Bible Study - Testing the Spirits: Do You Actually Know WHOM You Are Listening To?
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
Have you ever heard someone say, "God told me..."?
It sounds spiritual enough. It SOUNDS right and even "religious". But beloved, we must be careful of that claim. The Bible tells us to do something first: test it.
Why? Because not every voice is God's voice.
1 John 4:1 says, Believe not every spirit, but TRY THE SPIRITS, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Have you ever noticed how many times you go to read your Bible and all of a sudden you're sleepy and can barely keep your eyes open? Ever wonder why?
That's not always coincidence. That's Satan trying to get your mind off the Word, so you won't read, study it, or most of all, learn how to have Jesus and eternal life in heaven. He doesn't want you in the Word, because that's where you learn to test the spirits, plus learn of God's Mercy and Grace.
Satan is the Great Deceiver and the Father of All Lies. John 8:44
He's more subtle than most people think, when it comes to getting us to sin. The Bible says he doesn't show up as a red demon with horns. In fact, before Lucifer fell from his place in heaven, he was called an angel of Light. He was one of the most beautiful angels in heaven, but he got prideful about it, and wanted to take over the whole Kingdom from Christ, and that's when he got thrown out of heaven. That's pride and that's sin, and there is no sin in heaven, or it couldn't be called heaven.
2 Corinthians 11:14 says, And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Sometimes Satan whispers in our ear and makes us think it's God talking to our heart.
Sometimes he uses a book, a movie, a song, a memory, ANYTHING, to influence us so we'll get our minds off Jesus and off track in our daily lives. Sometimes it isn't JUST Satan. It can be his demonic fallen angels speaking lies to us, as well. That's how he fools us.... by making sin look so good and innocently enticing/attractive. But what he won't tell you, is that spiritually speaking, we shall always reap what we sow. "You shall KNOW THEM by their fruits!" Whether they show GOOD fruits or BAD fruits of the Spirit.
There's no such thing as dabbing "just a little bit" in sin.
If you want to dab a little in sin, you best be prepared for the larger consequences of your own choices. Satan didn't force you to sin. That was your choice, not His. He simply planted the seed, like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden! However, you decided to carry it through, with deliberation.
As followers of Christ, we don't dabble in the paranormal. Not because we're afraid, but because it has no place in our lives, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior.
Philippians 4:8 says, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
When we entertain things of the devil, we are actually inviting his spirit into our hearts and lives, instead of Jesus. That's when everything changes for the worst, and we don't get the outcome we wanted in our lives.
Your enemy, the devil, won't dare tell you the larger consequences: He won't tell you that sin will grieve your spirit, destroys more lives than our own, and plummets your peace, joy, and fellowship in the Lord, to the lowest level, even hoping you'll commit suicide from guilt, so as to keep you seperated from God, or for doing anything for him. Satan would love to have you as his own, BEFORE you repent! But I'm here to tell you that there's hope in Jesus. He will give you a brand new beginning in life and remember your sins no more, as you repent. That's the miracle he can work in your life and wants to, if you will allow him to.
Don't listen to the devil when he tells you Christ came to condemn you: No...it's only sin and Satan that condemns us, yet we can repent and be cleansed of unrighteousness. All Jesus wants to do, is SAVE US from the condemnation that Satan and sin placed on us. Jesus' saving grace and power of His cleansing blood, covers all our sins and He remembers them no more! When the Bible says God "forgets" our sins, it means He chooses not to hold them against us or bring them up later for condemnation. John 3:17.
We don't set out to go looking for Satan and trouble. He comes looking for us!!
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (prey upon)." 1 Peter, 5:8.
Satan won't tell you that you'll need to repent, when you sin.
It's important that we take responsibility for our bad choice(s), so as to be brought back into FELLOWSHIP with the Lord. Just like when you have a fight with someone, you MOMENTARILY DISRUPT that wonderful fellowship. Same way when you SIN, that interrupts your fellowship with God, until you repent and are brought back into fellowship once again. The sooner we come back to Jesus, the sooner we regain our joy and peace in him. He lovingly waits for us to come back, so he can forgive us and we can enjoy our fellowship with him again. That's a Father's heart!
We don't go looking for the enemy, except to know how to resist him.
James 4:7 - Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We learn about Satan, so we can resist and stand firm in prayer and truth. Rightly deviding the Word of God. We wait to hear from the Holy Spirit to teach us what we need to know. That's his role, amongst other things. He brings our hearts the good news of Salvation, forgiveness, and redemption through Jesus Christ.
So how do we test the spirits?
1. Does it line up with Scripture? God will never contradict His Word.
2. Does it point to Jesus? John 16:13 He shall glorify me.
3. Does it bring peace, not confusion? 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion.
Beloved, guard your heart. Guard your mind. Guard what you watch, read, and listen to, because we are followers of Christ. Our eyes are on Him, not the things in this world that lead us to evil. Our ears are tuned to Him. And any voice that doesn't sound like Jesus, we don't and won't, want to entertain.
These discoveries makes us stop in your tracks, and they should. Jesus wants us to think and pray, before we ever decide to act on anything. We are to avoid even the appearance of evil, and evil itself... Because the truth is, we ARE listening to voices all day. Whether we like it or not, and all these influences....TV, demonic music suggesting we just need to kill ourselves because there's no hope, and that's a devil's lie my friend! Social media, our own thoughts, other people... and yes, the enemy and his demons, try to keep us from Jesus is rescue and Redemptive Grace .
Most just think "that was my idea" or "I just felt like it."
They don't stop to ask WHO put that thought there. Satan tries to scatter our thoughts, because he knows the gospel of Christ will set people free. Jesus Set Me Free on July 21st, 1973 and I'll never forget it. I'm very thankful for that, and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't walk...I'd run to Him again. Not out of fear, but certainly out of love for what He did for me on the cross. I do not want to give Him less.
He paid a day He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay...
I needed someone to wash my sins away!
And now I sing a happy song...
Amazing Grace the whole day long,
Christ Jesus Paid the debt
That I could never pay!
Praise God! And thank you, Jesus.
1 John 4:1 is so important. God isn't trying to scare us. He's trying to protect us. Like a good Father saying "hey, check who you're letting talk to you." BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU - and He proved it on the cross!
We don't live in FEAR! We live in DISCERNMENT.
We test it. We line it up with Jesus. And then we walk in peace and joy. The precise two-word combination "fear not" appears about 71 times in major translations like the King James Version (KJV). That tells you how important it is to just trust God and not allow fear from Satan to into our hearts and lives.
There's a very good test to see whether or not we're listening to the voice of Jesus, and not Satan.
How many times does the Bible tell us to FEAR NOT!!?
There IS NO FEAR in PERFECT love, and God's love for us is absolutely perfect. 1 John 4:18
He is always wanting to think the best of us; not to find fault or condemn us, but to lead us to His Saving Grace. I'm sure you've read John 3:16 by now, but no one seems to remember the other important part of that verse, included in John 3:17. I urge you to have a look.
The Bible says we need to resist the devil, resist sinning, and turn our hearts and minds back on Christ. He is #1 in the followers life. He comes first, and THEN things will line up a lot better in our lives. Especially when we begin our day in prayer. However, notice that that verse doesn't say to fight the devil. We don't have that kind of power. That kind of power belongs to Jesus. There's power in the blood! He says resist. Just like when you go to resist whether it be an extra piece of cake, a certain relationship, evil...Jesus said turn away from it. Resist it, pray about it, and you can even quote scripture like Jesus did when tempted, when He said, "Get thee behind Me, Satan!!!" Satan will listen to you if you pray in the name of Jesus and by His authority, because he knows Jesus, but he doesn't know you.
He only knows the authority of Jesus Christ, so that's why when we pray, we say "By the authority of Jesus Christ" I command you, Satan, to leave me." And because of what Jesus did on the cross, he'll listen. He's afraid of God. Definitely not you. He's afraid even at the mention of God's name. The Bible says he trembles at the name of Jesus, but he's not afraid of you or your name, because there's power in the blood of Jesus, to fight Satan. Pray to Jesus, and He will help us fight Satan. Resist and try not to repeat that sin, because that's not repentance. When we love the Lord, we don't want to repeat that sin. Instead, that's our blessing and privilege to show God how much we love and appreciate his free gift of salvation.
When we entertain sin (paranormal of any type, certain books and movies, séances, tarot cards, horoscopes, etc.), we are inviting demonic spirits into our hearts and lives, instead of Jesus. We're not to play with these. They are nothing to play with! That's delving into the unknown and demonic realm... forbidden by God, not to hurt us, but to PROTECT us! We can do the opposite and ignore His good plan for us, but that's when everything changes for the worst. And most don't know these things do affect our eternal destination. We won't get the outcome we hoped for, in our lives. For example, holding or attending séances, is contrary to God's teachings and is STRICTLY WARNED AGAINST in scripture.
Satan LOVES to interrupt and disrupt our peace and joy in the Lord.That way, he's hoping you'll feel so guilty and bad about yourself, that you'll just give up following Christ all the way. And Satan is definitely hoping you will die in your sin before you repent and find forgiveness and love in Jesus... including eternal life in heaven.
That's his game and we don't have to play it. We don't have to listen to the devil's tempting suggestions.
Let's pray:
Lord Jesus, help us to test every spirit. Give us discernment. Keep our hearts and minds stayed on You. Teach us Your Word, so we won't be fooled. In Your blessed name, Amen.
Have you ever heard someone say, "God told me..."?
It sounds spiritual enough. It SOUNDS right and even "religious". But beloved, we must be careful of that claim. The Bible tells us to do something first: test it.
Why? Because not every voice is God's voice.
1 John 4:1 says, Believe not every spirit, but TRY THE SPIRITS, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Have you ever noticed how many times you go to read your Bible and all of a sudden you're sleepy and can barely keep your eyes open? Ever wonder why?
That's not always coincidence. That's Satan trying to get your mind off the Word, so you won't read, study it, or most of all, learn how to have Jesus and eternal life in heaven. He doesn't want you in the Word, because that's where you learn to test the spirits, plus learn of God's Mercy and Grace.
Satan is the Great Deceiver and the Father of All Lies. John 8:44
He's more subtle than most people think, when it comes to getting us to sin. The Bible says he doesn't show up as a red demon with horns. In fact, before Lucifer fell from his place in heaven, he was called an angel of Light. He was one of the most beautiful angels in heaven, but he got prideful about it, and wanted to take over the whole Kingdom from Christ, and that's when he got thrown out of heaven. That's pride and that's sin, and there is no sin in heaven, or it couldn't be called heaven.
2 Corinthians 11:14 says, And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Sometimes Satan whispers in our ear and makes us think it's God talking to our heart.
Sometimes he uses a book, a movie, a song, a memory, ANYTHING, to influence us so we'll get our minds off Jesus and off track in our daily lives. Sometimes it isn't JUST Satan. It can be his demonic fallen angels speaking lies to us, as well. That's how he fools us.... by making sin look so good and innocently enticing/attractive. But what he won't tell you, is that spiritually speaking, we shall always reap what we sow. "You shall KNOW THEM by their fruits!" Whether they show GOOD fruits or BAD fruits of the Spirit.
There's no such thing as dabbing "just a little bit" in sin.
If you want to dab a little in sin, you best be prepared for the larger consequences of your own choices. Satan didn't force you to sin. That was your choice, not His. He simply planted the seed, like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden! However, you decided to carry it through, with deliberation.
As followers of Christ, we don't dabble in the paranormal. Not because we're afraid, but because it has no place in our lives, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior.
Philippians 4:8 says, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
When we entertain things of the devil, we are actually inviting his spirit into our hearts and lives, instead of Jesus. That's when everything changes for the worst, and we don't get the outcome we wanted in our lives.
Your enemy, the devil, won't dare tell you the larger consequences: He won't tell you that sin will grieve your spirit, destroys more lives than our own, and plummets your peace, joy, and fellowship in the Lord, to the lowest level, even hoping you'll commit suicide from guilt, so as to keep you seperated from God, or for doing anything for him. Satan would love to have you as his own, BEFORE you repent! But I'm here to tell you that there's hope in Jesus. He will give you a brand new beginning in life and remember your sins no more, as you repent. That's the miracle he can work in your life and wants to, if you will allow him to.
Don't listen to the devil when he tells you Christ came to condemn you: No...it's only sin and Satan that condemns us, yet we can repent and be cleansed of unrighteousness. All Jesus wants to do, is SAVE US from the condemnation that Satan and sin placed on us. Jesus' saving grace and power of His cleansing blood, covers all our sins and He remembers them no more! When the Bible says God "forgets" our sins, it means He chooses not to hold them against us or bring them up later for condemnation. John 3:17.
We don't set out to go looking for Satan and trouble. He comes looking for us!!
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (prey upon)." 1 Peter, 5:8.
Satan won't tell you that you'll need to repent, when you sin.
It's important that we take responsibility for our bad choice(s), so as to be brought back into FELLOWSHIP with the Lord. Just like when you have a fight with someone, you MOMENTARILY DISRUPT that wonderful fellowship. Same way when you SIN, that interrupts your fellowship with God, until you repent and are brought back into fellowship once again. The sooner we come back to Jesus, the sooner we regain our joy and peace in him. He lovingly waits for us to come back, so he can forgive us and we can enjoy our fellowship with him again. That's a Father's heart!
We don't go looking for the enemy, except to know how to resist him.
James 4:7 - Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We learn about Satan, so we can resist and stand firm in prayer and truth. Rightly deviding the Word of God. We wait to hear from the Holy Spirit to teach us what we need to know. That's his role, amongst other things. He brings our hearts the good news of Salvation, forgiveness, and redemption through Jesus Christ.
So how do we test the spirits?
1. Does it line up with Scripture? God will never contradict His Word.
2. Does it point to Jesus? John 16:13 He shall glorify me.
3. Does it bring peace, not confusion? 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion.
Beloved, guard your heart. Guard your mind. Guard what you watch, read, and listen to, because we are followers of Christ. Our eyes are on Him, not the things in this world that lead us to evil. Our ears are tuned to Him. And any voice that doesn't sound like Jesus, we don't and won't, want to entertain.
These discoveries makes us stop in your tracks, and they should. Jesus wants us to think and pray, before we ever decide to act on anything. We are to avoid even the appearance of evil, and evil itself... Because the truth is, we ARE listening to voices all day. Whether we like it or not, and all these influences....TV, demonic music suggesting we just need to kill ourselves because there's no hope, and that's a devil's lie my friend! Social media, our own thoughts, other people... and yes, the enemy and his demons, try to keep us from Jesus is rescue and Redemptive Grace .
Most just think "that was my idea" or "I just felt like it."
They don't stop to ask WHO put that thought there. Satan tries to scatter our thoughts, because he knows the gospel of Christ will set people free. Jesus Set Me Free on July 21st, 1973 and I'll never forget it. I'm very thankful for that, and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't walk...I'd run to Him again. Not out of fear, but certainly out of love for what He did for me on the cross. I do not want to give Him less.
He paid a day He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay...
I needed someone to wash my sins away!
And now I sing a happy song...
Amazing Grace the whole day long,
Christ Jesus Paid the debt
That I could never pay!
Praise God! And thank you, Jesus.
1 John 4:1 is so important. God isn't trying to scare us. He's trying to protect us. Like a good Father saying "hey, check who you're letting talk to you." BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU - and He proved it on the cross!
We don't live in FEAR! We live in DISCERNMENT.
We test it. We line it up with Jesus. And then we walk in peace and joy. The precise two-word combination "fear not" appears about 71 times in major translations like the King James Version (KJV). That tells you how important it is to just trust God and not allow fear from Satan to into our hearts and lives.
There's a very good test to see whether or not we're listening to the voice of Jesus, and not Satan.
How many times does the Bible tell us to FEAR NOT!!?
There IS NO FEAR in PERFECT love, and God's love for us is absolutely perfect. 1 John 4:18
He is always wanting to think the best of us; not to find fault or condemn us, but to lead us to His Saving Grace. I'm sure you've read John 3:16 by now, but no one seems to remember the other important part of that verse, included in John 3:17. I urge you to have a look.
The Bible says we need to resist the devil, resist sinning, and turn our hearts and minds back on Christ. He is #1 in the followers life. He comes first, and THEN things will line up a lot better in our lives. Especially when we begin our day in prayer. However, notice that that verse doesn't say to fight the devil. We don't have that kind of power. That kind of power belongs to Jesus. There's power in the blood! He says resist. Just like when you go to resist whether it be an extra piece of cake, a certain relationship, evil...Jesus said turn away from it. Resist it, pray about it, and you can even quote scripture like Jesus did when tempted, when He said, "Get thee behind Me, Satan!!!" Satan will listen to you if you pray in the name of Jesus and by His authority, because he knows Jesus, but he doesn't know you.
He only knows the authority of Jesus Christ, so that's why when we pray, we say "By the authority of Jesus Christ" I command you, Satan, to leave me." And because of what Jesus did on the cross, he'll listen. He's afraid of God. Definitely not you. He's afraid even at the mention of God's name. The Bible says he trembles at the name of Jesus, but he's not afraid of you or your name, because there's power in the blood of Jesus, to fight Satan. Pray to Jesus, and He will help us fight Satan. Resist and try not to repeat that sin, because that's not repentance. When we love the Lord, we don't want to repeat that sin. Instead, that's our blessing and privilege to show God how much we love and appreciate his free gift of salvation.
When we entertain sin (paranormal of any type, certain books and movies, séances, tarot cards, horoscopes, etc.), we are inviting demonic spirits into our hearts and lives, instead of Jesus. We're not to play with these. They are nothing to play with! That's delving into the unknown and demonic realm... forbidden by God, not to hurt us, but to PROTECT us! We can do the opposite and ignore His good plan for us, but that's when everything changes for the worst. And most don't know these things do affect our eternal destination. We won't get the outcome we hoped for, in our lives. For example, holding or attending séances, is contrary to God's teachings and is STRICTLY WARNED AGAINST in scripture.
Satan LOVES to interrupt and disrupt our peace and joy in the Lord.That way, he's hoping you'll feel so guilty and bad about yourself, that you'll just give up following Christ all the way. And Satan is definitely hoping you will die in your sin before you repent and find forgiveness and love in Jesus... including eternal life in heaven.
That's his game and we don't have to play it. We don't have to listen to the devil's tempting suggestions.
Let's pray:
Lord Jesus, help us to test every spirit. Give us discernment. Keep our hearts and minds stayed on You. Teach us Your Word, so we won't be fooled. In Your blessed name, Amen.
