HOROSCOPES...BEWARE!

I thought that horoscopes had become a thing of the past, but looking at FACEBOOK obviously I was very wrong. There are quite a number of followers of the age old "psychic hotline".

All of us would like to know what our future holds...or at least we THINK we would. We like to read Bible prophecy and know what God says about His future events, and there is certainly nothing wrong with studying Bible prophecy because it helps us to be prepared for His Second Coming. He tells us through it to be alert and to be ready. God had many prophets throughout the Bible such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Nahum and others who were used by Him for His specific purposes. But...he also warns about FALSE prophets...those who pretend to be predicting the future, but serve Satan in trying to lure people away from Christ.

So, are horoscopes purely innocent fun or are they dabbling in the occult?

Deuteronomy 18: 9-12 says ..."do not imitate the detestable customs of those nations [heathens]. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens [horoscopes], or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD." (NASV)

God does not want believers to be caught up in imitating the practices of the world nor does He want us to look to other sources, He wants us to look to Him and Him alone. God and His Word have all the answers we need and we are to look to Him for those answers. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that gives to all men liberally and upbraids not and it will be given to him." James 1: 5.

Horoscopes date back to ancient times, in fact, all the way back to the Tower of Babel. Nimrod, Noah's great-grandson, whose name literally means 'Let us Rebel", was first connected with the tower of Babel in Genesis 10: 9, 10 "and he was a mighty hunter before the Lord and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel." Babel was what became known as Babylon, a center for everything unGodly. So wicked was Babylon that Revelation 17:5 calls Babylon "the mother of prostitutes and the abominations of the earth." Israel-a-history-of.com goes so far as to suggest :

"There is plentiful evidence to suggest that all forms of paganism, meaning all forms of pantheism and polytheism, traces its roots back to Ancient Babylonia. It is no secret that the assortment of gods and goddesses from Egypt, India, Greece and Rome all find their beginnings in the original pantheon of the Babylonians. There is even evidence that Nimrod himself was later deified as Merodach, or Marduk, the chief god of Babylon. "

So what does any of this have to do with horoscopes? Plenty!

"Enough of the ruins of the Tower of Babel have been discovered to permit archaeologists to speculate on its appearance and purpose. It covered 4 acres at its base and was 153 feet tall. There were 7 stages, each one smaller than the one below, giving it the appearance of a gigantic weeding cake. Each stage was dedicated to one of the then known planets, and a tower at the top had the 12 signs of the zodiac inscribed in the walls. It was apparently intended as a combination observatory and temple to enable the people to worship the celestial bodies and practice astrology."

"The 12 signs of the zodiac are a perversion of the Hebrew Mazzaroth. By tradition Adam, Seth, and Enoch named 12 constellations of the stars in such a way as to foretell the gospel story. As shepherds lay under the stars at night fathers could use them to instruct their sons on the Lord’s plan of redemption for His fallen people (Read “The Gospel in the Stars” by J.A. Seiss). The “horror-scope” in your newspaper lists the Babylonian names of these constellations. In reading it you are inadvertently following the false religion that originated with the tower of Babel and that denies everything the Bible says about the relationship that began with your Creator at the moment of conception. These corrupt names are virtually the same in every known language except Hebrew where the true names and meanings of the 12 signs can be learned. This is why the study of astrology (observer of times KJV) was an offense punishable by death in Israel and was given as one of the causes for the Canaanites’ expulsion from the land (Deut. 18:9-11)." (1)

They were worshipping God's creation rather than the Creator. "I AM the Lord, that is my name and I will not give my glory to another" declares the Lord in Isaiah 42:8.

God put an end to the tower of Babel and scattered the people and confused the languages as His way of saying 'STOP!! Do not be involved in such things. Worship me and me alone". I believe he would say the same to those who are today looking to horoscopes and pscyhics and other occults practices. Do not get caught up in these deceitful practices. Rather turn your eyes to Jesus. He will guide you into all truth. He IS the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

(1) Jack Kelley; gracethrufaith.com

WHAT A DAY!

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy" I Timothy 6:17

I had one of those days yesterday that we don't get too often. Just a quiet, leisurely day. What a blessing!

I began my day on my back porch, the favorite feature of my entire house! I sat there with my cup of coffee, just drinking in the morning stillness. The dew was glistening on the grass, the birds were singing a Hallelujah chorus from the trees and a light breeze was blowing through the trees in our small wooded area.

I delighted in the beauty of a cluster of yellow daylilies in full bloom. They made me think of Mother who grows them and delights in them like no one I've ever known. In fact, she joined me later in the day as we sat in the lounge chairs in the woods, again savoring the surroundings. She had given the daylilies to us when we built our house and they have never been more beautiful than this year. The spring rains have caused everything to be exceptionally beautiful this season. Jesus thought a lot of daylilies too. He said that Solomon, the richest man in the world who could afford and did have probably the most exquisite wardrobe of any man EVER, was never outfitted as beautifully as just one of these lilies! Any wonder my mother loves them so? Each one is a masterpiece of the Master Designer.

Not to take anything away from the daylilies, but just past them in a shady area of the woods is my hydrangea bed. My hydrangeas are blooming with mopheads of blue and a blush of pink. They are a thrill to me because after several years of babying them, this is the first year they have bloomed. And I LOVE hydrangeas. So I routinely find myself just staring at them with joy and delight at their beauty.

It is so seldom that we are able to be quiet and still, to enjoy the beauty that God has placed for our enjoyment around us. We live in such a fast paced world that our schedules don't allow for much "down time" or else if we stop, we feel guilty for all the things we SHOULD be doing.

Yet God created times for us to do just that. To stop, to feast our eyes on His creation, to enjoy the quiet stillness of the day. He said "Be still and know that I am God".

So make time today to obey His word. BE STILL. Take a look around you at the beauty He has placed in YOUR path today for your enjoyment. It may not be daylilies or hydrangeas. It may be the face of your child, the warmth of your spouse's hand in yours, a huge bowl of delicious ice cream or swim in your pool. But just recognize that these simple pleasures are for your enjoyment. Your Heavenly Father delights in providing them for you so that you may relax and unwind and be still before Him. May you hear Him speak in the quietness of those moments.