Test the Spirit

A long time ago, someone called me asking for money. So I asked why she suddenly needed  the money urgently. She said she had been asked to buy a coffin and a cow and bring them to the church because the spirit of death was hovering.

Considering this kind of situation, the Apostle John admonishes us to test the spirits.

It is no longer news that African traditional practices are being introduced into the church. We see churches using calabashes and fire, kneeling down and making incantations, which they claim to be speaking in tongues, thereby polluting the atmosphere of the church environment. But the Apostle John said, “Test the spirits.”

1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We also see the Apostle Paul admonishing us about Jesus giving Himself for the present evil age, but he did not stop there. He also admonished us concerning how the gospel should be preached. It should not be contrary to what we have already received.

Scripture says in Galatians 1 (ESV):

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.»

This gospel that we see creeping into the church atmosphere— is it the gospel that we received? Is it the gospel that the Apostles died for?

The gospel of bringing burning calabashes into a church, dancing with fire in our hands, and mind-bending practices that condition people to do things that are not normal to them—is this the gospel, the Fathers hustled to send to us?

Today, I want to remind you: test every prophecy. Test every word. Test the spirit. Be sure that you are not practising African traditional religion in the name of the prophetic.

No message or act carried out in the name of God should contradict Scripture. Scripture is the unified Word of God. These are holy words inspired by God and written by men.

So, test. Check every word. Examine everything through the lens of the Spirit and the physical evidence before you. Bear in mind that Scripture does not contradict itself.

Before acting on a prophetic word or admonition you receive, test it with the Word of God.

Stay Revived!