Today, we are asking the question, “Is it sinful for a Christian to visit a psychic?” But I think a good place to start would be to ask ourselves what is a psychic?
A psychic is someone who claims to use powers found in parapsychology. This includes telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis. There is no scientific proof of any of these claims, and most scientific scholars would deny the possibility.
What Is a Psychic?
The word psychic comes from a Greek word psychikos, which means mind or mental, and also the soul. There are many references over the years of psychics but some of those are theatrical playing to the crowd, while some genuinely believe they have these capabilities.
Psychics using parapsychology operate outside of the five senses given to us by God at the time of our creation, those senses being touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.
Each one is given to us specifically so that we can experience God in all that we do. To operate outside of those given senses, we are existing outside of what God permitted us to do.
That sounds a lot like Eve in the Garden of Eden, doesn’t it? We read in Genesis that God sets parameters in which Adman and Eve are allowed to live, and then along comes the devil in the form of a serpent who asks Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
But that wasn’t what God had said at all. After a short conversation and an even shorter time pondering what God really said, Eve goes beyond the boundaries set for her and eats what she wasn’t allowed. The result was that sin entered the world as Eve and Adam gave their rights over the earth to the devil.
With this story in mind, I would find it hard to believe that any time we go outside of the rules, or boundaries God has set in place for us that we would be in right standing with God.
What Does the Bible Say?
There are a few passages of Scripture that specifically state we should not spend time with or seek out a psychic or medium, for example:
Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God (Leviticus 19:31).
If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people (Leviticus 20:6).
There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger (2 Chronicles 33:6).
I could add many more verses, but I think we are building up quite a picture here that God would not agree with us as Christians seeking out or going to a psychic for any reason. In fact, our very attendance in their presence would make God angry.
Are There Psychics in the Bible?
There is one specific Bible story that came to mind as I read this title. It is found in the Book of 1 Samuel. This book of the Bible has three main characters, Samuel, David, and Saul.
It is Saul whom Samuel first anoints to be king. But time and time again, Saul does things that defy God, and he does not always follow God's commands to the letter, often blaming others for his sins.
In 1 Samuel 15, God finally rejects Saul and decides the throne will be handed to another to be king. In chapter 16 of the same book, we see Samuel go to the house of Jesse and anoint David in private to be king after Saul.
If you do not know this full story, it is well worth reading, there are so many twists and turns in the narrative, and at points, it seems David will never be king. But God always has a plan.
Reading most of the Book of 1 Samuel, we see this cat and mouse game played between David and Saul, as Saul intends to kill David.
David spends most of the book in hiding despite having married Saul’s daughter Michal and pays for her dowry in the most peculiar way. On a few occasions it seems David could kill Saul but always refrains from doing so as Saul was God’s anointed.
But finally, in 1 Samuel, we read a story of Saul’s final sin against God, his final defiance, as it were. 1 Samuel 28:4-7 reads:
The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”
So, to set the scene, Saul has been rejected as King by God, a new king has been anointed, but not as yet appointed, and Saul is still operating as king. Samuel has died, and Saul has sought God for an answer to his problem with the Philistines.
But God has remained silent. So instead of waiting on God to answer, Saul does an inconceivable act and requests a medium, despite having sent them all away in the past.
He goes to her in Endor and asks her to bring Samuel before him. No doubt, to Saul’s surprise, that is exactly who appears. But instead of bringing him the comfort that he sought from this meeting, Samuel reminds Saul of the words from the past. Verse 17 onwards reads:
“The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors — to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
I think it is easy reading this passage to see it as justification to see a medium or a psychic, but I actually believe this is one passage that shows the negatives to doing so.
Firstly, we see the woman herself surprised at Samuel showing up, meaning that is not usually what happens.
Secondly, Samuel was not called up by a witch or demonic force, but rather, in his own words, he was called upon because God had turned his back on Saul. I believe that Saul saw Samuel because God ordained it to be so.
God was using this moment to teach Saul, and to remind him that He is in control, it is God’s kingdom and Saul was only reigning at the pleasure of God.
Thirdly, it is clear to me that God would not condone this kind of behavior, 1 Chronicle 10:13 and 14 reads:
“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance and did not inquire of the LORD. So, the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David, son of Jesse.”
What Does This Mean?
It is simple here to see, friend, from just a few verses in the Bible that seeing or seeking out a psychic is not for believers.
If we have a relationship with Jesus, we should not compromise that relationship by going after guidance, knowledge, or information from any other route except for speaking with God the Father ourselves through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Mediums or psychics are not from God, and we should not be acquainting ourselves with them.
If you are reading all of this and would like to know more about God please get in touch with me, Christianity.com, or a local church who would love to introduce you to Jesus.
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