Who doesn’t love a good mystery? The greatest mystery is what our future holds. Every January fortune-tellers and astrologers have a heyday as people try to figure out if they will achieve wealth, health and love in the New Year. But are fortune-tellers accurate? And, can Christians consult these people and still follow the Bible?
How does fortune-telling work?
Fortune-tellers work in two ways: (1) a sound knowledge of how human beings think, (2) and divination.
Fortune-tellers work with human psychology. Many times fortune-telling comprises a series of tricks that fortune-tellers play on us through skillful manipulation of our psychological impulses, and their own keen observations of human nature and behavior. These practices rely solely on human knowledge and manipulation. One ally of fortune-tellers is the psychological phenomenon called subjective validation, wherein people consider information they receive to be correct if it has any personal significance to them. For instance, people who are drawn to reading horoscopes are people who are predisposed to actually believing what they will read there.
In addition to these humanistic practices, the Bible talks about “divination,” another word for “fortune-telling,” as the art of foretelling future events by interpreting omens or asking help from supernatural sources. Some of the tools used are the spirit board, crystal balls, tarot cards and consulting the dead. When using these tools, fortune-tellers allay our fears by assuring us that the information they present comes from “familiar spirits”–the spirits of our loved ones, and famous people. However the Bible says this is impossible. Hebrews 9:27 attests to this: “… people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” When people die, their spirits do not roam the earth, but face judgment and are sent to heaven or hell. The truth is that the spirits fortune-tellers use emanate from Satan. Additionally, the Bible says that Satan is a liar–so his spirits will not tell us the truth.
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. The Book of John, chapter 8, and verse 44.
How do people react to fortune-telling?
Fortune-telling consultations increase during times of crisis, when people’s minds are filled with uncertainty, and they want to re-establish control by knowing and possibly altering their future. As a result, some people make minor adjustments to their everyday routine such as avoiding certain numbers and colors. Others dramatically redesign their whole house according to their fengshui master’s advice to “let the good luck in and keep the bad luck out.” Both types of people justify themselves by saying, “Para lang makasigurado.” or “Wala namang masama.”
Can Christians consult fortune-tellers?
The Bible makes it clear that fortune-telling (divination) is forbidden to everyone, but especially to believers in Jesus because it means putting faith in a power other than the One True God. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 18 verses 10, 11, 12, it says: Let no one be found among you …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.
So what do we do instead?
The book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6 reads: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. We must quit using fortune-telling. We must make Jesus our first and only option for guidance regarding our future. We must replace consulting fortune-tellers with consulting God constantly through prayer. We must shift from reading the horoscope to reading the Bible.
