Testing the spirits refers to the practice of examining spiritual teachings, experiences, and manifestations to determine if they are from God or from some other source. This concept comes from 1 John 4:1 which says “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
There are a few key reasons why Christians are instructed to test the spirits:
- Not everything supernatural or spiritual is from God – There are deceiving spirits and false prophets who can perform signs and wonders to lead people astray (Matthew 24:24). We are told to test the spirits behind such manifestations.
- We are in a spiritual battle – There are spiritual forces of evil and deception in this world that seek to lead people away from God’s truth (Ephesians 6:12). We must discern what is true and false.
- False teaching can creep into the church – Even within Christian circles there can be false teaching that distorts the gospel (Galatians 1:6-9). We need to test teaching by the standard of God’s Word.
- Satan disguises himself as an angel of light – Satan can try to deceive people by appearing as “righteous” and luring people away from God’s truth (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). We must not be ignorant of his schemes.
The Bible gives us some criteria for testing spiritual sources:
- Test against Scripture – God’s Word is the ultimate standard of truth. Any spirit or teaching must align with scripture (Acts 17:11, Isaiah 8:20).
- Test the fruit – Examine the character and conduct of those bringing spiritual teachings. Do they display the fruit of the Spirit and godliness? (Matthew 7:15-20)
- Consider the confession – Do they confess Jesus Christ as truly coming in the flesh? Or do they have an errant view of Christ? (1 John 4:1-3)
- Test apparent spiritual gifts – Spiritual gifts will glorify God and build up others. But false gifts often focus on the gifted person. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
- Listen to the counsel of mature believers – Seek out those known for godly wisdom and discernment to help test questionable things. (Proverbs 11:14, Acts 15:1-29)
- Pray for discernment – Ask God earnestly for wisdom to distinguish truth and error. The Holy Spirit will guide us. (Philippians 1:9-10, James 1:5)
In practice, testing the spirits requires:
- Having knowledge of biblical truth so we can compare it to what we hear and see (2 Timothy 2:15)
- Thinking critically rather than blindly accepting every spiritual claim (Acts 17:11)
- Seeking God in prayer rather than relying solely on our intellect (James 1:5)
- Moving slowly – not jumping to conclusions but carefully examining over time (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
- Questioning carefully – asking thoughtful questions rather than making quick judgments (1 John 4:1)
- Objectively weighing both the positive and negative – not just looking for what we want to see (Proverbs 18:17)
- Looking at the whole picture – not basing conclusions on isolated events or teachings (2 Peter 1:20)
When testing spiritual sources, we should also remember:
- Not all supernatural phenomena are evil – God may still speak through dreams, visions, prophecies etc. (Joel 2:28-29)
- Exercise caution but avoid paranoia – Deception is real but we don’t want to see demons everywhere. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)
- Don’t condemn without cause – We should test carefully before making definitive judgments about sources. (Matthew 7:1-5)
- Guard your own heart – Impure motives like pride, jealousy, bitterness can cloud discernment. (James 3:13-18)
- Pray for wisdom – Ask God to reveal what we cannot see in our finite mindset (James 1:5).
In summary, testing the spirits means approaching spiritual teachings, manifestations, promptings, prophetic words, and supernatural phenomena with cautious discernment. We test by God’s Word, in prayer, through critical thinking, and seeking counsel to determine their ultimate source and purpose. This allows us to avoid deception and act upon what is truly from the Spirit of God.
Here are some examples of how we can test various spiritual sources in practice:
Testing Prophecy
Prophecy and prophetic words should be carefully tested since false prophets can speak convincingly. Some biblical principles for testing prophecy include:
- Compare the message to Scripture (Isaiah 8:20) – Does it contradict God’s Word?
- Examine the prophet’s life – Are they walking with God or living in open sin? (Jeremiah 23:14-16)
- Look for confirmation – Are respected leaders affirming this word? (1 Corinthians 14:29)
- Watch the results – Does the prophecy build up and console or confuse and tear down? (1 Corinthians 14:3-4)
- Consider their view of Jesus – Do they exalt Him and the gospel message? (1 John 4:1-3)
- Wait, pray and see – Not everything will be clear initially. Weigh it over time. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22)
Testing Spiritual Experiences
Spectacular spiritual experiences like visions, visitations, ecstatic joy, etc. should also be carefully tested as Satan can counterfeit these. Ways to test include:
- Scripture – Does the experience contradict or align with God’s Word? (Isaiah 8:20)
- Humility – Does the person glorify God or draw attention to themselves? (Daniel 10:8-9)
- Fruit – Do they demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience…or opposite? (Matthew 7:15-20)
- Teaching – Do they affirm sound doctrine about Jesus, the gospel, etc? (1 John 4:1-3)
- Accountability – Are respected leaders in their life who can help test the experience? (Acts 15:1-29)
- Prayer – Ask God for wisdom and insight about sources of the experience. (James 1:5)
Testing Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual gifts like tongues, healing, miracles can be tested to ensure they are from the Holy Spirit. We test gifts by:
- Word – Do the gifts contradict or align with Scripture? (1 Corinthians 14:29)
- Motive – Are the gifts done out of love and humility or selfish ambition? (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
- Order – Are things done decently and in order, or chaotic? (1 Corinthians 14:33,40)
- Exaltation – Do the gifts glorify God and build up others? (1 Corinthians 12:7, 14:12)
- Fruit – Does the person’s life show evidence of godly fruit? (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Doctrine – Do they affirm essential truths about Jesus, the gospel, etc? (1 John 4:1-3)
Testing Spiritual Manifestations
Unusual spiritual manifestations can occur involving uncontrollable laughter, falling down, cries, convulsions. These should be carefully tested:
- Order – Does it cause disruption or divisions? God brings unity. (1 Corinthians 14:33)
- Control – Is the person unable to restrain themselves? The Spirit does not overwhelm our will. (1 Corinthians 14:32)
- Attention – Does it draw attention to the person or to God? (1 Corinthians 14:12)
- Scripture – Does it contradict God’s Word? (1 Corinthians 14:29)
- Fruit – Does it produce meaningful spiritual fruit in the person’s life? (Matthew 7:20)
- Teaching – Does the person hold to sound doctrine? (1 John 4:1-3)
These are just some examples of how we can thoughtfully and prayerfully test spiritual sources. The goal is not to be overly skeptical of everything, but to have wise discernment so we can embrace what is genuinely from the Spirit of God and reject what is false or deceptive.
Testing the spirits may require patience as we carefully consider the fruit of a prophecy, teaching, or supernatural experience over time. We should avoid rushing to hasty judgments. It’s easy to label something as evil or dismiss it too quickly as imaginary when we lack concrete evidence.
On the other hand, naively accepting every spiritual manifestation without testing it carefully against Scripture opens us up to deception. There is great danger if we allow teachings, prophecies, dreams or experiences to contradict God’s Word and sound doctrine.
As we test the spirits, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and discernment that goes beyond our natural intellect (James 1:5). Staying grounded in Scripture and prayer is crucial. Testing should be done in humility with the aim of confirming truth, not just condemning supposed error.
In conclusion, testing the spirits is a vital but complex process of carefully examining spiritual sources to determine their origin and purpose – whether they are from the Holy Spirit and consistent with God’s truth or if they are deceptive. We test with wisdom, discernment, Scripture, prayer and counsel to avoid demonic deception and to walk in spiritual truth.
