It's obvious to anyone scanning the newspapers or channel hopping on satellite that many people today are seeking psychic consultations. This was confirmed for me when I received the following email,

"My sister and I were discussing all the psychics popping up all over town. She is going with some friends from work, although she is not having a reading done for herself. We were discussing where the psychics got their information. I told her I thought from familiar spirits."

No Christian should be confused by this. Powers unexplainable by natural law have been seen among men and recorded in the Bible since early times. The great thing is though that the Bible makes it very plain in all those records when God is at work and getting glorified and when not.

[*Note: It is always important that any conclusions we draw about things that are above and beyond our physical, natural realm have scriptural support. For any opinion we hold on matters of God and the realm of the spirit we must have supporting verses from the Bible.]

The lady above was correct in her answer to her sister. The psychics - and all those doing the types of readings she refers to - are able to operate in a certain level of predictive ability because they are making a connection with, what the Bible calls, familiar spirits. Either consciously or unconsciously they tuning in their spiritual ears to information coming through from spirits of divination, that is, spirits proclaiming a knowledge or insight of future events or outcomes. Often those who are consciously doing this speak openly about these spirits of divination as their spirit guides.

[*Note: The Old Testament makes use of the term "familiar spirits". It is very likely equivalent to the New Testament term "spirit of divination". It could even be a group term covering all the types of spirits behind bondage and afflictions that we read about in the New Testament. One thing is certain these spirits are not of God. They are part of the devil's crowd, his angels. We usually speak of the devil's angels as devils. The conclusion that "familiar spirits" are devils would seem accurate.]

In the New Testament, the only account we have of a situation similar to the one we encounter with the mediums and psychics of today is the one found in the Book of Acts. It is the story of a slave girl bringing her masters profit by fortune-telling. If we are to have an accurate insight into what is going on with mediums and psychics today it is wise to take a close look at what takes place in that account. Acts 16:16-19.

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, 'These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.'

Acts 16:16-17 - NKJV

What we have here then is a girl making money - though not for herself - by prediction.

In that first part of the story three things stand out. One, she is making a lot of money for her masters by her fortune-telling. Two, she latched on to Paul and his party and shouted out the knowledge of who they were and what they were about. Three, everything indicates that what she was doing was a result of her being possessed with a spirit of divination.

So in the account, the origin of the knowledge she had is revealed. The knowledge by which she fortune-tells is from a spirit of divination. A spirit that has taken hold of her and holds her in bondage.

What do we pick up from this? We see that psychics today are not into something new on the earth. In reality, the New Age scene is just a new face on Old Age practice. The psychic contact with familiar spirits practiced by New Age proponents has been going on a long time.

The Bible has another vivid account of psychic practice right back in the Old Testament in the first book of Samuel. The Bible editions I possess give this Bible account various titles. One calls it "Saul consults a medium" and another "Saul and the witch of Endor".

We hear about the arranging of the consultation like this,

Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor." So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a seance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you."

1 Samuel 28:7-8 - NKJV

Read more of this passage and you'll discover Saul's meeting with the medium was illicit and the outcome a sober warning. The prophet Samuel came as he requested and not a familiar spirit. This was much to the medium's frightened astonishment. Samuel then revealed knowledge of Saul's future that was too much for him to take and he collapsed!

This knowledge God had purposely kept back from Saul. God knew it was better for Saul not to know what was to come. God reveals the future but He does it selectively for our benefit. Mediums may partially reveal the future but they present it without knowledge of - and often regard for - what it will do to you or for you.