Living Water #560

LIVING WATER EPISODE 560 || 16TH  DECEMBER, 2025

By Solomon Uwumbolibe Mensah

A CALL TO SPIRITUAL PURITY”

Scripture Reading : Deuteronomy 18:11

“or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 

In Deuteronomy 18:11, God gives a serious warning to His people as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, instructing them to avoid spiritual practices that were common among the surrounding nations. These practices were not cultural expressions but spiritual perversions that drew people away from God’s authority and into deception. God’s concern was not merely about behavior but about allegiance—who His people would trust for power, guidance, and truth. This warning remains relevant today, as many of these practices still exist under modern names and attractive disguises.

1. Conjuring spells (witchcraft and sorcery)

Casting Spell refers to the deliberate use of rituals, incantations, objects, or spoken formulas to manipulate spiritual forces in order to control outcomes apart from God. Scripture illustrates this in Exodus 7:10–12, where Pharaoh’s magicians imitated some of the miracles performed by Moses through occult power, showing that not every supernatural act originates from God. Another example is Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:9–11, who used magic to amaze people and gain personal influence. These examples reveal that witchcraft seeks power without submission to God and leads people to trust methods rather than the Lord.

2. Medium

A medium is a person who allows spirits to communicate or operate through them, often by entering trances or altered states of consciousness. In 1 Samuel 28:7–20, King Saul consulted the medium of Endor after God stopped answering him, and the encounter resulted in fear and judgment instead of peace. A modern parallel is found in individuals who claim to channel spirit guides or ancestral voices, presenting such practices as harmless spirituality, even though Scripture warns that deceptive spirits can disguise themselves as light (2 Corinthians 11:14). These examples show that mediums open themselves to unauthorized spiritual influence rather than relying on God.

3. Spiritist

A spiritist actively seeks guidance, information, or revelation from spirits instead of from the Lord. Isaiah strongly rebuked this practice when he asked why people would seek the dead on behalf of the living rather than seek their God (Isaiah 8:19). Today, similar behavior appears in astrology, horoscopes, tarot cards, and psychic readings, where people look to spiritual systems for direction about their lives. Such practices subtly replace faith in God with dependence on deceptive sources that cannot reveal divine truth.

4. Consulting the dead (necromancy)

This involves attempts to communicate with deceased persons for counsel, protection, or supernatural help. King Saul’s attempt to speak with the dead prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 28 did not bring guidance but confirmed his downfall and judgment. Another example is ancestral worship, where people pray to departed relatives believing they can influence present circumstances, yet Scripture clearly teaches that Christ alone is the mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). These examples demonstrate that seeking the dead dishonors God’s design and opens doors to spiritual confusion.

God forbids these practices not because He desires to limit His people, but because He seeks to protect them. Every forbidden spiritual practice is a counterfeit of something God freely offers—power through the Holy Spirit, guidance through His Word, and protection through His presence. When people turn to dark or deceptive alternatives, they exchange truth for illusion and life for bondage.

Call to Action:
Believers are called to renounce every form of occult involvement, reject all substitutes for God’s guidance, and return fully to trusting the Lord alone. This includes removing objects, habits, and beliefs connected to forbidden practices and committing to seek wisdom, direction, and power through prayer, Scripture, and obedience to Christ.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we turn away from every forbidden practice and choose You alone as our source of truth and life. Cleanse our hearts, guide us by Your Spirit, and keep us walking in Your light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”