Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.
1 John 4:1-3
Put It to the Test
We test all sorts of things in our lives. We test our food as we are cooking it so we know how to flavor it. We test our smoke detectors to make sure they are working.
Scripture adds one more item to our list of things to check.
The apostle John says that there are many false prophets that have gone out into the world. Take special note of that word "many." There are not just a few false prophets. There are not just some false prophets. The Bible says there are many false prophets that have gone out into the world.
For this reason, we are commanded to test the "spirits." Do you want to know whether a message or idea is good or bad? Then you should test it. Do you want to know if a person is telling you the truth about God's Word or speaking a lie? Put it to the test.
The test the apostle John gives us is clear: Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Anyone who does not acknowledge this is not from God. While this is by no means an exhaustive test, John gives it to us because often it is at the heart of what those who are not from God are seeking to undermine. Finally, those who are not from God want to make Jesus something other than Christ or say that he never really was born on earth.
When you hear a message from someone, ask yourself if it clearly proclaims Jesus as God and born among us. If it does, you know that message is from God. If it does not proclaim Jesus as God and born among us, you know that message is not from God.
Test the spirits. Test the messages you hear. Test the people who bring them. Do this regularly so that you can know that the spirit you hear is from God and gives you the truth.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, help us to test the spirits. Drive far from us any false prophet. Bring close to us faithful messengers who in truth acknowledge Jesus as God who became fully human to be our Savior.
The devotions on Thursdays and Fridays in September, October, and November are based on the book of 1 John.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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