Many people, including Christians, mistakenly assume that looking at their horoscope is harmless, and that reading predictions is all done in harmless fun.
However, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham is telling people to be careful in where they put their trust.
"God did make the stars (as well as everything else in the universe), but He intended them to be a witness to His power and glory, not as a means to guide us or foretell the future," he writes in his advice column for The Kansas City Star.
Graham says the Bible explicitly commands Christians not to look at the stars for guidance, as tempting as it might be. Back in the old days, people would try to discern the future not just through astrology, but also through omens, magic, sorcery, idol worship, communion with the dead, and many other ways.
"But God told His people not to take part in these (see Deuteronomy 18:9-13)," says Graham. "Why was this? One reason was because such things not only are unreliable or deceptive, but they can easily bring someone under the control of occult spiritual powers that are hostile to God."
He shared the story of Saul, the first king of Israel, who attempted to consult the spirit of a dead person about the future instead of God. Things did not turn out well for Saul when he did so, and it sadly led to his suicide. Saul chose to kill himself instead of being captured by the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, and David took over his throne.
Graham hopes people would not follow Saul's lead and simply trust God with the future. "God loves us, and we know this because he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, into the world to give His life for our salvation. Even when the future is unclear, He can be trusted to guide us," assures Graham.
