As you read through the bible you will come across numerous accounts of God making contact with individuals. First there was Adam who used to walk and talk with God in the evenings. Then there was Noah who God told to build an ark because he was going to send a flood to the earth. Abraham was another to whom God spoke and promised a child. And what about Moses when God spoke to him at the top of the mountain and give him the ten commandments? The list go on and on.
There are also many accounts in the bible of other beings in the spirit realm making contact with man. Gideon was visited by angel when he was hiding from his enemy. King Saul was frequently visited by an evil spirit who tormented him.
In these end-times in which you are living you are going to experience a greater level of interaction with the spirit world than ever before. You need to be aware of the fact that there are both good and evil spirits that will make contact with you for two very different reasons.
Good spirits include angels and God himself. Angels are spiritual beings created by God and are under his authority or 'rule'. They will make contact with you to help you in your walk with God, by serving you, bringing you God's messages (if necessary)and by protecting you. Evil spirits are commonly referred to as demons and are under satan's control. They were at one time good spirits but have since sinned against God and have since been thrown out of his Kingdom. Evil spirit will try to tempt you to disobey God. They also try to steal your faith in God and get you to worship satan instead. If you want to grow from being a believer in Christ to a disciple of Jesus then you are going to have to learn how to distinguish between good and evil spirits.
"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14
If a spiritual being appeared in front of you right now, would you know if it was good or bad? Don't worry if the answer is no to this question at the moment because the objectives in this mission will help to train you. Unfortunately there are many Christians who do not know the difference between their own thoughts and doubting thoughts sent by the enemy to bring deception. I experienced this myself in my walk with God. After about six month after becoming a believer in Christ I began get doubting thoughts in my mind about God, Christianity, and my action. I also began remembering and desiring my old life style. I didn't realize that this was a major attack from the enemy. All my Christian friends could see it but I couldn't, it was as if I was spiritual blinded. It wasn't long before I had totally turned my back on God and 'church' and was back living a life of sin and rebellion. This continued for more than twelve months until one day I suddenly realized that I had made a big mistake. If I had learnt how to distinguish good from evil when I was first saved I would never have wasted a year of my life wondering around in a wilderness. The gift of 'discerning of spirits' as mentioned in 1Conrinthians 12:7-11 (7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.) will also help you in distinguishing good from evil. It is a supernatural ability to instantly recognize and identify good from evil. This gift is probably one of the most needed gifts in the present-day church as we are currently seeing a great increase in the number of 'cults' and false teachers. If we are operating in the gift of 'discerning of spirits' we will be less likely to fall prey to their deceptive teachings and will remain in God's grace.
Two of the consequences of failing to discern spirits are sin and curses. In Genesis chapter 3 Eve lacked discernment when the serpent came to tempt her. If she had had discernment she would have recognized that the serpent was evil and would not have listened to him. As we all know she did listen to him and sinned against God and received a cursed over her life. King David, the mighty man of God from the old testament, also on a number of occasions failed to 'discern the spirits'. 1Chronicles chapter 21 tells us that Satan 'incited' David to take a census of the nation of Israel, which was an act that God had told him not to do. As a result King David disobeyed God and a curse was placed over Israel. If he had of discerned that it was the enemy telling him to do it, he wouldn't have sinned and the curse would have been avoided. It is of primary importance that you learn and understand how God speaks.
<< 1 Chronicles 21 >>
David Numbers the Fighting Men
1Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”
3But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
4The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.
6But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. 7This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
8Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
9The LORD said to Gad, David’s seer, 10“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”
11So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice: 12three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
13David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
14So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
16David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
17David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O LORD my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”
18Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
20While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
22David said to him, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.”
23Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”
24But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
25So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site. 26David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28At that time, when David saw that the LORDhad answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there. 29The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the desert, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. 30But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
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