To me it is the strangest thing to hear that people don't believe in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, when the reason I personally came to Jesus Christ (after rejecting Him for years) was the Holy Spirit. And again, no signs and wonders to those who require these in order to BELIEVE, that nation who ask for a sign only to mock and condemn. But the Spirit of God will be poured out, revelation will be given, healing will be given, deliverance will be given to those with a contrite and humble spirit. Isaiah 57:15-19
“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:28-32
I read a lot about demonic entities imitating God, but my question is:
to what extent can that happen and how can we have discernment about it?
By the Spirit of God that lives in us and works through us. His holiness, His righteousness, His love which will give us discernment when that is established within us! Yes, we have the Spirit of God but do you think it's a dormant force doing nothing? Or a force that is limited to staying in? We are talking about the Spirit of Jesus!
But how can you have real discernment if you don't know how holy Jesus really is? It cannot be mistaken because it is too powerful and beyond human comprehension. Sometimes the greatness and holiness of His presence forces people onto their knees!
You think these things are exaggeration, ridiculous and merely a 'religious' performance of people who are looking for attention? Well, humble yourself then and remember your place as a human being, because it seems you are not quite grasping who the Lord really is.
The Word of God is a part of God, but not all of Him. Don't try to limit Him into a book! His word is only in a book format because through the spiritual gates of our eyes or ears we need to consume His words which then will work within, giving us the vocabulary against evil or a revelation when it's needed.
When you honestly open your heart and repent of your ways, God will anoint you with more knowing, more revelation, more of His Spirit. He becomes the source of your discernment. If you are not looking for the presence of God, only allowing Him to reach your logical understanding, you will not have real discernment. You will rely on your logical mind with all the facts in it. Or do you think you are more clever than God and that you know all the answers? If so, you need to repent and humble yourself.
Then it's easy to have discernment, here are the words of Jesus himself:
Ye shall know them by their fruit. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Matthew 7:15-20
I have personally experienced deliverance from demonic entities without the help of another person, but by Holy Spirit. What were the fruits of these spiritual experiences? My mind changed, addictions left me, depression left me. I had my hair falling due to stress for YEARS, I tried everything to make it stop and I kept losing it, I gave up completely. When I attended this small church of believers in Holy Spirit, I asked the pastor to pray for me. I was hopeless and thought: why not? I have tried everything, what I have to lose? He prayed for me, and a few days later my hairfall STOPPED. Strange coincidence, right?
I suggest to all of you who aren't believing in the physical manifestations of Holy Spirit to take a moment and ask:
why does the idea of wonders and miracles really bother me?
What is the real reason?
Because apparently there are thousands and thousands of people testifying of miraculous healings, deliverances etc. Are they all frauds?
Surely enough there will be people who are faking, who would look for show, to gain attention, to make money. Frauds were and will always be present, but again: look at their fruits.
As a closing to all: there are people all over the world who are faking something in order to gain with it. It's unavoidable but you don't need to think about this because God will judge all of humanity in due time. You simply have to have discernment and that is given by Holy Spirit. Be close to God, allow a relationship with Him in a form of prayer and don't close yourself off from new experiences. Go on to experience God, not only read about Him! What bad can happen to you? You are rooted in His Word and His Promises! Great! You are alive to experience Him, to execute on your divine assignment and to be elevated into closeness with Him. Pray about this with honesty and curiosity, talk about your worries with Him and He will lead you surely.
Written with much love,
Barbara