Remember, we are still discussing angels, or more specifically the angelic realm, or the race known as spiritual beings. Be warned - this post is MUCH more deep and heavy than we’ve touched on so far. Why so heavy? Well…
I listened to a podcast recently that stopped me cold. It dealt with something that’s been gaining traction in our world again — the idea that psychedelics can be a doorway to spiritual enlightenment. Not therapy, not medicine, but a way to “meet” the divine.
I’m specifically talking about ayahuasca (pronounced EYE-uh-wah-skuh) and other ‘natural’ things like this. Things that people specifically use to gain contact with the spiritual realm. This episode featured a believer who went down that path — and what she experienced was anything but holy.
Remember last week we talked about angels being obedient beings created to serve God, and that He allows them to serve us? Remember I spoke about how the angels have free will and many have fallen? Well, this gets into that in a HUGE way. This is what happens when we try to step into the spiritual realm without God’s permission.
The Podcast
The podcast is an episode of The Exorcist Files. This particular one is called Psychedelics and The Spiritual Realm. I use Apple but I’ve shared various links to the show below. One of these at least should get you there…
Show page: The Exorcist Files on Apple Podcasts:
Episode “Psychedelics and The Spiritual Realm” on iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/867-the-exorcist-files-107227777/episode/psychedelics-and-the-spiritual-realm-300877432/
Show page on Spotify: https://muckrack.com/podcast/exorcistfiles/
The guest, Christa Black, shared how she was introduced to shamanic “journeys” using substances like ayahuasca — a mix that promised healing and revelation. But instead of light, she saw darkness. Spiders. Voices. Familiar spirits disguised as family members.
She’d been told to “become one” with the darkness — to accept it. But the Bible never calls us to befriend darkness. It calls us to resist it. Instead of befriending demons, we are told that we have authority over them! This authority comes through our relationship with Christ and Him alone - not to glorify our power, but to glorify the One who gave it.
Luke 10:19–20 (NIRV) – I have given you authority to walk all over snakes and scorpions. I have given you power to overcome all the strength of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. But do not be glad just because the spirits obey you. Be glad because your names are written in heaven.
Our joy isn’t in authority — it’s in belonging. The victory we celebrate isn’t over demons; it’s the victory Christ already won.
2 Corinthians 11:14–15 (NIRV) – Satan himself comes as an angel of light. So it shouldn’t surprise us if the servants of Satan come pretending to be serving God. In the end they will get what they deserve.
Counterfeits always look close enough to the real thing to pass the casual glance test. That’s why discernment matters — because not every light is holy, and not every spirit that shines comes from Heaven.
Legal Access and the “Second Heaven”
Remember last week we talked about God exists outside of time and space? This is sometimes referred to as the third heaven, or God’s Throne Room in Heaven.
2 Corinthians 12:2 (NIRV) – I know a believer in Christ who was taken up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. I do not know whether he was in his body or out of his body. God knows.
Below that, for lack of a better term, is the second heaven. This was created, and it is not eternal. This is where the spiritual beings were created to live.
Ephesians 6:12 (NIRV) – Our fight is not against human beings. It is against the rulers, the authorities, and the powers of this dark world. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world.
And then the first heaven is what we see when we look into the sky — the clouds by day and the stars by night. It is the physical realm, the world God made for us to inhabit and steward.
When someone opens themselves through substances, chants, or rituals, they are in effect signing a permission slip the enemy is more than happy to accept. It’s not curiosity — it’s a contract.
It’s a portal that’s willingly opened and allows the one invited in to take up residence. Paul warned about this very thing — that when we give the enemy even a sliver of access, he doesn’t wait to be asked twice.
Ephesians 4:27 (NIRV) – Don’t give the devil a chance.
Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) – Do not give the devil a foothold.
Ephesians 4:27 (KJV) – Neither give place to the devil.
Each translation sharpens the same truth: a chance becomes a foothold, and a foothold becomes a place. Our pastor calls it “giving room to the devil.” Scripture calls it leaving the door unlocked.
The Standard - God’s Way
Speaking of drugs and such, there are people that will use psychedelics purely as a recreational drug. I’m not condoning that, and I believe it’s still a doorway. Though it doesn’t mention psychedelics by name, the Bible does warn against anything that removes our self-control or dulls our discernment.
Proverbs 20:1 (NIRV) – Wine causes you to make fun of others. Beer causes you to start fights. Anyone who is led astray by them is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1 (KJV) – Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Whether it’s alcohol or anything else, the principle is the same — when we hand over control of our minds, we make room for deception to step in. That’s why Scripture repeatedly calls us to be sober-minded. Not just in the sense of avoiding drunkenness, but spiritually alert — aware that the enemy uses any altered state as an entry point.
In Revelation 18:23, the Greek word pharmakeia appears — the same root from which we get “pharmacy.” It’s translated as sorcery, but the literal meaning is “use of drugs or potions for magical purposes.” In that passage, it describes Babylon’s deception — a counterfeit spirituality that manipulates minds instead of renewing them.
False light, false peace, false revelation — all chemical shortcuts to what can only come through the Holy Spirit.
God’s way is slower, but it’s real.
The world’s way is instant, but it’s imitation.
And to reiterate something else from last week, and something we should be constantly on the lookout for -
1 John 4:1–3 (NIRV) – Dear friends, don’t believe every spirit. Test the spirits to see if they belong to God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world. Here is how you can recognize the Spirit of God. Every spirit agreeing that Jesus Christ came in a human body belongs to God. But every spirit that doesn’t agree with this does not belong to God. That is the spirit of the enemy of Christ. You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming. And now he is already in the world.
Any “revelation” that sidesteps Jesus or redefines who He is — no matter how peaceful or loving it seems — isn’t from God. Light without the Source is still darkness.
Let me say that again - ANY spirit or revelation that does not promote Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life is NOT from God. Christa found this out the hard way. She was exposed to the first lie, when the serpent told Eve (paraphrasing), “you can do what you want! You can be like God!”
The enemy likes to tempt us with what we think we want.
Another Portal
This thought has come back to me several times the last few days, so I feel I MUST include it. Be careful what you say as well!
Do you ever want something so bad you say you’ll “do anything to get it?” Do you ever miss someone so bad you’ll say “I’d do anything to get that person back?” This is an advertisement to the enemy — Satan — demons — to step in and make the offer. It might just be words to you, but if that’s the way you really feel in your heart? Be careful…
Christa had made her ‘happy marriage’ such an idol that she sunk deeper and deeper into this spirituality without Jesus in hopes of keeping her family together. First, at what cost? What does it help if you get EVERYTHING you want on earth then lose your soul?
Second - it didn’t work anyway… The devil is out to kill, steal and destroy. Temporary happiness is fleeting; joy in the Lord is eternal!
Back to Obedience
To sum it all up, the temptation isn’t always ayahuasca or mushrooms; sometimes it’s just wanting a shortcut to peace, a spiritual fix without submission. But the true doorway to God’s presence was never meant to be hacked or forced — it was opened by Jesus Himself.
Lord, help us recognize truth from imitation. Teach us to be cautious, not curious, when the spiritual looks inviting. Keep us anchored in Your Word and under Your authority. In Jesus’ name, amen.
