Can I Sell My Soul to the Devil?

By Shenalyn Page

Oxana was failing in school, and her friends were ignoring her. It seemed that everything was going wrong—until one of the guys took an interest in her.*

“Meet me in the cemetery at midnight, and I’ll show you how to get good grades,” the boy promised. That night, he taught her incantations to invoke the help of spirits.

Almost immediately, Oxana’s grades improved. In fact, she was doing so well in school that her principal asked her to teach the whole student body her study secrets.

But then she began having horrible headaches and paralyzing anxiety. Now she was worried. Had she done something wrong?

Will the Devil Make Me Rich and Famous?

It is often rumored that certain famous people have made deals with the devil to pave their way to fame and fortune. In a 2004 interview, for example, legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan said, “I made a bargain with … it … a long time ago, and I’m holding up my end.”

“What was your bargain?” asked the interviewer.

“To get where I am now.”

“Should I ask who you made the bargain with?”

“Ha, you know,” laughed Dylan, “With the- the- the y’know, with the Chief Commander … on this earth, and in the world we can’t see.”

Many people through the centuries have certainly committed themselves to Satan. Often, he has rewarded such followers with incredible wealth and prestige. Yet these same individuals soon learn that the devil is a cruel master. Like Oxana, they begin to suffer for their shortsighted choice.

But are they trapped forever?

The short answer is no.

The Bible never mentions that someone “sold their soul” to the devil. Satan cannot “own” a human soul. After all, God created the universe and, in that sense, owns everything in it (Ezekiel 18:4).

There are, however, many examples in the Bible of people who gave Satan access to their lives. Some of them, like Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:9–25), gained worldly wealth and fame because of it. Others, however, became demon-possessed, like the demoniac (Mark 5:1–20).

Whatever happiness Satan offered these souls, he took it away sooner or later. He is a liar (John 8:44) and cannot be trusted to uphold any pact made with him. However tempting his offer of earthly wealth, success, or glory may seem in the moment, his ultimate goal is to see you suffer—for the very reason that God loves you.

You Can Be Set Free

You don’t even need to make a direct pact with Satan to give him access to your life. Every time you break God’s commandments—especially when you do so knowingly and to selfishly exploit others—you’re telling the devil that you prefer his ways to God’s, giving him easier access to your heart and mind.

But Jesus came to this earth precisely to show us that we can be set free from Satan’s power. “[I have] come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Jesus freed many demon-possessed people from Satan during His three years of ministry on the earth. Read these inspiring stories in Matthew 4:24, 10:1; Luke 4:51–56; Mark 5:1–20; Matthew 15:21–28; Luke 9:37–42; Matthew 9:32–34; and Luke 11:14–23. Everyone who came to Jesus for deliverance was set free!

The same is possible for you! If you repent of your sins and turn to God with your whole heart, you will be released from Satan’s power. The devil doesn’t stand a chance when Jesus is on your side (1 John 4:4).

Unless we accept salvation by believing in Jesus’ sacrifice for us (Acts 16:31), we are lost (John 3:18). The more we persistently resist God’s love, the more difficult it will be for us to turn to Jesus. But Ephesians 2:1–10 promises that though we “once walked … according to the prince of the power of the air (Satan) … God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us … made us alive together with Christ … for by grace you have been saved through faith.”

Freedom at Last

Despite the daily headaches, Oxana decided to attend religious meetings taking place in town. One day, she told the pastor her story. “Have I done something wrong?” she said.

The pastor asked if she had heard the two sermons about the devil and his evil angels. No, she had missed them because her headaches were too intense those nights. “The devil didn’t want you to understand who he was and what he is doing in your life,” the pastor explained. “But if you give your life to Jesus, He will set you free.”

Oxana woke up with excruciating pain in her knees on the day her baptism was scheduled. “I knew the devil was trying to keep me away, so I forced myself to walk the three miles to church,” she says. “I cried the whole way.”

However, the instant she came up out of the water, all her pain disappeared. “Jesus set me free!”

No matter what deal you may have made with the devil, Jesus will set you free today if you ask Him. “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

*Oxana’s story comes from the book True Stories of Changed Lives by Dan Serns (Pacific Press, 2020. pp. 48–50). Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers.