There is no doubt that these sensations can be
overwhelming; but if you are walking in the feelings of your flesh like
I was, and not in the knowledge of the Word, you will not be able to
discern the difference between "soul" and "spirit" and feelings will
take over.
These experiences are very spiritual and real to those who are
yielding to them. This is just my point; they seemed real to me because
of the awesome power I thought I was experiencing, but the results were
very harmful and deceptive.
A Great Prophetic Word
A vital part of our church life for many years has been a
prayer/share time every weekday morning from seven o’clock to eight. A
classic example of overpowering experiences happened to me on one of
these morning sessions several years ago. As I approached the church, I
was in anguish and frustration over the small church I pastored and the
small town I lived in. The more I challenged the doctrines of our past,
the more the church shrank in size. Fewer people were willing to stay
and be challenged. I have to admit though, I did have a secret ambition
which I thought was noble. There was a major city one hour away and I
was thinking, "If only God would call me to the big city, all my
problems would be over." That morning, I experienced something so
powerful, so overwhelming, so "prophetic," that I was convinced, beyond
a shadow of a doubt, that I was to move my entire ministry and every
willing family to Edmonton, Alberta and start another church.
After sharing this with the congregation, we started travelling one
day per week to hold meetings in the city. There was some degree of
success, but as time went on, I realized in my own heart that the
prophetic experience was false. During that time, I was still studying
and learning about false prophecies in the Word. I shared my findings at
the city meetings.
What I was preaching in Edmonton was exposing the false in others;
but it was also convicting me and showing me where I went wrong. The
very fact that the morning prayer experience was overwhelming was one
indicator, but the other factor was, I was relying on feelings and
circumstantial evidence to lead the church. The Word of God was being
bypassed in this decision.
After several months, we practiced what we preached. We stopped
having the meetings in the city, settled back into our own church, and
again became content and satisfied in the wonderful things that God was
showing us through his Word. It was a bit embarrassing to admit our
mistake, but it was a good lesson for us all.
Later, it occurred to me that I could go and preach in Edmonton, or
in any city for that matter, anytime there was opportunity, simply
because the Word said, "Go." I did not have to be overwhelmed by some
mysterious experience in order to be called by God. It was much more
fulfilling to be motivated by God’s Living Word.
Subject to The Prophet
Paul, the Apostle, taught how true spiritual gifts were subject to
the prophet and how the true manifestations of the Spirit would not
overpower a person who wanted to be a yielded vessel. Based on that
teaching, I learned that experiences which cannot be controlled or held
in check by ordinary people are usually not the work of the Holy
Spirit.
"And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (1
Corinthians 14:32).
The ultimate example of this would be Jesus because He was the
firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29). He is the original pattern for
all the children of God and the benchmark for true spiritual
reality.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus did not overpower anyone with a
manifestation that could not be stopped. Today the Holy Spirit is given
to us to reveal the same anointing that He manifested through Jesus’
earthly ministry. We must remember that He never overpowered a person
with uncontrollable manifestations which they couldn’t resist, and
neither will He do it today. What the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to do
during His earthly ministry is our eternal benchmark.
The Dip And Pour Preacher
After I grew in more knowledge and discernment, I was invited to a
special meeting by a pastor whom I hadn’t seen in many years. We had
attended the same Pentecostal Bible College when we were younger. But
both of us were also influenced strongly by the Word of Faith movement
and I thought it would be good to renew an old acquaintance.
There was a guest speaker at this meeting of whom I had heard ten
years previously. He was a Word of Faith preacher who had written a book
about the Blood of Jesus more than a dozen years before. Based on that
fact alone, I thought the meeting would be fairly solid.
As the meeting progressed, it became very evident to me that what the
preacher may have had years ago, had all but vanished. He preached a
very stirring message which entertained the undiscerning, but contained
hardly a trace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
His sermon was a collection of emotional and spiritual experiences of
yesteryear, which didn’t seem too harmful at first; but, as the evening
progressed, the sermon became amazing to say the least. Near the end of
his message, he began sharing some of his spiritual dreams. These
strange visions and experiences had the audience spellbound. In one of
his visions, the man claimed he fell into a pool of liquid and was able
to breathe under the surface. A famous man of God entered the dream
(approval by association) and commanded the preacher to pick up an
amethyst ladle to dip and pour the liquid out of the pool for others to
experience.
The preacher began to tell this vision with great emotional emphasis,
"Then… (the man of God) told me to dip and pour, (louder) dip and pour,
(louder) dip and pour… (pause and soften for emphasis) and that is what
we are going to experience tonight!" The audience cheered! He went on to
say, "Every person in this room is going to come to the front of this
church and I will lay my hands on you to experience this…"
I did not want the "this" he was trying to sell, so I took advantage
of the shuffle to make my way to the exit. He didn’t realize that the
thing he wanted us to experience was empty and foolish. But no one else
seemed to be concerned. After all, more than two hundred people can’t
all be wrong — can they?
I Mustered the
Courage to Expose It
It took me three months to muster enough courage to talk to the
pastor who had invited me to the meeting. When I told him what I had
discerned, my friend became very angry with me. It was at times like
this that I wished I had never said anything.
I was like a blind man who had received his sight. I was amazed with
what I could see. Foolishness I had formerly accepted without question,
now became obvious to me. I began to challenge my peers with what I had
found. But I wasn’t prepared for the tremendous resistance that would
come from them. I felt it would have been best not to say anything.
Later on, I realized that it was nothing more than the fear of man which
made me want to pull back. I became determined to grow in discernment,
even if it meant losing my friends. I loved being able to see.
As discernment increased in my life, I realized that preachers
overlook a lot of spiritual foolishness in their churches. It is not
because they don’t love the people; it is because they are afraid to
confront. They don’t question their own spiritual or denominational
roots; therefore, they do not know how to judge for themselves.
How Long Does It Take?
What happened to the "dip and pour" preacher? How did this man become
a cloud without content and a well without water? (2 Pet. 2:17) When did
the original Gospel of Jesus Christ fade from this man’s
preaching?
Based on my own experience, I am convinced it took many years for
mysticism to replace the Word of God in this man’s life and ministry;
and it probably took a while to manifest in his public preaching.
It didn’t happen overnight in my life either. It took several years
to distract me from the little bit of truth I possessed.
Deception and emptiness are always progressive: they creep into a
minister’s life ever so slowly. It probably took ten years or more to
cause the "dip and pour" preacher to turn to emptiness and spiritual
foolishness.
The Devil is a cunning, slow-moving serpent. But if he gets a grip on
your theology, he will slowly choke the life-giving Word out of you. He
hates truth, and he will do anything within his power to steal the Word
from you. This is the reason why Jesus told the Jews who believed on Him
to continue in the Word.
"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide
(continue) in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
In order to be free from deception, and stay free, we must
continue in the Word. We cannot afford to stop, especially in
these days. We are called to be disciples of truth. We must continually
grow in biblical doctrine and revelation. We should never think that we
can bypass or go beyond the written Word.
The First Temptation
The Devil will try to tempt us to experience supernatural sensations
or to walk in exclusive revelations which side-step the revealed and
written will of God.
He did the same thing to Eve in the garden of Eden. The Devil asked
her, "Has God said?" And he has been trying to deceive man with the same
trick ever since. He loves to malign the Word of God.
You may ask, "But, how does that apply to us?" This applies to us
today as much as it applied to Eve. Paul writes to New Testament
believers, "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his
craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3). That’s right, the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is simple! It is the will of God made clear and
understandable. Jesus came to be the one and only source for
salvation, healing, deliverance, and truth. God did not provide multiple
paths to Himself. He only provided one. This is the simplicity of the
Gospel. This seemingly narrow Gospel is the power of God and is more
than sufficient for every one of us.
The Devil is still saying, "Are you sure God said that? Has God
really spoken everything He wanted to say through His Word? Isn’t there
more to it? Surely God left out some details! Maybe He doesn’t trust you
with the whole truth! There may be some things He neglected to tell
you!"
The Devil hasn’t changed a bit. He still wants us to deviate from
God’s original plan. He wants us to think, "The Word of God is not
enough. There is more revelation to be had beyond the living
Word."
One of the Devil’s most subtle weapons is to pretend to be the Holy
Spirit. The Devil wants to be an alternate source of inspiration and
illumination. He does this by disguising himself as an angel of light (2
Corinthians 11:14). His goal is to reveal knowledge which is beyond
proper biblical revelation and credit it to the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit.
The Devil suggested to Eve, "God knows that as soon as you eat the
fruit of that tree you will know more than you do now. There is
revelation in that fruit. Take a bite! God knows you will be just like
Him if you eat it. As soon as you do, you will know more than you do
now."