From the beginning of recorded time, in the Garden of Eden, humans have desired to be like God. This desire to become all-knowing began with Adam and Eve when the serpent deceived Eve into believing that she would become like God by taking a bite of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5).
Why did the enemy deceive her with this lie? Perhaps because he was chasing after his desire to become God and spread his kingdom.
It’s no surprise that the enemy continues to deceive humans with the same basic lie: That we can become all-knowing. That we can receive direction, wisdom, and freedom apart from Jesus. Satan uses this trap to enslave and trick people into following him.
This trap often comes in the form of witchcraft practices—consulting with mediums who have a “familiar spirit”— to gain unforeseen knowledge or power.
What Is a Familiar Spirit?
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, “familiar spirit” refers to a “spirit or demon that serves or prompts an individual.” Another definition is “the spirit of a dead person invoked by a medium to advise or prophesy.”
When this phrase is used in the Bible, it refers to the spirits attached to mediums or sorcerers. Mediums will (allegedly) use these spirits to attempt to summon the dead on their client’s behalf. Whether or not they can actually summon anything is a point we will get into later.
People will often confide in these mediums to gain unforeseen knowledge about the future or to communicate with loved ones who have passed away.
The word “familiar” in the phrase familiar spirit comes from the Latin word familiaris. This refers to a friend or a familiar acquaintance—one who is intimately attached. This term is also regarded as a “household servant.” In this context, we can conclude that the familiar spirits act as servants to mediums and are attached to their side.
Why Do People Seek Out Mediums?
As a believer, we understand that only Jesus Christ contains power and authority. Any other spirit that claims the same power is a counterfeit.
Unfortunately, many in our modern society confide in mediums. Why? Because they believe the lie that these false spirits contain the power to help them in some way. People will look to mediums and psychics to satisfy their spiritual longings.
In a sense, people use a familiar spirit in place of the Holy Spirit. They seek these spirits for direction, wisdom, comfort, and security—all things God already provides for His children. The Holy Spirit is also attached by the believer’s side. And even though He is certainly not our “servant,” we can call upon Him in our times of need. (Not to speak with the dead, though, of course.)
Here is a modern-day example of a false spirit being used in place of the Holy Spirit:
Anthony William, a “medical medium,” makes a living by claiming to listen to the “Spirit of Compassion.” He uses this “spirit” to gain divine information that he then writes into his books to help people heal themselves.
According to the New York Times article “Psychic Mediums Are the New Wellness Coaches,” a recent trend is medium sessions where “dead celebrities can also be invoked.” For example, Dr. Deganit Nuur, a spiritual teacher, claims that John Lennon was one of her spirit guides.
What Forms of Witchcraft Use Familiar Spirits?
Any occult practices—such as necromancy, witchcraft, Santeria, shamanism, voodoo, brujeria, divination, and practices of fortune-telling—involve communing with outside spirits. These, as well as others, are gateways for demons to enter the life of the individual practicing the occult.
As Christians, we must stay clear of anything that can potentially open the door for these familiar spirits. This also includes seemingly harmless games, such as tarot card readings or Ouija boards. We must remember that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NLT).
Some Christian teachers argue that people can also encounter familiar spirits without seeking them out—while doing certain kinds of pagan meditation, while drunk, or doing drugs. This is why we are warned in 1 Peter 5:8 to “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (NLT).
Does the Bible Talk about Familiar Spirits?
In the Old Testament, these familiar spirits were summoned to carry out evil activities in the land of Israel. The Mosaic law forbids witchcraft activities and every practice that involved consulting with the dead.
Moses warned the Israelites to stay far away from all types of sorcery and to avoid consulting with “familiar spirits” because “all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord” (see Deuteronomy 18:9-14 KJV).
The importance of abstaining from these practices is also stressed in the book of Leviticus:
“Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the Lord your God.” (19:31, NLT)
“I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community.” (20:6, NLT)
“Men and women among you who act as mediums or who consult the spirits of the dead must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense.” (20:27, NLT)
Why is it such an offense to God to commune with familiar spirits? Because these spirits derive from the evil one. He uses these spirits to confuse, deceive, and manipulate people into sin, attempting to thwart God’s kingdom and advance his own.
What Does the Bible Warn about Witchcraft?
In the Old Testament, King Saul originally heeded God’s instructions to avoid all witchcraft. 1 Samuel 28:3 tells us, “Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land” (KJV). But fear eventually drove King Saul into disobedience. When he saw the great size of the Philistine army, he asked God for guidance, but God didn’t answer the way Saul wanted Him to.
So, out of distrust, Saul sought guidance in a medium instead—a woman called the witch of Endor. He asked her to call up the spirit of the prophet Samuel.
However, this did not bring the peace or guidance Saul had hoped for. Quite the opposite.
Upon receiving “instruction” from Samuel’s supposed spirit, verse 20 tells us that “Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words” (NLT). Samuel had told Saul what would happen—that he would receive God’s judgment, and the Philistines would defeat the army of Israel. Saul died in that battle against the Philistines.
We also see, in the Old Testament, that King Manasseh “wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord” because he “dealt with familiar spirits and wizards” (2 King 21:6 KJV). Fortunately, however, King Josiah (his grandson) eventually removed this evil during his reign: “Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away…” (2 Kings 23:24a KJV).
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, it’s evident that God opposes witchcraft of all forms. Revelation 21:8 warns us that “those who practice witchcraft … their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (NLT)
God desires that His children seek guidance in Him instead of these familiar spirits. Only the Holy Spirit can provide the life, healing, freedom, and direction we crave. This is emphasized in Isaiah 8:19 (NLT):
“Someone may say to you, ‘Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.’ But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead?”
How Can We Help Someone Who’s Involved in Witchcraft?
First, we must recognize that many trapped in witchcraft practices are seeking truth and light in the wrong places. Most people in Western societies who seek mediums and psychics do so because they believe they will receive enlightenment, healing, comfort, guidance, and freedom.
This is no surprise. The enemy “disguises himself as an angel of light” (NLT) and has done so since the very beginning.
But this is only a counterfeit of the real thing.
On a practical level, we know that since Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), there is no reason to believe seeking out mediums will work in the first place. Any spirits seen may be familiar spirits pretending to be a long-lost loved one.
More importantly, we know that the longing for truth is going the wrong way when people seek out mediums and psychics. We each have a yearning inside us for truth. This should drive us to seek God and His Word, but many people direct this spiritual longing elsewhere instead. Consequently, mediums advertise that they can help people heal from trauma or fulfill their goals.
The enemy doesn’t always enslave people through overtly evil actions. He traps people with their desires, just like he did with Eve. A desire to have answers. To gain wisdom and joy. To receive healing from past traumas and to live an abundant life.
Isn’t this the very tactic he used on Jesus when tempting him in the wilderness? He didn’t tempt Jesus to commit overtly evil actions; rather, he tempted Jesus with his innocent desire for food. He tempted him with false promises of power (see Matthew 4:1-11).
And yet we know that Satan is incapable of telling the truth (John 8:44). We also know that those seeking will only be completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone. A medium may be a carrier of false spirits, leading people astray with their practices; we, however, must be carriers of the Holy Spirit, leading people to the ultimate truth in our love, service, words, and actions.
We must allow our light to shine into the darkness because we know “the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5, ESV). It is our responsibility to “expose” these “worthless deeds of evil and darkness” (Ephesians 5:11, NLT).
This is exactly what was modeled for us in the book of Acts. In chapter 16, we read about a slave girl who had “a spirit that enabled her to tell the future” (v. 16, NLT). When Paul encountered this girl, verse 18 says that he “said to the demon within her, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And instantly it left her” (v. 18, NLT).
Through the Holy Spirit, we contain the authority to destroy the works of the enemy. God has called us to be ministers of the truth and the gospel. We have been commissioned to finish Jesus’ ministry by freeing the captives.
It’s our responsibility to usher people into true light, life, healing, and freedom.
No, not through the power (or lack thereof) of familiar spirits. Through the only Spirit with ultimate power and authority—in this life and the one to come. The Holy Spirit.
As a believer, you carry the truth this world is seeking.
Will you rise to fulfill your calling as a minister of the Holy Spirit?
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Andrei_Andreev
