Audio transcription
How can you tell that a person is operating under the influence of the Holy Spirit? I’m going to lay a solid foundation from The Word of God.
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 2 Timothy 3:1
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In these end times, many have already been seduced to teachings that contradict the scriptures. How do we distinguish between those filled with the holy spirit and those operating under deception?
1 John 4:1-3 declares “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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 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”.
From this scripture, we know that the Spirit of God confesses that Christ Jesus has come in the flesh while the spirit of the antichrist denies this fundamental fact. John wants us to be watchful of those who seduced us with the teachings of demons.
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Jesus taught in John 16:13-15 that “When The Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears he will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you”.
A person led by The Spirit of God stands on the integrity of the word of Truth and does not contradict it. Jesus is The Word of God. Romans 3:4 declares, “let God be true and all men liars”.
Jesus said that The Spirit of God shall speak not of His own authority but what He hears from God. Any person operating under The Spirit of God speaks not his mind but the word of God.
The spirit will glorify Jesus, and anyone filled with the Holy Spirit glorifies the Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit. Lucifer lost his rightful position in heaven by glorifying himself.
We have already seen in 1 Timothy 3:1 that the seductive spirits that manifest in the end times seek to glorify themselves and overthrow the position of Christ.
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Sign that a person is filled by The Spirit of God
There are three ways to discern if a person is operating under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
- The Spirit bears witness that Christ came in the flesh, died, and resurrected and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.
- He stands on the integrity of The Word of God.
- The Holy Spirit glorifies God and not Himself. Pride is a sign that someone is not filled with The Holy Spirit.
Be on the watch lest anyone seduces you with demonic doctrine. May God bless you and keep you blameless until the coming of Christ for His glory (1 Thessalonians 5:23).