Billy Graham: the one thing you need to ask before you dabble in the occult

Originally published in Charisma News.

What’s the harm in playing with a Ouija board at a slumber party? Or practicing silly little spells with your friends?

One reader asked Billy Graham what exactly is so wrong about these supposed innocent games.

“My uncle says I ought to quit dabbling with things like my Ouija board and having my fortune told and things like that. I admit the occult has always fascinated me, and I don’t see anything wrong with it,” the reader asked.

The famed evangelist was not a bit taken aback, though.

Instead, Graham asked the reader to consider one question: Have you ever met anyone who was involved with the occult who truly knew God as their friend and loved Him with all their heart and mind and soul and strength as Jesus told us to do in Mark 12:30?

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Graham continued: If you’re honest, you know the answer: No one in the circles you’ve been frequenting meets this standard. The reason is simple: The occult—whatever form it takes—will lead you away from God, not toward Him. It’s a substitute for the living God and will never give you the peace and joy you seek, no matter what it promises. The Bible’s judgment on occult phenomena is blunt: Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord — Deut. 18:12.

But dabbling in the occult not only leads you away from God, but it could also entangle you with spiritual forces that are not from God but Satan. Few people who get involved in the occult plan for this to happen—but it can. The first thing the sorcerers in Ephesus did after they became Christians was to reject their past deeds and burn their magic scrolls — Acts 19:18-19.

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I invite you to turn from your fascination with the occult and turn instead to Jesus Christ. He alone is able to save you from your sins, and He alone is able to bring you into God’s eternal kingdom. Make Him the center and foundation of your life today.