DISCERNING GOOD AND EVIL

I have told the story of my experience in a restaurant on the way to Minna severally. Years back, I embarked on a journey to Minna in Niger state. The driver of our vehicle stopped at Jebba for us to eat. I ordered for a plate of food and paid.

After I finished eating, I requested for extra satchet water. While drinking the water, I heard a voice saying, 'If you don't pay for the water, you'll come back to Jebba to restitute for it.' I was confused because the lady didn't ask for money and I was trying to play a fast one on her. I knew the voice I heard was a hoax so I decided to test the genuineness of that voice.

I gave the lady N5 naira note, she returned the money to me. I asked her why she did. She said the money I paid for the main meal covered for the extra satchet water she gave me. That was how the devil was disgraced. That voice I heard was not God's voice though it sounded like it.

You see, someone else may hear thesame voice and say 'the Spirit of God spoke to me and I became contrite in heart so that i might not sin'. Some have heard the voice of devil's accusation and condemnation thinking it was conviction of the Spirit whereas it is just the voice of religious spirits.

In your walk with God, you need to be trained on how to distinguish good from evil, voice of the Spirit from that of demon spirit. Demons also speak to people.

Spiritual maturity begins the day you start recognizing the voice of God not the voices sounding like his. Some are hearing the voices of religious spirits that often sound like God's voice.

Sometimes, when God is speaking, we don't know He is talking to us because we lack training in that regard. We muddle things up. At times, hear our preconceived notions and similar instructions others received thinking God is saying same to us. At other times, we hear God's voice but cannot discern him properly.

Just like the case of Samuel, he thought Eli was talking to him. Eli, as an experienced man in the things of the Spirit who knew what was happening gave him a simple instruction. We all need to be trained in the things of the Spirit constantly.

Mature men are trained men. Some still doubt If training is needed for spiritual things. Apostle Paul endorsed learning about the operations of the gifts of the Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians 12:1, he says, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant". If Paul doesn't want us to be ignorant about spiritual things, then it means that we can get some knowledge about spiritual things through learning and training.

The tool for learning and training is the word of God. The closer we are to the word, the better. We need to learn from men that are spiritually mature not religious men.