Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come out into the world
First Epistle of John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament
I have known a few people that when I encourage them to read a bit of the authors I have encountered (J Preston Eby, Norman Grubb, Frank Viola) their immediate reaction is to type the name into their Google search and base their opinion off of what some chatbot says. If you ask me, this is not doing your diligence as far as getting to know the work of these authors. But in the microwave society in which we live, people seek the most information in the least amount of time. I get it. On a whim the other day, I Googled the phrase "Can I trust J Preston Eby." Not surprisingly, the answer came with more than a few warnings of why one should not trust the writings of one Mr. Eby. In my opinion, we must always be of the mind of the apostle John, seeking to test the spirits of that which we encounter to determine if it is indeed from God. Now, I have read and studied enough of J Preston Eby to know that he speaks to a pretty solid background which he supports with scripture. I will say the same for Norman Grubb and Frank Viola. At the same time, I have tested the spirits of the author/pod castor Wayne Jacobsen and have come away with more than a few questions of what he believes. For the most part, I test the spirits in order to see if what I am reading lines up with my own beliefs. But we can also utilize this in all that we do. When we test the spirits, we are allowing the Father to reveal to us what He desires for us to know. Can God speak through the untrusted format of Google? Absolutely. When we realize that God is all in all, our eyes are opened to His knowing in all that we do. Yet there is the church based separation theology out there which stakes the claim that our sin has separated us from God. I tested the spirits some time ago and it is the Father who revealed unto me that this simply is not true. First off, I am created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}. He has breathed into me the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}. On top of that, Jesus Himself has proclaimed that I now live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.
I will always say that the best way to tests the spirits on something is to read and/or experience it for yourself. Some things are no brainers, such as touching a hot stove or going against what the scripture has declared as wrong. Somewhere along the line, someone else has tested the spirits and discovered that such things will never be good for us. If I encounter a Google search warning me of something wrong with a religious author or speaker, my first inclination is to see for myself what the issue is that the chatbot is speaking to. Test the spirits. I will not trust Google with such nonsense. My own knowledge of my life in the Father did not come from some Sunday sermon or pulpit pounder, but from intimate conversations with a dear and trusted friend who also at one time tested the spirits of what he was encountering. After spending years in church leadership, he began to question the theology of the church he had served for so long. He tested the spirits of more than a few authors others within the church frowned upon. I am certainly glad that he did, for from the Fathers revelation unto him I also came to know Christ Jesus in me {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. I am reminded of the experience of the man Saul, whom God revealed Himself to on that road to Damascus {Acts of the Apostles 9:1-19}. Saul spent years in the halls of the Jewish synagogues, thinking that he had it all figured out as far as the Lord was concerned. God had other plans for Him. What I have learned about the Father from conversations with my friend and from my own research is not something I ever heard in my years in the church. As with Paul, the Father chose that moment where He would reveal Himself in me.
For the flesh is lusting against the spirit, yet the spirit against the flesh. Now these are opposing one another, lest you should be doing whatever you may want
Paul to the Galatians 9: 17, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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