By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Broadly
defined, an occultist may be anyone from the person who regularly reads their
horoscope to a Satanist—and a million gradations and varieties in-between.
It is my passion to not just inform, but to reach those who are mired neck deep
in occult-laden blindness. I want to share some principles with you.
Who
is an occultist? They are a human being made in God’s image, which means they
have a hole in their heart that only Jesus can fill.
The only thing that can change a heart nearly destroyed by the occult is a
relationship with Jesus (and all that entails)Yes, there is often a drive for
power that leads them to seek hidden knowledge and they often have exquisite
spiritual experiences…and SOME are cruel (but most are not). Our culture is
literally filled with occultists.
Why
are we afraid of them? Well, often we are afraid of the unknown.
Also, I have found that folks do not want anything to do with occultist for
fear of demonic contamination. C’mon…according to the bible, every one of us
was once blinded by the demonic, and we bump against them every day. But (and
this is crucial) the omnipotent Creator God indwells His children. Often the
occultists are afraid of you.
I
just finished reading two excellent books: Laura Maxwell’s book “A
Spiritual Quest”, and Dancing with the Devil—compiled by Jeff Harshbarger. She was a
former Spiritualist and medium, and he a former Satanist…both found redemption
in Christ after almost being devoured by powers of darkness—spiritual and
psychological.
There
are many laws that govern the universe, both physical and spiritual. After
dabbling in the occult for years, I found something to be universally true:
involvement in witchcraft, Satanism, or any other form of the black arts will
put you on a collision course with mental illness…God takes what little a
person has, builds on it, and gives hope. Satan, on the other hand, will take
what little a person has in life and destroy it. Those of us who have been
involved in darkness know this to be very true.( pg 161 DWTD )
A
common thread through almost all the nine testimonies in Jeff’s book is the
desire to die and commit suicide, and Laura’s mother did commit suicide—though
she was a baby Christian, she was thrust back into her demon infested home. We all have problems, but the occult
compounds this by bringing guilt, hopelessness, and despair. This horrible
emotional cocktail can cause the visceral fear of dying to be eclipsed by an
even deeper pain and fear with living—once that threshold has been crossed, suicide
will happen…only a matter of time. I have experienced the agony.
What the occultist practice. If you are going to minister to
people in the occult, it is imperative that you have at least a general
understanding of where they’ve been. Never assume that you know what they
practice. (DWTD,200) For example, if you encounter someone
involved in Wicca, a popular and fast growing form of paganism, and tell them
that they worship the devil, then they will likely assume you do not know what
you are talking about. Listen, EVER PERSON who is not serving Christ, is
serving Satan—but we must meet that person where they are (I Cor. 9)
Many
occultists have stopped communicating or dialoguing with well intentioned
Christians because these believers said too much too soon.
Same principle—people do not care how much you know, until they know how much
you care. Learn what they do believe by asking questions—gentle and loving—as
well as what distortions of Christianity they have picked up along the way. And
you might say, “Well, I do not believe that either..”
How
to reach the occultist Suppose
you have a work colleague who is a witch and wears a pentagram. Should you
first invite them to a bible study, church, confront them about the evil
necklace? My suggestion is that you FIRST pray for that person. SECOND..ask God
to mirror His love and holiness through you to them. That way they will see the
reality in our lives.
It
is natural to want to warn them of the darkness, but instead of frightening or
offending them with our enthusiasm—model Christ to them and ask the Lord to use
you in their lives. Remember, it is primarily the Lord who
loves and is pursuing the occultist, and we are a vessel. Come in with your ears
and heart open to them…every one needs somebody to listen to them. When they
feel they can trust you, then they will open up, and we can share the gospel.
MINISTERING TO THE OCCULTIST Once we have entered
their world, how to minister to them will vary from person to person. But,
first and foremost, you need to be there for them. Whatever they are facing, we
need to be there and be faithful to support them…all the while reflecting the
love and holiness of Jesus (or the Fruit of the Spirit).
Physical,
emotional, and spiritual needs are intertwined.
Try to enter their world. As much as I attempt to debunk
ghosts as demonic deceptions, think of how devastated this knowledge will be to
many. As Laura Maxwell poignantly points out, she had an alleged deceased
sister stroke her hair night after night for years. They lovingly conversed
with what they thought were beloved deceased family. That is the unspeakable
cruelty of the demonic—making it psychologically difficult to dis-believe in
the notion of ghosts, by intertwining it with experiences of “loved ones’.
Initially, this can be traumatizing and confusing. We need to be patient and
compassionate with folks who have been burned by horribly real seeming demonic
delusions.
They are leaving familiar paths for that which is
unfamiliar. Of course they will find release in Jesus alone…but they will need
guidance and friendship. Be careful to not overwhelm them with too much
information. Get them settled into a daily quiet time. But everything related
to the occult (paraphernalia) needs to come out of the house asap—time for new
beginning.
As
occultists they have been interacting with demonic realm…a former occultist may
need deliverance or exorcism. This is where many
Christians balk because they fear the power of the demonic. But we are to fear
God alone. (Prov. 1:7) 1 John 4:4.. we have no reason to be afraid. And there very
well may be the need for the healing of emotional scars. You may need to
involve a pastor of good Christian counselor.
The
need for harvesters is great…perhaps God is calling you to specifically minster
to occultists. In our society, hardly a family is not
affected in some fashion—though they might not be aware of it. May God use us
to be the answer to the panicked and anguished prayer and cry for help. You
see, often the occultist will recognize the emerging face of demonic evil and
want out…desperately. Let us daily pray that the Lord will send those people
our way, and that we will love them to Christ. Finally, please do not fall for
the temptation to water the gospel down. Only the unvarnished truth will set
the occultist free!
