deeper into myself? Because anything that claims to reveal secrets apart from scripture is a counterfeit gospel. Real wisdom doesn't come from spirit guides or energy flow. It comes from the Spirit who gives life. The Holy Spirit is the only spirit Christians should ever seek.
Necromancy. We live in a culture that's obsessed with staying connected, even to those who've passed on. Every year, millions participate in ancestor veneration, spiritual rituals at grave sites, or cultural festivals that claim to honor the dead. On social media, you'll find people claiming they can talk to their departed loved ones, invite them back through seances, or feel their spirit through rituals. It all looks sentimental, even loving.
But underneath that tenderness is a practice the Bible calls necromancy. The Hebrew phrase is dorish elhamim. Literally one who seeks the dead. It's not about remembering or honoring. It's about reaching across the line that God himself drew between life and death. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12, God includes necromancy in the same list as sorcery, divination, and child sacrifice and calls them all detestable because these aren't harmless traditions. They're spiritual doorways. They're opening themselves to spirits that pretend to be those loved ones.
Leviticus 26 warns, "I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and necromancers to prostitute themselves after them." God doesn't say this to be cruel. He says it because he knows exactly what's on the other side of that veil. In the ancient world, necromancy was everywhere. Pagans built shrines to communicate with the spirits of heroes. They'd carve names on bones, pour out wine, or sleep near graves, hoping to receive dreams from the dead. It wasn't about grief. It was about control. If they could summon the spirits, they could ask for favor, protection, or knowledge.
But the Bible exposes the truth. That favor wasn't coming from the dead. It was coming from demons. Psalm 106:28 says, "Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to the dead." When people sought power through the dead, they were really worshiping idols. Today, necromancy doesn't wear the same face. It's dressed up as spiritual heritage. You'll see it in Day of the Dead altars, ancestor communication rituals, and ancestral healing. But the danger is the same. You can honor your family's memory without crossing into spiritual communion.
The Bible celebrates remembrance. God himself commanded memorials, but he never sanctioned summoning. And here's the deeper truth. When we try to reach the dead, it's usually because we're craving connection. We miss them. We want assurance that they're okay. That's human. But the comfort we're looking for doesn't come from rituals. It comes from resurrection. Jesus said in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies." Notice that he is the bridge. Not seances, not ceremonies, not candles. The living can't pull the dead back. But the risen Christ can lead both into eternal life.
So when the world says, "Speak to your ancestors," remember, we don't speak to the dead because the living God speaks to us. Our hope isn't in channeling memories. It's in trusting the Messiah who conquered the grave. Because Jesus rose from the dead so we'd never have to summon the dead.
Human Sacrifice. If you think human sacrifice is just an ancient horror story, something buried in the dust of pagan history, think again. We may not be throwing babies into a bronze furnace anymore, but the same spirit that fueled those fires is alive and well today. It's just learned how to dress modern.
In Deuteronomy 18:10, God warns his people not to "cause your sons or daughters to pass through the fire." That was the worship of Molech, a Canaanite idol with outstretched arms heated from beneath until it glowed red. Parents would place their children on those burning arms as offerings, believing Molech would bless their crops, their finances, their future. It was the ultimate trade. Sacrifice the innocent for personal gain.
Now we recoil at that image, and we should. But look around. Are we really that different? The altars just look cleaner now. We no longer call them temples. We call them lifestyles. The fire isn't in a statue. It's in our ambition, our convenience, our self-worship, and the sacrifices. They're moral, emotional, and sometimes literal. Every time a culture chooses comfort over conviction or pleasure over purity or career over the sanctity of life, Molech smiles.
Jeremiah 19:5 records God's heartbreak. "They built high places to Baal to burn their children in the fire, something I did not command or even enter my mind." Uh, that last phrase is stunning. God says it never even entered his mind. Why? Because true love never demands the blood of the innocent. It offers its own instead.
In ancient Israel, God's people were supposed to stand apart from the nations that practiced these things. But instead, they blended in. They compromised. They began offering the very lives God had blessed them with on altars he never built. And he called it what it was, idolatry. Psalm 106:37-38 says, "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. They shed innocent blood."
Fast forward to our world and the idols haven't changed, just their names. Instead of Molech, we have choice, success, self-expression, and freedom. And we're told that if you want the life you deserve, sometimes you have to make hard sacrifices. Even if those sacrifices destroy something innocent, whether it's abortion, neglecting family for career, or compromising moral integrity for influence, it's the same worship pattern. Self on the throne, sacrifice on the altar.
And before we point fingers outward, we need to look inward. We may not bow to statues, but how often do we burn what's precious to us? Our marriages, our children's hearts, our integrity for the sake of temporary success. That's modern Molech worship. But the gospel flips the script. While false gods demand the life of your children to prove devotion, the true God gave his own son to prove his love. Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also graciously give us all things?"
That's the difference between idols and the Almighty. Idols consume you. God redeems you. Idols take life. God gives it. So, let's be honest. The world still has altars. They're just digital, political, or personal now. But any system, belief, or movement that demands the destruction of innocents in exchange for prosperity is still worshiping Molech. Because in every generation, the same question remains. Who gets sacrificed? The innocent or the idol.
If you've paid attention lately, you've seen it everywhere in commercials, conversations, and even in churches. It's not religion, it's energy. It sounds harmless, positive, sophisticated. People say things like, "I'm not into organized faith, but I believe in good energy." They burn sage to clear bad vibes. They wear crystals for protection. They speak affirmations to the universe. They call it wellness.
But the Bible calls it something very different. Idolatry repackaged as self-care. Today's witchcraft doesn't always look like black robes and spell books. It hides behind yoga, spirituality, holistic healing, and manifesting peace. It tells you that if you just align your energy, balance your chakras, or speak the right affirmations, you'll find inner light.
But what's really happening is the same thing that's been happening since Eden. Creation replacing the creator. In Romans 1:25, Paul described our generation perfectly. "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator." The language may have changed, but the heart hasn't. The crystal around your neck, the mantra on your lips, the ritual meant to cleanse your aura, all of it is rooted in one quiet assumption. I can heal myself without God.
Let's be clear, there's nothing wrong with rest, reflection, or health. The problem is when we start to spiritualize them into religion. We use God's creation as a substitute for his presence. We talk about the universe sending signs instead of admitting we're avoiding the God who speaks truth. And little by little, we trade a living relationship for a lifeless ritual.
The Bible doesn't warn about superstition because God's afraid of magic tricks. He warns about substitutes. Anything that gives you comfort, guidance, or peace apart from him becomes an idol, no matter how peaceful it looks. Isaiah 44:20 describes it perfectly. "He feeds on ashes. A deluded heart has led him astray. He cannot say, 'Is there not a lie in my right hand?'" That's what modern spirituality does. It offers ashes wrapped in aesthetic packaging. It feels good, but it's empty.
And here's what makes it dangerous. Modern witchcraft doesn't start with rebellion. It starts with exhaustion. People are burned out, anxious, and hungry for peace. "You don't need to repent. Just realign your energy." "You don't need Jesus. You just need balance." It sounds therapeutic, but the truth is, it's the same old whisper from the garden. "You can be like God." Genesis 3:5.
But there's only one power that actually brings peace. The presence of Christ. John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives." The peace of the world needs candles, chants, and crystals. The peace of Jesus only needs surrender. So no, it's not just energy. It's not just harmless. Because every substitute for God is still rebellion against God. You can't cleanse darkness with incense when the real cleansing only comes from the blood of Jesus. Every spell, every charm, every sign, every energy is just another voice whispering the same lie from Eden. You can be like God, but only one voice brings life, and his name is Jesus.