We've all been hurt. We all have scars. And through a relationship with Jesus Christ,
we can all overcome and we can all be healed. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton.
Welcome back to the sanctuary everyone. You know, from an early age, everyone is introduced
to the concept of luck and fortune. I go to work and at least once a week, someone is
reading fortunes from the newspaper. It's a common question as well. I've had people
ask me, you know, what my thoughts are on this kind of stuff. And when they're looking
in the Bible and it says it's a sin, it actually comes up a lot more often than you would think.
You know, things like four leaf clovers, rabbit's feet, pennies that are facing upwards, certain
numbers, eating certain things that coincide with birthdays or holidays, you know, and
then other things like broken mirrors, walking on your ladders, black cats, spilling the
salt, you know, things happening in threes. In the Marine Corps, I was introduced to the
superstition that you don't eat the charms candy in your MREs or some great calamity
would happen not only to you, but to your unit. And boy, if you got caught challenging
that and sticking one of those in your mouth, you better believe something bad was going
to happen to you regardless if you were seen. And yet, there are other examples that I really
need to point out that are daily occurrences as well here as we get started today. You
know, reading horoscopes, tarot readings, gems, oils, the burning of incense, you know,
looking at people's auras. Let me make it clear right here, right now. All of these
things, karma, praying to the universe, good vibes, sending energy, mother nature, good
luck, so on and so forth, are not biblical. They are not of God. They are not of God's
nature and they are not to be messed with by the church, period. The Bible tells us.
Turn with me to Deuteronomy 18 verses 9 through 13 for those of you who follow along in your
Bible. The Bible says, When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not
learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you
who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery,
interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist
or who consults with the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.
Because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations
before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Wow, that's a lot there.
Now to start with, human sacrifice, including that of children and other occult practices
are strictly prohibited by God. These are the things that were common among pagans who
didn't know God and worshipped ancient religions and false gods such as Molech. You see, it
was an important part of their religion to appease their very angry God or gods. They
believed that this was the ultimate sacrifice to appease them by sacrificing their children.
We can see more on this in Leviticus chapter 20 verses 2 through 5 where the Bible tells
us that if anyone who lived in Israel made one of these sacrifices, they were to be put
to death. It's not just the Israelites, anyone in Israel. They didn't go to jail, they didn't
pass go, they didn't collect $200, they met death. God has no tolerance for these things.
Other neighboring religions used other supernatural means as well, like trying to contact the
spirit world for guidance and to foresee the future, trying to read bones and all that
kind of stuff. These practices are so against God that God would drive these pagan nations
out and send the Israelites in to introduce proper worship of the one true God instead.
It's pretty big right there. It's the modern day equivalent of, hey, we're sitting in the
Marines, something's wrong and we've got to get these fixed. Now of course, doing this,
the Israelites, like any one of us, they were curious about the land that they were going
into. We're curious about just going to a new place in town, so who can blame them?
It's like, hey, have you checked out that new restaurant or whatever? Curiosity is there,
it's human nature. Of course, part of the curiosity that they had included questions
about the occult practices of the Canaanite religions and make no mistakes. All of these
things are exactly that and Satan is behind these practices. God flat out forbid having
anything to do with this stuff. Today people are still hooked in the horoscopes, witchcraft,
fortune telling and the like. We have countless stories and shows about them, books, you could
fill libraries just about this subject alone. And let me tell you, Satan is just as dangerous
today as he was back then. When we have the Holy Spirit guiding us, we don't need to even
consider the temptations Satan puts in front of us. Deuteronomy chapter 12, looking at
verses 29 through 31, so Deuteronomy chapter 12, 29 through 31, the Bible says, the Lord
your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But
when you have driven them out and settled in their land and after they have been destroyed
before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, how
do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same. You must not worship the Lord
your God in their way because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable
things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices
to their gods. So in other words, this is not one of those when in Rome situations.
It's okay to be curious, again that's human nature, however this is one of those times
when we're all like children. The father has said, no, don't touch it, leave it alone.
Yet people are still gravitating to it like kids looking at that candy in the store. It's
such a big deal that God, he didn't even want the Israelites to ask about the pagan
religions. That's how much idolatry was there. When it comes to idolatry, it is so easy to
get pulled into even the things that seem to be harmless. We see a lot of that today
still don't we? Those little white lies, those victimless crimes, we do them once and the
next thing we know we're doing them over and over and they become a habit. Heck, just look
at how people drive. People know what the speed limit is, people know how to signal
and to use their headlights, yet none of us can take a trip down the road without seeing
at least one person out there just doing their own thing, ignoring all of it. And here's
God saying, don't do it. You better don't. You see, much like the Israelites, we're just
curious. We're curious too. However, that same curiosity can trip us up. When it comes
to these practices, we need to be obedient. We need to resist that curiosity. As hard
as it is, that's what we need to do. Now, if we turn over to Leviticus chapter 19 verse
31, the Bible says, do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists for you will be defiled
by them. I am the Lord your God. Before I even go into this, just the word defiled,
it means stained. Stained. You're going to be hurt by them in some way. Terror reading,
palm reading, et cetera, all of that stuff, it is all nonsense. They're not talking to
a guardian angel or a lost relative or any of that kind of stuff. What they're doing
is they're keying in the things that you say or using certain guiding questions to get
you to fill in those gaps so that you think that they're giving you the answers that you
want. And if they are speaking to anyone, it's not an angel and it's not God. Straight
up, it is a demon. It is a demonic entity, plain and simple. Miss Cleo and Otome Brown
can't help you. Move along. If we go back just a little further, Leviticus chapter 18,
Leviticus chapter 18 verse 24, the Bible says, do not defile yourselves in any of these ways
because this is how the nations that I'm going to drive out before you became defiled. See,
God's telling us, don't even risk it. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. These nations
became plagues unto themselves. They were their own downfall, their own undoing. They
had so much evil within them that God said, you know what, enough is enough and it is
time for a change. We've all heard, if you play with fire, you're going to get burned.
And if you play with this fire, that fire that you're playing with, you risk burning
in hell for eternity. It's that dangerous whether we realize it or not. Mark chapter
8 verse 37, the Bible says, or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? You see,
Satan uses these things to get that foot into the door of your heart. And by using them,
you're allowing the enemy entry. You might as well open the door and have a neon light
that says, come on in, make yourself comfortable. It's just like those vampire movies. They
can't come into your home unless you give them permission. Yet once you do, boy, are
you in trouble. You see, to the enemy, it is a game. And it is a game that they're setting
up in their own favor. It's like a casino. That's why you see things like Ouija boards
and eight balls and the like, they're all sold as kids games. That's where you find
them, in the game section. And where is that? Usually in the kids section or right next
to it with the toys and stuff. So while they seem harmless, you're gambling with your soul.
Join me now in Deuteronomy chapter 9. Deuteronomy chapter 9 verse 4, the Bible says, after the
Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, the Lord has brought
me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness. No. No. It is on account
of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.
The Lord is the one who's doing it. This is a warning. And it actually calls back just
a little bit further to Deuteronomy 8 because in Deuteronomy 8 verses 17 and 18, the Bible
says, you may say to yourself, my power and the strength in my hands have produced this
wealth for me, but remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability
to produce wealth. And so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors as it is
today. We get caught up like children. I just said it a little bit ago. We get caught up
like children. We start running at full speed and soon we get confident to the point of
arrogance. Instead of remembering that it was the Lord, that it was the father who carried
us through, we start thinking that it was our own merits that got us so far. So when
we had these temptations in front of us, we start thinking, hey, you know what? I got
this. I'm the one in control. It's not going to be a problem. And it becomes an addiction
just like alcohol, drugs, or anything else that the enemy puts out there. We start to
dabble and before long we lose control and we're sucked in. And ultimately, like any
addict, we will end up forfeiting our own lives if we don't turn to the father and ask
for help and actually follow his guidance. The best way to keep from getting to that
point, the absolute best way is just to follow his guidance from the start. And it's right
here in the Bible. It's right here. Proverbs chapter 22 verse 6. So again, Proverbs 22
verse 6, the Bible says, start your children off on the way they should go and even when
they are old, they will not turn from it. You see, parents want to be able to control
every aspect of their children's lives. We do. We want to protect them. We don't want
them to get hurt. Yet children need to have that freedom to learn and that freedom to
choose. After all, we're not always going to be here so they have to learn. Otherwise,
they won't learn and in the long run they're going to be hurt because of it. You know,
those people who are sheltered and you know, those parents that just keep them in and they
can try to control what they're watching, it will backfire. It will backfire. Whether
it's at their friends or wherever. So what we need to do is to teach. Instead of trying
to control everything, parents teach the children and they teach them how to go about evaluating
things and how to make that right choice. And that, that is what God is doing with us.
He's given us the information and he's watching to see if we make the right choice. You know,
like any parent, he knows we're going to have missteps. We're going to stumble and we're
going to fall. And he's waiting to see us learn and do the right thing. It's just like
a toddler learning to walk. You get up, crawl, fall down, get back up, repeat until finally
you're walking, right? You're moving forward. You see, God has told us to leave these tools
of Satan alone. But it's on us to gather the information, actually recognize them and to
make that choice. See, we need to look up to the Father and trust him instead of looking
down to the pit of fire. Isaiah chapter 65. So in Isaiah 65 verses 11 through 16, the
Bible says, but as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread
a table for fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for destiny, I will destine you for the
sword. And all of you will fall in the slaughter. For I called, but you did not answer. I spoke,
but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me. Therefore,
this is what the sovereign Lord says. My servants will eat, but you will go hungry. My servants
will drink, but you will go thirsty. My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish
of heart and wail and brokenness of spirit. You will leave your name for my chosen ones
to use in their curses. The sovereign Lord will put you to death, but his servants, he
will give another name. Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one
true God. Whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God, for the past
troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.
Wow. You know, today, just like back then, people are indeed worshipping the same gods.
They may go by different names, but they are the same gods, fortune and destiny. Or depending
on the translation of your Bible, it may be read as Gad and Nina. They believe that their
lives and their futures are controlled by some mystical force that they could somehow
tap into. Their morals can often be questionable because they don't really believe that having
them matters. They're in denial that we have a God who cares and loves everyone, who wants
to help us and deeply wants to have a relationship with each of us. The Bible is clearly showing
that there are two types of people here, especially in verses 13-16. On one hand, you have those
who trust and follow God. On the other hand, those who don't and instead follow after
idols. So what happens when you give a foothold to Satan and start worshipping idols? Well,
turn with me to the end of your Bible. Let's turn straight to Revelation. Revelation chapter
21 verse 8. So in Revelation 21 verse 8, the Bible says, but the cowardly, the unbelieving,
the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters
and all liars, they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the
second death. Right here, God is telling us one more time that we cannot abandon Christ.
Just the term cowardly is being used here to define those who would seek the temporary
safety here on earth of not standing up for what God has told us. Those who bend to the
ways of the world, those people pleasers with no backbone, no intentional fortitude. See,
they're so afraid that they're going to offend somebody by saying something is wrong here,
that this should not be done. They'll read or ask for their fortune and they'll go along
with the stuff that other people are doing. The palm reading, the horror readings, the
play with the magic eight ball and so on and so forth. You know, all these things that
I mentioned and then some. And guess what? It says right here, right here, they are grouped
in with all these others who have turned from God. And His word tells us they will be condemned
to the second death. That permanent separation from God that comes with the condemnation
to hell. The first death is when we pass away here on earth and we go before Jesus for the
judgment. The second death is when we get to that judgment and if we haven't chosen
Jesus and we're not Christians, we're not doing the right thing, we've turned from God.
The second death is when we're permanently separated. See, God has given us all the choice.
Isaiah chapter two verse six. Isaiah chapter two verse six, the Bible says, you Lord have
abandoned your people the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the east.
They practice denomination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs. As much as it hurts
Him, He will let us walk away. We have the choice. See, and while the scripture here
reads as though He abandons us, it's actually the other way around. You see, when we choose
to turn and to walk away, He lets us. As painful as it is for Him, He lets us. And much like
any father, matter of fact, just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son,
He waits for us to turn around and come back. You know, that little moment where we have
a little clarity is like, oh, dude, I messed up. I need to go back. See, we need to choose
Him. So He waits for us to turn around. He waits for us to go back to Him and to choose
Him. And there's no doubt about it. We are all prodigals at some point in our life. We
are all prodigals. And just like the prodigal son, we can all return to the Father. We can
all return to the Father. We know we can repent and we can return to the Father because the
Bible tells us so. In Luke chapter 15, verse 10, the Bible says, in the same way I tell
you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
We're all precious to Him. We are all of value to Him. Jesus is waiting for us to choose
Him, to look only to Him. A child's pain hurts the parents. Our pain hurts Him too. Need
proof? You want proof? I'll give it to you. The shortest verse in the Bible is about His
pain. Lazarus was dead. His family was in mourning. And what did Jesus do? John chapter
11, verse 35, the Bible says, Jesus wept. He knew Lazarus was coming back, but the pain
of His children hurt just the same. So when we repent and we surrender ourselves to Him,
it's a great thing. Even He rejoices. Angels rejoice. Right there in Luke, it says when
we repent and we turn to Him, there's a party in heaven. There's a party because of you,
because of me, for all of us who turn to God. You know, it's just like these videos that
we see on social media when a service member has been away for a long time and they come
home and they surprise their family and they sneak up behind them. It brings their family's
great joy. It's just like that, only bigger. So don't get caught up in what the world calls
chance. Chance is for the lost. The Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus played a game
of chance to divide His clothing. With God there, there is no chance. In hell, there's
no chance. Hence the term, no chance in hell. Everything has a divine purpose. Psalm chapter
90, verse 17, the Bible says, may the favor of the Lord our God rest on us. Establish
the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands. There's no such thing
as luck. The very word luck, it implies that God is not in control. He is. He absolutely
is. Furthermore, we don't need luck when we have God. God favors His children. We have
God's favor. While we have questions, some of those questions are better saved for when
we're in His presence. So until then, we must stay focused on His word and be obedient to
it. And while we do that, we have the opportunity to turn the table on Satan and his idols.
Instead of wishing someone luck, instead pray for them in God's favor in their endeavors.
God is all we need. Thank you for tuning in to Healing Scars with
Pastor Burton. If you would like to know more about our ministry or how you can support
us, you can find us on Facebook at Be The Light Sanctuary or you can go to our website
at BeTheLightSanctuary.org. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll catch you next time.
God bless.