STARS, SIGNS AND THE SUPERNATURAL



by Lynette Hoy NCC, LCPC, with Stacy Wiebe


The Search for Truth


Horoscopes and fortune telling have been around for thousands of years and today are more popular than ever.

I believe that all of us have a hunger to know the future and get in contact with the supernatural. We as people have many needs. We struggle with trials, suffering and want to know if there is life after death! As a counselor, I have discovered that most people are searching for something more in their lives.

“I think I know why astrology has such tremendous appeal,” writes novelist Madeleine L’Engle. “The year and month and day you were born matters. The very moment you were born matters. This gives people a sense of their own value as persons.”

People have a hunger to find out more about life, to have meaning and purpose. They have a hunger for spiritual truth. So, then, the question is: what is truth? And will seeking guidance from a mystic, fortune-teller, clairvoyant, Tarot card reader, astrologist really help people find truth?

Seeking spiritual guidance in life is not wrong but, people will find themselves on the wrong track when looking for help from mystics. Truth needs to be based on some credible authority. What spiritual authority is credible?


My own search


I had questions about spiritual things, meaning and purpose in life as a teenager. I realized that I needed security, hope and faith for living. I needed God. It was simple then.

Years later, I looked for evidence to back up my beliefs. I wasn't satisfied with a blind faith. The questions, “Why does God allow suffering?” and “How can I know that Christianity is true?” kept me searching for answers and evidence.

I studied the historicity and authenticity of the Bible, the claims of Christ and the numerous Messianic prophecies he fulfilled. The overwhelming evidence for Christ, his life and his mission provided the foundation and assurance I needed for growing in my commitment to him.


The ultimate spiritual guide


Throughout history all kinds of people, atheists, agnostics, scientists, philosophers, theologians, religious leaders, have debated the life of Christ and his claims. So, how can we know the truth about Jesus? How can we know if he is the spiritual guide who will guide us into truth about life, meaning and purpose and eternal life?

Many people call Jesus "a good teacher, "a prophet,” a religious leader on par with Mohammed, Buddha, Moses, etc.

Jesus made the most astonishing claims, about God, society and ethics, and yes, about himself. He claimed to have the authority to forgive sins, to be the representative of all humanity come to die in order to reconcile man to God, and to be the only way for people to attain salvation. He claimed to have had glory with the Father, he claimed to be the I AM, he spoke with absolute authority, he claimed that God was his Father, he claimed to be one with the father, he claimed to come forth from God, he claimed to be the only access to the Father, he claimed to be able to forgive sins, he claimed to deserve absolute allegiance, he claimed to be the judge of all mankind and to dishonor him was to dishonor the Father, and he accepted worship.


Three possibilities


Faced with the fact that Jesus made these claims about himself, there are three things that we might say about him:

- Either Jesus' claims were false and he knew it, or:
- his claims were false and he didn't know it, or:
- his claims were true.

None of these suggests that Jesus was a great, but merely human, teacher.
So, who is this Jesus? When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:13-16).

This was the same conclusion I came to as a teenager and that I embrace today. It shapes everything in my life, including the way I counsel people and what I tell those who are searching for meaning and truth in stars.


Just a cog in a wheel?


While astrology and the like promise a personalized look into our future, inherent in them is a kind of fatalism: the stars, the lines on your palm, or the cards have “predetermined” your destiny. They tell you what will happen to you. These occultic practices rule out free choice; you are merely a cog in the machinery of the universe.

Jesus, on the other hand extends a choice. He says, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).


Worlds unseen


Zodiac signs, Ouija boards and Tarot cards point to a spiritual dimension to life, to an unseen world.

Theologian Jim Burns characterizes it this way:
This mostly unseen world has two sides: 1) The perfect and beautiful part that comes from God and 2) the dark spiritual world that is in opposition to God. The leader of the dark world is Satan. Satan was an angel who fell away from God and he rules the dark spiritual world in a war against the good. We might not see the battle, but it is very real. What are they fighting over? Us.

Because you are worth fighting for, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and give you new life. Jesus has your best interests at heart. He promises you a future and a hope. He knows the best path for your life. He spoke the stars into existence, and knows each one by name. He knows you by name. He knew you when you were in the womb. He knows every hair on your head. He knows every word you will speak before it is on your tongue. He is the embodiment of Truth.

Jesus said, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:8-10).

Jesus' claims still matter today! If he is who he claimed to be - God - and if he is the only Savior of the world - the one with authority to forgive - the only way to be reconciled to God and the only way to heaven - we need to stand up and take notice.

Won't you consider asking Christ into your life today? Just pray simply:
"Dear Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life and make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen."

If you have prayed this prayer, Jesus has a promise for you in Matthew 20:28: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."