I Jn. 4 ... Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
and this is that spirit of antichrist,
Evil spirits try to lead us by sending thoughts to our minds. These evil spirits "prophesy" the future events and there is no truth in them for their father is the devil and there is no truth in the devil. They would trouble us needlessly if we allowed it.
Much needless worry can come from thoughts sent by spirits not of God. One way to deal with such is to "try the spirit" to see whether or not it is from God.
The following are examples of trying the spirit to see whether it is from God according to I Jn. 4.
Examples from Joan Boney:
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1."Look at how much you've written." I spoke this to the spirit that brought this to my mind: "Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" I heard: " No. "
(I suspect this spirit was trying to puff me up. But what I do in writings is simply what God has taught me to do and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that operate in me for the church were given me by God and are not earned by me so how can I be proud over that which I do when I am assigned by God to do such and it is not of me but of God? All I do is report to the church that which I've heard from the Spirit of God.)
# 2. Concept came: "Let her know that even her good is bad ..." I spoke this to the spirit that brought this to my mind: "Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" I heard: " No. "
# 3. "You're crazy. You're going to get everyone in trouble trying these spirits" I spoke this to the spirit that brought this to my mind: "Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" I heard: " No. "
Then immediately this thought came: "How can it harm anyone to ask: Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" I spoke this to the spirit that brought this to my mind: "Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" I heard: " Yes."
Evil spirits speak by bringing thoughts to our minds but those evil spirits do not want to be identified by us for if we knew that thought was brought by an evil spirit, then we would not follow that thought.
Examples from Pam Padgett:
#1 A thought came that I should try to find and contact a friend from college whom I haven't heard from in about 20 years. I asked the spirit that brought this thought "Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" and heard "No"
#2 On the way to the dog park this afternoon a thought came that I should be home reading the Bible more instead of doing this. I said to the spirit that brought this thought "Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" and heard "No"
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Please read: How to try the spirit to see whether it is from God
I Peter 5:8 ... Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9Whom resist stedfast in the faith