The Discerning of spirits (4)

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

Primary Text

“… to another discerning of spirits; …” 1 Corinthians 12v10 (KJV)

“… He gives someone else the power to know whether evil spirits are speaking through those who claim to be giving God’s messages – or whether it is really the Spirit of God who is speaking …” 1 Corinthians 12v10 (TLB)

Today, it is important for believers to be able to discern spirits, to know what is of God and what is not, what is spoken of the spirit and what is not. 1 John 4v1-3 (MSG) says “My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world. Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. everyone who openly confesses his faith in Jesus Christ – the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person – comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!.” We therefore need the spirit of discernment to be able to know if the word you are hearing is of God, or is not. Thank God as well that the Scriptures give us a way to test these spirits. Being able to discern spirits helps us not to fall into error and traps and so we do not get seduced and deceived (see 1 Timothy 4v1-6 below).

Supplementary Text

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” 1 Timothy 4v1-6 (NIV)

Prayer

Our heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Spirit. We thank You for the Spirit of truth who is in us and with us. We pray for the ability for discerning of spirits, that we may know what is true and what is false, what is of You and what is of the devil in Jesus name, amen.