Test for Truth by Mayada Naami
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
They say the eyes are the window of the soul. Look in someone’s eyes and you will see the Spirit of Truth (if it dwells in them). In Matthew 6:22-23 Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” When you see the world through God’s eyes, your whole body will be full of light, and darkness will flee.
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)
I have been testing the spirits since I was a child. I remember wondering why certain people wouldn’t look into my eyes or turned away from me when I smiled at them. The more I read Scripture and spend time in the Word I realize “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). “Heavenly places” is used several times in the book of Ephesians and is translated from the Greek word epouranios, meaning “the sphere of spiritual activities.”
I believe we are spiritual beings at war; those walking with Christ are shining His Light, and those who are not are full of darkness. In Corinthians 6:14, the Bible says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” Jesus is the Light of the world, what fellowship has Jesus with Satan? Absolutely none. Even when Jesus was tested in the wilderness for forty days by the devil, He answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Jesus was tested by Satan and passed the test, the good news is that by His Grace, we can take the test over and over again until we pass.
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
(2 Corinthians 13:5, NIV)