The Spirit of Witchcraft in Narcissistic Relationships

covert narcissism effects of abuse i'm in the relationship narcissism in the bible spiritual root of narcissism spiritual warfare in narcissistic relationships understanding narcissism Jun 08, 2026

You know that feeling of mental whiplash? You walk into a room knowing exactly what the truth is, and twenty minutes later, you walk out apologizing for something you didn't do, questioning your own memory, and feeling like you are losing your mind.

It feels like you are under a spell. And biblically speaking, you might be.

Today, we are going to look at the spirit of witchcraft in narcissistic relationships. I am going to show you how witchcraft is not just an occult practice, but a demonic principality of illegitimate control. We are going to look at the original Hebrew words the Bible uses to describe how this spirit operates. When you see what those words actually mean, the confusion you have been living in is going to make perfect sense.

Before we dive in, I want to make one thing clear. When we talk about these spiritual dynamics, we are not talking about a spouse or a leader who made a mistake, took responsibility, and is capable of genuine repentance. We are talking about an ongoing, established pattern of malignant narcissism, a system of control that uses spiritual and emotional manipulation to dominate and destroy.

The Root of Witchcraft: Counterfeit Authority

Let's start with the biblical root of witchcraft.

When we hear the word "witchcraft," we usually think of the occult, spells, potions, or Wicca. But the Bible gives us a much deeper, structural definition of what witchcraft actually is. At its core, witchcraft is counterfeit spiritual authority. It is the use of any spirit other than the Holy Spirit to dominate, manipulate, or control another person's will.

Look at what the prophet Samuel says to King Saul when Saul disobeys God's direct command.

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15:23)

Why does God equate rebellion with witchcraft? Because rebellion is the rejection of God's legitimate authority. But a person cannot exist for long without authority. If they reject God's legitimate authority, they have to replace it with illegitimate authority. And illegitimate authority requires illegitimate power to sustain it.

That illegitimate power is the spirit of witchcraft. Let that sink in.

This is why a narcissist is the perfect vehicle for this spirit. A narcissist has already rejected God's authority over their life. They have set themselves up as their own god. But to maintain that false reality, they need to control the people around them. They need illegitimate authority over your mind, your emotions, and your will. And the spirit of witchcraft provides the supernatural power to do exactly that.

The spirit of witchcraft doesn't create the narcissism; it inhabits it. It uses the narcissist's existing personality disorder as a channel to execute its agenda.

How the Spirit Operates: Seduction, Deception, and Enslavement

So how does this spirit operate through the narcissist? The Bible gives us a very specific framework. It operates in three stages: seduction, deception, and enslavement. Let's look at the original Hebrew for each one, because the nuance here is profound.

1. Seduction (Chen)

Witchcraft rarely starts with violence or rage. It starts with charm. Look at how the prophet Nahum describes this spirit.

"Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries, who sells nations through her harlotries, and families through her sorceries." (Nahum 3:4)

The English word "seductive" here is translated from the Hebrew word chen. Chen is a beautiful word in Hebrew, it usually means grace, favor, or charm. It is the word used when someone finds favor in the eyes of the Lord.

But here is the fascinating part. In Proverbs 31:30, the Bible says, "Charm (chen) is deceitful, and beauty is vain." The Bible explicitly warns us that chen can be a counterfeit. It can look exactly like genuine grace, genuine favor, and genuine charm, but it is actually a weapon.

In a narcissistic relationship, this is the entry point. We often call it love-bombing, but biblically, it is weaponized chen. It is the intense flattery, the mirroring of your desires, the feeling that you have finally met your soulmate or the perfect spiritual leader. They are presenting a counterfeit grace to draw you in. The spirit of witchcraft uses this false charm to get you to lower your defenses and grant them access to your life.

2. Deception (Kashaph and Baskaino)

Once they have access, the mechanism shifts to deception. The goal is to alter your perception of reality.

The Hebrew root word for sorcery is kashaph. Etymologically, this word carries the idea of altering or changing the very essence of something so that it takes on a new appearance. It is the practice of manipulating perception. In the New Testament, the Greek equivalent is pharmakeia, where we get the word pharmacy, referring to the use of drugs to alter someone's state of mind.

A narcissist doesn't need a literal potion to do this. They use cognitive dissonance, gaslighting, and intermittent reinforcement. They alter your perception of reality itself. They change how you appear to yourself. You know what this looks like. It's when they twist Scripture, rewrite history, and create false narratives until you no longer trust your own memory. You are experiencing kashaph.

Now, the Apostle Paul describes this exact effect on the mind, and I want us to slow down here because this is critical. Look at what he says to the Galatians.

"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:1-3)

The Greek word for "bewitched" here is baskaino. It only appears once in the entire New Testament. Paul chose this word very deliberately. In classical Greek, Aristotle used this word to describe putting someone under a spell so that they could no longer think or act according to reason. It literally means to exercise evil power over someone's mind.

But here is what makes this passage so powerful for understanding narcissistic abuse. Look at what the Galatians had BEFORE they were bewitched. They had clearly seen Jesus Christ portrayed as crucified. They had received the Spirit. They had begun walking in freedom. They had suffered for their faith. They had experienced miracles. These were not ignorant people. They KNEW the truth. They had LIVED the truth.

And yet after being bewitched, they could no longer obey what they already knew. The bewitching did not erase their knowledge. It paralyzed their ability to act on it. They still had the truth right in front of them, Paul says it was "clearly portrayed before their eyes", but they could not respond to it. They were frozen.

Does that sound familiar? You KNOW something is wrong, but you cannot leave. You SEE the manipulation in moments of clarity, but you cannot name it when they are in the room. You REMEMBER who you were before this relationship, but you cannot get back to that person. The truth is right there, your friends can see it, your family can see it, sometimes you can see it, but you cannot act on it.

That is baskaino. That is the bewitching of the mind. And notice what Paul says it produces: "Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" The bewitching causes a regression. You go backward. You had freedom and now you are in bondage. You had confidence and now you are striving. You entered this relationship as a whole person, and you have been slowly reduced to a shell of yourself. That is not just psychology. That is a spiritual operation on your mind.

3. Enslavement (Makar and Tsud Nephesh)

This is the ultimate goal. The Holy Spirit invites your free submission. The spirit of witchcraft demands your total enslavement.

Look again at Nahum 3:4. The mistress of sorceries "sells nations... and families through her sorceries." The Hebrew word for "sells" is makar. It is the exact word used for selling slaves and transferring ownership. The spirit of witchcraft wants to own you.

The prophet Ezekiel describes this process perfectly. He warns against false prophetesses who use magic charms to "hunt souls" (Ezekiel 13:18). The Hebrew phrase is tsud nephesh. Tsud means to hunt, to lay a trap, to catch prey. And nephesh means your soul, your life force, your entire being. This is not casual manipulation. This is a deliberate hunt for your soul.

And look at the devastating result Ezekiel describes in verse 22:

"Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life." (Ezekiel 13:22)

This is the double effect of witchcraft operating through a narcissist. The righteous person, the victim, is made sad. They are crushed, discouraged, and depressed. Meanwhile, the wicked person, the abuser, is strengthened. They are emboldened and protected from the consequences of their actions. The victim is drained of life, and the narcissist feeds on it. That is enslavement.

Breaking the Spell

How do you break this spell?

If you have been living under this kind of illegitimate control, I want you to know: the confusion you feel is not your fault. You have been dealing with a spiritual principality that is designed to blind you. You are not crazy.

But breaking the spell of witchcraft is not as simple as just walking away. Because the spell operates on your mind and your will, breaking it requires a radical realignment with the truth.

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)

The spell of witchcraft requires your agreement with its lies. It requires you to accept the counterfeit grace (chen), to believe the altered reality (kashaph), and to submit to the illegitimate ownership (makar).

Breaking the spell means revoking your agreement. It means recognizing that their rage, their manipulation, and their demands for submission are not the voice of God, they are the manifestations of a controlling spirit.

You do not have to argue with them. You do not have to convince them of the truth. You cannot out-manipulate a spirit of manipulation. You simply have to stand fast in the liberty of Christ and step out of their jurisdiction. When you stop playing by their rules, when you refuse to accept their altered version of reality, their witchcraft loses its power over you.

Take a moment right now. Who is one person in your life that this makes you think of? Keep them in mind, and remember that you were not created to be dominated by another human being. We are all in this together, learning step by step. You were created to be led by the Holy Spirit. Trust the discernment God has given you, and do not let anyone usurp His authority in your life.

FREE RESOURCE: If you are ready to start dismantling these systems of control in your life, please make sure you download my free resource, A Visual Guide to Understanding Narcissistic Strongholds. It will help you see exactly how these spiritual dynamics operate so you can protect yourself. Download it today!

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