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Spirit Matters: As Christians, we have a duty to discern between truth and lies · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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Spirit Matters. As Christians we have a duty to discern between truth
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and lies. Written by Gerilyn Zavodanovac and Spirit Matters. This
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article is being read by an automated voice, brought to you by
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Everlit. The Word of God has been given to us for our
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instruction and formation in living Christ-like lives. But we all know it
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has been misrepresented at times for nefarious purposes for centuries. When Jesus
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was tempted in the desert, the devil used various scriptural verses in
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an attempt to make Jesus worship him. Jesus was wise enough to
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discern the devil's intentions and recognize the way the devil was twisting
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scripture for his own purposes. In 1 Corinthians 12.10, St. Paul writes
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of the ability to distinguish between spirits as one of the spiritual
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gifts God gives us. Discernment is the ability to distinguish right from
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wrong, good from bad, truth from falsehood. It acts like a radar
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that spots hidden motives, deceptions, or inconsistencies. Authentic discernment is grounded in
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a sense of humility and applying God's principles to the world rather
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than our own. To develop this ability for authentic discernment, we must
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stay grounded in God. We must have a consistent daily practice of
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spending time in prayer with God and allowing God to form our
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hearts and our consciences. We live in a time in history where
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it is easier than ever to be misled by the cacophony of
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noise coming at us through all forms of media. Numerous false prophets
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among us spread lies, hidden motives, falsehoods, deceptions, and inconsistencies. But are
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we able to distinguish between truth and falsehood? Are we sufficiently immersed
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in Christ to recognize when things don't add up, especially when they
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present themselves as honorable? It is important to remember that the devil
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always uses an element of truth to deceive others. If we aren't
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well versed in Scripture and our faith, we risk being drawn down
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paths that can lead us into darkness. I had an experience this
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week that drove home for me the importance of discernment and the
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necessity of being well formed in Jesus as the God of love,
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the Word of God incarnate. Watched a video of someone speaking about
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how their spirituality sustains them. They spoke of Jesus as one of
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many enlightened beings, and that ultimately we are all God, able to
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manifest for ourselves what we want in life without an intermediary. That
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all of this is this person's truth, implying that there are multiple
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truths out there. What happens when one's truth conflicts with someone else's
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truth? Which one is true? By definition they cannot both be truth.
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The thing is, there were elements in this video I agreed with.
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That organized religion has historically and continues to be used to instill
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fear in people as a means for control. Even a cursory look
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at history and the experiences in many of our own lives illustrates
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that to be true. The part about manifesting for ourselves what we
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want without an intermediary placing us on level with God. Remember that
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verse where Jesus tells us whatever we ask for in prayer is
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ours. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Ask
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and the door will be open for you. Although the person in
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the video did not directly quote that scripture, it could be wrongly
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used as a way to prove their belief about self manifestation. Believing
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in ourselves and having faith in God are two completely different things.
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They can certainly coexist, but when we have so much belief in
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ourselves and our own powers what we no longer feel a need
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to honor God as supreme being, the one from whom we originate,
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the there is a problem. We most develop spiritual discernment in our
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lives, along with our intellect in studying various disciplines, so that videos
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like these and much of what we encounter every day cannot easily
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lead us astray. Jesus tells us that we can judge a tree
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by the kind of fruit it produces. Perhaps the most important tool
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in discernment is to ask ourselves If
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what we are reading or hearing produces the fruits of the Spirit
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in the life of the person sharing it and in our own
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lives. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul lists the nine
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fruits of the Holy Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
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gentleness, and self-control. These fruits emanate from the Holy Spirit and reveal
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the Holy Spirit's character. If what we consume does not cultivate these
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qualities, if what we consume cultivates anger, confusion, division, cruelty, or any
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ugliness of spirit then it. Is likely not from the Holy Spirit,
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and not of God. After watching the video I spoke of, I
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felt an uncomfortable disturbance in my spirit that followed me much of
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the day, so much that it still bothers me today and drove
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me to pray about this whole matter and write about it now.
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In short, I did not feel the fruits of the Spirit through
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any of it, but this experience did renew in me a desire
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to know and love God, and to sow seeds that produce God's
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fruit. None of us are immune to lies and misrepresentations of the
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gospel of love. Sometimes we might even inadvertently misrepresent God ourselves, but
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when we seek God with pure intentions and sand steep ourselves in
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the ancient wisdom of God, we can quickly identify missteps and return
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again to the path that leads to life. Spirit Matters is a
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weekly column by Gerilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the
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human spirit. Contact her at jzbu33 at yahoo.com