“Dear friends, don’t trust every spirit. On the contrary, test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1)
“…do test everything – hold onto what is good, but keep away from every form of evil.” (I Thessalonians 5:21-22)
John instructs believers to test the spirits, while Paul goes even further telling them to test “everything.” Testing the spirit begins with sincerity of heart. There is an excellent example of this in Jeremiah 42 when the leaders of the remnant left behind by Nebuchadnezzar asked Jeremiah to intercede to God on their behalf. They wanted to know if they should stay in Jerusalem or go to Egypt since the leader Nebuchadnezzar left in charge was murdered, and they were frightened. After 10 days Jeremiah responded:
““Adonai has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah! Don’t go to Egypt! You know for a fact that I have given you fair warning today. For you have been behaving deceitfully, against your own interests. You sent me to Adonai your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to Adonai our God; tell us everything Adonai our God says, and we will do it.’ Today I have told it to you, but you haven’t heeded any part of what Adonai your God gave me to tell you. Therefore, know for a fact that you will die by sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go and live.”” (Jeremiah 42:19-22)
The remnant went to Egypt as was their plan all along. So it is today. Prayers are sometimes made with the hope of confirming what we have already set our minds to do. Therefore, the first question to ask yourself is, ‘Do I really want to hear from God?’.
Sometimes a person may act on a thought or inclination because it’s what they want to hear. The Adversary and the old nature work in concert, and without fail the deceiving spirit will be what the old nature wants to hear – especially when the ‘word’ seems as if it is the voice of God. “…the Adversary himself masquerades as an angel of light;” (II Corinthians 11:14) “For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear.” (II Timothy 4:3)
Those lacking sincerity of heart may say, ‘Great! God is blessing me with what I always wanted!’ God only wants what is good for us, although this may not always be pleasing to the old nature. ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways,” says Adonai.” (Isaiah 55:8)
Proverbs 9 provides an example of how the Adversary sets about to imitate God. First, wisdom speaks, then another spirit. “Wisdom has built herself a house;…“Whoever is unsure of himself, turn in here!”…Don’t stay unsure of yourself, but live! Walk in the way of understanding!” (Proverbs 9:1-6)
“The foolish woman is course;…calling on those who pass by, to those going straight along their ways, “Whoever is unsure of himself, turn in here!” To someone weak-willed she says, “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he doesn’t realize that the dead are there, and that those who accept her invitation are in the depths of Sh’ol [hell].” (Proverbs 9:13-18) Notice that they both use the same exact phrase, “Whoever is unsure of himself, turn in here”; one leads to wisdom and understanding, the other leads astray, and ultimately death. “There can be a way which seems right to a person, but at its end are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 16:25)
Testing the spirit may take time and the Adversary does not want anyone to take time. From my own personal experience, the Adversary is demanding and impetuous. There’s a ‘do it now’ attitude because he does not want to give anyone the opportunity to test the spirit. God would not instruct us to ‘test the spirit’ without giving us time to do so. He is patient.
There may be ‘prophets’ who have a ‘word from the Lord’ for you. It is still imperative to test the spirit. There is only one way to truly discern God’s voice; as David said to Solomon, “…know the God of your father. Serve him wholeheartedly and with desire in your being…” (I Chronicles 28:9) “My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow me, and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from my hands.” (John 10:27-28)
*All scripture is from the Complete Jewish Bible