Focal passage: Deuteronomy 18: 9-18
Interest in the paranormal is common today. In fact, there is an entire television industry putting this subject into the mainstream. Some people watch these shows for pure entertainment. Others, like my late grandmother, would never turn them on because she considered them demonic.
Yet, every morning, after fixing herself a cup of coffee, she opened the daily newspaper to the horoscope section to discover what the day had in store.
She looked to her astrological forecast to know whether it would be a good day or a bad day. And when my family was there to visit, my grandmother would read ours aloud too. If the prediction was negative, she wouldn’t leave the house unless it was necessary.
The interesting thing is, my grandmother never missed church until her last few years, when she was too sick to attend.
And she read her Bible regularly. Yet, were her daily routines aligned with what the Bible teaches? No.
Deuteronomy 18:9-18 describes a culture full of paranormal practices. In our society, people do not burn their children as sacrifices. However, do we not look for wisdom from things other than God?
Paranormal practices are condemned by God: “But as for you the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this” (Deuteronomy 18:14). We, as followers of Christ, are not to seek out prophetic wisdom from anything or anyone other than God.
The direction we seek, the one we need, is found in God. That’s why the psalmist said, “Oh God you are my God; earnestly I seek you” (Psalm 63:1). Even something that seems as innocent as a horoscope in a newspaper can be harmful. Dappling with evil is destructive; seeking direction from God brings life.