Any Spirit
Listen to the Spirit’s warning:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because 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 of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4.1-6
If the Holy Spirit were the only spirit, God would not warn us to watch out for the attacks of other spirits against our soul and faith, as we can see in the passage above. So, why such caution?
Because it is amazing how we are careful and vigilant with strangers or people we are not emotionally attached to, but we are careless and tolerant with those who are close, in our friend circle and, especially, with those who are part of our “congregation”.
If a worldly woman approaches us in a lewd manner, we rebuke her; if a co-worker criticizes our faith, we distance ourselves from him; if someone suggests we cheat or steal, we say, “NEVER!”
But, what happens when someone who walks with us in the faith or sits next to us in the Work of God starts to criticize, trying to convince us that all our sacrifices to please God are in vain and once saved, always saved. How do we react? Do we rebuke the person and distance ourselves or tolerate him because he has always been so nice to us?
The Lord Jesus loved Peter and, later, he even became the first leader of the church, but observe how Jesus reacted when He saw and heard a “different spirit” coming out of Peter’s mouth:
“Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16.22-23
This is what we should also do to shield our Salvation and Faith. You have to react quickly, rebuke and reject that seed from hell, because this deceiving spirit is revealed through the mouth of the person it uses.
To test the spirit of a person, you must be well aware of what distills from their mouth, since the mouth will always speak what the heart is full of.
Now, of course, it is easier for someone that is baptized with the Holy Spirit to put this prudence into practice, since the discernment of spirit is a fruit of the “Spirit”.
A good opportunity: the “FAST OF DANIEL” and there is still time!
Karina
Bishop, I can hardly contain myself with such joy! I was listening to your message, and when you explained that the thirst to have the Holy Spirit is given by Him, it was as if a blindfold was removed from my eyes. I was at work and couldn’t stop, but I still did. I went to the bathroom and began seeking the Lord Jesus. Bishop, the phone on my desk started ringing, the phone on my co-workers desk started ringing, my cellphone started ringing, my knees started hurting, but I did not stop praising and seeking, louder and louder. I didn’t pay any attention to what was happening outside the bathroom. All I wanted was to be with my Precious Lord.
And it was with simplicity and subtleness that I received the Holy Spirit. I didn’t feel anything, nothing at all, but I immediately had an enormous desire to laugh (as I’m doing right now). Oh, what a day MY LORD!
Bishop, I thank God for the desire to drink, the need to drink, and the fullness and joy He has given me.
MAY HIS NAME BE PRAISED ETERNALLY
Gabriel Araujo
Bishop! I found God at the well! At the bottom of the well… deep down at the bottom!
I was an assistant for about a year and a half, but I decided to quit because there’s no way for a person to endure the battle without having the Holy Spirit. But, thank God, I never left – at least not the Church, but I was far from the presence of God for years. I continued going to Church, but I saw everything around me crumble, and I no longer had hope of a better life even though I was in Church. Just remembering everything I went through, tears of revolt come to my eyes. Bishop, I saw shadows and heard voices telling me to kill my wife and then take my own life! I was so troubled that I had panic attacks and would bite and hit myself to the point of almost losing consciousness… My faith was shaken! Even when I opened the Bible, the devil would show me verses that made me terrified, for example: “It is impossible for those who became partakers of the Holy Spirit and fell away, to renew themselves again…”, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” In addition to all the diabolical accusations in my mind, I was going crazy!!!
I became unemployed, we were forced to leave the apartment, my wife became pregnant soon after, I fell into depression and no longer had courage to leave my room. I’d spend days locked up in the dark, until my wife left me… And, all of this happened while I was assiduously attending Church!
I didn’t know what to do! Until I received a shock!!! My well was so deep that when I looked up, I no longer saw the light, so I dug! Bishop, I dug so deep, so deep, that I found The Source! And I drank from Him! Weeks went by, I cried out day and night! There was no way for me to overcome all of these things without the Holy Spirit, so I sought Him and humbled myself during many late nights! Many times, this took place on my knees, leaning over the toilet!!! And when I least expected it, I found the Source of Living Water! I’m no longer thirsty! I’m absolutely sure that I’ll NEVER BE THIRSTY AGAIN!!!
And, if having God Himself being poured upon me wasn’t enough, my life started to change before my eyes, because my wife is being transformed! I believe that she will also receive what I received during this Fast of Daniel! Depression, accusations, doubts, troubles, etc. none of these things exist anymore! It’s like I don’t know what these words mean! For it is written:
“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” Revelation 12.10
And even with battles, I have peace! Rather, I find delight in the battles!
Today, I sing with all my heart: “I found You at the well! And I never felt thirsty again! I owe You so much, I owe You so much! You turned my desert into a garden!!!!”
For someone that didn’t have a reason to live, let alone hope to one day find happiness, today I can breathe in peace! I look around and see a lot of battles! There are even threats of death, but there is a smile on my face, because I know the devil will never touch the life of someone who was born of God! And the demon who threatened me, is already in hell, rebuked, bound and will never get out of there!
Thank you, Bishop, for allowing yourself to be used by God. If it weren’t for your faith, today millions of souls would be wandering around aimlessly, just like I was!
Kind regards!