Discernment of Spirits — Who is speaking?

The Journey: Session Three, Part One

Do Not Believe Every Spirit

Read 1 Kings 13

The story in 1 Kings 13 shows that you always must be on guard. You must determine the source of any teaching, doctrine, or instruction or any prophetic or spiritual manifestation or message. This was not an example of someone pretending to be a prophet. The second prophet in this story was truly a prophet of God, as is shown in verses 20–22. However, he was also a liar. For some reason, he faked a prophecy, leading to the death of the first prophet. We must always be on guard.

(1 John 4:1–3 NKJ) “[1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

There is also the matter of spiritual growth. If you want to grow spiritually, you need to learn discernment. In his letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul laments the lack of maturity in his readers and advised that…