So You Want to Know the Future? By Pamela Walck

Midnight, about two weeks before my October 31st birthday, and I felt tired! “Whew,” out of my basement I had dragged to the curb years of accumulated Halloween articles—devils, witches, anything that looked of the occult.

Driving home from the mall several hours earlier, I tuned into a local Christian radio station. The announcer discussed Halloween and the occult and how, as Christians, we should not get involved in any aspect of it. I pulled my car over on Millersport Highway and turned into a church parking lot to listen more intently.

Wow, I thought, does the Bible really address topics such as fortune-telling? I had no idea.

The radio preacher discussed the witch of Endor and Saul. Many verses cited in the Old and New Testament told about turning away from consulting mediums, sorcerers, astrology, or anything related to these.

“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 NIV) Other verses such as Isaiah 47:13-15, Acts 16:16-19, and Acts 19:18-20 also command us to stay away from the occult. I believe that the Bible is God’s Word, which has been proved over and over as valid and correct. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) states, “All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

I needed to choose to follow God or my own desires—that of keeping and displaying decorations that didn’t reflect Him.

I felt convicted about my past behavior. In high school, I had written a monthly horoscope column, just made up of course. Later, I got involved in tarot card readings, the Ouija board, and regular trips to Lily Dale (a town in New York known for mediums).

When I finally got home from my drive that night, I started ripping the basement apart. Since my birthday is on Halloween, I dressed up every year for parties and at work visiting the patient’s rooms. Not a year had gone by when I didn’t come up with some outlandish costume. Outfits such as Little Boo Beep and the energizer bunny, which were innocent enough costumes. But I also had vampires and she-devils.

While in the basement, I came across other occult materials, collected over the years. All the time I was involved with these things, I wanted to know the future or what to do with some aspect of my life.

I realized that night while listening to the radio program, that I had not trusted God with my future and had shown a lack of faith. He has the answers for everything and gives me wisdom if I only listen to Him. Not through mediums and other crazy ways, but His Word, the Bible, godly counsel, and prayer. As I meditate on Scripture today, I find answers to many of my problems or questions in life.

For instance, I started reading the Bible initially because I wanted to know whom to marry. God showed me the description of the character of the man I would want as my husband—kind, patient, not proud—admitting his weaknesses, loving, not rude (as my personality had poorly shown for so many years). These are the qualities you hear about at weddings when pastors read the 1 Corinthians 13 chapter as most do.

What else? Someone that follows the Lord and wants His will for their life. And most of all, I wanted someone I would enjoy spending time with. Did the Bible say that? I don’t think so, but it talks about contentment and our desire for marriage to one person such that you never want to leave each other. Such a commitment is similar to what God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV)

My history of relationships with men focused almost exclusively on the outside. After spending time with someone, you see how the insides of a person matter even more. You don’t want them to leave you or you them. That kind of love is hard to find and is described in Proverbs 31. It is rare and combined with character, virtually impossible without His hand on our lives to control circumstances and events such that we’d ever meet someone remotely like that and who’s interested in me. All the while, He’s working on us and our insides, so we recognize the person and change into the likeness of Him—Jesus.

That night resulted in a desire to want to please Him even more than I ever had. I wanted to obey God and tell others about His greatness and what He had done in my life. After throwing out the items from the basement, I turned the television on and sat down. Kirk Cameron was speaking. I didn’t know at the time that Kirk, the previous star of the sitcom Growing Pains, had turned Christian evangelist. I listened closely as Kirk talked about winning souls for Christ and how to go about doing that. Swinging conversations from the natural to the spiritual and finding out what people believe. I wanted to be like Kirk Cameron, I thought, doing more for God and not for me. That night I realized the call God had on my life—to help transform hearts and souls through the Word of God, one at a time. He truly knows the path we are to take. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV) Knowing this made me choose to want to obey because I know He loves me and knows what’s best for His sheep.

Pam loves to write and inspire others to walk in faith and share the Gospel. She has been a follower of Jesus for over twenty years. She works as a physical therapist, takes care of her sweet ninety-two-year-old mom, and loves going to the gym. A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Pam has taught many Bible studies, been on mission trips, volunteered in pastoral care, and helps with a ministry to children in Zambia.

Pam’s blog is found at https://joyluke157.wordpress.com/