A large amount of people practice witchcraft nearly every day, and they may not know it. Even some professing Christians partake in forms of witchcraft, and they don't know it. There are subtle, hidden forms of witchcraft, other than just the movie-famous obvious. Because many Christians partake in various forms of witchcraft, some of them have illnesses, hallucinations, "bad luck," depressions or anxiety issues, and more. Let's turn to the Scriptures and find out what witchcraft is, so that we can purge that leaven from our lives, and receive more blessings from our Heavenly Father, who is all Good, and all Righteous. We love Him, and we want to live how He wants us to live.

"And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice." -1 Samuel 15:22-24

The word witchcraft above, is from the Hebrew qecem, which is also translated as "divination." Divination is one's trying to foretell the future or gain knowledge through occult or demonic means. The above Scripture tells us that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft," and the type of rebellion this is referring to, is in disobeying the Word of the Lord. The above is referring to a specific type of rebellion, and that is why the Hebrew word qecem (divination) was used. The people took on the relics and religious items of the Amalekites, when they were commanded of God to destroy these items of witchcraft and divination.

How many Christians today are guilty of the same sin? How many Christians turn to pagan sources such as horoscopes or worse, to gain knowledge? And what type of knowledge were the Israelites above, and the Amalekites trying to tap into, and for what purpose? Well, what does a modern person seek, who believes and follows horoscopes, for example? Power. They seek to know the future, so that they can possibly manipulate outcomes, or others for personal gain - be it money, power, or whatever else the person actually desires.

Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, because both seek sources outside of God, to manipulate outcomes. Witchcraft is manipulation. In this specific example, it's the use of divination to attempt manipulation.

"Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:" -2 Chronicles 33:1-7

How many Christians today are guilty of some of the sins mentioned above, such as 'observing times?' So many Christians take on the traditions of man, which are some of the "abominations of the heathen." They add to the Word of God, and do rituals that they call "Christian," but these rituals have no basis in the Scriptures at all. Further, most Christians are erecting idols in their homes around this time of year. They are putting up advent candles (candle magick), wreaths (fertility cult womb symbol), and xmas trees (an idol that instead of being carved, is left close to its natural state, but is decorated instead, such as the xmas idol described in Jeremiah chapter 10). Christmas is a tradition of man. (So is Easter.) It is a holiday of the heathen of the land, and not at all Christian. Certain "churches" have given it a Christian name, and have changed the players in the xmas story saga to be "Mary and Jesus," but that doesn't change the fact that this holiday was celebrated centuries before Jesus Christ was even born in human form. This is a form of witchcraft, in that it is manipulation! Taking an obvious pagan holiday, and changing a few minor details, and changing the names to Christian ones, and then slapping a Christian label on it does not make it Christian! It is still 'observing times,' as mentioned in the above Scripture passage. This is rebellion and manipulation - a form of witchcraft!

The Hebrew word translated as witchcraft in the above 2 Chronicles 33:1-7 passage is kashaph, which means to say a spell, or practice enchantments. We see king Manasseh revived the pagan religious traditions of man practices, some of which have also been revived in modern times. Christmas used to be illegal in England and America for a reason. However, in the specific word "witchcraft" above, we see another form of witchcraft manipulation - casting spells. We know there is the ole' Book of Shadows, and speaking words of power in the Latin language, but does any of that do anything? YES.

How did God create everything? He SPOKE it into existence, and we humans are created in the image of God. What we speak is truly POWERFUL:

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." -Matthew 12:36-37

What we speak can not only carry eternal consequences, but dimensional ones. It'd be naive of us to assume that our words are nothing more than mere sounds emanating from our vocal cords into the air. The Scriptures tell us that both angels and demons watch us. What we speak regardless of what language or tongue, creates a resonant echo in the universe, in more dimensions than we are currently cognizant of. The repercussions are eternal, because the resonance of our voices, with our being in the image of God, affects more than the mere three or four dimensions we are currently able to knowingly relate with.

What are some ways in that what we speak is witchcraft? Well, if what we are speaking is with the intent to manipulate people in a way to gain us power, then we are treading on thin ice. Here are some examples:

-casting spells

-certain words of affirmation (gray area)

-knowingly partaking in subliminals (when you should be praying, instead)

-using subliminals on others, to attempt to manipulate others to fold to your will

When I am talking about manipulation, as in witchcraft, it involves using some form of manipulation to eventually alter someone else's will. It's not a mere changing of their mind, but a willful act to attempt to make them change their mind, against their will. This form of manipulation goes on every day.

Witchcraft is manipulation. So far, we've seen it in three forms:

1) Taking something that is religiously pagan, and trying to make it look Christian, and partaking in it.

2) Using various forms of divination to attempt to gain esoteric knowledge, or knowledge of the future, in which you can then use to alter others' wills, to generate the outcome you desire.

3) Using spells, or using words in manipulative ways, to bend people's wills towards your will.

The manipulation of witchcraft always has the same goal - ultimately, it's for the practitioner to gain POWER. Following God is the opposite of this. Christians are supposed to willingly receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Lord means "master," which means we willingly lay our lives at Jesus' feet, so that He guides our life. We put our trust and faithfulness in Him, we gladly give Him the power. We want none of it, for it is His, in the first place.

"And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers" -Micah 5:12

The Hebrew word for witchcraft here, is kesheph, which literally means witchcraft, sorcery, or related magick. In my opinion, kesheph witchcraft would depend more heavily on demons for manipulation. The above Scripture also has the word "soothsayers," which is the Hebrew word `anan, which means the practice of soothsaying, and to conjure. kesheph (sorcery) and `anan (conjuring) are calling upon demons for their manipulation-magick.

In modern times, when a Christian partakes in a Ouija board, for example, they are partaking in sorcery, and conjuring. Even if nothing immediately comes of the endeavor, the door nonetheless was cracked open.

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." -Galatians 5:19-21

The Greek word translated as witchcraft above, is pharmakeia, which is directly related to our word - pharmacy. A large part in a lot of witchcraft circles is for one to ingest a certain hallucinogenic substance, to help them receive a certain result. Often, the desired result is to receive divination, or esoteric information, or to supposedly learn some secret for or about one's self. The drugs are used to manipulate the person's own brain, to produce certain desired effects in magick ceremonies, etc.

In all of the above examples, we see the ultimate goal was to manipulate one's self, others, or certain situations, ultimately to receive power or control. The manipulation could be as simple as a Christian manipulating the scriptures to say something different than they say, so that they can try to justify doing a sin, or it could be a seemingly "innocent" game with Tarot cards or a Ouija board. Manipulation of the spirit realm is the conjuring of demons, with one stupidly thinking the demons must adhere to the conjurer's will. That's exactly what they want you to think. The manipulation can also often be done via pharmakeia, or a mix of some or all of the above descriptions in this article.

When it comes to Christians, here are some of the manipulations they may be fooled into partaking in:

-yoga

-xmas, halloween, easter

-horoscopes

-intoxication

-subliminals they willingly do on themselves (sometimes including "affirmations")

-subliminals they do in an attempt to effect decisions others make

Witchcraft is the act of trying to manipulate things/people in order for you to have the power, whatever type of power it is you are seeking. Witchcraft IS manipulation.

Christians who have knowingly, or unknowingly partaken of any form of witchcraft have created a rift in dimensions that they don't currently understand. They have created a foothold for strongholds to take hold in their life. Some common side effects are: depression, anxiety, or even various forms of hallucination. The Christian must recall the promise of God:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." -2 Timothy 1:7

A sound mind. Also notice the word 'power' in the above scripture. This is power given us from God, through His Holy Spirit, with God in the driver's seat.

The Christian must therefore repent of the witchcraft, and close the door. The door is closed the same way it is, when a similar door is opened, because of sin. It is this way:

"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:6-9

Saved Christian: Confess your sins, manipulations, rebellions, and witchcrafts to God, and turn from them. God will cleanse you and forgive you, and Satan will lose his stronghold.

If you are not a Christian, or are not positive if you are or not, click here.