Thank you for sharing that with me, it does shed some light on things. I don't doubt that you've had spiritual experiences, and will continue to. Just remember that to the depths that you experience the spiritual, is the depth to which satan will go to muddle it. I don't doubt that you know a lot. That's why I see a big red bulls-eye on your chest, and satan ighting up flaming arrows to fire at it. Your knowledge makes you a target.
That's why discernment is such a big thing. We are to discern the spirits. But how?
It goes back to that Holy Spirit checklist from a few posts back. When you look at something, ask does this thing/event/person/spirit manifest any of the gifts of the Spirit? Words of wisdom and knowledge, faith, healing, working of Miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues - are these evidenced by the thing/event/person/spirit? If they're true they should be. But other than the faith thing I can't really say one way or another what's going on there, I really just don't know enough. That's why I asked for examples.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance - does this thing/event/person/spirit produce fruit according to the Holy Spirit? See, this here is what's throwing up red flags for me. Your presentation of the Spirit violates pretty much all but one of them. That's what has me concerned.
And the most important test of all - does this thing/event/person/spirit bring light and glory to the Risen Christ? Any thing/event/person/spirit that cannot trace it's place and authority to the Risen Christ is false. That, as you like to declare, is a fact.
Let me share an example with you.
My wife and I spend a week on the beach every year. I love to bodysurf, but last year it had been flat and mushy and no good at all for days. Finally I did go in just to say I had gotten wet. But I just tread there, bobbing like a cork, everyone else around me bobbing like corks, waiting for something to happen. I got to thinking, 'gee Lord, I hate to be greedy but it would be nice to have some waves’, but time goes by and the corks keep bobbing. So again, I think, Jesus, if it'd be in Thy graces, could we..? But time passes and the corks keep bobbing. So my head is getting burnt, the rest of me is waterlogged, I'm thinking gee God if I can have just one wave so I don't have to swim back to shore. And these words come to me, in my spirit, "what do you keep asking Me for? You know better than that. You know you have My authority to call the waves up for yourself". So I laugh, and think You're absolutely right, then I faced out to sea and said in "Jesus' Name, how about some waves". A minute goes by, 2, and here they come. The best sets of the week. Wave after wave after wave after wave... I caught several good rides, then when I stopped to catch my breath I saw that lots of people were getting lots of good rides. Kids that had been standing around in the kiddie pool' were now chasing each other thru the surf, and there was a whole different Spirit and energy in the water. I laughed and said "Amen Lord, for all of these". A kid says "what's that mister?" "I think God decided we needed to be having more fun." "Yeah, the waves are really energetic now!" Yep I laughed. They sure are. It went on just long enough to kinda wear everyone out, then it went back to flat and mushy for pretty much the rest of the week.
So how do we test this spirit? There was a word of knowlege, an act of faith, a working of a miracle – and God’s power was confirmed to a kid who already knew something was going on.
The gifts of the Spirit, the fruit of the Sirit, the glory to God - These things are what will keep you from suffering satan's deceptions. I hope you will re-examine the subject at hand in the light of these.
Rick
That's why discernment is such a big thing. We are to discern the spirits. But how?
It goes back to that Holy Spirit checklist from a few posts back. When you look at something, ask does this thing/event/person/spirit manifest any of the gifts of the Spirit? Words of wisdom and knowledge, faith, healing, working of Miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues - are these evidenced by the thing/event/person/spirit? If they're true they should be. But other than the faith thing I can't really say one way or another what's going on there, I really just don't know enough. That's why I asked for examples.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance - does this thing/event/person/spirit produce fruit according to the Holy Spirit? See, this here is what's throwing up red flags for me. Your presentation of the Spirit violates pretty much all but one of them. That's what has me concerned.
And the most important test of all - does this thing/event/person/spirit bring light and glory to the Risen Christ? Any thing/event/person/spirit that cannot trace it's place and authority to the Risen Christ is false. That, as you like to declare, is a fact.
Let me share an example with you.
My wife and I spend a week on the beach every year. I love to bodysurf, but last year it had been flat and mushy and no good at all for days. Finally I did go in just to say I had gotten wet. But I just tread there, bobbing like a cork, everyone else around me bobbing like corks, waiting for something to happen. I got to thinking, 'gee Lord, I hate to be greedy but it would be nice to have some waves’, but time goes by and the corks keep bobbing. So again, I think, Jesus, if it'd be in Thy graces, could we..? But time passes and the corks keep bobbing. So my head is getting burnt, the rest of me is waterlogged, I'm thinking gee God if I can have just one wave so I don't have to swim back to shore. And these words come to me, in my spirit, "what do you keep asking Me for? You know better than that. You know you have My authority to call the waves up for yourself". So I laugh, and think You're absolutely right, then I faced out to sea and said in "Jesus' Name, how about some waves". A minute goes by, 2, and here they come. The best sets of the week. Wave after wave after wave after wave... I caught several good rides, then when I stopped to catch my breath I saw that lots of people were getting lots of good rides. Kids that had been standing around in the kiddie pool' were now chasing each other thru the surf, and there was a whole different Spirit and energy in the water. I laughed and said "Amen Lord, for all of these". A kid says "what's that mister?" "I think God decided we needed to be having more fun." "Yeah, the waves are really energetic now!" Yep I laughed. They sure are. It went on just long enough to kinda wear everyone out, then it went back to flat and mushy for pretty much the rest of the week.
So how do we test this spirit? There was a word of knowlege, an act of faith, a working of a miracle – and God’s power was confirmed to a kid who already knew something was going on.
The gifts of the Spirit, the fruit of the Sirit, the glory to God - These things are what will keep you from suffering satan's deceptions. I hope you will re-examine the subject at hand in the light of these.
Rick
