Morning Musings-The Measure of the Spirit of God

   Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...




Speaking of measures...how must we measure whether a spirit is the Spirit of God or not?  There are many spirits out there and in 1 John 4:1-6, we are warned to "test the spirits" and to "not believe every spirit".

There are many different kinds of spirits.  There is the holy Spirit of God; the spirit of man; angels who are "ministering spirits" (Hebrews 11:14); demons which are unclean, evil spirits with the spirit of fear being one of them; there is the spirit of truth vs the spirit of error (1 John 4:6); there's a spirit of grace; an excellent spirit as seen in the book of Daniel; a contrite and humble spirit (Psalm 51); there's the spirit of Tilgath-pileser; and  the spirit of wisdom, to name a few. 

From this short list above you can get indications of the spirits that are of God and those which are not.  But due to Satan often masquerading as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), John is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit to give us a way of discerning the truth about a spirit.  He tells his readers that the Spirit of God, the True Spirit, will be known when we test the spirits.  When the spirit being tested "acknowledges that Jesus Christ [who] is come in the flesh is from God", then this spirit is truly from God and a true spirit--one to be trusted.  Whoever listens to God can be recognized as being from the true Spirit of God; the Spirit of truth.  Those who don't listen are from the spirit of falsehood.

These two points give us wondrous tools of detecting a true spirit:  acknowledge Jesus come in the flesh and is from God, and the one who listens to God.  This is how we "test the spirits" to see if they be of God.  Satan is a big liar and full of deceit but he will not acknowledge Jesus Christ as being God, no siree!  That is one thing he will not lie about.  He wants to claim the title of God for himself!  

Praise the Lord we do not have to be overcome by Satan.  Our Spirit of Truth Who indwells each believer in Jesus Christ, came to us as we received God's offer of salvation through Jesus's death and resurrection.  He indwells us and is greater than any other spirit; especially greater than Satan and any one of his demon minions included! 

Keep this always in mind, "our enemy [Satan], who is God's enemy first, has been defeated by Jesus's death and resurrection.  Jesus, therefore, is, and always has been, the greater power.  We, as His children, have also overcome this enemy.  Remember with God's Spirit, the Spirit of Truth in us, we can recognize this and discern that which is true and that which is not.

We are given a further measure of recognizing the Spirit of Truth as opposed to the spirit of falsehood (Read 1 John 4:7-12).  This has to do with love; God's love.  When we have "love one for another" it shows "God lives in us" and because of this our "love is made complete".  Why is this?  God is our source of love.  "Love comes from God" (vs7).  So whoever "has been born of God", loves.  And as that famous verse we often hear quoted says, "God is love" (vs 8).  This then is another way to "test the spirits" (4:1).  This is also a proof that when we "love one another" "God lives in us" through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection and the Holy Spirit of God who indwells each believer who has accepted God's gift of salvation.   Let us be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit; He is with us to help us and guide us and alert us to what is truth.

                                                           ~ERC  2016~