| True. |
Counterfeit. |
| 16. The voice of God: Is heard and
known in the spirit of man, wherein the Spirit of God dwells.
God also speaks through the conscience, and through the written Word
(see "Texts"), never confusing or dulling the faculties of the man,
or perplexing him, so as to hinder clearness of judgment and reason.
The true voice of God does not make a demand of unreasoning
obedience to it, irrespective of the man's free volition.
Pages
137, 138. |
16. The counterfeit "voice" of God is usually
loud and comes from outside the person. It can come from within,
when the person is deeply possessed. It is frequently imperative and
persistent, urging to sudden action. Confusing and clamorous, or
subtle in suggestion; producing fear through its insistent
demands, making the man a slave to supernatural power. May also be
distinguished from the voice of God by its sometimes, trivial
objective, and fruitless results when obeyed. Pages
137,
139,
141, 142.
|
| 17. Divine guidance: Through the
spirit and mind; i.e., "drawing" in spirit, light in the
mind: spirit and mind brought into one accord in harmony with the
principles of the Word of God (Ephes. 5: 17; Phil. 1: 9-11 A.V. m.)
Pages
134, 135, 136,
140,
219. |
17. Satanic guidance by supernatural voices,
visions, leadings, drawings, are all dependent upon the passivity of
the mind and reason, and take place in the sense-realm as a
counterfeit of the true in the spirit. Pages
128,
134,
135, 136,
221, 222. |
| 18. Divine "Leadings": Are in the
spirit; demand co-operation of the man in every faculty of mind, and
spiritual intelligence in correctly rending the monitions of the
Spirit. The will is always left free to choose and act. The
true "leading of the Spirit" is never out of accord with principles
of God's Word.
Pages
140, 141. |
18. Satanic "leadings" and impulses, demand
passive surrender of mind and body. They are compulsory in effect,
and all "compelling" and "compulsion" from the supernatural realm
indicates the work of deceiving spirits. Pages
140, 141,
157. |
| 19. Divine "Visions": When given, come
(1) without seeking for them, (2) with definite purpose, (3) are
never abortive, and (4) are co-existent with active use of the mind
and faculties.
Page 150. |
19. Satanic visions, (1) demand a passive
state, (2) are broken by mental action, (3) are frequently contrary
to truth, and (4) fruitless in result. Destroy all faith reliance on
God.
Pages 149, 150. |
| 20. Obedience to God: An act of
deliberate will, choosing to do the will of God, when made known to
the believer. A full examination of the source of the command
preceding intelligent decision to obey, is co-existent with true
obedience. Pages
50, 51,
54. |
20. Counterfeit of "obedience" is a passive,
automatic, blind yielding to supernatural power or voices, apart
from intelligent apprehension of results or consequences. The person
fears to question or examine the source of the command.
Pages 50,
141. |
| 21. God giving power: By the Holy
Spirit in the man's spirit, strengthening him in spirit, so as to
energize his mind and every faculty of his being to their fullest
use, and enabling him to endure and accomplish what he would not
bear or do apart from God. (Ephes. 3: 16) Pages
70,
138,
288. |
21. Evil spirits give power in a supernatural
energy--generally spasmodic and unreliable--dependent upon the man
being passive in spirit, soul and body. This "power," when it
ceases, leaves the man dull and exhausted, the effect generally
being attributed to natural causes. Cf. pages
112,
118, 119. |
| 22. God giving influence: Means that
the believer draws others to God, not to himself. True Divine
"influence" does not "control" others automatically, but constrains
them to turn to God.
Page 289. |
22. Evil spirits giving "influence," means a
control or power over other which causes them to act apart from
their volition, or reason. This "power" may be exercised unknowingly
by persons the demons can use in this way.
Page 145. |
| 23. God giving "impressions": Means a
gentle movement in the spirit, which leaves the person free
to act of his own volition, and does not compel him to
action. "impressions from God" are within in the shrine of
the spirit; and not from a "power" outside, e.g., in
"touches" on the body, or an exterior compelling force. See
page 219
for action of the spirit. |
23. Evil spirits' "impressions" are from
outside, upon the person, and require certain conditions for
the "impressions" to be given--i.e., a sitting still and
waiting, etc. These conditions can also be fulfilled unconsciously
by cultivating passivity of the whole being. See obsession, ppp.
Cf. pages
128, 129. |
| 24. Divine life from God: Is known,
not by "consciousness," but results, enabling the believer to
bear and suffer what he could not bear or suffer humanly. There is
rarely any "feeling" of strength or life, because consciousness of
Divine life would draw the man from the path of faith to rely upon
his experience. Pages
91,
291. |
24."Life" in thrills, etc., given by evil
spirits, is known by its being in the senses, giving pleasant
sensations, rather than true power. When it passes away, the person
is dulled or weakened, and may go into spiritual darkness through
numbness of the sensibilities, e.g., he says he is "like a
stone."
Page 130. |
| 25. Divine love: Shed abroad in the
heart by the Holy Spirit, is co-existent with keen and faithful
dealing with sin; with acute hatred to sin and Satan, and all that
is contrary to righteousness. God's love does not dull, but
energizes every faculty to fulfil the action for which it was
intended in creation. It has no "craving" in it, nor does it weaken
those to whom it flows out. Cf.
page 291. |
25. Counterfeit of the "love of God" makes
the recipient cover over sin, compromise with it; dulls him to
keen-edged righteousness; makes him incapable of true hatred to the
things that God hates, for the faculty which "loves" is the faculty
which hates. The counterfeit of love, whether human or Divine,
given by evil spirits, grips the sensibilities with an overmastering
and painful "craving" for its object. Pages
108,
128,
145. |
| 26. Fire from God: Is a purifying
through suffering (Matt. 3: 11,12), or a consuming zeal in spirit,
which deepens into white heat intensity to do the will and work of
God, which no trials or opposition can quench. Fire from God is
spiritual, not literal, and therefore falls upon the spirit,
not the body.
Page 291. |
26. "Fire" caused by evil spirits is
generally a glow in the body, which the believer thinks is a
manifestation of "God" in "possession" of the body, but afterwards
results in darkness, dullness and weakness with no reasonable cause;
or else it continues deceiving the believer into counterfeit
experiences. Pages
82,
130. |
| 27. Texts from God: These are given
through the organ of the spirit to the mind, when the spirit is (1)
calm, (2) unstrained, (3) at liberty, (4) open to the Spirit of God.
They do not confuse, and when acted upon are found to be confirmed
in Providence, and are always in accord with the keen use of the
faculties. Intelligent knowledge of the broad principles of
Scripture is needed for the true interpretation of "texts" which
arise in the spirit, lest they be misused through human conceptions
of Divine things, e.g., the mind may take literally
what God means spiritually. Cf.
page 139. |
27. Texts from evil spirits "flash" into the
mind: rush with force; come from without (audibly), or in the mental
sphere. They elate or crush, condemn or puff up; confuse or turn out
fruitless, leading those who obey them into vain actions, or into
wreckage of circumstances. Evil spirits give a false "experience,"
and then "texts to confirm it," whereas true experience confirms the
truth of the statements of the written Word. Evil spirits make use
of all misconceptions of truth. Pages
18,
65, 66,
139,
149, 150. |
| 28. Sin from the fallen nature: Is
from within, carries the will with it, or else forces the will by
its pressure. The man knows the movement to sin is sin, and yet
yields to it. Rom. 6: 6,11,12 is God's way of dealing with the
fallen nature, and its workings, as the believer stands on the
ground of the Cross, and wields Christ's finished Calvary work as a
weapon for victory. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the Cross in
setting free from sin, when it is the outcome of the evil nature.
Pages 229,
234,
247. |
28. Sin caused by e.s., apart from
temptation, is also within, but is forced into the spirit,
mind or body, against the desire of the man, and should be
recognized as distinctly not of, or from himself, e.g.,
blasphemous thoughts and unexplainable "feelings." If the "sin"
infused by demons is dealt with as from the evil nature, although
the person stands on Rom. 6: 6,11, and refuses it, no deliverance
comes, but when it is recognized as the work of demons, and resisted
on the ground of the Cross, freedom is quickly given. Pages
133,
218,
228-233. |
| 29. Self-examination in the light of God:
A discrimination of his own actions exercised by the spiritual
man, which does not produce "despair," "disappointment," a "crushed
feeling," etc., but leads to rapid decision of action, and a joyous
faith in the co-operating work of the Spirit in deliverance from all
that does not bear the verdict of the light of God. John 3: 21.
Page 56. |
29. Self-introspection, is made use of by
evil spirits to throw the believer into self-accusation and despair.
This dries the person inward and downward to crushed impotence and
faithlessness. God never crushes His children. He convicts
only to reveal the remedy. Evil spirits seek to turn souls into
self-centred absorption whereas God moves in them to live and care
for others.
Page 159. |
| 30. Conviction of sin: Comes from the
Word of God, or by the direct action of the Holy Spirit, to the
conscience, in times of quiet prayer or reading. It is never "vague"
or confusing, and ceases directly the man decides to obey the Word,
or go to God for cleansing in the Blood of Christ. True conviction
is also a deepening experience, as the light of God shines into the
conscience and life. Cf. pages
229 to 234. |
30. Evil spirits' accusations, which are a
counterfeit of conviction, are from without, in the ear (audibly),
or to the mind , in a "nagging," persistent, confusing kind
of "speaking," often without definite purpose or specific reason. No
"confessing" or "step of obedience" affects these accusations, and
they come again and again over the same things Many live under a
perpetual cloud through the attacks of accusing spirits. They are
under the shadow of being "always wrong." Cf.
pages 229
to 234. |
| 31. Confession of sin: To God and man,
should be the deliberate act of the will in obedience to the Word of
God, and conscience. It should be followed by sincere repentance and
putting away of the confessed sin, and have the witness of the
Spirit to the conscience that the sin has been put away through the
efficacy of the Blood of Christ.
Page 133. |
31. Compulsory confessions, by the driving
power of evil spirits upon the mind in accusation, or from remorse;
or, to silence the accusing voices, the man is sometimes impelled to
"confess" "sins" which have no actual existence.
Page 133. |
|
Notes
Without exception the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is marked
by (a) a Christ-like spirit of love, (b) soberness of
spirit vision, (c) keenness of vision, (d) deep
humility of heart and meekness of spirit, with lion-courage against
sin and Satan, and (e) clearness of the mental
faculties with a "sound mind." 2 Timothy 1: 7.
"Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of
the Lord is . . ."--Ephes. 5: 17, R.V. |
Notes
Speaking generally, proof of "sense-manifestations" being from
deceiving spirits may be found in the spirit being wrong
alongside of "manifestations," e.g., 1. Condemning spirit and
judging spirit. 2. Spirit-vision dulled; cannot see marks of God at
work in other ways. 3. Absence of true Spirit-power in (a)
conviction of sin, (b) deliverance of souls, or (c)
salvation of souls. 4. Or the spirit is "sweet" in a weak sense,
with mind dulled, and unable to work with clearness. |
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