08/02/2026
A topic many believers quietly wrestle with, yet seldom address with clarity, is what to make of people who claim that their “guides,” ancestors, or departed family members appeared to protect them in moments of danger.
We proclaim Christ as the Truth and the only Mediator between God and humanity, and we affirm that heavenly beings, angels, are the only spiritual beings commissioned by God to serve and protect His people. Yet testimonies from those involved in ancestral practices or other spiritual systems can seem convincing and real.
Some describe seeing the face of a deceased grandparent. Others speak of a spirit that shields or warns them. This raises an important question for many; if Scripture teaches that “the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) and that there is no fellowship between the living and the dead, then what are these encounters? Are they good spirits? Are they family spirits? Why do they seem to help?
Many believers sense it is unbiblical, but struggle to articulate why.
Let’s explore this with understanding and Scriptural grounding.
1. Scripture is clear: the dead do not return to interact with the living
The Bible teaches that once someone has died, their spirit does not roam, assist, or communicate.
• “The dead know nothing… never again will they have a share in anything done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5–6)
• “There is a great chasm fixed” between the living and the dead. (Luke 16:26)
• God forbids calling on the dead because the beings that respond are not the dead, but deceptive spirits. (Deuteronomy 18:10–12)
Whenever a spiritual entity presents itself as a deceased relative, it is not that relative. Scripture calls such manifestations “familiar spirits”, spirits that familiarize themselves with families, names, faces, and histories.
2. These manifestations feel protective, but their aim is ownership, not freedom
Territory in the spiritual realm is real. Jesus speaks about “strong men” guarding their possessions (Luke 11:21–22), and Paul writes about principalities, powers, and rulers over regions (Ephesians 6:12).
Demonic systems operate by territorial control, not liberty. When a demonic entity appears to help or protect, it is not offering salvation, it is reinforcing ownership.
The enemy can create a counterfeit form of protection in order to secure allegiance.
• “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
So when someone says, “A ritual saved my family,” or “My ancestors protected me,” it is not liberation. It is reinforcement of spiritual bo***ge. The seeming protection is the hook that keeps a family tied to practices, rituals, and spiritual contracts they must constantly service.
This is why, when those rituals are not performed, people often experience fear, misfortune, or oppression. That is not divine punishment, it is spiritual debt collection.
Bo***ge disguised as safety.
3. Good spirits vs. bad spirits is an appealing but unbiblical category
Scripture does not classify spirits as “family good spirits” and “bad spirits.”
The Bible gives only two categories:
• Spirits sent by God (angels, ministering spirits — Hebrews 1:14)
• Spirits not sent by God (unclean, deceptive, familiar spirits — Acts 16:16; Leviticus 19:31)
There is no neutral territory in the spiritual realm.
If a spirit does not testify of Christ, does not bow to Christ, and does not operate under the authority of Christ, it is not of God.
• “Test the spirits… every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:1–3)
4. True freedom in Christ requires no rituals, no appeasement, no seasonal obligations
The Gospel offers a kind of freedom radically different from ancestral or territorial bo***ge.
• “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” (John 8:36)
In Christ:
• You owe no spirit an offering.
• You are not required to perform rituals to maintain peace.
• You are not threatened with misfortune for not participating.
• Protection is not transactional, it is covenantal, purchased by the blood of Jesus.
There is no fear-based maintenance of spiritual systems.
There is only grace, relationship, and the covering of the Holy Spirit.
Complete freedom is in Jesus Christ alone.
Every other system, no matter how comforting or culturally familiar, requires performance, fear, and ongoing spiritual debt.
Christ requires surrender, faith, and trust, and in exchange offers protection, identity, and eternal life without bo***ge.
(N.Mbobo; 08 March 2026)
