A young lady walked into my office for counselling. She was bothered. A “prophetess” had just met her on the road to give her a “revelation” concerning her marital life; “The person you are meant to marry is not in Nigeria. He is in so and so country. If you ever want to marry, you must find your way there as fast as possible”. I asked her, “what’s your response to this?” She said, “I only nodded and left her, I’m really confused”. Well, I counseled her aright by God’s Grace. Today, she is happily married to a different man, in Nigeria!

Friend, you must learn to judge the source of every communication you receive. Not every supernatural communication is divine, some are demonic. In fact, we don’t only follow the truth, we follow the Spirit of Truth. It is not about the correctness of the communication, it is about the source of it (Matthew 24:5, Acts 16:16-18). You must be careful not to obey an instruction (positive or negative) from a wrong spirit, else, you come under the influence of that spirit (Romans 6:16).

There are three things to consider in analysing and receiving any divine communication; you need to consider the source, the spirit and the substance, in that order. The source can either be God, devil or man. For Adam and Eve, the information about their nakedness was true, but the source was not God; it was from the devil. No wonder God asked Adam, “who told you…?” (Genesis 3:11). That’s the same question God is asking you today, “who told you?”

Who told you that you will not eventually give birth if you don’t get pregnant before marriage? Who told you that you will not live long? Who told you that the lady you are about going out with is your wife? Who told you that the step you are about to take in that career/business is right? Paul understood this when he told the Galatians that, “this persuasion is not from He that called you” (Galatians 5:8). You see, there are some things you might be “persuaded” about but are not from God. You must learn to judge the source of your revelation or persuasion if you would not make a shipwreck of your life and destiny.

You also need to consider the spirit behind the communication. Is it the Holy Spirit or another spirit? We are admonished by the scriptures to “…test the spirit whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). You must learn to decipher the “voice” behind the voice (1 Corinthians 14:10). You must learn to discern the Holy Spirit from demon spirits. You must learn to identify spirits whose operations negate the provisions of the Bible. Stop listening to the spirit of fear, error, lies and pride. If you are a correct student of the Bible then you would know that there are some things God will never tell you.

Finally, you need to consider the substance of the communication. You must learn to weigh the communication in the ‘balance’ of the scriptures. Whatever is not in line with God’s word, particularly your new creation status in Christ, must be rejected no matter who says it. There is no other prophecy that is greater than the prophecy of the scriptures (2 Peter 1:18-20). This is why you must know the Bible for yourself. You must also know the God of the Bible (Luke 4:4).

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria