How To Discern Whether Miracles Today Are Of God
Introduction
The starting point must be the many warnings in Scripture that miracles will take place through the outworking of evil powers in our world. As Jesus warns in the passage from Mark above, these miracles have one purpose only - to deceive.
Satan's miracles certainly can look like the real thing. The magicians at Pharaoh's court (Exodus Chapter 7 verses 11 and 22 and Chapter 8 verse 7) were able to copy the first three miracles done by God through Moses;
note though, that Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs (verse 12). Pharaoh's magician's finally concede defeat (verse 19)saying: "this is the finger of God" when they are unable to replicate God creative powers when he makes gnats from the dust of the earth. This suggests that creation of life is the sole prerogative of God.
How Should We Approach The Evaluation Of Modern Day Miracles?
Christians need to be fully conversant with the whole Bible and study it regularly, with an open and obedient heart. The only anchor of truth the Christian has in his armoury is the Word of God, the "Sword of the Spirit". When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted for 40 days the only effective weapon he had to resist Satan was the Word of God. Without detailed knowledge of God's nature and his ways as revealed in the Bible, the Christian is liable to be open to deception at every turn. We need to make regular, prayerful reading of the Bible and obedience to God's commands the highest priorities in our lives.
Christians in times past made much of purity of purpose and holiness of life. How much more will Christians in the 21st Century need such purity of walk with Jesus if they are to stay the course and avoid deception by the enemy. Are you familiar with the voice of Jesus in your life today? When he speaks to you do you obey without question?
Both "The Word" and "the walk" are necessary for the discernment we need to know whether we are seeing the Holy Spirit or the enemy at work.
Ask Yourself Questions Such As "What Is The Appeal of This Miracle?"
A valuable start point in your evaluation of any apparent "miracle, sign or wonder" should be this: does it appeal in any way to man's corrupt nature? For example, consider a situation where "gold dust" or perhaps "angel's feathers" are manifested at a gathering. Is there a biblical precedent for this type of miracle? Does this "wonder" accord with what the Bible reveals about God's priorities and his purpose in doing miracles?
Does it give glory to God amongst the people? Is the name of Jesus lifted up by such a manifestation? Does it lead people to repentance and salvation? Is God permitting a deception to occur in order to "test his people"? Is the appearance of gold dust or angel's feathers something that would tend to excite and captivate "the old nature" in us?
Does the miracle excite us and do little else?
Lessons From The Bible
Test what you see against the Bible. For example, is there any mention of gold dust or gold powder in the Bible? The single mention, in Exodus Chapter 32 verse 20 is, however, not a miracle. It is in fact a judgment on the people for their evil in making a calf of gold to worship: "And he(Moses)took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it into powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it."
Do angels' feathers rate a mention in the Bible? Not at all. Given that angels have been appearing to, and ministering to, God's people over a period of thousands of years without feathers being mentioned in the Bible surely gives the Christian cause to reflect. An angel, who is spirit, is not of the same substance as a feather, which is a physical object and outside the spiritual realm. Granted, the Bible tells us that some have met angels and been unaware of the fact. Had feathers been present, that might have changed their perception.
Even some of God's great men of the past have been easily deceived, for example Joshua. Why was Joshua deceived? The Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelites because "they did not consult the Lord about it" (Joshua Chapter 9 verse 14).
Test The Spirits!
Where miracles happen in a gathering of people, unexpected by you, you may have not prepared youself in advance for such a happening. Nevertheless, pray for spiritual discernment in that situation.
Even "in the natural" there are several indicators to look out for.
Do the leaders of the gathering accept these manifestations uncritically or do they warn those present to exercise caution and biblical judgment as a safeguard?
Is there a point in the meeting where the Bible is faithfully preached? Is holiness, righteousness or repentance mentioned in any way that leads people to the foot of the cross for salvation, the greatest miracle of all? Do you have a feeling that the meeting is "hyped" and that it is more of an "entertainment" than a godly pursuit?
Check Out Their Ministry before You Go Along
Before you attend a gathering that is billed as, or you expect to be, "powerful", take the opportunity to check out the website of those who will be the "big names" at the event. A genuine servant of God will not be promoting the sale of many books, CD, videos etc under their own name. The true minister of God will be humble and seek to promote only Jesus and His Kingdom, not his own startling revelations about Angels or exciting heavenly visions.
Watch Out For Those Who lead You Away From The Truth
Watch this 5 minute YouTube video by John Piper
Further Reading
For further reading we invite you to visit this website
Author of this article: Brian Johnson
|
