“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” -1 John 4:1
I want to follow up on what Hilary discussed in the yesterday’s post.
Don’t get hung up on words from the verse like “false prophet,” or any words that feel disconnected from your reality. The point is simple:
You have the same Spirit of God IN YOU. The “spiritual leader”—whoever and wherever they are—is not closer to God than you. Sure, you might have some distractions in your life, or you might not be practicing listening… but the same Spirit is in you and accessible to you. Trust it.
Thus, test it. Test whatever the friend, pastor, coach, or guide is telling you and make sure it aligns with the whisper within you.
So… What does it look like to “test” what someone is telling you or how they are coaching you? It can look like a lot of things. Let me just share what it’s looked like for me.
- Pay attention to your gut. If there’s a twinge of doubt, question, discomfort, or disconnect… wait. Don’t buy what they’re selling at face value. Learn to pay attention to what’s reacting within.
- Talk to an outsider. Speak with someone outside the situation who is unbiased. Even the best leaders have trouble distinguishing the voice of God and the voice of self—especially self-protection. Talk with someone wise and experienced who has no skin in the game.
- Circle it in prayer. Write down in your journal the issue or question in as few words as possible. Circle it.Keep circling it day after day as you pray and ask God for guidance.
- Ask, “What does love require?” Keep the main thing the main thing. Don’t settle for someone’s lesser agenda. Stay focused on the ultimate agenda: love others as Jesus loves you.
Remember, the Spirit of the living God is in you and with you and guiding you. Often, He uses other people. Sometimes those people are in your life to point you in the right direction. Sometimes they point you in the wrong direction, teaching you to trust in the voice WITHIN you and fear God more than human authorities.