I said: I could read some and speculate. I could do a mental comparison if what they're saying seems scriptural, but in the Spirit Filled realm it is supposed to be following increases of supernatural peace along the way.
You keep saying this kind of thing. Where does the Bible fit into all this?
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1:79 (KJV)
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Col 3:15 (KJV)
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2 Peter 1:2 (KJV)
Let him eschew evil, and do good;
let him seek peace, and ensue it.
1 Peter 3:11 (KJV)
The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths:
whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
Isaiah 59:8 (KJV)
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things,
be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2 Peter 3:14 (KJV)
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
James 3:18 (KJV)
Flee also youthful lusts:
but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2 Tim 2:22 (KJV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:22-23 (KJV)
I remember in one of Kenneth Hagin's visions of the Lord, Jesus told him that when he walked in the perfect will of God (in a matter) that he'd have a peaceful "velvety" kind of feeling. Hate to use the word "feeling", but your spirit would have a supernatural manifestation of God's peace that
transcends all understanding.
Those 3 words are the big clue here because your mind may not understand, but your spirit can.
I'm sure you aren't trying to say that the Bible should take a back seat to how we feel we are being led but struggling to read anything else into what you are saying.
It's been said that the Bible contains an outline on how to live your life. The Word days to sit down, rise up, lay prostate, etc. It says to judge and not to judge. It instructs us not to judge ourselves and to judge ourself. It says to rebuke and it says not to rebuke. How do you know which one is applicable for you in that moment in time. The Holy Spirit. He's your instructor on hand.
That's why when we think about reviewing someone's life to see if they're ministry is "valid" is often a questionable proceeding. It has a good motive, but we're not qualified in ourselves to really know. We don't know if someone repented or not. We're told to give people the benefit of the doubt. If someone is lying to you, you can get a sense of that that no one else has. It can be relied on.
At the same time, you mention being "revolted". I remember at various times in my life when I felt creepy around certain ministers and I just wanted to leave than be around them. It was darkness that was freaking out. They don't want to be around the light.
I was listening to someone talk about cults in a church and you could clearly hear someone manifesting in ear-shot. That deceiving spirit couldn't stand to be exposed.
If two people claim to be led by the Spirit but say diametrically opposed things, how do you determine who is right?
You just rely on the Holy Spirit and if you're not getting anything just leave it at that. He's not required to reveal everyone and many things go on that He's aware of and we're not. All we are to be concerned about is what we seem to be led into.
Remember when Jesus asked who made Me your judge? He is the judge of all and impartial. But it wasn't His concern and He told him so.
I know of a number of good ministries with powerful words and oters cannot stand them. I know the source of their grief. Sometimes people just aren't led to a ministry becuase either they're not ready for them or He'll use someone else to reach them. We kind of have to be "won" sometimes. He repeats certain things wo we'll be sure of them. After the precept is established, you're ready to have something built on it.
There are people others get into and I don't have any inclination at all to partake. They could be wonderful and maybe I have prejudices that still need dealing with.
You can trust what ministers to you. If someone like Bob Jones gave 100 presumptuous words in his life and a 1,000 mighty blessings, and maybe a sinful period in his life or our lives, it doesn't matter if he (or we) repents. The callings of God are without repentance and if He moves, that is God's business not ours. If we have ears to hear, then we can receive a blessing anyway.
There aren't too many people who didn't say something I didn't take issue with on some level, and if that disqualified them, I'd be out of luck!
Seriously, all sorts of people have told me that I have a strong prophetic gifting and a strong sense of discernment, so I think I'm good there. For what it's worth I usually use that sense of discernment as what might be called an early warning system, but would still look to Scripture as an arbiter if I was unsure of something.
All believers have something within them that gives light to walk in. I mention the baptism of the Holy Spirit because it gives an added dimension to your discernment that answers the questions you have in a way I cannot explain beyond what I have. The abundance of supernatural peace (fruit of the Spirit) cannot be counterfeited. It's of Him and the deepest natural peace or relaxation cannot imitate the real anointing and presence.
You can use scripture as an objective yardstick. If someone says you can get to Heaven without Jesus, then you know they're lying. But if someone said they went to Heaven, and you have a check in your spirit, their story is amiss. It doesn't matter how nice their testimony sounds.
But people someone act up around the anointing because something's dominion is being threatened.
I still prefer to know whether something is sound or not before receiving it.
I don't think you openly swallow before getting a sense in your spirit about what it really is. When a dog sees something it's never seen in its life, it knows on the inside if it is food. I'll tell him, "You've never had crab a day in your life!", but he'll wolf it down!
I think it is better to just not be suspicious or to put brakes on (as an act of love) more than you saying, "Toss it in, I'll eat it!". That would be a mistake.
I wonder why Paul lauded them for "studying the Scriptures daily" when he could have just commented on how they were so led they accepted his teaching because of the deep peace it gave them.
It doesn't replace the scriptures, it just makes the reality of them real to you (beyond the realm of thought). You have a hunger to partake of the Word, that is always good. But people take the passages about deception and impose them on people because their head doesn't receive what they've got. It's most unseemly.
If someone you know is spiritual and they're getting ministered to and you're freaking out, I would examine why I can't partake either. Many times it is strongholds acting up. Everyone deals with them and your Canaan land is finished until all of the enemies are driven out. You don't even know they're there, until...
So if someone were using a sermon to talk about angels breaking wind before the throne of God, would you take the person seriously in their other teachings? What about the church that allowed them to preach, if they were invited back? (This is a genuine question about your opinion, personally I'd find it very hard to take them or their church very seriously)
My soul would have a hard time with that one. Some people in the natural just have rough edges. My soul has struggled with a number of people in this way (not with an ill wind though).
