“I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community. So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy. Leviticus 20:6‭-‬8 NLT

There is a reason why God had so much to say to the Hebrew children about the occult. All it took was a little curiosity to draw them in and their lives would be headed for destruction. That’s what Satan does – destroys. God had driven the people out who were in the land before the Israelites because they were entrenched in all manner of detestable practices, introduced and encouraged by Satan himself.

Since we cannot worship God and serve Satan, God made sure His people knew what the rules were. But enough pagans were left in the neighboring lands to introduce them to it, and they wanted to try it for themselves, ultimately leading to the destruction of Israel.

In America today, we are exposed to satanism like never before. Much like quicksand, a person can be entrapped suddenly, and the more they struggle to get out, the deeper they descend. Drugs. Sexual promiscuity. Pedophilia. Human trafficking. Abortion. Gambling. Murder. Theft. There is no end to the ways it can manifest itself. Why in the world would anyone choose that? Because Satan doesn’t show us the end or tell us the truth. He knows what is a temptation to each person, and dangles that like bait. Only when we bite do we discover there is a hook in the bait. The only way out is when Jesus Christ rescues us.

Turning from Satan to Jesus is the only hope.

Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. Matthew 12:22 NLT

That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak. Mark 1:32‭-‬34 NLT

Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—cried out, shouting, “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.
Luke 4:33‭-‬35 NLT

When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven. Luke 10:17‭-‬20 NLT

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 NLT

Only Jesus can cast out a demon and fill the person with God’s own precious Holy Spirit!

But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 1 John 3:8‭-‬9 NLT