How to Test the Spirits?

[Hobie]

How do you test the spirits, and prophets to see if they are false, as we have many that say they have the 'spirit' or the 'spirit allows them to speak in tongues', or they were told to do or say things 'by a spirit', or give 'prophecies or interpretation from a spirit', etc.. Scripture definably tells us to do this...
1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

There are indeed many false spirits and false prophets out in the world today, which are deceiving many. So how can we recognize a false spirit or the spirit of a false prophet or teacher and don’t be taken in by them. And how do we test them?

Well the Bible lists a series of tests that can be applied to test the spirits or prophets to determine whether they are genuine or not. Taken individually, it is possible to counterfeit many of these tests, but collectively, they provide an impassable barrier to these false spirits or prophets, as even in Bible times we see them at work.

Acts 16:16
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:

Those with these false spirits can quote scripture or have demons help them and have some of their 'divinations' come true, but they can still be false and lead God's people astray. John says that we must test the spirits to see whether they are from God and this means that we must test what the spirits are saying, or doing, or telling us to say. So lets see the tests..

1) A true spirit or prophet's message will be in complete harmony with the word of God and the law of God.
Isaiah 8:20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

2) A true spirit or prophet's will produce the attributes given us in the scripture, goodness, righteousness and truth as well as love and more.
Ephesians 5:9
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:..

3) A true spirit or prophet gives counsel to edify the church, and has a grace and wisdom from God.
Luke 2:40
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
1 Corinthians 14:3-5
3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
5 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

4) A true spirit or prophet will exalt Christ as the Son of God and the Saviour of mankind, and lift up the church, the body of Christ.
1 John 4:11-15
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Ephesians 2:11-13
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

5) The true spirit or prophet will bear good fruit and give Gods truth with great authority.

Matthew 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Matthew 7:29
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Mark 1:22
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Luke 1:17
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Jesus is the supreme example, and He spoke those things which He had seen and heard from the Father, and we see the spirit preparing and turning the people to Christ.

 

[David]

There are indeed many false spirits and false prophets out in the world today, which are deceiving many.

I think you made a great point. False spirits can be convincing. Scripture certainly warns that the enemy can counterfeit the miraculous. ~Acts 16:16 or ~Deuteronomy 13:1-3 are good examples. Those verses certainly do show that not everything supernatural comes from God. I would just add this tiny clarification for others who may read this thread… Satan can only do what God permits. He can counterfeit power, but he is never co-equal to God in authority or ability. Everything that occurs is still sovereignly permitted by God.

That is why we need to test the spirits as you mentioned. When we are abiding in Scripture and walking by the Spirit, we will not be deceived. The Word provides everything we need to separate truth from error, and “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” ~1 John 4:4.

The painful reality is that so many people today sincerely think that they are following God, but in fact they are following a twisted counterfeit of Him. Satan does not need people to outright reject God, he just needs them to believe a lie that masquerades as holy. That is why false teachers can be so passionate and convincing; they themselves are deceived. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” ~2 Corinthians 11:13.

Jesus said, “Many will come to me saying, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you’ ” ~Matthew 7:23. They based their religion on feelings, experience, or self-generated revelation rather than the rock-solid Word of God. When people place more faith in feelings than in Scripture, deception easily creeps in.

That is precisely why God provided us with His written Word. The Scriptures allow us to know the truth so we would not rely on our own understanding ~Proverbs 3:5. When the Bible is our foundation, no false spirits or false prophets can shake us. The Spirit of God will never contradict the Word of God, and that is the litmus test which exposes every counterfeit.

 

[Onword]

2 John if understood is the truth needed , I never hear people speak about what is revealed here in 2 John . Ask God for wisdom James says but ask in faith . I’m not going to try to explain 2John . But at the time of its writing many deceivers are entered into the world , almost 2000 yrs ago , so we all need to take seriously how to detect error. Since the apostles time the spirit of iniquity was al ready working and will grow until anti christ is revealed . It also says when there are many anti Christ you know it’s the end times . Trying to find a sound church seems to be a rare thing to me . Sorry for the lack of references , it’s just spontaneous thought . 2 John is amazing to understand. Few do or it’s well hidden. Here is a verse that is well hidden I read it a few times in KJV and cannot find it in any search engine or even in Strongs exhaustive concordance. I don’t remember where I read it either, but I asked others and they say the same they read it but can’t remember where . The verse is in OT something like this The LORD speaking through a prophet “ I am not of flesh that I should forget “ if you can find the book , and chapter that would be great , but I ask why are they hiding this verse ? If you understand 2 John you will know why . All the best as we seek the truth in Jesus Christ name , the Son of God .

 

[David]

2 John if understood is the truth needed , I never hear people speak about what is revealed here in 2 John . Ask God for wisdom James says but ask in faith . I’m not going to try to explain 2John . But at the time of its writing many deceivers are entered into the world , almost 2000 yrs ago , so we all need to take seriously how to detect error. Since the apostles time the spirit of iniquity was al ready working and will grow until anti christ is revealed . It also says when there are many anti Christ you know it’s the end times . Trying to find a sound church seems to be a rare thing to me . Sorry for the lack of references , it’s just spontaneous thought . 2 John is amazing to understand. Few do or it’s well hidden. Here is a verse that is well hidden I read it a few times in KJV and cannot find it in any search engine or even in Strongs exhaustive concordance. I don’t remember where I read it either, but I asked others and they say the same they read it but can’t remember where . The verse is in OT something like this The LORD speaking through a prophet “ I am not of flesh that I should forget “ if you can find the book , and chapter that would be great , but I ask why are they hiding this verse ? If you understand 2 John you will know why . All the best as we seek the truth in Jesus Christ name , the Son of God .

You’re right that 2 John warns about deception, and that part should be taken seriously. “Many deceivers are entered into the world” ~2 John 1:7. That is clear, and it calls us to stay grounded in the doctrine of Christ.

But the verse you’re trying to remember is not actually written the way you described. Scripture does say, “God is not a man, that he should lie” ~Numbers 23:19, and it also says, “yet will I not forget thee” ~Isaiah 49:15. Those are likely what you’re recalling.

There isn’t a hidden or missing verse. God has not buried His Word. “The testimony of the LORD is sure” ~Psalm 19:7. What He has revealed is there to be read and known.

 

[Onword]

Now I have your interest David , those are not the verse , it has the word flesh and forget in the statement. Thanks I hope you can find it !

 

[Onword]

I spent hrs today and cannot find the verse , it’s well hidden …

 

[David]

I spent hrs today and cannot find the verse , it’s well hidden …

You’re not losing your mind. You just can’t find it because it’s not there.

“There is no where in Scripture where God says, ‘I am not of flesh that I should forget.’” Those words do not appear in the Old Testament or New Testament.

You are probably remembering two verses that have been combined. The Bible says, “God is not a man, that he should lie” ~Numbers 23:19. The Bible says, “yet will I not forget thee” ~Isaiah 49:15. Those verses are both real, but they are not joined together as you remember.

God has also promised that His Word would not be secret or missing. “The testimony of the LORD is sure” ~Psalm 19:7. In fact, we are commanded, “Add thou not unto his words” ~Proverbs 30:6.

2 John warns about deceivers, but being protected from deception is not trying to find secret verses. It’s reading what is there. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God” ~2 John 1:9.

If you cannot find a verse in the text, do not treat it like Scripture. That is where deception begins.

 

[Onword]

You’re not losing your mind. You just can’t find it because it’s not there.

“There is no where in Scripture where God says, ‘I am not of flesh that I should forget.’” Those words do not appear in the Old Testament or New Testament.

You are probably remembering two verses that have been combined. The Bible says, “God is not a man, that he should lie” ~Numbers 23:19. The Bible says, “yet will I not forget thee” ~Isaiah 49:15. Those verses are both real, but they are not joined together as you remember.

God has also promised that His Word would not be secret or missing. “The testimony of the LORD is sure” ~Psalm 19:7. In fact, we are commanded, “Add thou not unto his words” ~Proverbs 30:6.

2 John warns about deceivers, but being protected from deception is not trying to find secret verses. It’s reading what is there. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God” ~2 John 1:9.

If you cannot find a verse in the text, do not treat it like Scripture. That is where deception begins.

It was in the KJV I read it more than once and a lady said she remembered reading it too . We are not lying , but it may have been in an older KJV . I’m surprised that it can not be found in . I will eventually find it because I have my older bibles too .

 

[Onword]

It was in the KJV I read it more than once and a lady said she remembered reading it too . We are not lying , but it may have been in an older KJV . I’m surprised that it can not be found in . I will eventually find it because I have my older bibles too .

The context was God speaking about how Israel had departed from obeying God and saying he is not of flesh that he should forget his Covenant. Some along those lines but not in those exact words . I see no error in it either because God is Spirit and changes not .

 

[TitusTwoWife]

How do you test the spirits, and prophets to see if they are false, as we have many that say they have the 'spirit' or the 'spirit allows them to speak in tongues', or they were told to do or say things 'by a spirit', or give 'prophecies or interpretation from a spirit', etc.. Scripture definably tells us to do this...
1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

There are indeed many false spirits and false prophets out in the world today, which are deceiving many. So how can we recognize a false spirit or the spirit of a false prophet or teacher and don’t be taken in by them. And how do we test them?

Well the Bible lists a series of tests that can be applied to test the spirits or prophets to determine whether they are genuine or not. Taken individually, it is possible to counterfeit many of these tests, but collectively, they provide an impassable barrier to these false spirits or prophets, as even in Bible times we see them at work.

Acts 16:16
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:

Those with these false spirits can quote scripture or have demons help them and have some of their 'divinations' come true, but they can still be false and lead God's people astray. John says that we must test the spirits to see whether they are from God and this means that we must test what the spirits are saying, or doing, or telling us to say. So lets see the tests..

1) A true spirit or prophet's message will be in complete harmony with the word of God and the law of God.
Isaiah 8:20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

2) A true spirit or prophet's will produce the attributes given us in the scripture, goodness, righteousness and truth as well as love and more.
Ephesians 5:9
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:..

3) A true spirit or prophet gives counsel to edify the church, and has a grace and wisdom from God.
Luke 2:40
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
1 Corinthians 14:3-5
3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
5 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

4) A true spirit or prophet will exalt Christ as the Son of God and the Saviour of mankind, and lift up the church, the body of Christ.
1 John 4:11-15
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Ephesians 2:11-13
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

5) The true spirit or prophet will bear good fruit and give Gods truth with great authority.

Matthew 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Matthew 7:29
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Mark 1:22
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Luke 1:17
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Jesus is the supreme example, and He spoke those things which He had seen and heard from the Father, and we see the spirit preparing and turning the people to Christ.

A true Spirit will also confess that Jesus came in the flesh.

1 John 4:2-3
King James Version
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

 

[Gabrielle]

“ I am not of flesh that I should forget “

“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
1 Samuel 15:29 (KJV)

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent…”
Numbers 23:19 (KJV)

 

[David]

A true Spirit will also confess that Jesus came in the flesh.

1 John 4:2-3
King James Version
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

And notice something important. This is not just about saying “Jesus existed.” Even false religions will say that. The issue is who He is and what He came as. Fully God, fully man. Come in the flesh to save sinners.

So the dividing line is clear. Any teaching, any spirit, any message that denies the true incarnation of Jesus Christ is not from God. It does not matter how spiritual it sounds, how loving it appears, or how many people follow it.

The Word draws a hard line here. And we are not free to move it.

 

[David]

“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
1 Samuel 15:29 (KJV)

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent…”
Numbers 23:19 (KJV)

Those verses you shared are clearly what’s being remembered. It’s easy to see how they could get blended together, but what you pointed out brings it right back to what’s actually written.

Appreciate you keeping it simple and grounded like that.

 

[Yesua888]

Those verses you shared are clearly what’s being remembered. It’s easy to see how they could get blended together, but what you pointed out brings it right back to what’s actually written.

Appreciate you keeping it simple and grounded like that.

Hi David,
I did not get this ... what is meant by:
"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
1 Samuel 15:29 (KJV)"

 

[Yesua888]

“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
1 Samuel 15:29 (KJV)

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent…”
Numbers 23:19 (KJV)

Gabrielle,
Why did you include:
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
1 Samuel 15:29 (KJV)
I'm not making the connection?
Thanks : )

 

[David]

Hi David,
I did not get this ... what is meant by:
"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
1 Samuel 15:29 (KJV)"

Israel's majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being—he does not change his mind." ~ 1 Samuel 15:29 GNB puts it like that. Just using it because it is easer to understand.

You’ve got to see what’s happening in that moment, because this isn’t just a theological statement. This is God drawing a hard line after Saul played games with His Word.

Saul disobeyed. God told him to carry out judgment fully, and he decided to keep what looked good to him. Then when he got confronted, he tried to dress it up like obedience. That’s when Samuel steps in and shuts it down with truth.

Right after telling Saul the kingdom is taken from him, Samuel says, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent” ~1 Samuel 15:29.

In plain terms, God is saying, “I’m not like you.”

Man lies. God does not. Man shifts, backtracks, and rewrites the story when it gets uncomfortable. God doesn’t do that. When He speaks, it stands. When He judges, it’s right. When He decides, it’s final.

The word “repent” there is key. With man, repentance often comes because we got it wrong, we lacked information, or we regret what we did. But God never operates like that. He never learns anything new. He never corrects Himself. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent” ~Numbers 23:19. And He says it again, “I am the LORD, I change not” ~Malachi 3:6.

So when Saul is hoping God might reverse the decision, Samuel is making it clear. That door is shut. Not because God is harsh, but because God is true.

Now don’t get tripped up when Scripture says earlier, “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king” ~1 Samuel 15:11. That’s not God admitting a mistake. That’s God expressing His grief over Saul’s rebellion and showing a change in how He is now dealing with him. The problem didn’t come from God. It came from Saul.

Here’s where it hits home. Saul wanted partial obedience. He wanted to keep what he liked and still claim he was following God. That’s how people still operate today. They adjust God’s commands to fit their preferences and then expect God to adjust His judgment to match.

But God doesn’t bend to man. When God says something, He means it. When He warns, He’s not bluffing. When He calls for obedience, He’s not negotiating.

That’s the weight of this verse. God is not like us. He doesn’t lie, and He doesn’t change His mind to accommodate disobedience. What He has spoken will stand, whether a man likes it or not.