3 Questions to Test Any Birth Practice: Biblical Discernment of Birth Practices, Ep. 1

Jul 21

Hey friend! I am so glad you're here, because today's post is the beginning of something the Lord has been stirring in my heart for a long time. If you've ever wondered whether the practices filling the birth world (yoga, acupuncture, hypnobirth, the Enneagram, and more) truly honor the Lord, this one is for you. We're kicking off a brand new series called Biblical Discernment of Birth Practices, and I'm sharing the simple, Scripture-rooted framework that has been transforming the way I evaluate everything in this space.

🎧 Listen to the Episode

Why I'm Starting This Series (And Why It Wasn't Easy)

This episode is a little different from anything I've done before, because it grew out of a few questions the Lord was asking me that, honestly, I was not ready to answer.

Here's my confession: I have personally engaged with so many of the practices we're going to discuss in this series. Acupuncture, placenta encapsulation, yoga, the Enneagram. Most of these were recommended to me by friends or birth professionals, or they were simply common things I saw everywhere in the birth world. I never stopped to ask where they came from.

But over time, the Holy Spirit began nudging me with questions I didn't have answers to. Instead of stifling those questions and pushing them way down deep, I decided to go looking. This series is the fruit of that search, and I'm learning right alongside you.

Conviction, Not Condemnation

Before we go any further, I want you to know my heart. The goal of this series is not to shame you. It's to help you discern.

I'm really prone to feelings of condemnation when I realize I've done something wrong, so I need this reminder as much as anyone: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). If something in this series stirs conviction in you, that comes from the Lord. But condemnation? That is never from Him.

What we're talking about in this series is sanctification, the lifelong process of learning to think and live and love more like Jesus. When the Holy Spirit brings conviction, it's not shame. It's an invitation to greater freedom.

Tim Keller sums up the gospel so beautifully: "The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe. Yet, at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope."

That's the posture I want us to carry into every single episode. And I'm wrestling with it too, because I've suggested things to my clients and on this podcast that I no longer want to associate with. If this series stirs regret in you, you are not alone.

Why Discernment Matters So Much in the Birth World

The problem isn't the desire for meaning, community, or healing. The problem is when we source those things from places that are not from God.

Scripture repeatedly calls believers to exercise discernment because we have a real spiritual enemy who operates through deception. Ephesians 6:12 tells us our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. And 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

He doesn't present lies as obvious lies. Who would follow a lie? He presents them as wisdom, healing, empowerment, and ancient truth.

Here's the picture that has helped me most: the enemy is all about the counterfeit. A counterfeit bill works because it looks just like the real thing. And in this season of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood, he works especially hard, because he's all about destroying life, and this season is all about life.

What "Occult" Actually Means

Something that's been really clarifying for me in my research is understanding what the word "occult" means. It comes from the Latin word meaning hidden or concealed, and that's exactly the point.

When you look through that lens, the list of potential practices gets much bigger. Energy healing, crystals, yoga, manifestation practices. At their root, these are all attempts to access a power or knowledge that is not of God. And the Bible doesn't just gently caution us here. It warns us plainly and repeatedly to have nothing to do with these things.

Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He is not a way, one valid option among many. He is the way. He is the narrow gate, and it's narrow because truth is specific.

This Affects Our Children Too

One of the most sobering reasons this series matters to me, not just as a birth worker but as a mama and your sister in Christ, is that what we engage with spiritually doesn't just affect us. It affects our children.

Matthew 18 shows us how seriously Jesus takes the spiritual vulnerability of children, and in Mark 9, a father brings Jesus his son who has been tormented by a demonic spirit since childhood. Spiritual oppression in children is real, and it can begin early and persist for years, especially when we aren't even aware it's possible.

But friend, please hear me: this is not the final story. Jesus has victory over all of it. If you have engaged with practices that may have opened up spiritual darkness in your life or your children's lives, the good news is that it can be closed off in the name of Jesus.

Sometimes spiritual oppression doesn't look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like fear or anxiety you can't shake no matter how much you pray, depression that lifts and comes right back, or a heaviness or hopelessness that lingers. Not every instance of these is spiritual oppression, but I don't want you to assume it's all just in your head or purely biological either. There very well could be a spiritual dynamic at play, and Jesus alone is able to deliver you. He came to proclaim freedom for the captives, and that is not metaphorical. That is literal.

The Berean Model: Our Posture for This Series

The model I want us to adopt comes from Acts 17:11 and the story of the Bereans, who "received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

I love that they weren't just accepting whatever they were told, even from Paul, an apostle. They received it eagerly and openly, then held it up to Scripture. That's the posture I desire for you in this series: eager, discerning, and willing to take everything to the Lord.

1 John 4:1 gives us the companion command: "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God." Not every spiritual experience, practice, or teacher is from God, even if it produces a feeling of peace or healing. Testing the spirits is our job as believers.

The 3 Questions to Test Any Birth Practice:

Every episode in this series, we're going to run each practice through the same three questions.

1. What Is the Source?

This comes from Deuteronomy 18:9-14, where God warns His people against divination, sorcery, witchcraft, mediums, and consulting the dead. Your first instinct might be, "Okay, I'm not doing witchcraft." But underneath all of those practices is the same desire: to access spiritual knowledge, power, or guidance apart from God.

The specific practices look different today, but the category is the same. Anything that promises spiritual insight, healing, alignment, or protection through a channel other than God and His power is not from the Lord.

So ask: where does this practice come from, and what spiritual system is it built on?

2. What Is the Framework?

This comes from Colossians 2:8: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."

The framework question asks: what does this practice assume to be true about the world? Does it assume a universal life force flowing through the body? Does it assume the divine is within you or within nature, rather than a personal and transcendent God? Does it offer spiritual access through something other than Christ?

Those assumptions get into us whether we intend them to or not.

3. What Is the Fruit?

This comes from 1 Corinthians 10:23: "'I have the right to do anything,' you say, but not everything is beneficial."

This question might be the most convicting: does this practice lead me to more Christlikeness? Is it deepening my dependence on Jesus, or giving me an alternative place to put my hope, trust, and glory? Am I attributing my healing and blessing to something that's not God?

But What If It Actually Works?

I don't want to brush past a question you may be asking: what if these practices are actually working? What if acupuncture really did start your labor, or the Enneagram really did feel accurate?

Here's the wild part: some of these practices really do produce real results. But that's exactly what makes this conversation so important. Just because something works doesn't mean it's from God. Something can work and still open us up to darkness we never intended.

What's Ahead in This Series

Over the coming months, we'll be looking at several categories together:

Energy-based practices like acupuncture, Reiki, and homeopathy
Ceremonies and rituals like Blessing Way ceremonies and placenta practices
The birth space itself, including crystals and sound healing
Spiritual frameworks that have saturated birth culture, like the sacred feminine movement and spirit baby communication
Subtle practices that are harder to discern, like the Enneagram and hypnobirth

And we'll close with what I believe is the most important conversation of all: what God actually offers us, and why His way is so much better than any alternative.

📖A Scripture to Anchor You

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." – James 1:5 (NIV)

🙏 A Prayer for You on Your Journey

I don't take lightly what it means to steward your ears and your heart through this series, so let me pray over you the way I prayed at the end of this episode:

Lord Jesus, I thank You for this mama reading today. I thank You that You're not afraid of hard questions, and that You invite us to seek and to ask and to knock. I pray that this series would be exactly what You intended it to be, nothing more, nothing less, and that the Holy Spirit would be the teacher, not me. For the mom who's longing to honor You with her choices in this season, give her grace and truth, and remind her continually that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Let the end result be surrender, sanctification, and all the glory to You. In Your precious, holy name, amen.

Friend, you don't have to have this all figured out right now. Just ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in wisdom and discernment. He will not leave you without it when you sincerely seek Him.

📎Resources & Links Mentioned

✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, including the NEW Birth Practice Discernment Guide to walk through this framework yourself

💕 Work with Me 1:1 - Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call

✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course

🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards - You can now purchase them here

📗 Glorious Freedom by Percy Burns - A helpful resource for understanding spiritual warfare, deliverance, and finding lasting freedom in Jesus

📣 Let’s Stay Connected

If this episode encouraged you:

Hit subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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**Meet Your Host —**

Natalie is a certified birth doula and childbirth educator in Jacksonville, FL. She's trained through DONA International, certified as a Body Ready Method Pro, and an advanced VBAC doula. Through Faith Over Fear Birth, she equips Christian women to experience peaceful, faith-filled births through both virtual and in-person support.
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📄 Full Episode Transcript

Whether you're brand new to the podcast or you've been listening for a while, I am especially glad you're here with me today. This episode is a little different than anything I've done before, because it's the beginning of a conversation that the Lord has been stirring in me for quite some time now. In many ways, this series grew out of a few questions the Lord was asking me, and I was not ready to answer them.

Today is the first episode of a whole series I'm calling Biblical Discernment of Birth Practices. Over the next several months, because I'm releasing these episodes every other week, we're going to be walking through some of the most common birth practices, and this is also applicable to pregnancy and motherhood in general. Things like yoga, hypnobirth, acupuncture, homeopathy, placenta encapsulation, the Enneagram, and so much more. For each practice, we're going to look at three things: where did this practice come from, what belief system is it built on, and how should we think about it in light of Scripture and God's Word?

I'm not here to just hand you a list of rules and tell you "do this, don't do this." My goal is really and truly to help you think biblically, discern carefully, and bring these questions to the Lord for yourself. Because ultimately, my opinion is not what matters. God's opinion is what matters.

Before we go any further, I do want to be transparent, because I have personally engaged with so many of the practices we're going to be discussing in this series, things like acupuncture, placenta encapsulation, yoga, and using the Enneagram. I engaged with these things without even questioning where they came from. Most of them were recommended to me by friends or birth professionals, or they were just common things I saw in the birth world, and I never stopped to ask where they came from. But over time, the Holy Spirit began nudging me with questions that I did not have answers to. So instead of stifling those questions and pushing them way deep down, I decided to go looking, and that's what this series is: the things I'm learning along the way.

I want you to know my heart. I just want to share what I've been learning and what the Lord's been showing me. One thing I'm really prone to is a feeling of condemnation, but there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That's Romans 8:1. So if you are going through this series with me and you start to feel conviction about certain practices, that comes from the Lord. But any condemnation is not from the Lord, and I want to encourage you in that. The goal of this series is not to shame you. It's to help you discern.

Our salvation rests entirely on the finished work of Jesus Christ. His last words on the cross were "tetelestai," which means "it is finished," paid in full. We are not saved by making perfect decisions or successfully avoiding mistakes. We are saved completely by grace through faith. What we're talking about in this series is sanctification, the lifelong process of learning to think and live and love more like Jesus, and to lay down our will and our way for His perfect will and way for us. So when the Holy Spirit brings conviction, it's an invitation, not shame. It's an invitation to greater freedom.

Again, I'm very prone to feeling condemned when I realize I've done something wrong, and I think it's because I think too highly of my own performance and I forget who God is. Tim Keller gives this beautiful recap of the gospel. He says, "The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe. Yet, at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope." Ooh, amen. That's the posture I want us to carry into every single episode of this series, and I'm wrestling with it too, because I've suggested things to my clients and to you on this podcast that I no longer want to associate with. So if this series is stirring something like regret in you, know that you are not alone in that.

Something fascinating about birth is that it has always been recognized as spiritually significant. Across cultures and throughout history, people have treated birth as more than just a medical event, and I actually think that points to something very deep: birth is sacred because life is sacred. The problem isn't the desire for meaning, community, or healing. The problem is that we source healing, community, and spiritual significance from things that are not from God.

Scripture repeatedly calls believers to exercise discernment because we have a real spiritual enemy who operates through deception. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. And 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. He doesn't present lies as obvious lies, because who would follow a lie? He presents them as wisdom, healing, empowerment, and ancient truth. That's why discernment matters, and that's why it especially matters in the birth space, where there's such a hunger for spirituality. It's also one of the places where deception has unfortunately found such a foothold.

Jesus tells us in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy." Only to do those things. That's his ultimate agenda. Everything he does is aimed at death and destruction, especially for God's children. He wants to destroy us, but here's what makes him especially dangerous to us as believers: he's all about the counterfeit. A counterfeit bill doesn't work because it's obviously fake. It works because it looks just like the real thing. And in this season of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood, he works really hard, because he's all about destroying life, and pregnancy, birth, and motherhood are all about life. If you have any level of experience in the birth world, you know it's saturated with spiritual lures and counterfeits of all kinds. So I want us to be discerning of what is of the Lord and what's not of the Lord.

Something that's been really clarifying for me as I've researched for this series is understanding what "occult" means, because that's spoken about in Scripture. It comes from the Latin word meaning hidden or concealed, and that's exactly the point. When you look at it through that lens, the list of potential practices becomes much larger. Think of energy healing, crystals, yoga, manifestation practices. These are all things that, at their root, are attempting to access a power or a knowledge that is not of God. And the Bible doesn't just caution us about these things; it warns us plainly and repeatedly to have nothing to do with these practices.

I'm also going to read you John 14:6. This is Jesus speaking: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus is not a way, or one option among many others that are just as valid. Jesus is the way. He is the narrow gate that He describes as Himself in Matthew 7. And it's narrow because truth is specific. Jesus is not just one spiritual truth or option alongside valid others. He is the only valid option.

Some of the practices we're going to discuss aren't just theologically problematic at an intellectual level. They are actually entry points for spiritual darkness, and many of us are probably needing deliverance from these different spiritual darknesses, even as believers. This is a whole other topic, but I will say that if that's a new or strange idea to you, I would love to encourage you to start studying Scripture in regard to spiritual warfare, and understanding what Jesus was doing when He was casting demons out of people. There was very much a real spiritual battle that Jesus equips His followers for, and that's not just for people who don't know Him. That's for believers as well, because we are also extremely susceptible to spiritual oppression. I'm going to leave some resources in the show notes that have been helpful for me personally in understanding spiritual warfare and deliverance, and again, the real spiritual battle that we're in. This is not something hypothetical.

One of the sobering reasons why I felt like this series really mattered to me, not only as a mother but as your sister in Christ, is that what we engage with spiritually isn't just affecting us. It also affects our children. When a parent opens themselves up to spiritual darkness, their children are also susceptible to that. Matthew 18 shows us just how seriously Jesus takes the spiritual vulnerability of children. He places a child in front of the disciples and says, "Whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for a millstone to be hung around their neck." Jesus is not just casually saying these things. It's because He is deeply protective of children and deeply serious about what they are exposed to spiritually. And in Mark 9, when a father brings his son to Jesus, he tells Him that his boy has been tormented by a demonic spirit since he was a child. So spiritual oppression in children is real, and it can begin early and persist for years without resolution, especially if we are not even aware that that's possible.

I want to be extremely careful here in how I'm sharing this, because I don't want you to hear me and think, "Natalie's trying to instill fear in me." This is not the final story. Jesus has victory over this. So if you have engaged with any of these practices that may have opened up spiritual darkness in your life or in the life of your children, the good news is that it can be closed off in the name of Jesus.

Some of us, probably most of us, are dealing with some level of spiritual oppression, and it doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes it just looks like fear that you cannot shake, or anxiety that you can't shake, no matter how much you keep bringing it to the Lord in prayer. Sometimes it looks like depression that lifts for a little bit but then comes right back, or a heaviness that you feel, or a hopelessness. But I also want to caution you: that doesn't necessarily mean every instance of these things is automatically demonic or spiritual oppression. At the same time, I don't want you to think these things are all just in your head or just biological. There very well could be a spiritual dynamic at play, and Jesus alone is able to deliver you from that. If you've tried over and over again with discipline and prayer and accountability to overcome something, but you just have not found lasting victory, there's a really good chance there is a spiritual aspect to it. Jesus came to proclaim freedom for the captives, and that is not metaphorical. That is literal. If you want to explore that further, there's a beautiful book called Glorious Freedom by Percy Burns. He shares a lot about ways to find freedom with Jesus from these different spiritual darknesses we might find ourselves in.

I want to give you a model for us to think through, and it comes from Acts 17:11, the story of the Bereans. It says, "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." I love that they weren't just accepting whatever they were being told, even from Paul, who was an apostle. They received it eagerly and openly, and then they held it up to Scripture and made sure it lined up with what was true. This is the posture I desire for you as we go through this series: that you would be eager and discerning and willing to take in this information, then take it to the Lord and have Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, help you examine what is right and what is true.

1 John 4:1 gives us a companion command that fits right alongside the Berean model. It says, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." It's our job as believers to test the spirits. Not every spiritual experience, practice, or teacher is from God, even if it produces a feeling of peace or healing. John is telling us that discernment is what God calls us to. The Bereans tested teaching against Scripture, and John tells us to test the spirits against that same standard. That is going to be our posture through this whole series.

Every episode, we're going to run each practice through three questions, so I'm going to walk us through those briefly.

The first is: what is the source? This comes from Deuteronomy 18:9-14, so I'm going to read that to you. It says, "When you enter the land the Lord your God has given you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist, or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. You must be blameless before the Lord your God." Now, I want to read that carefully with you, because your first instinct may be, "Okay, I'm not doing witchcraft. I'm not engaging with mediums or doing these detestable things." But underneath all of it is this desire to channel and have access to spiritual knowledge, power, or guidance apart from God. These practices all assume there is spiritual reality accessible outside of God's self-revelation, and they aim for us to tap into it through dark and demonic power. That principle is still applicable today. The specific practices may look different, but the category is still the same. Anything that promises spiritual insight, healing, alignment, or protection through a channel other than God and His power is not from the Lord.

Now let's talk about the second question: what is the framework? This question comes from Colossians 2:8, where Paul says, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." The Colossians were being pressured by false teaching that mixed Jewish legalism, Greek philosophy, and early mysticism. People were telling them they needed additional spiritual practices and knowledge beyond Christ. The framework question is essentially: what does this practice assume to be true about the world? Does it assume there is a universal life force or energy flowing through the body? Does it assume the divine is within you or within nature, rather than a personal and transcendent God? Does it offer spiritual access through something other than Christ? Because those assumptions get into us whether we intend them to or not.

And then the third question: what is the fruit? This comes from 1 Corinthians 10:23, where Paul writes, "'I have the right to do anything,' you say, but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything,' but not everything is constructive." That's actually the Corinthians themselves saying, "I have the right to do anything," which was something they regularly said to justify their choices. This question might be the most convicting, because it's asking: does this practice lead me to more Christlikeness? Is this practice deepening your dependence on Jesus, or is it giving you an alternative place to put your hope, your trust, and your glory? Are you attributing your healing and blessing to something that's not God?

So again, those three questions. Number one, what is the source? Where is this coming from, and what spiritual system is it built on? Number two, what is the framework? What does this practice assume to be true about reality, and is that in line with the Word of God? And number three, what is the fruit? Does this genuinely build Christlikeness in me, and is it beneficial to the body of Christ?

I would love for you to actually be able to work through this framework for yourself, so I've created a companion handout called The Birth Practice Discernment Guide, which will walk you through all of these questions and give you space to work through the answers yourself. It's inside the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library, so if you are not already signed up for that, you can sign up at faithoverfearbirth.com. I'll also include the direct link for signing up in the show notes.

Before we move on, I don't want to brush past a question you may be asking yourself: what if these birth practices are actually working? You know, acupuncture did put me into labor and helped alleviate pain, or the Enneagram felt very accurate and helped me understand my personality more. The wild part is that some of these practices really do work and produce real, actual results. But that's exactly what makes this conversation so important, because just because something works doesn't mean we should continue to use it. Something can work and still not be from Him, and we could be opening ourselves up to darkness in ways we never intended.

With all of that in mind, I want to give you a picture of what's ahead and what to expect from this series. Over the coming months, we're going to be looking at several different categories together. I haven't completely worked out how I'm going to break them all up, but some of the things we'll be covering are energy-based practices, like acupuncture, Reiki, and homeopathy. We're also going to look at ceremonies and rituals, things like a Blessing Way ceremony and placenta practices. We'll look at the birth space itself, including crystals and sound healing. We're also going to go into the spiritual frameworks that have saturated birth culture, like the sacred feminine movement and spirit baby communication. And then we'll look at more subtle practices that are harder to discern, things like the Enneagram and hypnobirth. We'll close the series with what I think is the most important conversation of all: what God actually offers us, and why His way is so much better than any of these other options.

Before I let you go, I would love to pray over you and over this series, because I really don't take lightly what it means to steward your ears and your heart through this. If I'm being completely honest, I feel such a weight even recording this episode, because I know the weight of the spiritual battle we're in, and I just want to honor the Lord with the words I'm putting out and what you're hearing and receiving.

So let's pray. Lord Jesus, I thank You for this mama who's listening, who found this episode today. I thank You that You're not afraid of hard questions, and that You invite us to seek and to ask and to knock, and to seek wisdom from You, Lord. I pray that this series would be exactly what You intended it to be, nothing more, nothing less. I ask that the Holy Spirit would be the teacher, and not me, that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide. And I pray for the mom who's longing to honor You with her choices in this season. I pray that You would give her grace and truth, and remind her continually that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I ask that the end result of this whole series would be surrender to You, and sanctification, that we would become more like You, Jesus, and that You would receive all of the glory. In Your precious, holy name, amen.

If this episode and this series in general is resonating with you, would you please share it with a friend? This conversation is so far reaching, and I feel like I'm just scratching the surface on so much of it. And as a reminder, sign up for the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library, which includes that Birth Practice Discernment Guide, where you can walk through it yourself with the Holy Spirit and hear what He has for you.

I want to leave you with this final bit of encouragement from James 1:5, which says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." I love that so much. You don't have to have this all figured out right now. Just ask the Holy Spirit, invite Him to come in and guide you in that wisdom and discernment.

That's really the heart of this series. It's going to be very simple: looking at these birth practices and running them through those three questions. If you're a believer and you have the Holy Spirit living inside you, He is going to be a much better teacher than I will ever be. So as you listen through this series, I want you to wrestle with Him through these things and ask Him what He wants for you specifically. He will not leave you without wisdom when you sincerely seek Him for it.

Natalie Portman