Demons & the Occult: What the Bible Really Says

What does the Bible really say about demons, witchcraft, and the occult?
In this powerful episode of Behind the Mike Podcast with Mike Stone, we go beyond Hollywood myths and cultural trends to expose the real spiritual battle happening all around us.

You’ll learn:
• Where demons come from — and what they’re actually capable of
• Why “harmless” occult practices like astrology, crystals, and manifestation are more dangerous than they appear
• How Satan disguises himself as “light” to deceive the world
• Biblical stories that reveal the truth about demonic influence and possession
• How believers can find freedom and stand firm in Christ’s authority

Whether you’ve dabbled in occult practices or simply want to understand what’s happening in our culture, this episode will equip you with truth, courage, and discernment.

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Scriptures referenced: Deuteronomy 18:9–12, Isaiah 8:19, Acts 19:18–19, Mark 5, Acts 16, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Corinthians 10:20, Colossians 2:15, James 4:7, John 1:5

#Faith #SpiritualWarfare #BiblicalTruth #BehindTheMikePodcast #mikestone

CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro: Why our culture is obsessed with darkness
03:00 – What is the occult? (Biblical definition and warnings)
08:00 – Where demons come from and what they want
14:00 – How the occult rebrands itself today (manifestation, crystals, astrology)
20:00 – Why people are drawn to the occult
26:00 – The real danger of opening spiritual doors
32:00 – How to fight back biblically
37:00 – Hope and victory in Christ
39:30 – Final encouragement and closing

Transcript

0:00

Have you noticed how obsessed our culture has become with darkness? Scroll through Netflix or TikTok and you'll see witchcraft, ghost hunting, crystals, astrology and manifestation trends everywhere. We live in a world that laughs at the devil, denies demons, and dabbles in the occult, often in the same breath. But here's the thing the Bible doesn't treat any of this as harmless curiosity. In fact, God warns his people not to flirt with darkness because once you open that door, you might not like what walks through it. So today we're going to unmask the truth about demons and the occult. Not from the Hollywood perspective, but from scripture. We'll look at where demons came from, why the occult is dangerous, how Satan still deceives us today, and what Jesus says about the authority believers have over darkness. This isn't about fear, it's about freedom. Because light always defeats the dark. All right, let's start with the definition. The word occult comes from the Latin occult, which means hidden or secret. It describes practices that try to tap into supernatural power or hidden knowledge apart from God. Things like witchcraft, divination, necromancy, tarot, astrology, or speaking to the dead. These are all attempts to access spiritual truth or power without the Creator and Scripture's clear. God hates these practices. Deuteronomy 18 says, let no one be found among you who practices divination, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or consults the dead. Whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord. And it's not because the Lord wants to spoil our fun. It's because he knows what's behind them. So I want to share a story from a woman named Tyler Lee. She shared her story online, and she said her mom introduced her to the Ouija board when she was only five years old. That small moment of curiosity turned into decades of spiritual bondage. Tarot crystals, blood magic. Psychic work. Until one day she cried out to Jesus and felt the oppression lift. She said what I thought was light was really darkness. Wearing a disguise. Now that's the truth. Satan rarely shows up with the horns and the pitchforks. He shows up as light. Check out Second Corinthians 1114. It says, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Deception. All right, so where did demons come from? Let's talk about demons. What are they really? Well, Scripture shows us that demons are fallen angels created by God, but they rebelled against God under Satan's leadership. Revelation 12 four describes a third of angels being swept out of heaven with Satan. They are personal. They're intelligent and they're evil. They know who Jesus is. They tremble at his name, but they are also organized and strategic, seeking to destroy what God loves most people. Jesus often confronted them directly. There's another story. From Mark chapter five. Remember the man possessed by Legion? He lived among the tombs. He was cutting himself and screaming at night, completely tormented. So when Jesus arrived, the demons begged him not to send them away. This tells us something. Even demons must submit to the authority of Jesus Christ. So the story goes on. And after Jesus cast them out. That man was found, said, clothed and in his right mind. You see, that's what Jesus does. He restores order where chaos once ruled. There's another story from acts 16. So Paul encountered a slave girl who could predict the future. Now her owners made money off of her gift. But Paul recognized this wasn't from God. He turned and said, and I quote in the name of Jesus, I command you to come out of her. And instantly that spirit left. The Bible doesn't present demons as myths or metaphors. They're real beings. In rebellion against God. We talked about that last week in our podcast about angels. But here's the key for the believer. They are already defeated. Colossians 215 says he disarmed the rulers and the authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. So let's talk about how the occult rebrands itself. You might think, well, I'm not into witchcraft or Ouija boards. This doesn't apply to me. But you see, the occult has gone mainstream and it often hides in plain sight. Let me give you a few examples. Manifestation. Manifestation is the idea that your thoughts or your words can shape the universe. That sounds empowering, right? But it replaces prayer with self worship. Angel numbers people looking to the universe for signs instead of God's Word. God's word is our authority. That's our foundation. Then we have, energy healing and crystals, which claims creation itself can cleanse you instead of God. Horoscopes and astrology. Ancient divination wrapped in modern graphics. Even Christian tarot. Yes, it's a thing mixing Bible verses with occult tools. All of these are counterfeits of God's truth. They promise enlightenment, but the deliver entrapment. Jesus said in John 844 that Satan is a liar and the father of lies, and one of his greatest lies is convincing people that darkness is harmless as long as it feels spiritual. We've talked about Satan before and how he loves to deceive. He's not stupid. So why are people drawn to the occult? Or here's here's something to consider. Most people don't start by wanting to serve the devil. They start by wanting answers. They want control. They want comfort. They want healing. They want hope. That's our world, right? But the occult feeds on human longing. From the beginning, you'll see in Genesis three the serpent whispered, you will be like God. That's the root of every occult practice trying to obtain divine power apart from divine submission. Many who have left the occult say they were searching for peace, but they found fear. Or they were searching for love. But they found loneliness. Searching for control. But they found torment. We've had some of those people on our show. It's the same deception repackaged every generation. The promise of secret knowledge that ultimately will enslave you. Here's another story. Between 2016 and 2024, searches for manifestation. Manifestation on TikTok skyrocketed past 35 billion with a B billion views, which talk the witchcraft community on. The app has more followers than most Christian creators combined. There are now more self-identified witches in America than there are Presbyterians. That's not random. It's a sign of spiritual hunger. But what people are finding, it's poison. So let me be clear. The occult isn't just different beliefs. It's dangerous because it opens spiritual doors. You've probably heard Ephesians 612. It reminds us our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world. And spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms. When you engage in the occult, you're stepping into that realm completely unprotected. I'm going to give you a real life example here. There was a young man who shared online that after playing with tarot cards and astrology, he started hearing voices and he couldn't sleep for months. He wasn't crazy. He was spiritually attacked. When he finally surrendered his life to Christ, the nightmares stopped. There's a pattern. Fear, confusion. Torment. Those are fruits of darkness. Okay. Fruits of the spirit. Peace, joy and clarity. That's in here. Fruits of the spirit. You can't serve both. Paul wrote in first Corinthians 1020 says, the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I don't want you to be participants with demons. Guys, this is serious stuff. But we don't end in fear. We end in victory. If you've dabbled in the occult or if you've been influenced by it, there is hope. Jesus doesn't condemn you. He will deliver you. So here's what Scripture calls on us to do. Number one, confess and repent. Admit it to God. Don't justify it. Just bring it into the light. Look up first John one nine. Number two renounce it. Break agreement with any practice or object connected to the occult. In acts 1919, they burned their scrolls publicly. Okay. Number three, submit and resist. We find that in James four seven says. Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Number four fill your life with truth. You have to replace the darkness with something. So fill it with scripture, worship, and godly community. And number five stand on authority. Luke 1019 Jesus said, I have given you authority to overcome all the power of the enemy. I read a story of a woman who said, after burning her tarot cards and deleting her astrology apps, she felt a literal weight lift off of her. She said, and I quote, I didn't realize how much peace I had surrendered until I got it back. That's what happens when you close the door to darkness and you open your heart to Jesus Christ. The truth is, we don't fight for victory. We fight from victory because Jesus already defeated the powers of hell at the cross. Colossians 113 says, he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved son. If you've been involved in the occult, or even if you have just been curious, there's forgiveness. There's freedom. There's light. Don't be afraid of what's hiding in the shadows. Run to the one who cast them out. Let the name of Jesus be louder than the lies of the enemy. I want to share just one experience that I've had. I've heard so many stories over the years of demonic activity. I don't know if they're true. I've not experienced that for myself. Other than one incident and that was fairly recently. I was, I was being harassed by a woman, and she she began to put her hands on me and started pushing me. And as I backed away, I could smell something. And I couldn't describe what it was. It didn't last long. I walked away. But when I walked away, that smell was just overpowering. And I realized that it was the smell of sulfur. And and I thought, well, maybe it was on her clothes. I don't know, but I do know that that smell, I could not get that smell out. And it was a very brief contact. So I looked up some things from other people who have encountered demonic activity, and many of them said the same thing, that when they experienced first hand demonic influence or demonic contact, there was a lingering smell of sulfur. Now that was my experience, and I've learned in my life not to use experience as a foundation for anything. This is the foundation. But I do believe God puts us in situations or allows situations to happen in our lives, just to kind of help us to tangibly concrete things in our hearts and our minds. And I won't ever forget that experience. I do believe in that moment that there was some demonic activity. So I cling to John one five again, which says the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Well, thanks for joining me on this episode of Behind the Mike Podcast. I'm Mike Stone, and if this message spoke to you, please share it with someone who might be searching. We talked earlier about the reason that people turn to the occult, and it's because they're desperate for hope. They're searching for answers. If Satan is an angel of light, there are many things that might look good over here. But we know as believers it's all deception and lies. And this is where our truth comes from. But for those who are searching, we need to be there to remind them that this is truth. This is their hope. This is what they're longing for. That empty space in their hearts that only can be filled by Jesus Christ. So remember, you were made for truth, not darkness. Until next time. Keep your eyes on the light. Keep.