Test The Spirits
Robert Jones
www.bobjones.org
I have been feeling led to write another post which may address some of the issues I see being raised about accuracy in prophecy, and how could the visions about the election have been so wrong.
Many years ago when I began receiving prophetic communications, the Lord led me to this passage. 1 John 4: 1-3 "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. (NIV) The Holy Spirit showed me how to use this passage, and I have now taught this to two generations of prophets.
In receiving a word form the Lord, whether through dreams, visions, words of knowledge, hearing, seeing, etc., we test the word against the Spirit of truth in our hearts and what we know from scriptures. These two tests are very good. However, during Jesus' temptation in the wilderness the Devil also used scripture and pieces of truth to tempt him. The final test that our Lord used to escape the temptation was realizing that the word he was hearing was not from His Father. It is a third test that prophets need to have in their testing kits.
Here is how it works. When you have received a word, in any form, test it the way you normally do for truth and scripture, prayer and discernment, but when finished simply ask the question from 1 John 4, "Did Jesus come in the flesh". Ask it out loud in prayer and in the spirit. I have had had words that passed all the other tests, suddenly vanish when this question is asked. I have gone hours, days, even weeks sometimes believing a word was from the Lord, forgetting to ask this question, when the Lord, or a student, friend, or family member reminds me to "test the spirits". When I do, sometimes the word vanishes. If it is of God you feel, hear, see a big "Amen" of peace.
The technique has never failed. The scripture dos not say to ask the prophet if he/she believes in Jesus, it says to ask the spirit of the message directly. If this passage is misapplied, people can assume that because a prophet is a believer, and because they personally acknowledge "Jesus coming the flesh", that the test has been passed. This is untrue, as the passage says to "ask the spirit", not the person.
I sense many prophets and believers in a season of grief, sackcloth and ashes, after the election. I went through this process last spring. Many prophets heard that there was a "Godly man" whom he was raising up. Many saw this man to be Mike Huckabee. The party did not select him thinking McCain more electable. The prophecies are not transferable, nor do they apply to any candidate the party puts up. I started mourning as to why the party missed God's word. It was then my eyes were opened. Many of you are about to see some things.
I also wish to confirm the words around Sarah Palin about her being an Esther for a time such as this. I believe those words are still to come to pass, and she will rise to prominence and provide a light for the Republicans in this dark time. The words did not mean she will be elected VP right now. We need to be careful with words that surge in our heart and we believe without first "testing the spirits". Satan is very, very crafty and can twist even a prophecy the wrong way.
We also need to be clear that we as Christians can never proclaim one party as the party of God. Godliness depends on us following Him daily, and when our party, church, or friends do not, we must still follow Him. America is not great. God is great. If America follows God she will be great. If she does not, she will go the way of Israel, Britain, Egypt and many other super powers before her. Greatness is from God always.
I belong to the Kingdom of God. His Kingdom come, here in America, as it is in heaven.
Thank you,
Bob Jones
www.bobjones.org
I have been feeling led to write another post which may address some of the issues I see being raised about accuracy in prophecy, and how could the visions about the election have been so wrong.
Many years ago when I began receiving prophetic communications, the Lord led me to this passage. 1 John 4: 1-3 "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. (NIV) The Holy Spirit showed me how to use this passage, and I have now taught this to two generations of prophets.
In receiving a word form the Lord, whether through dreams, visions, words of knowledge, hearing, seeing, etc., we test the word against the Spirit of truth in our hearts and what we know from scriptures. These two tests are very good. However, during Jesus' temptation in the wilderness the Devil also used scripture and pieces of truth to tempt him. The final test that our Lord used to escape the temptation was realizing that the word he was hearing was not from His Father. It is a third test that prophets need to have in their testing kits.
Here is how it works. When you have received a word, in any form, test it the way you normally do for truth and scripture, prayer and discernment, but when finished simply ask the question from 1 John 4, "Did Jesus come in the flesh". Ask it out loud in prayer and in the spirit. I have had had words that passed all the other tests, suddenly vanish when this question is asked. I have gone hours, days, even weeks sometimes believing a word was from the Lord, forgetting to ask this question, when the Lord, or a student, friend, or family member reminds me to "test the spirits". When I do, sometimes the word vanishes. If it is of God you feel, hear, see a big "Amen" of peace.
The technique has never failed. The scripture dos not say to ask the prophet if he/she believes in Jesus, it says to ask the spirit of the message directly. If this passage is misapplied, people can assume that because a prophet is a believer, and because they personally acknowledge "Jesus coming the flesh", that the test has been passed. This is untrue, as the passage says to "ask the spirit", not the person.
I sense many prophets and believers in a season of grief, sackcloth and ashes, after the election. I went through this process last spring. Many prophets heard that there was a "Godly man" whom he was raising up. Many saw this man to be Mike Huckabee. The party did not select him thinking McCain more electable. The prophecies are not transferable, nor do they apply to any candidate the party puts up. I started mourning as to why the party missed God's word. It was then my eyes were opened. Many of you are about to see some things.
I also wish to confirm the words around Sarah Palin about her being an Esther for a time such as this. I believe those words are still to come to pass, and she will rise to prominence and provide a light for the Republicans in this dark time. The words did not mean she will be elected VP right now. We need to be careful with words that surge in our heart and we believe without first "testing the spirits". Satan is very, very crafty and can twist even a prophecy the wrong way.
We also need to be clear that we as Christians can never proclaim one party as the party of God. Godliness depends on us following Him daily, and when our party, church, or friends do not, we must still follow Him. America is not great. God is great. If America follows God she will be great. If she does not, she will go the way of Israel, Britain, Egypt and many other super powers before her. Greatness is from God always.
I belong to the Kingdom of God. His Kingdom come, here in America, as it is in heaven.
Thank you,
Bob Jones
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