Discernment by the Spirit

“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. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:1-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This world is more spiritual than natural, we live in a world full of spirits. There are more spirits on the planet than living humans. If you want spiritual success, you must always audit your spirit and spirits behind others. You are a spirit that has a soul that lives inside of a body. If your life is more about flesh-to-flesh interaction vs spirit-to-spirit interaction then you won’t have spiritual success.

Who am I? What influences me? What influences are using others?

A lot of people accept things without first testing where they are from. It is important for us to test everything that comes into our lives because everything that comes into our lives has a purpose. So with everything that comes into your life, ask with your spirit: “Who sent you?, What is your purpose?, Why are you here?”

We accept so many things in our lives without examining where they are from, we entertain so many things that don’t come from God. Our mission is to accept things that come from God.

Two main reasons why people can’t detect what isn’t from God:

1 Insecurities:

Verse 1 says: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, “

2 key words from this; Beloved and believe.

The reason why people accept things that are not from God or contrary to him. Is because they don’t know how Beloved they are, in order to be beloved you have to allow love to be in your life. Those who don’t have the true value of themselves or do not love themselves will welcome anything and everything in their life to help heal their insecurities. Jesus is the only one that can secure your insecurities. If you don’t know that you are beloved by the Father you will welcome or beckon things into your life that isn’t for your benefit. When you are aware that you are beloved, loved by God you won’t accept anything because you’re so inlove with God, you won’t accept anything that may possibly cause an issue in your relationship. Renew your mind that you are loved by God. Do you know that you are loved by God?

Until you know you are loved by Him, you will always be entangled by your insecurities.

Ask yourself what are the things that make you insecure?

Those things that make you not walk stable or confident, what are they?

Could it be that there could be a blockage in your mind that’s keeping you from understanding just how loved you really are? Gods love will loosen you from insecurities. Gods love will secure your insecurities.

2 Ideologies

Do not believe every spirit. The reason why people believe every spirit, or engage in the spiritual world inappropriately/unknowledgeably is because they have they own false sense of ideology, they have their own beliefs. They aren’t anchored and rooted in God. What is your belief?

Do you have a strong belief system?

Do you have a strong belief that God exists, not just overarching but that He exists specifically in your life?

What do you believe about God, what do you believe about yourself, what do you believe about life?

Because your insecurities and your ideology(belief) will determine what you accept in your life.

Before you are able to test a spirit you must establish your belief systems and your insecurities. Because in order to know where something is from you must know where you are from. The devil knows how to bless(give you your fleshes desires). The devil knows how to bless quicker than God. The enemy knows that he blesses those who are too immature to handle the blessing, causes them to idolise the idea of the blessing before they get the actual blessing. When he gives it to them, that “blessing” burdens them. You have to test to see where it’s from.

Because we are from God we can overcome anything (verse 4). I am a child of God I know where I’m from. When you know that you’re from God, you will begin to perceive life from His vantage point and from His place of discernment and you’ll be able to say THAT ISNT FROM GOD!

It is best to be where He is, even with little, than to be without Him with much. Most people don’t want to go low and sometimes God takes you low, so that you understand that to go high you need to go low.

The goal is to see and to only accept what is from God. That is the mission. Most people lack the patience to see where something is from. The enemy knows that most people lack patience, if you don’t develop patience you willl accept anything.

Give yourself time!

Ask yourself, do I lack the patience to process if something is from God?

There are 2 types of spirits in this world that is evident in 1John 4. There is the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. You are living and accepting one or the other if not both. Either you are living in truth or you are living by error based on you willingness. So many people take things at face value instead of taking value behind the face. Face value looks good, the enemy knows a lot of people lack patience to uncover things so he packages his deception in beauty, he packs it in what you desire. That’s why the Bible says you’re tempted by what you desire. (James 1:14)

Who is fathering you! Is the Heavenly Father fathering you or is the god of this world gathering you? Fathering means instructing you, the sole source of your identity. You know where you are from based upon, where you are reaching for. Are you reaching for God or are you reaching for things of this world. Are you reaching to advance the kingdom of God or are you reaching for fleshly desires? Ask yourself what is it that you are reaching for. Why are you doing what you are going. You know where you are from based on who you obey. Do you obey yourself the most? Do you obey the culture the most? What are your motives? You can be a son of God and still have wrong motives and still being influenced by this world. Isaiah 1:19 says if you are willing and obedient you will eat the good things of the land.

Willing means you are available but be willing and OBEY.

How to test the spirit?

We could have people around around us placed as chess pieces to mislead us. We might be entertaining ideologies(beliefs) that might be misleading us. We have to know how to test them, to insure what you should accept or not.

1. Tag in the Holy Spirit and think with a Christ mind

Say and declare :“Holy Spirit I need you! I’m asking for you to birth in me a Christ mind so I can be able to think and see as Christ would think. Mind, you will think with a Christ mind!” Give the Spirit permission. When it comes to things that want to invade your life, tag in The Holy Spirit. Our flesh isn’t smarter than the enemy, or than the lowest ranking demon.

“Holy Spirit I don’t know what to do, it looks too good to be true, step in!”

Withhold all emotions

We defeat the devil with discipline, in order to be disciplined we need to be a disciple. The enemy always comes for our emotion:, they look at what we are emotionally connected to what we are emotionally engaged in. They attack where we are the weakest where we don’t have emotional stability. In order to properly test the spirit we need to be emotionally stable and that is to believe that we are loved! When you know you are beloved you are stable! Engage in your dependancy in God.

Seek the comparisons

You will know them by their fruits! Accept things that matches the word of God, what the word of God says about them, what God whispers to you about them. Does this persons fruit match up with what God wants me to fellowship with? Does this persons lifestyle match the fellowship. Does this person lineup with what God has in store for you? If it don’t match (the word)don’t latch

Observe their temperament ( if it’s a person)

The enemy doesn’t have peace, doesn’t have joy they don’t have that calm that comes with the Spirit. Meekness is calm, love is calm. The enemy can’t be calm, he is subtle but not calm. Anything that rushes you isn’t from God. Ask yourself, “What is their temperament?” Are they pushing you ? Pushing you to make decisions you don’t want to make?

The testing never ends

Watch and pray! Be alert, the devil is going to keep coming. He tried to come through the Pharasies, he tried to come through Peter. He tried to come through Judas he isn’t going to stop therefore always be alert. The testing never ends. Believe that you have a greater purpose, those who have a purpose do not permit certain things in their life.

Insight is 20-20 vision

You have access to Gods spirit that was able to see everything. You don’t have to wait until hindsight, you can see clearly. Trust the leading of the Holy Spirit. Leading means let Him. Let Him lead!

What to take in and what to throw away?

Ask yourself what would Jesus do with or think about this situation or person? How emotional are you about this person or thing? What disciplines am I lacking? What scriptures validate or invalidate this person or thing?

Look at who that person associates with; you will never find a red grape in a bunch of green grapes for a red grape is red and green grapes are green. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Bad company corrupts good character. “. There is an old phrase that says :”Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are”

Everybody can’t go where God is trying to take you

Rather be with less and be with God.

Finally, everything has a trail of truth, the God who made this world can show you. Find the truth and it will set you free!