The Bible says:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know we the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.”
— 1 John 4: 1-3
How can we test a spirit? By Jesus Christ “were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible.” (Colossians 1: 15, 16)
Spirits are invisible. Demons and angels are spirits without visible bodies.
We human beings are also spirits expressing ourselves through our physical body. When our body dies, no one sees our spirit leave our body, because the human spirit is also invisible and can pass through matter as it leaves earth and goes to where it will spend eternity.
We actually try spirits every day. Since words originated with our thoughts, which originated with our spirit, then when we fact check what anyone says we are trying that spirit to find out if it is telling the truth or lying. Every human being is a spirit following and propagating the truth or following and propagating a lie.
We do the same thing in religion. When someone speaks about God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and church doctrine we fact check them with the Word of God to see if they’re telling the truth or if they’re a lying spirit.
If their preaching is in line with the Word of God they are of God, but if it isn’t they’re not of God. A preacher was from God if he preached the incarnation (come in the flesh) of Christ, and if he denied the incarnation of Christ he was not of God but a false prophet.
The people at Berea tried Paul’s spirit when they took what he preached and then searched the Scriptures to see if those things Paul said “were so.” (Acts 17: 10, 11) We fact check politicians and social icons but we don’t care if the one behind the pulpit in whose care we’ve entrusted our soul is telling the truth; actually preaching what “thus saith the Lord” and he’s the one we should be fact checking the most.
So, how do you try a spirit? By fact checking what comes out of its mouth.
James H. Cagle is a Ray City resident who pastored several churches for a total of 11 years. Email him at pastorjameshcagle@ yahoo.c
om
