Hi. I’ve just been reminded by the Lord that 20 yrs ago the church I was part of held a worship vigil outside a large spiritualists meeting in the centre of Liverpool. Some of us debated with those queuing up outside to try to persuade them not to go in. To my surprise most of those in the cue thought they were Christians.

Some of these people did not have Christian’s beliefs at all. However many others did, some being Catholic others protestants. They had been deceived concerning the form of spirituality they had ended up moving in though. Christians, if deceived, can end up moving in the supernatural via the occult by mistake. They can then receive visions, perform healings and acquire words of knowledge, etc. in the same way as those who deliberately move in the occult do. Deceived Christians can move in other spirits and demonic powers by mistake.

I have a friend who was part of a New Age group who healed a man of cancer. The patients G.P confirmed this healing. This was therefore a genuine miracle performed via occult power. This occult power can sometimes seem as if it is from God but it is satanic in origin. O/T e.g. Pharaohs magicians in (Gen 7;11), N/T e.g. Simon the magician (Acts 8;9).

I have noticed that New Ager's and especially Spiritualists sometimes mistakenly think they are Christians, believing their views differ from ours simply because they have advanced on to greater/superior level of knowledge than us. Things are not always clean cut either. Some genuine Christians can have a foot in both camps at the same time without realising it, moving sometimes in the Holy Spirit, at others times in the anointing of New Age/occult spirits. If ones spiritual practice differs from that of the bible there may be cause for concern.

If Satan can deceive genuine believers into moving in the wrong spirit, then we need to test Christian ministries as the bible directs us too. We can't just assume that they are all moving in the Holy Spirit just because they have healings or miracles taking place in their meetings. Discernment is needed, but the ultimate test is against scripture.

Jesus told us "You will know them by their fruits". The fruit of their character. Have such ministries led moral lives? Also the fruit of their lips. Are their teachings in line with scripture?? And are their spiritual practises and experiences in line with those of the early Apostles and prophets as recorded in the N/T? If not then such ministries may have been deceived into moving in the wrong spirit. They could then be used by satan to do miracles by occult power to impress other Christians and then lead them into the same errors. Satan knows that we don't follow after leaders of other religions. He will therefore try to use deceived Christians to lead other believers astray in this way.

In the Western World Christians are hungry for the supernatural having been through years of drought. Very often though believers today fail to weigh up or discern the spirits. Many are easily deceived as a result. Some Christians today do not even realise that occult counterfeits of the Holy Spirit exist, or that there is a gift called “discerning of spirits”, (1 Cor 12; 10), with which to test these things.

Like those with Christian beliefs who cued up outside that spiritualist meeting in Liverpool some of today's believers could easily end up going astray spiritually, moving away from the Holy Spirit into a deceptive form of spirituality. Not necessarily going to a spiritualist church but more likely moving in the wrong spirits anointing within their existing church. They could do more harm to the body of Christ there. Many believers have been deceived and gone down that path historically.

Ultimately this can lead to some gradually moving away from scripture, into false teachings and "giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons", (1 Tim 4;1). An example was William Branham who ended up teaching some very weird things that most people eventually realised weren't scriptural at all. Many followed his error because they were impressed by the healings he had performed. Some have even become apostate as a result of such errors, and departed from the faith altogether, as we read in the book of 1 John.

So surely we need to be very careful about weighing up spiritual phenomena before assuming that all the Christian meetings that exhibit healings or other spiritual manifestations are necessarily moving in the Holy Spirit. It is possible that they could be moving in another spirit altogether.

No wonder the bible tells us "to test all things" (1 Thess 5.21). And why Jesus warned us to beware of “signs and wonders” sent “to deceive if possible even the elect", (Matt 24:24), reminding us that “You will know them by their fruits”, (Matt 7.16), the fruit of the Spirit, their godly lives, not the miracles they perform. Not every miracle is of Gods Spirit.

May God bless you, and give you discernment;

Steve Dobbs, May 2008.

N.K.J.V used. Please feel free to copy and distribute this as you see fit. Website www.wordconnect.org
For other relevant prophecies see website: www.propheciesfortoday.uk.com