A Spiritual Warning from Ruth Greene (The Healing Voice of Ruth Greene)

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.- Isaiah 41:17,18"

“And truly He gave some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit.” - Ephesians 4:11 - 14

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God;” - 1 John 4:1, 2

The scriptures offer you such good advice! Only by following that advice can you overcome the spirit of the world in your life. When you walk in the freedom of Christ, you become God’s son through Jesus Christ, a joint heir. Anyone that does not actively confess Jesus Christ is not of God says 1 John 4:3. As a child of God, the Spirit of God in you is greater than the spirit of the world in verse 4. Then God throws you and me a real zinger to ponder. 1 John further points out the hallmark of a true Christian, a teacher of truth. This truth coupled with the truth of actively confessing the truth of Jesus will show the real fruit of anyone that claims Jesus. Hint: “They are of the world, therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.” Verse 6 continues: “We are of God. He who knows God hears us. The one who is not of God does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. The one who does not love has not known God. For God is love.” So here we have the truth in plain language. The person that knows God listens to God because they are from God. The person that does not listen to God is not of God. An heir of Christ that is firmly grounded in the Word of God can distinguish between a spirit of truth and falsehood, even a spirit of light. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” - Luke 11:13 When you initially receive salvation, you do not automatically receive the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. To have the Holy Spirit dwell within you and operate within your life and heart is another step in your Christian walk.

That step is surrender to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives you and me the power to love as we must to be in the freedom of Christ. When the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart, you can express God’s love. God’s love is active and sensitive to your own spirit, your own person. Through a combination of accurate knowledge and knowing God’s love through His Spirit, (relationship) you will know a spirit of light for what it is. When you give yourself to God, your love becomes like His because God is love. This is not some metaphysical gobbledygook that you simply experience, but love that you come to know and understand through continual application of scripture while you build your relationship with God through Christ. You always have a choice. You can operate in the love of the spirit of the world, a love of selfishness and deceit or in God’s love. You will see the fruit of your decision. The world’s concept of love contaminates your thinking and the understanding of God’s love. In time, contamination from the world will root out the love of God. The world thinks that love feels good. Feeling good is not what the love of God is about. God’s love is real. God’s love lives in your heart, making you more and more like Christ as you grow His love in your heart. The love of God enables you to build a real relationship with God, building His presence in your life in a way that you can understand. Accurate knowledge, continual confession along with the love of God will give you the ability to see the difference between truth and something that at first glance appears to be truth. A spirit of light wants you to make a hasty decision. Take your time and take your concerns to God in prayer. He will not fail to show you a spirit of light for what it is.