It is a joy to be with you—not at a conference, but simply to be with you as family here in Richmond. I am so thankful for your prayers and your fellowship.
This evening I would like to turn you to a number of Scriptures. I want to say at the beginning that the little word on my heart may seem somewhat negative at first. But especially for those of you who are younger in the Lord, it could save you from much distress and damage in the years ahead. I hope the Lord will help us, and help you too, to hear what He is trying to say.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time;
casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He careth for you.
Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;
whom withstand steadfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.
And the God of all grace, Who called you unto His eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall Himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.
To Him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
Many shall come in My name, saying, I am He; and shall lead many astray.
For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect.
But take ye heed: behold, I have told you all things beforehand.
Take ye heed, watch and pray.
Let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.
This is speaking of the day of the Lord, which some thought was just at hand.
Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;
and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Wherefore watch ye.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.
It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Now unto Him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of His glory without blemish in exceeding joy,
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen.
Beloved Lord, we want to thank You for this anointing which You have provided. We stand by faith into it for my speaking and our hearing. Fill this time with Your presence, Lord, and with Your working. Grant, Lord, that something shall be deposited within us which will be forever.
Dear Lord, impart something more of Yourself to each one of us. Instruct us in Yourself, and help us to hear what You are saying. We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
There is absolutely no reason at all why any child of God should not reach the end of the Lord. It is perfectly clear, even from a superficial reading of the Word of God, that God has made available to the weakest, the most insignificant, and indeed the most unworthy child of His, all the grace and all the power needed to reach His end.
There is no obstacle, no problem, no difficulty, no satanic proposition that can stop you from coming to the end of the Lord for your life.
Why, then, are so many children of God waylaid? How is it that so many who begin in the race do not finish it? Why is it that so many who begin with the Spirit end with the flesh? Why is the Bible filled with those who fail, having been called and having been saved? Somehow or other, they fail.
I have read a number of Scriptures dealing with being guarded: guarded from stumbling, guarded from being beguiled. We are told that the Lord is able to guard us from stumbling. That is one thing; but even more wonderful, He is able to present us before the presence of His glory without blemish in exceeding joy.
Peter says that we have something reserved for us in heaven; then he says that we, “by the power of God, are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”—at the end, as it were. Is that not amazing?
Wherever we turn, we find this wonderfully encouraging declaration in God’s Word: “He Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Then there is that other wonderful word in Thessalonians concerning our whole spirit, soul, and body being preserved entire: “Faithful is He that calleth you, Who will also do it.”
This concerns not only the individual—each one of us being presented mature, full-grown, complete, perfect in Christ—but also the whole purpose of God for the church being fulfilled: that we may make ourselves ready as the bride of Christ for His coming.
My subject this evening may seem very negative, and it is this: How can a believer tell what is of God from what is not of God?
I am being quite selfish in speaking on this subject. My life is made positively miserable by thousands of believers all over the world who pursue me by letter, telephone, or in person to tell me how some wicked brother or sister deceived them and got them into something dark—something that damaged them, destroyed them, or whatever else.
I wish to God that every child of God would know that there is no reason at all to be deceived. If you have been deceived, if I may put it bluntly right at the start, it is your own fault.
You should not blame others. There is a pride and self-righteousness in us all. We want to think that we are sweet little innocent things—so sweet, so pure, so simple—that wicked people come along and make merchandise of us. We are caught by various winds of doctrine and trends; then, after some years, we wake up and realize that we were deceived.
We say that some brother or sister was unbelievably powerful, manipulative, and psychologically forceful, and swept us into it. This is absolute nonsense. If anyone gets into anything that is wrong, he has no one to blame but himself.
Our Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He says that He has come to keep the flock from wolves, thieves, and robbers who want to destroy and damage the flock. He also said, “My sheep hear My voice.”
So when we get into anything that damages us, somewhere or another we have not heard the voice of the Lord. We have followed our own inclination. If you are honest, you will find that there was something there that tickled your fancy—something that stirred visions of self-fulfilment, of a powerful ministry, or whatever it was. You were caught by bait, but you were responsible for being caught.
The way out of this kind of thing is always the same: it is to repent. What is repentance? Repentance is taking responsibility for your own action. You cannot blame circumstances, your parents, your upbringing, your husband, your wife, your children, a powerful television evangelist, or some servant of God who led you astray. You must take responsibility yourself.
Our problem is not that which is absolutely and clearly contrary to God’s Word. Generally speaking, you have to be unbelievably unspiritual to be caught by something that is plainly contrary to the Word of God.
The Word of God is not old-fashioned. The Word of God is authoritative. It is inspired and totally relevant. You cannot take a single thing in the Word of God and say, “That was merely the custom of the day; we do not have to follow it now.” Otherwise, where do we stand?
The whole battle today is whether this Book is the revealed heart and mind of God or not. Every demonic force is seeking, in one way or another, to compromise our faith in God’s Word. There is nothing in this Book that is irrelevant.
The enormous problem is where there is mixture. People say, “The way I got into this was that people were being saved, wonderful things were happening, and there were healings and deliverances. How can the Lord be doing all this and it still be wrong?”
It would be much easier if we could say that the whole thing was phony. But it is not always so. In some cases, you have an unbelievable mixture: that which is flesh and that which is of God; that which is pride and, in some cases, that which is demonic.
One reason why the Lord stands back in these things and allows them to develop is to train us. We are being trained for government. We are being trained to use spiritual faculties and spiritual senses.
I always return to that amazing word in 1 Corinthians 11:19:
For there must be also factions among you, that they that are approved may be made manifest among you.
Division is wrong; it is either of the devil, the flesh, or a mixture of both. Yet the Lord allows such situations so that those who are going on with Him may be tested, may handle what is wrong in the right way, and may be made manifest.
Sometimes the Lord allows all kinds of things to happen. He goes on saving, healing, delivering, and even blessing. Yet at the same time, much may be happening which is not of the Lord. Part of such a thing may be fraudulent; some of it may be manipulative or psychological. Here is our problem: how do we know what is of God and what is not of God?
Turn to 1 John 4:1:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
We are to prove every spirit. Good and bad, everything is to be proved. Swallow nothing. This is the first lesson.
Then turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22:
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
Quench not the Spirit;
despise not prophesyings;
prove all things; hold fast that which is good;
abstain from every form of evil.
One of our problems is that we become so filled with fear that we do nothing. We are so afraid of delusion, deception, and what is false that we are no longer open to any new move of God or anything into which God may be leading us. In this way, we quench the Spirit.
We need always to be pioneers. We need to be in the front line, moving forward. If a spirit of fear gets into us, we can be derailed by fear. I find no matter so enormously influential as fear. Fear is a huge problem among the people of God.
The only answer to fear is the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we are filled with fear, and with fear comes torment. Then we withdraw into a tiny little circle because we think it is safer there. But the Word says, “Quench not the Spirit; despise not prophesyings; prove all things; hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
We are to prove everything; we are to try everything. The church at Ephesus was commended because it tried those who called themselves apostles and found them false. It did not simply accept false apostles on the basis of their apparent credentials.
However good something may seem, prove it. However scriptural something may appear, prove it. However outwardly powerful or miraculous something may be, prove it—not in fear, but prove it. Try it. Is it of God, or is it not of God?
As we move into the last phase of world history, we are going to see more and more confusion among the people of God. We are going to see more and more that appears to be of the Lord, yet at the same time contains much that is definitely not of the Lord. We shall be left asking, “What is all this? What do we do about it? How do we respond?”
In 2 Corinthians 11, the apostle says that Satan comes as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness. Have you really thought about that? An angel of light is a messenger of light. Satan masquerades as one bringing revelation concerning deeper things—something apparently wonderful.
He comes not as obvious evil or corruption, but as righteousness. That is what makes it dangerous.
In 1 Timothy 4, we read of doctrines of demons and seducing spirits. What are doctrines of demons? A demonic doctrine. Doctrine is something found among the people of God. Thus, there can be teachings that appear to be interpretations of the Word of God, yet lead the people of God astray in the end.
What is a seducing spirit? When someone tries to seduce you, he does not come at you with a sledgehammer. Seduction is accomplished by something that is seemingly nice and lovely. Before you know where you are, you are caught.
Now let us turn to 1 John 2:20, 26-28:
And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray.
And as for you, the anointing which ye received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in Him.
And now, my little children, abide in Him; that, if He shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
Notice verse 18: “Little children, it is the last hour.” Then notice verse 26: “These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray.” And then John says, “The anointing which ye received of Him abideth in you.”
At first, “Ye need not that any one teach you” appears to contradict other parts of the Word of God. Ephesians 4 tells us that some are given as teachers. First Corinthians 12 also tells us that the Lord gives teachers to the church. We do need instruction; we do need teaching.
But this is what John means: you do not need anyone to tell you what is right and what is wrong when it comes to those who would lead you astray. You have an anointing within you that teaches you concerning all things. This anointing is true; it is no lie.
As you abide, as you listen to the anointing and obey it, you abide in Christ. You remain in your covering. You are not drawn out, sidetracked, or led into something that is not of the Lord, even though it looks like the Lord.
Earlier in this chapter John speaks to fathers, young men, and little children. If I asked most Christians to whom the anointing belongs, I think they would say, “To fathers”—because anointing seems to be connected with service and maturity. Yet here the anointing is spoken of in relation to little children.
The word anointing is another term for the Holy Spirit. In the youngest child of God, the Holy Spirit dwells; otherwise, that person could not be born of God. The Holy Spirit may not yet have anointed him for service, but the anointing dwelling within him will teach him what is false and what is true.
Every child of God, born of the Spirit of God, has this anointing. It is there to teach him what is right and what is wrong. You do not need me to come with a heavy hammer and strike you on the head, saying, “This is wrong,” or, “This is right.”
The new covenant says, “They shall all know Me, from the least to the greatest.” We are speaking now about the least. Every child of God has within him, by the Holy Spirit, an alarm bell.
When that alarm bell goes off, whoever you are, whatever you are, however ignorant you are, however young you are, you know that something is wrong.
Let me give you an illustration from my own experience. I have found that this alarm bell works much better in young believers than in old ones. I have found, among the people of God, that it functions very well in young believers and very badly in older believers.
Why? When you are young in the Lord, you know nothing. Many of us do not know the Bible or Christian things; we have just been saved. We have no great knowledge. Therefore, when we hear something, because we are dependent on the Lord, we either have the sense, “This is of the Lord; this is wonderful,” or else we feel very uncomfortable.
Years ago, a brother came among us. He had all the credentials. He was a very clever man, spoke several languages, and used all the familiar spiritual phraseology. Some of the older people said, “Oh, it is wonderful—strong meat.”
But two younger believers, who had only been saved two or three weeks, came to me separately and said, “I do not know why, but I am disturbed.” They could not explain it. They had no theological argument. Yet they were disturbed.
Later, when this brother was exposed, I went to some of the older believers who had said, “Wasn’t he wonderful?” Every one of them said, “I had a very funny feeling at the beginning, but I thought it was just me. I listened carefully to what he said, and it was right.”
The young believers went by the tree of life; the older believers went by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They examined every statement: good, bad, good, bad. In the end, they concluded that it was good because everything the brother said was biblical and his phraseology was familiar.
Have you ever been deceived among believers, perhaps by seeming believers, perhaps even real believers in whom something was wrong? Think whether your first reaction was normally negative, and then you suppressed it.
The warning bell rang, but then you began to reason: “Perhaps I am incompatible with this brother. I do not like his manner or the way he carries himself. I am temperamentally different.” Then, if the preacher says, “Some of you are resisting the Holy Spirit,” you think, “That is me,” and you suppress the warning.
On one occasion, we had a brother come among us through the recommendation of a sincere but emotional sister. She was always attracted to every new thing happening in the country. She would go off to it, return saying, “Wonderful! Marvelous!” and then later discover something that was not so wonderful.
This particular brother had what seemed to be a wonderful ministry. He counselled people for healing and deliverance. One dear sister had suffered from agoraphobia for more than fifty years. She could not go out alone. This brother prayed with her, and her agoraphobia left her and never returned.
Would you not think that was wonderful? We did praise the Lord. But then there were troubling things. The sister’s daughter, who had suffered greatly and whose mother was in a mental home, went to this brother for help. He simply told her, “You are not born again.”
She ran out in great distress and went toward the river intending to throw herself in. Mercifully, another sister saw her and stopped her, assuring her that she was indeed saved.
The brother had adopted a false teaching that new birth was identical with baptism in the Spirit. He did not explain it to the sister; he just said, “You are not born again.” So we began to see that there was mixture.
I remember one particular message he gave on loving the Lord and being wholehearted for the Lord. You could not fault the sermon outwardly. It was magnificent in its wording. Yet at the end of it, I felt unclean. I felt as though I wanted to stand under a cold shower and wash and wash and wash myself.
But I thought, “It is me. This brother is simply different from me. We are incompatible.” So I suppressed those feelings.
Then two brothers came from about a hundred miles away and asked to use our library for a day of fasting and prayer. While they were praying, they asked whether there was something the enemy was trying to do in the work. At first, I could not explain it. Then I told them about this brother and the things that had been happening.
They said, “That is it. Let us pray.” They prayed with tremendous authority. Behind the scenes, spiritually, they dealt with the matter. I felt a load roll off my back. I knew something in the situation had been touched.
The next day, several of those who had been influenced by the brother came to me independently and said, “I feel as if I have awakened out of a nightmare. I realize I have been involved in something wrong.” By that evening, all who had been affected had awakened.
That is spiritual prayer. If I had gone and berated those people, telling them they were deceived or deluded, it would only have caused division. But those two brothers dealt with the matter behind the scenes, and when it was exposed spiritually, the thing broke up.
When the leading brothers later met together, we found that every one of us, without exception, had had the same warning bell. Every one of us had suppressed it for different reasons. From then on, we covenanted together that whenever we had a warning bell about anything, we would share it with one another.
Sometimes another brother would say, “No, that is just you.” At other times, he would say, “I have exactly the same feeling.” I cannot tell you how much we have been preserved over the years. I have learned to trust the anointing that is within.
I do not want to make this too negative. What can we say practically?
Always obey the witness of the Spirit within you. Listen carefully: in my experience, your first reaction is nearly always right. Your first spontaneous reaction within your spirit, within your heart, is normally the right one.
Do not commit yourself to anything against which you have a witness in your spirit. No matter how much you are told that you are resisting the Spirit, or whatever else, do not commit yourself against that inward witness.
Do not become critical, negative, and judgmental. That is very easy to do. You can become full of criticism and negativism. Do not allow that.
“He that is spiritual judgeth all things.” You may recognize that something is wrong, but you do not need to spend all your time running it down. Go on with the Lord. Get to know the Lord better.
What should you do if you have been deceived? Most of us, at some time or another, have been deceived. The first thing is to repent, because somewhere you suppressed the warning of the anointing within your spirit.
If you had only listened! So if ever you get into such a thing, repent, wake up, and learn from it.
Give the Lord Jesus the place in your life that God has given Him. You cannot be safer than by giving the Lord Jesus, in your life, family, work, and service, the place that God has given Him.
How can we tell what is of God?
In other words, it is not merely a matter of self-fulfilment, self-glory, or self-advancement. It is a matter of service.
Remember these things, and they will help you greatly. The Lord Jesus is able to guard us from stumbling and to present us without blemish before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
When the devil is roaring around us like a lion, we are to humble ourselves before God and resist him, steadfast in faith. The only way to be guarded by the power of God is through faith. The power of God is there to guard you; faith is the key that links you to that guarding power.
May the Lord help us. We are moving into days in which all kinds of strange things are happening everywhere. Some things may be of the Lord; some things are clearly not. We have to learn to distinguish what is of God from what is not of God.
He has given us the means: an anointing within. You may be a young man, you may be a father, or you may be only a little child; but it is with little children that God begins to give this anointing.
May the Lord help us and teach us.
Dear Lord, we want to bow here in Your presence and thank You and worship You for all that You are. Thank You, Lord, that You can take this evening and deliver it from being merely negative into something positive.