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“Distinguishing Between True and False”

Thoughts for Today:

In Matthew 16:17, Jesus said: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven." Then a few verses later, in response to Peter's rebuke regarding His impending Crucifixion (Matthew 16:23), Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Peter had moved from divine inspiration, into becoming an instrument of Satan. Jesus had "distinguished" the Holy Spirit flowing through Peter, and then at another time, the work of Satan.

Whenever we're involved in ministry -- being concerned about, sharing the Gospel with, or helping other people -- we need to "distinguish" the source of what they do and say. Is it coming from the Lord, the result of demonic influence, or their own worldly wisdom?

In Acts 16:16-18, Paul and Silas were forced to deal with a similar issue: "Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.' She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her."

The slave girl might have been saying all the right words, yet Paul "distinguished" a demonic presence was at the source of her action.

Questions to Ponder:

Distinguishing between spirits is the ability to tell the difference between true and false. Do you have this gift? How are you using it? Are you a blessing to others?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.