Spirit guides, shamanism, and altered states are often presented as ancient, benevolent pathways to healing and wisdom. Many Christians, however, are left unsure how to interpret the real experiences people report through these practices. Are these encounters psychological? Symbolic? Or is something else actually at work?

In this episode of Spiritual Recon, we’re joined by Mitchell, a former shaman who spent years engaging with spirit guides and ritual practices involving ayahuasca before coming to see them in a very different light. Mitchell shares his firsthand experience inside shamanism, how these spiritual encounters initially appeared helpful and illuminating, and what ultimately caused him to question the true nature of the spirits he was working with.

Rather than treating these experiences as imaginary or sensational, this conversation places them within the broader biblical worldview. Scripture consistently acknowledges the reality of spiritual powers, while also drawing clear distinctions between their claims and the authority of Christ. Together, we explore how the Bible helps us make sense of practices like shamanism, why spiritual experiences alone are not a reliable guide to truth, and how deception often operates through what appears helpful or enlightening.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In Part 2, we’ll go further into what these spirits ultimately demanded, how their true intentions became clear, and how the gospel reframes spiritual power, freedom, and authority.

This discussion is not driven by fear or fascination, but by discernment—recovering a biblical framework that allows Christians to engage real spiritual claims with clarity, confidence, and faithfulness to Christ.

🎙 Topics include:

Spirit guides and shamanism through firsthand experience

Why spiritual encounters can feel benevolent while leading toward deception

How Scripture understands spiritual powers without minimizing or exaggerating them

Discernment versus experience as a guide to truth

Why the gospel redefines power, freedom, and authority

🔗 About Our Guest: Mitchell is a former shaman who now follows Jesus after years immersed in ayahuasca, spirit guides, and the unseen realm.

📩 Contact Mitchell: [email protected]

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If Jesus already won, why do spiritual powers still have power today?

Christians often affirm the victory of the cross, yet remain deeply confused when confronted with ongoing spiritual experiences connected to the occult, New Age practices, and non-Christian religions. If Jesus disarmed the powers, why do these realities still seem active—and why does the church struggle to respond to them with clarity and confidence?

In this episode of Spiritual Recon, we examine why the Western church is often uncertain or divided when it comes to the unseen realm. Scripture never treats pagan or occult power as imaginary, yet it also never presents it as ultimate. Instead, the New Testament assumes a world where spiritual powers remain present but have been fundamentally reordered through the victory of Christ.

Drawing from Deuteronomy 32, the ministry of Jesus, and the writings of Paul, we explore what it actually means that the powers were “disarmed” at the cross, why they were not removed, and how this reality shapes the church’s mission and authority today. We also consider how cultural blind spots, modern assumptions, and past abuses have contributed to confusion surrounding spiritual power in the church.

This conversation is not about fear or fascination, but about clarity—recovering a biblical worldview that equips believers to walk in discernment, confidence, and faithfulness as ambassadors of Christ.

🎙 Topics include:

Why many Christians are uncomfortable with the unseen realm

What the New Testament assumes about spiritual powers

What “disarmed” means—and what it does not mean

Pagan spirituality as misdirected rather than imaginary

Paul, Ephesus, and confronting occult power

Transactional spiritual power versus freedom in Christ

Recovering discernment and authority in the church

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In this episode of Spiritual Recon, we explore Acts 2 within the larger biblical storyline of Babel, the nations, and the unseen conflict that runs from Genesis through the New Testament.

Rather than treating Acts 2 as the birth of the church, we examine it as a continuation — the moment when the church steps into a mission shaped by Jesus’ victory over the powers. By tracing the narrative from the Tower of Babel and Deuteronomy 32 through Mount Hermon, the cross, and Pentecost, we show how Luke presents Acts 2 as a reversal of Babel, not merely a spiritual experience.

We also spend significant time redefining what the church actually is. Not a building or an event, but a people — restored image-bearers and ambassadors — sent into contested territory to proclaim and embody the reign of Christ.

This conversation connects the Testaments, clarifies difficult passages, and helps explain why the early church understood its role so differently from many modern assumptions.

🎙 Topics include:

Acts 2 as continuation, not origin

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Jesus and the Divine Council

In this episode of Spiritual Recon, we’re joined by Doug Van Dorn to explore the biblical concept of the Divine Council and how it reshapes our understanding of Jesus throughout the Old and New Testaments.

We examine how passages like Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 describe God’s heavenly council, how ancient Israel understood spiritual authority over the nations, and why these ideas are essential for reading the Bible the way its original audience did. Most importantly, we trace how Jesus fits into this worldview—not as a late addition, but as the central figure who has been present and active from the beginning.

This conversation brings clarity to difficult passages, connects the Testaments together, and helps explain why the New Testament speaks about Jesus the way it does.

🎙 Topics include:

The Divine Council in Scripture

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What really happened on Mount Hermon?

In this episode of Spiritual Recon, we explore why Mount Hermon plays such a critical role in the biblical story of the unseen realm. From the Watchers of Genesis 6, to King Og and the land of Bashan, to Jesus standing at the Gates of Hades, this mountain sits at the center of spiritual conflict in Scripture.

We unpack how ancient Israel understood Mount Hermon as a place of divine rebellion, why Jesus intentionally traveled there, and what His declaration at Caesarea Philippi meant for the powers of darkness. Most importantly, we connect this story to the authority Jesus gives His church today.

This episode will reshape how you read the Old Testament, the Gospels, and your role in God’s mission.

🎙 Topics include:

The Watchers and Genesis 6

King Og, Bashan, and the giant clans

The Gates of Hades and Jesus’ declaration of war

What spiritual authority really means for believers

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In this Q&A episode, we explore what spiritual authority really is, how believers are meant to use it, and why it does not weaken. We also talk about what it means to “dwell in the shelter of the Most High” and how intimacy with God gives clarity and confidence in spiritual warfare.

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What do demons actually do? Adam and Diana explore the activity of demons through the Bible, 1 Enoch, and the Second Temple worldview. We explain the origin of demons as the disembodied spirits of the giants and how they operate today.

You’ll hear real ministry stories from the Dominican Republic that reveal the seven main tactics demons use against believers—and how Christians can discern and stand firm.

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In this Q&A episode, we unpack the Deuteronomy 32 Worldview—how the Most High divided the nations, who the “sons of God” were, and how God continued working outside Israel through stories like Jonah, pagan sailors, and Balaam. We also explore why Israel drifted toward other gods and what Jesus’ victory means for territorial powers today.

If you’re familiar with Michael Heiser, Timothy Alberino, or the Divine Council worldview, this episode will help you see Scripture with clarity and understand your role in God’s mission.

Do you feel resistance when following Jesus or living on mission? In this episode, we uncover the unseen spiritual powers influencing nations and believers — from Daniel 10 to Babel and Deuteronomy 32 — and show how the Gospel overcomes them.

Step into your calling with clarity, courage, and a deeper understanding of God’s supernatural worldview.

Can Christians be cursed? In this episode, we break down what Scripture actually says about curses, spiritual attacks, and protection. We look at Balaam’s failed curse, the power of Psalm 91, and real stories from the mission field...all with a clear, confident focus on our identity and authority in Christ.