Careful Whose Door You Knock On

The Dangers of Subtle Occult Engagement

Some time ago, a lady approached me seeking prayer. She mentioned severe headaches, nightmares that deprived her of sleep, and a host of other afflictions. After hearing all of this I prayed for her and offered the best counsel I could in the moment. A few weeks later I learned that she regularly held seances at her house "for fun" during the month of October.

I'm not implying a direct connection between her ailments and these seances, but highlighting a broader concern within our culture. We have lost touch with a sense of enchantment, not in the whimsical belief of fairies living in flowers, but in the recognition of a spiritual reality that underpins our physical existence.

In light of this, children nonchalantly dabble with ouija boards, adults attend playful seances for Halloween, and even summon spirits or consult Tarot cards, all with the assumption that these are harmless endeavors. But what if these ventures yield unintended consequences? What if a $25 Tarot card reading gives you more than you bargained for?

When I was growing up we used to play a game called Ding Dong Ditch. If your childhood bore any resemblance to mine, you likely engaged in this mischievous game as well. The premise was simple: ring someones doorbell, then run and hide before they could answer. Of course, this game doesn't translate well today with the prevalence of Ring cameras…

We enjoyed playing this game, but there was one house that we dared not disturb. Its owner was a grumpy old man (to us), he reminded us of the old man in the original Home Alone movie. If we rang his door and ran, he would call the police, turning our youthful “fun” into a more serious ordeal.

I think of this whenever I hear about people's casual flirtation with occult practices. Rarely does someone willingly seek to encounter the demonic, but engagement in such practices is akin to knocking on the door of Hell. Even if a person remains unaware that someone lives there, knocking may inadvertently invite something malevolent to open, leading to dire consequences.

There is a long and varied history of people who have played with occult practices, thinking they were empty of anything real, only to find their lives overrun by dark forces.

Recently, I reread the account of Rev. Johann Christoph Blumhardt, a German Lutheran pastor whose sermons inspired theological giants like Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In his work "Jesus is Victor," Blumhardt recounts the prolonged exorcism of a young lady named Gottliebin Dittus.

Dittus was known to cry out in the night with strange, guttural, non-human, noises. Unusual lights were seen coming from her room, and she often demonstrated a bestial rage against her family members.

After doctors failed to offer any help, Blumhardt was called to see what God could do. He subsequently discovered Gottliebin’s involvement in divination and other occult practices.

I will leave it to you to read the entire account if you’re interested. Suffice it to say, many in Blumhardt’s community were playing with the occult, erroneously thinking it was devoid of any real power. They soon discovered otherwise. Thanks be to God, through the ministrations of Rev. Blumhardt, many were liberated, and a spiritual revival swept through the land. People were awakened to the power of God after having experienced the power of the devil; they realized that the world was, indeed, “enchanted” and governed by unseen spiritual realities.

It seems that we have forgotten this truth again.

As I mentioned earlier, casual involvement with the occult has become commonplace. Tarot cards, crystal usage, seances, astrological readings, and ouija boards are not only prevalent but also accepted as normal facets of our society. This should cause us to be alarmed.

Yes, as Blumhardt and Dittus discovered, “Jesus is Victor!” Nevertheless, this does not negate the existence of malevolent forces. Just as we would shout a warning to children playing near a live electrical wire, we should be alarmed by such behavior in our society.

What, then, is the solution?

Raise the alarm, of course; but beyond that we need to rediscover Spirit-filled Christianity.

For not only are there invisible powers connected to occult practices, but there are invisible powers connected to Christian worship. Through worship we are drawn closer to the living God, and his Spirit within us inhabits more of us, transforming us and enabling us to bear witness to those under the power of darkness.

As Paul writes, “[W]e do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

In an era where people engage with the occult in uninformed ways, Christians must engage with Christ intentionally, believing that his powerfully Spirit within us desires to do his work in and through us. This, after all, is salvation; it’s not solely for our benefit but for the sake of our neighbors, friends, and communities.

In conclusion, it is imperative that we, as individuals and as communities of faith, rekindle our awareness of the spiritual realities that underlie our physical existence. The casual engagement with occult practices, though often seen as harmless or entertaining, should be approached with caution and understanding.

We must remember that there are unseen powers at play in the world, both benevolent and malevolent. While we affirm the victory of Christ over evil, it would be unwise to underestimate the existence and influence of dark forces.

To safeguard ourselves and our communities, we should embrace a Spirit-filled Christianity. Through intentional worship and a deepening relationship with the living God, we can draw upon the power of the divine to resist the spiritual forces of evil that seek to infiltrate our lives.

In this age of curiosity about the occult, let us not forget the importance of spiritual discernment and the recognition that our world is indeed enchanted, intertwined with invisible spiritual realities. Our commitment to faith, prayer, and a life in Christ can serve not only our own well-being but also that of our neighbors, friends, and communities.

“Jesus is Victor!”

---