““I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community.” Leviticus 20:6 NLT
I have known quite a few people who were into “New Age” practices, even while they claim to be Christian.
The irony is that those same practices are actually some of the oldest and most evil practices of all time.
Consulting mediums and attempting to contact the souls of the departed (in reality contacting demons in disguise) was practiced right alongside the sacrifice of children to Molech and other pagan “gods”.
God detests such practices.
They lead people away from truth and into lies of the most evil kind.
Yes, it is true that God forgives all sin, even such as these.
But there are probably no other sins that lead people away from God and into death more rapidly than consulting the lies of the devil.
If you are dabbling in “new age” meditation that seeks to contact spirit guides, I challenge you to explore what the Bible says about it and pray for direction in the right way to go.
Have you been into “new age” practices in the past and found your way to faith in Jesus? Please share your story. What other scriptures do you know of that deal with these types of practices?
Reading – 2 Kings 21-25 (sorry it’s so long – I’ll try to fix it next time through).
Highlight Verse:
“So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.” 2 Kings 22:14 NLT
They consulted who?
How did they know her?
Most of the information in chapters 22 and 23 are about Josiah, who sounded like a pretty awesome king.
It’s a safe guess that prophets were rare in the days after Manasseh, who sounded like horrible king.
When Josiah asked this team to inquire of the Lord, they may have seen her as their best source.
And it sounds like she knew the Lord’s heart for the situation. The word she gave was right on target.
This is the point where you ask, “Why should we care about Huldah?”
This is the only time her name occurs in the Bible (not counting the repeat of this same story in Chronicles).
But her prophecy had a big impact on King Josiah’s reign.
It can even be inferred that this prophecy helped make the exile short and the return successful.
All because she was faithful to stay true to the Lord and spoke His Word boldly.
Most of us will never be well known. But that does not mean that we cannot have a big impact.
Like Huldah, we need to stay faithful and true to God’s Word.
When called upon, we need to speak God’s Word boldly without compromise.
There’s no limit to what God can do with His Word through those who are faithful.
Have you been called upon to deliver God’s Word? Were you prepared through faithfulness? Are you prepared now?
“Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” Luke 12:10 NLT
I remember reading this when I was young and wondering What if I made a joke about the Holy Spirit, or disregarded something that the Holy Spirit said? Would that be blasphemy?
If you have ever thought that, let me put your mind at ease. If you had truly blasphemed the Holy Spirit, you would know it.
Basically, it would mean that you had totally and consistently rejected Jesus.
Enduring Word put it as a “settled disposition of life that rejects the testament of the Holy Spirit regarding Jesus.” (Enduringword dot com)
So, yes, if you have completely rejected Jesus, you will not be forgiven.
Some would say that repeated sin is a rejection of Jesus.
I would say that repeated sin can lead to a rejection of salvation as the human psyche will tend to justify that sin to the point where you no longer see the need for forgiveness.
If Jesus asks us to forgive others 70 times 7 times (which represents infinity),
you can be sure that He will extend the same amount of forgiveness to us.
Make no mistake, repeated sin is harmful to the sinner. All sin is harmful. That’s why God calls it sin. He knows the best way for us to live and when we trust Him and follow that way, that is when we live our best life.
When we follow our own ways, we suffer.
When people fall far from the truth, that’s when they tend to reject Jesus.
And that is fatal.
Have you ever come back from the edge of rejecting Jesus? What can you do today to stay far from that point?
““What did they see in your palace?” Isaiah asked. “They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own—all my royal treasuries.”” 2 Kings 20:15 NLT
Hezekiah did what was pleasing to the Lord.
But that doesn’t mean he was perfect.
We can learn both from the good examples he set and the bad.
It is so easy, especially for us men, to fall into the trap of one-upmanship.
I can be as guilty of it as anyone. I love showing off my workshop or the remodeled kitchen.
That’s basically what Hezekiah did.
Granted, the friends I’ve shown aren’t likely to come rob me of all my wealth. They wouldn’t get much if they did.
I’d say it’s fine to show stuff with the intention of helping people make decisions of what they are going to do (for example, the remodeled kitchen) or to work together for good.
The problem is that showing off possessions gives those possessions power over our lives. We begin to work for them instead for the Lord and for family and friends.
Isaiah didn’t fault Hezekiah for having those possessions. He faulted him for showing them off.
It’s not bad for us to have nice things.
But it’s best when we can use those possessions to help others or to bring attention to God instead of our own egos.
How do you tell the difference between showing off and sharing to help others? How do you know when you are getting something that will be helpful or just grow your ego?
“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Proverbs 17:3 NLT
And sometimes the Lord uses fire to test the heart.
The photo today is of last night’s beautiful sunset in North Platte, NE.
Unfortunately, it was beautiful because of major wildfires in Nebraska.
Already over half a million acres have burnt. Fortunately, the fires are in sparsely populated areas, but they are spreading quickly, and winds are expected to be very high today.
When people are faced with disaster, that is when true character comes out.
Some will do whatever it takes to protect themselves and assure their own survival.
Others will protect their loved ones at all costs.
Finally, a third group will help as many people as they can with the resources that they have.
I have not been in a major disaster, but the minor ones have mostly fallen in the second category. I definitely check on my own first.
But when the situation allows, I will turn to help others once my family is taken care of.
Case in point was a music festival years ago on a farm in western New Jersey. The remnants of a hurricane blew through that day, but the show went on (at least for those who braved the elements).
When they finally called it quits halfway through the afternoon, many cars were stuck in the muddy fields.
I joined a group of people pushing cars out of the mud.
When I finally got home, I discovered how completely covered in mud I was.
But I looked back at realized that was one of the best times I have had at a concert.
Now if they could just get some of that rain on the fires in Nebraska!
How do you react in the aftermath of disaster? What have been some of your experiences?
Note: if you are reading this in the middle of March 2026, please pray that the fires in Nebraska and elsewhere are quickly extinguished and that victims experience love in the form of people living out their faith by helping.
“Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!” Ecclesiastes 5:10 NLT
It’s between Friday the 13th and Saint Patrick’s Day – between an unlucky day and a lucky one.
The 11% of Irish blood in me wants to celebrate the luck o’ the Irish.
I could even make a (very weak) case for luck by referring to the Urim and Thummin from the Old Testament.
But the idea of luck ignores the providence of God.
Worse, the Bible warns us against what we usually seek luck for – wealth.
I must confess, I sometimes enter contests for million-dollar homes or nice cars. I’ve even been known to buy the occasional lottery ticket.
Is that wrong?
Maybe.
It certainly isn’t wise.
Sometimes they are drawings that go to support good causes.
But if I want to support those causes, I could just donate and they wouldn’t have to share the proceeds with companies that run the drawings.
Sometimes I try to rationalize it with visions of supporting many ministries with the winnings.
But if I spend too much time dwelling on the possibility of winning, that can be considered idolatry.
To my credit, I don’t spend much time thinking about winning. I often forget to check for winning tickets for weeks or more. The realist in me knows the odds are far against me.
The biggest problem with gambling is that some people get sucked into obsession with winning.
Gambling addiction can be just as strong as drug or alcohol addiction.
While it has not been a temptation for me, I want to set a good example.
So, here’s my challenge of the day, if even one of you messages me or comments with a commitment to not gamble any money (through lotteries, gaming, etc), I will make the same commitment with you for however long you want.
If you have recovered from a gambling addiction, how did you do it? If you are in the midst of such an addiction, will you be brave enough to put it behind you?
““If a man loses his hair and his head becomes bald, he is still ceremonially clean.” Leviticus 13:40 NLT
Dr. Jack Hayford (former president of Foursquare International) once told of a birthday card he got.
On the front it read, “I always picture you standing proud on top of a hill, hair blowing in the wind.” On the inside it continued, “And you, too proud to run after it.”
Did Moses know how funny today’s highlight verse would sound when he wrote it?
I doubt it.
But I bet God knew.
Seriously, this chapter deals with some pretty serious health issues.
It’s good to know that God considers baldness to be normal.
Dr. Howard Hendricks (of Dallas Theological Seminary) always said, “God made some heads perfect, the others he covered with hair.”
Regardless of whether your hair is full and vibrant, or grey and wild (like mine), or, like the two men I quoted, blowing in the wind,
God cares about your health.
With over a million people traveling together with Moses, health was vitally important.
The rules listed in this seemingly irrelevant chapter show the great care that God showed for His people.
He still cares for you and me today.
While the health rules outlined here may not be directly relevant to today’s health issues, the general principles of cleanliness and consulting professionals still apply today.
What parts of the rules outlined in this chapter do you think apply directly to us today? What principles can you see in this chapter that carry over to today?
Walk in the Light 