Clothe yourself in Righteousness!
“TEST THE SPIRITS”
By : Rev. Dan Minor
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I John 4:1
In a world of unbelief, false teachings, deception and out-right lies, how do we know what is true and what is not true?
During His days on earth, Jesus warned His followers about false prophets. A false prophet may be defined as a person who appears to be harmless and righteous on the outside, but are evil on the inside. Jesus said, “Be aware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Using even stronger language, in the end times Jesus said, “False prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect---“(Matthew 24:24).
By the time Apostle John wrote this letter (Between 85 and 90 A.D.), he was up in years and there were not many left who were eye witnesses to Jesus’ ministry on earth. False teachings were infiltrating the church saying Jesus was not who He said He was. Thus, John’s warning to “test the spirits to see whether they are of from God.”
The question is how can we know who to believe? How can we test the spirits to see if they are from God? Here are some suggestions:
· Do they believe Jesus came in the flesh? (I John 4:2).
· Does their message agree with God’s Word? (Proverbs 12:19).
· Is the message consistent with the character of Christ?
· Will these words draw me closer to Christ?
· Do these words have eternal significance? (Luke 21:33).
· Are these words based on human opinion or God’s truth? (John 14:6).
· Will these words draw me closer to Christ?
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to listen to Your voice above every other voice. In Your strong name. Amen.
