Test Every Spirit

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

Today's Passage: 1 John 4:1-6
Memory Verse: 1 John 4:1-3

More and more everyday, I see signs of the enemy drawing his lines in the sand, forcing the army of God to declare their allegiance to Him, or the lack thereof.  Just today, a group of young  Christian singers made a move to participate in a secular music competition called "Singoff".  Okay, I thought, surely they're going to represent the remnant of those who will not bow their knee to the kingdom of darkness.  Surely they will send a message to the world that once you've been called by the Most High, nothing else will suffice.

But to my horror, those young people agreed to compromise just so they could get a spot on a show where there was no guarantee of success.  So they left their hometown-- encouraged by the pastors and elders of their church -- and set out to study secular music which they had never sung before.  My question was, how could it have been so easy to forget everything they stood for all their lives?  What happened to God's command never to walk in the counsel of the ungodly?  Where was the counsel of the people of God when these young people needed it the most?

The harsh reality is that, in these last days, people of God are going to be enticed by the deceitfulness of worldly fame and fortune.  Rather than hold fast to total devotion to the Father, whose reward is righteousness and victory over the evil one, some will stray from the faith, finding it more convenient to accept momentary recognition and pleasures.  When those young people stood on that stage, it wasn't our God that they ended up showing devotion to.  It was the god of self-love and sexual perversion.  Yet another casualty had fallen in the battle for the will of man.

Saints, now is not the time to back down.  We must question everything we see in this world where the enemy assumes dominion.  According to today's passage, we must test the spirits against the Spirit of God.  If those motives don't line up with God's plan and purpose for our lives,  we must reject them.  There must be no compromise in order to ensure satan's defeat.  Arise, soldiers of the Most High God!  Let's put on our  righteous armor, and stand for what we know to be true.  The rewards are eternal.

Prayer: Father, You have given us everything we need to be victorious in this battle.  Help us continue to stand and discern every scheme of the enemy to steal our devotion from You.  May we always find ourselves at Your feet, where Your love and wisdom abound.  We remain totally devoted to You forever.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.