Put Down the Sage
- Michael Allen
- May 21
- 5 min read
By Brother Mike Allen
This article, originally posted back in April 2025, on my YouTube channel: Diggin’ In The Word, happens to be a response to a question from a friend: “Hey Mike. Why is Jesus against Sage burning?”
Let me paint a picture for you, Sisters
You just had a rough week. Kids acting up, your boss got on your nerves, and your man said something that rubbed you the wrong way—again. So instead of running to the secret place of the Most High or cracking open the Word, you light up some sage, wave it around your apartment, and try to “cleanse the negative energy.” You got your gospel playlist on in the background, and you’re telling yourself, “Yah knows my heart.” But let’s be real… is He really pleased with what you’re doing?
See, that’s the tricky part. The enemy has gotten real slick with packaging up old pagan rituals and selling them to us wrapped in self-care and spirituality.
"The history of burning sage takes us centuries back and has roots in many cultures worldwide. Its aim is to connect humans with nature and the divine. Many cultures used the practice in religious and healing ceremonies. Specifically, according to archaeological findings from ancient Greek and Roman temples, the use of sage in ceremonies honoring gods and deities is evident."
But Yah doesn’t want worship that looks like the nations. Period. This isn’t just about sage—it’s about heart posture, obedience, and not trying to mix holy with unholy. It's not about singling out sage in and of itself, it's the principle of engaging in practices that attempt to connect with the Divine.
Let’s go Digging In the Word.
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You Can’t Worship Yah Like the Pagans Worship Their Gods
Let’s look at Deuteronomy 12:29–32 (NKJV):
“When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land,
take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
So, it’s right there. “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.” No matter how good it smells or how peaceful it makes you feel in the moment, burning sage with the intention of “cleansing energy” or drawing closer to Yah is still rooted in false worship. Yah said don’t copy them—not even a little bit.
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Mixing Holy and Unholy Is A NO NO
Paul didn’t hold back either. In 1 Corinthians 10:20–21 (NLT) he said:
“I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.
You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.”
He didn’t say you’re “kind of" off. He saying you ARE off! He said you’re participating with demons. You can’t be waving sage in one hand and lifting your hands in worship in the other. That’s spiritual double-dipping, and Yah isn’t in it.
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Yeshua Is the Only Way to the Father
Sis, if you’re looking for peace, healing, or deliverance, Yeshua already gave us the path. He said in John 14:6 (KJV):
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
You don’t need to go through smoke, crystals, or energy rituals. You go through the Son. He’s the only door. He’s the only covering. Don’t let TikTok spirituality make you forget that.
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Let Yah Be Jealous For You—Not Against You
In Deuteronomy 32:16–17 (NLT), Moses warns us:
“They stirred up His jealousy by worshiping foreign gods;
they provoked His fury with detestable deeds.
They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God, to gods they had not known before, to new gods only recently arrived, to gods their ancestors had never feared.”
Sound familiar? “New gods only recently arrived” sounds a lot like modern spiritualism, doesn’t it? Yoga altars, spiritual baths, ancestor veneration… all that stuff that didn’t come from our Abba but from the gods of this world.
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You Can’t Serve Two Masters
Let’s be real: some of us are trying to keep one foot in the Bible and one foot in the new age. But Yeshua made it plain in Matthew 6:24 (KJV):
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Whether it’s money, vibes, or tradition—if it’s not from Yah, it’s not for you.
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Final Warning From Revelation
This isn’t just about preference—it’s about life or death. Check out Revelation 9:20–21 (NLT):
“But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.
They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk!
And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
Witchcraft includes these practices. And repentance means turning away from them. Not explaining them away. Not dressing them up as cultural. Yah is calling us out of it.
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So, What Should You Do Instead?
Pray. Fast. Get in that Word. Anoint your home with oil, not sage.
But let’s talk about the difference between anointing oil and sage real quick, because some of y’all out here confusing Bible basics with a Harry Potter starter kit. In the Torah—and even in the Brit Hadashah (New Testament for you folks still in the back)—anointing oil was used on people, not objects like flat screens, Benzes, or baby hairs. The elders aren’t out here smearing Extra Virgin Olive Oil, on a plasma TV’s hoping Yah drops a blessing through a computer cord. No ma’am. The oil is symbolic—it represents the Ruach Ha’Kodesh and is applied to set apart someone for ministry, healing the sick, or elevation. It’s intentional, sanctified, and backed by the Word. Meanwhile, sage burning is just you waving smoke around the room hoping the demons pack their bags like the next flight out of LA X. One is Yah-ordained. The other is you trying to cosplay as a Hebrew high priest. Let’s not get it twisted.
Rebuke the enemy in the name of Yeshua. Invite the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Holy Spirit) to fill your space and your life. That’s your protection. That’s you’re cleansing. That’s your power.
Don’t trade it for smoke and mirrors.
Let’s get back to true worship.
With love and truth,
Brother Mike Allen
Digging in the Word | "Discovering Truth One Dig At A Time"
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