Where Did That Thought Come From?
Thoughts sent by the devil are problems to us.
Thoughts generated by our own flesh are problems to us.
Thoughts from God from the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, who always speaks the truth from God and brings to us the heart of God on the matter at hand, are so we can know the will of God as we live on this present earth and can choose to go in the way of God.
So we must find out whether that thought was from God, or was generated by our own flesh, or was from the wrong spirit, a devil.
The apostle John said:
I Jn. 4 … Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:
Spirits bring ideas to our minds. Some ideas are from God by the Holy Spirit. Some ideas (thoughts) are from the devil but sound good and even seem reasonable but lead us into the way of destruction if we choose to go that way. Some ideas (thoughts) are desires of our own flesh contending against the Word of God and the way of God.
It is our role, as Christians, to do what the apostle John instructed … “try the spirit” …
Certainly we can “try the spirit” through prayer … “Is that YOU, God, wanting me to do that?”
How to know the ideas that are from God, the wisdom that is from God …
James 3 … 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
There is another way to “try the spirit” to see whether that spirit that brought that thought is from God.
The apostle John said: 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. I Jn. 4
When “questionable” thoughts, ideas which would lead me to make that phone call or write that letter, come to me: I have directly said to that “spirit”: Do you confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh? … and I will hear in my mind, “Yes” or “No” …
And of course, if that spirit brings a thought to us which is antichrist, against the word of Christ, we should know it is not of the Spirit of God.
The apostle Paul told us we must do following:
II Cor. 10:5 … Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
As long as we walk on this earth we contend for the faith in the Word of God, in God, in Jesus who is the Word.
The flesh has to be kept under the control of the Word of God.
Galatians 5 … 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
We learn to die daily to the flesh, not permitting the flesh to rule, keeping the flesh under the control of God and the Word and the Spirit of God.
Paul said: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. I Cor. 9
This is something we learn day by day while we live on this present earth. And much of our battle is in the mind, in those thoughts that come to us and in the emotions evoked by our flesh and by the flesh of others … the hatred, the resentments, the lusts, the desires for praise of humans, the desire to outdo others … all these are battles which we overcome second by second through God and by submitting to God and keeping ourselves under the control of God.
Through God we overcome.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus commissions each of the churches with the charge of overcoming.
Revelation: (Jesus says to the churches)
2:10-11 … be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Faithful … unto death … Even when it costs us something we cling to the Word given us by God. And we do this to the end of our lives on this present earth, choosing what God says to us, ignoring our emotions which are often contrary to God. Rejecting contrary ways of other humans. Resisting opposing ways of devils.
All this area of overcoming has to do with deliberately choosing to believe what God says.
There are many times we become weary, especially in sharing things of God with others, in and out of the church. It can seem to us futile, especially when we see their chosen way of life. But I keep going because of the following 3 scriptures.
Heb. 3 … 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
(Exhort means: to urge earnestly by advice and warning)
I am certain these scripture show us to exhort the church. We must cling to scripture, refusing to go by our emotions which would lead us another way … refusing to heed the disappointments that come as a result of seeing others in church groups reject the Word of God.
To me, one of the most difficult things of all is to see a person in our own little church group go against the Word of God. I have seen such many times and it can be very discouraging to me. But I’m certain scriptures such as Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 10 says to continue to exhort one another in the ways of God. So I just choose to do this regardless of what I see others in the church group do. And of course, when I see this I turn to God in prayer, asking HIM to sustain me and to help me and to not let me be destroyed by what I see them do in the church.
We expect to see the world do these horrible things.
The apostle John told us: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. I Jn 5:19
It is hard to see the world do these terrible things. But when it is done among the church group, it can be devastating.
Jesus warned us in the last days … And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Mt. 24:12-13
The love of many for the Word of God will wax cold because of the iniquity that abounds.
And the apostle Paul warned us about the peril of the last days.
II Tim. 3 … 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
This we would see in the church groups … This makes it particularly difficult.
But God sustains me by HIS Spirit and by scripture such as following:
Heb. 10 … 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses 'law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know HIM that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto ME, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
I Corinthians 15 … 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
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