In man’s search for knowledge and power, that which is not of God can only come by way of the Occult, Satanism.

The pursuit of knowledge is found in divination, which is the knowledge that cannot be obtained by a natural means. Witchcraft, is the power arm of the Occult.

The most common form of divination is fortune-telling. It is seldom that you can sit before a television now days, that you will not see an advertisement for some psychic reading.

Witchcraft, can be best defined by the terms, manipulation, domination, and intimidation. This is how Satan works, domination is the intended purpose, and that is achieved through manipulation and intimidation. Whenever a person resorts to manipulation and intimidation, in order to obtain domination, witchcraft is a work. Manipulation and intimidation are the methods of control. Manipulating, or controlling people, by forcing them to live or act by a set of standards and rules in which you have deemed necessary, to achieve what you want, is to force someone into compliance against their will, or by using their faith, trust, and loyalty to you as a means of you controlling their behavior. Intimidation comes from the fear of you either hurting them physically, mentally, or emotionally, by them not “doing as they are told”. Once you have a person or a situation under your control, then you have achieved a domination of them or over them. These tools are often times used by parents over their children, or other family members, by people who have authority over other people, and sometimes by someone within a church’s leadership. All this eventually causes someone to rebel against the person who is doing the controlling. The fact is that whenever you dominate a person, you are oppressing them. It is generally just a matter of time before “enough is enough”, and once trust and confidence are destroyed, rebellion is not far behind. It is tragic that the victims of such oppression are often times children, or loyal family members and friends. The ones who love the oppressor the most, are the ones hurt the most. Little do most people know, is that such behavior is defined as witchcraft! We should lead by example, not push people into compliance. Those who practice such abusive behavior, generally do it because THEIR own flesh is weak. They do not comprehend that they have ventured into the gray area of witchcraft. But, those who are knowingly or willingly making attempts at the practice of witchcraft as an occult power source, by operating through spells and curses, is not something someone seemingly falls into. They are deliberately, and knowingly pursuing the powers of Satan. Witchcraft and sorcery is where the power source of Satan is found.

Sorcery operates through material objects, like drugs, charms, music, chanting, acupuncture, acupressure, astral projection, hypnosis, levitation, martial arts as a supernatural spiritual power, mind control, mind dynamics, telekinesis, table-tipping, “touch healing”, metallic objects that perform healing, parakinesis, and witchcraft to name a few of the power vehicles.

Common objects used by the occult are amulets, ankhs (which is a cross with a ring at the top), charms, birthstones, crystals and other objects used for healing, hex signs, hallucinogenic drugs, heavy metal music, zodiac charms, pagan artifacts and fetishes, ouija boards (divination), rabbits foot, inverted horseshoes, planchettes, talismans.

The vehicle for knowledge comes from Astrology, automatic writing, sand, bones, entrails of a sacrifice, tea leaves, tarot cards, “channeling”, crystal balls, a pendulum, divining, ESP, clairvoyance, clairaudience, occult computer games, horoscopes, handwriting analysis, numerology, omens, palm reading, seances, tarot cards, telepathy, “witching”, phrenology (lumps on the head), mediums, mindreading, and all occult literature, and false religions, so-called healing through charms or magic, levitation, Waterwitching, and drugs, to name a few.Fortuneteller-Soothsayer, (Micah 5:12; Isaiah 2:6)

Warlock-Witch, Sorcerer, (Exodus 22:18)

Rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23)

Stargazer-Zodiac, Horoscopes (Is. 47:13;Lev. 19:26;

Jer. 10:2)

Hypnotist-Enchanter (Deut. 18:11; Isaiah 19:3

Water Witching/Divination (Hosea 4:12)

Drugs (Gk. Pharmakos) (Gal. 5:20; Rev. 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15)

Magic (Exodus 7:11; 8:7; 9:11)

Necromancer, (Deut. 18:11; I chron. 10:13)

Medium, (1 Samuel 28)

Peeping & Muttering (Isaiah 8:19; 29:4; 59:3)

Yoga (Jer. 29:8)

Clairvoyant (1 Samuel 28:7-8)

Spiritist (1 Samuel 28)

Passive mind-dreamers (Jeremiah 23:16,25,32;)One dictionary defines divination as, "the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means."

God's Word shows us that people who divine are controlled, or, are possessed by supernatural spirits which enable them to receive information beyond the human realm at a particular time. God's prophets receive their divine revelations by the Holy Spirit. That is the difference. There is a line that divides these two sources, between the things of God and the things of Satan.

God wants to work through us against the power of evil. God is at war with the devil, it is a battle between good and evil. So it is impossible to dabble with both powers at the same time. When God's people stray into those areas that appear harmless, but in reality are demonic, it creates an opening in their spiritual lives. In short, God hates divination because it leads people to seek satanic intelligence for guidance in their lives instead of God, or God's Word. Horoscopes, most people say it is just for fun, and they do not take it seriously, although it is estimated that over 32 million, mostly women, believe in astrology and let it run their lives. The Gallup Poll states that, "One in four adults reads an astrology column regularly and believe their lives are governed by the position of the stars. The survey shows that almost as many church goers as nonchurch goers believe in astrology. Nearly 80% of Americans, (90% under the age of 30) can name the sign under which they were born. Are you are involved in horoscopes or any of the things that I have mentioned, either now, or before you accepted Christ?Isaiah 47:13-14

13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and save you from what shall come upon you. 14 Behold, they shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, nor a fire to sit before!

Micah 5:12

12 I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have not soothsayers.

Charmers and chanters of yesterday are what we refer today as hypnotists.

We are flooded with hypnosis to stop drinking, smoking, weight loss, self-hypnosis to help us handle stress so we can sleep, and even though on the surface it seems beneficial, and positive, don't be fooled, the long range results will be the same. You see, for hypnosis to be effective the individual must allow himself to go into a passive state of mind, so that the hypnotist can manipulate their mind in whatever direction they may have agreed upon.

The danger here is that a passive mind state is dangerous because the mind is left unguarded and consequently susceptible to any spirit that may be waiting for just such an opportunity. Not that this will happen, but you are leaving yourself an unguarded opening. We should never allow anyone to tinker with our mind, which is the doorway to our inner man, both soul and spirit. Through the psychic powers, people are able to develop the abilities for, necromancy, (supposed consultation with the dead), spirit mediums (a consulter with familiar spirits), clairvoyancy, yoga, spiritists, psychic powers, and prophecy, transcendental meditation, extra-sensory perception, cocaine, crack and other mind-altering drugs and internal trance inspiration or direct second sight such as dreams, internal visions and passive-mind states as well as trance channeling. Magic is universal, and may be "black" or "white". Black magic attempts to produce evil results through such methods as curses, spells, destruction of models of one's enemy, and alliance with evil spirits. White magic tries to undo conjures or spells, and to use occult forces for the good of oneself and others.

Clairvoyants, like Edgar Cayce, have amazed the public at times. The police have solved murders or found lost children, giving praise to these people's abilities, even Edgar Cayce, has been able to give information to cure people of various ailments and diseases. But, look at their fruits, these psychics sensitize themselves to hear familiar spirits who become their "spirit guides", which passes information over to them, after all, who would be better to pass on information than the demons who probably inspired the killer to commit the crime in the first place. In any event, if it is of God, then they can never, ever, be wrong or incorrect, for God is not a liar nor a deceiver, but we do know who is. Edgar Cayce himself said, "All my life I've wondered what it is that comes through me. It could be of the devil; it could be of God; it could be just foolishness. If it were of the devil it would produce evil. To my knowledge it never has produced evil." I contend that if it were from God, he would know it without a doubt, and therefore, God would receive the praise and glory...not him. This spirit guide gave him some readings also, and those who followed him were led into false beliefs. "Reincarnation, then, is not a theory; it is a practical code of the ethics directly affecting human mortality". Edgar Cayce's readings accept it unequivocally. Now there are no such things as ghosts, when you die, your spirit departs this earth. Demons can and will impersonate the dead, to promote reincarnation and spiritualism.

Transcendental Meditation, uses the repetition of a special word which is muttered over and over again to attain relaxation and other assorted benefits. The individual doesn't realize many times that his special word is the name of a demon which he is actually calling to come and guide or possess him.

Paul lists "witchcraft" as one of the "Works of the flesh" in Galantians 5:20,

He goes on to say in verse 21 that "they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

John Newport states in his book "Demons, Demons, Demons", that there are 5,000 witches in New York, 10,000 in Los Angeles, and in the entire United States there are one half as many witches as clergymen. So project that in time, the number of witches will exceed the number of clergymen.

Prognostication, instead of tarot cards, tea leaves, etc., modern technology has advanced us to where now by studying a person's handwriting, some seek to tell an individual's personality, characteristics, and their probable future. Water Witching, the name itself gives us a clue. Divining for water is another way of putting it. As hard as this is to believe, there is a Southern Baptist preacher in the Bogata, Texas area, who prides himself in his ability to divine for water, and even better, for oil and gas reservoirs. I (John) seriously doubt if I would have or could have ever accepted this story and I not met the man myself. He bragged about having certain rods in which he used for oil and gas, and certain rods in which he used for water. I sat there totally stunned, here was a “man of God”, who was doing something in which the Bible expressly prohibits, so he was willingly committing an abomination to the Lord. When you stop to think about it, there is no known natural laws that would cause a stick, held a certain way in someone's hands, to be drawn downward to a source of water deep in the ground. This, not being a natural phenomena, is not of this world. Therefore, it comes as a supernatural manifestation, and if it were from God, why would He contradict Himself by allowing this preacher to do something that was against His own orders. To make it even more obvious, never once did this preacher ever claim that his abilities were from the Holy Spirit, or from God.

Hosea instructed the Israelites that they were not to ask counsel of "..their stocks, and their staff..." but of God. Hosea 4:12.

They began to worship their divining rods and staffs and, as a result, God labeled it an abomination to Him. Think about it, if God could provide water for Moses in the desert for 40 years, why couldn't he show us where water is today if we asked him? He has given us nine spiritual gifts, among them is a Word of Knowledge to show us the things we need to know.

Souvenirs and Idols, man, go through your house and search diligently for anything that might be connected to the occult.Deuteronomy 7:25-26

25 "You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. 26 "Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing.Ouija boards, are not a cute plaything. Satan can draw people into a satanic web as dangerous as a web of a black widow spider, for it is a medium. Check the games, cartoons, and toys in your house. If they involve casting spells, spirit guides, or displace God as the real Master of our universe, beware.

Rebellion, so many Christians have fallen from the Word, saying that they are in rebellion. Although it is understood that they were spiritually low, drained, or involved in some strong sins in their lives, but little do they know how the Bible classifies rebellion.1 Samuel 15:23

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry".If you rebelliously go about “doing you own thing” without submitting to authority or consulting God, it is as to God as if you were drinking blood in a witch's coven. God demands to be number one, in our lives.

We commonly refer to all of these as mediums. To better understand what a medium is, visualize all that God created as being a three story house. On the ground floor is all that which is found in our world. It represents that which is physical, that which is natural, that which we can all see, touch, smell, and taste. On the top floor is the supernatural realm, or a place where the forces of heaven and hell are found. On this floor lives every angel and every demon, and here is found the inhabitants of both heaven and hell. Since the bottom floor exists everything of this earth, then the top floor exists everything that lives in the spiritual world. The Bible speaks that God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) The middle floor is where the residents of the top and bottom floor come to meet. There has to be a door where those on the bottom floor can enter as well as those who are on the top floor. For us to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, we must allow ourselves to enter into His presence. Therefore we must enter into that room, by walking through a door, and allowing the Holy Spirit to move in us. Whenever we allow the presence of the Holy Spirit to move in our presence, we are, at that moment, experiencing a supernatural event. We release our minds and in our spirit man, we are in this second floor. By the same token, whenever we delve in things which are not of God, for instance, Astrology, seances, ouija boards, or charms for good luck, we are also opening door into this room, but it will not be the things of God that we will commune with. Since Satan does not have anything resembling the Holy Spirit, then he has to have physical things, mental things, and material things for us to be able to commune with him. We Christians can sit in an auditorium filled with thousands of people and experience the Holy Spirit move in and through everyone present. Satan does not have that capability. In order to experience anything of Satan, one must use one of his devices. He is not omnipotent or omnipresent like God is, he cannot be in several places at once, and deal with thousands of people at once, so he needs help and cooperation to be able to communicate with humans. It is only through a person’s willingness to allow him to present himself to them that he can communicate with anyone. Through the various methods of divination, he is able to communicate to people’s minds. It is through Witchcraft and Sorcery that he is able to empower them to do his will in their lives and in the lives of others. We have to consent with both God and Satan, we have to cooperate, in order to commune with either one. We all have a self-will, and we are not robots. God cannot come in and make us do anything that we refuse to do. By the same token, neither can Satan. The old Flip Wilson comedy routine where Geraldine would say, “The devil made me do it”, is a misquote. It would have been more correctly stated as, “I allowed the devil to help me do it.” People who play around with a ouija board, will sooner or later experience something supernatural happen. What starts out as just fun and games, can very easily find themselves in “over their heads”.

Our oldest son, Gale, went to New Orleans, Louisiana, to Mardi Gras last year. Two of his companions, both females, wanted to have a palm reader tell their future. Our son, thank God, knew better than to go in with them. One of the girls emerged from the experience troubled, not only did the woman tell her correctly about her past, but told her some bad things that were to come. Gale bought this hemp rope necklace at this place, while the girls were getting their futures told in another room. When Gale began to relate this story to me, I strongly urged him to destroy the necklace. At first he could not see anything wrong with the thing, but later destroyed it as I had requested. I ranted and raved about it until he did. I kept trying get him to understand, that by purchasing anything, even chewing gum, was supporting a business which was of the occult. Much like buying a Playboy magazine. Although Playboy does not openly promote child pornography, and the other really dark satanic ritualistic torture and death that exists in the world of pornographic books and tapes. Whenever you purchase a Playboy magazine, you are actually supporting the entire industry. Likewise, buying even a rabbit’s foot, or reading Jean Dixon’s predictions from a tabloid magazine, you are supporting her efforts and her work, and by that you are supporting the occult, which is the same as paying tithes and offerings to Satan himself. In Acts 16:16-24, tells about a woman who had a spirit of divination, and throughout the Bible you will find numerous examples of people who were in such practices.

In 1 Samuel 28:5-19, Saul sought information from a woman with spirit of divination, because he was no longer on speaking terms with God.1 Chronicles 10:13-14

13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 14 But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.If God wants to speak to His children, He will use the Holy Spirit, an angel, a donkey, or the written Word of God. God will never, use someone or something, out of the occult to communicate with anyone. False prophets and mind readers, some of whom credit their ability to as a "Gift from God", let me remind you, you will know them by their fruits. Satan can give them correct knowledge to confuse people, but if it is from God, it will always be aligned with the Bible and it will never be incorrect.Deuteronomy 18:10-13