Psychic anyone?

In the book of Acts, the scriptures records an interesting event relating to a psychic. Something the world chooses (in its own ignorance to deny!). Acts 16:16 the word records that as Paul and Silas were going down to the temple to pray, they were met by a psychic who made lots of money through her fortune telling. In fact the word goes on to say that this girl was actually telling the truth. 

Acts 16:17 :" This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying 'these men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." In the next verse is says that she did this for many days. Can anyone really argue that she was a liar? A charlatan? A flake or even a scam artist? She was telling the truth. I cannot find an iota of deception in her statement, recorded in the bible. In other words, this alone should teach the Christian Church that psychics are sometimes for real. In fact sometimes they can even state facts! 

Before you throw me out with the bath water, hear this truth. I am not suggesting we consult a psychic, just stop denying that there are people possessed with a spirit of divination that we would know as psychics. So what is the problem with this scenario. I want to examine the real problem and not the fact that she is a psychic. Convoluted? Yes, but bear with me. For too long we have denied the existence of so many things that the bible clearly states, its time we stopped denying facts, just due to our misunderstanding or just plain ignorance.

First problem with this psychic and probably every other one that is for real. She was possessed by a spirit of divination (see verse 16) that enabled her to 'read the past events of Paul and Silas" and thus make future predictions based on logic and past observations.

The second problem is the spirit of divination. The correct name in the Greek is Python. A python is a particularly large snake found in Asia and Africa. I have seen these creatures in the wilds of Africa and they are quite frightening. They are very large, and will fall on their prey from tree tops. They will then constrict around the chest of their prey, slowly closing their grip on every breath, contracting the chest, suffocating their prey in a slow agonizing death. their prey literally suffocate. The python then swallows the victim whole! Imagine being swallowed whole? Not sure that is my first pick for a way to go!

The spirit of python has the same manner of destroying its victims. It literally chokes the life out of its victim, slowly choking them to death.  This is a particularly nasty demon that come and takes possession of its victim by deception. Python promises wealth, and knowledge, and then slowly takes complete control of its intended victim. Meanwhile the psychic may very well be accurately telling you of past events, and even making deductions as to future possibilities. 

Psychics even operate in Churches. Some of the so called prophets I have encountered in churches operate under a spirit of divination, especially in the spirit filled churches. We are so hungry to hear a word from God that we often don't "test the spirits" as we are instructed in 1 John 4:1. Why test the spirits? Simply because we are are so hungry for a word from God that we readily believe anyone who claims to be a prophet. The conservative churches have another approach - they just deny the existence of prophets and or psychics! Not a great approach either. We do need to test the spirits, each and every time a new prophet comes along. In the following articles I will delve deeper into the spiritual realm, including a practical approach to testing the spirits, judging prophecy and more. For a more in depth look at prophecy and divination, I have written a book called :"Prophecy or Divination".