To a Christian believer in Jesus Christ, a familiar spirit is generally considered to be an evil or demonic entity that is associated with witchcraft and other forms of occult or supernatural practices. In Christianity, the belief is that communicating with spirits other than the Holy Spirit is considered to be a form of divination and an abomination.
The Bible (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:11-12) refers to mediums, spiritists, and soothsayers as the practices that are an abomination to the Lord, therefore Christians believe that familiar spirits or any other kind of spirit interaction apart from God is not permissible. Familiar spirits are believed to be demonic entities that seek to deceive and mislead people away from the true faith in Jesus Christ.
True prophetic communication from the Holy Spirit:
- Aligns with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible
- Brings a sense of clarity, direction, and understanding
- Focuses on God’s love, grace, and redemption
- Encourages righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God
- May bring correction or rebuke, but always in a spirit of love and compassion
- Can be confirmed through other believers or through Scripture
False prophetic communication from familiar spirits:
- Contradicts the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible
- Brings a sense of confusion, ambiguity, or deception
- Focuses on self-promotion or personal gain
- Encourages disobedience or rebellion against God
- Can bring false predictions that don’t happen
- May bring words of condemnation or judgment
- Can not be confirmed through other believers or through scripture
It’s important to note that, even the true prophetic message can be misinterpreted, misused or can be from a prophet who is not fully submitted to the Lord, so it is still important to test everything with the scriptures and in prayer, as the bible suggests.