Spiritual But Not Safe: The Hidden Dangers of Modern Spirituality

Imagine getting caught in a fight so intense that your opponent jumps on you, rips off your clothes, and you flee the scene naked and bruised.

Picturing this, you may wonder what kind of situation got you into this mess. Was it a gang fight? Did a drug deal go sour?

In the Bible, the book of Acts tells a story like this, but it didn’t happen because of gangs or drugs. It happened to several spiritual leaders with good intentions, and they likely believed what they were doing was perfectly safe. It wasn’t. That’s why their story is so important to understand today.

The Warning of Acts 19: The Sons of Sceva

In Acts 19, Paul is on his third missionary journey. Through the Holy Spirit’s power, miracles follow him, particularly healing miracles (v.11). Things are going great! But, at that moment, we are introduced to a rather chilling story:

A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

Acts 19:13–16 (NLT)

What happened?! How did these sons of Sceva get into such a horrific mess? They were just trying to heal people, as Paul did.

Why ‘Spiritual’ Doesn’t Always Mean Safe

Most people today think that spirituality is harmless. Safe. For those who are “into it,” they are encouraged to try, explore, and experiment. All around, there are opportunities for different meditation practices, healing techniques, spiritual trinkets to buy and play with, etc. Not long ago, I even found a chakra activity book sitting out at my local Target store.

The problem is that, as we learn from Acts 19 and elsewhere, not all spiritual practices are safe. More than that, even spiritual practices that have a distinctly Christian “flavor” to them could be disastrous. In the case of the sons of Sceva, they tried to use Jesus as a magic spell. “Jesus, whom Paul preaches,” they said. Not Jesus, whom they know and love as the one true living God of this universe.

Spiritual Forces Are Not to Be Trifled With

How would you respond if I told you that I like to go through medicine cabinets and try different pills that were my favorite color or tasted the most interesting to me? You would think me crazy. I could kill myself! Yet many people treat spirituality the same way. We try different spiritual practices based on preference, assuming they’re perfectly safe.

A Modern Example: The Danger of Astral Projection

In The Second Coming of the New Age, Josh Peck recounts his experience getting into astral projection as a former New Ager (that is, the practice of leaving your body to visit the “astral realm” to accomplish various spiritual purposes). He thought it could help with his sleep paralysis (an experience where one wakes up in the night in a paralyzed state, frequently accompanied by a terrifying presence of some sort). Although Josh found astral projection to be of no help in that regard, he still found it worthwhile. One day in the astral realm, Josh met a “friendly” spiritual being who offered to help him enter the realm more often. Something felt off, so he didn’t accept that offer. From that moment, things went crazy. He shared that his whole family started getting terrorized by demons.

The Reality of Demonic Deception

Whatever you make of that story, it fits the Biblical worldview. Demonic forces are real, deceptive, and are not to be trifled with. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:20, “I don’t want you to participate with demons.” Interestingly, despite a rich, complex, intricate theology of angels that you can find in the rabbit hole of New Age thinking, the concept of demons and demonic attacks is almost entirely nonexistent. As a Christian, looking at the whole movement from the outside, I find that chilling. One of the greatest strategies of demonic forces, especially in the Western world, is to make us think that they don’t exist while funding the power behind non-Christian spiritual activities. In doing so, scores of people come to believe that since their spiritual practices work, they must be good and safe. They think that what really matters is being a spiritual person, rather than knowing Christ, the Savior of their souls.

Finding Real Power and Freedom

Perhaps the most tragic part in the story of the sons of Sceva is not what happened to them (as tragic as it is!) Instead, it’s the fact that the person they were trying to deliver from spiritual bondage remained unhealed. Remember, in the case of Josh Peck, he didn’t dive into astral projection just for fun or sport. He was seeking to help himself. But in doing so, he didn’t pause to consider if the pill he pulled from the medicine cabinet was safe to consume, and things only got worse.

That’s when Josh started taking Jesus seriously. Not just as a spell, amulet, or talisman, but as King of the universe and only true and safe place of spiritual power. Josh turned to Jesus, learned of spiritual warfare, and dealt with the issue in Jesus’s name.

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” —James 4:7