In my previous post Providence and Obedience I use the phrase “reading the tea leaves” to talk about the propensity that people have to read into every little circumstance and sign that they see in life. But beyond this, there are actually people who read literal tea leaves on the bottom of a teacup to try to learn their future.
It’ called “tasseography” and it’s one of the many forms of divination that people use to try to understand their future.
Think of it! There’s a God in heaven, but instead of seeking HIM, people are literally trying to read their future in tea leaves that lay on the bottom of a teacup! Does that make any sense?
I’m not making fun of people who do stuff like this because I used to be one of them! You can read my story here. I practiced astrology and used objects of divination like runestones to try to predict my future. I practiced astral projection and even sat under a large pyramid in my bedroom to try to concentrate spiritual forces!
As far back as my memory goes I believed in a spiritual realm. I don’t recall a moment in my life when I didn’t believe in God
I was very spiritually minded, but I didn’t realize that God hated some of the ways that I was trying to find Him! I was spiritually hungry, but ignorant!
I had no clue that God had provided a way to know Him, and that way was through His Son.
Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -John 14:6
The point that I’m making is that God is directly knowable. He doesn’t require that we use some occultic method in order to connect with Him. In fact, these practices are an abomination to Him because what He’s really looking for is personal relationship with us.
When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? -Isaiah 8:19
Do you see the emphasis here? God wants us to seek HIM. He doesn’t want us running after invisible spiritual forces, listening for voices, or trying to interpret signs and impressions.
When I was doing things like this what I failed to realize was that there are demonic spirits who pretend to know you. In the Bible they’re called “familiar spirits”.
“‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. -Leviticus 19:31
Many people think it’s perfectly okay to see a psychic, but if you examine this verse in the original language you will see that what psychics are in contact with are “familiar spirits”. This does NOT mean that it’s actually a relative or somebody close to you that has passed away. It could be a demon who’s been hanging around and is familiar with you!
In any event, notice how clear this verse is. We are never told to use some occultic method such as a Ouija board, tarot cards, astrology, or any other psychic method to connect with God.
But you may say, “What about angels?”
I can’t find a single place in the Bible where it tells me that I should pray to an angel!
If God wants to send an angel to me that’s His business, but I’m never told in the Bible that I should go running after angels.
One thing I never realized when I was in the New Age Movement is that demons can pretend to be good angels!!
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. -2 Corinthians 11:14
Have you ever considered that your “spirit guide” might actually be a demon masquerading as an angel? You can avoid all of this simply by going straight to God!
Another thing I didn’t realize when I was in the New Age Movement was that just because I have a powerful spiritual experience that seems to be true doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s coming from God!
This is also an area where Christians fall into unwitting deception! Many Christians assume that just because some prophecy or “word of knowledge” or some such thing that was given to them turned out to be true that it must have come from God.
That’s not always the case.
This is one of the reasons that we’re told in the Bible to “test the spirits” to know whether they’re from God. The last thing we want is to be tricked by a demon!
It might surprise you, but most of the time God is not interested in revealing everything about your future in advance. He is far more interested in you knowing that He holds your future in His Hands!
But I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands. -Psalms 31:14-15
Are there many roads to God?
Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most is when I discovered that God has chosen to narrow the access road to Him by leaving us with just one choice!
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” -Acts 4:12
Like many people in the New Age movement I thought there were many roads to God. I couldn’t conceive of the notion that God had narrowed down everything to the point where Jesus was the only way to get to heaven!
It’s mind blowing to consider, but where we spend eternity will be completely decided by whether we accept or reject Jesus Christ!
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life. -1 John 5:11-12
When looked at from this perspective, every spiritual pursuit is empty unless it leads to Jesus.
There was a time in my life where I was running after every spiritual thing under the sun. I imagined that everything I was doing was somehow bringing me closer to God. But the day came when my eyes were opened to see Jesus- and everything changed. I never thought that would be the case, but it turned out that Jesus was what I was looking for the whole time, I just didn’t know it!