True and Counterfeit Experiences of the Holy Spirit

 True and Counterfeit Experiences of the Holy Spirit

Beware of the Counterfeit Fullness of the Spirit

One of the parts of fruit of the Holy Spirit is self control (Gal.5: 22, 23).

1 Cor.14:32, 33, 40 reads like this: “ and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints... But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner”.

From the above verses, it is crystal clear that if somebody loses control over himself or herself, that can never be because of the Holy Spirit. Because Holy Spirit helps us rather to control ourselves better – like controlling our thoughts, tongue, eyes etc and makes us more like Christ Jesus.

Like Br Zac Poonen says Holy Spirit fills people, but demons possess people. The difference is that the Holy Spirit gives us more control over ourselves, whereas the evil spirit takes away the control we have over our lives. That’s why demon possessed people sometimes mutilate themselves (Mark 5: 5), for they don’t have any control over what they think or do.

Demon can push somebody down. But Jesus and the Holy Spirit always lift people up (See Luke 9: 42). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, yes and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8). Today soulish “Christian” leaders push people down and call it the Holy Spirit! That is really tragic! But actually when they do opposite to what Jesus did, know that it is the spirit of antichrist! Beware of being part of all those Babylonian tricks of the devil!

Sudden shaking and shouting can also be a conscious attention-seeking behaviour, or it can be a dissociative trance.

Whatever that is, do not look down upon anybody, but rather discern what is of the Lord and not of the Lord. Compare Matthew 7: 1 and John 7: 24. The same Lord who said “Do not judge” in Matthew 7:1, said in John 7: 24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment”.

1 John 4:1 clearly warns us: “Beloved, 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”. If many false prophets were there in the first century itself, how many more would there be in this 21^st century, which is so close to the second coming of the Lord.

The first sign of the last days that the Lord told in Matthew 24:4 is: “See to it that no one misleads you”. He further warns us of the same thing in verses 11 and 24. If you read verse 5 without the inverted comas as in the original language, you will understand that the many false prophets will say that Jesus Himself is the Christ, and holding the Bible in their hands they will deceive people (as given in 2 Cor. 11: 4) with

i) another Jesus (who does not say anything about overcoming sin by the power of the Holy Spirit),

ii) another spirit (which pushes people down and induces all kinds of “holy laughter, barking, vomiting etc.)

iii) another gospel (which is a health- wealth- prosperity counterfeit, and begs for your money to build the preacher’s kingdom rather than that of the Lord)!

See Matthew 7:15- 23: "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'”

So discern a person by the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”(Galatians 5: 22, 23). See how humble, approachable and Christlike he is. See what his attitude towards money, women, honour, the poor and the rich. Compare that with the attitude Jesus had towards all these categories. Then you will understand whether he is a leader worthy to be followed. Otherwise “if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15: 14).

The strong commandment of the Lord in 2 Timothy 3: 5, especially for those living in the last days (see verse 1), is to avoid those who have a form of godliness (sheep’s clothing) but have denied its power. Instead, follow the Lord along with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2: 22).

Receiving the True Fullness of the Spirit

When we surrender everything to the Lord as a burnt offering and a living sacrifice (Romans 12: 1), the fire of the Holy Spirit will come and consume every part of our being. And we will be flooded with the love, joy and peace of heaven! (Romans 5: 5; Gal. 5: 22, 23). We will be endued with power from on high to be a witness of the Lord by our life and by our words! (Luke 24: 49; Acts 1: 8; 4: 31). That is the true filling of the Holy Spirit.

Even after being filled, we can lose the fullness of the Spirit with our own carelessness and pride, which are like holes in a vessel. We need to repent and plug those holes daily and ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit again and again. That is the exhortation in Eph 5: 18 in the original language – to be being (continually) filled with the Spirit.

The Lord, in His sovereignty, will give us the gifts of the Holy Spirit as He chooses (1 Cor. 12: 7, 11). Gifts of the Spirit can be compared to vessels with which we can pour out the living waters of the Holy Spirit and bless others. We are commanded to desire earnestly for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophesying (that is, edifying and exhorting and consoling others through the specific Word from the Lord from the Scriptures, that is needed for the people at that particular point of time– 1Cor. 14: 3).

May the Lord help us to strike the right balance in the experience and emphasis of the fruit as well as of the gifts of the Holy Spirit!

May the Good Shepherd Himself guide us into true springs of living water of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 49: 10; Rev. 7: 17)!