TOPIC: CHECK THE SPIRIT
MEMORISE:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 11 John 4:1
READ: Matthew 16:13-23
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
MESSAGE
For everything we do, whether it is something we are saying, an action we are taking, or a decision we are making, there is a spirit within us influencing it. In Matthew 16:13-23, Peter was saying to Jesus Christ in one moment that He is the Christ, to which Jesus Christ said flesh and blood could not have revealed it to him, implying that only the Spirit of God could have revealed that to him. Not long after, the same Peter said to the Lord, "You will not die, " and the Lord turned to him and said, "Get thee behind me satan." This tells us that we must always check what spirit is influencing our actions. You can be a powerful man of God, filled with the Holy Ghost, and still be influenced by the devil.
When you read in 1 John 4:1 that you should test all spirits, don't just conduct tests on the spirits in other people; conduct a test on the spirit influencing you too. Check the things that you are doing, saying and believing; check if they are in line with the Spirit of God.
How do you check what spirit is influencing you? Matthew 7:16-17 says:
Ye shall know them by their fruits. 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.
Check the fruits you are bearing. Check if they are in line with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. If what you are doing does not show love, you are not being influenced by the Spirit of God. If you are doing something that is opposed to peace, it is another spirit influencing you. If a Christian decides to do something outside the will of God because he or she does not want to suffer for God's will, he or she is following the will of the devil.
Beloved, you must always check what spirit is influencing you at every point in time. A good way to know is to check if your decisions and actions are in line with the various expressions of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22- 23. If you are not born again, you should surrender your life to Christ so that you can be influenced by His Spirit. If you are a Christian and your decisions and actions do not reflect the fruit of the spirit, retrace your steps to being influenced by the Spirit of God only.
KEY POINT
Always weigh your thoughts and actions against the expressions of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 16-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 28: GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH
1. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but you are mighty;
hold me with your powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore.
2. Open now the crystal fountain,
where the healing waters flow.
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
ever be my strength and shield,
ever be my strength and shield.
3. When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside.
Death of death, and hell's Destruction,
land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises
I will ever sing to you,
I will ever sing to you.
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