Test that Spirit
Throughout history, imposters have often deceived the unsuspecting by pretending to be something or someone, they are not to gain a leg up in this world. Believing these hucksters is, in the end, of little consequence. People might look foolish if they are misled, or they might be out money for whatever reason – but there are no lasting, eternal consequences from believing these imposters. However, the world is full of imposters, conmen and women, who are not merely pretending to be something or someone of earthly significance, but who are pretending to be agents of heaven sent by God, but who are in reality from the devil. In 1 John 4:1-6, the apostle John turns his attention to address the problem of spiritual imposters, calling us to discernment so that we may see if those we listen to are truly from God or if they are from the spirit of the antichrist. We are given one command, stated in two ways: that we must not believe every spirit, and that we must test the spirits to see wheth...