“TEST THE SPIRITS!”

1 John 4:1-3                                   (ESV)

“1 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.

2 By this you know the SPIRIT of GOD: every spirit that confesses that JESUS CHRIST has come in the flesh is from GOD,

3 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.”

Testing has never intimidated me very much.  In school, I would never study a great deal, but always seem to do pretty well when given a test.  The ability to retain the discussions of the classroom seem to get me by (for the most part!) and I didn’t put forth the effort to excel scholastically.  Being satisfied with “average” was fine with me, unless I was on the ball field!

But “TEST THE SPIRITS” is an entirely different ballgame!  It can have way more at stake than winning a sports contest.  The enemy has come to “steal, kill and destroy” and he is doing everything he can to infiltrate “our camp” to lead us astray.  1 John 4:3 says “....every spirit that does not confess JESUS is not from GOD.”  The enemy uses DECEPTION as his chief tool.  He “deceived” Eve in Genesis 3 causing her and Adam to believe a lie.  JESUS said in John 8:44 “....You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES”.  

When we “TEST THE SPIRITS” we can readily SEE who they are supporting.  They either claim JESUS (the TRUTH), or they are supporting a LIE!  JESUS said “....you cannot serve GOD and and mammon”!  We must CHOOSE!  

Joshua 24:15 ends with “....but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”.  Joshua had learned to “TEST THE SPIRITS”, and he CHOSE the right one!  FATHER IN HEAVEN, my prayer is that I will “TEST THE SPIRITS” and I will CHOOSE wisely, and that is YOU!!!