Post by Zac Loh on Nov 17, 2007 4:00:44 GMT -5
The Devil tries to counterfeit and imitate God’s voice – sounding very much like God’s voice. But there are 3 principles/ways to ascertain God’s voice which is in progressive order of its superiority.
1. THE EFFECTS OF A GOOD, CLEAN AND BLAMELESS CONSCIENCE
who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) (Romans 2:15)
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 9:1)
A Good Conscience (Acts 23:1; 1 Timothy 1:5, 19; Hebrews 13:18; 1 Peter 3:16, 21) VERSUS A Weak Conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7-12)
A Clean Conscience (1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3) VERSUS A Defiled Conscience (Titus 1:15)
A Blameless Conscience (Acts 24:16) VERSUS An Evil Conscience (Hebrews 10:22)
I remember the time when I had just accepted Christ. I had the conscious tangible peace of God in me for whole 24 hours a day, for 8 consecutive days …even when I woke-up in the morning!
One of the first things I noticed was the difference in the state of my conscience: the before and the after of my ‘born again’ experience.
I realized that my conscience became ‘good, clean and blameless’; as compared to my previous conscience which was at most times weak, and at times defiled when I did bad immoral acts, and once in a while, evil. Yet I still felt my conscience weak, defiled and evil – as times go by - when I wasn’t walking right with God.
Some have had their conscience seared as like hot-brand iron. Their conscience is dead (1 Timothy 4:2). These are unbelievers who went to the point that they could not accept Christ anymore. Back-slider Christians could also reach this point (Hebrews 6:4-8; John 15:6).
Most times these people which conscience is seared, sad to say, are influenced by demons. The beauty of being a Christian; is that, only with the Holy Spirit we can have a good, clean and blameless conscience. It is a privilege that every born-again Christian can enjoy!
To maintain a good, clean and blameless conscience, we need to consciously present our body as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1-2) and be filled with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-21).
Our conscience can be our last line of defence. I have had experiences of being beset with spirits of confusion, deception and delusion. In times like these, remember your conscience, act with the indication from your conscience.
2. THE EFFECTS OF THE ANOINTING WITHIN (THE INWARD ANOINTING)
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
(1 John 2:18-20, 27; underline mine)
The context of this scripture is applied to every Christian has God’s abiding and sealed Spirit within because of the `born again’ experience (John 3:3-8).
It is not a special exclusive anointing. The reason being, this passage of scripture was addressed to ‘little children’.
Furthermore, the context of the scope of the use of this anointing was limited to discerning between a brother who is of the kingdom of light of the Lord, or a person of the kingdom of darkness of Satan.
The application of phrases: ‘you know all things’ and ‘you don’t need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things’ should be within the scope of usage as mentioned. Anyway, it is unfair to expect a lot from ‘little children’.
The root meaning of the ‘anointing’ has the idea of ‘a contact, to smear and rub’. There is good chance that the root meaning of `anointing’ came from the use of olive oil to rub on the sheep to protect the wool, prevent bugs and etc. Olive oil was already widely used and sheep was common in those days.
The act of rubbing depicts a sensational experience!
The voice of God will activate, revive, refresh, stir and strengthen the inmost spiritual being/person within us (Ephesians 3:16).
We can sense it, and feel it.
On the contrary, the voice of demons would affect a down, or an ill, sensation to our inmost spiritual being/person.
Let me qualify, the above is provided we are spiritually healthy, so that we are spiritually sensitive.
3. THE EFECTS OF THE MIND OF CHRIST
“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)
Our body has a sensor/function control centre, which we called the ‘brain’. Even so, our inmost spiritual being/person has a sensor/function control centre called ‘the mind of Christ’.
Just as our physical brain grow and mature through education and experience; our spiritual brain, the mind of Christ, grows and matures through the Holy Spirit's revelation of truth and impartation.
Many people expressed the spiritual discernment of `the mind of Christ’ within them as ‘a knowing’ or ‘I know that I know that I know’.
This ‘knowing’ is of a higher degree than a physical ‘knowing’ (of the body), and than a psychological ‘knowing’ (of the soul). It is a spiritual `knowing’ with a higher intensity and greater amplification - than the body or the soul. It is of a knowing with a different dimension – a spiritual dimension.
FURTHER NOTES
• God do use His angels to speak to us (Acts 16:6-10; Hebrews 1:13-14), but that is not one of His primary principal ways.
• God is not a cassette player which you can switch on to listen to, whenever or whatever you want to listen. You are never to switch God off whenever you are not interest or doesn’t like.
• In knowing God’s will, we are to be led by the ‘knowing’ in our inmost spiritual being/person. We do not become perfect and mature in an instant, but we can grow towards it. It is not right to expect God to speak to us every time in every situation and circumstance. God loves us. Yet He expects us to trust in Him, even when He is silent!
1. THE EFFECTS OF A GOOD, CLEAN AND BLAMELESS CONSCIENCE
who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) (Romans 2:15)
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 9:1)
A Good Conscience (Acts 23:1; 1 Timothy 1:5, 19; Hebrews 13:18; 1 Peter 3:16, 21) VERSUS A Weak Conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7-12)
A Clean Conscience (1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3) VERSUS A Defiled Conscience (Titus 1:15)
A Blameless Conscience (Acts 24:16) VERSUS An Evil Conscience (Hebrews 10:22)
I remember the time when I had just accepted Christ. I had the conscious tangible peace of God in me for whole 24 hours a day, for 8 consecutive days …even when I woke-up in the morning!
One of the first things I noticed was the difference in the state of my conscience: the before and the after of my ‘born again’ experience.
I realized that my conscience became ‘good, clean and blameless’; as compared to my previous conscience which was at most times weak, and at times defiled when I did bad immoral acts, and once in a while, evil. Yet I still felt my conscience weak, defiled and evil – as times go by - when I wasn’t walking right with God.
Some have had their conscience seared as like hot-brand iron. Their conscience is dead (1 Timothy 4:2). These are unbelievers who went to the point that they could not accept Christ anymore. Back-slider Christians could also reach this point (Hebrews 6:4-8; John 15:6).
Most times these people which conscience is seared, sad to say, are influenced by demons. The beauty of being a Christian; is that, only with the Holy Spirit we can have a good, clean and blameless conscience. It is a privilege that every born-again Christian can enjoy!
To maintain a good, clean and blameless conscience, we need to consciously present our body as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1-2) and be filled with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-21).
Our conscience can be our last line of defence. I have had experiences of being beset with spirits of confusion, deception and delusion. In times like these, remember your conscience, act with the indication from your conscience.
2. THE EFFECTS OF THE ANOINTING WITHIN (THE INWARD ANOINTING)
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
(1 John 2:18-20, 27; underline mine)
The context of this scripture is applied to every Christian has God’s abiding and sealed Spirit within because of the `born again’ experience (John 3:3-8).
It is not a special exclusive anointing. The reason being, this passage of scripture was addressed to ‘little children’.
Furthermore, the context of the scope of the use of this anointing was limited to discerning between a brother who is of the kingdom of light of the Lord, or a person of the kingdom of darkness of Satan.
The application of phrases: ‘you know all things’ and ‘you don’t need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things’ should be within the scope of usage as mentioned. Anyway, it is unfair to expect a lot from ‘little children’.
The root meaning of the ‘anointing’ has the idea of ‘a contact, to smear and rub’. There is good chance that the root meaning of `anointing’ came from the use of olive oil to rub on the sheep to protect the wool, prevent bugs and etc. Olive oil was already widely used and sheep was common in those days.
The act of rubbing depicts a sensational experience!
The voice of God will activate, revive, refresh, stir and strengthen the inmost spiritual being/person within us (Ephesians 3:16).
We can sense it, and feel it.
On the contrary, the voice of demons would affect a down, or an ill, sensation to our inmost spiritual being/person.
Let me qualify, the above is provided we are spiritually healthy, so that we are spiritually sensitive.
3. THE EFECTS OF THE MIND OF CHRIST
“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)
Our body has a sensor/function control centre, which we called the ‘brain’. Even so, our inmost spiritual being/person has a sensor/function control centre called ‘the mind of Christ’.
Just as our physical brain grow and mature through education and experience; our spiritual brain, the mind of Christ, grows and matures through the Holy Spirit's revelation of truth and impartation.
Many people expressed the spiritual discernment of `the mind of Christ’ within them as ‘a knowing’ or ‘I know that I know that I know’.
This ‘knowing’ is of a higher degree than a physical ‘knowing’ (of the body), and than a psychological ‘knowing’ (of the soul). It is a spiritual `knowing’ with a higher intensity and greater amplification - than the body or the soul. It is of a knowing with a different dimension – a spiritual dimension.
FURTHER NOTES
• God do use His angels to speak to us (Acts 16:6-10; Hebrews 1:13-14), but that is not one of His primary principal ways.
• God is not a cassette player which you can switch on to listen to, whenever or whatever you want to listen. You are never to switch God off whenever you are not interest or doesn’t like.
• In knowing God’s will, we are to be led by the ‘knowing’ in our inmost spiritual being/person. We do not become perfect and mature in an instant, but we can grow towards it. It is not right to expect God to speak to us every time in every situation and circumstance. God loves us. Yet He expects us to trust in Him, even when He is silent!