I'm always fascinated by the predictions that astrologers and fortunetellers make at the beginning of each year, and I always read them avidly. Don't you think we ought to pay more attention to these predictions so we'll have a happier life? — Mrs. S.S.

A few days ago, I read a story that surveyed the predictions a number of well-known astrologers and fortunetellers had made at the beginning of this last year (2007). The results? Most never came true, or else were so vague they had little meaning.

This is one reason why I urge you not to pay attention to such speculations or plan your life around them (as some people unfortunately do). Most of these so-called "prophecies" come only from human ideas about the future (or may even be based on trickery or fraud). Some, however, may come from people who look to occult or demonic forces to discover the future, and the Bible strongly warns us against this. Such forces are opposed to God, which is why the Bible calls such things "detestable practices" (Deuteronomy 18:12).

Instead, I urge you to trust God for the future. Nothing takes Him by surprise; He knows the future, and He can be trusted to guide us and help us, whatever the future holds for us. Furthermore, He loves us, and even when our way seems dark, He will never abandon those whose trust is in Christ.

Don't be misled, and don't put your faith in things that cannot help or save you. Instead, turn to Christ and by faith open your heart and life to Him.