SOUND CHECK

Test all things; hold fast that which is good. – 1Th 5:21

The Christian life is a led life. The whole concept of having Jesus as our ‘Lord’ is meaningless if He is not in charge of the day-to-day running of our lives. Rom 8:14 tell us that the index of our salvation is whether we are being led by the Spirit or not (see also Gal 5:18).

But as we discussed earlier this week, not every ‘voice’ in our head is the Holy Spirit. To paraphrase 1Jn 4:1, we are to “Believe not every voice, but test the voices whether they are of God.”

Before any public event, the sound engineers carry out a ‘sound check’ to see if the sound systems are in good order.

And we’re also about to have ours now on the “sound system’ in our heart: the Voices within. So, TESTING, TESTING- 1,2...

Is It of Faith? “Whatever is not of faith is sin”, (Rom 14:23). Without faith it is impossible to please God, (Heb 11:6).

Does It Magnify Christ’s Finished Work? Be wary of voices that give you weird  commandments or else you won’t receive a blessing. Be wary of voices that tell you the reason for your predicament is this or that sin. Condemnation is a signature of the devil. Remember, Jesus said the Holy Spirit comes to convict us of “righteousness” (Jn 16:7-10).

Does It Threaten Harm If Not Obeyed Immediately? The Holy Spirit is not afraid of you questioning His instructions. He’s not going to knock you to the floor if you pause to ponder! From the first pages of Genesis, we can see that God’s not interested in robots! When Jesus lingered at Gethsemane, God sent an angel to help Him (Lk 22:43). Demonic spirits, on the other hand, are known to be very impatient and proud and cannot stand insolence.

Does It Contradict Scripture?

Does It Seek To Separate You From Other Believers?

Does It Ask You To Disrespect Your Leaders?

This list is not exhaustive, but here’s a final important one:

Does It Disturb Your Spirit? There’s a difference between a difficult instruction and a disturbing one. The Believer is “born of the Spirit” (Jn 3:6); therefore, though you may not know Genesis to Revelation, but when your Lord speaks, it’ll come naturally to you. Remember, “My sheep hear my voice,” Jn 10:27.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN