I would like to know when I will get married, and will it be with the guy I want to marry?

Sincerely,
Bride-To-Be?

Dear Bride-To-Be,

We are just men here at AYP and not prophets.  We can’t tell you the specifics of your life and future.  However, we can give you some principles for how to look for a spouse.  Read “Set A Date” in our archives for some of the Bible teachings on finding a spouse.

     Is it okay for a Christian to participate in a yoga exercise class or even see or become an acupuncturist?

Sincerely,
Ouch!

Dear Ouch,

It all depends on how you do it.  Yoga, tai-chi, and some forms of holistic medicine can have a religious element to them, but they don’t have to.  If a Christian takes yoga purely for the exercise, they are just fine (1 Tim 4:8), but if a Christian begins delving into the spiritual elements such as karma, Hinduism, etc. – that is wrong.  There is only room for one God and one guide in our lives (2 Cor 6:16).

     I love animals, and spirit guides have always intrigued me.  A spirit guide is an animal specific to you that can answer or lead you.  I am a strongly devoted Christian, and I understand the value of praying and asking God for guidance, and I do not feel that I would be worshipping a spirit guide in any way.  By obtaining a spirit guide, is it wrong?  Animals are all God's creation anyway.  If I am wrong, could you direct me to where in the Bible it states this, so I can right my wrong thinking?  Thanks and God bless!

Sincerely,
I Love Animals

Dear I Love Animals,

A “spirit guide” would be considered idolatry.  God should be the only guide for our souls (Jhn 14:6).  By definition, a spirit guide is a guide for your spirit.  Spirit guides are a Native American tradition and a definite form of idolatry.  Rom 1:23 warns against giving animals the glory that belongs only to God.  The Bible is the guide for our lives, and it contains all the instruction that we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).  God designed the Bible to lead our spirits and discern our character (Heb 4:12).

    How do I defeat a demon in battle… as in real combat?

Sincerely,
This Means War

Dear This Means War,

The way that Christians combat the devil and his demons is by godly living and sharing God’s Word with others.  Demons are spiritual creatures that live in the spiritual realm (Lk 11:24), and you can’t fight them in hand-to-hand combat.  However, we are told that if we put on the armor of God, we can fight the spiritual battles that the church needs to fight (Eph 6:11-12).  The armor of God is described as righteousness, truth, preparation of the gospel, faith, salvation, the Bible, and prayer (Eph 6:13-18).  We fight the devil when we live godly lives that make an impact in the world around us.

What scripture shows that God laughs or has a sense of humor?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Funny Bone

Dear Funny Bone,

God definitely has a sense of humor, but just as a child often struggles to see his parents’ funny bone because they are busy raising the child, we often miss God’s sense of humor because we are His children and the works of His hands (1 Jn 3:1).  One of the simplest proofs of God’s ability to find humor is that we are made in His image (Gen 1:27), and we are able to laugh.  Since man has a sense of humor, God must have one also.

Ps 59:8 talks about God laughing at those who think they can outwit Him, and Ps 2:4 says the same.  There are other things that point to God’s sense of humor.  When we look at the animals and created world, we see the invisible attributes of God (Rom 1:20).  God made the platypus – that animal is downright hilarious-looking!

Lastly, there are other anecdotes in the Bible that show God’s sense of humor: the way He destroys the false god, Dagon, in 1 Sam 5:1-5 or how the false exorcists were put to flight in Acts 19:13-16.