Test the Spirits...Not all Come From God

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1

I think after last Sunday this would be the perfect verse which to preach on. Now that we've learned that one must be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18) by dying to self daily and letting the Holy Spirit Guide us AND that we need to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing each other in all wisdom (Col 3:16) now we need to learn or at least be taught if we haven't learned already to test the spirits. This is so important, its so frustrating to know of friends and or families who have been mislead by spirits of error and when you show them from scripture where lies their error they tell you, yes but you need to listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling you/where He is guiding you, and its like huh!? So we need to be very careful, if you're listening to "voices" coming from books and/or "preachers" TEST them!! FILTER what they are telling you through Scripture. Don't take isolated verses, practice some hermeneutics! Some people build entire "theologies" from one verse, i.e. God is Love. Yes God IS love but His Love is never separated from His Truth! He is love, but He is HOLY. He is Love but NOT according to YOUR standard of what love is. He is Righteous, Just, Wrathfilled againts ALL iniquity, He is Sovereign. Lets not forget this.

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."

There are nowadays some "spiritual guides" out there authors of certain "spiritual books" who are operating under this very spirit of error. Because they deny that Christ is the Son of God, to them Christ was merely a prophet or wise man. They deny Him as Lord and Saviour, so why read these books for "spiritual enhancement"? When we have got THE BIBLE when we have got the Holy Spirit! Remember Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Co 11:14)

"Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

I'll tell you something, when Jesus Christ came down here to earth He was very popular for a while because He cured people, resurrected some and fed people, but whenever He started preaching people wanted to stone Him to death, kill Him, people fled from Him, and very few (apart from the 12) actually took heed of what he preached the ones who were most convicted by their sin and believed Him to be the Saviour the Messiah they had been told would come countless times before. Oh how many received Him with glory crying out Hosanna and yet when He was taken to be crucified all, except for 4 or 5, fled and left Him alone to die.
So it is that these "spiritual guides" are well known and loved by "Christian" and non-Christians alike while the Bible is hated by the world, and yet they would rather read/listen to/take in what these worldly "spiritual guides" have to say in their books or on their T.V. shows or Podcast as opposed to what God has to say through His Word, the Bible.
One thing I like about 1 John is that if there were any doubts in your mind that you were truly Saved you can read this book and know for sure if you're on the straight and narrow or if you're walking gladly on the broad path that leads to destruction.

So test the spirits and do not let yourself be mislead by the deceitful schemes of Satan, if you're truly saved. If not, don't let this day pass before you repent and put your trust in Him! There is no other name under by which you can be saved!! Those "spiritual guides" won't save you or wash you clean from your sins only Jesus Christ can!