1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Discernment is being able to recognize the spirit of truth versus the spirit of falsehood. Some people naturally have this gift. Some, like me, do not. I seem to always be wrong and surprised when I decide to trust someone and it doesn't work out. So how do we know if someone or something is from God? If we are being lead by the hand of God or the influence of the Enemy? Scripture says to "test" the spirits. How do we do that? ....We use the word of God because it already knows how!
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
There are several great examples in the bible that teaches us that fasting is a way to get the gift of discernment. When we are unsure what we are feeling in our spirit is of God or Satan, we should fast. Fasting causes us to shut out the world and makes us sensitive to heavenly things. It quiets us, so we can hear His voice.
Anna was a prophetess. She lived in the temple in Jerusalem, fasting and praying, day and night. Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be circumcised and do everything for their new baby that was required by the law. Two people in the temple that day recognized Jesus for who He truly was. One was Simon and the other was Anna.
Luke 2:36-38 "There was also a prophetess, Anna, ...she was very old......and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying." Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Because she had a lifestyle of fasting and praying, she was sensitive to the moving of God and she recognized, a woman in her 80s, that the messiah had just entered the room! She discerned that baby from all other babies. When we fast, we too will be able to recognized when Christ has just moved.
Elijah was a godly man who defeated 450 prophets of Baal who were against his God. But Elijah was now being hunted down by the enemy. He fasted for 40 days and prayed to God for salvation and for direction.
1 Kings 19: 11-13 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
God came to Elijah in a "gentle whisper," and in the next few verses, God tells Elijah what direction to go. There are 2 very important things in this chapter. 1. "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." When we fast, we need to stand and wait, for the Lord is about to pass by! How wonderful of a promise. God is about to SHOW UP in our circumstance! Two, "And after the fire came a gentle whisper." Yes, when the wind is blowing and the earth is shaking, it seems that our world is crashing down, but the Lord will speak in a gentle whisper. He could have come in the earthquake or in the fire....our Hollywood minds would have done it that way....what a show that would have been. That definitely would have gotten our attention. But this is how He sets us apart from one another. Who is going to truly seek me? He is not going to yell at us or fight with us. We have to be quiet enough to hear Him. Stand, wait and listen for Him. Because Elijah had fasted, he could discern that God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire...and he heard the Lord's voice when He spoke.
Today, as we near the end of the fast, lets ask God to give us discernment to know His voice and to be able to recognized when He moves.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Discernment is being able to recognize the spirit of truth versus the spirit of falsehood. Some people naturally have this gift. Some, like me, do not. I seem to always be wrong and surprised when I decide to trust someone and it doesn't work out. So how do we know if someone or something is from God? If we are being lead by the hand of God or the influence of the Enemy? Scripture says to "test" the spirits. How do we do that? ....We use the word of God because it already knows how!
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
There are several great examples in the bible that teaches us that fasting is a way to get the gift of discernment. When we are unsure what we are feeling in our spirit is of God or Satan, we should fast. Fasting causes us to shut out the world and makes us sensitive to heavenly things. It quiets us, so we can hear His voice.
Anna was a prophetess. She lived in the temple in Jerusalem, fasting and praying, day and night. Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be circumcised and do everything for their new baby that was required by the law. Two people in the temple that day recognized Jesus for who He truly was. One was Simon and the other was Anna.
Luke 2:36-38 "There was also a prophetess, Anna, ...she was very old......and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying." Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Because she had a lifestyle of fasting and praying, she was sensitive to the moving of God and she recognized, a woman in her 80s, that the messiah had just entered the room! She discerned that baby from all other babies. When we fast, we too will be able to recognized when Christ has just moved.
Elijah was a godly man who defeated 450 prophets of Baal who were against his God. But Elijah was now being hunted down by the enemy. He fasted for 40 days and prayed to God for salvation and for direction.
1 Kings 19: 11-13 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
God came to Elijah in a "gentle whisper," and in the next few verses, God tells Elijah what direction to go. There are 2 very important things in this chapter. 1. "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." When we fast, we need to stand and wait, for the Lord is about to pass by! How wonderful of a promise. God is about to SHOW UP in our circumstance! Two, "And after the fire came a gentle whisper." Yes, when the wind is blowing and the earth is shaking, it seems that our world is crashing down, but the Lord will speak in a gentle whisper. He could have come in the earthquake or in the fire....our Hollywood minds would have done it that way....what a show that would have been. That definitely would have gotten our attention. But this is how He sets us apart from one another. Who is going to truly seek me? He is not going to yell at us or fight with us. We have to be quiet enough to hear Him. Stand, wait and listen for Him. Because Elijah had fasted, he could discern that God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire...and he heard the Lord's voice when He spoke.
Today, as we near the end of the fast, lets ask God to give us discernment to know His voice and to be able to recognized when He moves.
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