Read: 1 John 4:1-6

Throughout the educational period of a student, there are frequent tests. Without any test, there is no assurance that you have learned the lesson. In 1 John 4, John gave his readers a number of tests to help them distinguish between false spirits, evil spirits, and God’s Holy Spirit. 1 John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” One should be careful to test every spiritual experience that he has against the timeless standard of God’s Word.

A. W. Tozer said, “The seeker after God’s best is always eager to hear from anyone who offers a way by which he can obtain it. He longs for some new experience, some elevated view of truth, some operation of the Spirit that will raise him above the religious mediocrity he sees all around him. Our Lord has made it plain not only that there shall be false spirits abroad, endangering our Christian lives, but that they may be identified and known for what they are! The first test must be: ‘What has this done to my relationship with and my attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ?’ Do I love God more? Is Jesus Christ still to me the centre of all true doctrine? Again: ‘How does it affect my attitude toward the Scriptures?’ Did this new view of truth spring from the Word of God itself or was it the result of some stimulus that lay outside the Bible? Be assured that anything that comes to us from the God of the Word will deepen our love for the Word of God!”

Can we test ourselves to check whether we are growing in our walk with Him? In our spiritual journey, when we find anything that we think as true, can we ask: “What will this do to my relationship with and attitude toward Jesus Christ?” and “How does this affect my attitude toward your Word?” Let us check everything against “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), and let us hold onto what is true.