4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognise the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Imagine if there was a way to hear from God that would encourage people around you. There are people who I see that seem to hear God so clearly and their words are life to people around them. I find it so much harder and am often second guessing myself. Was that God or me… or something else. After all, we live in a spiritual world but not every spirit is from God. When we get these moments wrong it can be so painful. I know people who have been deeply hurt by prophetic words that came from the wrong place and were delivered with such authority. Which is why, it is so important that we learn discernment and humility.
The solution is not to stop trying to hear Gods voice. People are desperate to hear from God. We have a spiritual faire 100m from our church and it is always packed with people who are desperate for something deeper. The bible says that we should, ‘Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.’ Prophecy is an amazing gift that builds people up and leads them closer to Christ but it requires mature discernment.
A friend of mine has stopped using the language, ‘God says’ and now will say to people, ‘I had a thought about you.’ I like this much better. It takes off the weight of the word and it recognises that we are all imperfect and that every word needs to be weighed and tested. You can decide if that thought was from God or me. That is true for prophecy and it is true for preaching. We bring so much of ourselves and need to encourage people to discern what is from God and what is not.
In this passage we are given a couple of helpful ideas to discern wisely:
- The word affirms the complete work of Jesus. Jesus is Lord, he came in flesh and he died for us. Any word, prophetic or otherwise, that leads us to a place of legalism, self-awakening, or away from grace is not from God. So, if a preacher tells you that you will be blessed as much as you give into the offering, that is from a different spirit.
- The word is in line with the New Testament teachings. He says that people who listen to their (the apostles) teaching are from God. This is the teaching that we have in the New Testament. This should lead us to similar principles and practices as them.
And I would add a third principle that I think is wise:
- Look at the fruit. Every word is like a train that pulls into a platform, it will take you somewhere. Does the destination look like the fruit of the spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If not, then I would suggest it might not be from God this time.
It is our job to share words to build others up and to practice discernment so that we will not be deceived.
Reflect
- What are your experiences of hearing from God for others?
- What has been a positive experience of God speaking through someone in your life?
Respond
Ask God to give you a picture or a word for someone else. Try not to second guess it but listen to the first thing that you hear. Write it down and if it seems to be biblical and fruitful, share it with them along with the encouragement for them to discern.
