Discerning What Is and Isn’t of God

There are many churches and religions that claim to follow Jesus Christ and belong to him, but not all of them truly represent him. It is sad to say, but some are fake. They are counterfeits—false prophets and fake churches, and we must be very careful to discern them correctly.

Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:24 (NLT), “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.” Our Lord and Savior is warning us that there are prophets, preachers, and teachers that may look as if they are filled with the Holy Spirit, but they are not. They do not have a true relationship with God. They may appear to be doing amazing things, but they aren’t truly sent by our Heavenly Father. We must remember that just because someone seems to be doing great things doesn’t mean they are following Jesus the right way. Looks can be deceiving.

You might ask, “How can I tell if my church is really following God?” Well, when you accept Jesus into your life, God places His Holy Spirit within you, and the Spirit guides and shows us what’s true. 1 John 4:1 (NLT) says, “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.” Not every spirit is from God, so we need to be careful about what we hear and make sure it matches what the Bible says. The Holy Spirit helps us know the difference between what’s true and what’s not.

So, always listen to the Holy Spirit, and pray and ask God about everything. Ask the Lord to show you what is truly from and of Him. If something doesn’t sound right, check it with God’s Word. Trust that the Father will help you know the truth, because He loves you and wants you to be blessed by obeying His Word. 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Discerning What Is and Isn’t of God”, written for aheartforchristdevotions@blogspot.com by Kraiapril©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!