And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation!’ And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’
And he came out the same hour. – Acts 16:16-18
One of the lessons we must learn as believers is to not get caught up in gifts. One can be incredibly gifted but not saved at all. Just because one is operating in a gift does not mean that they are being used by God or that they are pleasing to God. The Bible says, “The GIFTS and CALLING of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). Gifts being used in the church have come to be the number one agency utilized as a means of deception by the Devil in the church. The Bible says, “You shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16) in regard to wicked ones who have deceptively come among God’s sheep.
Though they may appear heavily impassioned, passionate, or very spirited concerning the word they’re declaring, “crying” truthful statements just as the damsel possessed with the ungodly spirit, they can yet be not of God. God must bless us with the “discerning of spirits” (I Corinthians 12:10) to see through these false individuals. But when we know God enough and his word, we’ll be able to identify these individuals who are not of God, although they portray themselves to be.
This book is great. “Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). There are some good books out here to really enhance our knowledge and study of God’s word, and this here is one of them. (I’m writing a great one also. It’s a comprehensive follow-up to I Never Knew You.) Great books as these are needed and necessary because they function as a means to bring about the “unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:11-13) in the Body of Christ. This book provides a plethora of scriptures along with charts so that one can visually see what the scriptures are altogether informing us.
My Bishop introduced this book to me. It really guides us along the lines of prophecy, parables, and other nuances of God’s word. It is this book that is his Bible Class’s text (along with other hand-outs) that he teaches from every first Monday of the month.
Become a student of God’s word so that you will know his voice. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18). This book is an excellent study to aid you in acquiring an appropriate and scriptural foundation of God’s holy word.
Support local bookstores and get yours here. Amen: https://bookshop.org/a/56410/9781641235204
