When Spiritual Curiosity Replaces Biblical Faith

“Make a wish—it’s 11:11.”

What once was a lighthearted superstition has become something deeper for a generation immersed in angel numbers, astrology memes, and so-called “Christian manifestation.” This spiritual curiosity, though often well-intentioned, reveals a larger crisis: many believers are unknowingly blending biblical Christianity with New Age mysticism, and calling it growth.

It’s not a fringe issue. According to data derived from Pew Research, over 60% of American adults now hold at least one New Age belief. That number includes 61% of professing Christians—those who claim to follow Jesus but are also consulting the stars, seeking signs from numbers, and trying to “manifest” their desires through focused thought.

At first glance, these practices may seem harmless or even inspiring. But according to Pastor Mike Signorelli, founder of V1 Church in New York, they’re not just misguided they’re dangerous.

Power Without Surrender

“A lot of people don’t realize they’ve combined two entirely different faith systems,” Signorelli warns. “They say they’re following Jesus, but they’re also following algorithms that promise power without surrender.”

That’s the seductive promise of manifestation: you don’t need to submit to God’s will. You just need to speak, believe, and expect and the universe will deliver. It’s self-worship masked as self-help.

“Manifesting isn’t harmless,” Signorelli says. “It’s demonic. The lie is that if you think it, say it, or focus hard enough, the universe owes you your desires.”

Angel numbers work the same way. Whether it’s 111, 222, or 444, social media is flooded with posts claiming these digits are divine affirmations. But as Signorelli explains, it’s not God’s voice believers are tuning into it’s a counterfeit. “When you start trusting signs instead of the Spirit, you’ve already stepped outside of biblical faith.”

The Rise of a "Vibe-Based" Theology

This surge in spiritual DIY isn’t random it’s cultural. Today’s younger generations are often more open to spirituality than organized religion. On TikTok alone, #manifestation has racked up billions of views. And in a strange twist, many creators now blend Bible verses with Law of Attraction language, creating a hybrid theology rooted in emotion more than truth.

God becomes a cosmic assistant. The Bible becomes a motivational quote book. Faith becomes a tool for achieving your dreams rather than surrendering your life.

But behind it all is a hunger—a desperate desire to connect with the supernatural.

“People aren’t trying to rebel,” Signorelli says. “They’re trying to connect. They want to feel that God is active in their world.” The problem, he says, is that when the Church fails to teach believers how to discern the true Holy Spirit, “TikTok will gladly take over that role.”

Discernment, Not Disdain

The Church’s response cannot be mockery or dismissal. People chasing angel numbers or manifestation aren’t usually rebelling they’re reaching. They’re longing for transcendence, for purpose, for power. And they’re being told that the universe can provide it, no repentance or surrender required.

“We don’t win people by mocking their search,” Signorelli says. “We win them by showing them the real presence of the Holy Spirit the power that doesn’t manipulate but transforms.”

Real spiritual power has never been about control. It’s about communion.

That’s why practices like prayer, fasting, Scripture reading, and listening for the Spirit have such supernatural weight. Christianity doesn’t need mysticism to be mysterious. It already offers the profound mystery of Christ in us the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

You Can’t Manifest the Will of God

Signorelli speaks with authority not just from theology but from experience. In his pastoral counseling, he’s met countless people who were drawn into New Age thinking because they wanted more more clarity, more confidence, more control.

“I was doing everything the internet said to do to attract blessings, but I still felt empty,” one said.

That’s the dead-end of manifestation theology. You can’t speak a new reality into existence just because you want it. You can’t manifest the will of God. You can only surrender to it.

And surrender is the opposite of control. It’s the posture of humility, not the strategy of a spiritual entrepreneur.

The Church Must Be Supernaturally Natural

There is good news. People are searching. They are open. They are hungry for truth. And that’s the Church’s opportunity not to shame their curiosity, but to redirect it toward Christ.

“When the Church becomes naturally supernatural,” Signorelli says, “people stop chasing counterfeits.”

This means more than good sermons. It means spaces where people experience the Holy Spirit in real, biblical ways healing, conviction, deliverance, transformation. It means equipping believers to recognize the difference between divine presence and emotional hype. It means calling out the lie of self-powered spirituality and pointing people to the One who laid down His power to save us.

God Already Spoke

At its core, this movement is about hunger. When people look at angel numbers or viral affirmations, what they’re really asking is. Is anyone out there? Does anyone see me?

The Christian answer is not a vague universe or cryptic number sequence. It is a Savior who came in flesh, who speaks through His Word, and who indwells His people with His Spirit.

So the next time you see 11:11 flash across your screen, maybe it’s not the universe trying to send you a message. Maybe it’s a reminder that the God who created time doesn’t speak in riddles. He speaks through Jesus. And that’s more than enough.

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