Tag : lies
Tag : lies
“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.“
(1 John 4:1, NIV)
The Bible clearly tells us to test the spirits to see if they are from God. We live in a world full of lying spirits and we must test every spirit for truth. But what does it mean to test the spirits? And how do we discern a Spirit who is from God and a spirit who is not? In 1 John 4:1-6, two different spirits are identified. The first is called “the Spirit of God” or “the Spirit of Truth.” The second is called “the spirit of the antichrist” or “the spirit of falsehood.” The Spirit of God which is the Holy Spirit, will never deceive us or lead us astray. He will always lead us to Truth; Jesus, and a closer walk with God the Father. The second spirit is a fallen spiritual being that has attached itself to something or someone, and is a lying, deceitful spirit. This spirit may look and sound very appealing or might tug at your heartstrings, but under their sheep’s skin, they are vicious wolves looking to devour a sheep in Jesus’ flock (Acts 20:29).
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”
(Matthew 7:15-16, NIV)
There are ways to test the spirits. The following are some ways you can distinguish between the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of lies.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us about wolves in sheep’s clothing and says we will recognize them by the fruit they produce. In Galatians 5:19-21, the fruits of the spirit of lies, which are acts of the flesh, are listed as: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Paul warns us, in verse 21, that those who live like this will not inherent the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus Himself says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” I know that I do not want to ever hear those words. Jesus is very clear that not all believers will enter the Kingdom of God, and says “only the one who does the will of my Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Many people today are confused by the verse in Ephesians that states that we are saved by the grace of God through Christ Jesus, and not by our works. The enemy has caused confusion and given many people an excuse to not hold themselves accountable for their actions. Scripture tells us Jesus will hold us accountable for our actions on the day He returns. We are saved by grace, His death on the cross washed away our sins and the sins of the world, however, we are to follow Him and live according to His ways and not the way of the world. Jesus Himself was tested in the wilderness for forty days. Satan quotes Scripture to Jesus and twists the Word of God to manipulate Him. Are we above Jesus? If Jesus was tested in the wilderness, then we know that the enemy is definitively testing us daily. We are to test the spirits daily. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, the Bible says do not treat prophesy with contempt, but test them all. Even when listening to your pastor, or your loved ones, hold on to what is good and reject every kind of evil.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
(1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, NIV)
Categories: Blog
“And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.”
(Exodus 3:7–8, 13–14, NIV)
The Lord speaks to all of us. We, as believers, are called to be like Moses; to hear the voice of God and to lead His people out of the wilderness. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to hear the voice of God through all the noise around us. The modern world today is full of distractions with demonic spirits wandering the earth to devour every believer. The Bible tells is in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” These lying spirits, who are led by the father of lies—Satan, are sent out to kill, steal and destroy. The spirit of shame, the spirit of fear, the spirit of hate, the spirit of control/manipulation and the spirit of jealousy are some of the many evil spirits indwelling people today.
The devil does not have the power or authority to kill us physically, but his mission is to kill us spiritually. In the beginning of creation, God warned Adam and Eve about the consequences of not fully obeying and trusting Him. He said, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” They gave into temptation and disobeyed God, the Father. They did not die an instant physical death. They died a worse death—separation from God. They chose to doubt God’s character. Doubting God’s power and authority and believing Satan’s fear-based lies leads to death of the soul—and that’s sin.
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
(Ezekiel 18:4, NIV)
The good news is that we have freedom from eternal death. The resurrected Jesus Christ reconfirmed His promise of deliverance with these words: “Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come” (Matthew 14:27). Jesus fulfilled the promise of eternal life. In John 11:25, after the death of Lazarus, He says to Mary and Martha, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Jesus also made seven “I am” declarations in the Gospel of John:
1) “I am the bread of life.”
2) “I am the light of the world.”
3) “I am the door.”
4) “I am the good shepherd.”
5) “I am the resurrection and the life.”
6) “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
7) “I am the true vine.”
As believers, we are born again, and we are anointed to proclaim the Gospel to the lost and poor in spirit because of the Great I am that lives within us.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
(Isaiah 61:1, NIV)
Categories: Blog