A Psychic Encounter

Recently, I had my first encounter with a Psychic who called my office. A very scheming man, he spent about 5 minutes talking/joking with me on the phone before he got to the point of the phone call—to ask about our walk-on-your-website advertising services. He said he called once and talked to my boss. When I asked him his name he led me to his website.

Catching me slightly off guard as I was discerning his website he said, “You’re a very bubbly person…. And you’re a writer, are you not? … Yes you’re very bubbly, but the problem is you’ve got a million other things going on right now….” When I realized what was happening I stopped him immediately and boldly said “Your website says you are a Psychic and a Spiritual Counselor. Which one are you?”

His response was neither. He avoided answering my question and in a very round about way tried to persuade me into believing he could help ME. He began describing what he does and I stopped him again asking, “If someone were to ask you what your title is, what would you say?” He stuttered and then said he was in the business of helping people by revealing spiritual insight to them. After telling me I was a very bright woman, and sensing I was disapproving of his “service”, as he later told me, he preceded to explain to me why people question his service and defended his practice. Doing my best to refrain confronting him with all the questions I REALLY wanted ask (knowing my boss is very much an “equal opportunity employer” and wouldn’t want me turning him away from business) I told him I was a Christian.

He immediately started talking about his meetings with Muslims and other religions saying that their thoughts are wrong because of their intense desire to kill those who oppose of them, while tagging the name of God on the end of his sentences. He then said he has read the Bible countless times, while at the same time saying he was a Wiccan in his former life (I have studied Wiccan practices and nearly became one myself when I was in 7th grade). I stopped him at that point and said, “Are you still a Wiccan?” He immediately defended himself and said he is not a Wiccan, but that he believes he was in his former life. He then tried to use his services on me again and I authoritatively told him to stop and put him on hold.

I’m not an idiot-- I knew what the enemy was doing and how this man was being used. His Simon the Sorcerer spirit was fluffing up his credibility by catering it to my beliefs. The man uses the word “spirit” casually. That is, not our Holy Spirit-- the Spirit of God-- but just the “spirit” that is somehow universal and animistic in nature.

So this guy can read people. How does that help them? Maybe it affirms who they are, what they do and gives them temporary answers to temporary problems and questions, but besides creating a superficial wow factor it doesn’t edify, exhort or comfort them or the church like the Bible says prophecy does, nor does it hold any eternal value. And if it doesn’t edify, exhort or comfort people or the church and hold any eternal value, it serves no true purpose. It is just another sad, false form of edification for the Christless. The demonic sources of Psychics mask their ways to appear as if they are of God, all to stir others from hope and freedom in Christ. But essentially, it says of the Psychic “Look at me! Look at me! I have the answers you need!” (while charging a nominal fee for it). Their services are structured in pride, the very sin that caused Lucifer to loose his position as an angel and get cast out of heaven. Personally, I believe Psychic services are a very pathetic yet illusory attempt of the devil to reveal himself to humanity and maintain foothold of his followers. God the Father speaks to His children cost-free; the price was already paid at Golgotha. Jesus is our mediator, not man. The Shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know the Shepherd’s voice.

My boss walked in as soon as I put this man on hold and my boss couldn’t talk with him. I picked up the phone to get the man’s number and he immediately sounded defeated, as if he had lost his first “case” in 40 years. He said, “I am very sorry if I offended you. But you are very different. I have not faced anyone like you in a very long time. I get very hurt by people like you, and feel rejected. When I was talking to you, you just shut down and that scared me. I did not know what to do”. Knowing what was happening, I told him he didn’t offend me because I don’t offend easily but that I was processing his practices.

He never gave me his number. He said he would call back at another time. I pray that man receives Christ, but I had to laugh at the devil. “I sure hope you didn’t think I would be deceived by this man and use my gift for the kingdom of darkness, ‘cause if you did you CRAZY!” (For years my sister and I were bound by the occultic, and before we both received Christ—at different times--we almost became Mormans. Because we were bound for so many years the enemy tries to use deception intensely in our lives to get us to renounce Christ and serve him again. The only good that came from flirting with satan the few years that I did is that as a Christian I can now easily detect his tactics in my life) But what was happening, and what a powerful revelation it was at the time, was that the very Truth Himself, the CHRIST, who lives in me, caused the demons in him to shudder. The power of God at work within me had the final say—He rendered this Simon spirit powerless to the point it received and verbally admitted it was powerless against the Christ. I literately felt and heard the power of Christ overcome in the conversation.

I would say Psychics do operate with power—power given to them by the devil. But the power of the evil one doesn’t hold ultimate authority in this world. It was defeated at the Cross for all humanity. The victory is now ours in Christ Jesus. The enemy is limited in what he can do. But what makes Psychics especially deceptive to the human race is that often times they are strangely accurate in their readings. Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8) astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great. His services were incredibly deceptive because he had a long history of this psychic power. The Samarians actually thought he was the power of God Almighty… yet Simon didn’t even know the Lord!

So what makes psychics (mouthpieces of Satan) different from prophets (mouthpieces of God)? Especially when both acknowledge the name of God? If you believe in right and wrong you believe in good and evil. You either serve God-- the omniscient, omnipotent Creator of Heaven and Earth and Potter of YOU, or you serve Satan--the killer, thief, destroyer and accuser of the world.

Psychics serve the devil; Prophets serve the living God. Psychics serve multiple masters; Prophets serve One. Psychics are rooted in pride and money; True prophets are grounded in love-driven obedience. Psychics deliver deception; Prophets deliver Truth. Like Simon, Psychics are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity; Prophets are seasoned with insight and have victory from the price paid at Calvary. Psychics promote themselves; Prophets promote the Word of the Lord. Psychics want the fame; Prophets give God the glory. Psychics seek a response, Prophets do not. Psychics see the obvious; Prophets see beyond the surface and have creative imagination. The voice of the Psychic is manipulative, spooky and temporary; the voice of the Prophet is true, powerful and eternal. Psychics lead people back to themselves; prophets lead people back to the Father.

Friends, the Simon spirit is TOXIC because it poisons the receiving mind with ungodly information. Its purpose is to intentionally steer people away from the Ultimate Answer, which is communion with God the Father in Jesus Christ. My prayer is that we would have the discernment to recognize truth and lie, supernatural and demonic, eternal and temporary. May we avoid swimming in a boatload of trusting in man, instead of God, and invest our time and resources in the Word and Kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of darkness.