Discerning spirits
In 1 John 4, we are told to “test the spirits to see if they are from God”. This instruction comes with the realization that not everything spiritual is Godly or good. We believe that just as there is a physical realm, there is a spiritual realm, and it’s important we understand that our adversary, the devil, wants to lie and confuse us when it comes to spiritual things.
The Devil is a counterfeiter. He copies and corrupts what God has made pure. For simplicity’s sake, we are going to put all of those spiritual corruptions or counterfeits under the banner or term, witchcraft. Witchcraft is any practice of magic, divination, or spiritual practice that is not of God.
Satan has tools that he uses to confuse, distract, and manipulate people, and he is not without power. We see examples of Satan’s power throughout Scripture. In 1 Samuel, Saul, the king of God’s people, consulted a medium or spiritus, which led to her calling back the prophet Samuel from the dead.
Now, this is a pretty spooky story, but it goes to show that even those who are workers of Satan can use his power to do pretty impressive things.
Another story like this is of Moses and Aaron in Exodus chapter 7. When they went before Pharaoh, God instructed Aaron to throw his rod down, and that it would turn into a snake. After he did this, Pharaoh’s own magic magicians did the same. It was only when Aaron was able to pick up the snake and it turned into a rod again that Pharaoh saw the power they had was greater than that of his magicians.
Yes, Satan has power, but God‘s people have been specifically instructed to not engage in witchcraft. (Leviticus 19:31, Deuteronomy 10:10-12) In the New Testament, we see clearly that those who followed Jesus gave up these practices. (Acts 19:18-20)
As Christians, we have been given the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and we don’t need any other spiritual force for power, direction, or for healing in our lives.
So how do we know if a spirit or spiritual practice is of God or from God? First John 4 gives us clearly an understanding of how to discern what is a good spirit and what is not.
John begins his instructions, reminding us to be aware. We must recognize and be on guard against false or ungodly spirits and spiritual forces. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be “sober-minded and alert”. There are practices in our world that are spiritual, but are not of God.
The second thing we’re instructed to do is test the source. We need to consider the history and the application of every spiritual practice and discern whether it is of God or not. We should ask questions like: was this ever approved of by God in scripture? Did God ever instruct his people to take part in this practice? Does this practice ultimately leave me back to a greater love for God and dependence on him?
John encourages us to know that the power within us is greater than the power in the world. We are not victims of the devil’s lies. We do not need his power or the power of any dark spiritual force. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us.
We don’t need crystals to align our energy for us to find healing. We don’t need a horoscope to tell us what decision we should make. We don’t need a palm reader to tell us what the future holds. Dear friends, we have the Holy Spirit of God who is able to do so much more.
We can discern whether a spirit is of God or is of the world last year when we find strength in community. The spirit of the enemy isn’t going to bring unity among believers. If we are unsure whether something is of God or not, we can find comfort in knowing that the spirit of God is not only alive in us, but it’s alive in those around us. We can rely on each other to help to discern if something is of God or not. This is why community is so important, not just as a place to attend, but as a place full of people that we can count on to help us as we follow Jesus.
Yes, the world is full of dark, scary, spiritual forces that are not of God, but we should not be afraid to hide under a rock. We can walk and build this in confidence, identifying things that are not of God and knowing that the spirit of God inside of us is so much greater than any force in the world.
