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Reading: 1
Thessalonians 5:19-21
19 Quench not the
Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good.
If you accept
prophetic utterances as valid for today, I would encourage you to
test them in the following ways.
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First, is
the person giving the prophetic utterance living a balanced
and righteous lifestyle? You must carefully evaluate the
person announcing, "Thus saith the Lord." Also, be
on guard for the person who wants to bring a "new
thing." If it is true, it's not new. If it is new, it's
not true.
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Second, is
the person committed to building God's kingdom or his own? Is
Christ being lifted up or is he?
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Third, does
the prophetic utterance establish confidence in the Word of
God and is it consistent with a balanced presentation of it?
Are people going to have a greater dependency on God's
revelation or man's inspiration? Are prophetic utterances a
substitute for the serious, personal study of God's Word?
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Fourth, does
the use of the spiritual gift bring unity to the church and
build up the body? Be careful in this test because those who
hold to a form of godliness but deny its power are not in
balance either. They will quench the Spirit through censorship
and very little will be accomplished in the church. They can
cause disunity as well.
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Last, do
the spiritual manifestations bypass the mind? God operates
through our mind; Satan bypasses it. If a person takes on a
medium-like trance, be assured it is occult. God renews our
mind and brings back to our mind all that He has taught us. We
are to think so as to have sound judgment.
All of us receive
input from a myriad of sources today. With Satan still using false
prophets in his battle for your mind, determine to discern the
truth God wants you to know to set you free and keep you free.
Prayer:
Lord, I want to
be so in tune with your Word that I can discern error and
darkness even when it appears as truth and light.
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