Advice needed for a friend into the occult.

[jesus lover]

I asked this to my friend that is into the occult. What truth or knowledge does the occult give you? They said their astral projection and lucid dreaming can help them gain truth or knowledge through divination.How should I respond?

 

[Frankj]

I asked this to my friend that is into the occult. What truth or knowledge does the occult give you? They said their astral projection and lucid dreaming can help them gain truth or knowledge through divination.How should I respond?

Ask him how he plans to use it, and what price he/she/it is willing to pay for it..

Having been down that road once, I can assure you that occultism is about seeking personal power for personal purposes, something that is always strived for but never actually realized without paying a much greater price than it is worth.

Make sure that that person knows that when all else fails to bring fulfillment, Christ is still patiently waiting for him and will be there if called on.

 

[jswauto]

I asked this to my friend that is into the occult. What truth or knowledge does the occult give you? They said their astral projection and lucid dreaming can help them gain truth or knowledge through divination.How should I respond?

(1) Pray the Spirit of the Lord upon him! (and don't stop praying it)

(2) Bind, rebuke, and cast out these demons of the occult attacking him (he doesn't have to be present for you to do it).

 

[tango]

(1) Pray the Spirit of the Lord upon him! (and don't stop praying it)

Yes, pray and pray and pray some more.

(2) Bind, rebuke, and cast out these demons of the occult attacking him (he doesn't have to be present for you to do it).

Don't even try to do this. Read Luke 11:24-26 for the reason why.


OP - the best thing you can do is talk to your friend and pray for them regularly. By regularly I'd suggest at least daily, if not more often than that. Be aware that when someone is caught up in this sort of thing they will be blinded to the harm it is doing - things like astral projection, many forms of divination, and so-called "white magic" are presented as harmless or even helpful. On the face of things it's easy to see how using magic to heal can only be a good thing, right? And it's hard to argue against a free gift, unless you can see that it comes with hidden strings attached.

 

[tango]

Ask him how he plans to use it, and what price he/she/it is willing to pay for it..

Having been down that road once, I can assure you that occultism is about seeking personal power for personal purposes, something that is always strived for but never actually realized without paying a much greater price than it is worth.

Make sure that that person knows that when all else fails to bring fulfillment, Christ is still patiently waiting for him and will be there if called on.

The problem with asking about the price (as one who has also walked that road) is that the price is far from apparent. The universal forces are there, free for the taking, and all you have to do is tap into them (at least that's how it looks at first). There is no price, or the price is based on the concept of "a gift demands a gift" where something is offered in exchange for what is requested. From the outside people who have been there can see that the nominal sacrifice is nothing to do with it, it's simply a mask to cover up the true cost, but until you see clearly you won't see the true cost. And it's hard to see clearly when you're caught up in something that prevents you from seeing clearly.

Not everyone seeks personal power for personal gain, I've known a few people who got at least lightly into occult practises with a desire to help others. These people typically wanted to do things like healing. The price for that is even less apparent.

It's good to remind them that Christ is always there, but don't be surprised if it takes a long time and prayers that will frequently feel like they are totally ignored.

 

[Maranatha]

This is quite a serious situation
To seek help from demonic forces is a bit like trying to get help by taking drugs.
Yes drugs can temporarily easy the pain and help us to calm down.
But we all know where this can lead to.

The "help" we can get from the occult is a counterfeit help.
It can mess up someones life.

True help and healing only come through Christ and the Gospel.

 

[Can't think of a name]

I asked this to my friend that is into the occult. What truth or knowledge does the occult give you? They said their astral projection and lucid dreaming can help them gain truth or knowledge through divination.How should I respond?

If they are flirting with bad spirit beings then they are going to the wrong source. The Bible says you should ask God about the future or go to Him instead of to mediums and other channels for future knowledge.

I have no idea how astral projection is divination. Maybe they are confused? Paul had an out of the body experience so such things are only forbidden when they are outside of seeking for God and deliberately trying to know through spirit beings or demons what knowledge to get. Saul sought out the medium deliberately in order to know the future because he didn't want to wait to hear from God.

 

[Vindicator]

I have no idea how astral projection is divination. Maybe they are confused?

Yes.

They said their astral projection and lucid dreaming can help them gain truth or knowledge through divination.

Ask them specifically how they think either of these practices are gaining them knowledge "through divination." Neither are forms of divination, but see what he says anyway. If you make him (or her) feel you are taking an interest, they may open up to you more about where their problems really lie, and why they are interested in the occult to begin with.

 

[tango]

I asked this to my friend that is into the occult. What truth or knowledge does the occult give you? They said their astral projection and lucid dreaming can help them gain truth or knowledge through divination.How should I respond?

What knowledge does the occult give you? Sometimes, albeit not always very reliably, the ability to see into the future and tell more about people than they might want you to know. There's a reason people are drawn to divination.

Personally I don't consider lucid dreaming to be anything significant, it's something that either happens or doesn't. Some people dream in color and some don't, some dream in full color and some don't, some can control their dreams while dreaming and some can't, and so on.