Telling Demons from God

ElCodeMonkey · Post by **ElCodeMonkey** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 9:12 am

If one "spirit" tells you X and another tells you NOT X, how do you know which is right? I imagine, for a lot of people, you'll likely say "well does it jive with the Bible?" Barring the fact that most things can be forced to jive if you want it too, how do we know it wasn't a demon who whispered the idea to take the Bible as God's word to begin with? What if that whole concept was a demon whisper and the God whisper is "ugh, listen to me, not the book!" and we unjustly turn away the God-whisper? Of course, it's just as possible that God is saying to follow the book while a demon says to follow him. So how does one tell them apart? How do you know which is God and which is demon and especially if disagreeing about the book itself? Why default to believing the "follow the book" one without a good reason? Please note, the book cannot give an authoritative answer on this. It could contain useful advice, but not with authority on the matter of determining its own authority. So how do you tell spirits apart?

Overcomer · Post by **Overcomer** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:01 pm

Believers in Christ are filled with the Holy Spirit. Discerning spirits, that is, distinguishing between what is of God and what is not, is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually has he wills. (1 Cor. 12:7-11).

The Holy Spirit brings forth these gifts as needed with each individual.

A Christian grows in maturity over time if he/she cooperates with the Holy Spirit and applies himself/herself to the study of God's Word and prayer.

For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Heb.5:13, 14).

Christians are commanded to practice discernment:

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 (1 John 4;1).

There have been places I have left because I sensed demonic activity there. See here for other examples of spiritual discernment at work:

https://probe.org/what-is-the-spiritual ... scernment/

ttruscott · Post by **ttruscott** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:43 pm

ElCodeMonkey wrote: [Replying to post 7 by ttruscott]
If it's by faith alone simply by whichever one you "like" most, doesn't that seem rather dangerously problematic for simply following demons instead of God? How do you know your faith isn't misplaced because, being fallible humans, we might prefer what best suits our own fancy?

[All refs to "you" are generic, not personal.]

IF fancy bounces you around like a jumping bean then so be it...you too will get what you chose because it suited your fancy.

If you are under GOD's promise, it is HIS promise that will form your life, not your fancy.

We usually I mean, it's a pretty good story to just say that faith is enough and we don't have to do anything of our own accord and BAM eternal life.

If you don't understand that FAITH IS ETERNAL LIFE then maybe you don't understand Christianity at all: For by grace you have been saved through FAITH. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works...

How can we know that's not the whisper of the devil? Just faith because it sounds good sounds like a poor method to me. To each his own, of course, if that's where you stand, but I'd like to clarify if that's what you really mean.

1 Cor 1:22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentilesâ€¦ in other words, WE don't live by proof (of who is a demon or not or which version of the bible is right or not ) we live by faith, not proof, 2 Corinthians 5:7 as outrageous an idea this is to those who have no faith.

It is trusting in who YHWH says HE is and what HE has promised us...and doing or best to fit into HIS reality.

ElCodeMonkey · Post by **ElCodeMonkey** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:51 pm

2timothy316 wrote: The way we tell is what the ultimate goal for the two are. Jehovah God wants all to repent and live. (2 Peter 3:9). Satan and his demons want the exact opposite.

So if one spirit whispers "the bible is not really God's word--Repent and live!" you now know to believe that the Bible is not God's word?

ElCodeMonkey · Post by **ElCodeMonkey** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:55 pm

[Replying to post 11 by Overcomer]

So you would determine the differing spirits based upon good and evil? Their intentions, their words, or simply a sense of it? If just a sense of it, using the gift of the holy spirit, how would you know that it's not an imposter spirit's sense misleading you? Should you instead use rationality to determine good from evil?

ElCodeMonkey · Post by **ElCodeMonkey** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:58 pm

[Replying to post 12 by ttruscott]

So that's overall just reiterating. You have faith you're right because you have faith that God directs you to what's right when you have faith. How do you know that whole concept is not simply the construct of a demon? How did you come to any of this with any certainty without simply relying on something beyond faith to conclude it? It seems too circular. What initiated this faith to begin with and how do you know it was a Godly faith to take up?

William · Post by **William** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:39 pm

This is o course one of the most problematic contradictions of the Christian theology.

Paul writes that satan can 'come as an angel of light' yet never applied this warning to his own run in with the other-worldly on the road to Damascus.

It does allow for the further use of this type of doctrine to spur the believer into pointing fingers at the opposition, but can never get a single soul any closer to the true nature of GOD.

The bloody trail such doctrine has dragged behind itself throughout history speaks to another nature altogether...

ElCodeMonkey · Post by **ElCodeMonkey** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:00 pm

William wrote: This is o course one of the most problematic contradictions of the Christian theology.

Paul writes that satan can 'come as an angel of light' yet never applied this warning to his own run in with the other-worldly on the road to Damascus.

It does allow for the further use of this type of doctrine to spur the believer into pointing fingers at the opposition, but can never get a single soul any closer to the true nature of GOD.

The bloody trail such doctrine has dragged behind itself throughout history speaks to another nature altogether...

That's interesting. Jesus said that Satan cannot cast out demons since that would mean Satan's house is divided and therefore cannot stand. So if Demons can masquerade as angels of light but can't masquerade via spoof exorcisms, then in what way do they masquerade? What makes it forbidden to spoof exorcisms and what else does that mean they can't do if indeed they can masquerade?

2timothy316 · Post by **2timothy316** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:11 pm

ElCodeMonkey wrote:
2timothy316 wrote: The way we tell is what the ultimate goal for the two are. Jehovah God wants all to repent and live. (2 Peter 3:9). Satan and his demons want the exact opposite.
So if one spirit whispers "the bible is not really God's word--Repent and live!" you now know to believe that the Bible is not God's word?

I have lived by what the Bible says I should be doing and prospered and I have also lived my life as it says I shouldn't and regretted it. By far, living as the Christ did is hands down superior. Also, any 'spirit' saying not to listen to the Bible is certainly a demon. Satan and his demons don't want us to repent and live. Even they did, repent from what? Loving our neighbor?

ElCodeMonkey · Post by **ElCodeMonkey** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:24 pm

2timothy316 wrote: I have lived by what the Bible says I should be doing and prospered and I have also lived my life as it says I shouldn't and regretted it. By far, living as the Christ did is hands down superior. Also, any 'spirit' saying not to listen to the Bible is certainly a demon. Satan and his demons don't want us to repent and live. Even they did, repent from what? Loving our neighbor?

You might be missing that the Bible can stand separate from loving one's neighbor such that ditching the Bible doesn't mean ditching decency. Also, plenty of atrocities have been done under the guise of the Bible. If Satan can't even cast out demons to fool people, how can he possibly use the Bible if the Bible is so good? So what makes the spirit "certainly" a demon for saying that the Bible is wrong if it's so quick to say the Bible is right? Is it not possible that a demon could have written a text (say, the Quran, Book of Mormon, or even the Bible) in attempts to fool people? If God himself wanted to tell you that the Bible fit that same category of demon-book, how could he possibly prove it to you if you've already decided that God himself is certainly a demon for telling you so? Do you know every possible way in which you may have been deceived that there is no room for error in your mind that God could correct you?

2timothy316 · Post by **2timothy316** » Mon Nov 19, 2018 5:32 pm

ElCodeMonkey wrote:
2timothy316 wrote: I have lived by what the Bible says I should be doing and prospered and I have also lived my life as it says I shouldn't and regretted it. By far, living as the Christ did is hands down superior. Also, any 'spirit' saying not to listen to the Bible is certainly a demon. Satan and his demons don't want us to repent and live. Even they did, repent from what? Loving our neighbor?
You might be missing that the Bible can stand separate from loving one's neighbor such that ditching the Bible doesn't mean ditching decency. Also, plenty of atrocities have been done under the guise of the Bible.

Yep. But that doesn't mean that the Bible is the cause of the atrocity. Name something that hasn't been used to commit an atrocity. Even atrocities have been committed in the name of 'decency'.

If Satan can't even cast out demons to fool people, how can he possibly use the Bible if the Bible is so good?

Water is good. Fire is good. E=Mc2 is good. Freedom is good. All have been used for bad. There is no such thing as 'good only be used for good.' Whoever said that is lying.

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Telling Demons from God

Telling Demons from God

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Re: Telling Demons from God