Apologies everyone-- I typed this up weeks ago but forgot to post it! :) PBWith Halloween approaching, this week at CATALYST, we looked at the many ways people seek answers about life and the future, and what the Bible has to say about astrology, mediums, and psychics. We watched a short video clip introducing a man who writes all of the fortunes found in fortune cookies- someone who got the job simply because he happened to be the best at speaking English. While there aren't many people who base their life on what a cookie tells them to do, there are a lot of people who look for answers about life and the future by consulting horoscopes, visiting mediums or psychics, or even playfully using Ouija boards, which can be bought in any toy store.
What does the Bible have to say about consulting cookies, psychics, or the stars?
While people might read and follow a horoscope or fortune cookie's advice- advice that might be randomly printed out by a computer or written by someone we wouldn't think would be qualified to do that kind of thing- there are also people who claim to communicate with spirits or have special knowledge who aren't necessarily con artists.
The Bible lets us know that some people really are tapping into something evil; that there really are evil spirits (demons) which might be communicating back to them, and that there really are people out there involved in sorcery and divination. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of places in the Bible where we're warned about dabbling with the occult and seeking answers from spirits or the stars.
-2 Kings 21:6 talks about a guy named Manasseh who “practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics”. And that “he did much that was EVIL in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger”.
-In Deuteronomy 18, God told the people of Israel to be different than their neighbours who didn't know or follow him. “Be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there…Do not practice fortune telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. ANYONE WHO DOES THESE THINGS IS DETESTABLE TO THE LORD”.
-Galatians 5:20-21 tells us that our involvement in this kind of stuff is “sin”- that it’s the opposite of what God wants for us…and it pulls us further away from him, which incidentally, is why so many Christians would tell you not to read books, watch movies, or play games that involve casting spells or exploring witchcraft.
-Deuteronomy 4:19 says “When you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of the heavens—don’t be seduced into worshipping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.” This verse reminds us that we should seek answers from our Creator and not his creation!
-Isaiah 8:19-20, says, “Someone may say to you, ‘Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.’ But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark”.
While there probably aren't to many of us who read horoscopes, play with ouija boards, or consult psychics, the Bible reminds us to keep our distance from that kind of stuff. Besides the Bible specifically telling us that dabbling with those things are sins (things that are the opposite of what God wants for us and will, in fact, steer us further away from the God who loves us), it also lets us know that if we’re interested to know what we should do with our lives or what choices we should make…we need to look to God!
He’s the creator—the designer—of life…and more than that—he loves us and invites us to have a friendship with him! If anyone knows what will bring us happiness and fulfillment, it’s him!
Now, that doesn’t mean that when we pray, a little piece of paper will fall from heaven with specific instructions of what we should do. God isn’t some machine that dispenses fortune cookies when we pull a handle, but when we love and follow God—when we’re tight with him—when we’re talking to him regularly and reading and thinking about what the Bible says, we’ll be able to hear his voice and know what he wants us to do a lot more clearly.
The verse from Isaiah listed above says that when we look to other things for wisdom or direction, we’ll end up “completely in the dark”- that the "wisdom" we receive will steer us away from what God wants for us. And remember- he loves us and always wants the very BEST for us! Why would we want to distance ourselves from that?
While this kind of thing would have been more common during Bible times, we're reminded that nothing good can come from inviting evil spirits or demons to be the voices that we follow or listen to. We're reminded that seeking answers from the stars or following the advice a deck of cards gives us is quite a foolish thing to do considering that we're in a relationship with the God of the Universe.
It's also important to remind ourselves that whenever God warns us about stuff in the Bible, it isn’t because he wants to suck the fun out of our lives- it’s not because he wants to withhold secret answers or information from us. We need to trust that, as the ultimate good parent—as our Heavenly Father, He really does know and want what’s best for us…and that when he tells us to “Toss the Cookies” he’s got a really good reason for it.
Questions For Home:
1. Ask your teens what they think the future will look like? Years ago, people assumed that we would all have flying cars and jet packs by now, but those things haven't happened. What do they think they might do for a living? Where do they think they'll live? When they think about the future, does it worry them? Why or why not?
2. Can you share a story with your teen of how you trusted God for your future? Can you share a story of how, by staying close to him, he led you or guided you through life even though at the time, you couldn't see it?
3. This week at CATALYST, we saw how there are some people who are so desperate to know the future, that they'll consult psychics or have their fortunes read. The Bible, however, tells us that we should stay away from that stuff- that we shouldn't consult spirits or the stars- but that if we have questions about our future, we need to talk to our Creator about it! Take the time to pray with your teen. Pray that even though their future might be uncertain right now, if we stay close to God, he promises to direct our path (Proverbs 3:6).
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